Clean Reading Mimi

The Strange Situation at Emlee by MaryJo Dawson

2013-07-23T14:53:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to review the third Sally Nimitz novel! This is by far my favorite book so far, as MaryJo Dawson creates a wonderful southern backdrop at an old plantation with diverse characters and strange occurrences. I love the fact that she takes the time to explore in detail the backgrounds of the characters and she paints a great picture with her descriptions of their voices and her nailing of their accents. Her story is about a family going back generations whose "ghosts" are coming out of their closets, but many of the family members want them left in the past. It is a complex story that is a fun puzzle to solve. It does involve a murder but there is no violence. You hear about the murder that happens next door but you do not hear about it as it is happening. There is no sex or romance. I highly recommend Sally's intriguing look at the strange happenings at Emlee House!

Rating: PG
No sex, no violence, D-mn-1, H-ll-2.

The Disappearance of Douglas White by MaryJo Dawson

2013-06-20T17:28:00.001-07:00

The second Sally Nimitz book is an interesting psychological mystery. There is no violent murder to solve in this book, which I loved because this was really just a good brain teaser that really made me think. Sally is asked to help find Douglas White, who has simply disappeared. He is the brother of the police officer who investigated the death of her neighbor in the first book, and the family really is not sure if Douglas has disappeared of his own volition or if he has met with foul play. Sally enlists the help of her two friends Anne and George and off they go to a town and area they are unfamiliar with to start another adventure. Douglas left on his own, but then somehow along the way disappeared. It was fun to follow Sally as she uncovered each clue in the quest to find Douglas. If you enjoy a good puzzle, this is a great clean read! And it only costs $2.99!

Rated: G
Only one swear word in the whole book (d-mn one time). No sex and no violence.

The Death of Amelia Marsh by MaryJo Dawson

2013-05-23T14:48:00.000-07:00

The first of the Sally Nimitz mystery novels introduces you to Sally, a labour/delivery nurse and her friends and family. Her husband has passed and they have 2 grown children, a son who lives close, who has a son who is the apple of Sallly's eye. Her sister-in-law lives next door but they are not close which plays into the first book's storyline. Her late husband's best friend George has become Sally's best friend (no romance there) and her best sounding board when she needs to work things out that are puzzling her. In this story she meets a neighbor, Anne, an older lady and they become great friends. She is always up for any adventure Sally throws at her.
MaryJo's writing style is intelligent, witty, gripping and flows along quickly. I usually read her books in just a few days because I can't put them down. Sally isn't your usual frazzled housewife who outwits the cops in solving the murder. She is an intelligent middle aged woman who puzzles out brain teasing problems. When her neighbor is found dead in her apartment, her head bashed in, Sally notices not a thing has been disturbed anywhere. Someone just walked in, bonked her in the head, and walked out. the worst part was the old woman had requested to see Sally just after it happened. Sally was the one who discovered the body, so she feels inclined to find Amelia's killer. This is an incredibly fun book to read, very clean, very thought provoking, yet easy reading. Her job throws in a fun secondary storyline that I enjoyed having just spent a lot of the last year in the hospital. Another plus, you can get this book free on the website Smashwords or kindle or paperback is just $2.99

PG
H-ll 4, G-d 4

New Author!!

2013-05-17T11:26:00.000-07:00

Check out my new Author Spotlight: MaryJo Dawson!!

2013-05-13T17:51:00.000-07:00

Baked Alaska by Josi S Kilpack

Having suffered through a year long illness I have finally started reading again. I'm going to attempt to do a few reviews of the few books I have read in the past few months. I have to say I loved this latest book by Josi Kilpack. She attempts to take an Alaskan cruise with her two grown, adopted children and her boyfriend (separate cabins of course) but nothing goes smoothly. From the moment she boards the ship she is haunted by a woman she sees arguing with her son. He refuses to talk to her about the woman, which confuses and hurts Josi because she and her son, Sean. They have always been so close and Josi values honesty and cannot stand any type of secrecy. Of course she sets out to investigate who this woman is, which leads to a tragedy and a twist I didn't see coming. As the secondary storyline Josi's daughter, Breanna is planning her wedding to a count who lives in England, whose mother has some very strong ideas about what the wedding should be. It is breaking Breanna's heart, so Josi is also trying her best to deal with that at the same time. This was a really fun book with multiple mysteries going on all at the same time. I highly recommend it for a fun, clean read!
Rating: G
No sex, just a few sweet stolen kisses under the moonlight :0)

