Everything I Read This Month | December 2023

Turns out I have a favorite genre. Mysteries… and more specifically murder mysteries. While recovering from a recent major surgery, I had quite a bit of time to get caught up on some reading, and except for three of the books that I’m sharing about in this final round-up for 2023, all of the books were murder mysteries. Two have already been released this year, The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose (the followup to The Maid), Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge, and two that will be coming out next year, The Framed Women of Ardemore House by Brandy Schillace and Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack (both of which I couldn’t seem to put down except to get a few hours sleep!) I finished off the month’s reading with The Husbands by Holly Gramazio, and you’ll have to keep scrolling to find out my thoughts on that one!

Stay tuned in the new year for a Q&A with author ReShonda Tate (author of The Queen of Sugar Hill) where she shares a behind-the-scenes look into the life of Academy Award winner Hattie McDaniel.

Mastering the Art of French Murder

Collen Cambridge

This is a delicious read from Collen Cambridge who weaves a fictional tale involving the great Julia Child when her career as a world-renowned chef was beginning. We join Tabitha Knight who recently arrived from Detriot to look after her grandfather and ‘adopted’ uncle in their charming home across the street from Julia Child. When a murder happens in Julia’s building and she and Tabitha discover the body, they immediately become suspects (since the victim was at a party at the Child’s home just the night before, and the victim was killed with Julia’s chef knife. In her search to throw suspicion off of her, Tabitha decides to investigate the crime herself (at the urging of her friend) and she must follow the clues before she ends up becoming the murderer’s next victim.

This book is full of mystery, suspense, and delicious food, which both mystery lovers and foodies will enjoy! (P.S. The second book in the series comes out next year!)

As Paris rediscovers its joie de vivre, Tabitha Knight, recently arrived from Detroit for an extended stay with her French grandfather, is on her own journey of discovery. Paris isn’t just the City of Light; it’s the city of history, romance, stunning architecture . . . and food. Thanks to her neighbor and friend Julia Child, another ex-pat who’s fallen head over heels for Paris, Tabitha is learning how to cook for her Grandpère and Oncle Rafe.

Between tutoring Americans in French, visiting the market, and eagerly sampling the results of Julia’s studies at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school, Tabitha’s sojourn is proving thoroughly delightful. That is, until the cold December day they return to Julia’s building and learn that a body has been found in the cellar. Tabitha recognizes the victim as a woman she’d met only the night before, at a party given by Julia’s sister, Dort. The murder weapon found nearby is recognizable too—a knife from Julia’s kitchen.

Tabitha is eager to help the investigation, but is shocked when Inspector Merveille reveals that a note, in Tabitha’s handwriting, was found in the dead woman’s pocket. Is this murder a case of international intrigue, or something far more personal? From the shadows of the Tour Eiffel at midnight, to the tiny third-floor Child kitchen, to the grungy streets of Montmartre, Tabitha navigates through the city hoping to find the real killer before she or one of her friends ends up in prison . . . or worse.

The Queen of Sugar Hill

ReShonda Tate

After a writing career that has spanned 50 books, ReShonda Tate has finally written the novel that she’s always wanted to write. Hattie McDaniel was the first African-American woman to win an Academy Award for her role as Mammy in the controversial movie Gone with the Wind. Despite this achievement, Hattie continued to struggle with discrimination in both the white and black communities as she paved the way for other actors like herself to get the roles they truly deserved. Even though Hattie faced adversity throughout her life with setbacks in both her personal and professional life, author ReShonda Tate shows the true nature of Hattie as the shining light that she truly was.

It was supposed to be the highlight of her career, the pinnacle for which she’d worked all her life. And as Hattie McDaniel took the stage in 1940 to claim an honor that would make her the first African-American woman to win an Academy Award, she tearfully took her place in history. Between personal triumphs and tragedies, heartbreaking losses, and severe setbacks, this historic night of winning best supporting actress for her role as the sassy Mammy in the controversial movie Gone With the Wind was going to be life-changing. Or so she thought.

Months after winning the award, not only did the Oscar curse set in where Hattie couldn’t find work, but she found herself thrust in the middle of two worlds—Black and White—and not being welcomed in either. Whites only saw her as Mammy and Blacks detested the demeaning portrayal. As the NAACP waged an all-out war against Hattie and actors like her, the emotionally conflicted actor found herself struggling daily.

