Month: February 2026

Posted in Mystery, Novella/Short Story, Thrillers

Graveyard Shift

Posted on by Mama

Original post from my Mom blog here – https://mamaonthemove1.wordpress.com/2026/02/25/book-review-graveyard-shift/

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Title: Graveyard Shift


Author: M.L. Rio


Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Horror, Novella


Number of Pages: 126


My Rating: 💋💋💋💋


Book Summary:

Author of sales sensation If We Were Villains returns with a story about a ragtag group of night shift workers who meet in the local cemetery to unearth the secrets lurking in an open grave.

Every night, in the college’s ancient cemetery, five people cross paths as they work the late shift: a bartender, a rideshare driver, a hotel receptionist, the steward of the derelict church that looms over them, and the editor-in-chief of the college paper, always in search of a story.

One dark October evening in the defunct churchyard, they find a hole that wasn’t there before. A fresh, open grave where no grave should be. But who dug it, and for whom?

Before they go their separate ways, the gravedigger returns. As they trail him through the night, they realize he may be the key to a string of strange happenings around town that have made headlines for the last few weeks—and that they may be closer to the mystery than they thought.

Atmospheric and eerie, with the ensemble cast her fans love and a delightfully familiar academic backdrop, Graveyard Shift is a modern Gothic tale in If We Were Villains author M. L. Rio’s inimitable style.

My Thoughts:

I actually really enjoyed this novella. It was short, captivating and filled with intrigue. I truly couldn’t put it down and devoured the whole thing in a few hours. What?! I’m a bit of a slow reader okay!

It catches your attention right from the start and I love the individual chapters for each character. It allows for different perspectives and narratives. A bunch of insomniacs meeting in an abandon graveyard to have a few smokes and chat. Only to encounter a mysterious gravedigger, but what are they burying?!

There is a sense of foreboding as our edgy “Scooby gang” follows him around and slowly uncover the truth behind his midnight burial. There is more to this then meets the eye and is definitely linked to other events that have been happening around campus and the local bar haunt. I even loved that one of the characters in the group is also linked to what is going on to our mystery digger.

However I won’t give any spoilers in this one, but I just wish this was an actual novel rather then just a novel. I would have loved to see more character development, more links to the scientific aspect in all this and more justice frankly. But honestly my absolute favourite portion of the whole thing was the atmosphere that the author portrays.

I know a lot of the reviews thought this was meh, but for a novella I thought it was pretty spot on. Again, I honestly wish this was an actual novel, not just a novella. I do recommend if you want some strange vibes, awesome atmosphere and a little mystery for a quick read. I will be reading more from this author for sure!

Hope you enjoyed and keep an eye out for the next review which will be The Summer I Turned Pretty Trilogy by Jenny Han.

Ciao!

Posted in Thrillers, Young Adult

The Lake

Posted on by Mama

Original post from my Mom blog here – https://mamaonthemove1.wordpress.com/2026/02/25/book-review-the-lake/

Title: The Lake


Author: Natasha Preston


Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Young Adult


Number of Pages: 378


My Rating: 💋💋💋


Book Summary:

Esme and Kayla once were campers at Camp Pine Lake. Now they’re back as counselors-in-training. Esme loves the little girls in her cabin and thinks it’s funny how scared they are of everything—the woods, the bugs, the boys…even swimming in the lake. It reminds her of how she and Kayla used to be. Before…

Because Esme and Kayla did something terrible when they were campers. Something they’ve kept a secret all these years. They vow that this summer will be awesome. Two months of sun, s’mores, and flirting with the cute boy counselors. But then they get a message:
THE LAKE NEVER FORGETS.

The secret they’ve kept buried for so many years is about to resurface.

My Thoughts:

I knew this one would be a quick read, considering I’ve read a few of Natasha’s books already. I can pretty much fly through a young adult novel pretty quickly.

