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I also reviewed this.

Creativity with Watercolors

by Terry Runyan

I found the cover of this book to be so lively that I knew that I wanted to see more. Indeed, the pages inside are so vibrant and engaging. Anyone who has ever thought about taking up watercolors or who thinks about mindfulness would do well to give this title a look. It is packed with good information. A chapter that I found especially helpful was the one entitled “What Stops Us.” I also like the chapter on “Mindfulness and Being Present.” There is also the bonus of seeing the author’s work; I found it so cheerful.

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

This book will be published on April 05 2022

Fairy-Tale Phonics

by Susan Purcell

#ThePrincessandthePea #NetGalley

I volunteer as a reading tutor. This is a serious commitment on my part as I believe that learning to love reading and to be a competent reader, ensures a much better future for any child with whom I work. So, I was interested in this phonics based title, hoping it would be appealing to young students.

This is a book that can be used in many ways. It can be read as an enjoyable story with its accompanying lively illustrations. There are also vocabulary words and/or activities to work on. At the end of the book there are illustrations that will help a child with memory and concentration as they cab recall and retell the story.

I found all of this to possibly be a bit overwhelming for a child. I think though that this book could be very helpful if everything is done in steps, i.e. first read the story and later go back to try the activities on the bottom of the pages. I would love to spend time with a child while thinking about his title. I would then know how best to use it to encourage a young reader. All said though, this looks like a good resource.

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

THE SHORT LIST: RECENTLY PUBLISHED AND AT A DISCOUNT

OTHER E BOOK BARGAINS FOR TODAY

Natalie Jenner’s previous novel, The Jane Austen Society, was a true favorite of mine. (See review on my blog). I was so excited when I learned that she had a new novel coming out. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the double thrill of receiving advanced copies of both the audio and print book editions. I enjoyed toggling back and forth between them, being able to listen on my walks and when doing chores.

The audio is read by one of my favorite actresses, Juliet Stevenson. She is brilliant and captures the voices of each of the characters, all of whom have different accents. This audio is a real treat!

Before picking up the novel, I thought that it was a standalone. It can function as that but there are some recurring characters from The JAS. Readers of that book will, undoubtedly, be happy to encounter Evie and some of the others again.

This novel has moved forward in time to the early 1950s. Much of the action (though action is not exactly the correct term for a leisurely read), takes place in a bookshop. This is a bookshop with rules; each chapter is headed by one of them. I loved imagining what the interior looked like based upon the descriptions. I adored the dropping of book title names and the famous real life literary people who came in, including Daphne DuMaurier and Ellen Doubleday.

The story focuses on a number of people who work in the shop. My one minor quibble is that I would call them women not girls, as in the book’s title. Evie is a character from The JAS. A Cambridge graduate, she is not able to easily find a job as the better jobs go to men. How does she get her job in the bookstore? There is some drama around this. Vivien has worked in the shop for a while; she has been thwarted by her inability to advance. She has also faced a tragedy. Change may come for her….Finally, there is Grace. She is presented as calm, practical and less than happy in her marriage. Will anything change for her?

There are a number of men in the story as well. There is the Indian gentleman employee who is interested in entomology. Readers also meet an employee who has a touchy relationship with Vivien. Another character is a Lord who owns the shop. Each of these men is well portrayed. They interact with the book’s female characters.

As was true for The JAS, this is a slower moving book and one to savor. I most highly recommend it. Note: All opinions are my own.

This title will be published on Pub Date 17 May 2022.

#TheKeyLimeCrime #NetGalley

The Key Lime Crime is the tenth entry in the long running series by Lucy Burdette. The stories take place in Florida and feature Hayley and those around her.

There is to be a pie contest being held during the December holidays. It will be Hayley’s job to report on the event. When a murder occurs Hayley will have her work to do. Who killed the pastry chef and why? How will she and her police detective husband solve the case? Oh, and what about Hayley’s mother in law who was with Hayley when the victim was found?

Those who enjoy cozy mysteries and certainly those who have read other entries in the series should enjoy this one. A bonus is the recipes. I also enjoyed the quotes that began each chapter.