Through it all, Hattie continued her fight to pave a path for other Negro actors, while focusing on war efforts, fighting housing discrimination, and navigating four failed marriages. Luckily, she had a core group of friends to help her out—from Clark Gable to Louise Beavers to Ruby Berkley Goodwin and Dorothy Dandridge.

The Queen of Sugar Hill brings to life the powerful story of one woman who was driven by many passions—ambition, love, sex, family, friendship, and equality. In re-creating Hattie’s story, ReShonda Tate delivers an unforgettable novel of resilience, dedication, and determination—about what it takes to achieve your dreams—even when everything—and everyone—is against you.

Releases on 1/30/24

The Framed Women of Ardemore House

Brandy Schillace

The Framed Women of Ardemore House is a book that will ensnare you from the very first page. Jo Jones, an American finds herself in the English countryside after she inherits the family home after the passing of her mother. She tries to keep her autism from getting in the way, and she navigates her new life, only to have the groundskeeper whom she’s just fired (for reasons you will learn) turn up dead in the cottage she’s taken up residence in.

You can’t help by love Jo as she searches for the family portrait that mysteriously went missing just before the murder, and the cast of characters we meet along the way including a loveable Irish transplant who owns the town pub and the moody lead detective who doesn’t appreciate Jo’s meddling in the case at every turn.

I can hardly wait for the next book in the series to be released!!!

Jo Jones has always had a little trouble fitting in. As a neurodivergent, hyperlexic book editor and divorced New Yorker transplanted into the English countryside, Jo doesn’t know what stands out more: her Americanisms or her autism.

After losing her job, her mother, and her marriage all in one year, she couldn’t be happier to take possession of a possibly haunted (and clearly unwanted) family estate in North Yorkshire. But when the body of the moody town groundskeeper turns up on her rug with three bullets in his back, Jo finds herself in potential danger—and she’s also a potential suspect. At the same time, a peculiar family portrait vanishes from a secret room in the manor, bearing a strange connection to both the dead body and Jo’s mysterious family history.

With the aid of a Welsh antiques dealer, the morose local detective, and the Irish innkeeper’s wife, Jo embarks on a mission to clear herself of blame and find the missing painting, unearthing a slew of secrets about the town—and herself—along the way. And she’ll have to do it all before the killer strikes again…

Releases 2/13/24

Pineapple Street

Jenny Jackson

At first, I thought this was going to be a book about entitled WASPs who couldn’t accept a middle-class newcomer into their lives, but as the book progressed (and one character, in particular, figured out what kind of person she wanted to be), I found the book to have so many heartwarming moments. Told from the points of view of Sasha (the sister-in-law who marries into the family from a middle-class background), Darley who filled her heart and gave her inheritance when she found love, and Georgiana the baby of the family who after making a series of missteps finally finds her way.

Darley, the eldest daughter in the well-connected old money Stockton family, followed her heart, trading her job and her inheritance for motherhood but giving up far too much in the process; Sasha, a middle-class New England girl, has married into the Brooklyn Heights family, and finds herself cast as the arriviste outsider; and Georgiana, the baby of the family, has fallen in love with someone she can’t have, and must decide what kind of person she wants to be.

Rife with the indulgent pleasures of life among New York’s one-percenters, Pineapple Street is a smart, escapist novel that sparkles with wit. Full of recognizable, loveable—if fallible—characters, it’s about the peculiar unknowability of someone else’s family, the miles between the haves and have-nots, and the insanity of first love—all wrapped in a story that is a sheer delight.

The Mystery Guest

Nina Prose

In this follow-up to The Maid, we rejoin Molly Gray who is not only in a stable relationship but has also been promoted to Head Maid. While I have to admit that Molly’s personality got on my nerves a bit for the first several chapters, as she brings us further into the story, including her past connection to mystery author J.D. Grimthrope who drops dead in the newly renovated tea room at the Regency Grand Hotel, we find ourselves hanging on her every word as she searches for clues on who the murderer might be. We also meet her old foe, Detective Stark.

What I enjoy most about this series, is the fact that despite all of the clues that are sprinkled in here and there, it isn’t until Molly starts making connections herself that you figure out who committed the crime. (Which is oh, so satisfying when your suspicions turn out to be correct!) Spoiler alert, there’s another (non murder related) surprise in store for you at the end of this book, and I promise, it’s worth waiting for!

