Thoughts on Living the Life Creative
The Curse of Penryth Hall by Jess Armstrong (2023) – Ruby Vaughn spent World War I as a front line ambulance driver surrounded by death and devastation. Since the war, she’s lived a life to help her forget it all. That changes when her elderly landlord sends to a small village with a shipment of... Continue Reading →
That Old Country Music by Kevin Barry (2020) – A brilliant collection of stories focused on life in small parts of Ireland. Stories of anger and love and betrayal and death and illusion. Barry takes you into the quiet parts of the lives of everyday people. They live everyday lives that are tinged with the... Continue Reading →
Slow Horses by Mick Herron (2010) – Slough House is where MI5 sends you when you’ve made a terrible mistake. The hope is that the residents, called “Slow Horses”, will quit. Days, weeks, and months of grinding out Slough House’s only product, meaningless and ignored paperwork is intended to break them. When a minor domestic... Continue Reading →
The Grand Man-A Swedish Mystery by Florence Wetzel (2019) – An American jazz journalist goes to Sweden to interview several top artists. She discovers the seedy side of her subjects, and is drawn into two murder investigations. One is the husband of the singer she interviews, and the other is the unsolved assassination of Swedish... Continue Reading →
Death in the Wind – A Seabreeze Island Murder Club Mystery Book 1 by L.C. Richards (2024) – A posh resort island along the panhandle of Florida is excited to have a world sailboarding event take place on their waters. Following the murder of the top athlete at the event, a local book women’s book... Continue Reading →
Honorable Treachery- A History of U. S. Intelligence, Espionage, and Covert Action from the American Revolution to the CIA (2014) by J.G.A. O’Toole An in-depth look at the history of intelligence in the history of the United States. The book begins with the action leading up to the Revolutionary War and carries the story through... Continue Reading →
The Woman in White (1859) by Wilkie Collins – A drawing teacher meets a mysterious woman dressed in white on his way to a new job. When he arrives, he finds a beautiful young woman who could be the first woman’s twin. His love for his student is doomed because of their different social positions,... Continue Reading →
Fifteen Postcards by Kirsten McKenzie (2019) - Sarah Lester inherited an antique shop following the mysterious disappearance of both her parents. As she struggles to keep the shop open, and find any clues to the disappearances, she comes across a collection of estate antiques, including fifteen postcards. What she doesn’t expect is to be hurled... Continue Reading →
I understand the concept of marketing hyperbole, but really? The Last Room on the Left by Leah Konen (2025) - Kerry's life is a string of problems. Her husband left her, her drinking is getting out of control, and she is stuck on a book she's writing whose deadline is coming fast. The chance to... Continue Reading →
But 2025 Should Be Better! Time for my annual review of the year in reading. I had a better year than last, but I’d like to bump it up a little more in the one to come. My goal is a book every two weeks. Reading speed is not the limiting factor, but reading time... Continue Reading →
Stories Are My Life 