This title is book fifteen in the popular series that began with An Irish Country Doctor. The stories take place in a small, close knit community. The time here is the late sixties. Barry and Sue are expecting their first child, a new (aristocratic) doctor is on the scene, there are problems in Ireland and more.
I think that this title will be enjoyed (of course) by those who have already discovered the series. I think that it may also be enjoyed by fans of All Creatures Great and Small.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Forge Books for this title. All opinions are my own.
A Manual on Courage and Crafting Your Unique, Beautiful Life
by Lucy Fuggle
#YourLifeinBloom #NetGalley
This book is one that can be dipped into again and again, read either in order or by picking an entry that just suits a current mood. There are many short, thoughtful entries in this book. I will pick a few that I read at random: Anxiety lies; You are not your past, The simplest things are most important, and a special favorite, Books help with everything.
This is a title that can offer a bit of inspiration and encouragement when those are the qualities needed. I will be looking at this one for a while.
Many thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this title. All opinions are my own.
Where I live, it is supposed to feel like 100 degrees today. Despite this, I know that fall will come and that I will be looking for new reads (as always).
This sampler from Crooked Lane includes descriptions and samples of a number of forthcoming mystery/suspense/thriller titles. The range is wide from cozy, to international, to teens and more. Take a look and see if there are some suggestions here for your TBR pile.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this title. All opinions are my own.
Debbie Macomber has written a number of series and Christmas stories. I first read her series that began with 16 Lighthouse Road and made my way through each of the street named entries. This current title is a standalone.
Over the course of the novel, readers follow two characters who have complex histories . Cade is a war vet who is struggling with injuries both physical and psychological. Hope has faced her own losses and has moved to this small California town to have a new start. The two meet when each volunteers at an animal shelter. Dog, Shadow, also becomes a loved character to these two and to readers as well.
Readers follow Cade and Hope as they slowly become friends and, hopefully, something more. Each would so benefit from a good relationship.
Hope works as a teacher and school counselor. One of her brightest students also has issues. Is Hope’s advice to him right? Will he find his way? How much fallout will there be among the other students and the girl that he likes?
This book is titled The Best is Yet to Come. This is what readers will wish for these characters.
This is an easy read even as it touches on some sensitive issues. Fans of the author and women’s stories will want to give this one a look.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine Books for this title. All opinions are my own.
I have been reading books by Jodi Picoult for many years and especially enjoyed Salem Falls and Plain Truth. When I read Leaving Time, I felt that the usual twist at the end was more of a trick. I also did not enjoy small great things, probably because it was so difficult to read about the Aryan supremacists. So…I wasn’t sure what I would find when NetGalley and the publisher so kindly gave me an ARC of this book.
Ok, the drought is over! I found a spark of light to be a well-crafted, character based story. As was true in Nineteen Minutes, Ms. Picoult helps the reader to empathize with those who represent all sides of a complex moral and societal issue. There are many in the story: an abortion clinic owner, a nurse, an artist, an elderly woman, a young girl seeking birth control, a person in need of an abortion, a doctor, protesters, infiltrators, a hostage negotiator and more. Each of their stories is told in a narrative going backward in time. Interconnections between characters become clearer as the reader turns the pages.
The primary setting is an abortion clinic that is under siege. It remains unclear who will live and who will not. There are some surprises at the end.
The book is heavily researched. The reader will learn a lot about restrictions, types of terminations, pregnancy counseling, etc. Some times these felt a bit heavy handed but then I imagined what it might be like if I were a young girl and this was the one place that I could find a lot of facts.
I highly recommend a spark of light. It will make you care and it will make you think.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!
THIS ONE IS MORE TIMELY THAN EVER!
First in the long seriesHIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR THERAPISTS AND SOCIAL WORKERS
This is the fifth title in this series. I have enjoyed (and reviewed) all of them. These (pretty much) cozy mysteries will hearken to bibliophiles and to those who enjoy stories of female friendships that are honest and built upon trust. The mysteries are also an integral part of the novels.