Molly Gray is not like anyone else. With her flair for cleaning and proper etiquette, she has risen through the ranks of the glorious five-star Regency Grand Hotel to become the esteemed Head Maid. But just as her life reaches a pinnacle state of perfection, her world is turned upside down when J. D. Grimthorpe, the world-renowned mystery author, drops dead—very dead—on the hotel’s tearoom floor.

When Detective Stark, Molly’s old foe, investigates the author’s unexpected demise, it becomes clear that this death was murder most foul. Suspects abound, and everyone wants to know: Who killed J. D. Grimthorpe? Was it Lily, the new Maid-in-Training? Or was it Serena, the author’s secretary? Could Mr. Preston, the hotel’s beloved doorman, be hiding something? And is Molly really as innocent as she seems?

As the high-profile death threatens the hotel’s pristine reputation, Molly knows she alone holds the key to unlocking the killer’s identity. But that key is buried deep in her past, as long ago, she knew J. D. Grimthorpe. Molly begins to comb her memory for clues, revisiting her childhood and the mysterious Grimthorpe mansion where she and her dearly departed Gran once worked side by side. With the entire hotel under investigation, Molly must solve the mystery posthaste. Because if there’s one thing she knows for sure, it’s that secrets don’t stay buried forever.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies

Catherine Mack

I absolutely LOVED this book. From the beginning to the final scene (which was a cliffhanger BTW). The novel centers around Eleanor Dash, a bestselling author who just wants to make it through her book tour in Italy, which includes her ex (and main character of her series) Connor, the man she still loves (Oliver), her sister Harper, and a book club which includes her stalker, Cathy. It soon becomes clear that someone wants to kill her main character in real life… and Eleanor is caught up in a murder mystery of her own that will end up with more than one person dead. The only problem is, will she find out the truth before she ends up as the killer’s next victim?

Whether you’re looking for a fun read to curl up with before bed or to read on spring break (this novel comes out on April 30th, 2024). You’re going to want to pre-order this one!

All that bestselling author Eleanor Dash wants is to get through her book tour in Italy and kill off her main character, Connor Smith, in the next in her Vacation Mysteries series—is that too much to ask?

Clearly, because when an attempt is made on the real Connor’s life—the handsome but infuriating con man she got mixed up with ten years ago and now can’t get out of her life—Eleanor’s enlisted to help solve the case.

Contending with literary rivals, rabid fans, a stalker—and even her ex, Oliver, who turns up unexpectedly—theories are bandied about, and rivalries, rifts, and broken hearts are revealed. But who’s really trying to get away with murder?

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is the irresistible and hilarious series debut from Catherine Mack, introducing bestselling fictional author Eleanor Dash on her Italian book tour that turns into a real-life murder mystery, as her life starts to imitate the world in her books.

Releases on 4/30/24

The Husbands

Holly Gramazio

This was such a delightful, funny, and engaging read. The main character of the story, Lauren returns home one day and is greeted by her husband. The only problem, she’s never been married, and her last relationship was an absolute disaster. Shortly after ‘the husband’ arrives, she finds out that every time a husband goes into the attic, a different husband comes back down. You’ll go through a whole range of emotions as Lauren goes through husband after husband with their different personalities (some better than others), you’ll go through heartbreak when one particular husband disappears, and by the end, you’ll get the heartwarming finish you’ve been waiting for. Time to pre-order this one pronto!

An exuberant debut, The Husbands delights in asking: how do we navigate life, love, and choice in a world of never-ending options? (“A time-bending gem”—Gabrielle Zevin; “Kaleidoscopic and bright and very, very funny.” –Claire Lombardo)

When Lauren returns home to her flat in London late one night, she is greeted at the door by her husband, Michael. There’s only one problem—she’s not married. She’d never seen this man before in her life. But according to her friends, her much-improved decor, and the photos on her phone, they’ve been together for years.

As Lauren tries to puzzle out how she could be married to someone she can’t remember meeting, Michael goes to the attic to change a lightbulb and abruptly disappears. In his place, a new man emerges, and a new, slightly altered life re-forms around her. Realizing that her attic is creating an infinite supply of husbands, Lauren confronts the question: If swapping lives is as easy as changing a lightbulb, how do you know you’ve taken the right path? When do you stop trying to do better and start living?

Releases 4/2/2024