Another month of book reviews! Let’s get on with it, shall we?
Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary
So, Beverly Cleary books completely encapsulated my childhood. I love her Ramona Quimby books the best but this standalone novel, Dear Mr. Henshaw, is one I remember fondly and at one time owned. I haven’t read it in decades but getting into this book made me feel like a girl again, feeling comfort in the fact that the main character Leigh, was dealing with being a product of divorce just like I had to. I remember feeling that it was nice to see that in a book that my elementary school self could relate to. Reading this book brought back quite a few memories for me. If you haven’t read Dear Mr. Henshaw yet, no matter your age, I definitely recommend giving this one a read.
The Other Passenger by Louise Candlish
I really wanted to like this book, but it dragged on and on. And maybe for the rest of 2022, we can stop having mysteries that surround an unreliable narrator. The problem with this overused trope is that you know the narrator is hiding something and leaving something out and instead of being intrigued by this, you are annoyed. Also, all of the characters were unlikeable, and it was hard to stay focused and even care about what was happening. I did enjoy Candlish’s other book, Those People so I am willing to give her other books a go.
Down The Hatch by M.C. Beaton
I picked up this book on a whim in the “New Releases” section of my library. I saw it was a British mystery (my favorite genre), so I scooped it up. I had never heard of this author, but her mystery-solving heroine Agatha Raisin is super popular and even a British television series was made out of all of Beaton’s books… several seasons in fact.
Down The Hatch was just okay. Not great but not bad either. Beaton, the original author, passed away a few years ago and some other author is carrying the torch so to speak with these Agatha Raisin novels, so this particular one, wasn’t actually written by her. So, taking that into consideration, I will overlook Down The Hatch and read a book in the series that was actually penned by her, and see if this series as a whole is worth the time and effort.
A Game of Fear by Charles Todd
This novel is the latest in the Ian Rutledge series, which follows a Scotland Yard detective solving crimes in early 1920’s Britain. It was really good, and the writing was brilliant. It remains to be seen if these novels continue because the author of these books, Charles Todd, is actually Charles Todd and his mother Caroline. They cowrote every single book together for over 20 years. Sadly, Caroline passed away last year, and Charles has said he doesn’t know if the novels will continue or not. We shall see.
That’s it from me! Read anything interesting lately? Let me know 🙂
SMD says
I truly love Beverly Cleary. This made me so happy to see her book on here.
Mackenzie says
I love how one can enjoy Beverly Cleary books no matter how old they are. They are timeless! 🙂
Jana @ Jana Says says
I had totally forgotten about Dear Mr. Henshaw! I do remember loving it, though.
Mackenzie says
It was just as good as I remembered!
Marianna says
I read Strider which is the sequel to Dear Mr. Henshaw years ago. It was a good book about a boy and his dog.
Have a great rest of June.
Mackenzie says
Wow, I had no idea that there was a sequel to Dear Mr. Henshaw! Thanks for letting me know 😀
ShootingStarsMag says
I read Dear Mr. Henshaw when I was older too and it’s definitely a good one!
Mackenzie says
It is such a classic, right? 🙂
Morgan says
I had never heard of Agatha Raisin mysteries. Thanks for sharing! I like a cute cozy mystery.
Mackenzie says
Me too! Cozy mysteries are a nice break from reality 🙂