Alex's This and That

Spark of the Resistance by Justina Ireland

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I enjoyed this kids' Star Wars story. It was a fill-in the gaps sort of story about Rey, Poe, Rose and BB8 on a mission on the Falcon and getting diverted to a planet with inhabitants that looked like green bunnies. Of course, they came up against an arrogant, ambitious and not so bright First Order officer and a spy. The book did not candy coat things as one might expect a book for young readers and there were monsters who ate First Order Soldiers, which was quite fun, to tell the truth.

If you like Star Wars, you might take a look at this one - it's fast and fun.



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Scone Cold Killer by Lena Gregory

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This one was short, but I really liked it for some reason. Gia moves to Florida to escape her ex and his legal troubles, but trouble follows on her heels when that ex is found in the dumster behind her new breakfast cafe. I liked Gia and her puppy, Thor. It could have been more detailed in many places, but I still liked the writer's style. A pretty good cozy. I might read more in this series eventually.



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Booked 4 Murder by J.C. Eaton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This one was funny and cute. It's not really a murder mystery as much as just a mystery. Phee is likable and so is her mother. It takes place in her mother's senior living community in Arizona. After several members of her book club die whiel reading a 'cursed' book, she calls Phee in to solve the crime even though Phee is a just an accounts clerk for a police force in Minnesota. Much cuteness and funniness ensue!





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The House on the Cliff by Franklin W. Dixon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


These boys lead action packed lives! Helping their father catch smugglers this time, Frank and Joe with the help of their school pals, take on drug smugglers who use an old pirate's hideout to evade the authorities.

These are a simple, fast reads and the stories are action packed! I think they are a bit dated but if people can read about vampires and zombies, then a couple of straight laced boys shouldn't be too much of a challenge!





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Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Someone on Dreamwidth mentioned loving this book so I decided to give it a try. It's about a girl, her freshman year at college, writing fanfiction and boys.

I don't remember ever being so young at 18 and I'm not entirely sure I was. They seem so young and silly in some ways. I guess part of that is I never had all that dorm and sorority junk. I went to a Community college for 2 years, got married and went to a university the other 2 years as a 'townie'. I was a grown woman with a home and a husband. I had no time for much else.

The fanfiction bit is about a story that is a knockoff of Harry Potter, which I never really got into. Never saw the charm of grown women writing stories about a bunch of kids and their very strange teachers... and never could see Harry as anything more than a child.

So I did not actually identify with Cather OR her fanfiction so much, but it was still a nice book. The characters were sweet and so young and adorable.



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Death Is Like a Box of Chocolates by Kathy Aarons

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Not a bad cozy... a chocolate/book store! What more could a person want than coffee, chocolates and books? Michelle and her best friend own this store and end up being amateur sleuths as well when the neighbor is murdered. It has the obligatory 'town like Mayberry' which amuses me since I live near, Mount Airy, the town that Mayberry was actually based on. There are LOTS of secrets in the tiny town and we get to find out several of them.

This one moved fast and kept me turning pages right up until the end. Oh and it has recipes in the back.

Wonder if Coco shows up in the other two?





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Murder in an English Village by Jessica Ellicott

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book was a complete delight! It was set in the UK in the 1920s. Beryl is an American adventuress who decides she needs a little quiet and shows up at the home of her old school friend, Edwina. Ed is as staid and steady as Beryll is wild and unfettered and the two fo them set about solving mysteries. They are sweet and funny and so is their little town, Walmsley Parma. The characters are delightful and some are even more than delightful - wait'll you meet the 'gardener'!

Jessica Ellicott is a new author to me but I am certainly going to read more of her books. She writes under several names and has several different types of mysteries!

I can't wait for the next one!



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A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I knew this book would break my heart... I just had no idea how many times. It's a simple book about a simple man and the complicated life he ends up with. It's about love and loss and mostly about life. Ove is man who wants few things, but mostly he wants to be left alone by everyone.

When new neighbors move in, it become obvious that he will not be left alone. Ever again.

I laughed and cried as his story unfolded slowly, weaving the past and present into the story of a A man called Ove.

Read it. It's worth the time.



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A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I read this book when I was a kid. I think perhaps in elementary school and it changed my life. I loved sci-fi before I knew what it was. My dad and I were avid Star Trek watchers and I loved the thought of other planets and such then I read this book and a light went on. The depth of this story amazes me even today... the tesseract and the dimensions... Oh my!

I have to admit that I had forgotten much of the details but it was as great as I remembered it being 45+ years ago.

Meg's father is simply gone. He worked on Classified missions for the government and one time he simply did not come home. He stopped writing and no one knew what happened. Meg knew her schoolmates said he left with another woman but Meg knew this could never be true...

She, her little brother, Charles Wallace and Calvin are whisked away on an amazing adventure to find her father and oh what a story!



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Deck the Hallways by Kate Carlisle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was our December selection at my Facebook cozy club and I really liked it. I have not read any Kate Carlisle before though I have seen a couple of Fixer-Upper movies on the Hallmark Movies and Mystery channel, starring Jewel as Shannon Hammer.

This was fast paced with one murder mystery and another mystery as well. I liked Shannon and the other characters: her dad, Mac, Eric, Lizzie... Books with a nice cast are fun to read as well. You get a sense of family and community and that comes through fairly well in this one.

Maybe the description of all the work in remodeling was a bit much sometimes, but it was still interesting all the steps it takes to remodel and restore an old building.

I would certainly be glad to read more of this series.





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