Book Reviews

Here are the last books I read in 2025. 

 Busy Body by M. C. Beaton, Adult mystery, 2010

This is #21 in the Agatha Raisin cozy mystery series. (There are at least 36 books in the series so far.) Agatha Raisin is a 50-something woman who sells her advertising business in London to move to a simpler life in the country. She brings her city ways with her and is often brash and impatient, but she gradually adapts to the slower way of life and eventually earns the acceptance of most locals. She also has an obsession with James, her next-door neighbor, and they have an on-again-off-again relationship as they investigate murders together.

I have read a few of the earlier ones, but chose this one because it takes place around Christmas. An overzealous code enforcer has angered everyone in town. Among other things, he made the church take down the Christmas tree from the roof, and others take down their light displays.  He ends up dead, and there are more victims along the way. Agatha and her staff investigate this crime and others, and Agatha eventually figures out the key to solving the mystery. 

I was a little bored at the beginning as the author caught the reader up on Agatha's history, but when Agatha and the others finally started solving the mystery, it got better. This series is very popular, and many people swear by it. I think it's just okay. But Miss Landers has read all of them in order and says that's what I need to do to really enjoy them.

Jingle by Gordon Korman, Children's mystery (elementary and middle grades), 2016

This is the 8th and final book in the Swindle mystery series. I haven't read any of the others, but I picked this one because it takes place around Christmas. (Can you tell I was looking for seasonal reading before Christmas? 😀)

Griffin and his middle school friends have been signed up to be elves at their town's Christmas extravaganza during their school holiday break. They are not happy, but do it. On opening night, the lights go out, and a $10 million star from the top of the Christmas tree goes missing. Griffin and his friends are prime suspects as they have been involved one way or another with other crimes in their town. So they set about to find the star and absolve their names. There are many twists and turns, but eventually it all ends well.

Gordon Korman is the master of telling stories about middle school kids. Generally, his characters have distinct personalities and personal challenges in their lives. This book was no exception. It was a fun read and just right for my calm bedtime reading. It was nice to read a mystery for a change that did not involve a murder.

Winter Morning Walks: one hundred postcards by Jim Harrison, Adult poetry, 2000.

This book of poetry came from postcards that the author wrote about morning walks he took one winter as part of his cancer recovery. I learned about it from Granny Sue. She owns a copy and says that she gets the book out every year and reads a poem on the day it was written. That sounded like a lovely idea. I immediately put in a request, but it took a while for the library to find the book because they had to get it from another system. Because of that, I was not able to renew it. So I didn't read a daily poem, but read them over several days. 

Since these were originally on postcards, none of the poems is very long. I could feel the cold and see the things Harrison was describing on his walks. And the reflective mood he often had gave me food for thought.

While I appreciate poetry, it is not something I read regularly. This was a nice diversion from what I usually read, but I don't think poetry will be making a regular rotation in my reading.

The Convenience Store by the Sea by Sonoko Machida, Adult fiction, 2020, 2025 English translation

This book was a best seller in Japan and Korea before it was published in English in July 2025. It is gaining popularity here, as evidenced by the waiting list for it at the library.

The story revolves around a 24/7 convenience store in Japan. Each chapter features a different person, but they all connect back to the store and its regular visitors and workers. Each person has something that they are trying to overcome or move forward with, and the store connections help them do that.

I think the word I see most often used to describe this book is "heartwarming." And I would totally agree. It is definitely a feel-good book. Also, there are a lot of eating and food descriptions that are satisfying to read. The food seems better in the Japanese convenience stores than it does here. 😀

I found the translation awkward at times, but not enough to distract from the story. Also, I found it hard to keep all the characters straight, especially at the beginning, with their multisyllabic Japanese names. But as the major characters were established and the book began to focus on individual stories, it became easier.

While I wouldn't say that this is great literature, I would read more by this author. I'm guessing that if this book is successful, some of her other books will be translated into English as well.

Until next time...