Month: May 2022

The Banker’s Wife is a great summer read, especially for those who enjoy novels like The Expats by Chris Pavone. The set up…Annabel is married to Matthew. Matthew is a banker at a Swiss bank that keeps secrets for its depositors. Marina is a journalist who is engaged to a prospective presidential candidate’s son. She works with Duncan. They are trying to locate a notorious Ponzi schemer. The story, of course, is even bigger than this.

Matthew is reported killed in a plane crash along with a cousin of Syria’s dictator. Annabel is left bereaved and unsafe. Marina is unsafe as well. While the two do not meet, they are both impacted by the business practices of Swiss United Bank.

Both Annabel and Marina are connected to a myriad of other characters. There are questions about whom to trust and how to unravel the bank’s schemes and hold those who are guilty accountable. The reader experiences doubts too regarding what has happened and who all of the ‘bad guys’ are.

Christina Alger has written a book that is suspenseful and engaging. The plot is complex but not too hard to follow. The reader will understand more about financial shenanigans and the private banking worlds that are fascinating and not part of many readers’ daily lives.

I truly enjoyed the settings, characters and the plot of the novel. I highly recommend it!

by M. C. Beaton

I know that lots of M.C. Beaton’s fans enjoy the Agatha Raisin mysteries but I have to confess to a soft spot for Hamish Macbeth. He is featured in this new title in the long running series.

Those who have read the Hamish books or have seen the TV series know that Hamish can be unlucky in love. Is that about to change? How will a murder impact Hamish’s plans? Read this fun title to find out.

Hard to believe that this is the 34th book in the series. Sadly, Beaton died in 2019 but a successor is carrying her legacy forward. He is doing a nice job of it and a note from him can be found at the beginning of the book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub Date 15 Feb 2022

I absolutely adored Dear Mrs. Bird which was published in 2018. That book felt entire to itself so I had no idea that there would be a new novel featuring Emmy. This sequel was every bit as charming, engaging and emotional as the first. Add to all of those qualities humor and sadness and AJ Pearce has done it again!

Cheerfully Yours can be read as a standalone but I recommend both titles, in any order, simply for the joy of the reading experience. Unless you are a true cynic, these books will be enjoyed.

In Cheerfully Yours, WWII is still raging. Emmy continues to work for the woman’s magazine where she became Mrs. Bird’s assistant in the first novel. Here the magazine is under an editor who believes in his staff and their abilities. He invites Emmy, despite some checkered work history, to come with him to an important meeting at the Ministry of Information. The minsters want to encourage women to work in war industries and hopes that magazines like Emmy’s will be a way to reach them. Emmy is very excited to become a reporter.

Through a chance meeting, Emmy comes to know Anne. Anne has two children, has been widowed and is working in a factory. Emmy wants to tell Anne’s story. Through this and other story elements readers learn about the obstacles that women faced within the work force. Through her fictional characters, Ms. Pearce engagingly immerses readers in the subject.

Readers also will meet or become reacquainted with Emmy’s closest friend, Bunty. They will also watch as Emmy and Charles spend time together.

One authorial decision that I really enjoyed was her choice of capitalizing certain letters in phrases. These add an emphasis, often comic, to the text.

This is a novel with hope and heart. It is about many kinds of love (for family, friends, romantic attachments). Readers will feel better for spending time with the irrepressible Emmy and those around her. I recommend this one most highly.

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

by Jessica Sinarski

Anger is one of those tricky emotions. It can often feel overwhelming and an angry child therefore often responds in ways that are not helpful to them and those around them. Learning how to cope with anger at a young age is something that is important and it will make life better for many years.

This book is addressed to kids who are invited to become magic backpack detectives; they will learn to “unpack” this emotion. Anger is seen as a bright red book in the bag while other emotions, like embarrassment and hurt, have their own colorful titles.

Hello, Anger addresses the function that this emotion serves. Importantly, the feelings that may lie beneath angry feelings are acknowledged talked about. The teacher in the story models this behavior for her students. Kids are also shown ways to channel their feelings in a productive manner.

This book could be most useful in opening up a discussion with a child. It is best read and talked about with a trusted adult. Note that a helpful section for adults is included at the end of the title.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the National Center for Youth Issues for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 01 Jun 2022

A visual history of humankind

by AJ Wood; Mike Jolley

This title for elementary school kids hopes to arouse their curiosity for our world in all of its interesting complexity. It consists of a series of charts and maps on topics as diverse as farming, armor, cities, and technology to name just a few. This book which covers a vast time frame is not a book to read straight through but more one to dip into time and again.

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

Pub Date 04 Sep 2018

From the publisher:

From the Publisher

Open the book wherever you like (you could even start right at the back).

• BCE means ‘Before the Common Era’, that is before Year One.
• CE means ‘Common Era’. 100 CE means 100 years after Year One.

How to use this book

Be curious, follow the arrows and find out something new on every journey you take.

Every time you open this book you can go on a different journey to find out more about the history of the human world. All of the charts in this book are color-coded according to the subject matter:

• Orange charts tell you about topics from human history.
• Yellow charts focus on developments in art and culture.
• Blue charts look at science, trade and technology.

From the publisher on an earlier title in this series:

by Maurice Leblanc, Mike Kennedy (Edited by), Vincent Mallie (By (artist))

I imagine that, like many others, I became familiar with Arseen Lupin when the delightful series starring Omar Sy came to streaming. This book gave me the chance to become acquainted with the author’s original stories. They are fun to read and almost certainly will be enjoyed by those who read the works of Arthur Conan Doyle.

This edition has absolutely lovely illustrations accompanying the text. I felt something akin to the joy of childhood when early chapter books had pictures. Here, they added much to this edition.

So, get to know the Gentleman Thief. You will be glad that you did.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Magnetic Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 14 June 2022

The Ultimate Miss Phryne Fisher Story Collection

by Kerry Greenwood

I have enjoyed getting to know Phryne, Dot, Jack, Phryne’s aunt and others over the course of this long series. I have read many of the books and also seen the TV program. Phryne is a woman ahead of her 1920’s time period; she is independent and feisty and…she also solves crimes.

Here is a treat for fans and those new to Phryne. There are fifteen stories in all. Be sure to read the introduction before dipping in. You will find Phryne’s origin story there.

Although I had not previously read them, all but four of the stories have been published previously. Still, readers may enjoy revisiting the stories while taking in the new ones. Each of the stories provides a lovely escape.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

Note: This title is just $7.99 in its e book version

Pub Date 17 May 2022

In Hardback:

Bloomsbury Girls

In Paperback:

The Bombay Prince

Falling

Next Week:

In Hardback:

Two Nights in Lisbon

In Paperback:

The Madness of Crowds

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