Schatje's Shelves

Review of TETHERED SPIRITS: WIAQTAQNE'WASULTIJIK NA KJIJAQMIJINAQ by Corinne Hoebers (New Release) 3.5 Stars This historical fiction book is set near Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, in the mid-1700s. Christian Heber, the son of German settlers, ...

This book shines a light on how the lives of Indigenous Peoples were negatively impacted by the arrival of Europeans. See my review of TETHERED SPIRITS by Corinne Hoebers: schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/10/revi...

Review of DEADMAN'S POOL by Kate Rhodes (New Release) 4 Stars Though this is my first book by this author, I’ve learned that this is actually the eighth book in the Isles of Scilly Mysteries. ...

I've discovered a wonderful crime series! See my review of DEADMAN'S POOL by Kate Rhodes from @orendabooks.bsky.social: schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/10/revi...

Review of THE HOWLING by Michael J. Malone (New Release) 3 Stars This is the third in the Annie Jackson Mystery series after The Murmurs and The Torments . Annie and her brother Lewis search for...

Readers who like gothic, horror or supernatural elements will find a lot to enjoy: witchcraft, animal possession, secret family, eerie settings, threats against characters, overtones of the occult, etc. See my review of THE HOWLING by Michael J. Malone: schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/10/revi...

Review of WHAT WE CAN KNOW by Ian McEwan (New Release) 4.5 Stars This book has been described as speculative fiction, social commentary, and a literary detective story. Regardless of how it’s ...

The author explores several ideas, but I especially enjoyed his speculations about how people living one hundred years in the future might regard us. See my review of WHAT WE CAN KNOW by Ian McEwan: schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/10/revi...

Review of THE KILLING STONES by Ann Cleeves (New Release) 3.5 Stars Those familiar with Detective Jimmy Perez of the Shetland series will be happy for his reemergence, this time in Orkney. Jimmy...

Those familiar with Detective Jimmy Perez of the Shetland series will be happy for his reemergence, this time in Orkney. See my review of THE KILLING STONES by Ann Cleeves: schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/09/revi...

Review of THE BRIAR CLUB by Kate Quinn 4 Stars  This historical novel is set between June of 1950 and November of 1954 in Washington D.C. Briarwood House is an all-female boardi...

This historical novel will appeal to readers who are interested in women’s perspectives on events and issues of the 1950s. See my review of THE BRIAR CLUB by Kate Quinn: schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/09/revi...

Review of THE LIBRARIANS by Sherry Thomas (New Release) 2.5 Stars  Librarians tend to be organized, but the same cannot be said for this book; the best adjective for it, I think, is chaotic. Fou...

Librarians tend to be organized, but the same cannot be said for this book. See my review of THE LIBRARIANS by Sherry Thomas: schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/09/revi...

Review of THE BOOK OF GUILT by Catherine Chidgey (New Release) 4 Stars I’ve read three of Catherine Chidgey’s novels and they’ve all been wonderful reads, so I was excited to read her latest. It did n...

Not only is the book entertaining, it is thought-provoking: it addresses the nature versus nurture question and asks what is acceptable for the advancement of knowledge. See my review of THE BOOK OF GUILT by Catherine Chidgey: schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/09/revi...

Review of THE MAN IN THE STONE COTTAGE by Stephanie Cowell (New Release) 3 Stars This novel will appeal to lovers of the Bront ë sisters. In the 1840s, Charlotte, Anne, and Emily live with their father Patrick a...

This novel may appeal to lovers of the Brontë sisters. See my review of THE MAN IN THE STONE COTTAGE by Stephanie Cowell: schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/09/revi...

Review of RIPENESS by Sarah Moss (New Release) 4 Stars Sarah Moss is one of my must-read authors. Ripeness , like her other novels, has thematic depth which cannot but impress. There ...

Sarah Moss is one of my must-read authors. This novel, like her others, has thematic depth which cannot but impress. See my review of RIPENESS at schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/09/revi...

