Review: Agorafabulous!: Dispatches from My Bedroom

Agorafabulous!: Dispatches from My Bedroom by Sara Benincasa
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It sounds weird to say I enjoyed reading a book about someone suffering from agoraphobia. Really suffering. I've known people with agoraphobia, but they never described what it was like. Sara Benincasa has a way of adding a touch of humor to what should be dark and depressing. This didn't diminish how deeply I felt for her clear agony. I could relate to wanting to hole up in my bed and avoid the world. Now I know what that would really be like. It is not nearly as cool as it sounds.

There was an odd bit towards the middle of the book that I thought might turn me off to the whole thing, but then turned around and got back on track. I'm not even going to repeat it here, but if you get to that bit and have the same reaction, just skip ahead a few pages.

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Review: Hiddensee: A Tale of the Once and Future Nutcracker

Hiddensee: A Tale of the Once and Future Nutcracker by Gregory Maguire
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Gregory Maguire is a great writer. His stories are rich and take you into a fully developed other world. If anyone should do retellings of fairytales, it is Gregory Maguire. He has found his niche. I also enjoyed the Bavarian setting of this book. All of that said, I didn't really enjoy this as much as I have enjoyed other works by Maguire. I found I didn't really care about the characters and wanted to skip forward frequently for some action. I enjoyed it more for my ability to use German than for the plot.

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Review: Sharks, Jellyfish, and Other Deadly Things

Sharks, Jellyfish, and Other Deadly Things by Nancy Tesler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book 2 in the series. You could start here without a problem. There are references to book 1, but it will not hinder your ability to follow the story.

I got this book and book 1 for free on Amazon. When I get a book that way, I don't come any expectations. If I don't like it, no sweat. Yet, I have found some really great new-to-me authors this way. I will put Nancy Tesler in that category. I might not have read or known about this series otherwise. I still really enjoy the biofeedback aspects of this book. I swear I am going to look into having it done. Very cool, and I like that the author explains it with some detail so you understand what it is and how it works. It makes this series very unique. I will admit that I didn't quite see the end of this book coming the way it did. Well done for keeping me guessing.

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Review: Gone Haunting in Deadwood

Gone Haunting in Deadwood by Ann Charles
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is book 9 of a series I really love. If you have read the Charley Davidson series and enjoyed it, you should try this series. If you are new to the series, you will want to start with book 1. Mystery, supernatural, humor, and strong female characters. This series has it all. Bonus for me is the daughter's penchant for rescuing odd creatures. I relate completely!

For those already reading the series, book 9 has a lot of action and furthers the supernatural part of the storyline. We get some answers, but we also get some new questions and characters which made me really glad I waited until book 10 was already out so I don't have to wait to find out what happens next. I've read all them short stories too. You don't have to read the short stories to know what is going on, but there are references to Tequila & Time in this book. Worth reading that one to understand those references.

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Review: Marrow Island

Marrow Island by Alexis M. Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I will tread lightly so as not to give too much away. As someone who leans towards the radical when it comes to the environment, there was a lot about this book that appealed to me. The main character is a pro-environment journalist capturing stories about those fighting to save us from ourselves. I was also intrigued with the ideas presented for using natural ways to combat man-made disasters. While the book suggests the Marrow Island Colony might be a cult, I wouldn't recommend this to someone looking for that kind of story. Not every commune is a cult. I found the book very compelling until the last maybe third hence the four stars instead of five. Instead of tying up the loose ends, I felt I was left with even more questions. The ending for me was not very satisfying.

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Review: The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern

The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern by Lilian Jackson Braun
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I like mysteries and cats. The author had the magic formula. I also enjoy the vocabulary Braun incorporates into the stories. The mysteries are not nail biters, but I still feel like I'm not reading pure fluff. Here is where I let you in on a little secret. I didn't research this series before I started it. I knew Lilian Jackson Braun was famous for her cat mysteries. I was a little surprised when I realized some of the language in book two felt very dated. Before writing this review, I looked up the publication date. 1967! Yep, the language is going to be dated. It is older than I am. Given how long I have to wait for these books to come off hold, it will be a long time before I reach a book that was published in the 2000s. If she is still using the same language by the late 90s, I might rethink my decision. For now, I'm going to accept the dated language and enjoy the cats and the light mysteries.

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Review: City of Ghosts

City of Ghosts by Shawn Kobb
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I will admit to some bias when reading this book. I was working with the author in Vienna at the time that he was writing it. Though I bought the book when it was released, I have intentionally saved it until now because I wanted a little Viennese pick-me-up. I loved living in Vienna, and the author's descriptions took me back to my own time living in the neighborhood the book is set in. I could picture it vividly. I also appreciated the very accurate depiction of the Embassy and consular work. You don't see that very often in fictional representations. I enjoyed the details about coffee culture and the bits of German thrown in. It was a nice walk down memory lane. My only complaint is now I want to go back!

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