Making sweeping statements is unkind. Judgement without knowledge is a dangerous thing.
Derek was a pensioner and absolutely could not Favorite Quotes:
Making sweeping statements is unkind. Judgement without knowledge is a dangerous thing.
Derek was a pensioner and absolutely could not hold his own in a fight. He’d never tested that theory, to be fair, but he was pretty sure he was right.
My Review:
For a human on the other side of 60, I found this to be cleverly amusing as well as acutely and sometimes painfully perceptive on the effects and attitudes of aging by those in the throes of the process. I remember my grandfather groaning (what I mentally labeled as old man noises) and, on more than one occasion, remarking to me as a child, “It takes a lot of courage to get old.” I now know what he meant. The writing alternated between humorous and reflective, and then on to observant and poignant. I will be looking for more of this author’s storytelling. ...more
Her performance was so wooden I half expected termites to start a union.
I don’t trust that woman. She’s an executioner who uses blood Favorite Quotes:
Her performance was so wooden I half expected termites to start a union.
I don’t trust that woman. She’s an executioner who uses blood for fountain-pen ink.
‘Sounds like he chased after money like a dog after sausages,’ Opal commented. ‘He did. Relentless, single-minded, and with a fair bit of drool involved,’ Virginia added.
There is a lot of pride in getting older. It comes with the perk of feeling the veil of hogwash lift, all the societal pressures that you’re supposed to believe in and adhere to becomes piffle. You wish your younger self had the same level of clarity and confidence.
My Review:
This was an entertaining, amusing, and easy-to-follow cozy read, populated by a clever pooch and a copious cast of largely unlikable yet uniquely authentic and quirky secondary characters. I had not read the previous book, but I didn’t feel that this hampered my understanding or enjoyment, as Opal’s relevant history was provided in ample detail. The storylines were well-plotted and smartly merged, just in time for our eagle-eyed heroine to save the day. ...more
‘I’m surprised you’re not doing a Joan Collins, luxuriating in your bed until lunchtime, wrapped in white fake fur, with thirty-year-oFavorite Quotes:
‘I’m surprised you’re not doing a Joan Collins, luxuriating in your bed until lunchtime, wrapped in white fake fur, with thirty-year-old oiled-up bodybuilders feeding you grapes. Actually, I don’t know that Joan Collins does that, but I like to imagine it that way.’ ‘I’m not having oiled-up bodybuilders anywhere near my bed, thank you.’ Jessie countered. ‘I’d need to boil wash my sheets and it would take the pattern right off my duvet cover.’
...the little devil on her other shoulder hadn’t been able to get past hoping that Monica would dump him on his arse and he’d wither away, loveless and sexless until his penis fell off. The devil watched too many crime shows.
Eve, it’s been three years. And in that time, the only hot hip action in my life has been watching Strictly.
Being a lawyer must be like being a doctor, she imagined. As soon as people at dinner parties knew what you did, they wanted to ask your advice on their speeding ticket or their piles.
My Review:
This was a fun and wryly amusing read that was stuffed to the gills with engaging and entertaining storylines that converged in a brilliant and highly satisfying manner. Shari Low is a clever wordsmith and weaves absorbing, well-honed, and insightfully written tales that are laced together with witty humor and perceptive observations, while populated with admirable and endearing characters doing their best to get ahead while handling problematic family members. Every time I pick up one of her books, I want to stop time and rearrange my schedule to do nothing else but read her entire listing. ...more
I’m sure we’ll barely get out of the car before she’s upon us, like one of those cloaked things out of Harry Potter.’ ‘Cloaked thing? Favorite Quotes:
I’m sure we’ll barely get out of the car before she’s upon us, like one of those cloaked things out of Harry Potter.’ ‘Cloaked thing? Like a wizard?’ ‘No… You know, the big flying hooded things that suck the joy out of everyone they touch.’
Zoe was at once captivated by the tranquillity of narrow roads, so clean and ordered there had to be an army of elves patrolling when everyone was asleep, keeping it tidy.
‘Magnus,’ Geoff said. ‘Put the shovel down– you’re only digging deeper every time you open your mouth.
They looked normal enough, if it helps. I only counted one head on each of them, so that’s a good sign.
‘You didn’t move here because you were drawn by some mystical force?’ she asked wryly. ‘Were you?’ ‘Oh yes, it was called a job offer.’
Are there any village weirdos? There must be, right? Anyone with six fingers married to their sister?
Some men can be grown-up about these things, and then there’s Ritchie.
My Review:
Tilly Tennant is one of my favorite go-to authors for a relaxing, easy-to-fall-into, and gentle read. And I need those between the tense heart-pounding thrillers I alternatively pick up. The Village Midwife is a continuation of the Village Nurse tales and features the same quaint Lake District village and its eccentric villagers of Thimblebury. The storylines are thoughtful, colorfully detailed, relevant, and easy to follow while populated with authentic and knowable characters. It was a leisurely paced and pleasant read. ...more
For a large woman, Dorothy L. Sayers was quick on her feet. The only things quicker than her feet were her wit and her temper.
Why woulFavorite Quotes:
For a large woman, Dorothy L. Sayers was quick on her feet. The only things quicker than her feet were her wit and her temper.
Why would anyone pretend to be poor? She knew from experience that poverty wasn’t romantic, but an unfortunate condition to be avoided at all costs.
Didn’t people read to escape the horrors of life rather than wallow in them? Theo was all for verisimilitude, but he had to draw the line somewhere: namely, sharing a toilet with someone who hadn’t bathed since the nineteenth century.
Apparently, MI5 suspected one of the writers, probably Agatha Christie, had access to classified information. From what Eliza had seen, the mystery writers had access to nothing more classified than overactive imaginations.
Like a moth between panes of glass, he was stuck between what he was and what he wanted to be.
My Review:
I adore Kelly Oliver’s smooth and amusing writing style. I so covet her word craft. She weaves an entertaining, easy-to-follow, and engaging tale that never fails to hold my interest with her well-plotted mysteries and clever arrangements of words that put a smile on my face with her colorful descriptions and authentic and quirky characters. ...more
Aye, as a kid Jamie had known anger and fear, as well as the impulse to protect others, and it had made him determined as an adult to Favorite Quotes:
Aye, as a kid Jamie had known anger and fear, as well as the impulse to protect others, and it had made him determined as an adult to see the best in people, for the sake of his own well-being as much as theirs. You never knew what someone was going through, so it was best to be kind where you could.
‘Anonymous keyboard warriors posting comments in their underpants on the other side of the world aren’t the people who matter,’ insisted Ally, giving her brother a stern look. ‘Half of them will be bots, anyway.’
Angus was an elderly hillfooter who spent all day splattered with droppings in a hut with his beloved homing pigeons. He lived off his homegrown veggies and stinky roll-ups and was often in the local paper for threatening hillwalkers who strayed onto his land with various antique shotguns which the police seized one at a time, only for him to somehow acquire another.
Kenneth would begin his shift here at nine p.m. and end it at two when he’d walk down the lane to the dairy and stock up his milk van ready for his rounds which he, famously, did in his doorman tux. Nobody questioned it round the town. It was just the way things were.
There seemed to be a moment where she was searching his face for a reaction. He couldn’t help feeling some kind of test that he hadn’t revised for was being sprung upon him. He fixed his face into a delighted smile.
...he was hanging on a shoogly peg (which is the Scottish version of skating on thin ice, only much, much more fun to say, usually).
Party cannons shot confetti in her cerebral cortex.
My Review:
This was a fun, light, entertaining, and easy-to-follow read. I always enjoy reading Kiley Dunbar’s cleverly amusing tales, and I revel in her sneaky, wry humor. Her new series is set in a small Scottish village, populated with a large cast of quirky, flawed, and authentic characters.
I gained an entry to my British Isles Words and Phrases List with swither, which Mr. Google tells me means to hesitate, vacillate, or be perplexed, particularly in making a decision or choice. I certainly will not swither if asked if I’d like to read another of Kiley Dunbar’s books....more
Wow. Well that really does go to prove you can’t judge a book by its cover. She looks so prim and proper and then BAM! It’s all fairy Favorite Quotes:
Wow. Well that really does go to prove you can’t judge a book by its cover. She looks so prim and proper and then BAM! It’s all fairy porn and werewolf harems.
Not that I don’t like what I do. But it’s not exactly a respectable pastime is it? When people ask what you do for fun, it would be far easier if you could say you like reading or building Lego or whatever, rather than killing scrooges.
Spoiler alert: I’m still convinced I’m in my twenties and that fate is just playing some kind of cruel stunt on me by making me look like I’m mid-forties.
‘I don’t use TikTok.’ It was set up a few years ago when I was having a crisis of confidence about my writing career and thought I needed to do more myself. I vowed to post to TikTok every single day for three months to see what happened. I lasted four days before I ran out of content and lost the will to live. Sometimes I get an urge to try again and then I remind myself just how painful it was and have a large glass of wine instead.
I read something last year about how the average person consumes over six thousand calories on Christmas Day. I’m treating that as a challenge that I fully intend to beat.