Review of THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF THE MISSING CRIME WRITER by Ragnar Jónasson (New Release) 2.5 Stars This is a frustrating book; it begins okay but then the plot becomes disjointed and the ending will have readers wondering if pag...

This is a frustrating book; it begins okay but then the plot becomes disjointed, and the ending will have readers wondering if pages are missing at the end. See my review of THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF THE MISSING CRIME WRITER by Ragnar Jónasson: schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/09/revi...

Review of BAD JULIET by Giles Blunt (New Release) 4 Stars This historical novel is part romance and part mystery narrated by an older, wiser narrator detailing events that led to his incre...

Giles Blunt may be best known for his John Cardinal detective series, but this literary fiction is definitely worthy of attention too. See my review of BAD JULIET: schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/09/revi...

Review of THE WOMEN OF WILD COVE by J. Kelland Perry (New Release) 2 Stars This post-apocalyptic novel reminds me of the young adult book The Chrysalids by John Wyndham. After global collapse, the island...

This post-apocalyptic novel reminds me of the young adult book The Chrysalids by John Wyndham. See my review of THE WOMEN OF WILD COVE by J. Kelland Perry: schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/09/revi...

Review of JENNY COOPER HAS A SECRET by Joy Fielding (New Release) 4 Stars This psychological suspense novel is a great read. Linda Davidson, 76, makes regular visits to Legacy Place, a memory-care facilit...

This psychological suspense novel is a great read. See my review of JENNY COOPER HAS A SECRET by Joy Fielding: schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/08/revi...

Review of MONA'S EYES by Thomas Schlesser (New Release) 2.5 Stars This novel is a translation from the French Les Yeux de Mona written by a French art historian. Ten- year-old Mona has a brief...

The book is marketed as a novel but is in fact an art history tome. I would not recommend it to anyone looking for a novel with believable characters, a compelling plot, and profound themes. See my review of MONA'S EYES by Thomas Schlesser: schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/08/revi...

Review of THE TSAR'S ANGEL by M. K. Stelmack 3.5 Stars A friend living in Alberta asked me to read and review this book by M. K. Stelmack, an Albertan writer. The novel is best descr...

A friend living in Alberta asked me to review this book by an Albertan writer. The novel is best described as an historical romance, not a genre I tend to read, but I must admit to being entertained. See my review of THE TSAR'S ANGEL by M. K. Stelmack: schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/08/revi...

Review of SHY CREATURES by Clare Chambers 4 Stars This slow-paced novel was perfect for listening to on my morning walks. Thirty-four-year-old Helen Hansford is an art therapist ...

This was a perfect audiobook for my morning walks. See my review of SHY CREATURES by Clare Chambers: schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/08/revi...

Review of GONE IN THE NIGHT by Joanna Schaffhausen (New Release) 4 Stars This is the fifth book in the Annalisa Vega series which I’ve enjoyed from the beginning. Having left the police department, Anna...

This is the fifth book in the Annalisa Vega series which I’ve enjoyed from the beginning. See my review of GONE IN THE NIGHT by Joanna Schaffhausen: schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/08/revi...

Review of HIGH SEASON by Katie Bishop (New Release) 4 Stars This suspense novel has a dual timeline and multiple perspectives. In 2004, 17-year-old Tamara Drayton was found floating face-do...

This is a good summer read perfect for the beach, even if that beach is not on the Côte d’Azur. See my review of HIGH SEASON by Katie Bishop: schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/08/revi...

Review of SOLITARIA by Eliana Alves Cruz (New Release) 4 Stars This novel about domestic servitude in modern Brazil is a translation from Portuguese. Mabel stays with her mother Eunice who work...

This novel about domestic servitude in modern Brazil is a translation from Portuguese. See my review of SOLITARIA by Eliana Alves Cruz: schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/08/revi...

