Purchased – Carol's Notebook

Separation of Church and Hate by John Fugelsang

March 11, 2026March 11, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

I found Separation of Church and Hate interesting, informative, and funny. But I'm an anti-death penalty, anti-gun, pro-LGBTQI rights Christian who believes we should provide food, health care and safety to people. I attends church every Sunday and work in the office every weekday afternoon. Mostly, I just agree with Fugelsang, who believes in a Christianity embodied by love, mercy, and service. If you don't, your mileage may vary. Fugelsang takes every hot-button issue- abortion, universal health care, gun control, etc., shows us the scriptures the extreme right tends to use to support them and teaches us why, in his opinion, they're being misinterpreted or are more Paul's opinion and hang-ups than Jesus' actual views. He then points to other scriptures that support a more loving, graceful, and inclusive understanding. I can't really judge how solid his theology is and I might question a couple of his suggestions, but overall I think he makes some really good points. I also appreciate...

Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey

February 16, 2026February 16, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

I don't typically read a lot of sci-fi - last year I think I read two books that would qualify. I enjoy science fiction, but maybe take my opinions as those of a casual reader, not someone who is immersed in the genre. And, no, I have not seen the The Expanse tv series. One of my complaints about science fiction is that sometimes it gets so caught up in the technology and concepts that I end up not really caring. Here the world and politics are definitely center stage - Earth and Luna versus Mars and its outposts, versus the Belters, who live and work in the Asteroid belt, and the issues that seem to plague any society regarding race and income and exploitation, but it's told through its characters. We learn about the world, history, and tensions from their viewpoints. Jim Holden and his crew are at the center of a lot of the action, for really no good...

The Killer Question by Janice Hallett

February 10, 2026February 10, 2026 by Carol4 Comments

The Killer Question is a clever book. The shtick is that it's all told through texts, emails, police interview transcripts, and assorted documents. The story's frame is that Dominic is trying to sell his aunt and uncle's story to a streaming service to make into a documentary. Sue and Mal operated a small pub that ran a Monday evening trivia contest. Were not surprised when a body is found in the river near the pub - after all, something made Dominic think it was a story worth pitching, but we'll have several good twists and at least one actual surprise by the end. We have a lot of characters to keep track of and we don't get to know any of them well. That's not a complaint, it's the nature of the style and important to the plot. I think this is one of those books that will either work for you or won't. I enjoyed it, but I'm not...

The In Crowd by Charlotte Vassell

February 4, 2026February 4, 2026 by Carol1 Comment

I wish I had read The Other Half, the first in the Detective Inspector Caius Beauchamp series, before picking up The In Crowd. Not that The In Crowd doesn't work as a stand-alone, it does, but Caius is a full, rich character, the kind you appreciate more the more time you spend with them. His interactions with his staff, Matt Chung and Amy Noakes, are well done, too. I also feel like some of the other characters had parts in the first case that I missed. This time around, Caius is working on two cases: the death of a woman who had been the girlfriend of a missing man suspected of stealing pension fund assets and the disappearance of a girl from boarding school years ago. The mysteries are complex and and the twists were incorporated well, and I liked how certain things pulled together. Honestly, though, it's Caius himself that would make me come back to the series....

The Gathering of Clan McFee by Karen Baugh Menuhin

January 24, 2026January 23, 2026 by Carol2 Comments

The Gathering of Clan McFee was not my favorite of the Heathcliff Lennox #14 but it was enjoyable enough. A Castle McFee, the laird has passed away without a clear heir. Descendants from across the globe had gathered at the castle, each hoping to prove they have the best claim to the inheritance - essentially a money pit of a castle and the land that goes with it. When one of the potential heirs ends up dead, Lennox and Swift are dispatched by Scotland Yard to investigate. The group that has crowded the castle is an odd bunch, as are Lady Peggy and her staff. The potential motive is obvious and shared by all the guests, but when another body is found, the whole situation becomes more dangerous. I found most, if not all, of the potential heirs annoying. Lady Peggy's butler was overly eccentric. The plot moved along at a good pace, though, and I didn't guess who the...

The Last Death of the Year by Sophie Hannah

January 13, 2026January 13, 2026 by Carol6 Comments

Hercule Poirot has brought Edward Catchpole to the House of Perpetual Welcome on a Greek Island for New Year's Eve, 1933. They are staying as the guests of Nash, the wealthy young man whose parents own the estate. Nash espouses the idea of radical forgiveness and has formed a small community that lives out that ideal, with the stated intent of changing the world. Of course, if he's invited Poirot, we know all is not well. When an after dinner game of guessing each other's New Year's resolutions shows someone is definitely contemplating committing murder, probably before the night is out, celebrations are put on hold. I don't really have a lot to say about this one. Poirot is not exactly Poirot, but he's fine and I've read others in this "New Poirot" series, so knew what to expect. I actually like Catchpole, even if he's a step or two behind Poirot. The folks who live at the...