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

The Blue Butterfly

A Novel of Marion Davies

by Leslie Johansen Nack

Mark your calendar for this title that is coming out in early May. I look forward to reading it. Having traveled to San Simeon, I know that the book will feature interesting (real) people and excess.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

SUMMARY: New York 1915, Marion Davies is a shy eighteen-year-old beauty dancing on the Broadway stage when she meets William Randolph Hearst and finds herself captivated by his riches, passion and desire to make her a movie star. Marion learns through trial and error to live as Hearst’s mistress when a divorce from his wife proves impossible. A baby girl is born in secret in 1919 and they agree to never acknowledge her publicly as their own. In a burgeoning Hollywood scene, she works hard making movies while living a lavish partying life that includes a secret love affair with Charlie Chaplin. In late 1937, at the height of the depression, Hearst wrestles with his debtors and failing health, when Marion loans him $1M when nobody else will. Together, they must confront the movie that threatens to invalidate all of Marion’s successes in the movie industry: Citizen Kane.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Leslie Johansen Nack’s debut, Fourteen, received five indie awards, including the 2016 Finalist in Memoir at the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Before she started writing, she raised two children, ran a mechanical engineering business with her husband, took care of her aging mother, and dreamed of retirement when she could write full-time. She did everything late in life, including getting her degree in English Literature from UCLA at age thirty-one, only two years after she married for the second time. If you want to know when her next book is coming out, please visit her website www.lesliejohansennack.com and sign up to receive an email when she has her next release. She lives in sunny San Diego and enjoys sailing, hiking and reading.

EARLY PRAISE:

“The Blue Butterfly is a vibrant period novel that reimagines the controversial love story of a classic film star.”—Foreword Reviews

“In The Blue Butterfly, Leslie Johansen Nack chronicles the career of the fabulous Marion Davies and captures the star’s legendary verve and spirit on the Broadway stage, in her Hollywood movies, and in the battle against Citizen Kane. More importantly, this novel tells of the love story between Davies and William Randolph Hearst to its heartbreaking end.” —Edward Lorusso, author of The Silent Films of Marion Davies

“Leslie Johansen Nack redeems the tragic legacy of Marion Davies, William Randolph Hearst’s long-time lover, in her newest, The Blue Butterfly. Dripping with diamonds and gilded with grandeur, The Blue Butterfly takes readers from the bowels of the New York stage to the glittering life of Hollywood and its stars. Haunting and heartbreaking, The Blue Butterfly elicits the gut-punch that what we do for love colors our lives forever.” —Ashley E. Sweeney, author of the award-winning Answer Creek

“The Blue Butterfly is an unfiltered, first-person narrative told in glittering detail. It is the almost mythic story of a glowing, spirited woman who is captured and showered with riches beyond imagining—a butterfly in a gilded cage. In this very fast-paced book, which spares no detail in the telling, we see how dearly Marion Davies paid for her willing captivity.” —Laurel Davis Huber, author of the award-winning The Velveteen Daughter

I confess that when I first heard about this book I wasn’t sure that I wanted to read it but then I saw so many positive blurbs that I decided to give it a try. I am so glad that I did!

This is historical fiction that will undoubtedly be enjoyed by those who have read Ariadne (or similar stories) and those who have followed the stories about Marcus Didius Falco in ancient Rome. As is true for the other books mentioned above, Ms. Harper succeeds in creating a world filled with a sense of place. Life is not always easy there and especially not for the protagonist, who endures life changes due to circumstances beyond her control. However, Amara will give all that she has to try to create the life she wants. Follow along with her in this book that will have you turning the pages rapidly.

CONTENT WARNING:

This is a story about a woman who is sold into prostitution in historical Pompeii.

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

This novel will be published on 29 March 2022.

THE AUTHOR:

A Waterstones Book of the Month

‘Vivid, wise and unflinching, this is a triumph’ The Times
‘I loved it’ Jennifer Saint
‘I couldn’t put it down’ Claire Douglas
‘Utterly spellbinding’ Woman & Home
‘Deeply moving’ William Ryan
‘Gripping’ Independent
‘One of a kind’ Red