Cleo McDougal is running for President. She is a thirty-seven year old single mom and Senator and she is not stopping there. Before she officially begins her campaign for the presidency she embarks on a tour of no regrets. Making amends and correcting the wrongs of her past.

Some of the regrets tour is for show, and some of it is to get ahead of bad press, but Cleo is genuine in her quest to right wrongs. She truly wants to apologize for her mistakes and confront those that have harmed her. She is determined to make the most of her tour.
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I found Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing to be a thoroughly enjoyable, quick Political Fiction. I have seen this book categorized as romance and it is not, the only thing romantic in this book is the portrayal of politicians. This book is Contemporary or Political Fiction, with feminist tendencies.

Moon Hunters is a difficult book to sum up in a tidy blurb. This is one of those unusual books that doesn’t follow a standard plot trajectory. Conflicts don’t resolve the way you think they will. It meanders. It doesn’t go where you think it’s going to go. It’s different.
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The story centers on Leilani Ani. She is the descendent of an eccentric millionaire movie star who colonized a remote island during a global pandemic. They have always lived under the assumption that the “old world” was dead. After a catastrophe Leilani and her husband leave the island in search of resources. 

One of the first phrases in Grownup is “hand job”. If this bothers you, please follow this link to my Haunting of Hill House review. You’ll find it to be much more enjoyable and still spooky.

Grownup is a short story by Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl. The print version is 64 pages, the audio is just over an hour. So if you are looking for something quick and twisted, this is your book!

The unnamed main character, we’ll call her “Hand Job”, because if you’re going to read this, you’ll need to get used to it!
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Anyway, after giving something like 23,000 hand jobs in her professional career, our heroine moves to the front office to work as a “psychic” (it’s better for her carpal tunnel). After a few confidence boosting “psychic” transactions, she meets Susan. Susan is desperate for help dealing with her haunted house. She is convinced that her malevolent home is destroying her family and her life. 

I wasn’t lying when I included Beach Read in my May 2020 Can’t Wait Book List. I really couldn’t wait to read it. As soon as this book was available for download at my local library I checked it out!

January Andrews is having a bad year. It’s basically a country music song, her Dad died, her boyfriend broke up with her, she’s basically homeless… You’ve heard this song.
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She has a book due to her publisher and the worst case of writer’s block. She has no idea how she can possibly go from zero words and zero ideas to having a book ready. In any amount of time. She is in a bad place. 

The Sun Down Motel is a “No-Tell-Motel” on a deserted stretch of highway on the way to nowhere. It’s a dark and dangerous place where people go to sell drugs, have affairs, and dump bodies. On a slow day, the ghosts outnumber the living.
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The story follows Victoria, the night shift clerk of Sun Down Motel in 1982 and her niece Carly in 2017. Both are trying to solve the many mysteries surrounding the motel. Why do the lights flicker before the woman appears, who is the kid dressed for summer in the middle of winter, and who is the smoking man? Will they solve these mysteries or wind up becoming ghosts themselves?

My Dark Vanessa is a difficult, but important book. This is not a book you read for pleasure, this is a book you read to get a better understanding of sexual abuse and trauma.

Vanessa is fifteen when she goes to live at a prestigious boarding school. She is a misfit and a loner, she’s not interested in normal teenage activities. She’s not interested in spending time with other girls and she’s not interested in dating boys. She is interested in men, and particularly her forty-two year old English professor.

My Dark Vanessa explores the issue of consent. Specifically, consent between a physically and emotionally mature young woman and a much older authority figure. Can an intelligent and mindful minor girl give consent to an adult man? 

Testament to Murder is a 1920s murder mystery set in a coastal French mansion. Malcolm Is dying and has invited his closest friends and relatives to be with him in his final days. He intends to select an heir, but there is a catch…

Every day a new heir will be selected from the party. Whoever is heir the day Malcolm dies inherits everything.
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Malcolm anticipates this scheme will put his life in danger and maybe even shorten his suffering. He expects that he will learn the true nature of his heirs. Like most experiments, the outcome is rather different than expected.

Hope, or “Hopeless” as she is known by her enemies, is your average teenage girl. However, Hope is literally trying to survive high school. She is so sickly and allergic that it seems the entire world is slowly killing her. Will she even make it to graduation?

Nobody seems to expect anything of her. Teachers are constantly asking her if she needs to go home, and her parents are kind, but clueless. The only people who seem to notice her are the ones who try to make her life worse. The bullies.
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Until the new boy starts school…

Talking to Strangers is not about *exactly* what I thought it was about. I thought this book would be about human psychology and sociology with the goal of making it easier for me to actually talk to strangers. Or even other humans in general. Instead, it pointed out all the ways we miscommunicate with each other, often disastrously, in an attempt to encourage us to be more mindful??? I am now even less sure of how to talk to stangers…
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That’s not to say that I didn’t like this book. I heart Malcolm Gladwell. His books are always thought provoking and intended to better the individual and society. Love, Love, Love! 

The aptly named Oona Out of Order is about a woman who is living her life out of order. One day she is 19, the next she is 51. She jumps through time on her birthday every year and spends 365 days as an older or younger version of herself. She is often surrounded by people she doesn’t know, in a time she doesn’t understand, in a body she barely recognizes.

The story starts in 1982 and spans 35 years. One year she is ordering an Uber from her IPhone, the next she is posing for a Polaroid. One year she’s going to a funeral, the next she is making the most of every moment with that person.