No Swearing

Violence: Relatively small amount of violence. No one witnesses any murder and no one is assaulted

2012-09-07T13:13:00.000-07:00

Instead of a book review I thought I would explain why I dropped off the face of the earth the last few months. I went in for a simple surgery on May 4, and was suppose to be home in 5 days. What actually happened was a 3 month stint in the hospital, 5 surgeries, a 6 week coma, and me actually dying and coming back. Quite an ordeal. When I woke up from the coma I could not move, was completely paralyzed. I had to relearn everything, to eat, walk, write, completely everything. It was a really long haul and it messed up my mind as well. I haven't even completed a book in the last 5 months!! It is still hard for me to focus, therefore I haven't been able to work on my website at all. I promise I will come back, things are coming back slowly. Just being able to type is such a blessing at this point. Please be patient with me. My goal is October 1st to be back to reviewing and hopefully having my first give-a-way, but I will have to see how my recovery goes. Keep reading good books!

Murder of a Wedding Belle by Denise Swanson

2012-04-04T12:22:00.000-07:00

The Scumble River series by Denise Swanson is a great read. I've been reading them for a long time. Skye Denison is a school psychologist who returns home to Scumble River after being away for a long time. She is the police department's psychological consultant on the side and gets mixed up in just about every murder that happens in the small town. She is also being pursued by two men in town, Simon, the local Mortician and Wally the Police Chief. In this outing Skye's cousin, who's been living in LA returns to Scumble River to be married in the most outlandish wedding of the century. She asks Skye to be her maid of honor. When the wedding planner is murdered 2 weeks before the wedding, Skye steps in to both coordinate the wedding and question everyone involved. High society meets down home folks makes for a lot for humor. I really enjoyed this book.
PG-13
Sex-mild Skye and Wally have romantic moments, the words smolder make me laugh, but they do sleep together
Violence-mild you don't see the murder, Skye just finds the body
Profanity-D-mn 12, H-ll 9, Ass 9, S-it 6, B-tch 2, G-d 1 they refer to God many times in a good way

Deader Homes and Gardens by Joan Hess

2012-04-04T11:55:00.002-07:00

I've been reading Joan Hess books for years so I was excited to find her newest book had come out. She writes with a lot of humor but also with a serious hand on murder. The cast of characters in this book is what amused me and kept me reading. Claire owns the local bookstore, she is married to Peter who has secret ties to the FBI and a teenage daughter who is very dramatic and speaks in Capital Letters Mom! This cracks me up! Her very recent marriage has made their living arrangements extremely close quarters so it is time to go house hunting. She finds the perfect house, however buying it is complicated, the owners end up dead and the extended family (the strange, funny, wacko cast of characters) don't want outsiders buying any home in their commune. When the agent showing the house to Claire comes up missing, Claire believes it isn't a coincidence, and the deaths of the owners just might have been murder, and so the mystery begins. I hadn't read a Claire Malloy mystery in quite awhile and I was a little surprised at how much profanity was in it. It wasn't extreme, no words that made me uncomfortable, but enough to give it a PG-13. But I still really loved it.
PG-13
Sex-none
Violence-mild murder is discussed but nothing graphic
Profanity- D-mn 14, H-ll 6, S-it 3, Ass 3, G-d 2 other remarks referring to God, B-stard 2, B-tch 2

