Other Relaxation

Richard T. Ryan creates a top-notch Sherlock Holmes story in The Druid of Death. He layers the familiar characters of Holmes, Watson, Lestrade, and Mrs. Hudson against historic sites and Druidic lore. And of course, there’s a murder or three to solve! Since Ryan has a...

Robin Sloan creates a story of the intersection of capitalism, science, and magic in Sourdough. And there’s a little romance too. But certainly not in a traditional sense. Lois is a computer programmer. When she decides to leave her comfortable Midwest life for a...

It’s ironic to feel that my time was wasted with a book called W is for Wasted. And it breaks my heart. Sue Grafton published her first book in the Alphabet Series in 1982. I found them, and their main character Kinsey Millhone, in about 1990. Luckily, I gobbled up...

Sue Grafton takes us back to 1988 in V is for Vengeance. This is the 22nd book in her Alphabet Series, featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone. This particular story is a many-tentacled thing. Kinsey knows parts, and we know somewhat more. Grafton feeds each of...

Mary Kay Andrews offers us a pleasurable trip to Beach Town in this romancey, character-driven read. I’m not much of a “chick lit” or romance reader. But our #Booked2018 challenge includes a “beach read” prompt. So I decided to go literal and pick a book with “beach”...

Elizabeth Strout invites us to visit small-town Illinois in Anything is Possible. It’s like being the new guest at your sister-in-law’s summer picnic. You meet one person, and spend a little time together. When they’re done telling you a story, you’re spun among the...