Book ~ "For the Love of a Son: A Memoir of Addiction, Loss, and Hope" (2025) Scott Oake

From Goodreads ~ When veteran broadcaster Scott Oake first held his infant son, Bruce, in his arms, he never imagined that Bruce would become a statistic in the losing battle to opioid abuse.

In those early days, Scott, a new father, watched Bruce with awe, marveling at the potential of his funny, charismatic boy. As Bruce got older, though, he struggled to fit in at school and began showing signs of having ADHD, including a streak of impulsiveness that often got him into trouble. Scott and his wife, Anne, did their best to support him, and for a time, he found community and belonging in boxing and local rap battles. But when Bruce was pulled into a world of drugs and gangs, Scott and Anne experienced a crash course in the reality of loving someone battling substance use disorder.

Then one quiet day in 2011, Scott got the phone call that every parent dreads. Bruce had accidentally overdosed. At just twenty-five, Scott’s vibrant, creative, first-born son was gone forever.

It was a loss that could have broken a man, a marriage, a family - but Scott, Anne, and their younger son, Darcy, instead turned the worst day of their lives into a way to help the thousands of Canadians struggling with addiction. After nearly a decade of fundraising and battling red tape and political machinations they launched the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre, a free, revolutionary treatment centre staffed by addicts and alcoholics in recovery.

For the Love of a Son: A Memoir of Addiction, Loss, and Hope by Scott Oake, a Canadian sportscaster, is an account of a father’s love in the face of loss. It follows Oake, his wife, Anne, and their younger son, Darcy, as he details his son, Bruce’s long and painful struggle with addiction. He describes what it was like as a family handling the fear, frustration and helplessness that go along with substance use. Oake tells of the many attempts to support Bruce, navigating treatment systems, relapses and moments of hope, while also dealing with the limits of what parents can control. 

I hadn't heard of Oake but I saw his book listed in the Toronto Star's 2025 Canadian top 20 non-fiction best sellers so I checked it out as I like reading bios/autobios. I'm glad I did as it's quite a story. I liked the writing style and found it honest as he doesn't shy away from telling about the family's guilt, denial, anger and constant worry. As a head's up, there is swearing.

With Bruce's death from an overdose in 2011 at the age of 25, the family turned it into something positive in 2013 by creating a foundation so other families wouldn't have to go through what they went through and to honour Bruce's memory. They created the Bruce Oake Centre, a 50-bed, nonprofit residential treatment program for in Winnipeg, Manitoba (long-term live-in and community-based services are offered to men seeking recovery from substance use disorder). The planning has started on the creation of the Anne Oake Family Recovery Centre too offer something similar for women.

Book ~ "The Deepest Fake" (2025) Daniel Kalla

From Goodreads ~ Liam Hirsch has it all - a loving family, a thriving career as CEO of an AI company, financial security and a bright future. But when he’s diagnosed with a terminal illness, just weeks after discovering his wife’s infidelity, his perfect life unravels. As he grapples with his fate, he prepares to face his final days on his own terms. 

However unexplained events inside his company make him question everything - including his diagnosis. In a world of deepfake videos, synthetic voices and digital deception, couldn’t these technologies be weaponized against him? What if nothing is as it seems? 

With time running out, Liam turns to Andrea DeWalt, a private investigator contending with her own feelings of betrayal, to help him uncover a conspiracy that threatens his life, his family and their future. In a world where nothing is as it seems and every digital footprint can be manipulated, who can Liam trust?

Liam is a successful AI company CEO who seems to have everything going for him until his life completely unravels. He suspects his wife is cheating on him so hires Andrea, a private investigator, who confirms her infidelity. But he's got other things to deal with as he has been diagnosed with ALS. Rather than have his family suffer as ALS robs him of his faculties, he decides to go the MAID route so he can leave on his own terms. But he wants to leave his family financially stable so he has to fix the strange inconsistencies within his company, push ahead with a breakthrough AI app and find out who is trying to sabotage his reputation and company. He can't do it alone so he asks Andrea to help.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it. I liked the write style and found it moved at a good pace. It's written in third person perspective with a focus on Liam and Andrea. There were so many people who could be messing with Liam so it was hard to figure out if someone really was. AI is moving us so quickly so it was interesting to see the creepy way it could be. As a head's up, there is swearing. I look forward to read other books by this author.

Book ~ "Sorry, Not Sorry: An Unapologetic Look at What Makes Canada Worth Fighting For" (2025) Mark Critch

From Goodreads ~ Known for his sharp-witted skits on CBC’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes , Mark Critch uses his keen observational skills to explore the complexities of Canadian identity and the new wave of Canadian patriotism.

In Sorry, Not Sorry, Critch delves into the heart of what it means to be Canadian at a time when national pride is on the rise. Examining everything from the historical decision of Newfoundland to join Canada, to the modern-day implications of the Freedom Convoy, and the evolving symbolism of the Canadian flag, he reminds us of where we came from, and of the many reasons Canada is worth fighting for—elbows up!

In chapters like “The 51st State,” “I Want My Flag Back,” and “The Invasion,” Critch uses humour and satire to tackle serious questions about national identity, unity, and the future of Canada. He also offers a unique perspective on the country's relationship with the monarchy, the cultural impact of Canadian celebrities living abroad, and the hypothetical scenarios of provincial separations.

