karenika

Review: One Big Happy Family

One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow this was one evil family.

Three sisters come back home to the bed and breakfast they own with their families so be there for the reading of their dad’s will. The lawyer is there, the maid who works at the inn, the stowaway they are hiding and the cook and keeper who decide to leave for the weekend.

There’s a death. there’s a storm. there’s no internet. No one is leaving. Another death. Ominous messages.

A locked-door mystery that comes with twists. Even though I guessed some of them, I still enjoyed this nonstop action packed story.

with gratitude to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Toward Eternity

Toward Eternity by Anton Hur
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’ve read and loved Hur’s translations so I was truly looking forward to this book. but alas it was either the wrong book at the wrong time or the wrong audience because I could not ever get into the story.

I loved parts of the writing and much of the dialogue. I was intrigued at the idea of this story but the execution just didn’t make it for me. I kept getting pulled out of the story, not able to follow the narrative and the combination of plot and musings and character just never came together for me.

I will still make sure to read Hur’s next book because he’s such an excellent writer.

with gratitude to netgalley and HarperVia for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder

Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder by Kerryn Mayne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It’s a skill to be able to have a novel tackle serious subject matter without having the reader be devoid of hope. It’s a skill to be able to write characters who are neurodivergent without them feeling quirky or cute.

And Kerryn Mayne has done both in this novel.

This is the story of Lenny who lives her day by her schedule. Who has endured more trauma and tragedy than anyone should ever have to and has found a way to pull her life together anyway. And as is often the case, one thread gets pulled and the whole things starts to unravel…

This was a tough novel to read but it left me with hope and I am so glad I read it.

with gratitude to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

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The Joy of Art – May 29, 2024 at 06:35AM

Here the bonus one that I have since I must have clearly posted a double at some point. And this marks all of them.

#art #the100dayproject #pantonechallenge #pantonechallenge2024 #paintinglandscapes #100dayproject #gouache #acrylicgouache #acrylagouache #holbeingouache #pantone #painting #watercolorfun #gouachefun #nightlandscape #seascapes #cityscapes #cityscapepainting #snowymountains #snowscape #snowscapepainting #seascapepainting #sograteful #clouds #sogratefulforart

The Joy of Art – May 28, 2024 at 05:11AM

Here they all are. 100 pieces. 100 days. That’s 3+ months of life. Lots of individual pieces that weren’t my favorite and still love seeing the whole set so much. What a gift this project always is.

The Joy of Art – May 27, 2024 at 08:17AM

Yay for day 100/100. And there we are! I have one leftover because I somehow.must have posted the same one twice. I’ll post that one day after tomorrow since tomorrow I will show how all of them look together.

It’s been really fun working on this project. I’d barely used acrylic gouache before this and I’d never painted on colored slick surfaces before so a lot of learning has happened.

I’ve loved every minute. Thank you for being here and cheering me on, it’s been really kind and encouraging.