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Book Review: Harriet Hates Lemonade by Kim McCollum
I’m excited to participate in the WOW! Women on Writing Blog Tour for Kim McCollum’s latest novel, Harriet Hates Lemonade by sharing my review of the book. Here’s the synopsis: Meet Harriet. But don’t be surprised if she isn’t interested in meeting you. Harriet has life all figured out, and she doesn’t hesitate to inform others of their shortcomings. Though her attempts to become president of the homeowner’s association failed, that doesn’t stop her from berating “off-leash-dog-man” or reporting the neighbor who had the audacity to leave their easter decorations up an entire week past the holiday. The problem is, unbeknownst to her, Harriet’s rigid rules and judgmental opinions are not her own.…
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The Unsolved Murder of Cynthia Kirk
On Monday, Aug. 21, 1989, the quiet Durham neighborhood of American Village was stunned when a 34-year-old mother was found murdered in her home. Cynthia Kirk, a married mother of a nineteen-month-old daughter, worked as a second-shift supervisor at the tobacco company Liggett & Myers. Normally, she would pack a diaper bag for her daughter, Suzanne, before taking her over to a babysitter’s house around 2:15 p.m.. But on the afternoon of August 21, Cynthia, known as Cindy to her friends and family, and Suzanne never arrived at the babysitter’s home. Concerned, the sitter tried to call Cindy. When she couldn’t reach her, she phoned Cindy’s sister, Beverly Sechler, who lived nearby. When…
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Book Review: Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
I work part time in a small, independent bookstore, and when we kept selling out of a book called “Theo of Golden” Naturally, I grew curious, because I’m always interested in what book clubs are reading. I heard through the grapevine that the author had originally self-published the novel in 2023 and it sold so many copies through grassroots marketing that eventually it was picked up by Simon and Schuster in the fall of 2025. Knowing how hard it is to publish a novel and get people to read it, never mind attracting the attention of a Big 5 publisher, I requested the book from my library. After a seven-week-long wait, it arrived…
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The Murder of Michelle Young
In the fall of 2006, a young mother’s lifeless body was found inside her suburban home in Raleigh. But when the victim’s husband was told about her death, his response was not the one investigators expected. Even though his wife’s family begged and pleaded for him to talk with police, he refused, citing advice from his attorney. No arrest was made for six years, until a judge’s ruling on a civil lawsuit finally gave local law enforcement the opening they’d been waiting for. But even then, questions remained about who really murdered Michelle Young. The Enchanted Oaks subdivision in Raleigh lived up to its name, with traditional-style homes, tree-lined streets with lampposts, and…