Missing Pieces

 Book 84 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from November 29 - 30

Missing Pieces

published 2022

My Opinion

3 stars

This collection of 4 cozy mystery stories all involve jigsaw puzzles in some way.  I liked the mystery elements of all of the stories but there was no indication going in that all 4 stories (especially the last one) would have strong themes of faith as well.  That's something that would've impacted my purchase if it had been clear (I avoid religious books by personal choice) so I'm rating it in the middle.

Private Investigations

 Book 83 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from November 19 - 29

Private Investigations

published 2020

Summary (via the book jacket)

For many of us, a good, heart-pounding mystery if the perfect escape from real-world confusion and chaos. But what about the writers who create those stories of suspense and intrigue? How do our favorite novelists cope with our perplexing world, and what mysteries keep them up at night?

In Private Investigations, twenty fan-favorite mystery writers share first-person tales of mysteries they've encountered at home and in the world. Caroline Leavitt regales us with a medical mystery, recounting a time when she lost her voice and doctors couldn't find a cure; Martin Limon travels back to his military stint in Korea to grapple with a young man's disorienting immersion in a foreign culture; Anne Perry ponders the magical powers of words and stories conjured from writers' imaginations; and more.

These writers' true tales show just how much art imitates life, and how, ultimately, we are all private investigators in our own real-world dramas.

My Opinion

2 stars

Interesting concept that didn't follow through on execution for me which is especially strange considering the caliber of stories these authors usually create.  My favorite was "Lydia and Jack" by Connie May Fowler.

I loved the lines, "He remains a mystery. But he's no longer a secret", written by Sulari Gentill about an uncle nobody in the family spoke of.

The River's Daughter

 Book 82 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from November 16 - 19

The River's Daughter by Bridget Crocker

published 2025

Summary (via the book jacket)

After Bridget Crocker's parents' volatile divorce, she moved with her mother from Southern California to Wyoming. Her life was idyllic, growing up in a trailer park on the banks of the Snake River with a stepfather she loved, a new baby brother, and the river as her companion - until her mother suddenly took up a radical new lifestyle, becoming someone Bridget barely recognized. The one constant in her life - the place Bridget felt whole and fully herself - was the river. When she discovered the world of whitewater rafting, she knew she'd found her calling.

On the river, Bridget learned to read the natural world around her and came to know the language of rivers. One of the few female guides on the Snake River, she traveled to the Zambezi River in Africa, some of the most dangerous whitewater in the world, where she faced death and learned to conquer her fears - both on the water and off. The river taught her how to overcome years of trauma and betrayal, to trust herself, and, finally, how to help heal her family from generational cycles of abuse and poverty.

A beautifully rendered memoir of a woman coming into her own, The River's Daughter opens us to the possibilities of transformation through nature.

My Opinion

4 stars

Beautifully smooth writing of incredibly traumatic events.  

The Lake

 Book 81 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from November 14 - 16

The Lake by Natasha Preston

published 2021

Summary (via the book jacket)

Esme and Kayla once were campers at Camp Pine Lake. Now they're back as counselors-in-training. Esme loves the little girls in her cabin and thinks it's funny how scared they are of everything - the woods, the bugs, the boys...even swimming in the lake. It reminds her of how she and Kayla used to be. Before...

Because Esme and Kayla did something terrible when they were campers. Something they've kept a secret all these years. They vow that this summer will be awesome. Two months of sun, s'mores, and flirting with the cute boy counselors. But then they get a message:

THE LAKE NEVER FORGETS.

The secret they've kept buried for so many years is about to resurface.

My Opinion

4 stars

I picked this book out in March from a bookstore while visiting my daughter at college.  It felt basic but also very readable.  I keep starting sentences and then deleting them because I want to talk about the book with someone who has read it but can't say anything to those who haven't.  

I gave it 4 stars because of how quickly I read it and how shocked I was by the end but I also recognize this is an entirely subjective 4 stars.  If I start to think about it and pull at the threads of plot developments it would unravel with questions so I'll just let it be.  It may not stand up to scrutiny but it was a great ride.

The Undetectables

 Book 80 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from November 2 - 14

The Undetectables by Courtney Smyth

published 2023

Summary (via the book jacket)

A magical serial killer is stalking the Occult town of Wrackton. Hypnotic whistling causes victims to chew their own tongues off, leading to the killer being dubbed the Whistler (original, right?).

Enter the Undetectables, a detective agency run by three witches and a ghost in a cat costume (don't ask). They are hired to investigate the murders, but with their only case so far left unsolved, will they be up to the task?

Mallory, the forensic science expert, is struggling with pain and fatigue from her recently diagnosed fibromyalgia. Cornelia is suddenly stirring all sorts of feelings in Mallory. Diana is hitting up all her ex-girlfriends for information. And not forgetting ghostly Theodore: deceased, dramatic, and also the agency's first - unsolved - murder case.