Sorry, Not Sorry is more than just a comedic take on Canadian life; it’s a deeply personal and insightful look at thefree country Critch has spent decades satirizing. Whether he’s writing as a war correspondent in a fictional American invasion or penning a love letter to Canada in the voice of Donald Trump, Critch’s essays are sure to entertain, provoke thought, and stir a sense of pride in listeners.

Mark Critch is a Canadian comedian, actor and writer. He is best known for his work on the CBC comedy series, This Hour Has 22 Minutes.

Sorry, Not Sorry is a collection of essays about what it means to be Canadian and why Canada is worth caring about. It was written in response to Trump saying that he'll make Canada the 51st state. Critch uses jokes, personal stories and satire to talk about Canadian identity, pride and unity. I liked the writing style and for the most part agreed with his opinions. He touches on everything including the Canadian flag, Newfoundland joining Confederation and Freedom Convoy. I enjoyed these essays and found them interesting and learned something. Some of the essays (like the letters Trump or Lt. Clem Boone might write) were too long and boring so I skipped over them.

Book ~ "Armed and Fabulous" (2012) Camilla Chafer

From Goodreads ~ All Lexi wants to do is get through the day at her boring temp job with Green Hand Insurance. That’s until she discovers the vice president, Martin Dean, in a pool of blood and herself at the center of an investigation into insurance fraud.

Millions of dollars are missing, the chief suspect is dead and her mysterious, sexy, new boss is not what he seems.

Recruited by the joint task force working on the case, all Lexi has to do is work out who killed Dean and where the missing millions are. That’s easier said than done when her sister insists upon the baby shower to end all baby showers, her wise-ass cop family just wants to keep her safe, someone keeps leaving her creepy gifts, and all the clues point to a seedy sex club on the wrong side of town.

As the bodies start to pile up, Lexi is on a race against time to find the killer and the money, before she’s the next one in the murderer’s sights.

Lexi is a smart temp who’s underemployed and counting the minutes at her boring insurance job. Her life flips upside down when she discovers her boss, Martin Dean, murdered in his office. Instead of backing away and letting the professionals handle it, Lexi ends up right in the middle. It turns out Dean was involved in major financial fraud, with millions of dollars missing, and Lexi gets pulled into helping a task force unravel what really happened. 

As she digs deeper, the case gets darker and more dangerous. She starts receiving scary gifts, realizes she may have a stalker and learns that the murder is just one piece of a much bigger puzzle. On top of that, Lexi is juggling nonstop family pressure (including an overprotective law-enforcement family and having to plan a baby shower for her sister). The deeper Lexi gets, the clearer it becomes that someone is willing to kill to keep the truth buried and and that she might be next.

It took me a couple chapters to get into this book but I kept going and it turned out okay. It's written in first person perspective in Lexi's voice. I liked the writing style ... it was amusing at times. It wasn't overly deep as Lexy and Lily, her best friend and neighbour, seem to be "boy crazy" and juvenile at times. Lexi is attracted to the two cops who are working on the case (and they seem to be attracted to her) ... I hope this doesn't become the focus in future books. Lexi is supposed to be so smart but I had to question some of her decisions.

This is the first in the Lexi Graves mystery series (there are currently 17 in the series) and I liked it enough to check out the next one.

Book ~ "Future Boy: Back to the Future and My Journey Through the Space-Time Continuum" (2025) Michael J. Fox and Nelle Fortenberry

From Goodreads ~ In early 1985, Michael J. Fox was one of the biggest stars on television. His world was about to get even bigger but only if he could survive the kind of double duty unheard of in Hollywood. Fox’s days were already dedicated to rehearsing and taping the hit sitcom "Family Ties" but then the chance of a lifetime came his way. Soon he committed his nights to a new time-travel adventure film being directed by Robert Zemeckis and produced by Steven Spielberg - "Back to the Future". Sitcom during the day, movie at night - day after day, for months.

Fox’s nightly commute from a soundstage at Paramount to the back lot at Universal Studios, from one dream job to another, would become his own space-time continuum. It was in this time portal that Alex P. Keaton handed the baton to Marty McFly while Michael J. Fox tried to catch a few minutes of sleep. Alex’s bravado, Marty’s flair and Fox’s comedic virtuosity all swirled together to create something truly special.

In "Future Boy", Fox tells the remarkable story of playing two landmark roles at the same time - a slice of entertainment history that’s never been told. Using new interviews with the cast and crew of both projects, the result is a vividly drawn and eye-opening story of creative achievement by a beloved icon.

Future Boy is Fox looking back on the wild year when his career exploded. In 1985, he was filming Family Ties during the day and Back to the Future at night, basically living on no sleep and running between studios like he was time-traveling for real. He shares behind-the-scenes stories from Back to the Future, how Marty McFly came together and what it was like juggling two huge roles at once. 

The book is a quick high level read and focused on that one moment in time rather than his life. There are lots of pages of pictures at the end of the book (making up 41% of the book).

Book ~ "You Thought You Knew" (2025) Kevin Federline

From Goodreads ~ Kevin dancer, father, accidental pop culture icon. His star rose electrifying stages alongside Pink, Destiny’s Child, Aaliyah, and more. But it was his turbulent marriage to pop superstar Britney Spears that made him a household name and triggered a relentless media storm, reducing him to a caricature in a world that barely knew him.

Behind the tabloid headlines was a devoted father fighting for his children and his sanity, navigating the fallout of fame and a fractured family, as everything around him spun out of control.

From the heights of global stardom to the pain of public ridicule, this memoir peels back the layers of celebrity, fatherhood, and survival to reveal the man behind the mythology. A man shaped not by spectacle or spotlight, but by love, resilience, and the steadfast resolve to give his kids a normal life.

What you thought you knew was only half the story.

Other than being Britney Spears' ex-husband, I don't know a lot about Kevin Federline. I like reading bios/memoirs and thought it might be interesting and it was. I'd read Britney Spears' memoir when it came out and thought it would be fun to find out Federline's account.

This book is Federline giving his side of the story. He talks about his childhood, his dancer days, his ride of sudden fame and his relationship and breakup with Britney Spears. He says he mostly wrote this book for his kids so they’ll know who he really is, not the loser the tabloids made him out to be. 

He dives deep into their marriage and the messy split. He brings up moments where he says he was worried about Britney’s behavior, including some disturbing stories involving their kids. For example, there was an incident where their sons supposedly woke up in the middle of the night and found her standing in their doorway holding a knife. He said he was scared for his kids and doing what he thought was right at the time. He feels when Britney’s conservatorship ended, the public treated it like a victory but things didn’t magically get better.

I liked the writing style. As a head's up, there is swearing and descriptions of drug use and partying. When reading memoirs, I tend to take them with a grain of salt ... some of it might be true and some might be what the author wants us to believe is true. I check out Britney Spears' Instagram account occasionally and she doesn't seem very stable so I had no problem believing a lot of what he said. I was surprised there were no pictures. 

Book ~ "Halfbreed" (2019) Maria Campbell

From Goodreads ~ An unflinchingly honest memoir of her experience as a Métis woman in Canada, Maria Campbell's "Halfbreed" depicts the realities that she endured and, above all, overcame. 

Maria was born in Northern Saskatchewan, her father the grandson of a Scottish businessman and Métis woman - a niece of Gabriel Dumont whose family fought alongside Riel and Dumont in the 1885 Rebellion; her mother the daughter of a Cree woman and French-American man. 

This extraordinary account, originally published in 1973, bravely explores the poverty, oppression, alcoholism, addiction, and tragedy Maria endured throughout her childhood and into her early adult life, underscored by living in the margins of a country pervaded by hatred, discrimination, and mistrust. Laced with spare moments of love and joy, this is a memoir of family ties and finding an identity in a heritage that is neither wholly Indigenous or Anglo; of strength and resilience; of indominatable spirit.

This edition of "Halfbreed" includes a new introduction written by Indigenous (Métis) scholar Dr. Kim Anderson detailing the extraordinary work that Maria has been doing since its original publication 46 years ago, and an afterword by the author looking at what has changed, and also what has not, for Indigenous people in Canada today. Restored are the recently discovered missing pages from the original text of this groundbreaking and significant work.

Halfbreed is Maria Campbell’s memoir about growing up Métis in Saskatchewan. She talks about her childhood in a loving but struggling family, the racism she faced and the kind of poverty that shaped almost every part of her life. As she gets older, things get even tougher ... she deals with heartbreak, addiction and people taking advantage of her. But it isn’t just about hardship. It’s also about strength, family, culture and finding her voice. Campbell shows how she learned to stand up for herself and her community, eventually becoming an activist. 

I've never heard of the author and I don't know how it landed on my to-be-read list but I'm glad it did. It was interesting but sad and disturbing to read all she, her family and the rest of her people had (and still continue) to endure. I liked the writing style and found it to be honest and eye-opening. As a head's up, there is swearing, violence, drug use and adult activity.

Book ~ "The Hitwoman and the 7 Cops" (2014) J.B. Lynn

From Goodreads ~All reluctant hitwoman Maggie Lee really wants is to have a calm, normal life.

She doesn’t want to go around killing people for money.

She doesn’t want her sister to be terrified of her ex-pimp.

She doesn’t want her Dad to disappear from the Witness Protection program.

But Maggie rarely gets what she wants.

Instead, she finds herself trying to keep everyone out of trouble.

With the help of her ragtag team of supporters: her semi-psychic friend, a handsome, charming con man, her almost-lover cop/hitman mentor, her curious Southern Belle cat, her haughty lizard, and her sweet, but dumb Doberman, Maggie does her best to stay a step ahead of Law Enforcement, while helping those she loves.

​But will Maggie end up being the one who needs to be saved?

When Maggie was in a car accident, her sister and brother-in-law were killed and Katie, her niece and goddaughter, was left in a coma, which she has come out of but is still in the hospital. Maggie works in the call centre of an insurance company and doesn't have the kind of money it takes to keep Katie in the high end hospital she needs to be in. To supplement her income, she has become a reluctant hit woman for a mob boss. 

Maggie has a lot of police officers hanging around her. They looking for her dad, who has vanished from witness protection and they assume she knows something, which she doesn't. Because the police are everywhere, Maggie can’t take on any hitwoman jobs. Meanwhile Marlene, her sister, is dealing with her own dangerous mess as her former pimp says she owes him money. Her Aunt Loretta is about to lose her store because her ex-husband is claiming he owns the building so they must find the deed to prove it's hers.

This is the seventh in the Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman series (#52 is coming out next month). It's written in first person perspective in Maggie's voice. I had my doubts about this series when I discovered Maggie can now carry on conversations with Godzilla aka God, Katie's tiny lizard, who Maggie takes care of until Katie recovers, DeeDee, a dog she took in when she killed her owner, and Miss Piss, the cat. It sounds dumb but they are amusing and good friends and confidents to Maggie.

I wouldn't recommend it as a stand alone and you should read the first ones first as there are many references in this one that will make more sense if you have the background. I had read the first four in the spring and really enjoyed them. This is the third one I've read in the last couple of weeks and I'm not digging them all that much. This was the worst of the three. 

The writing style has never been amazing but the stories were okay. The editing (or lack of) in this book was atrocious. In the beginning, there were references to Teresa, Maggie's sister and Katie's mother who had been killed in a car accident. Given that it's book seven, you'd think the author would know it's "Theresa" not "Teresa" ... later in the book it's correct as "Theresa". Very sloppy. Another example is when Maggie spent the day with God and at one point he almost got stepped on. Just a few minutes later Maggie goes to her basement apartment and God's freaking out because he's been cooped up all day and missing the action. Huh?!

I had intended to keep reading the series but I'm going to take a break ... and I don't know if I'll ever come back.

Book ~ "The Hitwoman Hunts a Ghost" (2014) J.B. Lynn

From Goodreads ~ Bumbling hitwoman Maggie Lee has discovered the sister she thought was dead might be alive. She’s desperate to find her but all of her bosses are making unreasonable demands. Demands she can’t afford not to meet.

Once again, Delveccio, the chocolate pudding loving mob boss, needs someone whacked.

Her obnoxious boss at her day job insists she intervene on his behalf with her semi-psychic friend, Armani.

And the mysterious organization with the power to put her almost-lover Patrick behind bars has saddled her with an annoying new partner and sent her on a mission that has gone to the dogs.

With the clock ticking, Maggie (along with her snarky lizard, dyslexic Doberman and Southern belle cat) does her best to pull off every job without winding up in jail or dead ... but is her best good enough?

When Maggie was in a car accident, her sister and brother-in-law were killed and Katie, her niece and goddaughter, was left in a coma, which she has come out of but is still in the hospital. Maggie hates working in the call centre of an insurance company but doesn't have the kind of money it takes to keep Katie in the high end hospital. To supplement her income, Maggie has become a reluctant hit woman for a mob boss. She has recently moved back to the bed and breakfast she grew up in, which one of her aunts run, and is living in the basement.

Maggie was approached in the last book that she must do the jobs a stranger she's dubbed "Ms. Whitehat" asks of her or she will reveal information that Maggie doesn't want to be revealed. A white dog named Ghost is lost and Ms. Whitehat has tasked Maggie with finding him or else. In the meantime, her mob boss is demanding that she kill his thieving accountant within the next few days. Two of Maggie's aunts are having issues in their relationships and Armani, her semi-psychic friend is making predictions but no one can figure out what they mean. So Maggie has a lot going on.

This is the sixth in the Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman series (#52 is coming out next month) and I thought it was okay. I wouldn't recommend it as a stand alone. You should read the first ones first as there are many references that will make more sense if you have the background, which isn't really provided here but I think needed.

It's written in first person perspective in Maggie's voice and was humourous at times. I had my doubts about this series when I discovered Maggie can now carry on conversations with Godzilla aka God, Katie's tiny lizard, who Maggie takes care of until Katie recovers, DeeDee, a dog she took in when she killed her owner, and Miss Piss, the cat. It sounds dumb but they are amusing and good friends and confidents to Maggie. I'll carry on and keep reading the series.

Book ~ "The Hitwoman and the Neurotic Witness" (2013) J.B. Lynn

From Goodreads ~ When her apartment building is blown to smithereens, bumbling hitwoman Maggie Lee is forced to move back into the bed & breakfast she grew up in.

Living with her three meddling aunts is bad enough but it just so happens that the B&B is also occupied by a U.S. Marshal, an FBI agent, her old friend Zeke who’s on a mysterious mission, and a woman who claims she can see dead people. These aren’t the kinds of roomies Maggie wants to spend time with, considering that in order to pay for her niece’s medical care she supplements her income by killing people.

​Maggie avoids arrest and deals with a crazier-than-usual home life while trying to track down exactly who is blowing up the holdings of various crime families. To make matters worse, she’s walking a precarious tightrope between keeping her mobster bosses happy and protecting her murder mentor (and almost lover) Patrick Mulligan.

​Aided by the warped predictions of her semi-psychic friend, her sarcastic, demanding talking lizard and an always ravenous dyslexic Doberman, Maggie juggles keeping secrets, unraveling riddles and protecting those she loves. Can she do it all? Or will she suffer yet another unspeakable loss?

When Maggie was in a car accident, her sister and brother-in-law were killed and Katie, her niece and goddaughter, was left in a coma, which she has come out of but is still in the hospital. Maggie works in the call centre of an insurance company and doesn't have the kind of money it takes to keep Katie in the high end hospital she needs to be in. To supplement her income, she has become a reluctant hit woman for a mob boss. 

