It is really hard to say much about the plot of this book without giving a lot away, so let me just say that a woman goes into an Ikea in Oregon and something terrible le happens. And there is something about this woman’s situation that make it even worse. Now what I can tell you is that it is an amazing book! The author does a wonderful job of taking you thought the array of emotions the central character experiences. And you will not be ablet to put it down.

It is always interesting to journey along with Hercule Poirot and see things the way he does. This is a compilation of short mysteries, each of which is set in a different interesting setting. I did this as an audio book on CDs and while I did enjoy it, I think I would have enjoyed it more had I done it as an actual book and been able to do it at a slower pace.

This is a wonderful tale that everyone can relate to; the anxiety and anticipation surrounding a high school reunion, and Smith tells a wonderful tale here. And as the old classmates gather, grudges come to the surface, and secrets behind them are revealed.

A fun academic mystery in a beautiful location. Great cast of characters to spend a little time with in the summer.

Not sure what I was expecting from this book and I guess for its time, 1513, it was insightful, but reading it today with statements that say you cannot avoid war and should only postpone it to your own advantage was disturbing. The book is Machiavelli’s perspective on how rulers must conduct themselves in order to be successful. And while I imagine that there are some who would agree even today, reading statements that say people must fear you and some brutality is needed, is disturbing to be reading now.

OK, so this book has an interesting beginning. A highly successful pistachio grower in Italy in the 1920 becomes a popular man in his town. Citizens love him and value his expertise. Then enter the Mafia, who begin to shake down the town’s people. The grower resists and encourages others to do the same. This makes him and his family a target and thus begins a years long battle between the Mafia, along with the police, and the Sacco family. It is based on a true story and while the beginning is interesting, the rest of the book is just a back and forth of fighting and arresting. It was informative but not really interesting.

This is a compilation of short stories set in Africa. They involve, for the most part, issues between man and animal or animal and animal. They are interesting and fun but also have a larger message.

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.

This was an OK romance book; not too sappy and portrayed the female central character as strong and independent. But there were just too many characters and unnecessary short sub-plots. For example, one of the side characters is losing and then does loose his mother to brain cancer. How can you make this a sub plot? And because the side characters were not well developed it took me a while to remember who everyone was.

While I am not always a fan of his stories set in Scotland, I did enjoy this one. Isabel sets out to get a present for her husband for Valentine’s Day but in the process becomes entangled in a situation which looks like she will either need to renege on a promise or fail to help someone who is truly in need. But leave it to the philosopher in her to work out the right answer.