The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale

2012-03-27T12:49:00.000-07:00

I don't know exactly what I was expecting when I began reading this novel, but it certainly was not what I got. This novel was written by a Mormon author about a Mormon housewife, Becky who sells her screenplay to a hollywood producer and while in hollywood bumps into her big screen crush actor, Felix. Through a series of fumbles and coincidences (quite charming and comical) they end up having dinner together and sharing the evening shooting barbs and insults back and forth playfully and agreeing (though both not really believing it) to be friends forever as they parted ways. Becky goes back to her incredibly strong marriage (understanding beyond words husband Mike) and 4 children believing the chance encounter was just a fluke. But Felix calls and so begins and lifelong friendship between the housewife and the actor.
Although things remain totally platonic, Becky never having a wayword thought away from her husband, I still felt uncomfortable reading much of the book. I though about how I would feel if it were my husband spending hours on the phone with another woman. Becky sells another screenplay that is bought and she is chosen to play the part of Felix's love interest in the movie. At this point, I did something I have never done in my whole life of devouring books..... I started reading another book. I just had to absorb what was happening in this book and distract myself by getting involved in another fantasy for awhile. I read both simultaneously.
The author is an incredible story teller and I definitely had to keep reading. The story takes you into some dark places (the part I didn't expect), which I really did not see coming!!! But just when I thought I was really going to get angry and hate the author.... she redeemed herself and the story ends exactly the way i felt it should. It was a really interesting novel and definitely clean! Just be ready for a definite ride. This is not a fluff piece!
Rating : PG
Sex-kissing, a little bit of talking about how good Becky's marriage is including intimacy, but nothing graphic
Violence-zero
Profanity-D-mn 4, H-ll 4

Loose Ends (A Mary O'Reilly Paranormal Mystery) by Terri Reid

2012-03-13T13:40:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading this book and I have to say I haven't enjoyed a book as much as this in a very long time. As you know, I normally read soft, cozy murder mysteries. This book pulls you in from the first chapter, a flashback to the 1980's, the murder of a young political intern. Then flashforward to present day and you are introduced to Mary O'Reilly a private investagator who is very serious about her profession, and as an added bonus happens to be able to see dead people. It is kind of a "Ghost whisperer meets murder she wrote" two of my favorite tv shows. But this is far from a cozy murder mystery. This book has much more of a crime novel feel to it. Mary is asked to investigate the murder of the intern from the '80s. She not only "sees" the murder (ala ghost whisperer) but in the course of the investigation she stumbles upon the murders of 6 little girls from the same time that are begging to be solved and put to rest. There are very serious parts of this book where I was so tense I actually jumped, and one scene that had me gripped to the point I couldn't put the book down! The author has a great way that she plays with words, not only keeping you glued to the story, but also making you smile and sometimes even chuckle. My favorite line in the whole book was her give-away wink to an old favorite primary song "choose the right, she sang softly, repeating the words from a childhood sunday school song." That's right, the author is LDS! You would not guess, as this is NOT a Christian Mystery. This is a mainstream novel. There is a bit more profanity than I normally read (see below for exact) but still nothing more than I would recommend. I still loved the book and highly recommend it if you can overlook that. One of my favorite books in the last year and I plan to read more Mary O'Reilly Mysteries!!

PG-13
Sex-mild: It does talk about little girls being abducted by a very bad guy who has bad thoughts about them but it doesn't get graphic
Violence-mild: Talks about the little girls who went missing 20 years ago, the main murder is very simple, no graphic violence
Profanity-H-ll 26, D-mn 39, B-tch 4, Bstd-1, G-d 2, Sh-t 2