When Maggie's apartment explodes, she ends up moving back into the bed and breakfast where she grew up, which is currently full with her three aunts, two law-enforcement officers, her sister and Gypsy, a guest who insists she can see dead people. Businesses owned by her mob boss are getting bombed and he suspects police officer Patrick, Maggie's mentor and crush, may be involved so he wants her to kill him. Maggie can't believe Patrick is involved so sets out to find out who is.

This is the fifth in the Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman series (#52 is coming out next month) and I thought it was okay, not as good as the first four. I wouldn't recommend it as a stand alone and you should read the first four first as there are many references in this one that will make more sense if you have the background. I read the first four in February and March (so it's been a while) and it took a while to remember the back stories because they aren't really provided. For example, it's mentioned that Maggie's friend, Armani, is disabled but it's not until further along that we find out how it happened. Or you don't really have Maggie's sister, Marlene's history.

It's written in first person perspective in Maggie's voice and was humourous at times. I had my doubts about this series when I discovered Maggie can now carry on conversations with Godzilla aka God, Katie's tiny lizard, who Maggie takes care of until Katie recovers, DeeDee, a dog she took in when she killed her owner, and Miss Piss, the cat. It sounds dumb but they are amusing and good friends and confidents to Maggie. I'll carry on and keep reading the series.

Book ~ "The Last Hitman" (2025) Robin Yocum

From Goodreads ~ Once upon a time, being a “made man” meant something. Angelo Cipriani was a member of the inner circle of the Fortuna Crime Family, one of the biggest mafia families in the Ohio Valley. Not that Angelo would ever admit to such an organization even existing, let alone to all of the bodies he dropped for his boss. Angelo even stayed loyal after taking a bullet in the back and winding up in a coma for three months. 

But times have changed. Four decades have passed and the glory days of mob rule have waned. With FBI crackdowns and new rival gangs seizing territory, Angelo finds himself on the outs with the current administration, essentially “on the shelf.” Left with little excitement beyond a crush on the local diner waitress, he does the unthinkable and puts pen to paper, telling his story of coming up, a man of honor in a world that he barely recognizes. 

But Angelo’s reminiscences are rudely interrupted by a visit from the FBI, and the realization that the past is far from dead and buried. Faced with old secrets and fresh betrayals, Angelo finds himself The Last Hitman is ready to get back to work.

This is a story about Angelo, a hitman who is trying to survive a world that has moved on without him. He's is an aging mob enforcer who used to be one of the most trusted guys in the Fortunato crime family. He’s old-school loyal but times have changed. Little Tommy, the new boss, is into dealing drugs rather than hookers and gambling like his late father and late grandfather, and Angelo just doesn’t fit in anymore. He’s being pushed aside and spends his days drinking coffee at a diner, chatting with Carolyn, the waitress he has a crush on, and visiting Nickels, an old friend in a nursing home, who is out of it on meds most of the time. Not exactly the thrilling mob life he once had. Everything shifts when the FBI shows up and pressures him to talk. Suddenly Angelo has to choose ... stay loyal to a crime family that no longer respects him or work with the feds and risk becoming a target.

I enjoyed this book. I've read a few books by this author and have liked them. I liked the writing style of this one and it was surprisingly humorous at times. Angelo had done some really bad things in his day (and was looking forward to continuing to do so) but I found him likable. Being in the mob and loyal to "the boss" was all he knew and he was having a hard time staying loyal to Little Tommy, who was a scumbag. One thing I did have trouble believing is that Carolyn, knowing what he was, didn't have an issue with what he'd done in his past and would continue to do given the chance. The ending leaves things open that there could be a sequel. As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

Book ~ "The Widow" (2025) John Grisham

From Goodreads ~ Simon Latch is a lawyer in rural Virginia, making just enough to pay his bills while his marriage slowly falls apart. Then into his office walks Eleanor Barnett, an elderly widow in need of a new will. Apparently, her husband left her a small fortune and no one knows about it. 

Once he hooks the richest client of his career, Simon works quietly to keep her wealth under the radar. But soon her story begins to crack. When she is hospitalized after a car accident, Simon realizes that nothing is as it seems and he finds himself on trial for a crime he swears he didn’t commit: murder. 

Simon knows he’s innocent. But he also knows the circumstantial evidence is against him and he could spend the rest of his life behind bars. To save himself, he must find the real killer. 

Simon is a small-town lawyer in rural Virginia barely keeping his life together ... his marriage is over, his finances are a mess, he has a gambling problem and his career feels stuck. Then Eleanor Barnett, an elderly widow, walks into his office and becomes the most interesting client he’s ever had. She wants to redo her will and hints that she has a huge secret fortune. Simon thinks he’s finally caught a break and befriends her. But the more he gets involved in her life, the stranger things get. Eleanor has secrets, her family is complicated, she won't reveal her true assets and nothing about her past adds up. She has no one else so Simon ends up doing everything for her.

Then Eleanor ends up in a serious car accident and dies of what they suspect is pneumonia but is determined to not be. Suddenly Simon is in the middle of a murder investigation. Everyone’s pointing fingers and most of the clues seem to point to him. To clear his name, Simon has to dig into Eleanor’s hidden life and figure out who actually had something to gain from her death. What starts as rewriting a will turns into a messy, twisty mystery full of money, lies and people who aren’t at all what they seem.

