Friday, February 7, 2025

Book Review - When the Bones Sing by Ginny Myers Sain

 



When the Bones Sing by Ginny Myers Sain is about a young woman, Dovie, who can hear the bones of dead people.  The small town of Lucifer’s Creek, Arkansas, is known to be a tourist hiking spot because of the surrounding Ozark mountains. In the last three years, more than two dozen people have disappeared on the local hiking trails. Most of the hikers have vanished without leaving a trace behind. That is, until their buried bones start to sing.

Dovie is a local seventeen-year-old who has the ability to hear the voices of the bones of dead people. She doesn’t believe in magic and doesn’t think her ability is magical. The women from her family have this ability and have been using it to help find dead people. The locals were scared of their ability and stayed clear from Dovie and her family. They think that she is a witch and that she should be repenting for her sins, even though she has been helping the sheriff find the bodies of the missing hikers.  Dovie tries to ignore the voices of the bones but they sing loud enough that she can’t ignore them and she wants the victims and their families to find peace.

The locals and old-timers in the community believe that there is a local creature that is responsible for the deaths. They claim that the mythical Ozarks Howler has murdered the people. However, Dovie doesn’t believe in the Howler, nor does she believe it when her best friend, Lo, tells her that he can see the shadows of the dead people. Lo believes that the dead people are haunting him and that they want him to figure out who is behind their murders.  Dovie feels that the only thing she can do is use her abilities to help guide the sheriff and deputies to the bodies and let them deal with catching the killer.  Dovie finds solace in that at least with her abilities the families can find some peace with the recovery of the victim’s bodies.

Lo wishes that the shadows would stop following him around. He can’t sleep or move around without them following him around for answers. He wishes he could get a moment of peace. Even though Dovie can hear their bones, the truth isn’t buried there but deep in the hills where their bodies are found. Will Lo and Dovie be able to find out the truth before anyone else gets killed?

It took a few chapters before I got into the flow and writing style of the book. I found myself having to re-read a few sentences and trying to understand what was going on. The book started off strong with an attention-grabbing introduction but it was slow towards the middle and it finally picked up towards the end. The book was a bit predictable but there were a few unpredictable twists. I did like the witchy and mountain vibes along with some supernatural elements. The book was an entertaining read and I would be open to reading more books by the author.

**Disclosure - I received a free unedited ARC in exchange for an honest opinion. I was not required to leave a review.** 

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

February 2025 Empties

 

 


 

I can't believe it is already February although, 2024 felt both long and short! I did manage to finish a few things but it did take me a few months. I finished a lot of skincare items as I am trying to keep my skin hydrated for the cold weather.

The Spascriptions Exfoliating Coffee Body Wash is a good basic body wash. It is a gel based wash with little bits of exfoliant that keeps skin feeling clean and smooth. I also like that is a huge bottle for less than $10 and it smells great. It doesn't have a heavy coffee scent that smells like you dumped a cup of coffee all over yourself. 

The Whish Body Butter in Kabosu sea salt had an interesting scent. It smelled like clean cotton. It had a mild scent and it didn't linger. The butter was thick but not very greasy. I did like body butter but I am not a fan of the container. Because it has a pump top, I feel like a lot of the packaging was the pump and there was very little product. For $22 for just 5 ounces, I can find an affordable option that works just as great.

The Would Shampoo and Conditioner Fresh Tracks smells so good. It has a fresh woodsy scent. It is made for men but I love it. It had a good lather but I needed to follow up with conditioner even though it is a 2 in 1. The scent does last long after washing my hair which I loved. I would get this again.

The Mi-el Honey infused hydration mask is a nice clay mask. It is very hydrating and doesn't leave skin feeling dried out. I love how refreshed and soft my skin felt afterwards. I will definitely be rebuying this if I come across it again.

Saturday, February 1, 2025

Book Review - Big Nate: Beware of Low-Flying Corn Muffins by Lincoln Peirce

 


Big Nate: Beware of Low-Flying Corn Muffins by Lincoln Peirce is a graphic novel about a young boy, Nate, and his adventures. Nate is back in this newest book and the school staff and students are wary of his pranks and his schemes. Will the other students be able to handle his weird quirks and hobbies?

The graphic novel was nicely illustrated. I like that the comic was in color. I found the scenes to be funny and entertaining. There were a few parts that I thought might be too mature for children but I found the graphic novel to be entertaining. I would be open to reading more of Nate’s fun adventures.

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

Book Review - Shades of Mercy: A Porter Beck Mystery (Porter Beck, 2) by Bruce Borgos

 


Shades of Mercy: A Porter Beck Mystery (Porter Beck, 2) by Bruce Borgos is about Sheriff Porter Beck investigating the recent surge of drug overdose deaths. Beck has returned to his home town after being away for a few decades. He recently has taken the sheriff position that his father once had. The area that Beck and his twelve-person team usually cover has been quiet until recently.

Beck received a late-night call that one of his childhood friends had overdosed on an illegal opioid.  Then another one of his childhood friends, who is a successful rancher, is targeted by a military drone that was hacked. The drone blows up the rancher’s prized bull. To complicate matters, the hacker seems local as they called out Beck by name. This motivates Beck even more to find who is behind the hack.

As Beck investigates the drone hacking, the trail leads him to Mercy Vaughn, a known hacker in the area. However, Beck is unsure how she could pull off the hacking since she is in a secure juvenile detention center with no computer access. But Beck feels that something isn’t right about Mercy and when Mercy disappears, he realizes that she is in danger. Will Beck be able to find Mercy and find out who is behind the hacking before it’s too late?

The book is part of a series, but I was able to read and follow the book without reading the previous book. The book was a straightforward and interesting read. The book did have a few twists but nothing unexpected that blew my socks off. I did think towards the end of the book, the writing got a bit muddied and confusing. It was hard to keep track of what was going on.   I did like reading about Beck and his team's investigation. I would be open to reading more books by the author.

Sunday, January 26, 2025

Book Review - What Happened to the McCrays?: A Novel by Tracey Lange

 



What Happened to the McCrays?: A Novel by Tracey Lange is about Kyle McCray returning home to care for his father and to deal with the fallout of him leaving unexpectedly two and half years ago. Kyle wasn’t expecting to return home to Potsdam, New York, after leaving without telling anyone. He wasn’t expecting a warm welcome from the people he abandoned, especially his father and his beloved ex-wife of sixteen years, Casey. However, he knew that he had to be there for his father after he had a stroke.

Kyle planned to lie low and help his dad heal and recuperate before he could leave again, especially after Casey made it clear that she didn’t want him there.  As Kyle helps his father heal, he realizes the impact he made when he left abruptly.  He decides to redeem himself when he is offered a coaching position for a middle school hockey team. As he teaches the children to believe in themselves, he finds compassion and hope in unexpected places. Kyle even contemplates staying in Potsdam, and repairing the bond he and Casey had. Will Casey and Kyle be able to move forward and find peace with each other?

The book was an okay read. I had a feeling about what drove Casey and Kyle apart even though the book took a while to get there. I thought the book had a lot of unnecessary details that made the book feel like a chore. The book is narrated by both past and present Casey and Kyle. It was interesting because we could see the beginning of their relationship and how it began to unravel. I have read the author’s book “We Are the Brennans”, and I feel like both of her books are focused on family dynamics, grief, and forgiveness. For both books, I found the “twists” to be predictable and the book to be long-winded. I might read more books by the author in the future, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to get their next release.