Home to Harmony

I read Home to Harmony by Phillip Gulley. This is one of those bargain books my mother picked up and loaned me. Someone told her it was like the Jan Karon books but it isn't. It is about life in a small town but it is told more like a collection of humorous stories than an actual story. It has described as Keller-style writing and it is. It is humorous but uplifting but a little too simple for my taste. I did not find myself wanting to know more about the characters when I finished. I probably will not read anymore in this series. But if you were looking for a quick, light book this certainly fits the bill.

The Note

I finished The Note by Angela Hunt. This is the first book I've read by this author and I'm not encouraged to read more. The subject of the book was promising. After a plane crashes killing all aboard a note is found sealed in a plastic bag with a message of forgiveness from a father to his child. The heroine of our story, a news columnist, searches for the rightful recipient and along the way examines her own life. I didn't think the storyline was well-developed. I found the style and layout of the book challenging. The revelation at the end when our heroine realizes she is the one who needs to find forgiveness is offered in a shallow way without much detail. Other characters in the book are explored but then we are left wondering about them. I can't recommend this book at this time.

The Solomon Sisters Wise Up

The Solomon Sisters Wise Up by Melissa Senate was one of those short, humorous books I've noticed lately. It is about 3 sisters whose lives all take a turn at the same time and they end up sharing a bedroom in their father's apartment. While their clueless father goes about planning his wedding to his "child bride" the sisters reestablish their relationships with each other and pick up the pieces of their lives. I enjoyed the storyline. It was written in first-person which I particularly enjoy with each sister telling her story a chapter at a time. I have to say though that it had too many swear words and taking the Lord's name in vain for my taste. Why is this necessary? The author resides in New York where the book takes place. Do all people in New York speak this way? Do they not notice that the rest of the country does not use these offensive words in everyday speech? Last year I read Julia and Julia, also written by a New Yorker and it was almost impossible to read because of the language. For the same reason I had to stop watching the Sopranos. Maybe I'm a little old-fashioned but I did not see how this added to the story. In fact I think it subtracted from the quality of the story and I'm not going to be able to recommend it.

8 Sandpiper Way

The eighth installment of Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Series, 8 Sandpiper Way, was quite enjoyable. Each book is a unique story but with plenty of updates on the lives of all the Cedar Cove residents. The books are good for light reading. This story involves Pastor Dave and his wife Emily who up until now had only been on the fringes of the Cedar Cove stories. We also meet some new characters and uncover a mystery that I hope will be solved in the next novel. The book also seems to be leading up to Macomber's new novel A Cedar Cove Christmas which is due out next month.

The Grave Maurice

All of Martha Grimes novels in her Richard Jury series are named after pubs in England. That explains the odd names for the books but doesn't quite explain the odd names England has for its pubs. My latest read is The Grave Maurice. This is the 18th in the series and it got very poor reviews. It does take a very different approach then her usual books. Primarily, it is not a murder mystery as there is no murder to solve. There is an abduction which more or less solves itself. And people do die in this book but there is no need, really, for a detective to do any investigating to solve any mysteries. I think it is a necessary read if you are following the series but the book hardly stands on its own. There are a lot of interesting non-related events involving side-kick Melrose Plant but they are not part of the central story. The central story is somewhat hard to identify, however. Basically, the book flounders. It almost makes you wonder if someone else wrote it.

N is for Noose

Well, I breezed through Sue Grafton's N is for Noose. I've been steadily making my way through this series. I can't comment on this novel. If you are a fan of this series then you've probably read it anyway. If you haven't read it then unless you want to go back and start a A is for Alibi then there really is no reason to read this one. It was a typical story involving murder and mayhem in the life of PI Kinsey Millhone. (Why does she always end up with her life in jeopardy?) I'll be glad to start my next book.

Keeper of the Keys

Keeper of the Keys is a fairly new novel by Peri O'Shaughnessy who is best know for her murder-mystery series featuring attorney Nina Reilly. This mystery is unconnected to the Reilly series. It was a very compelling story and I enjoyed it. I felt however, like the ending fell flat. There was a lot of suspense propelling the story along. The ending, however, in my opinion just fizzled out. The reader is first led to believe that the character, Ray, has somehow murdered his wife and hidden any evidence. As the story goes along the reader gets to know Ray a little better and (gasp!) starts to like him and feel a little sorry for him. "Did he kill his wife? Or did she just walk out and not call even her parents for a week?" There is a lot of undercurrents in the book between all the characters and it does tie up nicely in the end without leaving unanswered questions. The next Nina Reilly novel is due out late this year. Show No Fear will take us back in time to Nina's first murder case. I will probably wait for it to show up in paperback.