Review of SHE DIDN'T SEE IT COMING by Shari Lapena (New Release) 4 Stars  This novel is perfect for summer escapist reading. Sam Frost is called by his daughter Clara’s daycare because his wife Bryden di...

This is a perfect summer read to take to a park, a beach, a cottage, or the backyard. See my review of SHE DIDN'T SEE IT COMING by Shari Lapena: schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/08/revi...

Review of CROW MARY by Kathleen Grissom 4 Stars This historical novel is based on a real person and has a foreword by her great-granddaughter. Goes First is a young Crow woman, ...

This historical novel is based on a real person and has a foreword by her great-granddaughter. Crow Mary’s story deserves to be told and the author tells it with sensitivity. See my review of CROW MARY by Kathleen Grissom: schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/07/revi...

Review of THE GOOD LIAR by Denise Mina (New Release) 3.5 Stars This is a dual-timeline suspense novel. Claudia Atkins O’Sheil, a highly respected forensic examiner, created a method of bloo...

The novel asks whether expert testimony helps or hinders the pursuit of justice. The book also emphasizes how the wealthy can easily hide their crimes and use their power to manipulate others. See my review of THE GOOD LIAR by Denise Mina: schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/07/revi...

Review of THE LIES THEY TOLD by Ellen Marie Wiseman (New Release) 4 Stars Most of this historical novel is set in Virginia in the 1930s. It begins with 19-year-old Lena Conti, an unwed mother, arriving o...

Through the experiences of the characters, the true horrors of the Eugenics movement are highlighted. See my review of THE LIES THEY TOLD by Ellen Marie Wiseman: schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/07/revi...

Review of SIX DAYS IN BOMBAY by Alka Joshi (audiobook) 3.5 Stars This historical novel opens in Bombay in the later 1930s. Mira Novak, a renowned painter, is admitted to a hospital in Bombay....

I read the author’s Jaipur Trilogy and enjoyed all three books. The quality of this one is more uneven. See my review of SIX DAYS IN BOMBAY by Alka Joshi: schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/07/revi...

Review of HOME BEFORE DARK by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir (New Release) 4 Stars I’ve read and loved all of the author’s five books in her Forbidden Iceland series, so I was anxious to read her latest standalon...

I’ve read and loved all of the author’s five books in her Forbidden Iceland series, so I was anxious to read her latest standalone offering. I was not disappointed. See my review of HOME BEFORE DARK by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir from @orendabooks.bsky.social schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/07/revi...

Review of THE ROAD TO GODERICH by Linda McQuaig (New Release) 3 Stars In Scotland in the 1830s, fifteen-year-old Callandra reluctantly agrees to marry Norbert Scott, a wealthy Presbyterian clergyman. ...

This novel was not a favourite. The book’s style suggests non-fiction rather than fiction. See my review of THE ROAD TO GODERICH by Linda McQuaig: schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/07/revi...

Review of DEATH AT THE WHITE HART by Chris Chibnall 3.5 Stars This police procedural is a pleasant read. Publican Jim Tiernan’s body is found in the middle of a road, trussed up in a sack, ...

This is not outstanding crime fiction but it is enjoyable enough – a good summer read for those who like the genre. See my review of DEATH AT THE WHITE HART by Chris Chibnall: schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/07/revi...

Review of THE HEART OF WINTER by Jonathan Evison 4 Stars This novel is a portrait of a 70-year marriage – the good, the bad, and the ugly. The book opens with the celebration of Abe Wint...

This novel is a portrait of a 70-year marriage – the good, the bad, and the ugly. See my review of THE HEART OF WINTER by Jonathan Evison: schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/07/revi...

Review of SWEAT by Emma Healey 3.5 Stars This novel explores the dynamics of a controlling relationship. Cassie left her abusive partner Liam two years earlier. One da...

This novel explores the dynamics of a controlling relationship. See my review of SWEAT by Emma Healey: schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/07/revi...