Aunt Dimity Down Under by Nancy Atherton

2012-03-07T13:23:00.001-08:00

This is my Very Favorite Mystery series!! Unfortunately I don't have all of the books and they aren't all available on Kindle for me to re-read to review them all so I can't review them from the first book but the series starts with Lori Shepherd learning that the loveable "fictional" Aunt Dimity that her mother used to make up bedtime stories about was in fact a real person. Not only that, she left an extremely large amount of money and a lovely little cottage in England to Lori when she died. So Lori packs up and moves to England to live in the cottage. She finds a journal on a shelf in the cottage. When she opens it and begins to write, Aunt Dimity answers back in beautiful, flowing script. Thus begins a long and beautiful relationship. Aunt Dimity speaks to Lori from beyond and helps her solve many problems, murders, and enjoys the ups and downs of Lori's life in England. So there is a little "supernatural" eliment to the cozy mystery series.
This book finds Lori sad to find that two of the main characters of the series, her sweet neighbors the Pym systers (very old typical english ladies) are dying. They ask a favor of her, sending her to New Zealand to find their long lost brother who was cast out of the family in disgrace. With the help of Aunt Dimity, Lori tries to heal a broken family and brings a new character into the village of Finch. Also a long awaited wedding finally occurs! There are some Tolkien nods in this as well! Fun book! Fun, Clean Series! Although I can't tell you exactly what is in all of them, I can atest to you that they are Clean! The First in the series is Aunt Dimity Dies.
Rating : PG
Sex-zero
Violence-mild
Profanity-H-ll 3

Highland Games by Annis Ward Jackson

2012-03-07T12:41:00.001-08:00

The fourth book of the Rachel Myers mystery series set in the Appalachian Mountains finds our amateur sleuth not hunting down a murderer, but trying to figure out if she is going insane or facing demensia. Strange things are happening in her own home, things disappearing, moving around.... Her policeman/boyfriend Robby comes to her aid to help figure out exactly what is going on. It was a departure from the normal series but I really liked it. Definitely another one to put on your clean reads list, and for those Kindle owners only $2.99!
Rating: PG
Sex-mild kissing
Violence-mild
Profanity-H-ll 5, D-mn 3, G-d 5 exclamations

I Love a Parade by Gayle Wigglesworth

2012-03-06T13:25:00.000-08:00

This short novella by our Author of the month was a fun, quick read. It finds our latest friend in her newest series from "Glenda at large" on her rambling, meandering way toward the rest of her life. She has car trouble near a small town in Texas and has to stay a few days, so she finds a quaint little bed and breakfast and starts making temporary, but sweet and colorful friends. It just so happens they are having their annual parade the next day and it sounds like a fun time with a local bar-b-que at the end. Glenda makes plans to join in the fun. She buddies up with a man who is auditing the local bank who loves a good bar-b-que and they make plans to meet up to watch the parade and enjoy a good meal but when he doesn't show, Glenda get that old feeling that something is amiss. I love this character and can't wait for the next Glenda at large mystery!

Rating: PG
Sex-zero
Violence-mild
Profanity-H-ll 1, G-d exclamation 2, Sh-t 1

A Ghost From the Shadows by Elizabeth Egan-Cox

2012-02-28T11:44:00.000-08:00

Shanon Delaney comes to McArdle Bungalow to do publicity for a dinner theater but finds so much more! Her former flame Alex Blackthorne and a ghost! If that isn't enough, the ghost is a pirate! Set in Catalina, this engrossing tale involves solving a mystery of a pirate's treasure, a little romance, and some interesting interior design fun. This is the second book in the Shannon Delaney series (there are 4). I enjoyed the first as well (A Ghost of A Chance). I just downloaded the 4th for my Kindle and will review it when I have read it. I enjoy the author's style of writing and her sense of humor, while not going too far off track when involving a little supernatural element. A great clean read.
< Rating: G

Sex-kissing
Violence-mild
Profanity-zero

Breach of Trust by DiAnn Mills

2012-02-28T11:30:00.000-08:00

In this thriller/suspence novel, Paige Rogers lost everything when her entire CIA team was betrayed by their leader. They were all killed in their last mission, but she escaped and started a new life in hiding. Now a librarian in a small town, she finds out the man who betrayed her team is running for Governor of her state. He comes to find her and silence her. I found this a really compelling page turner! It is a Christian based novel but it doesn't cram it down your throat. It is a fascinating clean read.

