Darlene's Digest

The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams My rating: 5 of 5 stars This was such a fun book that I had to give it five stars. Fun, but also very meaningful as it explores the pains and growth of a marriage and the complications that arise when communication goes south. As it says in the blurbs, "The first rule of Book Club is...you don't talk about Book Club." After all, when a bunch of testosterone laden athletes and bros get together, they don't want anyone to know they're reading historical romance to Get A Clue About What Women Want. The H&H seemed very real, as were their problems. I liked how the author dealt with the hero's speech impediment, and what that meant to him in and out of relationships. We got a hint at where Lyssa Kay Adams 's going to go next with the Bromance Book Club and I can't wait! View all my reviews

His mother’s favorite of his pieces was the elaborate Chanukah menorah with the rampant Lion of Judah he’d made when he first started crafting his own designs. The holder for the shammes that lit the oil in the eight other lamps leaned in slightly, but she swore she would have it no other way. “It’s eager to perform its task,” she’d say every year with a smile as his father lit the first light. --[WIP] Untitled Chanukah historical novella Happy Hanukkah! Chanukah Sameach! No matter how you say it (or spell it) the Festival of Lights is a special time around the world. In the Northern Hemisphere the Jews gather at the darkest time of the year to kindle small flames in the cold night, while in the Southern Hemisphere they wait...and wait...and wait for sundown to light the chanukah menorah (and have a cookout at the beach). Regardless of how it's celebrated, the festival commemorates the victory of the weak over the strong, the small against the mighty, and faith i...

A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh My rating: 4 of 5 stars An excellent mystery which kept me guessing "whodunnit" up until the end. At one point I thought I knew who the guilty party was, but I was mistaken. I love it when that happens. The setting of Nalini Singh 's New Zealand was also a treat, where the landscape itself becomes part of the story. The heroine was bright and capable, and didn't make TSTL mistakes, the hero was enigmatic and wounded, and his passion for justice helped push the story forward. I'd definitely read more with these characters, or any future mystery/suspense novels from Ms. Singh. I'm already a fan of her paranormal romances, this adds another level of enjoyment. View all my reviews

Just Watch Me by Jeff Lindsay My rating: 2 of 5 stars I wanted to like this more. When Darkly Dreaming Dexter was released I loved it, and told all my friends to read it. After all, not only was it an excellent suspense story, but Dexter had a moral compass. He'd promised his stepfather that when he got the urge to torture and kill, he'd use it to take out the trash--evil people who prey on the weak, and damage society. Riley Wolfe is missing that moral compass. While I enjoyed the caper aspect of the book, I couldn't feel much for the amoral protagonist who is perfectly willing to murder and harm people who stand in his way. people who would interfere with his heist. Not just bad people, not just the ones who prey on the weak. To his credit, Jeff Lindsay points out this flaw in Wolfe's character, many times. And yet just as one character at the end rejects Wolfe for his sociopathic tendencies, I'm not sure I would want to read ...

My car broke down yesterday, and after the first moments of confusion and panic I thought, "I am so fortunate." This is why I felt that way: It happened in the parking lot of a grocery store less than two miles from my home, meaning I could have walked home if I needed to. I didn't have a trunk full of melting ice cream since I hadn't gone grocery shopping. I'd finished all my appointments for the day. The dog had been walked within the past two hours and could wait a little longer at home. I didn't have a dog or kids in the car. It was a stunningly beautiful day, perfect for hanging around for the tow truck. I had a book with me and I was next to a used book store.  I have a AAA app on my phone to call a tow truck. I can afford a yearly membership to AAA. I had a bottle of water with me.  Most importantly, I knew if my car needed a new starter (the most likely scenario based on the sounds it wasn't making) I could pay for it. I wasn't one car re...

The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller My rating: 4 of 5 stars A solid debut with a small "woo woo" element (in fact, that was what I liked least about the book, how the ghostly presence contributed to the resolution, but your mileage may vary) that sets up future books with a fascinating family of scientists during the Gilded Age. There's a hunky hero who gives new meaning to "absent minded professor", heroine who discovers her true self, and entertaining secondary characters. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Biller. View all my reviews

When she turned back to him, Dr. Murray had a chest of instruments open and was examining them. “Is that what you will take with you?” He held up a lancet, wiped it on his coat sleeve, then examined its edge in the light. “My chest is the most valuable item I own. If there is time to take any one thing with me, this is what I will take.” He put the blade down and looked at her. “Again, abandoning ship is a last resort and I do not expect that to happen. It is always best to be prepared for the worst situation, though. If it happens, you are ready; if it does not happen, you can count yourself pleasantly surprised.” --CASTAWAY DREAMS I wanted to post some more pictures from the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum  in Savannah because it had so much cool stuff, or at least cool to someone who writes about scurvy and scabies and surgery below decks. This chest on the right is a surgeon's chest of the kind that would have been used by Alexander Murray in Castaway Dreams or Charley Alc...

The Vagina Bible: The Vulva and the Vagina—Separating the Myth from the Medicine by Jennifer Gunter My rating: 5 of 5 stars To paraphrase the cover blurb, this book is a must-read for anyone who has a vagina or is close to someone who has one. There is so much misinformation about female anatomy (I see all kinds of weird hymen stuff in novels, even in the 21st c.) that it's helpful to have a good reference guide at hand no matter what your age, the status of your sex life, or what you think you know about what's going on down there. If I had a daughter or a sister I'd want them to have and read this book by a well-respected OB/GYN who has a vagina, and knows how much facts matter. View all my reviews