An Amory Ames Mystery

by Ashley Weaver

Ashley Weaver is a good practitioner of historical mystery writing. Here is her sixth story about Amory Ames and her husband Milo. In this outing, the couple is traveling to New York for a wedding. Of course, where they go, trouble and murder generally follow and so they do here.

The story is set during Prohibition but life is not quiet even with no alcohol. One of the groomsman who is to be in Amory’s friend Tabitha’s wedding is murdered. What happened? Why? Who did it? Read this series entry to find out.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free

The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth

by Alice Faye Duncan

Do you know the story of Juneteenth? Do you work with or have children? This book tells an important and inspiring story and I highly recommend that you share it with kids that you know.

First off, what was Juneteenth? It was the date upon which some in Texas learned about Emancipation. Was this found out in a timely manner? Read this story of the holiday to find out.

Opal Lee can and should be an inspiration to all of us. From childhood, she had awareness and a desire to work for what was right.

This beautifully illustrated story tells Opal Lee’s biography and the history of the holiday in a way that kids can understand. Share this one with someone…or many someones…and then talk about it and our country’s history and hopes. It might be a very important conversation.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

The Mystery of Albert E. Finch

A Victorian Bookclub Mystery

by Callie Hutton

Crooked Lane publishing serves a a real “go to” for those who like their mysteries without too much violence and yet with a story, characters and settings that engage the reader. This was one that I wanted to read as soon as I saw the words “Victorian Bookclub” in the subheading. As a further bonus, the story is set in Bath, a place that I have loved ever since spending a junior year abroad there.

Uh-oh, there is a murder at a wedding. The victim had been in an argument with her husband but is he the culprit? What else is going on here? Read this delightful title to find out. This book is part of a series but can be read on its own. Fans may want to look for the other titles though.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Jane and the Year Without Summer is the latest in Ms. Barron’s long running series that features Jane Austen as a solver of mysteries. I enjoyed this newest title.

The book is slow moving but for me this was in a good way. It felt as if this was intended to keep pace with Jane’s world. Other efforts to add historic authenticity include using archaic spellings, as for example, spelling sofa, “sopha.”

The joy of this book for me lies in spending time with Jane and her sister Cassandra as they enjoy/cope with the events in a spa town. I also was interested to read about Jane’s acquaintance with Raphael West, a painter in his own right and the son of Benjamin West.

The story itself has sufficient plot. There is a runaway bride and her friend/protector. There are dead rodents and a dead dog; were they deliberately poisoned? And, later in the book, there is a fire and a murder.

Those who enjoy an historical mystery that takes it time will enjoy this title. Readers unfamiliar with the series may then want to go back to read the earlier entries.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

53 Brief Lessons for Living

by Massimo Pigliucci

This title is written by an Italian philosopher. In it, he updates some precepts of stoicism for the modern reader. In particular Pigliucci examines the handbook of Epicetus. Through this, he offers thoughts about how one can live their best life.

To me, parts of this book were quite proscriptive but I think that was the writer’s intent. Stoicism as a philosophical way of looking at the world becomes clear through this text.

Do you aspire to live a life like the ancient Stoics? Do you want to understand more about the Stoics way of looking at the world? If yes, give this one a look.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Editorial Review

“A shrewd take on Stoic philosophy that’s one part inspiration and one part manual for cultivating resilience in daily life. Pigliucci’s prudent advice will have broad appeal among philosophically inclined readers of self-help.”―Publishers Weekly

by Teresa Dovalpage

Death Under the Perseids is a book about which I liked some things but not others. The premise is that Merceditas and her husband are offered a free cruise to Havana. This is quite appealing to them. Mercy grew up in Cuba and is happy to revisit her country and family. Mercy’s husband Nolan, a professor, is delighted to be invited to give a lecture.

Oddly though, there are people on the cruise that Mercy already knows. This feels more than coincidental to her and the reader. Each of these characters was also involved with the man that Mercy was involved with prior to Nolan. There is a clear sense of menace that the reader is supposed to feel. All of this relates to the fate of Mercy’s prior partner Lorenzo.

Readers may feel that they know what the resolution of the story will be early on but they will need to read on to find out if they are right. While doing so, they can enjoy a bit of time in Havana.

The author uses many Spanish phrases and words throughout. While this adds to the atmosphere and culture of the story, as a non-Spanish speaker, I wish that there had been some translations. My other quibble with this novel is that I thought it was a story that moved slowly.

Have you read this one? If yes, what did you think?

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I highly recommend all of the books in the series by Julia Keller and Jacqueline Winspear.

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