Unfortunately, I thought this one would be a little more thrilling and suspenseful. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the atmosphere of the novel as a whole, set in the woods at a camp, counselors, etc. Definitely gave me a Jason Voorhees, Crystal Lake vibe (which I adore and one of my favourite slasher flicks!) However, this obviously wasn’t that.

The novel surrounds two best friends who are holding a deep dark secret from childhood, but the novel is based in the perspective of Esme. Ultimately, she was the better choice for the narrative, considering I wanted to slap her friend Kayla so many times. Esme at least had some gumption to her, but the slow paranoia and constant anxiety started to get to me near the end. Although there were some character traits that became less then desirable, I understand why the author wrote it that way. How else would a teenage girl react while she is being stalked at a children’s camp?

Kayla was a bit useless to be frank, she only wanted to forget what had happened, never really wanted to discuss the realities of the situation and I felt like she was very selfish and self-centered. She was more interested in her summer boyfriend then the real threat that was happening to her friend Esme and to herself.

There were a few minor characters within the story as well, but honestly they didn’t bring much other then summer romance and some questioning friendships. I kind of called the assistant to the stalker right off the bat, though I wish I had been wrong. I was really hoping that it would have been one of the love interests or even the supervisor of the camp themselves, alas that wasn’t the case.

In the end, their deep dark secret comes spilling out for all to hear and the stalker reveals themself and their heinous plans, a little revenge murder. Why? Because who doesn’t love a psychotic killer/stalker who wants revenge for something that happened to them the night they came in contact with Esme and Kayla. Lillian, the killer/stalker, is cold-hearted, wrathful and will stop at nothing for her revenge.

SPOILER ALERT:

When Esme and Kayla were campers at this exact camp as children, they snuck out one night and started a fire in the woods. They camp across Lillian who was strange, creepy and wanting to show them a dead animal she had killed. There was an altercation between Kayla and Lillian, Kayla pushed her and she feel to the ground unconscious. Unfortunately, at the same time their fire got out of hand and the girls ran back to the cabin, leaving Lillian laying there. The fire starters were never caught and it had always been a mystery as to who had done it. But for the girls, they always kept it quiet and wondered if the girl (Lillian) had made it out safely.

They got their answer in the end.

And Lillian got her revenge, along with a healthy body count of deceased, only to land the blame on someone else and get away.

So did I like this book? It was okay, I wouldn’t re-read it and it’s definitely not in my favourites category, however I just wish their were a few more twists and turns, a bit more escalation on some of the events that occurred and the ending was a bit predictable. All in all, for a young adult thriller I give it three Baci. A good, quick, one time read.

Hope you enjoyed and keep an eye out for the next review which will be the novel Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio.

Ciao!

Posted in Biography

The Third Gilmore Girl: A Memoir

Posted on by Mama

Original post from my Mom blog here – https://mamaonthemove1.wordpress.com/2026/02/06/book-review/

Title: The Third Gilmore Girl: A Memoir


Author: Kelly Bishop


Genre: Memoir, Biography, Non-fiction


Number of Pages: 239


My Rating: 💋💋💋💋💋


Book Summary:


After more than half a century in show business, Kelly Bishop has stories to tell. From her Tony Award-winning performance in the original Broadway cast of A Chorus Line, to playing Jennifer Grey’s mother in Dirty Dancing, to her iconic role as matriarch Emily Gilmore in the groundbreaking television classic Gilmore Girls, few actors have enjoyed such long-running success —and even fewer can claim the adoration that this legendary actress has cultivated over her many working years. Kelly’s instantly recognizable voice has echoed through theaters and living rooms for decades.

For the first time, Kelly opens the door into her own life. She retraces her steps from Broadway to Hollywood and everywhere in between, reflecting on her decades-long career and sharing some of her greatest memories and lessons she learned along the way. From her early days as a dancer at Radio City Music Hall in the ’60s, to marrying young to a compulsive gambler, to her time as a burned-out Las Vegas showgirl, nothing is off-limits. She takes readers behind the scenes, from how she helped create a role in A Chorus Line, what it is like having Ed Herrmann as her TV husband and Lauren Graham as her TV daughter, and working with some of the biggest names in showbiz. The result is an enchanting celebration of a fearless and versatile performer whose talent and spirit have earned her an enduring place in the hearts and homes of millions.

