Excellent and courageous

Very good book

Happy Rock, OR, is the stereotypical small town found in books and sitcoms created by native NYCers. Everyone is quirky. There is exactly one of every type of business (even florist when there can’t be enough sales to keep it afloat), all locally-owned by the same families for at least 3 generations. Everything is in easy walking distance, except the big city which is an hour’s drive. And there are no possible secrets. Enter Hollywood has-been Miranda, former star of an 80s(?) mystery show. She’s broke and forgotten, but delusional that she’s still entitled to full star treatment. The first half of the book is dull exposition in flashbacks, reminiscences, and awkward character introductions. The authors start promising there is a murder coming at about the 40% point. They do not bother with subtle foreshadowing, going more for pleading readers to stick around. The actual murder happens at 64%. wow. Miranda believes she was the intended victim and pretty much accuses all of the other characters, mostly based on her “humorous” misunderstanding of these characters based on the how they were all initially (mis)introduced — to Miranda and to readers. Eventually she gets it right in the lamest drawing room reveal scene ever. And we know self-centered Miranda has grown as person because she doesn’t rush back to LA at the end. It’s the worst Hallmark movie tropes forcibly merged into the blandest cozy.

If you like Lee Child.

Very repetitious prose. The story was interesting, but I didn't need to know 50 ways in which the husbands had sex with their mail-order brides. Nor did I need to know 100 ways the women gave birth. The bare bones of the story were interesting, but it was hard to read.

This has been on my to-be-read list since we got it. I didn’t know Maria Bamford, don’t remember her Target Christmas ads — altho I learned in this book that she was on Arrested Development so I did know her a little after all. Maria’s stand-up act is, according to the book, based a lot on her family and her struggles with mental illness. And that’s what this book is, too. She talks about when her intrusive thoughts began as a pre-teen and the OCD habits she started to combat them. Then her teenage eating disorder. Which lead to her first 12 step program (she joined several). She’s very candid about her mistakes — with people, money, work, medications. If you’re close to someone who’s been in a 12 step and/or therapy for years you’ll recognize the required total honesty. It really is a helpful read for anyone struggling with mental illness and anyone who loves someone with mental illness.

gooooood tooooo readddddd thisssss bookkkkkk innnnn the tligkejlsdfjlsldkfjdkskdksksksksksksksksks

A whimsical Tea Shop Mystery (19th in series) set in the Low Country of SC. Theodosia investigates the murder of a prominent banker from Charleston. Love the tea time tips & recipes from the author @the end of the book

Really interesting book. Had no idea Larry Hagman was always horrible on the set of Jeannie. And, boy-oh-boy was Barbara the object of lust of a lot of men in Hollywood. She needs more counseling to help her deal with her son's drug overdose death. It's not her fault. It was his choice to do drugs.

Pride and Prejudice is my all-time favorite book. I have to read it at least once a decade. Can't get enough of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy.