Killer Jam by Karen MacInerney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was in the mood for a cozy mystery and I found this gem:

"When Houston reporter Lucy Resnick cashes in her retirement to buy her grandmother’s farm in Buttercup, Texas, she’s looking forward to a simple life as a homesteader. But Lucy has barely finished putting up her first batch of Killer Dewberry Jam when an oil exploration truck rolls up to the farm and announces plans to replace her broccoli patch with an oil derrick. Two days later, Nettie Kocurek, the woman who ordered the drilling, turns up dead at the Founders’ Day Festival with a bratwurst skewer through her heart and one of Lucy’s jam jars beside her…and the sheriff fingers Lucy as the prime suspect."

But is Lucy's home just to good to be true???

It was very enjoyable and a quick read, and I would read more of her books.

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

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The Whale Chaser: A Novel by Tony Ardizzone
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really wanted to like this book as the premise is remarkable, but I just couldn't get into it. I thought the protagonist was a lout and trying to make amends at the end just didn't send me over the edge.

But it also could be I was a child of the 60s also but didn't go in the same direction as the author. Therefore, my interest wasn't there.

It was well written, though, and very readable.

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher was letting me read this book.

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A Decade of French Fashion, 1929-1938: From the Depression to the Brink of War by Mary Carolyn Waldrep
My rating: 5 of 5 stars











Spent a glorious afternoon reading and gazing at all the lovely pictures of fashion. I was on my chaise lounge wearing a pink ensemble while eating grapes. Not true, but that's what I felt like going through the history of the fashions from 1929 to 1938.


The flapper look to the long sleekness of the post-depression look.


The glamour of the Hollywood look of oh so long ago.



Recommend highly.



My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

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Finding Family: My Search for Roots and the Secrets in My DNA by Richard Hill (www.dna-testing-adviser.com)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Now I Know Why I am Addicted to Genealogy.



Genealogy is one of my favorite hobbies. Others have reviewed this book, and even though they said they liked genealogy they thought it was boring. Not to me. I read with great interest each clue, each tidbit that helped the author find his parents -- and he started before the advent of the Internet.


I applaud him on his endeavors and I applaud him on a great book.



There was one discrepancy, though. He said the Social Security Death Index was maintained by those who only sent in information on the death. This is not true. It is put out by the Social Security Administration.



My thanks to the author, Net Galley and the publisher for letting me read and review this book.

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I am little behind on my reading but:




Judy: A Dog In A Million by Damien Lewis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

How in the World did this Dog Live?

What a great story about a dog, Judy. It started out slow but built up to one after another conflict in the World War II Pacific.



There were two quotes in the book I especially liked about Judy.



The men would chant to keep their spirits up:



They would stagger to their work place.
Though they really ought to die,
and would in their beards,
If that bitch can, so can I...



Judy, the mascot of World War II -- saving lives while still loving her humans.

At the end of her life, a plaque was put up:

In memory of Judy DM Canine VC
Breed English Pointer
Born Shanghai February 1936,died February 1950
Wounded February 14, 1942
Bombed and sunk HMS Grasshopper
Lingga Archipelago February 14, 1942.
Torpedoes SS Van Waerwijck
Malacca Straits June 26, 1943.
Japanese Prisoner of War March 1942-August 1945.
China Ceylon Java England Egypt Burma
Singapore Malaya Sumtra E. Africa
They Also Served.

I recommend this unique dog and the book to all. My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the privilege of reading this book.

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Solitude Creek by Jeffery Deaver
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So much better than James Patterson's books!

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Sweet Forgiveness by Lori Nelson Spielman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hannah Farr is the number television personality in New Orleans, Louisiana, but she wants more. This is not to be due to a pouch of Forgiveness Stones and Fiona Knowles, creator of the Forgiveness Stones, who appear on Hannah’s show -- whereupon, Hannah inadvertently reveals the story about the falling out with her mother.

Because of this Hannah embarks on a journey to heal the decades-long parting from her mother. She must forgive her mother, and she must forgive herself. This turns out not to be so easy for Hannah, and she almost loses everything.

This is a very sweet novel good for a summer read by the pool. If you like the Hallmark Channel, you will like this book.

My thanks to Net Galley and the publishing company for letting  me review this book. 




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Men of War: The Experience of Battle, from Bunker Hill to Gettysburg to Iwo Jima by Alexander Rose
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"Among old soldiers there exists the discombobulating sessation that war was simultaneously exhilarating and horrifying, terrifying and boring, cruel and kind, tragic and farcical. The Great Red God demands much of its adherents."

Men of War is a fantastic book about the soldiers who go to war and how they adapt and how they are made different from it.

Mr. Rose covers three battles from three different American Wars - Bunker Hill, Gettysburg and Iwo Jima. Battle tactics differ from each war, but the soldiers are the same. They obey, they fight, they fight and they adapt - and they die, which Mr. Rose goes into great detail at each battle. But the soldiers persevere and life goes on.

I am so please that Net Galley and Random House allowed me to review this book.



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Seeing Home: The Ed Lucas Story: A Blind Broadcaster's Story of Overcoming Life’s Greatest Obstacles by Ed Lucas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Seeing Home: The Ed Lucas Story is the incredible true tale of a beloved Emmy-winning blind broadcaster who refused to let his disability prevent him from overcoming many challenging obstacles and achieving his dreams.”

Ed Lucas was born with eye problems which were exacerbated when he was hit between the eyes with a baseball (his childhood love). This, though, did not deter him from what he wanted to do – to have a career in sports writing.

Seeing Home: The Ed Lucas Story details the highs and lows of his life in achieving this goal. I looked up one of his columns that he had recently written on the retirement of David Letterman – and yes – he is a great writer.

I really enjoyed this book with all his anecdotes about the great baseball players of the 50s, 60s, 70s – up to the present time. I would like to know the athlete who put him down in an interview, but he did not divulge the secret.

Read it for all the great baseball history and trivia.

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for letting me review this great book. 




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I now have three followers!  Whoo hoo. 

The Fall by John Lescroat
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Fall was a very engaging and interesting murder mystery and courtroom drama.

Late one night, a teenage African American foster child named Tanya Morgan plummets to her death from the overpass above San Francisco’s Stockton tunnel. But did she fall…or was she pushed?

Dimas Hardy takes up the search and his interest falls on a suspect, Greg Treadway. Treadway goes on trial for the murder and Hardy's daughter, Rebecca, takes up the defense of this young man.

But is he guilty? There are theories abound that he is not the murderer, and Dimas and Rebecca work to prove them.

I enjoyed this book very much and plan to read more of Lescroat's work. I recommend highly. My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for letting me review this book. 


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Aunt Dimity and the Summer King by Nancy Atherton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I made a mistake and started reading the Aunt Dimity books in the middle series, and I did not understand a lot of it, especially Aunt Dimity.

The gist of the book is that there are four unsold cottages in the little village of Finch and it is up to Lori Shepherd to find out why they aren’t sold. She fears they are going to be turned into expensive weekend homes, which will ruin Finch. This is the mystery.

She then goes about trying to unravel this mystery and also the mystery of Arthur Hargreaves otherwise known of the Summer King by his eccentric family.

It was a good book, but I wish there had been more Aunt Dimity.

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for letting me review this book.


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Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thought this was a mystery, and I read and read but there was no murder. But then, lo and behold, there was a murder and mystery.

A clever book about lies, rumors and cattiness in an upscale school with helicopter parents flitting all about thinking they know how to raise kids. Meow.

Loved it.

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Third Girl by Agatha Christie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was rather disappointed with this book. It was not a typical Hercule Poirot, but maybe that is because Agatha Christie was at the end of her life and her little grey cells were diminishing. It takes place in the 60s when the detective was an old man. The book seems to flounder about with a girl who thinks she may have murdered someone but maybe not. It is up to Hercule Poirot to figure everything out.

I saw a televisioned version on the same book starring the great David Suchet. The scriptwriters ironed out all the flaws in the book and the televised version was so much better.



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The Abominable Snowman: A Short Story from Dragons at Crumbling Castle by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was such a cute and humorous little story but then everything by Terry Pratchett is.

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Whispering Shadows by Jan-Philipp Sendker
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Whispering Shadows is an excellent book in the start of a trilogy by Jan-Phillip Sendaker.

American Paul Leibovitz was once a successful advisor and father in Hong Kong for nearly thirty years. But then he experiences a personal tragedy and his marriage unravels.

He is now living as a recluse where he makes a connection Elizabeth, an American with a tragedy of her own. Her son was found dead. Paul then finds a new purpose and sets out to investigate this murder for her.

What he finds are dark secrets in China where the rich can corrupt the system. Who killed Michael – and why? All will be explained in this exciting book.