It's been almost 10 years since I've read a John Grisham novel and I thought this one was okay. It was a bit long and draggy. It's written in third person perspective, usually with Simon being the focus. I found Simon to be very unlikable so it was hard to cheer for him after Eleanor died and his life got even worse. I wasn't buying the ending ... it came out of nowhere and was a disappointment considering the time I'd put into reading the book.

Book ~ "Torn Asunder" (2024) Barbara Ross

From Goodreads ~ A short boat ride from Busman’s Harbor, Maine, Morrow Island is a perfect spot for a wedding - and a Snowden Family Clambake. Julia Snowden is busy organizing both - until a mysterious wedding crasher drops dead amid the festivities.

Julia’s best friend and business partner, Zoey, is about to marry her policeman boyfriend. Of course, a gorgeous white wedding dress shouldn’t be within fifty yards of a plate of buttery lobster - so that treat is reserved for the rehearsal dinner. Julia is a little worried about the timing, though, as she works around a predicted storm.

When a guest falls to the floor dead, it turns out that no one seems to know who he is, despite the fact that he’s been actively mingling. And when an injection mark is spotted on his neck, it’s clear this wasn’t caused by a shellfish allergy. Now, as the weather deteriorates and a small group is stranded on the island with the body - and the killer - Julia starts interrogating staff, family members, and Zoey’s artist friends to find out who turned the clambake into a crime scene.

Julia is living on Morrow Island, running the family’s clambake business while helping plan her best friend, Zoey’s wedding. Everything’s set for a perfect weekend until, during the rehearsal dinner, an uninvited guest collapses and dies. What first looks like a medical emergency quickly turns into a murder investigation. Then a storm traps some of the guests, along with the soon-to-be bride and groom, on the island giving Julia and her boyfriend, state police detective Tom, opportunity to ask questions.

This is the 12th (and last) in the Maine Clambake Mystery series. It works as a stand alone so you don't have the read the previous ones to know what's going on. It's written in first person perspective in Julia's voice. It's a quick read and a cozy mystery so there is no violence, swearing or adult activity. The "whodunit" was obvious but I was okay with that. It was farfetched that so many of the guests happened to be connected not only to Zoey but randomly to each other.

Since it was the last in the series, all the loose ends were tied up and everyone had a happy ending. At the end of the book, there are recipes that were mentioned during the story including baked lobster tails, fennel and orange salad and chocolate-covered toffee squares.

Book ~ "Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice" (2025) Virginia Roberts Giuffre

From Goodreads ~ The world knows Virginia Roberts Giuffre as Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s most outspoken victim: the woman whose decision to speak out helped send both serial abusers to prison, whose photograph with Prince Andrew catalyzed his fall from grace. But her story has never been told in full, in her own words until now.

In April 2025, Giuffre took her own life. She left behind a memoir written in the years preceding her death and stated unequivocally that she wanted it published. "Nobody’s Girl" is the riveting and powerful story of an ordinary girl who would grow up to confront extraordinary adversity.

Here Giuffre offers an unsparing and definitive account of her time with Epstein and Maxwell, who trafficked her and others to numerous prominent men. She also details the molestation she suffered as a child, as well as her daring escape from Epstein and Maxwell’s grasp at nineteen. Giuffre remade her life from scratch and summoned the courage to not only hold her abusers to account but also advocate for other victims. The pages of Nobody’s Girl preserve her voice and her legacy forever.

This is a look at Giuffre's life, written in her voice from her troubled childhood to becoming one of the most well-known survivors connected to Jeffrey Epstein’s trafficking ring.  She opens up about being abused as a young girl, running away from home and later being recruited by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell when she was just a teenager. She describes how what started as a supposed “spa job” turned into years of manipulation, control and exploitation. The memoir tells of her escape and how she tried to rebuild her life in Australia. It's about how she decided to speak up, take legal action and fight for justice not just for herself but for other survivors too. 

I like reading bios/autobios and I knew this one would be a hard one. She went into a lot of detail at times about what what done to her. You can ask yourself why she stayed with Epstein and Maxwell as long as she did. She didn't have the best childhood which probably didn't help her decision making ability. She said she stayed because Epstein had threatened to harm her brother if she left. Eventually she did break away when she married her husband after knowing him for 10 days.

It's a tragic story but I did have some issues. The way she spoke about Robbie, her husband, sounded like he was the most loving and supportive husband ever. Yet there were incidents of domestic violence that had happened during their marriage where Robbie was arrested. You'd never know it by reading her story. After all she'd gone through, I would have thought she would never ever put up with any abuse at all. Shortly before she passed away, they were separated and there was an incident with Robbie and she ended up being prohibited from having contact with her children.

Not only did Giuffre's father sexually abuse her when she was young but he passed her over to his buddy who did the same. And her mother let it happen. When she had children, she had the need for them to get to know her parents and have a relationship with them. Huh?! After all she went through with her parents, if it was me, I would never had spoken to them again.

Book ~ "Secret Sauce: 200 Copycat Recipes to Re-Create Your Favorite Restaurant Sauces, Dips, and Dressings" (2025) Kelly Jaggers

From Goodreads ~ Skip the pricey restaurant bill and recreate your favorite restaurant sauces right at home with these 200 fast, easy and delicious copycat recipes for popular sauces, dips, dressings, and more!

