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Chris Columbus recommended Saturday Night Fever (1977) in Movies (curated)
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2065 KP) rated The Drinking Gourd in Books
Jul 13, 2022 (Updated Jul 13, 2022)
Casey’s Past Comes Back to Haunt Her
After spending ten years in jail for drug dealing, Casey Cavendish is back in her home town, the small college town of Oberlin, Ohio, trying to finally get her college degree. She also still maintains her innocence to the charges against her. However, drug dealing seems to have picked up in town recently, so the rumors aren’t leaving her alone. When her former best friend is found dead, Casey finds herself caught up in a murder investigation. Can she figure out what is happening so she doesn’t go back to jail?
The premise of this book sounded intriguing, so I jumped in eagerly. However, the end result doesn’t quite work the way it should. The story is as much about Casey dealing with what happened to her and it is the current crime. While interesting, it meant some of the other characters were really driving the investigation. In fact, there are several storylines that felt more important than the sub-plots than they should have been. The story does have some good twists, but they feel a little abrupt when they happen. A few things felt forced into the story, and I didn’t get a good feel for the 1970’s setting. This isn’t one of my cozies, but I was mostly okay with the content, except for one chapter that definitely crossed some lines. When I was reading the book, I got caught up in the story, but there were too many issues to keep me from completely enjoying it.
The premise of this book sounded intriguing, so I jumped in eagerly. However, the end result doesn’t quite work the way it should. The story is as much about Casey dealing with what happened to her and it is the current crime. While interesting, it meant some of the other characters were really driving the investigation. In fact, there are several storylines that felt more important than the sub-plots than they should have been. The story does have some good twists, but they feel a little abrupt when they happen. A few things felt forced into the story, and I didn’t get a good feel for the 1970’s setting. This isn’t one of my cozies, but I was mostly okay with the content, except for one chapter that definitely crossed some lines. When I was reading the book, I got caught up in the story, but there were too many issues to keep me from completely enjoying it.
Midge (525 KP) rated The Buried Girl in Books
Mar 5, 2019
A Chilling Psychological Thriller with Gothic Elements
This book caught my eye as I loved the synopsis and I read a lot of books from this genre, although I haven’t read any of the author, Richard Montanari’s books before. “The Buried Girl” is a chilling psychological thriller with some added Gothic elements.
When the wife of a New York psychologist, Will Hardy, is murdered he moves into Godwin Hall, a dusty, shut-up mansion in the small town of Abbeville, Ohio, with his teenage daughter, Bernadette.
At the same time, Abbeville Chief of Police Ivy Holgrave is investigating the death of a local girl. She is convinced this may only be the latest in a long line of murders dating back decades, including her own long-missing sister.
But what place does Will's new home have in the story of the missing girls and why does he have past memories of Godwin Hall? Is the diary of a young woman, written over a century earlier, linked to the killings?
Richard Montanari writes a wonderfully atmospheric and compelling novel. Tense and suspenseful, the many threads of the story slowly begin to link together, central to which is Godwin Hall. Both the characterisation and the plot are superb with the three main characters damaged, but starting the process of recovery. I am hoping that there will be a sequel to this novel as it was a fantastic read which I highly recommend to lovers of thrillers and crime fiction.
{Thank you to Edelweiss and HarperCollins UK/Witness Impulse for the free copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.}
When the wife of a New York psychologist, Will Hardy, is murdered he moves into Godwin Hall, a dusty, shut-up mansion in the small town of Abbeville, Ohio, with his teenage daughter, Bernadette.
At the same time, Abbeville Chief of Police Ivy Holgrave is investigating the death of a local girl. She is convinced this may only be the latest in a long line of murders dating back decades, including her own long-missing sister.
But what place does Will's new home have in the story of the missing girls and why does he have past memories of Godwin Hall? Is the diary of a young woman, written over a century earlier, linked to the killings?
Richard Montanari writes a wonderfully atmospheric and compelling novel. Tense and suspenseful, the many threads of the story slowly begin to link together, central to which is Godwin Hall. Both the characterisation and the plot are superb with the three main characters damaged, but starting the process of recovery. I am hoping that there will be a sequel to this novel as it was a fantastic read which I highly recommend to lovers of thrillers and crime fiction.
{Thank you to Edelweiss and HarperCollins UK/Witness Impulse for the free copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.}
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Sweetbitter in Books
Apr 9, 2019
Tess has just picked up her entire life in Ohio and decided to move to New York City. She has no plans, no job, but she knows she has to get away. When she arrives in New York, she already has a
place to live lined up, but she has to move quickly to find a job. She drops her resume at several coffee shops and restaurants and hopes for the best. When she come upon one of the best restaurants in the city. She's sure she won't have a shot with this place, but what is there to lose? She is pleasantly surprised when she is invited to train.
It took me a while to get through this book. Vacation was a big part of it and another part was that I just didn't find myself drawn to the story. I think those in the restaurant industry will appreciate this book. My husband, who isn't a reader, was intrigued by the story as I was listening to it once when he was in the car. The main reason I decided to pick up this book was because I was interested in the TV show on Starz after seeing the previews. I had to read the book first before I could watch the show.
So after a month, I finally got through the book. I'm not sure I would ever want to work at a restaurant after this. All the drinking, drugs and sex that goes on. It seems like everyone is sleeping with the everyone else and no one seems to care. I'm sure if I was younger this book would be more appealing to me.
place to live lined up, but she has to move quickly to find a job. She drops her resume at several coffee shops and restaurants and hopes for the best. When she come upon one of the best restaurants in the city. She's sure she won't have a shot with this place, but what is there to lose? She is pleasantly surprised when she is invited to train.
It took me a while to get through this book. Vacation was a big part of it and another part was that I just didn't find myself drawn to the story. I think those in the restaurant industry will appreciate this book. My husband, who isn't a reader, was intrigued by the story as I was listening to it once when he was in the car. The main reason I decided to pick up this book was because I was interested in the TV show on Starz after seeing the previews. I had to read the book first before I could watch the show.
So after a month, I finally got through the book. I'm not sure I would ever want to work at a restaurant after this. All the drinking, drugs and sex that goes on. It seems like everyone is sleeping with the everyone else and no one seems to care. I'm sure if I was younger this book would be more appealing to me.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2065 KP) rated A Deadly Inside Scoop in Books
Jul 17, 2020
An Opening Scoop of Murder
Bronwyn “Win” Crewse is ready to reopen Crewse Creamery, the ice cream parlor founded by her grandparents in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, after some renovations. Unfortunately, opening day sees an early October snow storm and no customers. However, Win’s day gets even worse when she stumbles upon a dead body after she’s closed the shop for the day. The man turns out to be someone who crossed paths with Win’s family years ago, and not for the better. Before Win knows it, the police are looking at her father as the killer. Now, Win needs to figure out what really happened so she can clear him of a crime she knows he didn’t commit. Can she do that and get customers into the ice cream parlor?
I love ice cream, so that was a draw to this series, and the ice cream descriptions definitely made me drool. The delicious sounding recipes at the end will help with that. The mystery started out a little slowly. It did eventually get going, and we had some good suspects and twists before Win figured everything out. The characters were a mixed bag. I loved Win, and her family is wonderful as well. I especially appreciated the close relationship she has with both her parents and her grandfather. Her friends were more caricatures than fully developed characters, and as a result, they amused me at times and annoyed me at others. I can see them getting more developed as the series goes along, however. This is still a tasty treat, and I can see it developing into a favorite series for many.
I love ice cream, so that was a draw to this series, and the ice cream descriptions definitely made me drool. The delicious sounding recipes at the end will help with that. The mystery started out a little slowly. It did eventually get going, and we had some good suspects and twists before Win figured everything out. The characters were a mixed bag. I loved Win, and her family is wonderful as well. I especially appreciated the close relationship she has with both her parents and her grandfather. Her friends were more caricatures than fully developed characters, and as a result, they amused me at times and annoyed me at others. I can see them getting more developed as the series goes along, however. This is still a tasty treat, and I can see it developing into a favorite series for many.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2065 KP) rated The Secrets of Bones in Books
May 6, 2020
I Can’t Keep Secret How Must I Loved This Book
It’s Assembly Day, a day set aside near the end of the school year when professional women from Ohio come to talk about their careers. Jazz winds up as a last-minute replacement, so she sets up in the unused fourth floor, hiding a few bones for Gus, a friend’s cadaver dog, to find during a demonstration. However, Gus goes to an unused closet. Sure enough, Jazz opens it to find a skeleton. Things left with the body make it easy enough to identify the victim as Bernadette Quinn, a teacher who resigned abruptly 3 years ago. Obviously, she didn’t really resign, but what happened all those years ago?
