After All by Mary Tyler Moore

Genre: Memoir
Distributor: Putnam
Acquisition: Used bookstore, hardback
Length: 317 pages but there’s pictures
Rating: PG 13
Starring: Mary Tyler Moore
Theme: I Will Survive
Comments: I like memoirs. This one was good. I thought Mary was honest, sometimes too honest. For such an upbeat Mary Richards and/or Laura Petri, the realize actress is pretty dark.

Last Light by Terri Blackstock

Genre: Inspirational General Fiction
Distributor: Zondervan
Acquisition: Free Kindle Book
Length: 578 pages
Rating: PG 13
Starring: The Brannings and their Neighbors
Theme: Survival among chaos
Comments: I think this is the first general fiction label I’ve given. I found this to be an ‘interesting’ book. When I tell my students their work is interesting, they always ask how. This book hooked me and disturbed me. Probably what the author wanted. Surviving in a world with all conveniences are good is not a situation I want to contemplate.

Tuscan Holiday by Holly Chamberlin

Genre: Women’s Fiction
Distributor: Kensington
Acquisition: Free on Kindle
Length: 352 pages
Rating: PG 13
Starring: Elizabeth (Mom) and Marina (adult daughter)
Theme: Sometimes it takes a different setting and no distractions to connect.

Comments: This was free on Kindle. There were time when I looked forward to reading it because I liked the setting. There were times I skimmed. I agree with many readers that I didn’t care for the advice colum at the beginning. I also wish I could have see Peter get what he deserved.

Ghost Ship by P. J. Alderman

Genre: Cozy Paranormal
Distributor: Bantam
Acquisition: Purchased for Kindle
Length: 368 pages
Rating: G
Starring: Jordan, her neighbors and her ghosts
Theme: Murder, Murder, Everywhere
Comments: This one did what it’s supposed to do. It sold the next one which I predict will be Charlotte’s story. Again, great characterization, excellent setting, and engaging writing. I’m still a little put off by everyone and their mother keeping journals. And, I don’t buy calling Charlotte – a soiled dove – innocent. I still want the ghosts to be more straight forward (and for this book, come on, what was the motivation for Garrett confessing that he ‘didn’t’ do it). Good job!

Love Finds You in Treasure Island, Florida by Debby Mayne

Genre: Inspirational
Distributor: Summerside Press
Acquisition: Walmart
Length: 320 pages
Rating: G
Starring: Amanda and her sister; Jerry and his parents.
Theme: It’s worth the wait
Comments: Amanda owns a bicycle shop and basically takes care of her youngest sister since their mother cannot. Jerry is an ‘oops’ baby who shoulders the care of his aging parents. Amanda and Jerry find love. The younger sister finds love. The aging parents fall in love again.

Haunting Jordan by P.J. Alderman

Genre: Paranormal Cozy
Distributor: Bantam
Acquisition: Kindle
Length: 432 pages
Rating: G
Starring: Jordan Marsh, town friends, ghosts
Theme: The obvious choice isn’t always the right choice and that everyone, 100 years ago, left a diary.
Comments: This was an easy read. I read from front to back in two days, and I wanted the second in the series badly enough that I paid money for it. However, the second one needs to be a bit better than this one. I don’t buy that everyone left a journal, nor that all the journals were in such great shape that they were readable. Too, I want more questions answered by the ghosts. If I were solving a mystery and I had a ghost handy from that time period, I’d be interviewing them. That being said, town was great, characterization good (on live people, want more on the dead people). I also did not guess the bad guy, which always makes me happy. I know who I wanted it to be, but I’m not going to say because now I have a good plot for a suspense of my own.