Month: March 2020

The Secrets of Love Story Bridge is a warm-hearted tale of  flawed yet hopeful individuals who find one another and move forward in their lives.  The main character is Mitchell; he is a man with many regrets for how he lived his life with his partner Anita.  Now he is finding it difficult to move ahead without her.  A workaholic, Mitchell was often missing out on day to day life with Anita and their daughter, Poppy.

As the novel opens, Mitchell and nine-year-old Poppy form a tight (but somewhat rigid) twosome as Mitchell tries to control for all eventualities.  Mitchell tries to maintain his connection to Anita by writing letters that she will never read. He cannot get himself to read the last letter that Anita wrote to him.  Full of guilt, will Mitchell ever forgive himself?

Mitchell lives in Upchester, a town of many bridges.  One day he sees someone leave a love locket on the bridge and then go overboard.  He rescues this unknown young woman and this starts a period of change in his life.  Who went over?  What happened to her?  How will the private Mitchell cope with the ensuing publicity?

Mitchell was late to pick up Poppy on the bridge day so she was with a teacher, Liza.  The story of Liza and Mitchell will be the romance that you root for.  Readers will also learn about the connections between the woman on the bridge and the other characters in the novel.

This is a story of quirky characters who want what most of us want-a sense of connection and hope for the future.  In that sense, bridges that connect two places, form the perfect analogy for the novel.  During our current difficult times, this is a sweet book and may help readers to take a break from their worries.

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

#TheSecretsofLoveStoryBridge #NetGalley

Pub date:  April 28, 2020

Clarence’s Big Secret is based upon the life story of a real person. Clarence was a smart and BIG young boy. When he got to school, the teacher thought he was older than he was and asked him to do things that he had not yet learned. He fled school and never returned.

Clarence was clever and talented. He went on to have a very productive life while keeping his big secret. Find out what it was in this charming story which clearly shows that one is never too old to learn or overcome.

The illustrations feel a bit old fashioned but in a good way. They contribute to the story’s atmosphere.

This was a lovely read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Note:  When I first wrote this there it was the holiday season.  Now we have the virus to make us anxious.  So…a good time for this title.

The holiday season can be a time of great cheer and joy. For some though, it is a time of year when anxiety reaches its peak. While this book is not about the holidays, it is a very good resource on anxiety in general. The author is a practitioner of CBT or cognitive behavioral therapy. He sets out a way to understand and work with anxiety so that it does not rule one’s life. Dr. Minden has a three step plan which includes making “useful predictions, not anxious fictions”, taking action and accepting and redirecting. The author’s hope is that “these approaches will help you move from reactive to proactive, from emotional to logical, from avoidant to active and from judgmental to accepting.” Through keeping a notebook and following the strategies in this book, you may find that you can cope better.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

#ShowYourAnxietyWhosBoss #NetGalley

A couple of mysteries and a classic by Hermann Hesse.

Anne Perry has been writing mysteries since 1979 when the first of her Thomas and Charlotte Pitt novels was published.  I still remember how much I enjoyed that novel’s Victorian world and its characters.  Perry went on to pen a second popular series about Inspector Monk; the conceit that carried through a number of the books was Monk’s amnesia.  Monk solved his cases with the help of a nurse and lawyer.  The author also has published a number of Christmas novellas that feature characters from these series.  For years, readers could look forward to a new book in each series every year.

More recently, Ms. Perry started two new series.  With the first Elena Standish novel, she moved to the period during which Hitler was rising to power.  Her second new series features Daniel Pitt.  He is the lawyer son of Thomas and Charlotte.  I enjoyed the first two books in the Daniel Pitt series but, for me, third time is the charm.  I think that One Fatal Flaw is an excellent read.

As is true in Ms. Perry’s other series, the recurring characters who surround the protagonist add interest and depth to the story.  Chief among these is Miriam; older than Daniel, she knows a great deal about criminology and science, although the times that she lives in do not allow her full or formal entry to the working world.  In each book, the relationship between Daniel and Miriam deepens.

One Fatal Flaw tells the interrelated stories of three cases of murder and arson.  Ms. Perry handles the narrative expertly and readers will enjoy spending time with the very decent characters as they do their best to serve justice.

I give this book five stars and offer many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: April 7, 2020

See my archive for reviews of a number of titles by this author.

Do you need some escape from your reality?  If yes, here are some good choices.  I read The Peabody Sisters and found it to be an absorbing biography about these American women in the 1800s.  I recall that one of the sisters was married to Nathaniel Hawthorne and I think that another was an educator.  I just purchased the poetry title; I am trying to read more poems this year; this book will certainly help.

What makes for a perfect birthday? Is it perfection that makes it perfect? Young listeners will enjoy finding out the answer to that question as they find out about beaver’s big day.

Beaver wants the perfect birthday cake and he has the perfect recipe for it. His friends want to help and things do not go as Beaver planned. How does he react? What happens? What is most important? Children will know when they finish the story.

This book is for toddlers and preschoolers. It will gently help them to think about what matters. Adults will know the predictable answer but young children may not.

The illustrations that accompany the book are detailed and playful. They definitely enhance the story while adding humor.

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

From the publisher:

The photos in this book are so appealing that even if you don’t plan to have a pet, you may enjoy flipping through the pages.  Included are suggestions for the dog to choose based on what a person needs.  There are dogs for beginners, family friendly dogs, low and high maintenance dogs, hypoallergenic dogs and more.  The book also includes two charts that, if completed, will assist in making good choices based on the owner’s lifestyle and different factors for each dog breed.

Each breed entry includes some history, an additional entry (history, changing roles, etc.) and a list of canine characteristics.  There is also a helpful at a glance box.

For those who want to make an informed decision on the pup that might be best either in daydream or real life, this title is a fine resource.

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

#TheDog #NetGalley

This is a lovely book for the youngest children.  Illustrated in black, white, red, yellow and a bit of pink, it is very appealing to look at.  The anthropomorphized vehicles are adorable.  The text is simple and the physical book will have buttons to press for sound.  An ideal book for little ones.

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

#VroomZoomHereComesTheFireTruck #NetGalley

From the publisher: