Sprinkles and Sea Serpents by Danielle Garrett

Sprinkles and Sea Serpents by Danielle Garrett

by CarolNo Comments
Sprinkles and Sea Serpents is a fun book.  Ella. our main character, has an interesting power - everyone in Winterspell Lake has some kind of magic, even if others are a bit leery of it. She's a former journalist, so the mystery of the missing women grabs her attention. I liked Ella for the most part, but she made some not great decisions. The mystery itself was good enough. I wasn't surprised by who the bad guy was, but there some unanswered questions at the end that will almost definitely come up in the next. I liked romantic interest, too. I thought they worked well together. I'll probably read #1.5 around Christmas....
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The Librarian and the Time Machine by Brian Yansky

The Librarian and the Time Machine by Brian Yansky

by CarolNo Comments
We know the setup. Kevin is the librarian of Eden, (maybe) Lucifer aka Karl's son, and is trying to stop the apocalypse. This time around he's also trying to find out who killed his mentor when he was a teenager. Happily, there's a groovy time machine in the library he can use. I'm not a fan of time travel usually, but this book does not take itself seriously at all, so it works. It's also the only way to leave Eden and the four teenagers who have spent their entire lives in the village are desperate to leave, if only for a little while. I like the history of Eden we get here - why it's important and why the teenagers are the only children. The plot twists are interesting, if slightly ridiculous. It's light and entertaining and a quick afternoon read. It is one of those series where each installment feels like a to-be-continued episode....
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The Librarian and the Book Thief by Brian Yansky

The Librarian and the Book Thief by Brian Yansky

by CarolNo Comments
This is the second book of the series featuring Kevin, who is the librarian of Eden and (maybe) Lucifer aka Karl's son. This time around he's on the hunt for a missing book, My Side of the Story, is the Bible but from the point of view of Karl and the other fallen (jumped?) angels. Angels, demons, a trip to Vegas - it's another fun ride. Maybe not quite as charming as the first, since the absurdity and irreverence is expected. I do like the dark sense of humor and the eclectic townsfolk. My only complaint, aside from the editing, is that it feels more like an episode than a full story and at 200-ish pages I want a full story....
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The Librarian of the Haunted Library by Brian Yansky

The Librarian of the Haunted Library by Brian Yansky

by CarolNo Comments
The Librarian of the Haunted Library is not necessarily a good book, but it is entertaining and compulsively readable. Kevin had a rough childhood, but is "talented" and has spent the last several years traveling around the US essentially doing good. Now, he's ended up in Eden and was just handed the librarian position. And his first duty is finding out who murdered the last librarian - they seem to die pretty often. The plot is a bit all over the place. It's absurd and funny and I truly enjoyed the characters. It's a light read and can't really bear up to too much scrutiny, but if you enjoy quirky characters, a bit of religious fantasy - Kevin is (maybe) the devil's son after all, and can just go with the flow, you might enjoy it. I immediately picked up the second in the series....
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Cruising Through Midlife by Addison Moore

Cruising Through Midlife by Addison Moore

by CarolNo Comments
Trixie is on her 25-anniversary cruise to Hawaii alone because her husband is a cheating jerk. And I do have to say she moved on well. She's determined to have fun and not fall for any of his pleading or mean jabs. She seems to take everything in stride and with a smile, even when she finds a dead body in her luggage and a ghost turns up to help her solve the mystery. It's a fun, lighthearted mystery with plenty of romance. Trixie has two potential love interests, both crew. I'm not a fan of love triangles and I did kind of want her to just pick one, but it's only an 18-night cruise, and she'll never see either of them again, so what's the harm? And I might have peeked at some of the later blurbs in the series, so I'm willing to let it slide for now. It's a fun book. I enjoyed Trixie and her new friends. It's...
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Death on the Caldera by Emily Paxman

Death on the Caldera by Emily Paxman

by CarolNo Comments
First of all, just because there's a train and murders does not make it Murder on the Orient Express. Not every mystery needs compared to Agatha Christie, especially when Christie's plot is tight and controlled and this one is—not. If you read the blurb above, we've got a lot going on - a train wreck with a royal on board, a murderer on the loose, and witches. We also have two systems of magic aside from the witches', two gods, two political powers, and about nine points of view. I felt like the mystery and fantasy sides were balanced well. The world-building is done well, without being overwhelming. The Lindes do what all amateur sleuths do - ask questions, nose around, try to find who's guilty so you're not blamed. It was maybe a bit difficult to connect much with the characters because we did have so many, but their thoughts and relationships felt realistic. I listened to the audio and...
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