Tag: writing

Making Friends Can Be Murder by Kathleen West

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A fun adventure of women with the same name ~ Sheila

When thirty-year-old Sarah Jones relocated to Minneapolis after breaking off her engagement, she had no idea what she was in for.

When she is invited to join a group of women all with the same name – The Sarah Jones Project (TSJP), she thinks, why not – this can be a fun way to meet people, all sharing a very common name.

What starts as a meet-up, organized by the youngest of the group, the seventeen-year-old Sarah Jones, sharing stories of receiving mail that was not theirs, wrong numbers, bill collectors looking for A Sarah Jones – but not you, and a cool project they plan together that gives them media coverage, takes a different turn when one of their name sakes is found dead under mysterious circumstances.

With a mix of ages, skills, backgrounds, and talents, the Sarah’s work together as a team to piece together what is happening before the killer moves on to another potential victim.

So- Kathleen West was one of our authors at Wine and Words in 2025 – the local Author Event that I secured authors for – now going on its 14th year. I purchased this book from Kathleen; however, this is not my copy. I did not bring it to Florida with me, and when I cruised through all the books I did bring with me, my friend DeAnna lent me her copy.

The beginning was a bit rough… all the Sarah Jones’ were a little much to wrap my head around. Thankfully (and brilliantly), our Author came up with the system that they communicated in person as well as by text, by using their age to identify themselves. So the Sarah who organized the group was known as 17. And our main protagonist, our Sarah Jones, a personal trainer who had moved to Minneapolis, was known as 30. Then you have:

27: A grad student and nanny who worked for one of the other Sarah’s

39 and 44: Both Teachers

69: A retired Lawyer who runs a Blog

Honestly, once you get the rhythm, it’s kind of fun.

A fairly quick, easy read – perfect for my days in the sun.

Rated: 3 out of 5
Read Author Before: No
Read Author Again: Maybe
Where Read: Fort Myers, Florida

Book Club Worthy – I think a little light for a Book Club pick, but at the same time, you could have a lot of fun discussing the Sarah’s – the whole who-done-it theme. The name game as well – what is the most common name combination – how does your name rank as common or unusual…

Culpability by Bruce Holsinger

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)1 Comment

In a world filled with Artificial Intelligence, everything seems possible as well as impossible. ~ Sheila

When the self-driving minivan of the Cassidy-Shaw family is in an accident that results in the fatalities of an elderly couple in the other vehicle, the family is shaken.
17-year-old Charlie was behind the wheel when he grabbed the wheel to avoid a potential collision. His father, Noah, a lawyer, was in the passenger seat, working on an email, his mother, Lorelei, an AI expert in her field, was working on her laptop in the back seat, and his two younger sisters, Alice and Izzy, also in the back seat, were on their phones.

Following the tragedy, the family retreats to a rental house on the Chesapeake Bay to be together in the aftermath of this tragedy as they sort through what happened. As the police investigate, there seems to be more secrets going on in the family than meets the eye –

Noah, as the adult in the passenger seat, would be responsible for Charlie’s driving and should have paid more attention.
Loralei’s behavior since the accident is questionable – she seems like she is hiding something – or is it just the stress of the situation

And the girls, Izzy and Alice, seem off both with their own things they are not saying.

—suspicions within the family are heightened by the sudden appearance on the bay of Daniel Monet, a tech mogul whose mysterious history with Lorelei hints at betrayal. When Charlie falls for Monet’s teenage daughter, the stakes are raised even higher in this propulsive family drama that is also a fascinating exploration of the moral responsibility and ethical consequences of AI.

I first heard of this book when a friend chose it for her first book of the year. I looked up the synopsis, thought it sounded interesting, and filed that in the “To Be Read” section of my brain.
Currently on vacation in Florida, and listening to audiobooks as I walk the dogs several times a day – I moved forward with this one, and I am glad I did.

First up – LOVED the narration. This book flowed, and it was one I could not wait to continue every chance I had to see what was going to happen.

