Entries by Patty Crane

Before She Was Helen by Caroline B. Cooney

Caroline B. Cooney is known for her young adult novels but she was intrigued with telling the story of someone who chose or was forced to live their life as a different person and managed to do it for almost 50 years. The resulting novel is her first for adults, Before She Was Helen. Cooney’s […]

Cozy Reads for January

Hidden Treasures by Jane Cleland The Crystal Cave Trilogy by Susan Albert Wittig Game of Dog Bones by Laurien Berenson Yesterday’s Echo by Matt Coyle Over the past few weeks I’ve been catching up with some of my cozy mystery series as well as checking out a new to me author. Jane Cleland’s Hidden Treasure […]

The Secret, Book & Scone Society by Ellery Adams

I enjoy mysteries with well-developed characters and if it is part of a series, all the better. Ellery Adams’ Secret, Book and Scone Society series has everything I like. The series gets its title from the first book, The Secret, Book & Scone Society. The setting is the small town of Miracle Springs, North Carolina. […]

Vanishing in the Haight by Max Tomlinson

The Summer of Love occurred in the Haight-Ashbury area of San Francisco in 1967. Tens of thousands of young people converged on the neighborhood for music, drugs, and free love. Max Tomlinson chose this setting to begin his novel, Vanishing in the Haight. Margaret Copeland, problem child in her wealthy family, left home to join […]

The Big Finish by Brooke Fossey

Eighty-eight-year old Duffy Sinclair is a little bit of a crank, a flirt, a prankster, and scared of losing his home. He and Carl share a room at the Centennial Assisted Living Facility in Brooke Fossey’s novel, The Big Finish. Sharon, the new owner of Centennial, has plans to remodel and double the fees but […]

The Moon: A History for the Future by Oliver Morton

On March 9th I was headed east around 9:00pm and saw a spectacular sight – a supermoon.  It appeared huge on the horizon with an orange hue and wisps of clouds. Beautiful. 2020 will have three supermoons occurring in 3 consecutive months, March, April and May. I did catch the April event but it was […]

Deep State by Chris Hauty and Lost Hills by Lee Goldberg

March is Women’s History Month and I’d like to be able to tell you my review choice reflects that but it doesn’t. Both of these titles have strong female leads but they are entirely fictional and contemporary. The premise of Chris Hauty’s debut novel, Deep State, seems to have been pulled from current headlines, a […]

Men of Valor by Irene Hannon; Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center; Something Read, Something Dead by Eva Gates; Bloody Genius by John Sandford

My book choices lately include a police procedural, Christian romantic suspense, cozy mysteries, and a book on women’s lives and relationships. Instead of choosing just one I thought I’d give you a sampling of what I’ve been reading. Irene Hannon writes, among other things, Christian romantic suspense. Her Men of Valor series is a trilogy […]