Month: May 2020

Amazingly, I have read and can recommend all of these titles.  I think that is a first in these posts.  Some of these have been reviewed on the blog.

My earlier review:

Kudos to the talented Ann Cleeves for this first entry in her new series. I have read the author’s Vera and Jimmy Perez novels, both of which I recommend. As a reader who looked forward especially to every Perez novel, I was sad to learn that the series had finished. I wondered if there would be no more books by this author. I am delighted that that is not the case.

In The Long Call, Ann Cleeves creates a world within a small community in North Devon where rivers converge; the setting effectively becomes a part of the story. In this world, there are three police officers who are central characters. First is Matthew; he was raised within the Brethren, a conservative religious group. While Brethren characters are very much a part of the novel, Matthew himself has left the group. This cast him away from the familiar into a new life in the police and with his husband, Jonathan. Next is a female character, Jen. She is divorced and never has sufficient time for that elusive work-life balance. Ross is a police officer who seems a bit full of himself but he too has reasons for being as he is. I enjoyed spending time with each of these characters.

The story is populated with many characters. There are businessmen, a curate and his girlfriend, an artist and many others. There is the murder victim whose backstory is essential to the plot. Also, there are three young women with Down Syndrome who are integral to the novel. Ms. Cleeves portrays each as a fully rounded person. She is clear eyed and empathetic in the portrayals of the three and their families.

This book was an excellent read and one that I highly recommend. I was sorry to get to the end of the book and only hope that the next in the series comes out soon. If you are a person who enjoys well written British mysteries, put this one on your TBR pile

Many, many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this book in exchange for an honest review.

 

  This is a humorously and adorably illustrated story book.  It starts with a cat in need of a hug and…watch what comes next!  Young children and their adults will find this book to be delightful.

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

Pub Date 01 Sep 2020

I am not interested in attending medical school but nonetheless was most intrigued by these essays.  Each tells a story of a person’s life and the ethos behind their hopes and dreams.

Prospective medical students may find this book to be quite helpful as it includes not only the essays but also information about test scores, the college attended by the applicant and more.  My only caveat is that applicants should consider the importance of  retaining their own voice.  It could be easy to want to frame one’s experiences in a format described in the book.  I would suggest writing your own essay before taking a look at these.

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

Some good choices here including Nevada Barr’s first Anna Pigeon mystery, a Donna Leon title, the first in one of McCall Smith’s series and more.  See my archive for a review of The Other Windsor Girl.  Also, I have loved all of the books that I have read by Charlie Lovett.  Enjoy.

This book is very aptly named. The puzzles are, in fact, fiendishly difficult to solve. This is at least partly due to the author’s ability to create a puzzle and the variety that she finds within each type. This book includes crosswords, word searches, sudoku, calcudoku, kakuro and cryptograms. In each category, Ms. Chen has created variations on a theme. For example, the first word search puzzle is difficult but traditional. Following this one though, the others all have a twist; for instance the next puzzle has anagrams and the one after that is called change the first letter. Similarly most of the puzzles in the book have a twist that makes them quite challenging.

This book will be welcomed by those who want to immerse themselves in a challenge that could well take time. Beginning puzzlers may be frustrated by the book. Think about who you are and then decide.

Many thanks to Callisto publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

 

From the publisher:

This is a great list of podcasts on mysteries from The Bookish Hooker.

A little bit of many things for May 1.