Minotaur Sampler Vol 19 by multiple authors (NetGalley ARC, pub 12/2)

Minotaur Sampler Vol 19 by multiple authors (NetGalley ARC, pub 12/2) ⭐⭐⭐⭐Another good sampler to try out some upcoming releases. Cat on a Hot Tin Woof - I didn’t find the writing to be very clear so I found my attention drifting even though the premise (a dog investigator) was amusing. Harmless Women - This has good writing and was fast-moving but I think a little too creepy/thrillery for my taste. Stakeouts and Strollers - the attempt to blend humor and baby jokes with an investigation didn’t work for me. Liar’s Creek - the setting and story setup piqued my interest, so I grabbed the full ARC of this. Cross Your Heart and Hope He Dies - A mystery rom-com with solid writing and the preview gave me enough setup to be invested - grabbed the full ARC. Dark Is When the Devil Comes - dark and atmospheric but didn’t engage me enough to want more. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Minotaur Sampler, Volume 18: New Books to Make Your Heart Race

The Minotaur Sampler, Volume 18: New Books to Make Your Heart Race

A great sampler of some upcoming new releases in the mystery/thriller genre. Standouts for me were:

-Wreck Your Heart - about a country singer in Chicago (strong sense of place) navigating murder and family drama

-How to Get Away with Murder - following a Scotland Yard detective recovering from a trauma hunting down a serial killer who published a self-help book on murder

-Murder Will Out - another story with a strong sense of place, this time in Maine, investigating the mysterious death of her estranged godmother

These stories give me enough of a taste to determine which books I wish to go back and read in full. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow

The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow (NetGalley ARC, pub 10/28) ⭐⭐⭐ I struggled with this book. I really liked the idea of it and the writing was good, but I found the time loop descriptions overly repetitive and in need of much stronger editing. I also didn't find that the romance worked all that well for me. While there were elements I liked, this book took a lot of effort to get through with the last 30% being the most interesting to me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Grace & Henry's Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman

Grace & Henry's Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman (NetGalley ARC, pub 10/14) ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 This was an interesting take on grief and the holidays and I stayed up late to finish the second half of the book in one go. I found the timeline confusing and unbelievable and I was annoyed with some of the repetitive and crude references to old holiday movies, but otherwise I appreciated the storytelling and character development. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Menu of Happiness (Kamogawa Food Detectives, #3) by Hisashi Kashiwai

The Menu of Happiness (Kamogawa Food Detectives, #3) by Hisashi Kashiwai ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I enjoyed the first two books in the Kamogawa Food Detectives Novel series, so was excited to see this third one. This book stays true to form, but in this case it keeps it from progressing. In the first two novels there was a little more development of the Komogawas, but this book did not advance there stories and began to feel repetitive. I still enjoyed the lush food descriptions and the poignancy of food and memories and complex human emotions. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Joyride by Susan Orlean

Joyride by Susan Orlean - I've only read one of Orlean's books in addition to seeing the film Adaptation (based on her novel The Orchid Thief) so I wasn't sure if I was the right audience for this book, but once things got moving I really enjoyed it. There were some beautifully written lines that I bookmarked and will add to my commonplace book. The memoir really highlighted a theme she described in her own writing of finding topics or people that seem ordinary ("hiding in plain sight") and then really getting into them and finding something fascinating. As she writes: "My task, always, is to override your misgivings, to keep you t pinned to the page long enough that you fall in fully, and then you become as captivated as I am in this unlikely story..." I appreciated what she shared about storytelling and writing and the evolution of the literary world over the course of her career. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A Murderous Business by Cathy Pegau

A Murderous Business by Cathy Pegau ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I enjoyed the characters and the storyline for this historical fiction mystery and I think it will evolve into a nice series. I questioned the historical accuracy of some elements of this story but appreciated how they set up the characters' backstories and the experiences of women, and particularly queer women, at this moment in history. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.