A fun and light mystery set in the cozy New Hampshire Village of Stoneham. The story centers on a pair of sisters, Tricia and Angelica Miles. The sisters run several of the village’s most successful businesses. Tricia owns the vintage mystery bookstore, Haven’t Got a Clue, and is known as the town jinx after being cursed by a murderer who Tricia helped send to jail. The latest victim is a dinner guest who is fatally poisoned after eating a stuffed mushroom appetizer prepared by Tricia at her housewarming party. Angelica also has problems of her own; she is being blackmailed by someone who knows about her past and her biggest secret. Together the sisters try to figure out who is behind all this while a streak of disruptive vandalism in town erupts. In the midst of this calamity, Tricia campaigns to become the new Chamber of Commerce President while being wooed by an unusual gentleman caller.
I enjoyed reading this book and will probably read a few of the others titles in the Booktown Mystery series. What fun reading about the varying themed bookstores like By Hook or By Book Crafting Bookstore or the Have a Heart Romance Bookstore. The cast of characters were colorful and pleasant, especially Pixie who proved to be a lifesaver for the Miles sisters. Tagging along with Tricia and her sister while they sip cocktails and try to figure out who the culprit is was interesting enough to take my mind off of all things Covid 19. I would definitely recommend this lighthearted cozy mystery.
Read-alikes:
The Plot is Murder by V.M. Burns
Elementary, She Read: A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery by Vicki Delaney
The Cracked Spine by Paige Shelton
Karen McHugh, Harborfields Public Library
When single mother Zoe find herself about to loose her affordable housing due to a rent increase, she doesn't know what she and her four-year-old son Hari are going to do. Hari's dad is no help and is barely around and there's no way she can afford the expensive London rents. Luckily, Hari's aunt finds her not one but two jobs in a small village in the Scottish Highlands - one is assisting Nina (from The Bookshop on the Shore), who's on maternity leave and needs someone to take care of her bookmobile and the other is becoming an au pair for a dad whose three kids are out of control to say the least. As Zoe and Hari navigate their way through this new life, friends are made, bonds are formed, and there may even be a little romance in the future.
This novel is a companion to The Bookshop on the Corner and can be read as a stand-alone; however, characters from the first book make appearances so beginning with the first book might be helpful for context. This is a sweet story, and while a bit predictable, will make you laugh and possibly cry, and even though there is a happy ending, not everything is wrapped up completely. The setting is beautiful, the characters are likeable, and those who love small-town stories will love both and want to book a trip as soon as possible to visit.
Read-alikes:
The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald
The Library at the Edge of the World by Felicity Hayes-McCoy
The Library at the Edge of the World by Felicity Hayes-McCoy
The City Baker's Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller
Azurée Agnello, West Babylon Public Library
The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop by Fannie Flagg
If you're like me, you've been waiting a long time to find out what happened to your favorite characters from Whistle Stop, Alabama, not to mention Evelyn Couch. Where did they go? Did they all lose touch? I can tell you without spoiling anything that the answer to the latter is no, they didn't. Dot Weems first sends Christmas cards and then discovers email to keep everyone in the loop. But what about the town itself?
Well, it's probably better not to ask what Whistle Stop looks like these days. But when Bud Threadgoode's granddaughter Ruthie meets up with Evelyn Couch they are unfazed by what 50+ years of neglect can do to a small town.
It may have taken a while, but Fannie Flagg does not disappoint with this sequel. In her typical chatty style, we learn about what happened to the town and its inhabitants when the trains started just passing through without stopping. And then we zoom into the future to see how Whistle Stop lives on in spirit, and maybe even in reality.
Read-alikes:
The Fifteen Wonders of Daniel Green by Erica Boyce
The Supremes Sing the Happy Heartache Blues by Edward Kelsey Moore
The Little Teashop on Main by Jodi Thomas
The Fifteen Wonders of Daniel Green by Erica Boyce
The Supremes Sing the Happy Heartache Blues by Edward Kelsey Moore
The Little Teashop on Main by Jodi Thomas
Mara Zonderman, Westhampton Free Library
In Ruth Hogan’s third stand alone novel, we are introduced to a main character who’s prominent attributes consist of seeing and interacting with ghosts while living with OCD. You will never forget these two details as they are seemingly the only actions our protagonist partakes in. Chapters are told from her point of view as an adult (Tilda) returning home after her mother has passed away and as a child (Tilly).
The pacing is exceedingly slow. There are several instances where one paragraph can go on for a page and a half. We are not introduced to Queenie Malone and her Paradise Hotel until more than halfway through the book. Once we get there, it is quickly realized that the time at the Hotel is fleeting and the venue is not some symbolic secondary character. I would suggest reading one of the read-alikes instead.
Read-alikes:
The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg
Life and Other Inconveniences by Kristin Higgins
The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan
Jessicca Newmark, The Smithtown Library - Smithtown Building
It is 1950 and socially-awkward Margery Benson is trying to get through life in post-war London surviving on scraps and rationing. Miss Benson, a teacher of domestic science, is plagued by her mischievous students who make taunting her their daily mission.
One day, she reaches her breaking point, gathers her belongings and walks determinedly out of the classroom and through the front door. The next day, she advertises for an assistant to accompany her to the South Seas to search for an insect that may or may not exist--the Golden Beetle of New Caledonia.
When her newly-hired assistant changes her mind at the last minute, Margery is forced to take Enid Pretty. Raucous, vivacious Enid in her tight-fitting pink suit and pom-pom sandals is not suited for the position or compatible with Margery. So, why would she want to go on a 10,000-mile trip on what could be a wild-goose-chase?
A beautifully written story in which two, ordinary, overlooked women embark on an expedition to the South Seas in search of a mythical beetle and though they are as different as possible, will forge an improbable friendship with a life-changing aftermath! A good choice for women and YA girls.
Read-alikes:
The Trans-Atlantic Book Club by Felicity Hayes-McCoy
The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
Grace O'Connor, Retired Librarian
The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons
Eudora Honeysett
is 85 years old and lives in the London house she has lived in all of her life.
She tries to get out every day, but her increasing age and the effects of a bad
fall are making everything more difficult. She has no family or friends left and
wants to choose the circumstances of her death. She contacts an assisted
suicide clinic in Switzerland and waits to hear whether her application will be
approved.
The clinic
encourages her to live while she waits to die, and the opportunity to do so
presents itself in the form of her new neighbor, 10-year-old Rose, and her old
neighbor, the recently widowed Stanley. Cheerful, inquisitive Rose leads her
new friends on small adventures, and Eudora is drawn into the lives of Rose,
Stanley, and their families.
The novel contains
frequent flashbacks to Eudora’s youth. Eudora was 7 years old when her father
left to fight in WWII. She promises her father that she will look after her
pregnant mother and her new little sibling, but doesn’t realize that he will
never be back to help her, and devoting herself to her family will steal her
happiness and take up most of her life. Her little sister Stella is a willful
little girl that their depressed mother resents, and she grows into a troubled
and selfish teenager who betrays Eudora and breaks her heart. Decades later, Eudora
still struggles to come to terms with her guilt over the resulting tragedy.
Eudora finally
realizes that she hasn’t just been passing the time while she makes her plans,
and the people in her life are more than complications. Eudora is having an
impact on the lives of others and has a reason to continue. She can still
choose how her story will end, just in a different way.
There is a tragic
streak throughout the novel, though it is also inspirational and heartwarming.
It would be a good choice for readers who enjoy “gentle reads” that are not
overly sentimental or saccharine. The read-alikes also have older protagonists
and unlikely friendships and connections that are hopeful and engaging.
Read-alikes:
A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman
The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg
The Big Finnish by Brooke Fossey
The Love Story of Missy Carmichael by Beth Morrey
Norah Gillman, Cold Spring Harbor Library
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick
Since his wife's death a year ago, Arthur Pepper's life has become limited to the same daily routine and rarely leaving the house. However, Arthur decides the time has finally come to sort his wife's belongings and while doing so, Arthur comes across a charm bracelet he has never seen before. He is rather intrigued by the eight charms: an elephant, ring, flower, heart, book, tiger, paint palette, and a thimble. While examining the elephant, he discovers tiny engraved letters and numbers. Arthur and his wife always liked to watch Sunday afternoon detective stories so he decides to investigate in order to find out the stories behind the charms on the bracelet. To his great surprise, his investigation will not only mean leaving York for trips to London, Paris and India, he will also be on a transformative journey of self discovery. How will it change him inwardly as well as outwardly? Can he heal his estranged relationship with his grown children?
I found this story to be heartwarming, upbeat, and "charming". The emotions Arthur feels over the loss of his wife or the discoveries he makes about the charms are real but never maudlin. From beginning to end, the story gently unfolds at a leisurely pace. This story will appeal to readers who like engaging, heartwarming, amusing, relationship fiction.
Read-alikes:
The Cottage at Rosella Cove by Sandie Docker
The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
The Gift of Charm by Melissa Hill
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
Sue Ketcham, LIU Post
Oliver Clock has everything in his life arranged just so—pantry items alphabetically arranged; socks stored in color-coordinated rows; microwave meals lined up in the fridge; and a secure job at the funeral home that has been passed down to him through three generations. Approaching his 40th year and living a reclusive life, Oliver measures and monitors his life by jotting down resolutions in a notebook he’s had for years—“Thou shalt not grow too large to fit comfortably into a standard-size coffin; Thou shalt broaden your social life; Thou shalt find a way to ask Marie out”—resolutions that Oliver rarely fulfilled. Particularly that last one. Marie was the florist that he ordered flowers from for the funeral home, and his feelings for her went far beyond business. But he kept his feelings to himself.