Montimore illustrates the difficulties of life out of order, but also acknowledges that there would be benefits. Oona has advance knowledge of the stock market, which provides her with a more than comfortable lifestyle. She is often devastated by events and circumstances, but finds she gets second chances. Just like every life, there is good and bad.
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To say this book is complicated is a massive understatement. Paperback mysteries are complicated. This is Agatha Christie on Groundhog Day with body-swapping.

It made my brains fall out.

7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is set at a crumbling, remote estate in 1920s England. The house is full of guests and servants that would rather be anywhere else, with anyone else. The story takes place on an eight-day, eight-body loop that has repeated an indeterminate number of times.
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Breaking the Lore is a snarky urban fantasy novel. It starts with one dead fairy and before you know it, you are up to your eyeballs in magical creatures. One quirky and clever detective, an elf, a troll, a witch, at least seven dwarfs, centaurs, and the rest. All introduced with a tone of hilariously disbelieving sarcasm.

The characters are thrown together when a war in the magical world spills over into the gardens of Manchester. Let’s just say, the gardens of Manchester are ill-prepared to handle a magical skirmish. Luckily, the quirky and clever detective, Nick Paris, is on the case!

While the plot of this book is entertaining and the characters are fun, what I really love is the writing! This book is packed full of that dry British humor that tickles your brain. I laughed the whole way through this book. 
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Release Date: October 06, 2020

Tara Teaspoon is an experienced chef with a passion for her craft. She has worked with Martha Stewart and was the food director of Ladies Home Journal Magazine.

She credits her mother with her creativity and enthusiasm in the kitchen. Tara worked alongside her mom in the kitchen since she was old enough to reach the counters.

Through her work Tara has access to the best equipment and ingredients, but she understands that home chefs often have to make-do with what they have.

Carry On begins in Simon Snow’s final year at Hogwarts, errrr I mean Watford. Simon is just trying to make it through his last year without being obliterated by Voldemort, Dammit! The Insidious Humdrum! He’s faced Dragons, Ghosts, Foster Care, and his *suspected* blood sucking, vampire roommate. What will this final year bring? What will he do when he leaves Watford? Assuming he lives that long…

Carry On is Harry Potter Fan Fiction. I don’t have a lot of experience with fanfic, but Carry On was inspired by and will be loved by fans of Harry Potter. 
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Willowdean Dickson, aka Will, aka Dumplin’, is the plus-size daughter of a former Texas Bluebonnet Beauty Queen. She has always been confident and always had strong relationships with her friends and family.
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Willowdean’s mother remains an important part of the local pageant planning team and committees. For a few months every year, the pageant takes-over life at the Dickson household. Will has never had an interest in the pageant and seems to just stay out of her mother’s way, when it’s pageant season. After a few interactions rub her the wrong way, Will decides to enter the pageant to prove a point. 
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I’m 98% sure that this book was based off of one of my past lives. I was definitely an independent, book pushing, pack horse librarian. Or at least, I hope I was. 
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The Giver of Stars, is a historical fiction book based on the real life American Pack Horse Library Project. The project began in the mid-1930s in rural Appalachia and was meant to bring books to remote residents. While this project only lasted for eight years, the idea of ensuring access to books and educational materials has always been, and will always be a primary driver for librarians. For this reason, there are almost 700 bookmobiles in operation within the United States to this day. Same idea. 

The Family Upstairs is a psychological thriller about growing up in a cult-like environment. A previously rich family opens their doors to a con-man and his family. They slowly infiltrate every aspect of their lives, implementing bizarre rules and demanding complete submission. Before long they are all barefoot, wearing homemade tunics, and worst of all, VEGAN… Just kidding, things get way worse.
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Jewell’s writing of this book can only be described as “crafted”, everything is done on purpose. Some of the book is first person, while other sections are third person narratives. The narrative shift, added an interesting layer of complexity to the story. As if that weren’t enough to keep you guessing, the story is told through multiple perspectives with alternating timelines. This book is complex and thought provoking. 

Orla is fresh out of college and eager to prove herself as a reporter. She wouldn’t mind finding a boyfriend, but is determined to put her career first. So, of course she literally falls head over heels for Aiden.

Aiden is a wildlife photographer and won’t be in England for long. He lives in a tent and goes where the animals are. No serious girlfriends. He is not sticking around.

This book was the Goodreads Choice Winner for 2019 Memoirs. While I have been reading more memoirs, I don’t typically watch reality TV, so I didn’t know who Jonathan Van Ness was. I didn’t even know that they had rebooted Queer Eye! I was looking for something light and funny and this seemed to fit the bill. Plus it was available on audio from my library, score!

What I love about this book is that Jonathan Van Ness (JVN) is so positive! This book is crammed full of inspirational and body positivity quotes. I love how JVN is unapologetically original and completely himself. If you are looking for a positivity boost, this is for you!  

I never really knew a lot about Greek Mythology. I like the stories, but I always feel bogged down by the details and those impossible Greek names. I love pondering the religious aspect of Greek mythology, how all the Gods had different jobs and were tangible forces in the world. Their religion was so colorful, so awe and fear inspiring. Just don’t ask me to tell you which God had which job…    

What I like about Circe is that it takes a handful of Greek myths and connects them through one central character. You see everything from the point of view of one of the lesser goddesses. You learn about Prometheus, the River Styx, Helios, and the Trojan Horse from someone who was there at the time. It makes the stories more understandable and approachable. It’s not a collection of fairy tales, it is one story with a relatable main character.