Dee Reads

Preface                                  If you've been following the blog, you know that I sometimes have a guest contributor.  My brother, Jay, has often chimed in when asked and I find that helpful in many ways.  One of which, is the different perspective of his thoughts, reduced to words, even on the same book or subject can be so very unique.   Differing points of view, and being open to them, is what makes the world go 'round.  In my small place in the world, it keeps the blog from becoming stagnant and hopefully more representative of what you readers think and want to hear about.  In order to stretch that arm of the blog a few inches more, this week's guest is my son, Cody, who is also a reader.  Occasionally, he will read the blog pre-publication or one of my book reviews and then comment with some pretty astute observations that almost hadn't o...

Jay Reviews/Dee Writes an Essay If you're a follower, or even an occasional reader of Dee Reads , you'll know that my brother, Jay, is a guest contributor.  He's always got something to say 😜.  Seriously, he tends to have ideas and opinions that lend a new perspective and a fresh voice to the blog.  So credit, where credit is due, Jay suggested I might want to review some essays.  Of course, I was glad to accept his review as the first entry.   One Long River of Song  by Brian Doyle, Reviewed by Jay Mueller                                                                                                                 ...

Dee Reads and Reviews 👍👎 A couple of blogs ago, I mentioned several of my favorite mystery series were dropping new books this fall.  I was so excited and lucky to add three of them to my TBR for September.  I read all three in the first week of the month, record time for me.  If my reading speed is any indication these new books should be smokin'.🤣 Five Super Stars I got my eager hands on #4 in the Detective Inspector Matthew Venn Series last week and simply devoured it - all in one day.  It is a five star, two huge thumbs up of a mystery.   "Ann Cleeves you have outdone yourself!  I must admit I've never read any of the Vera Stanhope Series or, for that matter, any of Ms. Cleeves' other work.  However, after finishing The Dying Light, I have read all the Matthew Venn books and am looking forward to many more.  Thank you Net Galley and Minotaur Books for this wonderful book and the opportunity to offer my thoughts and a big round of appla...

Have you ever wondered where bloggers get their ideas? Some weeks I ask myself the same question. 🤣   Am I sitting on my couch when a comic book bubble suddenly appears over my head and there's a fantastic original theme?  I wish it were that easy, but I am fortunate to have a great sounding board who never fails to shoot off his own unique thoughts.  My brother, my reading cohort, friend, and whom I have mentioned throughout the blog is responsible for the seed that grew into this week's drop.  Here's Jay's inspiration - "It would be interesting to share some authors who have successfully written outside what is thought of as their genre." Jay mentioned one of his special favorites, Robert Dugoni .  Robert, author of the Tracy Crosswhite Series, also favored us with three books, that define the word special and are outside the mystery/thriller genre, The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell , The World Played Chess , and Hold Strong .  Dugoni has proven himself...

  Book Review Connections🔖 Many years ago now, my mother was telling me about a person she'd met on an airplane.  It must have been a flight from Houston, Texas to Dayton, Ohio or vice versa, since that was the trip between her home and some of my siblings.  Mom was a lifelong reader of many genres, particularly mystery/thriller books.  That's probably how I got interested in some of the same books.  As Mom told me, she had just sat down on the plane and noticed her seatmate reading a book titled  Kiss the Girls .  Yes, from James Patterson's early years, published in 1997.  As a prodigious reader, my mother was surprised to see she'd missed a new, at the time, thriller.  However, that didn't stop her from instigating a conversation with her fellow passenger that lasted for well into their flight.  Would she have begun to talk to a complete stranger had it not been for that book?  Knowing my mom, likely not.  James Patterson c...

🍂New Releases🍂   I love, and I don't say this casually, the Fall season.  For all the obvious reasons; the cooler weather, the colorful leaves, the approaching holidays, and best of all, Fall reading.  This Fall, just a few short weeks away, there seems to be an abundance of great entries into some of my favorite series reading. Maybe some of yours too!  Drop a comment and let me know what series update you are most looking forward to this upcoming season.  📘Primed and ready to release on September 15th is number twelve in Robert Dugoni's Tracy Crosswhite Series. (I'm primed anyway.)   One Split Second  continues the story of Detective Crosswhite who I initially found through Kindle Unlimited, but have continued to read alongside Dugoni's stand-alone books.  By this time, Tracy is a mature and skilled detective as she takes on the defense of an old friend, also a female police officer.  Here's a taste: A girl’s unsolved disappearance....

Recently, I got a brain tickle that lead to a Wikipedia search in order to learn more about fiction genres.  For instance, did you know there are eight genres of fiction? And even more sub-genres and the list grows as more subs are coined all the time.  Here's a look at the list: Core Fiction Genres🍎 Fantasy : Uses magic and other supernatural elements, often set in fictional worlds (e.g., The Lord of the Rings ). Science Fiction : Focuses on futuristic science, space travel, and advanced technology (e.g., Dune ). Mystery : Follows a detective or character trying to solve a crime or secret. Romance : Centers on a love story between characters with an optimistic ending. Thriller/Horror : Builds high tension, fear, suspense, or dark scares. Historical Fiction : Takes place during a real past time period with invented characters or events. Contemporary/Realistic Fiction : Set in modern or realistic times with events that could actually happen in real life. Westerns : Set in the ...