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

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The Shadow of the Crescent Moon: A Novel by Fatima Bhutto
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Shadow of the Crescent is a beautiful book about the horrors of war and terrorism in Afganistan.

The story takes place all on one Friday in Mir Ali, a small town in Pakistan’s Tribal Areas close to the Afgan border where three brothers meet for breakfast. Three hours later their day will end in devastating circumstances.
What decisions they must make is compelling reading and I recommend this book to all.

By the way, Mina is my hero.

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for letting me read and review this book.


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No Meat:

Irma Grese & the Holocaust: The Secrets of the Blonde Beast of Auschwitz Exposed by Ryan Jenkins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a fairly good book but there was too much speculation and not enough facts.

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The Black Dog Mystery by Ellery Queen Jr.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In the same vein as Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, the Black Dog Mystery is the first in the Ellery Queen Junior Mystery Stories for boys and girls

When there’s a bank robbery in the village where Djuna lives and one of his dog’s best friends gets shot in the escape, Djuna decides to find out who did it. Djuna is a very clever boy and along his powers of deduction and his dog, Champ, solve the robbery.

One of the reasons also I like this book  is that Champ is a Scottie. You can never go wrong with a Scottie.

I approve heartily!

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for letting me review this book. 


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The Color of Secrets by Lindsay Ashford
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Story of Forgiveness and Acceptance:

It is the middle of World War II, Eva has received news that her husband is missing presumed dead. Not knowing what the future will bring, she meets Bill, a black American GI. Though they are vastly different, they fall in love.

She learns she is pregnant but he has been shipped off to D-Day. She is left alone to raise their mixed blood daughter, Louisa. She feels she must bury the past but Louisa finds out and starts seeking the truth among all the lies.

This is a book of truths, lies, forgiveness and acceptance. But most of all, it is a book about love during a turbulent time. Some of the book is hard to read, but it is well worth the time.

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for letting me review this book.


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Death Falls by Todd Ritter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What happened to Charlie Olmstead?

On the same night that Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, nine-year-old Charlie Olmstead jumped on his bike to see if he can get a better look. Off he goes on his bike, it is the last anyone ever see him. A search begins but ends. His mother, though, never gives up on the search. She searches up to the day she days. Eric Olmstead – and famous author and Charlie's brother –comes back to bury his mother and fulfill her last request: find his brother.

To do so he goes to the current police chief and his former sweetheart Kat Campbell, and it isn't long before they discover that finding Charlie was indeed his mother's secret obsession, and while she never found him she uncovered clues suggesting that he wasn't the only victim.

This was an extremely excellent mystery. One of those you keep reading through the night. I am going to eagerly read this author’s other books.

My thanks to Net Galley and the Publisher for letting me review this book.



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What Stands in a Storm: Three Days in the Worst Superstorm to Hit the South's Tornado Alley by Kim Cross
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What Stands in a Storm: Three Days in the Worst Superstorm to Hit the South's Tornado Alley stands up there with Isaac's Storm in my opinion. At the beginning, there are the usual explanations about
meteorology and the formation of tornadoes. This, though, leads up to the description of the storms that ravaged Alabama, including the human interest stories of those who survived them and unfortunately those who did not.

Could not put this book down as I live in tornado alley.

My thanks to Net Galley for this book.

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The Life of the Apostle Paul by Barbara Dowell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Definately a very good book on the life of the apostle Paul, which includes the history of the area where he was born, lived and preached up to his death in Rome.

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Nightmare in Greasepaint by L.L. Soares
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This certainly wasn't light reading so don't read it on a rainy and dark night.

Will Pallasso has brought his family back to his childhod home as he wan'ts to prepare the house for sale - which means getting rid of all the secrets in the basement. What are they? Read the book and you will find out -- but especially watch out for nightlights.

My thanks to Net Galley for letting me read this book.

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Wellies and Westies (A novella) by Cressida McLaughlin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wellies and Westies was a lovely book - but then anything with dogs, a good-looking man with British accent will be good. I can't wait for the sequels.

It reminds me of the 44 Scotland Street novels by Alexander McCall Smith.

It is a light read and very enjoyable.

My thanks to Net Galley for the read.

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The Year My Mother Came Back by Alice Eve Cohen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Year My Mother Came Back was a remarkable book about mothers and their daughters. It focuses on the ability to communicate with each other and the communication they hold back.

