Book Review: Read To Death At The Lakeside Library (Lakeside Library Mystery, #3) by Holly Danvers

-
Image
Read To Death At The Lakeside Library (Lakeside Library Mystery, #3) by Holly Danvers opens in Lofty Pines, Wisconsin with library owner Rain Wilmot getting ready to host her first book club and discuss Agatha Christie's Sparkling Cyanide .  When one of the members dies under suspicious circumstances, Rain and best friend Julia take it on themselves to become amateur sleuths to find out what happens. I'd like to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Read To Death At The Lakeside Library (Lakeside Library Mystery, #3) by Holly Danvers.  Being a huge Agatha Christie fan, I knew I wanted to read Holly Danvers' latest book since the storyline revolved around one of Christie's novels.  When I was approved to receive a copy for free in exchange for my honest review, I was happy. All in all, I really enjoyed reading Read To Death At The Lakeside Library .  It was a super cute and fun read . . . a beach read if you will.  The only thing
Post a Comment

Book Review: Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau

-

Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau is a coming of age novel taking place in Baltimore, Maryland. During the 1970's, fourteen year old Mary Jane is caught in the middle of her family's conservative ideals and the progressive ideals of the Cone family where she is a summer nanny. Mary Jane is a sheltered teen who enjoys cooking with her mother, listening to Broadway Show Tunes, and singing in the church choir. On the first day of work, she is shocked at the mess in the Cone's home and introduces them to home cooked meals and keeping the house clean. In return, Mary Jane gets a front row seat to sex, drugs, and rock & roll.

This novel was the selected for the book club I belong to. Again, this is a novel that I likely wouldn't have chosen to read on my own, but I was glad I did. Mary Jane is the first novel I've read by Jessica Anya Blau, and I was impressed with her storytelling. 

Touching on race, class, and stereotypes, along with drugs and infidelity, it reminded me that there are people who still hold the conservative beliefs that many held in the 1970's. I loved the fact that Mary Jane was exposed to different viewpoints that she normally didn't hear and began to question the world around her, eventually leading to her developing her own opinions. Jessica Anya Blau got the tone and perspective of a teenager perfect in my opinion. Although the story is told from a child's perspective, it is not suitable for young children to read.

Some might find the beginning of the story a bit slow like I did, but as the story developed, I found it to be more interesting and couldn't wait to find out how the tale would unfold. The majority of the characters were likable and most were well developed. I found myself caring what would happen to them, even the ones I didn't particularly like. I wasn't sure if Mary Jane would have an ending I would enjoy, but surprisingly, I was satisfied with how the author wrapped it up.

All in all, I gave Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau four out of five stars. I will likely read other novels written by this author, and I would love to see her write a sequel to this book.


Follow Us On Social Media

https://www.facebook.com/runningbibliophile/https://www.instagram.com/therunningbibliophile/https://www.pinterest.com/therunningbibliophile/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Product Review: Mr. Clean: Clean Freak Deep Cleaning Mist - Gain Scent

-
Image
One particular weekend night, I was watching television, and a commercial came on advertising Mr. Clean: Clean Freak Deep Cleaning Mist. In the ad, it mentioned that it would take off grime and dirt after spraying it on the surface and wiping it off with a simple swipe. It went on to mention that it could be used in the bathroom, and I thought, "I really need to try this product on my bathtub." Excited, I couldn't wait to buy it and looked for it at the grocery store the next day while I was getting my weekly groceries. I wasn't expecting to actually find it in stores yet because it usually takes the stores in my area a few weeks to get products in stock after I see it advertised on television. Much to my surprise and delight, my local Kroger Grocery Store actually had the Mr. Clean: Clean Freak Deep Cleaning Mist in stock and in no less than two scents. I grabbed the Gain Scent bottle and stuck it in my grocery cart. Eventually, I decided to use it to cle
Read more

Product Review: Naturelle Biotera, Anti-Frizz Intense Smoothing Shampoo & Conditioner

-
Image
As a woman with wavy hair that frizzes horribly whenever the humidity is high, and let's be honest, the humidity is high in the Southeast, I thought I'd try out Naturelle Biotera Anti-Frizz Intense Smoothing Shampoo  and Naturelle Biotera Anti-Frizz Intense Smoothing Conditioner . I purchased my product at a local Sally's Beauty Supply, and they said that if I didn't like the product that I could return it, which is a win win situation for the customer. What I didn't realize until I was using the product is that for the best results, Biotera recommends using not only the shampoo and conditioner but the leave in conditioner as well. Since I didn't buy the leave in conditioner, my review is solely on the shampoo and conditioner. For those of you who don't like a strong scent, then you'll be pleased with the light scent of this product. The aroma has hints of cinnamon apple. Where I love the scent of cinnamon and apple, I personally don't care for the t
Read more

Product Review: Head & Shoulders Citrus Fresh 2 in 1 Dandruff Shampoo & Conditioner

-
Image
Influenster.com sent me a VoxBox that had a full size bottle of Head and Shoulders Citrus Fresh 2 in 1 Pyrithione Zinc Dandruff Shampoo and Conditioner. It is supposed to promote an "Invigorated Scalp and Shiny Hair" and is infused with yuzu and mint essence. I received this product for free in exchange for my honest review of the product. Who doesn't enjoy getting something for free to try out? I definitely enjoy and appreciate being able to test out free products. There were a few things I enjoyed about this Head and Shoulders Citrus Fresh 2 in 1 Dandruff Shampoo and Conditioner. It definitely made my scalp tingle, but in a good way. I could tell it was doing its job to keep me from having dandruff. Normally, when I use shampoo and conditioner that are combined into one product, it doesn't detangle my hair, but the Head and Shoulders Citrus Fresh 2 in 1 did a great job in conditioning my hair. On top of that, it left my hair looking very shiny and soft
Read more