This was the first of the Lily Bard mysteries. Lily is a tough, strong woman with a traumatic past that lives in the small town of Shakespeare, Arkansas. One night she takes a walk and witnesses someone stealing a cart that belongs to her. This person walks into the park across from her house, dumps whatever is in the cart, and then returns the cart to Lily's house. Lily investigates and finds the body of a local man who owns properties in town. The mystery is, of course, who killed this man? And can Lily, who has kept her past a secret until now, continue to live in town without everyone knowing her history?returnreturnThese are perfect books for the summer: quick, but intense where they need to be!

The first in the Harper Connelly series. Harper is a young woman who grew up in a rough home. As a teenager, she was struck by lightening and can now sense dead bodies and can see the last few seconds of their death.returnreturnAs an adult, she uses this unusual skill to her advantage and gets paid to help people find closure. She's asked to travel to a small town in Arkansas to help a woman find her son's girlfriend to help clear her son's name. Slowly, small town incestuous relationships emerge and we learn more about the citizens of Sarne than expected. Another great, light summer read.

This was a fun mystery centered around a character named Aurora Teagarden. Aurora is a librarian in a club called Real Murders, where a group of people get together once a month to discuss famous old murders. Before one meeting, one of their members is found murdered in the same style as the murder they were set to discuss that night. Soon, other club members and people in their community are found dead in ways that mirror other famous murders.returnreturnLots of good fun and a very easy read!

A lovely YA novel about the magic of reading. Meggie's father, Mo, has a wonderful (yet cursed) gift of reading aloud - when he does, people and objects from the stories leave their world and enter ours. One day, when Meggie was a child, Mo read a scary story to his wife and the evil characters from the story switched places with Meggie's mother. Try as he might, Mo couldn't make the villains trade back with Teresa. returnreturnThis is the story of the struggle between Meggie's family and the villains that either want to be sent back to their story or want their power in our world to increase. Great fun and adventure for all ages. Definitely recommend.

This was wonderful for anyone in love with maritime Canada or the northeast US in general. Anne is such a likable character and really grows up during the course of this book. At times I got irked by all of the religious messages, but it wasn't too in my face and I guess that it should be expected from that time period anyway.

This was my first Pratchett book and it did not disappoint. It tells the story of Eskarina (Esk), a young girl who has the power and the will to become a wizard in a world where women just are not wizards. Granny Weatherwax, a town witch, takes Esk under her wings to teach her the world of witchcraft, but it's just not enough.returnreturnEsk then finds her way to the Unseen University where wizards are trained. Think a prequal to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - wonderfully fantastic. Will she be allowed to become a wizard? After a struggle with the powers that be, we find out.

Another delightful book from Pym. This one also featured Miss Jessie Morrow and Miss Doggett, as did my previous Pym, Crampton Hodnet. This one dealt with the proper English courting rules (love was definitely a major theme) and how people navigated them. It also, of course, had a delightful cast of characters, most prominent (to me) was Jane Cleveland. She was the bumbling, fumbling new curate's wife that could just never quite add up to her predecessor. returnreturnAgain - quite fun and enjoyable. I would recommend it to anyone who likes cozy English novels and wants a good laugh - and of course, wants to make fun of English courtship.

This was a funny and quick read. It's set in North Oxford and centers around a group of neighbors. To me, it showcased human curiosity and how quickly rumors spread and grow. One of the most successful things about this novel was Pym's ability to portray the thought processes of the characters. returnreturnGood fun for anyone who likes cozy English novels and wants a good laugh.