Enjoy your favorite restaurant sauces ... without waiting in lines, paying inflated prices, or stocking up on sauce packets to save for later meals. With 200 quick and simple recipes, you can now recreate your favorite restaurant sauces, dressings, and dips right at home. You’ll find iconic recipes like:

• Chipotle’s Guacamole
• McDonald’s Tartar Sauce
• Applebee’s Oriental Vinaigrette
• Shake Shack’s Cheese Sauce
• Carrabba’s Dipping Oil
• Taco Bell’s Creamy Jalapeño Sauce
• And more!

With these classic tried and true recipes, Secret Sauce helps you recreate popular restaurant sauces as closely as possible - while still receiving the same rave reviews as the real thing - on a much smaller tab. 

This book is your guide to all the sauces you love from restaurants but wish you could make at home. The author collected 200 copycat recipes for everything from fast-food favourites to sit-down-restaurant classics. The book breaks each recipe down so it seems easy and uses everyday ingredients. 

The book is broken down into sections:

• Secret Sauces at Home - history, ingredients to have on hand, tools and appliances, preparation and serving, and storage and safety
• Turn Up the Heat
• From Tenders to Wings: Chicken Dipping Sauces
• Between Two Buns: Burger and Sandwich Sauces
• Into the Sea: Seafood Sauces
• Lighter Fare: Salad Dressings and Marinades
• On the Side: Side Dish Dipping Sauces
• The Finishing Touches: Cooking, Finishing and Topping Sauces
• Don't Fill Up on Dip: Hearty Dips

Before each recipe, there is a description of the restaurant and what the sauce is used for.

It's an American-based book so I hadn't heard of some of the sauces (or restaurants) but it will be fun to try to replicate the recipes.

Book ~ "Hidden Beneath" (2023) Barbara Ross

From Goodreads ~ Julia and her mother, Jacqueline, have come to the exclusive summer colony of Chipmunk Island to attend a memorial service for Jacqueline’s old friend Ginny, who’s been officially declared dead half a decade after she went out for her daily swim in the harbor and was never seen again. 

But something seems fishy at the service - especially with the ladies of the Wednesday Club. As Julia and Jacqueline begin looking into Ginny’s cold case, a present-day murder stirs the pot, and mother and daughter must dive into the deep end to get to the bottom of both mysteries.

Julia and her mom, Jacqueline, get invited to a memorial service on Chipmunk Island, the fancy summer community off the coast of Maine, which isn't far from their home on Morrow Island. The service is for Jacqueline’s childhood friend, Ginny, who disappeared five years ago during her daily swim and was never found. Everyone assumed she drowned. Though Jacqueline and Ginny haven't seen each other in about 35 years, Ginny had appointed her as the executor of her estate. It's the busy time for the family's business so things are stressful with this extra responsibility. As Julia and Jacqueline start going through Ginny's things and distributing them, Julia finds Ginny's diaries and starts reading them, hoping to figure out what happened to her.

This story was written in first person perspective in Julia's voice. It's a quick read and a cozy mystery so there is no violence, swearing or adult activity. At the end of the book, there are recipes that were mentioned during the story including apricot squares, fried chicken and lobster fried rice. The "whodunnit" made sense and I was okay with that. It's been two years since Julia had broken up with Chris, her boyfriend of a couple years, and she's still dwelling on it. It was good to see there was finally some movement for her on this.

This is the eleventh (of 12) in the Maine Clambake Mystery series. It works as a stand alone so you don't have the read the previous ones to know what's going on. I started the series recently and will keep moving through (only one more to go!).

Book ~ "Muddled Through" (2022) Barbara Ross

From Goodreads ~ When Julia spots police cars in front of Lupine Design, she races over. Her sister, Livvie, works there as a potter. Livvie is unharmed but surrounded by smashed up pottery. The police find the owner Zoey Butterfield digging clay by a nearby bay but she has no idea who would target her store. 

Zoey is a vocal advocate for turning four blocks of Main Street into a pedestrian mall on summer weekends. Other shop owners, including her next-door neighbor, are vehemently opposed. Could a small-town fight provoke such destruction? When a murder follows the break-in, it's up to Julia to dig through the secrets and lies to uncover the truth.

Julia is a bit stuck in between stages of her life ... recently she’s lost her apartment, moved back in with her mother, ended a relationship and is helping out with her family’s clambake business while figuring out what’s next. 

Things in in Busman's Harbor, Maine, start to heat up when local business owners start arguing over a plan to turn a few downtown blocks into a pedestrian mall on summer weekends. Some love the idea while others hate it. Julia’s sister, Livvie, works at a pottery studio owned by Zoey, who’s all for the pedestrian mall. Her next-door neighbor, Phinney, is one of the loudest opponents. When the pottery studio is vandalized and then someone ends up murdered, suspicion quickly falls on Zoey. Julia doesn’t believe Zoey could be guilty so she decides to dig around herself. 

This story was written in first person perspective in Julia's voice. It's a quick read and a cozy mystery so there is no violence, swearing or adult activity. At the end of the book, there are recipes that were mentioned during the story including butterscotch cookies, lobster stew and mushroom soup. The "whodunnit" was a bit of stretch but I was okay with that. It's been a while since Julia had broken up with Chris, her boyfriend of a couple years, and I thought she spent a bit too much time still dwelling on it. It seems, though, there are a couple new possibilities entering her life.