The book is fascinating on many levels -you have the whole auto-driven car and the human responsibilities that go with it. You have a 17-year-old behind the wheel -but not driving, until it seems there may be a reason to take over. And you have a family all distracted by their devices in one way or another, and honestly, on a car trip, in today’s day and age, there is nothing unusual about that.

The book brings to the forefront the reality that in a world of advanced technology, moral responsibility often gets lost, forcing the characters, as well as the readers, to grapple with who is truly at fault.

What Author Bruce Holsinger brings to this book is a brilliant take at todays world in a sad but believable situation.

Don’t be turned off by the hard synopsis. While the car accident is the setting for this book, there is so much more to the story.

Rated: 4.75 out of 5
Read Author Before: Yes
Read Author Again: Most likely
Where Read: Fort Myers, Florida

Book Club Worthy – Absolutely! There is so much to talk about here. AI is a hot topic for this book as well as the unpacking of each of the family members’ roles in what happened… Conversations about responsibility, the use of money to make things “go away,” are all good topics for discussion.

Food themes – as the majority of the book is set while the family is on the beach – hot dogs, take out, grilling – and of course, leveling up if you want to go with the taco bar from the party

I Don’t Forgive You by Aggie Thompson

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)1 Comment

In a world filled with so much falseness… this is crazy possible. ` Sheila

Mark and Allie Ross have moved to a classy DC suburb with their 6-year-old son, Cole. The neighbors are close to one another, and when the couple is invited to a neighborhood party, Allie is desperate to make a good impression.

She does anything but.

When Rob Avery, a dad at the party, flirts with Allie, it all seems harmless – until Allie finds he follows her to the bathroom and attempts to assault her, calling her by an old nickname she hasn’t been called since high school – “Lexi”. While nothing happens, the next day, this dad is found dead.

Soon, the police are at Allie’s door – eye witnesses had seen her at the party with Rob, and evidence shows that Allie has a Tinder account, has social media posts of herself in provocative positions, and there is a record of texts between her and Rob.

The truth is – Allie has done none of these things. But proving her innocence against a full-on hacking of all of her devices proves to be an uphill battle.

Allie’s reputation, both professionally and personally, is at stake. Even Mark, her biggest cheerleader, is starting to look at her differently, and Allie is starting to feel a little foggy on details herself, starting to forget commitments she has made. As the situation escalates, Allie must reach back into a past that she never wanted to remember.

What is so crazy great and spooky at the same time about this book is how easily this could happen. In this world of AI that can take your photo and put you anywhere – doing anything... You can see how this could happen.

The story is written well – a nice flow from introducing us to our main protagonist and flowing right into the neighborhood party to the murder. I like that we get right to it and not the rest of the book is figuring out what the heck is going on 😀

Author Aggie Thompson does a nice job in this debut book….Often I find gaps and loose threads in books that bother me or feel unnecessary or false to the storyline… I have none of that here. Just good creepy fun.

Rated: 4 out of 5
Read Author Before: No
Read Author Again: Yes
Where Read: Fort Myers, Florida

Any triggers – attempted assault

Bookclub Worthy: yes! What a great discussion this can be about social media and how false things are easily acceptable now. You also have what happened to Allie and how and how you as a spouse or significant other woudl react if this were happening to your partner, and all evidence points to it being real.

Food suggestions: You have the party, so really anything you would bring to a neighborhood gathering works.

Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)2 Comments

Delightfully insane… ~ Sheila

House hunting wars go to a new level in the suburbs of Washington DC for Margo and Ian Miyake. After 18 months of house searching and 11 failed bidding wars, Margo is feeling her dreams of the white picket fence and the tire swing in the back yard to raise their future children slipping from her grasp. Will they ever catch a break?

Then, just as she is about to give up, Margo gets a hot tip about a house that will be listed in the upcoming weeks… sworn to secrecy, Margo can not believe her luck – this house checks off all the boxes (including the tire swing!). But how will they beat out the other interested buyers… what can be done differently than what they have done before?

While Ian, an EPA Lawyer, is more level-headed and realistic, Margo has become obsessed with the house – HER HOUSE, and will stop at quite literally nothing to be sure that when the dust clears, it is her… err… their name on the title.
After all, what’s too much when it comes to your dreams?