My Review:
The name Sarah Bonner has become synonymous with the idea of smirk-worthy good fun to me. The little pea in my brain leaps for joy whenever I pick up one of her cleverly penned missives. I revel in her witty snark, wry humor, and snappy inner musings. I adored this tale; it kept me gleefully engaged from start to finish....more
Despite their advantages, rich people were rarely ever cool, though they spent huge amounts of money trying to achieve it. And cool peFavorite Quotes:
Despite their advantages, rich people were rarely ever cool, though they spent huge amounts of money trying to achieve it. And cool people were rarely rich because they were lazy, and part of being cool is not giving a f*. But rich people and cool people often interact because each has what the other wants.
He thought laws were made for people who weren’t smart enough to figure out how to break them.
Alex could feel his hands shaking; it felt like his blood had been replaced by some poisonous liquid made out of a combination of self-hatred and shame.
... her only plan was not to make any plans. To sleep late and keep the workouts light and go to the movies and take long walks and eat a little more than she should and drink a little more than she should and allow herself the beauty of boredom, the joy of unproductivity, the pleasure of being still.
My Review:
I fell into this cleverly penned tale and found it evocatively detailed, cunningly paced, highly entertaining, and delightfully snarky. I do loves me some witty snark, and this crafty scribbler has been quite gifted and generous with sprinkling it throughout his characters’ encounters and inner musings. The characters themselves are reprehensible, selfish, snobbish, and deeply flawed; in other words, realistically depicted for most of the upper class. ...more
Paranoia is different. It is a slippery, malignant thing– feared by those who know of its presence, an invisible threat to those who dFavorite Quotes:
Paranoia is different. It is a slippery, malignant thing– feared by those who know of its presence, an invisible threat to those who don’t.
I don’t remember what happiness sounds or tastes like, or how it feels between my fingers.
‘What if’ has been an enemy of mine for as long as I’m able to remember, standing in doorways to stop me passing, whispering in my ear at night to keep me awake. It has been the sibling I never had, competitive and sneaky, tripping me up then feigning innocence when I fall. Now, it stands here beside me, taunting me with everything that could go wrong.
My Review:
This was a tense and disconcerting read. But I am not a fan of angst, and I didn’t like these people; they were all rather heinous. Nor could I fully forgive them even after the driving force of their problems was revealed. But while I found them to be contemptible creatures who had done inexcusable things to each other and had knowingly neglected their child, I was unreasonably curious to find out what was going to happen next. Victoria Jenkins has penned a compelling tale. ...more
She never meant to be late. Distractions just seemed to impede her arriving on time.
...they were met by the fantastically sculpted sidFavorite Quotes:
She never meant to be late. Distractions just seemed to impede her arriving on time.
...they were met by the fantastically sculpted side whiskers and moustache of Monsieur Omfroy emerging onto the street. He regarded them with a look of alarm. She reciprocated with a genial wave, fleetingly wondering if there was a Madame Omfroy in his life, or if his facial hair was companion enough.
He smiled like a hungry crocodile.
I pity those knights of old who tried to rescue damsels in distress with a stubborn rhinoceros streak like you though. I’d have crept off quietly and left you to the dragon.
‘He’s signaling discreetly to that man in overalls over there.’ Clifford sniffed. ‘Hardly discreetly, my lady. A touch of St Vitus’s dance would have been less noticeable.’
My Review:
I continue my hero worship of all things Verity Bright, as I have adored each installment of this delightful series. Their well-honed writing style is smooth and polished, easy to fall into, and amusingly entertaining, while the enigmatic mysteries and murders are well-contrived and cleverly plotted. This volume ranks as one of my favorites because the couple is finally wed and on a Parisian honeymoon, which places the Scotland Yard detective on vacation and shows his unexpected, marshmallow-like, gooey, soft romantic side. Their honeymoon was certainly memorable and eventful....more
He was thin back at uni, but now his eyes have sunk into their sockets, making them look like the marbles in a pinball machine.
I know Favorite Quotes:
He was thin back at uni, but now his eyes have sunk into their sockets, making them look like the marbles in a pinball machine.
I know the people they used to be. But they’ve all changed. It’s like someone took a magnifying glass and ramped up all their worst qualities, making them clearer, brighter, louder.
All at once, she can’t bear the thought that she has touched a dead body. She imagines all the germs, all the flies and maggots, and feels desperate to scrub it off her skin. She fears all that death is catching.
The sympathy she once had for him is wearing thinner by the day, like a big ball of string that is being stretched and stretched until it’s just the thinnest fibres left.
...she sees the shadow of death hovering over her like a grey cloud. It’s an icy, unnerving presence that seeps into her bones. At times, the pain is so relentless, she hears their voices– the dead ones– all shouting at once, making it impossible to pick out what any of them are saying. It’s as if they’re trapped in a never-ending loop, their voices echoing and overlapping. She tries to block them out, but their presence is impossible to ignore. Their spirits refuse to rest in peace.
My Review:
These were horrible people thinking horrible thoughts about and doing horrible things to each other, over many years, until it ended, horribly. I did not like them at all. They were immature, selfish, warped, and just toxic creatures. Yet this devious scribbler planted a worm in my gray matter, and I was hooked. The little pea in my brain needed to know what was going to happen to them and who was killing them off one by one, and who would be the last one standing, as there always has to be at one left to tell the tale. I would never have guessed this outcome, my hypothesis went in a different direction. I love it when that happens. ...more
My mother has lived every one of her fifty-two years on this planet in the shadow of catastrophe, always thinking of the worst possiblFavorite Quotes:
My mother has lived every one of her fifty-two years on this planet in the shadow of catastrophe, always thinking of the worst possible case scenario and making sure we’re all aware of it.
These rich women are all the same: they need someone to tell them what to do or they’d never actually achieve anything, but they still want to feel superior to the mere minions who serve them.
It’s very easy to unalive wealthy men– they are so prone to an early death:
My Review:
I do loves me some clever snark and this book was laced together with the same delectable and sharply honed wit I reveled in with this nimble wordsmith’s previous offering of How to Slay at Work. The storylines were active, well-paced, and unpredictable. As in most families, many of the characters were various shades of vile, and no one was at all trustworthy or as they seemed on the surface. I adored it and look forward to this crafty scribbler’s next slay.
It’s been quite a few moons since I had an addition to my Brit Words and Phrases List but I found a fun one with hollibobs – which is what we Americans call a vacay....more
Arthur thought Captain Prudhoe looked rather as if someone had just pulled the pin from a grenade right in front of him.
Personally, ArFavorite Quotes:
Arthur thought Captain Prudhoe looked rather as if someone had just pulled the pin from a grenade right in front of him.
Personally, Arthur thought Jane was at her most terrifying when she was being nice to people.
Mr Briggs placed his hands behind his back, reminding Arthur of a rather plump, prosperous pigeon about to commence strutting.
I suppose it was too much to hope for that you had snagged a man at last. I swear, Janey pie, you couldn’t catch one even if I gave you a net.
This is none of your business, and if you breathe one word of anything that you might see or hear tonight, then I swear I shall never speak to you ever again. I’ll also tell the press your real age.
My Review:
This cozy historical series has been a fun diversion from the intense thrillers I’ve been reading of late. The murder mysteries are confounding, unpredictable, and exceptionally well-plotted between lashings of humorous observations and the sneakily wry descriptions this crafty scribbler provides for her quirky characters. I enjoyed getting to know them better and am looking forward to more of their adventures. ...more
“I’m not betraying you, I promise. I’m just trying to be happy,” I whisper, to nothing, to the house, to no one.
I kept everything in, Favorite Quotes:
“I’m not betraying you, I promise. I’m just trying to be happy,” I whisper, to nothing, to the house, to no one.
I kept everything in, and then when it spilled out, he couldn’t handle it. It was too much at once. Maybe our life, our marriage, would’ve been different if there had been a steady river of feelings, not a dam that might break at any moment. I’m a private person, and it’s been my downfall in many ways. I lock myself up tight.
He’s always looked like he walked out of a story— effortlessly thoughtful. Strong jaw, high cheekbones, a mouth that always seems on the verge of something— wry or knowing, like he already sees where the conversation is going. His gaze cuts right through the surface and into the marrow of who you are. And those eyes— deep-set, watchful— like he’s memorizing you without ever having to try.
… love isn’t about what’s easy or what makes sense on paper. It’s about who stays. Who stands in the wreckage with you and still reaches for your hand.
My Review:
This was a slowly paced, tense, and angsty read, and as I’m not one for constant angst, this was so not my jam. The main character of Anna was nettlesome, constantly on edge, and not someone l would befriend or enjoy knowing as she seemed about to unravel, yet I wanted to know how this was going to come together. To avoid my discontent, I found it best to read this one in segments, as it was annoying me, yet I remained curious, despite wanting to give Anna a smack or ten with my Kindle. While not a realistic scenario, the last few eye-popping chapters left a skid-mark across my gray matter and made the rest worth the effort. ...more