This is the tenth (of 12) in the Maine Clambake Mystery series. It works as a stand alone so you don't have the read the previous ones to know what's going on. I started the series recently and will keep moving through (only two more to go!).

Book ~ "Twice" (2025) Mitch Albom

From Goodreads ~ When he is eight years old, Alfie Logan discovers the magical ability to get a second chance at everything. He can undo any moment and live it again. The one catch: he must accept the consequences of his second try - for better or worse.

He grows up correcting his mistakes and saving himself from adolescent embarrassments. He even takes foolishly dangerous risks, just to see what it’s like to come close to death, before tapping back to safety.

Eventually, Alfie turns his gift to his love life, studying his crushes and going back to make himself more appealing. In time, he falls deeply in love with Gianna, the woman he believes is the one. He seems to find contentment.

But as the years pass, Alfie’s eye begins to wander. Which is when he learns a lone caveat to his power: once he undoes a love, that person can never fall in love with him again. Knowing if he gives into to temptation, he will risk losing what he has with Gianna, Alfie makes a choice that changes his life forever.

The book begins many years later, after an ailing Alfie is arrested for allegedly cheating and winning millions at a casino roulette wheel. As a curious detective interrogates him, he slowly uncovers Alfie’s incredible story, and its most unlikely conclusion.

Alfie has a secret ... ever since his missionary mother passed away when he was a kid in Kenya, he’s been able to relive any moment of his life twice. All he has to do is tap his body and say the word “twice” and he gets a do-over. The first time he lives something, the second time he knows what’s coming and can try to change it. At first, Alfie uses his ability for small stuff ... fixing mistakes, avoiding embarrassment, etc. Eventually he meets and falls in love with Gianna and tries to use his power to make their relationship perfect, which he finds isn't possible.

It's been a lot of years since I've read a Mitch Albom story and I thought this one was okay. It's written in third person perspective with an interesting twist ... it's also first person perspective in Alfie's voice when his composition book about his lives is being read. The story starts off in his present, where he’s been arrested for supposedly cheating in a casino in the Bahamas and then jumps back and forth from Alfie’s past to the present day (the chapters are labeled). I like time travel stories so it appealed to me as it has that aspect.

Book ~ "Scared Off" (2021) Barbara Ross

From Goodreads ~ Three teenage girls having a sleepover on Halloween night get spooked when high schoolers crash the house for a party. But no one expected to find a crasher like Mrs. Zelisko, the elderly third floor tenant, dead in the backyard dressed in a sheet like a ghost. 

With her niece traumatized, Julia Snowden must uncover who among the uninvited guests was responsible for devising such a murderous trick.

Page, Julia's 13-year-old niece, is having a sleepover with her friend, Vanessa, at their friend, Talia's house. Things gets out of hand after some uninvited classmates and older kids show up. The night quickly takes a scary turn when the elderly woman who rents an apartment upstairs, dressed up like a ghost, floats down from upstairs and is found dead in the shed in the backyard. With nothing else to do since her family's business hasn't started up for the season and she's not running a restaurant in the off-season anymore, Julia starts to work on figuring out what happened that night.

This quick read (it's a novella) was written in first person perspective in Julia's voice. It's a cozy mystery so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity. The whodunnit came out of nowhere at the end. At the end, there is a recipe that was mentioned during the story for gluten-free pumpkin cookies.

This novella is 9.5 (of 12) in the Maine Clambake Mystery series. It works as a stand alone so you don't have the read the previous ones to know what's going on. I've been reading the series recently and will keep moving through the series.

Book ~ "Hallowed Out" (2022) Barbara Ross

From Goodreads ~ For Julia Snowden of the Snowden Family Clambake, Halloween takes on a whole new meaning in the coastal town of Busman's Harbor, Maine, when a seasonal activity turns fatal ... 

With its history of hauntings and ghost sightings, Busman’s Harbor is the perfect setting for Halloween festivities. Despite her busy schedule, Julia agrees to help out with a haunted house tour to protect her mother from overwhelming herself. But when a reenactment of a Prohibition-era gangster’s murder ends with a literal bang and a dead actor from New Jersey, Julia Snowden must identify a killer before she ends up sleeping with the fishes.

Julia is busy running her family’s clambake business and a restaurant in the off-season with Chris, her boyfriend, in Busman’s Harbor, Maine. Things are already hectic when the town kicks off its Halloween festivities, including a haunted-house tour that reenacts a Prohibition-era gangster murder that includes Julia, Chris, Sonny (Julia's brother-in-law) and Gus (the owner of the restaurant Julia and Chris use). But what’s supposed to be fun quickly turns dark when one of the actors ends up dead for real when the lights go out. Suddenly Julia isn’t just juggling the business and her family ... she’s trying to figure out who the killer is. 

This quick read (it's a novella) was written in first person perspective in Julia's voice. It's a cozy mystery so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity. I thought the whodunit was a reach. At the end, there is a recipe that was mentioned during the story for pumpkin bread.

This novella is 7.5 (of 12) in the Maine Clambake Mystery series. It works as a stand alone so you don't have the read the previous ones to know what's going on. I've been reading the series recently and will keep moving through the series.