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Book Review: Selwyn Place
Selwyn Place: A short steampunk adventure by Shelley Adina My rating: 5 of 5 stars Selwyn Place is the second of four “Manor House” short stories. The series makes a fine introductory ‘taste…
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Book Review: Carrick House
Carrick House: A short steampunk adventure by Shelley Adina My rating: 5 of 5 stars I recently finished reading the fifth book in the Mysterious Devices saga, The Judge Wore Lamp Black, which…
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Book Review: A Short History of Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce
A Short History of Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce by Massimo Montanari My rating: 4 of 5 stars I always enjoy learning about the origins of food and drinks that are usually taken for…
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Book Review: The Judge Wore Lamp Black
The Judge Wore Lamp Black: Mysterious Devices 5 by Shelley Adina My rating: 5 of 5 stars I’ve eagerly anticipated book five in the Mysterious Devices mystery series. After traveling around the Americas…
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Book Review: A Long Spoon
A Long Spoon by Jonathan L. Howard My rating: 5 of 5 stars I’d recently read Johannes Cabal the Necromancer with my book club, and loved it. During the club’s discussion, I was…
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Book Review: Low Carb Yum: Simple Keto Meals for Beginners
Low Carb Yum Simple Keto Meals for Beginners: 125+ Low Carb Recipes for Two or More by Lisa MarcAurele My rating: 5 of 5 stars In the past, I’ve shied away from the…
- Black Authors, Book Reviews, Detective and Mystery, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Romance, This Writer's Life
Book Review: Dead Dead Girls
Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa AfiaMy rating: 5 of 5 stars This can’t-put-it-down novel gives a vintage twist to the ‘ordinary citizen teams up with police to fight crime’ trope. But while that…
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Dead Dead Girls Excerpt
“Lovie,” the bartender, Rafael Moreno, greeted her. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Everything copacetic, baby doll?” Louise smiled and pulled her hair from her lipstick, her pulse slowing. “Everything’s jake, babe.”…
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A Conversation with Nekesa Afia
A conversation with Nekesa Afia Author of Dead Dead Girls
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Book Review: Fish Heads and Duck Skin
Fish Heads and Duck Skin by Lindsey Salatka My rating: 1 of 5 stars I very much wanted to love this book. I had a preconceived notion that it might be in the…
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Book Review: AFK
AFK by Huckleberry Hax My rating: 3 of 5 stars AFK will only make sense if you’ve been in the virtual world of Second Life for quite a few years, as this ‘SL…
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Tales of the Trails Book Two Now Available
Book Two in the “Tales of the Trails” series is now available at Amazon. Helping to develop and edit it has been a huge labor of love for Ken and I, and is…
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Book Review: History is Delicious
History Is Delicious by Josh Lurie My rating: 5 of 5 stars History is Delicious will entertain any young person who enjoys food, while sneakily educating them. As a bonus, this book just…
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Book Review: Johannes Cabal the Necromancer
Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard My rating: 5 of 5 stars I suspect that author Jonathan L. Howard has never painted himself into a corner. Or if he has, he…
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Book Review: Fridge Love
Fridge Love: Organize Your Refrigerator for a Healthier, Happier Life—with 100 Recipes by Kristen Hong My rating: 5 of 5 stars If you loved The Home Edit, How It Works and Alton Brown’s…
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Book Review: The Hands On French Cookbook
The Hands On French Cookbook: Connect with French through Simple, Healthy Cooking by Elisabeth de Châtillon My rating: 5 of 5 stars Qu’est-ce que c’est? A cookbook that would not only teach me…
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Book Review: Green with Milk and Sugar
Green with Milk and Sugar: When Japan Filled America’s Tea Cups by Robert Hellyer My rating: 3 of 5 stars Written in a decidedly academic style, this book may not appeal to the…
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Book Review: Mint Condition Murder
Mint Condition Murder by Ellery AdamsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars Molly Appleby is a New England reporter for an antique collector’s magazine. But when she finds her next interview subject dead, she’s…
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Book Review: Chasing His Own Tale
Chasing His Own Tale by Marc Vun KannonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars His Muse is on strike…His Hero hates his lines…His Villain has sworn revenge…The Editors are in revolt…What’s an Author to…
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Book Review: A Guide to Film and TV Cosplay
A Guide to Film and TV Cosplay by Holly Swinyard My rating: 5 of 5 stars Fan conventions can be daunting, even for people like me who have been to more than a…
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Book Review: Manners and Monsters
Manners and Monsters by Tilly Wallace My rating: 5 of 5 stars It’s the height of the season in Britian’s Georgian Period, and people are turning up dead. No, we don’t mean those…
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Book Review: From Port to Rigor Morte
From Port to Rigor Morte by J.C. Eaton My rating: 3 of 5 stars Screenplay writer Norrie Ellington is babysitting her sister and brother-in-law’s business, the Two Witches Winery, while they travel the…
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Book Review: The Complete Works of Beatrix Potter
After watching Miss Potter recently on Amazon Prime, I found my interest in Beatrix Potter's artwork rekindled. And now my Kindle is rekindled, too
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Book Review: The Cookie Bible
Every cook's bookshelf should have at least one volume dedicated to cookies.
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Book Review: Bittman Bread
For over twenty years I've baked all of our loaf bread, English muffins, flatbreads and more using a potato flake starter. I've stuck with that simplistic, easy to maintain starter for so long…
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Book Review: Wining and Dying
Author Daryl Wood Gerber deftly juggles red herrings while weaving together complex plot threads into a rich story of romance, revenge, and murder, while treating us to scrumptious food, tasty wine and breathtaking…
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Book Review: The Secret History of Food
The Secret History of Food: Strange but True Stories About the Origins of Everything We Eat by Matt Siegel My rating: 5 of 5 stars Written in a lush conversational style, this is…
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Book Review: The Tiny Kitchen Cookbook
The Tiny Kitchen Cookbook: Strategies and Recipes for Creating Amazing Meals in Small Spaces by Annie Mahle My rating: 5 of 5 stars One of my first apartments—in a converted 1920s era hotel—had…
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Book Review: The House of Dust
The House of Dust by Noah Broyles My rating: 3 of 5 stars First, let me qualify my three star rating. The book is well-written, and loaded with absolutely luscious descriptive phrasing. The…
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Book Review: Blood of the Pride
Blood of the Pride by Sheryl Nantus My rating: 5 of 5 stars It’s easy to believe that this story is real, thanks to well thought out worldbuilding, fully developed characters, engrossing conversations…