With bodies stacking up and the case leading them to mysteries at the very heart of magic society, can the Undetectables find the Whistler before they become the killer's next victims?

My Opinion

3 stars

Be Gay.  Solve Crimes.  Take Naps.  Best tagline ever.

I wavered between 2 and 3 stars on this book but ended up on 3 because I am interested in continuing the series.  I liked the characters but felt the writing was an odd mix of not enough story to explain all the plot points yet also too much story because it dragged as I waited for them to catch up to what I predicted early on.  A prequel with some backstory of the town and magic would be super helpful.

I was surprised by how many major characters were victims, especially considering this is the first book in a series.  I like books where nobody feels safe because it adds to the unpredictability.

Karen

 Book 79 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from November 3 - 12

Karen: A Brother Remembers by Kelsey Grammar

published 2025

Summary (via the book jacket)

Karen by Kelsey Grammar delves into the tragic story of the author's sister, Karen, who was brutally murdered at the age of eighteen. Kelsey was just twenty years old when his younger sister, a recent high school graduate, moved to Colorado Springs, where she was kidnapped by several men who had intended to rob the Red Lobster where she worked. They instead kidnapped Karen, raped her, and ultimately stabbed her to death.

Through this memoir, Grammar poignantly recounts the memories of his sister and the impact her loss had on his life and family. With raw honesty, Grammar explores the profound grief and devastation that followed Karen's death, as well as the long and arduous journey toward healing. He bravely confronts the pain of losing a loved one to senseless violence, offering readers a glimpse into the complexities of coping with such a profound loss.

Karen also serves as a testament to Grammar's lifelong journey with grief and his struggle to defeat the sting of death with the memory of a life filled with joy - irreplaceable joy. In sharing his story, Grammar aims to help others who have experienced similar loss, offering solace and encouragement to cherish the love they knew, however brief, on their own path toward healing.

This book is a loving tribute to Karen and the brother's love that survives her. 

My Opinion

2 stars

This review will use the same format as the book - stream of consciousness jumping all over the place.

His writing is engaging but if he wasn't known as an actor it would've been even harder to follow.  Having some frame of reference of his age, voice, etc. helped because there was no introduction or grounding as he threw out names and places.  It also helped me move past some of the "affect" of the tone knowing he seems to skew a little pompous (or maybe I'm just thinking of his character Frasier Crane).

I took an "ok for thee but not for me" approach to the psychic stuff as well as the religious stuff.  He believes it and takes comfort in it so I can skim past it without comment.

I liked the meta aspects of him talking directly to the reader about how it felt in the present to look at things in the past.  As I mentioned, the stream of consciousness made it more convoluted but also made it more interesting.  Taking little side quests is ok for conversation but tough to read.

No chapter breaks makes it feel longer which is just psychological since it's the same amount of words.  It would've been tough to make chapters out of this though since nothing was divided by time, person, event, etc.

I feel a little bad giving it 2 stars because it was clear from the beginning how it was written and what the vibe would be yet I chose to continue reading it.  But it didn't make me angry and I wanted to continue reading it, it just wasn't my favorite.

Talking to GOATs

 Book 78 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from October 27 - November 2

Talking to GOATs by Jim Gray

published 2020

Summary (via the book jacket)

In an illustrious career that spans more than four decades, Jim Gray has conducted tens of thousands of interviews with the best, most driven, most outlandish, most accomplished, and most colorful athletes in sports.

That list features conversations with the great athletes of all time, or GOATs - including Muhammad Ali, Tom Brady, Michael Jordan, Hank Aaron, Mike Tyson, Michael Phelps, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Tiger Woods.

In Talking to GOATs, Gray dives deep into many of those interactions and the relationships that grew out of them; examines a myriad of significant moments in sports history from his unique, up close vantage point; and tells previously untold stories from his career, like what really happened when Tyson bit off part of another man's ear, the feud between Kobe and Shaq, and the behind the scenes of the Dream Team. Gray details what he gleaned from the probing questions he's asked so many luminaries and stars. Most of all, he reveals these elusive figures as the complex people they were and are.

Gray also shares his first television interview, as a teenager with Muhammad Ali, along with the last TV interview he did with Ali a quarter century later; one of Tiger Woods's first sit-downs as a youngster; and the rare occasions when Jack Nicholson appeared on live television. Gray describes what it was like to sit next to Ron Artist when a beverage landed on the player's torso, which led to so much Malice; what it was like to ask King James for The Decision live on ESPN; and what really happened in that interview with Pete Rose.

Gray branched out beyond sports and has interviewed nine U.S. presidents and other world leaders. Through it all, Gray has witnessed moments that speak not just to sports but to America, and thus the inextricable and shared history of both.

My Opinion

2 stars

Some interesting tidbits but had to wade through so much bragging and self-congratulatory behavior to get them.