Tuesday Book Review

Four-star Review for Murder: A Thriller (Edison Bixby Book 1) by Design by Lee Goldberg

Edison Bixby’s brain was damaged by a bullet to his head, so he has no control over what truths he tells people, but his injury hasn’t affected his ability to prove the relationship between man-made physical surroundings and a person’s actions. He might no longer be on the police force but has been called upon to assist the police. It doesn’t hurt that he’s a billionaire. A would-be actor, Wally Nash, is hired as his assistant with the express purpose of keeping a figurative muzzle on his often rude mouth. In this first of a two-book series, they tackle more than one case. The premise of this series is almost more interesting than the actual cases. Well-written story and characters told in first person with deft humor by the assistant. I’ll read the second in the series when it’s published.  

Tuesday Book Review on Wednesday

 

Four-star Review of The Last Labyrinth by Gwendolyn Womack

Magellan Brightman was a musical prodigy who could play every instrument in every genre of music. With the world facing an imminent disaster from a polar shift, she is playing an organ at a friend’s wedding and is transported to regency England, where she’s found in a labyrinth. There in 1829 she learns it’s related to Merlin’s twin sister Gwynedd and what she wrote so long ago. The Labyrinth is on the property of Rhys Sherwood, Earl of Liron and his father was the one who had been translating Gwynedd’s writing prior to his death. Throughout Magellan and Rhys’ adventures I expected to give this book five stars, but the unsatisfactory ending with no indication there would be a sequel, disappointed me enough to downgrade the book.

Tuesday Book Reviews

Four-star review of The Magician’s Nephew by C. S. Lewis

 

This prequel to the Narnia stories, written after them, is as magical as those and as easy to read as the original books for middle-grade kids. It answers many questions about the origin of Narnia, including the way Aslan’s voice brought forth the world complete with the creatures everyone knows, as well as the origin of the White Witch. Diggory (the titular character) and his neighbor in London, Polly, are sent on a quest by Diggory’s uncle, a self-styled magician, using three enchanted rings. Their adventures are not what the magician expected and much better for the two children.

  

Tuesday Book Review on Thursday

Five-star review for Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

This lovely book is brimming with wonderful creatures, human and oceanic alike. I’m glad they’re making a movie of this and sad it will be on Netflix, which isn’t one of the streaming services I have. When the seventy-year-old widow, Tova, the thirty something young man who thinks he’s a failure, Cameron, and the wise old giant Pacific octopus, Marcellus, are brought together, we see magic because the ‘human’ connection is not restricted to people. The other people around them are also well-written, particularly Ethan, the grocery store owner. I listened to this on audio for my book group who all loved it as much as I did whether they read it or listened to it.

 

Tuesday Book Review on Wednesday

 

Four star review for The Water Lies by Amy Meyerson

 

A woman’s body has been found in the waters of the Venice Beach area in southern California and it brings together the woman’s mother Barb and a pregnant woman Tessa who lives in a bungalow along the canal. Earlier, Tessa’s toddler son Jasper seemed to recognize the dead woman in a café. This story has many twists and turns until we finally learn why the woman died. The story is intriguing and the novel is well-written from both Barb’s and Tessa’s POV. Those two characters were the best developed while a few others only served a peripheral purpose. Good read for those who like twisty plots.

 

Tuesday Book Review

Five-star review for The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

When seven-year-old Elaheh’s father dies, she and her mother move to a poorer part of Tehran and she is befriended by Homa on her first day at her new school. The friendship of Ellie and Homa has its ups and downs over the years. It’s set against decades of unrest in their country from the 1950s through 2022. Reading this during the current events in Iran was surreal. The story is very well written, and I came to care about both girls as they each grew into women whose childhood dreams were never achieved. Their lives took unexpected turns. I had a hard time tearing myself away from their stories and especially Homa’s fight for the rights of women in Iran. Highly recommended. 

Tuesday Book Review on Thursday

 

Five-star review for War of Machines and Monsters (The Kairen Chronicles book 2) by Christopher Keene

I was given an ARC of this book by the author with a request for an honest review. A great read full of wonderful human and non-human characters. Nathaniel now works for the wealthiest businessman in Avast City. When machines, including Nathaniel's forge, become sentient, he wants to get to the bottom of what caused them to animate. And what does the red haze and the Melkai have to do with what's happening? This second in the Kairen Chronicles series is a fun read for all.