This time the friends have a lot going on. Hester is getting engaged. Why have many copies of The Scarlet Letter had her name cut out of them, that name she shares with Miss Prynne? Who is the dead body below a cliff? What is the significance of a series of books about women that are old and have flowers in their titles?
Along with these goings on, spend time (at least in imagination) eating book pockets, drinking hot chocolate and browsing the wonderful shelves of Miracle Books. Any reader could make a wish list from the book titles that make their appearance in this title.
I already look forward to the next time that I get to visit with Hester, June, Nora and Estella, and those around them. These include employee Sheldon, character’s children and the women’s romantic interests.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this title. All opinions are my own.
Jodi Picoult has a magical talent for writing novels that address social issues and concerns while, at the same time, offering readers an involving story with plot, character and a bit of education.
This time the background (and foreground) issue is the Covid epidemic. For some readers, it might still feel too close and they might want to skip reading this title. I would argue against that. In addition to re-experiencing some of the trauma, I was also reminded of how far life has come (at least for those who have been vaccinated). This, of corse, does not mitigate the deep losses that so many experienced in the real world.
The protagonist of this novel is Diana. When the story opens, she is working for Sotheby’s and is in a relationship with a surgical resident at New York Presbyterian Hospital. Diana is working with a client who seems to be based upon Yoko Ono. Due to Diana’s work, readers are treated to some interesting art and music history. I enjoyably learned a lot about Toulouse Lautrec.
Diana and Finn are planning a trip to the Galapagos Islands. Finn cannot/chooses not to go because of the emerging pandemic and his need to be at work. He encourages Diana to go on the trip and she does. Finn’s emails to Diana offer all of the horror of Covid, especially the early impotence that medical professionals felt in the wake of this tsunami of an epidemic.
Diana makes it to the Galapagos but is stranded there because travel is cut off. She manages to get settled, leading her to meet with a troubled adolescent, her father and her grandmother. They open Diana up to a new world. It is most likely no coincidence that our main character is living where theories of evolution were formed as she may be adapting and changing too.
The Galapagos are beautifully described and form a contrast to life in New York. Which place is right for Diana? Which relationship? What plot twists will Ms. Picoult bring to this, her latest novel? Read the book to find out. I highly recommend it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher
The Paris Bookseller is historical fiction about Sylvia Beach, those around her and her iconic bookstore, Shakespeare and Company. This is the story of a part of Sylvia’s life; it moves from when she began living in Paris and on into the 1930s. An author’s note at the end of the novel, gives information about Sylvia’s long life and what happened to her following the events of this story.
Readers learn early on that Sylvia was in a significant relationship with Adrienne. The author portrays great historical acceptance for gay relationships at that time. Adrienne, who owned a bookstore, encouraged Sylvia to open her own shop, one that was to feature books for English speakers. The two had a strong attraction to one another and lived together during the events described in the story.
Sylvia’s store becomes very popular with a number of ex pats, including Hemingway and Henry Miller. However, the author with whom Sylvia was most closely associated was James Joyce. She was instrumental in the initial publication of Ulysses. The struggle around getting the book written and published make up much of the novel.
The characters in the story are real people who are brought to imaginative life. I was especially struck by the way in which Joyce was portrayed. True, he was an iconic author but he was also a difficult, narcissistic and needy man in these pages.
Author, Kerri Maher, does a good job of depicting a place, the people who dwelt there and the importance of books. I also enjoyed the way in which daily life, food and more came into the novel.
Those who enjoy historical fiction are likely to want to read this novel. I rate it at four stars.
The Maid by Nita Prose
The Maid has garnered so much praise both before and after publication. It is a book that is definitely worth reading. Those who enjoy The Thursday Murder Club and Ruth Galloway mysteries are certain to love this novel with it quirky, idiosyncratic and (morally) good protagonist.