Honestly, you are getting a mixed bag of nuts on this one. When the book started – I loved it. It was just fun to watch Margo slowly lose it over the pressures of securing a home and then finding the holy grail. Months of trying and failing will do that to a person, and in the start, Margo’s wild antics are humorous, and for most of the book, I am all in.

Deeper in – the book takes a pretty dark turn – totally changing the feel of the book for me. Maybe it was because it was unexpected (I mean – I’ve read some pretty creepy psychological thrillers), maybe I was looking for something lighter – but it left things a little wonky in the end. Some things in the book felt unnecessary and did not add to the book; in fact, IMO, took away. I’m a little sad about this, as 3/4 of the way through the book, I thought I had hit on another 5-star read.

And the moral of this story – be careful what you wish for.

Rated: 3.5 out of 5
Read Author Before: No – this is a debut author
Read Author Again: unsure

Themes: unhinged, infidelity, Going TOO FAR

Book Club Worthy – As much as I have mixed feelings about this, I think a good book club discussion could happen. Who hasn’t gone to great measures to get something they really wanted – even to the point of being a big unhinged ;P

The Husbands by Chandler Baker

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)4 Comments

Nora and Hayden are married with one child. Nora, who is up for a partnership in her firm, is under a lot of pressure juggling her career, a child, a home, and all the things in between.
Hayden is a good husband, but does not pick up on the clues of his wife’s exhaustion. He goes to work and comes home to relax or go to the garage to work out, while Nora’s evening has just begun, with picking up their daughter, preparing dinner, reviewing her workload, and keeping up with the house. With Nora pregnant with their second child –

Something has to give.

Wth the new baby coming, Nora and Hayden are looking for a larger home to accommodate their growing family. They seem to find what they’re looking for in an exclusive suburban Neighborhood, just outside Austin, Texas. The area is called Dynasty Ranch, and Nora notices that the husbands in this area seem incredibly supportive, helping out happily with household chores, taking on duties with the kids so the wives can have a break, go out to lunch with a friend, or have a spa day – what is in the water here, and where can Nora sign up?

When one of the local residents, whose husband had died recently in a house fire, wants to hire Nora and have her file a wrongful death lawsuit, while not Nora’s area of expertise, it does create an opportunity to bring in a big client to her firm, which may very well sweeten the pot for her to make partner.
What could possibly go wrong?

The old adage, When something is too good to be true, it probably is, is perfect for this book.
There is a lot of fun here. I enjoyed Nora and could appreciate what she was dealing with – and I found the supporting characters to be well developed- I could picture the neighborhood and these strong women with doting husbands.

A definite refreshing page turner, I wanted to know what was going on in this interesting little neighborhood with a Stepford Husband vibe.

Rated: 4 out of 5
Read Author Before: Yes – Author of The Whisper Network ( also good)
Read Author Again: Yes
Book Club Worthy: Yes! SO much to unpack here – the roles of husbands and wives in a marriage, wages between women and men, the old idea of a woman’s place, sharing personal stories on relationships, your own, your parents, your grandparents – how the roles have changed.

Beach Read by Emily Henry

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)2 Comments

A fun little romp – I laughed out loud many times- Sheila

January Andrews is the best-selling author of happy ending romance reads. She loves things to come together and end well, and her readers love her for it.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. His books are deep and insightful, and don’t always end well. His readership is massive.

When January finds herself in a beach house for three months trying to write her next read, despite the writer’s block that has her publicist checking it a little too often, she is shocked to discover that Augustus is in the Beach House next to hers – apparently suffering from the same thing.

One night, they make a pact. They will switch genres. January will learn how to write literary fiction under Augustus’ guidance, and Augustus, in turn, will write a rom-com. The first one to sell their book will receive public recognition from the other.

But bringing out the underlying reason that January needs things to end happily, and trying to get Augustus to lighten up and have some fun, may be a bigger undertaking than either of them bargained for.

Not my typical go-to read, but after finishing Wally Lamb’s new book that ripped me up in so many ways – I needed a palate cleanser, and this one, with a fun cover and a subject line I enjoy ( books that talk about books are almost always a plus!) was the one I picked up.

This book did the trick. Not heavy and appropriately titled, I enjoyed the fun engagement between the two protagonists… several times while listening, I laughed out loud.

“New phone… who dis?” 😛

If looking for an easy, enjoyable read, don’t hesitate to pick this one up.

Rated: 3 out of 5
Read Author Before: I have and recently!
Great Big Beautiful Life
Funny Story
Read Author Again: most likely 🙂



The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)10 Comments

Corby Ledbetter has been a stay-at-home dad for the past 9 months. Since losing his job, taking care of his 26-month-old twins, Niko and Maisie, while his wife, Emily, worked, has become Corby’s world.

What starts out as an ordinary day turns into an unthinkable tragedy under Corby’s watch. As underlying secrets begin to be revealed, the family is shattered into a new reality.

Corby is sentenced to prison, where he witnesses unbelievable acts of cruelty, as well as glimpses of kindness – all the while not giving up hope that, if he just follows the rules, he will be able to return to his family and piece together a life again.


It is so hard to write a review when the first word that comes to mind is – Heartbreaking. But, Wally’s Lambs’ incredible writing here is so much more, and while yes, this one’s going to hurt…. There is also so much more – so much humanity, so much of honesty – it could be any one of us.

A split-second lapse changes the Ledbetter family forever, and what is packed into this page turner is everything one can imagine and written in such a way that you are right there with them – seeing all the sides, and the ways they are affected.

I would recommend this book to everyone, and at the same time, I know it is not for everyone. Topics of addiction, death, suicide, and rape are all here – some more pronounced than others, but in full disclosure, there it is. On the flip side of that, there is also hope, faith, remorse, and kindness.

I want to talk about this book. One of the best books I have read this year, and if you can give it a try – even though it is hard – I hope you do.

Rated: 5 out of 5
Read Author Before: Here’s a sad truth- I thought I had, but looking at his books this morning, I dont think that is true.
Read Author Again: Yes – looks like I have some catching up to do

The Lake Escape by Jamie Day

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Looking forward to a week at the lake, long-time friends Julia, David, and Erika are eager to catch up and spend time together just like old times. Their Vermont lake homes are right next to each other.
This summer is a little different.

Julia and Erika knew that David was planning a remodel of his home, but they were not expecting this. The monstrosity he has built not only looks out of place next to his friends’ homes – it is so big that to see their once cherished lake views, they have to look through their windows – and through his.

But that’s not all that’s new with David this summer. He also brings along his new young nanny, Izzy, to watch his kids, as well as his new girlfriend, Fiona. Looks like it is not going to be like old times…

After a heated argument between David and Fiona, Fiona disappears. JUlia and Erika are beginning to wonder how well they really know their friend David, and Izzy – well, Izzy feels that things are right on track for her own agenda…

So…. full disclosure – I don’t know what I was thinking I was about to read – but this wasn’t it. It felt like the book started out one way – and then shifted into something else. As the book went on, it felt like it was trying too hard. Too many things to keep track of, too many directions – and drawn out.
A book I feel had great potential to be something, but in the end, I am not sure what that something was. It felt like it was trying too hard to follow in the footsteps of some of the great psychological thrillers, and in the end, I just wanted to know what happened, which also became distorted.
It’s a busy time of year for me, and I listened to this on audio. My brain may be too full of other things to fully appreciate this book – AND I have enjoyed this author before (although I just checked… no reviews) – so it could be a little bit me as well –
Would love to hear your thoughts. Have you read it?

My Friends by Fredrik Bachman

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)5 Comments

I have always known I have been blessed with great friendships. This book is a telling of just how important those connections are. ~Sheila

When Louisa meets him, he is older, sick, and of all places, in an alleyway. But – she would know him anywhere – after all, he is The Artist.
If timing could be called perfect, perhaps this would be just that… or not… depending on how you look at.
But suddenly, 18-year-old Luisa is thrust into an adventure of a lifetime, as she goes from having nothing to having everything – is she wants it or not… and from going friendless to possibly having a friend… or two… and learning about what its like to have people that know you inside and out and support you – the real you – even the dark stuff – even the smelly stuff, and absolutely the stuff that you lock in your heart for all the years to come and beyond.

