A local restaurant reviewer dies face down in a dessert in her aunt’s restaurant & suddenly, Lila’s a murder suspect. Solving the crime means saving herself from jail, & saving her family’s business. Entertaining & a great example of next wave cozies, with younger & more diverse characters. 💙📚

This book is a testament to the power of music. While Willie has always had my respect as an artist, this book only reinforced that he is a poet for our times and that he and his sister’s talents have deep roots in family and friends.

Dani Sloan quits her soulless corporate job and begins the life she’d always longed for as a chef. She has her hands full. But as in all cozy mysteries, death puts a wrench in the works, and she has to add detective to her list of jobs.

Top Chef meets high fantasy. Chef Muffin must find the ingredients to make a special dish for the Princess. Along the way she and her friend Wally build a cadre of adventurers — a ranger, a troll, and a gnome — to achieve their goal. High marks for humor and delightful characters!

I asked on social media what cozy fantasy was and where I should start. Legends and Lattes was the most mentioned. Viv gives up adventuring to open a coffee shop, although no one has heard of coffee. She needs a succubus, a hobgoblin, a dire cat, a rattkin, & the goodwill of the town to succeed.

2-time Tony winner Sutton Foster has danced & sung her way into the hearts of audiences, but off stage, she is a crafter. In this memoir, crafts are like signposts along her journey from her first professional role in a national tour of Grease to the lead in multiple Broadway shows.

Moving back to her hometown seemed like the right thing to do until a small-town yarn retailer is murdered. Can Samantha find the culprit before she's the next victim? This first book in the Handcrafted Mystery series ticks all the boxes for cozy mystery fans.

About a third of the book is a memoir in comic form, the rest a collection of single-panel cartoons the two authors collaborated on. I enjoyed this book, it's a quick read, but I felt as though I didn't get enough of what made me pick up the book: Martin's movie memories. #bookreview #graphicnovel

Daria's solitary life as a lighthouse keeper in the early 1800s is upended when she tries to save the crew of a wrecked ship but she herself is rescued by a creature she's never seen before and did not believe in --- a merman. This sweet, wholesome romance is told at a leisurely pace.

It's the mid-90s, & Selin is a Harvard freshman. As in many a bildungsroman, there isn't much plot other than following the main character as she navigates the transition into adulthood. Selin is multilingual, obsessed with how language works, and yet having a simple conversation stumps her. 📚💙

In this international thriller, the central character isn't sympathetic & the ending is abrupt. Grisham spends a lot of time on the history & architecture of Bologna without moving the plot forward. The best I can say is that it really makes me want to visit Bologna. Not Grisham's best. 📚💙

Zoe has scrimped for a very long time to save enough to take her dream trip to Alaska. Graham grudgingly runs a tiny burger spot tagged as a must-see for every tourist visiting Moose Springs. He's not impressed by the visiting hordes, but finds that Zoe might be an exception. 📚💙

In this 21st-century dystopia, society needs both compliant citizens & critical thinkers to survive the environmental disaster stratifying it.🧵/1

In this memoir of a mid-century escapade with Patrick Dennis, author of Auntie Mame, the characters are all slightly odd, and the tone is that of an actual Patrick Dennis novel. If you are a fan of his light, bitingly satirical fiction, you'll love this! 📚 💙

If it wasn't for Jesse Ed Davis, Duane Allman wouldn't have started playing slide guitar. That's how important the Kiowa/Comanche from Oklahoma was to 20th-century popular music. 3/5 stars for Miller's book. Informative, well-researched, but a bit dry,with a timeline that is confusing sometimes. 💙📚

A family knocks on Eve's door. Just passing through, the father says. I grew up in this house, he says. Can we take a quick look around? Once she lets them in, the story turns to shifting realities, strange geographies, & syndromes that make this one of the scariest books I’ve ever read. 📚💙

An anonymous memoir may seem like an oxymoron, but for Lamyah H, it was the only way to share her journey as a queer Muslim. Stories from her life in Southeast Asia & the Middle East, interwoven with Quranic stories, show how she cherishes her Muslim identity while claiming her queer life.

If Brende meant to argue that we should all abandon technology (including electricity, running water & engines) & lead a harder, simpler life, he doesn’t make his case well. If he wants us to reflect on whether technology is serving us or we’re serving technology, he might have succeeded. 📚💙

I don't just read books, I write them, too! Regina Murphy is a small-town theater teacher in Oklahoma. When a body appears backstage & her lead actor is accused of murder, Reggie has to find the killer. Filled with colorful local characters & warm humor, Rapier Wit is a comfy cozy crime read! 📚💙

Dogland is ostensibly about how dogs reach the heights of competition, from local shows to marquee events like the Westminster Kennel Club and National shows. But it is also about how dogs became man’s best friends & what the relationship between human and hound means to both. 💙📚

Another great summer read! If you love Patrick Dennis's novel, Paradise, you'll love this satirical book about a motley group of people descending on an eccentric millionaire's island for the wedding of the century. And if you don't love Patrick Dennis, shame on you! #bookreview #paulrudnick

I have some time to read more books & write reviews since my summer started! I don't quite have a handle on what that looks like here. Post an image of the cover & a short review in replies? Use a cute post I create in Canva? I like the posts like this one I've used on Insta - too much for Bluesky?

Best Star Trek crew, wrong answers only

If you learned any history via Saturday morning cartoons, I think you know some people need a review of how America works. #nomorekings #resist

When a small town high school theater director finds a dead body backstage and her lead actor is the main suspect, she has to find the real culprit so the show can go on!

I created a tiny starter pack that includes places I enjoy here on Bluesky. I hope you enjoy them, too! go.bsky.app/6c59TzN

Choose your own adventure! In 18th-century France, Catherine escapes a loveless marriage, and goes where she never could've imagined. In 21st-century Oklahoma, a murder backstage means small-town theater teacher Regina has to find the real killer. #readmorebooks #historicalfiction #cozymystery

Making up a batch of Texas caviar so we can get our blackeyed peas in. There'll be greens and cornbread for the folding money, too! #HappyNewYear #foodsuperstitions

Soup? Or art? Museums have me looking at life a little differently. Thanks, @moma.bsky.social #searchforsignsofintelligentlife #lilytomlin