Rating: PG
Sex-kissing
Violence-mild, mostly tense situations
Profanity-zero

Behind the Smile; My Journey Out of Postpartum Depression by Marie Osmond

2012-02-23T14:26:00.000-08:00

This very touching and very candid look at a very personal experience was an incredible read for me. I felt like I was going on this journey with her, as Marie Osmond chronicled her walk through the depths of Postpartum depression. Like many women out there, she didn't even realize what was happening to her. This is a subject that just wasn't talked about much. It was interesting to find that her mother had gone through it as well, but had never told her about it until she was going through it herself. I highly recommend this book to any young mother, whether suffering with postpartum or not. It was insightful to learn how she climbed out of the darkness. There are great gifts given to any women about self esteem and the value of being a mother from reading this book!

Rating: PG
Sex-zero
Violence-zero
Profanity-zero
I rated it PG because the subject matter is somewhat dark but it is completely clean

Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster

2012-02-22T17:42:00.003-08:00

Guest Review by Dani Potter

This book was originally published in 1912 which is why I love it so dearly. The book is a series of letters from a 17 year old orphan named Jerusha Abbott to Daddy Long-Legs, a mysterious trustee of the orphanage who is paying for her college education to become a writer. She has never met the man, but got a glimpse of him leaving the orphanage one day. She only saw his shadow which looked like a huge daddy long-leg spider so she named him Daddy Long-Legs. Every month he pays her tuition to school & she in turn is required to write him a letter updating him on her life & progress in her education. Her letters become more frequent as her life new adult life begins to unfold. I love how involved you start to feel in this young girls life as the letters progress. It's a WONDERFUL story of overcoming obstacles, growing up , & falling in love. And, it's CLEAN.

Rating: PG
Sex-zero
Violence-zero
Profanity-G-d 2, Good L--d 5 (thank the L--d) as well

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer

2012-02-22T17:37:00.000-08:00

In this sequel to the Twilight Series, Stephenie Meyer takes a look from the viewpoint of one of the young "newborn" vampires from the book Eclipse, Bree Tanner. Being a die hard Twilight fan I just had to get this on my Kindle and give it a go. It was an intriguing story, looking at the world through the eyes of the newborn without the morals of the Cullen family, but that also made the story extremely violent and pretty gory. A bit much for my taste. Ms. Meyer has an amazing way to keep you interested in the story and I couldn't put the book down, but knowing the ending before you begin reading was a bit of a downside. I'm on the fence with recommending this one as a "clean read"--no sex or profanity really, but the violence was pretty strong!

Rating: PG-13
Sex-none
Violence-Extreme
Profanity: D-mn 2, H-ll 2

Mud to Ashes by Gayle Wigglesworth

2012-02-22T16:48:00.000-08:00

In a departure from her travel mystery series, Gayle Wigglesworth has created a new character in Karo Meisner, a new divorcee who has moved to California to create a new and different setting for the second half of her life. She enjoys pottery and joins in the local potters' "scene". She buys 2 dogs to keep her company and while walking them on the beach, stumbles onto a dead body. The police seem way too interested in her private life and she becomes involved in solving the mystery. Once again Gayle creates a very interesting character and a story that keeps you wanting to read on. I hope this might be the beginning of another series from Gayle Wigglesworth!
Rating: PG
Sex-zero
Violence-Mild
Profanity-H-ll 6, G-d 4 exclamations, other Thanks to.

Haunts Haven; an LDS Ghost Story by Joan Sowards

2012-02-21T15:28:00.000-08:00

I bought this book because the title really intrigued me. I love a good ghost story and I knew if it was written by an LDS author it would be clean. From the first paragraph I was engrossed in this charming tale. Callie inherits her family's century-old inn in southern Arizona (another plus because I am from Arizona!). She didn't believe in ghosts even though every person she meets has a story about the ghost that guards the inn. Seems everyone has had an encounter with the ghost on her property. She soon begins renovations, gains a new best friend, meets a charming, frustrating, handsome cowboy, and a really great young LDS single rancher. Which one will she choose? I thought it would be an easy, mystery/romance read, but it really was a deep, twisting story of love, friendship, ghosts, mystery and believing in yourself. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, I didn't! I loved that. I have found a new author and plan to read more of her books! A great clean read!