Molly sees the world in her own way. She appears to be “on the spectrum,” though I hate to use that term and do not want to make Molly anything other than the unique woman that she is. Molly has trouble reading social cues and people’s facial expressions. This can lead to her being naively trusting. Molly speaks with a beautifully old fashioned syntax and sometimes makes rhymes as, for example, “a tissue for your issue.”
Molly lives with her grandmother who works as a domestic. Molly is herself a maid, working at the Grand Hotel. It is a job that suits her orderly personality and Molly takes great pride in her work. (She will hopefully leave readers with more respect for those who toil in hotels for the benefit of the guests).
Molly becomes involved in a series of events that leave her in over her head. There were times when I wanted to yell “stop” to Molly when she trusted some of the hotel staff and guests but, of course, could not do so. The fact that I wanted to is a tribute to the author’s ability to create characters for whom readers will care.
Who will protect Molly? Will she get out of this mess? Will she or the hotel ever be the same? Read this charming, heartfelt novel to find out. To use one of Molly’s favorite words, it is “delightful.”
I sincerely hope that the author’s next book is published soon. I give this first novel of hers five stars.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
Brown Girls by Daphne Palasi Andreades
Brown Girls is a novel that is both universal and highly individual in its portrayal of the titular girls growing up over time. When the novel begins, the girls are children and, as it continues, we readers watch them grow up.
The girls are raised in a most specific location, a poor(er) immigrant neighborhood in Queens. These are the children of immigrants who came to America wanting more for their children. However, at the same time, they want their daughters to be “good.” This can, at times, mean compliant and the wish for them to stay close to home.
However, the world beckons, even if that world in their neighborhood, in Manhattan, and beyond can be quite unkind and worse. The author truly understands micro aggression; there teachers who don’t (bother to) know their students’ names and somehow think that they are interchangeable, store clerks who think girls with tiny purses can hide and steal large dresses in them and more difficult experiences of daily life.
The girls always face decisions-leave the neighborhood for a “better” school, go to college from at home or away, what boyfriends to have and more. Their choices are complex.
The unconscious (is it?) racism of the parents of white friends is well portrayed. So is the girls being asked to answer questions for their whole community, even when they cannot know the answers.
How will these girls grow up? Follow along as they move into their adult lives.
It is hard to believe that this is a first novel. It is so descriptively well written. The author writes in the “we” voice and does it well. Each short vignette builds the readers knowledge of the lives of these girls.
I most highly recommend this novel. I so deeply wished for the brown girls-women to have the futures that they want. And, yes, for the world they live in to be different and better.
The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes (Hogan)
This is author Ruth Hogan’s second novel. I was quite moved by it and plan to read her debut, The Keeper of Lost Things. She has a talent for describing characters who are fully human, quirky and both struggling and trying their best.
The novel is about two women and those they know, love and/or have lost. Masha is a mother whose child disappeared a number of years ago and, although not found, was presumed to be dead. Masha has grieved for him and has struggled to progress in her life. The reader observes as she moves forward bit by bit, fortified by new and old relationships. Part of Masha’s story takes place at the lido, a favorite locale for me after reading Libby Page’s novel. As in that novel, swimming yields some peace.
Then there is Alice. She is a mother who is overprotective and very attached to her son. Her backstory is told with compassion and the reader comes to understand her struggles and decisions.
Sally, herself, is a elderly woman whose past history becomes known late in the novel. She is eccentric and a source of some of Masha’s healing. She reminds Masha of the importance of continuing to dance, both literally and metaphorically. Other characters include Kitty who has overcome her own tragedy.
While characters in this book have experienced loss, the story is not depressing. Ruth Hogan writes empathically and I was sorry when the novel ended. There is a twist that you might see coming but, even if you know, you can enjoy reading about it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-galley. Ruth Hogan is an author to watch!
This is author Ruth Hogan’s second novel. I was quite moved by it and plan to read her debut, The Keeper of Lost Things. She has a talent for describing characters who are fully human, quirky and both struggling and trying their best.
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 