Month: July 2024

J. Courtney Sullivan’s “The Cliffs” is a haunted house mystery steeped in historical context.
— Read on www.nytimes.com/2024/07/01/books/review/j-courtney-sullivan-the-cliffs.html

by Ethan Joella

#ALittleHope #NetGalley

Ethan Joella’s books hit the sweet spot for many readers. He tells stories about people who seem very real and who face the same sorts of issues that any of us might. Joella writes with heart and this adds to his appeal.

A Little Hope tells the story of people who live in a small town, in this case in Connecticut. One couple who lives there with a much loved young child are presented with a life changing crisis. The story is about how they and those around them make their way through this time. Alongside this family, readers get to know many others in the town, many of whom face their own challenges.

The New York Times calls this one “poignant and quietly powerful.” I agree.

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

This book was published in 2022.

From the Publisher

The newest release by this author

Listen to the music

by Jessica Courtney-Tickle

#MyFirstStoryOrchestraTheNutcracker #NetGalley

This title is part of a series that introduces the very youngest readers/listeners to some of the great ballets. This time, the ballet is that childhood favorite, The Nutcracker. The story is short and simply told, the illustrations are engaging and, in the hard copy, there are excerpts from the music. All of these aspects make this book one to add to a little one’s library.

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

Pub date: 01 October 2024

Close to Death is a take on an AgathaChristie style mystery with the additional spin of this author”s cleverness. It is the latest in the series that features Detective Hawthorne and, yes, the character Anthony Horowitz.

This time the structure of the book is a bit different. Hawthorne, who gives Horowitz case material for his novels, is revealing a past puzzler. Some of the novel is a take on those events and other parts involve the perspectives of the two protagonists.

A close is a kind of dead end street. In this upscale one, a number of neighbors detest the newest family. The annoying, inconsiderate and very wealthy Kenworthy is murdered. The suspects include a GP, a retired barrister, two elderly former nuns, a chess grandmaster, a dentist and those around them. Whodunnit? Why? The pages turn as readers wait to fond out.

Last year I heard the author speak. He was very entertaining, just as he is in his writing. i think that he was enjoying himself here. The book offers a good read.

Note that, although this is part of a series, it can be read on its own.

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

Pub date: 16 April 2024

This is an e book bargain for 4. 17.24

Natasha Lester writes historical fiction that I very much enjoy. In each of her novels, this author successfully develops characters about whom readers will care. She also has interesting plots that offer perspective on WWII and its aftermath. What makes her special for me is the way that she also incorporates fashion seamlessly (pun was not intended) in her stories.

Alix St. Clair has had a challenging life. She was orphaned young, taken in by a close friend’s family, educated in Switzerland and expected to marry well (to Bobby). Life surely did not go to plan however as readers will quickly discover.

This is a story that takes place in more than one time period. In the most recent, postwar era, Alix is working for Christian Dior just as his fashion house is coming into being. The scenes in this atelier are wonderful to read; I was inspired to look up many of the dresses described in these pages.

Other sections of the book are about Alix’s work and life during WWII. She experienced the most awful of betrayals and wants to avenge some deaths. In doing so, she becomes involved with an American journalist. They have common experiences and a common foe…and maybe an attraction to each other. There are many other characters woven into the narrative; these include people both bad and good.

This long (432) and immersive read is highly recommended to historical and women’s fiction lovers who enjoy stories about the war. I give it four plus stars.

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

Pub date: 10 January 2023

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre braids espionage, fashion, and a broken-but-unbowed heroine together into one fascinating tale. Natasha Lester weaves a triple-stranded delight!”—Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Diamond Eye

“Natasha Lester has done it again with this sumptuously written page-turner! Alix St. Pierre is everything that makes an admirable heroine – independent, plucky, and clever as the story spans from the fashionable world of Dior in Paris to the fascinating intrigue of international espionage in neutral Switzerland. The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre is a captivating novel that readers will absolutely adore.”—Madeline Martin, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London”Natasha Lester has expertly woven a brilliant heroine who is as brave in the fashion world as she is spying on the enemy. From page one, I was completely captivated by her daring and enamored with the glamour of Paris fashion. Unputdownable!”—Eliza Knight, USA Today bestselling author of The Mayfair Bookshop

New paperbacks for July — Mary Beard, John Grisham and more

https://www.thetimes.com/article/c1db6a3a-de46-4d7d-a071-f85f91475355?shareToken=6ef6825c80d550a8fa16818ef6f9e479

Death on Love Island — and other great crime reads for July

https://www.thetimes.com/article/c64c5838-bbfb-4f0c-bce7-fb97741bad2b?shareToken=7a0b1969ca37013dddfb38d2b75d430c

A Life Made in Shetland

by Jen Hadfield

#StormPegs #NetGalley

Prior to reading this book my knowledge of Shetland came from two wonderful mystery series. They are the Jimmy Perez novels by Ann Cleeves and those written by Marsali Taylor. Both of these writers left me very curious about what life on Shetland is really like. So…I was completely delighted to receive this e galley. It did not disappoint.

This is the (true) story of a woman who moved to Shetland. Even better, this writer is a poet with a wonderful gift for words that make her life come to life.

Anyone who wants to spend time in Shetland will most definitely want to pick this title up!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan-Picador for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 11 July 2024

An e book bargain for 23 April 2024

#TheWomanontheLedge #NetGalley

By now readers know that a book whose title includes the words ”The Girl” or “The Woman” is going to find a complex, twisty story where it is hard to know who to believe and exactly what happened. That is certainly the case in Mancini’s page turner. Mancini is a British criminal defense attorney so keep an eye on the lawyer in the story.

It starts with a holiday party. A woman who works as a temp goes to this party where, by the way, her married lover also works. When she goes out on the roof for some air, she finds said woman on the ledge. She is threatening to jump. Tate talks the woman, who says her name is Helen, down. Things get increasingly complicated when Helen seeks Tate’s help the very next day. She says that she lost an earring at the party and convinces Tate to return to the London high rise building.

Horrifically a woman dies. Tate is arrested. Helen can’t be found. Was she really named Helen? Stories come and go. As is the case in these novels, that the reader does not know what to make of events and who to believe. Pages turn as readers seek answers.

I first heard about this novel in a British magazine and knew that I wanted to read it. You might want to as well.

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

Pub date: 16 January 2024

Four stars ****

Emerson, Thoreau, Alcott (Bronson and Louisa May)…Margaret Fuller? Most readers of American fiction and essays know the first few names on this list. They may be less familiar with Margaret Fuller. However, by the time that readers close this book, they will fully appreciate her life with its successes, challenges and tragedy.

Young Margaret was a highly intelligent child, whose father took her education most seriously. When he died, Margaret was left feeling that she needed to support her family. She did that while also being part of the transcendentalist movement and more.

One aspect of the book that I really liked was the way in which icons became human. For example, early in the novel, Margaret visits Emerson and his second wife. Waldo, as Margaret is invited to call him, engages in a flirtation with Margaret. It is in moments like this, that readers get to look at great American figures in a new and less iconic way. Similarly, as the story opens, Thoreau is a young man working for the Emersons, and just beginning his writing career. Bronson Alcott is running a school, while Louisa May is still a child.

Pataki has written a number of works of historical fiction. She has another success on her hands here.

Many thanks toNetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

From the publisher: