Friday Fives - Five Quick Reviews for Books I've Read Recently

I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much. This week I'm sharing 5 quick reviews for books I've read recently.

1.  How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin - I'm a big fan of cold case mysteries so this one appealed to me right from the beginning.  I went with the audio version and I'm so glad I did as I'm not sure I would have gotten through it if I had physically read it.  The beginning is slooooowww and while I liked the main character, Annie, it took me awhile to get into it.  The 1960s timeline especially took me awhile to become invested in.  However, as the book went on I slowly became more and more invested and really enjoyed the ending.  I'm curious to see how the series (and Annie) develop and will be reading the next book.  My Rating: Liked It! (3.5 Stars)

2.  The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol 1 by Beth Brower - I feel like I'm seeing this series everywhere and everyone is raving about it so I was super excited to pick up this first volume.  At first I didn't get the hype.  I liked Emma and the story was interesting but I wasn't fully caught in her world.  As the journal went on that changed and while this wasn't a five star read for me it was thoroughly enjoyable and I'm so looking forward to reading the next book.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

3.  First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston - I'd been in a bit of a slump with audiobooks and so when I picked this one up, I was a little hesitant.  It ended up being exactly what I needed.  Right from the start I was pulled into the story and I really had no idea how it was going to all unravel.  The audio was fantastic and contributed to my enjoyment.  This was a good mystery with lots of twists and turns.  I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

4.  The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson - This book is a slice of life in a small village in England just as the world is about to change with the beginning of World War I.  Beatrice Nash has just been hired to be the new Latin teacher and is immediately immersed in small town politics.  There's a large number of characters - some delightful, some awful, most a complicated and realistic mix.   This was a little too long and sometimes I had trouble of keeping up with who was who but for the most part I enjoyed it - especially the ending.  I think it would have worked better as a slow read vs reading it for long periods of time.  My Rating: Liked It (3 Stars)

5.  Death in the Details by Katie Tietjen - This is the first book in the Maple Bishop series, set in post World War II Vermont.  Maple is inspired by Frances Glessner Lee and her Nutshell Crime Scenes that were used as an investigative tool.  Glessner Lee and her Nutshells have always fascinated me and so I was super excited to try this series.  It did not disappoint and I flew through this book.  Maple struggles with dealing with people but she has an amazing eye for detail and a love of the security and control her dollhouses bring.  When she accidentally stumbles on a crime scene she immediately notices things that the Sheriff dismisses or doesn't notice at all.  The mystery really hooked me but I was especially pulled in by Maple's investigation.  As well, I really loved the relationship between her and the Sheriff, his deputy Kenny, Ben, and a number of other townspeople.  I'm really looking forward to reading the next book in the series.  My Rating: Really Liked It! (4.5 Stars)