Liar's Dice

 
“Liar’s Dice” by Juliet Faithful
Published by Random House
 
This is not your typical coming of age story.  In this book, the main character has a twin with cerebral palsy and epilepsy in a small village in Brazil in the late 60s, early 70s.  At the age of about 12, the sister is sent away to a hospital in England while the rest of the family moves to Rio. So, not only is she struggling with all the things that come with being a pre-teen, she’s also starting a new school (hiding that she’s illiterate) and missing her twin terribly, with no way of knowing if she’s dead or alive because her parents won’t discuss it.   The story itself is told in dual timelines – the year leading up to the sister being sent away and the years immediately following.  In all honesty, I think having it split out that way, took away from the flow of the storyline.  In this instance, because there wasn’t a lot of time between the two timelines and because there wasn’t some big give-away being kept secret, I think it could have been told in a single timeline and been smoother.  That’s obviously just my personal opinion.  Overall, I still think it was a great read and definitely recommend it.
 
Side note – I wish I knew there was a glossary at the back of the book for some of the Brazilian words, terms, and references.  If you read this, please refer to it as needed for clarifications to make it an easier read.
 
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the complimentary copy of this e-book.  As always, the opinions expressed within this honest review are completely my own.
 
Finished 4/24/26 – 4/5 stars

#liarsdice #julietfaithfull #randomhouse #netgalley

Mad Mabel

“Mad Mabel” by Sally Hepworth
Published by St. Martin’s Press
 
I think I might have a new favorite character.  I tend to love a spunky, sassy, older character and that is Elsie (aka Mabel) to a tee.  And with it being told in a dual timeline, I get to love her as a child as well.  She is such a strong character but has had such a hard life.  She truly just needs to be loved.  Many times, young and old, you want to just reach in, grab her, and give her a good solid hug, but it’s a book.  I definitely recommend it – it’s quick paced and witty, and at times, suspenseful.  And if you like a good curmudgeon character like I do, I think you’ll love it too.  
 
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the complimentary copy of this e-book.  As always, the opinions expressed within this honest review are completely my own.
 
Finished 4/19/26 – 4.5/5 stars
#madmabel #sallyhepworth #stmartinspress #netgalley
 

All the Dangerous Things

“All the Dangerous Things” by Stacy Willingham
Published by Minotaur Books
 
Although I own the physical book, I listened to it during a long drive and it definitely kept me entertained.  It is told in dual timelines with a few mysteries built in.  The one thing I didn't enjoy was that some of the information became repetitive.  It's not a long enough book for the reader to need reminders of what was said or done earlier.  Overall, I recommend it though.
 
Finished 4/17/26 – 4/5 stars
 
#allthedangerousthings #stacywillingham #minotaurbooks #botm 

Shoot the Moon

 
“Shoot the Moon” by Billie Letts
Published by Warner Books
 
I think this is what some might call a cozy mystery.  It’s not suspenseful or a page turner, and there aren’t any twists and turns, but there is a murder mystery to be solved in a small town.  Essentially, a man from California finds out he was adopted and travels to Oklahoma to find his birth mother, only to find that she was murdered 30 years prior and that he had been assumed dead.  As you can imagine, the entire town was quite shocked to find out he was alive and well and most welcomed him with open arms.  But now he has a new mission – he wants to know who killed his birth mother and why.  And therein lies the mystery.  I thought it was a nice, quick, and easy read.  I think it would make for a good vacation read or when you need to escape with a book that doesn’t make you think too hard (although there are a lot of characters to keep up with).
 
Finished 4/13/26 – 3/5 stars
 
#shootthemoon #billieletts #warnerbooks

Finding Chika

 
“Finding Chika” by Mitch Albom
Published by Harper
 
I don’t normally review audio books but I’m making an exception for this one.  If you need a book that will make you cry, this is it.  When Haiti suffered a crippling earthquake in 2010, many children lost parents or had parents that could no longer take care of them.  Mitch Albom stepped up and helped finance the rebuilding of an orphanage in Port-au-Prince to help house and care for some of these children.  In 2015, one of the orphans, Chika, was in need of medical testing that wasn’t available anywhere in Haiti, so he brought her home to Michigan.  Unfortunately, it was found that she had an uncurable form of brain cancer and given 4 months to live.  Mitch and his wife became her legal guardians, got her treatments, and took care of her until she died 2 years later at the age of 7.  This is their story.
 
I recommend the audio version because he has included snippets of recordings of Chika that will put a smile on your face.  However, please know that if you decide to buy the book, all author profits go to his Haitian foundation.
 
Finished 4/9/26 – 5/5 stars
 
#findingchika #mitchalbom #harper

A Town Called Solace

 
“A Town Called Solace” by Mary Lawson
Published by Alfred A Knopf Canada
 
This story is full of dysfunctional characters and I loved them all, especially 8 year old Clara and her former neighbor, Mrs. Orchard.  It is beautifully heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time.  Overall, I’d call it a quick feel-good book that’s an easy read.  Nothing outstanding….just a good read.  I do recommend it and think it would make a good pallet cleanser after a tough read.
 
Finished 4/8/26 – 3.5/5 stars
 
#atowncalledsolace #marylawson #alfredaknopfcanada

Blake Cake

 
“Black Cake” by Charmaine Wilkerson
Published by Ballantine Books
 
This is a fabulous multi-generational family drama told in dual timelines, full of culture with a little historical fiction thrown in as well.  What’s not to love?  It’s not my first Charmain Wilkerson book – I LOVED Good Dirt, but this was her first, her debut novel.   I find her to be quite a talented writer.  What she gives us in her storytelling is fabulous.  I wouldn’t say it’s the main focus of this book by any means, but I love how she gracefully shows the different racial cultures and blatant racism across both time and locations, spanning decades and multiple countries from the Caribbean, to the UK, and of course, to the United States.  She also puts emphasis on not holding family grudges – don’t wait until it’s too late to put aside family differences.  Keep the communication lines open to allow space and opportunity to possibly come back together one day.  The loss of not doing so is strongly felt in this book.  And yet, I found it to be a feel-good book that will warm your heart.  I definitely recommend it.
 
Finished 4/5/26 – 5/5 stars
 
#blackcake #charmainewilkerson #ballantinebooks #5starreads