Rating: G Squeaky Clean
Sex-kissing
Violence-none
Profanity-H-ll 1

Hide in Plain Sight by Marta Perry

2012-02-20T12:49:00.000-08:00

This is the first the "Three Sisters Inn" mystery/romance series. When Andrea Hampton's younger sister Rachel is involved in a horrific accident, she leaves her safe, big city job and runs home to help. But she finds that Rachel and her grandmother are in the process of opening a Bed and Breakfast in the old family home. It seems ridiculous but with Rachel unable to help get the Inn ready in time for opening, Andrea must help. However a rash of accidents preventing this from happening, handsome carpenter Cal, and the beautiful Amish Country setting make this an intriguing clean read! For kindle owners, this book is free, give it a try!
Rating: G Squeaky Clean
Sex-kissing
Violence-Mild
Profanity-None

A Christmas to Die For by Marta Perry

2012-02-20T12:38:00.000-08:00

The second in the "Three Sisters Inn" series has the story revolving around sister Rachel who finds herself attracted to the grandson of the landowner adjourning the Inn property. John Hostetler died of a heart attack during a robbery and now his grandson has returned to the family homestead and wants justice. This book covers three enjoyable subjects, mystery, romance, and Christmas. What more could you ask? The author is really great at weaving an intricate tale and deeply and carefully constructed characters that are very easy to care about. I really enjoy her writing. This is a fun, enjoyable clean read!

Rating: G Squeaky Clean
Sex-kissing
Violence-Mild
Profanity-Zero

Blind Malice by Annis Ward Jackson

2012-02-20T11:49:00.000-08:00

This is the first book in a series of mysteries set in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. The amateur detective is Rachel Myers who runs a nursing home but finds more than enough time to stick her nose into situations the police would rather she would not. Rachel travels home to her father's funeral where she feels something was not quite right about his death. It leads her on a path to finding things she did not know about her father's past. This is a great read for mystery buffs! The author is really good at weaving the story and setting up the characters so you care deeply about each one of them. I love this series! Just so you know, if you are an Amazon Prime customer and a kindle owner, you can borrow this book for free!
Rating: PG
Sex-none
Violence-mild
Profanity-D-mn 2, H-ll 7, G-d 4 exclamations, some other thanks be to, B-std 2

Buried Sins by Marta Perry

2012-02-20T11:34:00.000-08:00

Every month Amazon offers free books on the Kindle. Once in awhile I will take a chance on one and this one was pretty good. It was a Christian mystery/romance novel. I enjoyed it because it was not too "churchy" and not too "gooy" romantic. It was an engaging story right from the beginning and I enjoyed the family ties and emotional bonds that draw you into the story.
Caroline Hampton's new husband is killed in a car accident and she soon learns he was not who she thought he was. Apparently she has something someone wants and they are seriously looking for. Her life is in danger and she flees the city to the only real "home" she has ever known, her family's country inn run by her Grandmother and her sisters. The Three Sisters Inn is in the heart of Amish country, in Churchville Pennsylvania. The Police chief immediately takes notice of Caroline and her suspicious behavior. This was the 3rd in the "three sisters" series is a great Clean Read. Enjoy!
Rating: G Squeaky Clean
Sex-a kiss
Violence-mild
Profanity-zero References to God as in Thanking only

Key Lime Pie by Josi Kilpack

2012-02-15T11:43:00.000-08:00

When Sadie Hoffmiller's new friend Eric Burton's missing daughter's body might have been found in Florida, Eric immediately flies down there to investigate. Sadie is determined to stay out of it but of course that proves impossible. She is soon involved in trying to find answers for Eric, many interesting southern characters and some incredible southern recipes! A fun clean reads experience!

Rating: G Squeaky Clean

Sex-zero
Violence-mild
Profanity-zero