An example of this communication was brought out clearly in:

“Mom, you and I both lost our mothers twice: first to depression and then to death. Was it too painful for you to remember losing Rose? Is that you exiled her from your memories?

“Probably. Isn’t that why you exiled me from yours?”

And then late at the end, your mother is gone and problems arise:

“I roll onto my stomach and cry silently, my face pressed into the pillow. 'I miss you. I miss you. I miss you so much'.”

I lost my mother in 2013, and I still say this.

I recommend this book to all daughters who miss their mothers.

My thanks to Net Galley for letting me read this book.



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The Swamps of Jersey by Michael Stephen Daigle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My thanks to Net Galley for providing me a copy of this book to read.

The Swamps of Jersey is an excellent first novel of a writer I hope to see more. He got it right when writing about a decaying city with mysteries - but with hope for a brighter future.

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Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I found Department of Speculation to be a mesmerizing book. I was hesitant at first to read it as it was in diary form but proceeded anyway and was sucked into it. One of the best things in it was the author's use of pronouns and point of view. The story changed every time she shifted the pronouns to point of view.

It was an excellent book on happiness and forgiveness.

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Big Top Burning: The True Story of an Arsonist, a Missing Girl, and The Greatest Show On Earth by Laura A. Woollett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"The fire broke out at 2:40 p.m. Thousands of men, women, and children were crowded under Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey’s big top watching the Flying Wallendas begin their death-defying high-wire act. Suddenly someone screamed “Fire!” and the panic began. By 2:50 the tent had burned to the ground. Not everyone had made it out alive."

I will try not to compare this book to Stewart O’Nan’s book about the 1944 Hartford circus fire. While not as detailed as O’Nan’s book, it stands very well on its own. Particularly interesting, this book went into great detail of the identification of Little Miss 1565, the beautiful little girl found among the burned ruins with hardly a mark on her.

I have been to canvas tent circuses and can imagine the frightening aspect of the Big Top burning all around you with no place to go.

I recommend this book.


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Out of Such Darkness by Robert Ronsson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Who would think 9/11, the Holocaust, and the musical Cabaret would have a connection, but it does it does in this finely written book by Robert Ronsson. It has a complicated plot but all comes together in a shocking ending.

Cameron Mortimer follows fellow-writer Christopher Isherwood to 1930s Berlin. In a separate narrative, Jay Halprin, an Englishman working in Manhattan, survives 9/11. When Jay's second-chance life collides with the repercussions of Cameron's travels, the outcome, though always inevitable, is both surprising and shocking.

My thanks to Net Galley for letting me read this book.


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The Martian by Andy Weir
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this book from the very beginning and could not put it down even with all the technical jargon. If there had been a flaw in the jargon, I would not have known and would not have cared because I was so much into the story.

But -- why did they have to put Matt Damon as star in the movie. I cannot stand him! He is the WRONG PERSON FOR THE ROLE!.

SO BE IT.

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Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



So here is the review for this book -- ahem -- after reading The Road, I found this book to be a much lighter read and I didn't feel like shooting myself in the head after reading it. It left me with the hope that was a future for mankind after the Apocalypse.

I also like the way the author alternated between the "before" and the "after" of the world and how it affected the individual characters in the book.

I would recommend this book to any who liked dystopian novels.

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The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick


Many layers and facets to this book. I must ask the Oracle what they are.

Historicity. I am glad we have our history as it is today, albeit - it could be better.

View all my reviews 4 stars out of 5.

Blue Ribbon Canning 
Award-Winning Recipes
Linda J. Amendt
The Taunton Press, Inc.
Taunton Press

I wish I had this back back in the 1990s when year after year I entered my "prize" jellies and pickles at the Texas State Fair. Yes, I finally did win a blue ribbon for blueberry jam but if I had had Ms. Amendt's book, I am sure I would have done it earlier. I thoroughly recommend this book to all those canners out there, - you know who you are.

  Blue Ribbon Canning takes readers on a canning journey and celebrates two American traditions--preserved food and state fairs--with more than 140 prize-winning recipes for jams, preserves, pickles, vegetables, fruit, and more, plus tips and methods for making delicious--and safe--blue ribbon recipes at home.

My thanks to Netgalley.com for letting me read the ARC of this book.

4 stars out of 5

The Monogram Murders by Sophie Hannah
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

My little grey cells are hurting. I need a tisane.

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