Kimber: Ever get a tune stuck in your head on auto-play? Like, it goes around and around and around and Will. Not. Shut. Up? (Advertisers spend million$ coming up with this stuff. No idea what that means. But I know this is true cuz Mom says so.)
Anyway, Mom has author John Grisham stuck in her head these days. So we thought we’d share. From three of his novels that one of us finally got around to reading, The Street Lawyer and The Brethren. And The Boys From Biloxi. Here goes:
In our literary context, a “BAH” is a main female character who:
Oh yeah. Having a titanium spine qualifies, too. So does not acting like an idiot. Additionally, …
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A shadowy past. A criminal mastermind. Forbidden love. All join forces to create a lightning-quick plot in S.F. Baumgartner’s gripping suspense thriller novella, Buried Secrets.
A recent college graduate, Dylan Roche just lost his mother and is struggling to keep his head above water financially. He soon finds out that his deceased mother, Margaret, had a secret. And it’s a doozy.
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A new baby is exciting. But what if you’re the baby in the family? How will the imminent arrival of a younger brother or sister effect you?
While awaiting the arrival of a new brother or sister, young Benjamin plays a “baby package” game with his mom in this sweet and gentle story by Patricia Eckerman Ambas. Benjamin first pretends he’s a new package that has just arrived for mom. The package arrives in forms shapes and forms – a blanket, a basket, an imaginary box. But each package comes with an unspoken question: What about me when the new baby comes?
![Here in the Not Yet by [David Spaugh]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41IiJSmJzxL.jpg)
Here in the Not YetNote: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Who am I? Why am I here? What makes a hero? What is bravery all about? What are the two most powerful words in the English language?
All these questions and more are met head-on in David Spaugh’s finely crafted psychological thriller, Here in the Not Yet.
One of us used to feel a teensy twinge when an author complained about a negative book review. For a lousy book.
Now she just laughs:
Newsflash, Cupcake: We do honest reviews here. We’ve panned Pulitzer Prize winners we thought weren’t worth the paper they’re printed on. We’ve also heaped praise on unknown indie authors who earn it. So don’t whine about a negative review. You sound like the “wah-wah” adult in Peanuts.
Cuz guess what, Toots? We So. Don’t. Care.
Now that we’ve got that outta the way, buckle up. Cuz it’s time for another rip roarin- edition of Big Kitty Litter Box in the Sky Awards. Cuz, holy Meow Mix! You don’t want to waste your valuable time on lousy snoozers that make fish wrap look delish, right? We already did that. So you don’t have to. You’re welcome. (Note: We received complimentary copies of most of these titles in exchange for honest reviews.)
Here’s the short list of qualifications for a Big Kitty Litter Box in the Sky award:
Kimber: Hey Mom! You know that author guy we stumbled upon a while back? The box-y dude who writes crime thrillers set in Wyoming?
Mom: “You mean C.J. Box?”
Kimber: Yeppers! Didya know he has a new book out?
… And that’s how Her Momness and I flew over to the library faster than Captain Kirk aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise. Here’s what we found:
The SettingIt’s early spring in Wyoming. State Game Warden Joe Pickett is facing the mother of all storms in C.J. Box’s latest crime thriller western, Storm Watch. And we don’t mean just the blizzard kind, either. No siree, Lassie! Although there’s enough snow and ice and freezing temps in this taut and tightly written novel to make you want to toss another log on the fire. Maybe two.
Well. The Cowboy State is about to get hit by an “apocalyptic blizzard” in more ways than one.
Kimber: The title has a double meaning, if you get my drift. As in snow drift. Also deep doo-doo of the political type “drift.”
The RetreatEver grab a new book by an unfamiliar author? Feel that surge of excitement as you peruse the cover blurb and the synopsis? Break in to your happy dance with that “Oh yeah!” feeling? …
… Only to start reading and feel like you just walked into a blender.
That’s what Sarah Pearse’s The Retreat is like. It came highly recommended as a “cliffhanger murder mystery” by someone who shall remain nameless.
What we wound up with was a badly overwritten hunk of junk that doesn’t really get going until Chapter 44. We would’ve ordinarily bailed out long before then. But we promised a friend (who shall remain nameless) we’d read the whole thing.
Citizen K-9An unsolved double murder. A cold case. A crackerjack team of private investigators specializing in cold cases. Playing cards. Like, the king of clubs. A high school reunion where two friends vanish without a trace. Not a single clue that makes sense. At all. A retired cop, Corey Douglas, and his brilliant German shepherd, Simon Garfunkel. A scene stealer extraordinaire and the smartest member of the team by far, Simon is also recently retired from law enforcement. And Really Bad Dudes.
Maya FairyNote: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Not everything you’ve heard about fairies is true. So when a young girl finds out the truth about her own house fairy, keep an eye out for fairy dust in this delightful magical mystery by Stanislava Buevich.
“Has your child been acting strangely? Tired? Rundown? Listless?” There’s a reason for that. But it’s not what you think as revealed in this charming and winsome fantasy for middle grade readers.
Pages & Paws 