The Chile Pepper in China by Brian R.Dott

If I look back about what tempted me to pick this title up was the randomness of the topic. The content stayed true to the title, this book is all about the documented rise and alteration of Chiles' use in China through centuries. It is not often that one finds access to a book on…

Saddled with Murder (Dr. Kate Vet Mysteries #1) by Eileen Brady

I saw this book was the first in a 'new' series and looked no further than that, but I should have. This character appears in other series' based on the location. Although the characters were well rounded, and we got a lot of the backstory, it still felt like I was dropping in unannounced to…

A Will to Kill by RV Raman

I chose to read this book because I read woefully few books based in my home country and even fewer written by an Indian. It seemed like a good place to make up for the lost time.This is a decent start to a series. We meet an already renowned detective who is asked down to…

Boop and Eve’s Road Trip by Mary Helen Sheriff

Uplit comes in many forms. When a road trip is mentioned, it definitely snags my attention. There is so much fodder available in the context of a long journey with just a single individual for company. However, the majority of this story dealt with severe issues and complicated family ties that went beyond the scope…

Snowball’s Christmas by Kristen McKanagh

This is a Christmas story and despite quarantines/lockdown galore I know what time of the year it is. Although the title states its purpose, the book does not lean as heavily into Christmas for the storyline as some other books of the season do. It is neither a positive nor a negative trait, I am…

The City That Barks And Roars by J.T. Bird

The first thing that this story will remind you of is Zootopia. This is something that the blurb itself proclaims. If you did not like the movie or any of its ilk, this might not be the book for you. The one place it diverges from the generalization is where it provides a spiritual/mythological concept…

Winter Witness by Tina deBellegarde

When I started reading this book, I was a little spaced out regarding the time and place in which this story was placed. It takes a slow meandering route through the town, its various inhabitants on its way to the actual mystery. I could feel the weight of the winter atmosphere, the small nitpicking that…

Swallowed by a Secret by Risa Nyman

The narrative style on the book is targeted at younger audiences but not in a patronizing way. Given the weight that it shoulders, it cannot be light. The story follows Rocky (as he prefers being called) who is not satisfied with his mother's explanation for his father's death. This is prompted in part by something…