It’s funny because this is an author that I have really enjoyed (Beartown) – which sadly I see I never reviewed, but do discuss in an oddly titled post many years ago. And there were books that other people loved and I did for whatever reason did not – A Man Called Ove, and My Grandmother Todl Me To Tell You She’s Sorry (read but also sadly, no reviewed so I can not even tell you what it was that I did not enjoy).

But – that was then and this is now and I just finished listening to My Friends. I enjoyed Bear Town… I liked this one even better.
My Friends covers what not all of us had growing up – that amazing friend group… the getting together pretty much daily to ride bikes, and laugh, to get into trouble, to become a part of each other’s stories. My Friends tells of such a group – all with their own demons – but they had each other.
When we enter this story, the friends are adults now – time and situations have for the most part separated them… but a chance encounter with a young girl in an alleyway who has a fiery spirit that feels somewhat familiar, and a painting worth millions… well, this may be a story worth sharing.
I loved the narration, I loved the subtle and funny moments, the memories as well as the present time and honestly this book felt like a reminder to me how lucky I was to have close friends all my life – that I had the cousins down the road that I biked with and got in trouble with almost every weekend… and how lucky I am now to have another group of friends, not the same I gre up with, but just as wild…. and a plethera of solid memories because of all the crazy awesome we have done together…. (traveling, dressing up, costumes, inflatables, 5ks and mud runs, rooftops, concerts, haunted spaces, stories that are shared often and stories that we have pinky sworn stay between us, weddings… and yeah, funerals too.

Amazing amazing writing – this would be a great discussion book as there is so much to talk about, including your own stories of growing up and who were the people that create your stories…

If you have time for one book this season, let this be the book.

Rated: 4.75 out of 5
Read Author Before: yes
Read Author Again: I would
Where Read: Listened on audio – mowing the lawn

Every Note Played by Lisa Genova

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)2 Comments

Lisa Genova should be on everyone’s TBR list. ~Sheila

As an accomplished concert pianist, Richard Evans is a connoisseur of music. He knows every note and how to hit each key just right to bring his audiences to their feet. But at this particular concert, something was wrong, and Richard could feel it in his soul. His left hand is not cooperating, and while the audience may not hear it in the flow of the music, Richard can.

When Richard’s ex-wife Karina hears of Richard’s diagnosis of ALS, she is shocked and decides to pay him a visit. While she didn’t care if she ever seen this man again, she is not without compassion, and seeing Richard trying to navigate his apartment as the disease took hold, she does what she would have never dreamed in a million years she would do – she invites him as well as his caregivers into the home they used to share together.

Setting pain and betrayal aside, Richard and Karina try to find a way to reconcile from years of hurt in the face of a disease that shows no mercy.



Well… I cried.
How this one escaped my attention all those years ago when it was released, I do not know. I guess we can chalk this one to timing. It was recently brought up at Book Club and in recent years, I have become associated with ALS when a couple of people I know had been diagnosed with this. Knowing very little, I did a little research, and my dear friend who has this now has been very open about the disease as well as educating our community on ALS.
Still…
Reading (yes, reading – not audio) was a close-up look at the progression of ALS. As Richard goes from sheer disbelief and believing that he will be the one that the disease will not slowly take away everything, Lisa Genova does an incredible job with her writing that gives us this same hope that there will be a different outcome than the one ALS almost consistently delivers.

This book had me fully engrossed, and I picked it up every chance I had.
I recommend this book to EVERYONE. Not only is this an in-depth look at ALS, but it is also a true-to-life storyline. Life for any of us can change in a single moment. What we think is our path can easily be re-routed, and what we feel we are capable of in times of great stress… may only be the tip of the mountain.
Read. This. Book.

Rated: 5 out of 5
Read Author Before: yes
Read Author Again: Absolutely
Where Read: At home in the evenings on the deck