Suddenly, Marie succumbs to an incurable disease and is erased from Oliver’s life. If only he had let her know what his true feelings were. Now he would have no chance to do so. When Marie’s husband informs Oliver that Marie had kept a diary, the entries reveal that Marie’s feelings for Oliver were mutual. This revelation sends Oliver into a tailspin of regret. Why hadn’t he acted on his feelings? As the story proceeds, Oliver relies on his memory of Marie, meets some quirky women who try to motivate him in their own unique ways, and ultimately, he discovers what he can do to take charge of his life.
Though a funeral parlor may seem an unusual backdrop for a light read, the author handles the setting in an entertaining, humorous, and inspirational way. Told in the first person, written in a conversational tone, and including an array of idiosyncratic characters, Oliver Clock is an easy read that is conveyed in short, thematic chapters. Readers may identify with Oliver as he struggles to understand the path his life has taken and his ability alone to change it.
Read-alikes:
How Not to Die Alone by Richard Roper
Off Season by Anne Rivers Siddons
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver
Deborah Formosa, Northport-East Northport Public Library
The title is part of a series (book 15), but can be read as a standalone.
This book reminded me very much of the James Herriot series of books, as it centers on a rural Irish doctor. The Herriot series took place from the 1930’s – 1950’s in rural England. Taylor’s Fingal O’Reilly’s stories take place in Ballybucklebo beginning in the 30’s and going up to 1969 (so far.)
The novel has many storylines, some big, some small, including young Doctor Laverty and his wife expecting their first child and having complications, and new Doctor Carson trying to fit into country life. The author touches on the “troubles” in Northern Ireland (Catholics vs. Protestants) and adds a smaller story about a mixed couple trying to get a father’s permission to wed.
The medical terminology is a bit over the top for the layman, but it is a gentle read, with no foul language or repugnant scenes. Whenever a fight is brewing (in the pub), someone comes along to settle everybody down. The pacing doesn’t change much throughout the book. Just a nice, easy stroll through the countryside with the occasional hillock or glen to momentarily slow you down or speed you up. And all the plots are tied up nicely and happily by the end of the book.
This novel is for a mature audience who are in no rush; who want to soak up the setting and get friendly with the characters; who like a cup of tea in front of the fire on a winter’s day.
Read-alikes:
Anything by Maeve Binchy
All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
A Country Affair by Rebecca Shaw
The Irish Country series by Patrick Taylor
Lori Ludlow, Babylon Public Library
Emily Ackerman has traveled the world with nothing to hold her back. She is guided by her prized possession, a book of letters left for her by her mother before she died. With no father, the letters guide her through tough times and connect her to her past. After a professional failure and the death of her grandfather, Emily finds herself back in Nantucket 18 years after her mom’s death with one goal. Renovate and sell the family cottage she inherited and get on with her life. What Emily was not expecting was to run into Hollis, the boy next door-turned baseball star who’s back on the island after a career ending injury, or his preteen daughter who inspires Emily to revive her love of theater. Sparks fly between Emily and Hollis, and Emily finds she is being drawn back to island life even as she uncovers the truth about her mother’s death. Is there a letter for all the feelings brought up?
If for Any Reason by Courtney Walsh is a breathtaking summer read about second chances, finding your purpose in life, and letting go of past mistakes. It’s a story of family and belonging, and a focus on building father/daughter relationships. Alternating every few chapters between Emily in present day, and flashbacks to the summer Emily’s mom fell pregnant brings depth to the story. This contemporary romance is published by a Christian-based publisher. There is talk about God and faith and the phrase “God only gives you what you can handle” plays as one of the themes throughout. There is light romance (kissing), though there is reference to two different relationships that had children out of wedlock.
This is an engaging beach read for anyone looking for a light, contemporary romance filled with family drama, a little mystery, and relatable, flawed characters.
Read-alikes:
The Love Letters by Beverly Lewis
Who I Am with You by Robin Lee Hatcher
Summer by the Tides by Denise Hunter
Lost and Found Sisters by Jill Shalvis
Nanci Helmle, The Smithtown Library - Commack Building
Charlotte Perkins, a seventy-year-old widow living in a retirement community near Savannah, is lonely after the death of her best friend. Desperate to reconnect with her three adult children, she enters a contest to become a “Jetsetter,” first prize an all-expense paid Mediterranean cruise for oneself and guests. As it happens, her children are all in difficult circumstances, so they are happy to accept.
Read-alikes:
Once Upon a Time, There Was You by Elizabeth Berg
Porch Lights by Dorothea Benton Frank
Family Reunion by Nancy Thayer
Jackie Malone, Retired Librarian