After enjoying the first in this series, I couldn’t wait to get back and visit Jazz again. I wasn’t disappointed at all. The book is so well written I was engrossed from page one. Jazz’s world and the characters all come to vivid life, and the animals are fun. The plot gives us several good suspects and clues that are confusing until Jazz pieces it all together at the end. If you are familiar with some of Kylie Logan’s lighter cozies, know that this is a few shades grayer, falling more in the traditional realm instead of being a pure cozy. However, that is no reason to skip this book. I was so engrossed in this book, I read almost two thirds of it in one day instead of saving some for the next day like I normally would. Now comes the long wait for the next book in the series.
After enjoying the first in this series, I couldn’t wait to get back and visit Jazz again. I wasn’t disappointed at all. The book is so well written I was engrossed from page one. Jazz’s world and the characters all come to vivid life, and the animals are fun. The plot gives us several good suspects and clues that are confusing until Jazz pieces it all together at the end. If you are familiar with some of Kylie Logan’s lighter cozies, know that this is a few shades grayer, falling more in the traditional realm instead of being a pure cozy. However, that is no reason to skip this book. I was so engrossed in this book, I read almost two thirds of it in one day instead of saving some for the next day like I normally would. Now comes the long wait for the next book in the series.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2065 KP) rated Life on the Mississippi in Books
Feb 22, 2023 (Updated Feb 22, 2023)
Book Wanders Like a River – Not Always for the Best
Journalist Rinker Buck decided to take his love for the flat boats of the 1800’s and make that his next trip into America’s past. He has one built for himself and sets out to sail it down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Along the way, he studies up on this part of American history. How will his journey go?
The idea of a trip like this appealed to me, so I sat down to read this with high hopes. Sadly, it wasn’t quite as good as I’d hoped it would be, mostly thanks for things the author put in he didn’t need to. There was more history than I was expecting; I was expecting more of a travelogue. That’s on me, although I did find much of this interesting if a little too long. However, I didn’t need all the biographical sketches about Rinker. I feel like some of that was his grieving process over having recently lost his mother. It would make for good reading, but in a different book. He also seemed to want to inject politics into the book where it didn’t need to be, and his attitude was very smug when this came up, even condescending at times. However, when he was actually describing the river and talking about what it took to navigate it, I was enthralled. I never thought about what it would take. The stories about some of the people he met along the way were good as well. The end result was a mixed bag.
The idea of a trip like this appealed to me, so I sat down to read this with high hopes. Sadly, it wasn’t quite as good as I’d hoped it would be, mostly thanks for things the author put in he didn’t need to. There was more history than I was expecting; I was expecting more of a travelogue. That’s on me, although I did find much of this interesting if a little too long. However, I didn’t need all the biographical sketches about Rinker. I feel like some of that was his grieving process over having recently lost his mother. It would make for good reading, but in a different book. He also seemed to want to inject politics into the book where it didn’t need to be, and his attitude was very smug when this came up, even condescending at times. However, when he was actually describing the river and talking about what it took to navigate it, I was enthralled. I never thought about what it would take. The stories about some of the people he met along the way were good as well. The end result was a mixed bag.
MaryAnn (14 KP) rated Pelican Point (Hope Harbor #4) in Books
Mar 5, 2019
Pelican Point is the fourth novel in the Hope Harbor series. In this intriguing novel, we are introduced to Army doctor Ben Garrison who has arrived back to Hope Harbor for his grandfather's funeral.
Ben, being sole heir is left everything, including the run-down lighthouse at Pelican Point. Ben wants to settle his grandfather's affairs and move on to his new practice in Ohio and that means selling an old lighthouse no one wants to buy; until a developer puts in a bid to buy it and the whole town comes together thanks to Marci, the local newspaper editor to save the landmark.
Can Ben who wants nothing more to settle the estate can't push past the feelings he has for Marci, the strong-willed red headed newspaper editor. Both Ben and Marci are dealing with past issues that have made them skittish about forming relationships. Will they be able to move past these issues and yield to their feelings?
The writer has done a great job of bringing you into the small town of Hope Harbor and into the lives of the characters she has created. I especially appreciated the way all the characters in Hope Harbor revolved around the lighthouse and Charly the taco king.
I like the way she artfully interweaves the characters in this story and creates a subplot.
Although this novel is the fourth in a series, it can stand alone without reading the first three, but once you've read this one you will want to read the rest.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Ben, being sole heir is left everything, including the run-down lighthouse at Pelican Point. Ben wants to settle his grandfather's affairs and move on to his new practice in Ohio and that means selling an old lighthouse no one wants to buy; until a developer puts in a bid to buy it and the whole town comes together thanks to Marci, the local newspaper editor to save the landmark.
Can Ben who wants nothing more to settle the estate can't push past the feelings he has for Marci, the strong-willed red headed newspaper editor. Both Ben and Marci are dealing with past issues that have made them skittish about forming relationships. Will they be able to move past these issues and yield to their feelings?
The writer has done a great job of bringing you into the small town of Hope Harbor and into the lives of the characters she has created. I especially appreciated the way all the characters in Hope Harbor revolved around the lighthouse and Charly the taco king.
I like the way she artfully interweaves the characters in this story and creates a subplot.
Although this novel is the fourth in a series, it can stand alone without reading the first three, but once you've read this one you will want to read the rest.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated A Gathering Of Secrets in Books
Apr 10, 2019
Kate Burkholder is the chief of police for the small town of Painter's Mill in Ohio. When a young Amish man is found burned to death in his family's barn, Kate is determined to find out who is responsible. Being ex-Amish herself, Kate has a strong connection to the people. But trying out to find out who would have wanted Daniel Gingerich dead is turning into quite a list. You see, Daniel wasn't the good Amish boy every portrayed him to be. He had a dirty secret and once Chief Burkholder is able to uncover his secrets, she may be able to find his killer.
Thank you to Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.
When I first heard about this book, I was quite intrigued by the story line. I didn't know that this was a part of a series, so that was a little disappointing, but I don't feel like I missed out on too much. I definitely want to go back and read the rest of the series.
Daniel Gingerich is in the period of an Amish person's life called Rumspringa. This is a time once Amish reach adulthood that they take the time to "find themselves". Daniel had a serious girlfriend and had plans to marry her. But he was a young man and attractive. He could have almost any girl he wanted. So why was he killed and who did it? When Kate finds out Daniel's secret, the suspect pool grows bigger and bigger the more she digs into this young man's life. The Amish community is so tight knit that no one wants to tell anyone's secrets.
This book was very hard to put down, and there were surprises I didn't see coming. I look forward to reading more books by Linda Castillo.
Thank you to Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.
When I first heard about this book, I was quite intrigued by the story line. I didn't know that this was a part of a series, so that was a little disappointing, but I don't feel like I missed out on too much. I definitely want to go back and read the rest of the series.
Daniel Gingerich is in the period of an Amish person's life called Rumspringa. This is a time once Amish reach adulthood that they take the time to "find themselves". Daniel had a serious girlfriend and had plans to marry her. But he was a young man and attractive. He could have almost any girl he wanted. So why was he killed and who did it? When Kate finds out Daniel's secret, the suspect pool grows bigger and bigger the more she digs into this young man's life. The Amish community is so tight knit that no one wants to tell anyone's secrets.
This book was very hard to put down, and there were surprises I didn't see coming. I look forward to reading more books by Linda Castillo.
Merissa (11643 KP) rated Light From The Grave in Books
Nov 6, 2023
LIGHT FROM THE GRAVE is a standalone paranormal with an element of romance. I say element as, for me, it wasn't the main part of the story. That was the realisation of Dylan's new powers and what he had to do with them. Dylan goes from small-town, Ohio to Charleston. From his home where he has friends, to a new place with family - who are odd, to say the least. He has to master his powers before he can open the family grimoire, renew the wards, and save them all. No pressure!
Keller is the loaded weapon of the coven, and you learn more about his abilities as the story progresses. He has an apprentice, Raven, who doesn't like Dylan to start with, for reasons that are both clear and understandable. As for the other characters, well, I would say those in Charleston are morally grey at best.
There are plenty of twists and turns in this story, and I was never 100% sure of most of the characters! It is very fast-paced, but the descriptions are clear and concise. As for the romance side of things - I just never felt it between Keller and Dylan. Yes, the fascination, the attraction, but not love.
And the ending? That seemed a little out of place somehow. Logically, it makes sense because of who Dylan was/is and the home he had. Emotionally, it just didn't feel right to me.
This is a great read that held my attention and I definitely recommend it.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Nov 3, 2023
Keller is the loaded weapon of the coven, and you learn more about his abilities as the story progresses. He has an apprentice, Raven, who doesn't like Dylan to start with, for reasons that are both clear and understandable. As for the other characters, well, I would say those in Charleston are morally grey at best.
There are plenty of twists and turns in this story, and I was never 100% sure of most of the characters! It is very fast-paced, but the descriptions are clear and concise. As for the romance side of things - I just never felt it between Keller and Dylan. Yes, the fascination, the attraction, but not love.
And the ending? That seemed a little out of place somehow. Logically, it makes sense because of who Dylan was/is and the home he had. Emotionally, it just didn't feel right to me.
This is a great read that held my attention and I definitely recommend it.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Nov 3, 2023