Chock-full of witty insights and personal photographs, The Third Gilmore Girl is a warm, unapologetic, lively memoir from a woman who has left indelible impressions on her audiences- and who has no plans of slowing down.

My Thoughts:

To be blatantly honest, I was bound to love this one considering how big of a fan I am of Kelly Bishop and Gilmore Girls. I haven’t read a memoir this fast since Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark by Cassandra Peterson. (HUGE Elvira fan as well!) And let me tell you, neither one of them disappointed me in the slightest!

To say Kelly Bishop (Or Carole Bishop as she was originally known as before the name change with SAG) has an incredible life and career is an absolute understatement. Her determination, drive, hard work ethic, fight and wit will have you admiring her and giggling the whole way through. The books description has never been more accurate. It leads you through her love of Ballet as a young girl, her auditioning for the American Ballet Theatre corps de ballet only to deviated into a different career path….Broadway! Her Broadway career is astonishing and she even won a Tony Away for her performance. To say it’s impressive is an understatement and the sprinkling of famous actors, actresses, choreographers and musical composers is just cool. It was also really interesting to see how she transitioned into acting in television and movies. Learning she was suppose to play Vivian Pressman in Dirty Dancing and instead got handed the role of Marge Houseman (Baby’s mother) instead, well that was crazy to me.

Then all the wonderful moments of her on the set of Gilmore Girls, her relationships with Amy Sherman-Palladino (the series writer), Lauren Graham, and Ed Herrmann and the moments she shared with each of them. Along with the other cast and crew. From doing the New York Times crossword with Ed Herrmann in their shared trailer, arriving too early to set, to even marching in Washington with Amy. Also, finding out that the last season of Gilmore Girls, Season 7, was not written by Amy at all! No wonder it didn’t have the same pizzazz. How I never noticed that after the millions of times I’ve re-watched that series, I really don’t know! She also discusses how Netflix essentially allowed to show to resurface and gain popularity, the shows reboot for those 4 episodes, the evolution of Emily Gilmore and how she was team Logan. Now sorry Kelly, I have to strongly disagree on the team Logan bit, but her and I definitely agree that it was Team Luke the whole way!!

It wasn’t just her professional career you admire in this book, which is again extensive and very impressive. It also showed her personal life as well. Her very loving relationship with her husband Lee, her love for animals, her mother, and the plethora of wonderful friendships she cultivated over her career. You could feel the vulnerability in certain sections of this book, her sense of humor/wit and her strong personality. She is truly infectious, even in writing. Not to mention some very wonderful fan interactions she had encountered, which I thought was a very sweet touch to put in her memoir.

But it wasn’t all sunshine and roses.

She sprinkles in her failed marriage, life lessons from showbiz including the difficulties of travel and financial stability. The reality of going pay check to paycheck and everything in between. Her husbands health struggles with multiple forms of cancer. Grief and loss and how she persevered through them. The difficulty of shady agents and finding work, but not just any work, but also work that spoke to her as an actress.

I am not not one to cry over celebrities, but Kelly Bishop had me teary eyed when she spoke of the loss of Ed Herrmann (another impeccable actor and who played Richard Gilmore in Gilmore Girls), the loss of her husband Lee and when she reminisced about moments with her husband Lee after he passed and sadly left this world. I can truly say those moments, touched me so deeply with the way they were written with such love and adoration. Those moments made me stop and think about my own loved ones in that moment.

That to me, put the cherry on top of the cake.

So do I recommend this one? OH HELL YES! I think that’s enough said right?

Hope you enjoyed and keep an eye out for the next review which will be the novel The Lake by Natasha Preston. I’ll also let you know what our next book club book will be after February 15th!

Ciao!