This story about a woman dealing with the intense love of her children who have now left home, along with going through menopause will bring out all of your emotions. It is a funny yet serious look at love of family and the need to be oneself. Will especially be enjoyed by those also dealing with aging parents.

This book is a collection of saying and very short tales that are meant to inspire and enhance a spiritual if not religious outlook. I was unimpressed. If you try, it’s not hard to find meaning in many events, and I think this author tried too hard and often ventured from spiritualism, that I would have been OK with, into religion, that I was not.

I don’t think I have ever said this before, but this book has WAY too much going on! Lots of people getting murdered. Some are connected and some are not. Then there is the theft that is a separate issue altogether. I was able to keep up for a while, but feeling like aa person running behind a car, I soon fell behind. I have read and enjoyed Baldacci before but was overwhelmed by this one.

This is a most touching story of a grandfather and his relationship with his son and grandson as he devolves into Alzheimer’s. We experience his thoughts as he begins to live inside the past as the present slips away. It is beautiful and sad and told from the grandfather’s point of view. Everyone should read this.

This is a good old fashioned detective story where women were “dames” and were “notin but trouble”. The language is fun and the central character is the grounding influence here as everyone else in the story is either crazy or a killer…..and one is both.

At its heart, this is a police procedural. But the characters are so well explored within this context and the circumstances so bizarre, that the story, though bloody and twisted, is very interesting. If you like cop drama, you will definitely enjoy this one.

I would classify this as a cozy Mystery, although there isn’t much of a mystery here, except to the main character. Still, I enjoyed the book, and I continue to enjoy the “Maid Mystery” series. In this Christmas tale Molly, the maid and central character begins to think that her boyfriend and love of her life Juan Manuel may be cheating on her. But her inability to see situations the way others do makes her the only one surprised when he surprises her with the very best gift.

Always nice to visit Dream Harbor, but I felt like I couldn't relax while reading this book. I was constantly braced for a heartbreaking conversation with a child. Overall, it's handled sweetly, but not my cup of tea.

So here is a perfect example of why I prefer not to know too much about a book before I read it, because this is a western. It’s not a genre I would normally select, but this one was very enjoyable. On the surface, it’s a simple story about a man looking for gold, but it’s also the story of fear, loneliness, and hope. It’s about making tough choices and doing the right think. I look forward to reading something else by this author.

In what I think of as a "Cozy Mystery", an elderly couple is murdered by their nephew for, predictably, money. There is also a major town celebration, which really has very little to do with the plot. Not going to be a great real for real mystery fans.