K Blows Top by Peter Carlson

This may be the funniest, weirdest, most interesting book ever.  

A Murder at Rosamund's Gate by Susanna Calkins

I really wanted to like this because I love historical fiction, but it just didn't come together.  A few instances of really lame dialogue, a few overly-modern opinions, and a few plot implausibilities made this one mediocre.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Table for Seven by Whitney Gaskell

OK, so this isn't great literature, but it was a fun, light read.  If you are in the mood for a little romantic book, this is a good choice.  I liked what she did with the characters.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Drunk Tank Pink by Adam Alter

Interesting.  (Although kind of disappointing that there was some overlap with Outliers and Thinking Fast and Slow.)

The Liberator by Alex Kershaw

Holy cow.  This was fabulous.

The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout

This was so lame.  Why are so many critics loving all over it?  What's wrong with people?

The Perfect Ghost by Linda Barnes

The book engaged me, but was ultimately unsatisfying, I think because there were lots of things the protagonist did that just did not seem to fit her character.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Midnight at Marble Arch by Anne Perry

So I picked this up expecting a standard fluffy mystery riding the Downton Abbey coattails.  Instead, the book was full of compelling ruminations on the psychology of reactions (and not just the late 19th century ones) to rape.  But then the ending of the book was beyond byzantine.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Little Way of Ruthie Leming by Rod Dreher

I was completely bowled over by this book; I can't remember the last time I was quite so moved by something I read.  That said, the title is lame and misleading.  The book is much, much more complicated than that.  I recommend this one for book groups.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Stuffed by Patricia Volk

Decent.

Bristol House by Beverly Swerling

This book was sort of Dan Brownish:  modern academics, ancient relics, religious conspiracies, some lame writing (but not as bad as Dan Brown), and even ghosts.  So I'm sort of embarrassed to tell you that I really enjoyed it.

Review copy provided by publisher.

They Eat Puppies, Don't They? by Christopher Buckley

decent

A Spoonful of Sugar by Brenda Ashford

Oh my gosh, I can't even tell you how much I adored this book.  It was the perfect blend of Downton Abbey and Mary Poppins with a bunch of fascinating data points on parenting norms, family structure, class, nutrition, homemaking, and British history.  And I haven't even gotten to the fabulous voice of the crotchety-but-somehow-loving British uber-nanny.  Seriously, you need to read this one.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher.