Month: October 2019

The Books of the Dead is the second in a series, following Death in Paris, which I have not yet read. I found The Books of the Dead to be a novel that will appeal to lovers of cozy mysteries who are able to suspend some disbelief.

Our two sleuths, Magda and Rachel, are American ex-pats who live in Paris. They have a relationship with a French Inspector, Boussicault, who involves them in solving some of his cases. Why this would happen is the what requires a reader’s suspension of disbelief.

The case involves several murders and the theft of valuable pages from historic books. Suspects include those who work for or do research at the Biblioteque Nationale. Each suspect has a backstory that gives credence to why they may have committed the crimes. While solving the case along with our detectives, the reader gets to dash around Paris, spending a sufficient amount of time in cafes and bars.

The end of the book includes some extras. For example, there is a glossary of French terms.

I found this book to be an easy and relaxing read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book in exchange for an honest review.

Review

I was thrilled to receive this novel from NetGalley and HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review. I have read every book in this series of very British mysteries that, surprisingly, are written by an American author who lives in Texas. A Bitter Feast is book 18 in this fine series that has deepened over time. If you can, read the books in order for the people, the history and the relationships but, if you can’t, this could be read as a standalone.

Detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma Jones, who married many books ago, are invited to the country with their three children (Backstories on the children appear in earlier books as only one is the shared child of both Gemma and Duncan). They are invited by another police officer, Melody Talbot (again backstory in earlier novels), to her parents beautiful Cotswold home for the weekend. The descriptions of the countryside and the house will make you wish that you could hop a plane, unless you already live in Britain.

Of course, there are murders. There is also lots of food as chefs are important characters in the story. Why was a famous chef murdered? Why was his demise followed by others? And of course, whodunnit? I thought that I knew but I was wrong.

My only regret upon finishing A Bitter Feast was knowing that I now have to again begin the wait for the next book by this author. If you like traditional British mysteries/police procedurals, I highly recommend this one.

Reviews

Some mystery and some women’s fiction.

One of the givens of childhood seems to be the wish to be older, bigger or cleverer. If you know a child who has ever felt that way, read this story with them. It humorously acknowledges how frustrating being small can be…and the possible ways to get around that.

Tallulah wants to play the tuba but as can be seen from the book’s cover and amusing illustrations throughout, she is too small. She tries to grow but can’t make that happen fast enough. Watch as she inventively solves her dilemma. This is a fun read that I recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book in return for an honest review.

This is a beautiful book. It tells the story of a Hmong family. They have emigrated to the U.S. and are living in a new community. This book follows the daughter of the family over many months. During this time, she gets to meet her elderly neighbors, welcomes twin brothers, spends time outdoors, watches the seasons change and offers comfort to an older man in a time of loss. I think that readers will be touched as they learn about and see the map into the world. This book is lyrically, charmingly and beautifully illustrated. The author and illustrator seem to have worked together seamlessly. All in all, a wonderful book.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this touching book. All opinions are my own.

Of note is that the book is about a Hmong family. This group emigrated to the U.S. after the Vietnamese War. I highly recommend the book for adults The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. My earlier review is below:

I am reading this nonfiction title for an undergraduate class, Religion and Healing. This book offers a profound look at the culture, practices and beliefs of the Hmong people and how these clash with Western medicine when the Lee’s daughter, Lia, is found to have epilepsy (in Hmong culture, the title of the book is the Hmong word for this condition.) This book is enlightening and heartbreaking. In our current political climate, it offers a poignant reminder of the importance of learning about other’s belief systems without judging. Recommended for all readers but especially for those in the “helping” professions.

The Nancy (and Sluggo) cartoons are classics. I don’t recall when the first comic strip was published but I know that it was many years ago. Olivia Jaimes more recently took over at the Nancy desk. What a good choice she was! The comic strips in this book are modern, relevant, cheeky and yet still feel like the Nancy that readers may remember of old. If you are looking for a smile of recognition and a bit of relaxation, get this book. You will grin as you read about everything from cell phones to computers to school to…life. Enjoy.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book in exchange for an honest review. I know that I will be leafing through it many times.

Penny for Your Secrets is the third entry in the Verity Kent series. The first two books are This Side of Murder and Treacherous is the Night. The back story of this series is World War I. Readers learn more about Sidney’s experiences during that time and empathize with his difficulty in coping. Readers will also enjoy spending more time with this couple as they get to know one another better.

In this entry, Verity has two cases to solve. In one, a friend has been accused of murdering her husband. In the other, a friend from Verity’s WWI spy work, asks for her help in investigating the murder of her sister. The novel includes many settings including mansions and locations in France and England.

Readers know that the cases will be solved but how? Are they related? Do they relate to the war? Find out as you read this latest adventure .

Also, I want to comment on the cover. I think that it is really gorgeous.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book in exchange for an honest review.

You can find my reviews of the first two books in the archive.

The Little Fir Tree is a beautifully told and illustrated fairy tale that children may enjoy on a literal level. For the adult reading this tale, there is much metaphor and much to think about. Some of the things that came to me included why do we want to grow up so quickly? how will we later look back on this rush? what happens when we go from one place to another? how fleeting is joy? can we cycle back to it? what is it like to make room for the next generation? That is quite a lot for a short fairy tale. This is a book to buy for a child you know, both to read now and to save for later. It will remind you to be aware and appreciative of life in the current moment.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this book in exchange for an honest review.

From the Publisher

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