Month: May 2020

I have been reading the Sneaky Pie Brown books since the very first one, Wish You Were Here.  There are now close to 30 titles in all. I always enjoyed the stories, the characters and the illustrations.  While I wasn’t sure how I would feel about talking and thinking animals, I was quickly able to adapt and appreciate what they added to the story.

This story begins in spring and with gardening. Smell the peonies.  From there, of course, the story goes on to have murder and mysteries that are solved with the help of Harry and her furry friends.

If you enjoy cozy mysteries, this one could be for you.  It is a delightful read.

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

#FurmidableFoes #NetGalley

From the publisher:

What a perfect title for a child who is at home and feeling bored.  This book features many different activities including pictures to color, word searches, mazes, connect the dots, and spot the difference puzzles.  Get your crayons and pencils out and have some fun!

Many thanks to the publisher, Callisto, for this title in exchange for an honest review.

From the publisher:

This book includes 18 stories written by this well-known and beloved author. The stories were compiled by Ms. L’Engle’s granddaughter so could not come with a better pedigree.
The introduction to this book is filled with insight into the author whose granddaughter knew her well. It is noted that the stories are ones that were written early in Ms. L’Engle’s career.
The first of these, The Birthday, is about a young girl who is trying to cope with the change in plans for her big day and the uncertainties of life. Readers watch as Cecily tries to understand the world around her and her place in it. They witness the insecurity that she feels and the ways in which she tries to understand the world. Religion plays a part in the story. This was written when the author was young but it is fully formed. There are anguish, existential questions and suspense contained within.
I think that this story and the others are worth reading. Even if I did not know how famous the author would become, I think that I would have been moved by some of these stories.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.
Note: If potential readers are expecting The Wrinkle in Time, they will not find it here but they will get to spend time with an author, see her evolution and enjoy some fine stories.

From the publisher: 

In Barbara Delinsky’s newest novel, one week changes lives as relationships are re-examined, rekindled and renewed.

One week, usually not much happens in that amount of time, but for the characters in this novel past and present come together as old hurts, along with family secrets and relationships, surface along with questions about a disappearance.

Protagonist Mallory lives with her thirteen-year-old daughter Joy in New York where she has a busy life as a photographer. Mallory’s camera allows her to both be creative and to look at the world through her own (literal) lens. Mallory’s sister Anne lives in the Rhode Island town that Mallory left behind. Anne cares for their father, runs a (delicious sounding) breakfast restaurant, The Sunny Side Up and tries to decide what she wants from a relationship. Third sister Margo has also left town and lives in Chicago with her family. The three sisters reunite at the shore.

Also in Rhode Island is Mallory’s boyfriend from her younger years. They had a serious falling out when Jack’s mother disappeared from Mallory’s father’s boat, not to be heard from for over twenty years. What happened to her? What was the involvement of Mallory’s father? Did he cause her death? Did she die? Will he talk? This is one of the big mysteries of the novel but there are others including the question of Mallory’s paternity.

I grew up in Rhode Island where the book is set. To me the town seemed generic though, like any beach town, not especially RI-ey. However, the town was charming and readers will wish that they could visit there.

This is a solid novel that kept me turning the pages. It was not my favorite book by this author but I definitely enjoyed it and do recommend it to those who enjoy women’s fiction. I preferred Ms. Delinsky’s last novel, Before and Again but that just means that you could read both!

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

I was absolutely thrilled to be given an ARC of this title by NetGalley and the publisher. I have looked forward to and read each book in this series, beginning with the first titled, The Seven Sisters, followed by The Storm Sister, The Shadow Sister, The Pearl Sister and now The Sun Sister. There is still a seventh to come.

The conceit of the series is that Pa, who may or may not be deceased, adopted seven children from around the globe. In each novel in the series, which can be read in any order, one of the sisters learns more about her past. Each book has a dual time line. In the order listed for the books above, Maia’s story lies in Brazil, Ally’s in Norway, Star’s in England, Cece’s in Australia, Tiggy’s in Spain and Electra’s in Africa. Each book has been researched for historical veracity. The books are LONG which to me has been a plus as I love to spend time with Ms. Riley’s characters.

In some ways, I think Electra’s personal story is the most difficult. Readers learn early on that, although Electra, is a world famous model, she is personally somewhat lost and struggling. The beginning of the novel places the reader in the world of Electra’s addictions. Readers will watch and hope for her recovery.

Electra’s birth grandmother’s story begins in Africa where, for reasons the plot explains, she comes to be cared for by Cecily. Cecily, an American, has traveled to Kenya where she lives with characters much like those in the “Happy Valley set.” Some sections of the story take place in Kenya and then the story moves to New York when Cecily returns there for a time.

Ms. Riley is taking on big issues in this novel; addiction, race relations, prejudice and more. I think that this makes the book a more challenging one for the Caucasian author as she is trying to authentically portray relatively recent times for African Americans while not having grown up with these experiences. However, that said, I very much enjoyed spending time in the world of the Seven Sisters.

Many, many…many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed seeing the ways in which Electra evolved over the course of the novel.

Mostly escapist reading here.  Enjoy.

poisonedpenbooks.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/bn-may-20-part-2.pdf

My daughters’ fifth grade math teacher would rejoice at this title.  She felt that it was so important for girls to take for granted that they could do math, just as they could read.  This title will reinforce that idea by sharing the stories of girls who loved math.

The girls featured here were born anywhere between the 1700s and 1900s so quite a time span.  Included are Caroline Herschel, who discovered a comet; Florence Nightingale; Hertha Marks Ayrton who became an engineer and inventor; Marie Tharp who mapped the ocean floor; Katherine Jenkins, of Hidden Figures fame; Edna Lee Paisana who was a Native American statistician and Vera Rubin who studied dark matter.

This title is an inspiring one.  Girls learn, they persist and they make a difference.  What a message for all children to take in.

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

Pub date:  August 4, 2020

Are you looking for escapist reads?  Do you like romance, be it historical, contemporary, humorous or more?  If so, take a look at this title and plan what to put on your reading list over the next few months.  There are fourteen  excerpts to get you started.  Enjoy.

 

 

fourteen excerpts

Such good choices here.  I am about to add to my already large TBR pile.  Enjoy.