Author: joycesmysteryandfictionbookreviews

I love to read, recommend books and open the world of reading to others. I tutor to ensure that the next generation of readers will know the joys of a good book because their reading skills have improved. I am an avid reader, especially of mysteries and fiction. I believe that two of the world's greatest inventions were the public library and eyeglasses!

A welcome return to Venice-Unto Us a Son Is Given by Leon

A new novel from this author is always most welcome! What I love about this series is not so much the mysteries, although those are well constructed, but the relationships among the characters and the ways in which the city of Venice is brought to life. Guido and Paola seem so real and affectionate with one another; they have a marriage that many would envy. Watching Guido and Paola with their children is a treat as is reading about their latest family dinner. Guido’s relationships with his extended family and work colleagues are also brought vividly to life.

In this book, a friend of the family who is elderly wants to adopt an adult male to be his heir. Will you as the reader feel empathy for this lonely man? All around wonder if this adoption is a good plan but he is determined and undeterred. Is this what leads to his and one other’s death? What are the reasons for what is happening? How are families constructed? They are not all like Guido’s.

For fans of Donna Leon, the chance to spend time with her will be a delight. New readers will also enjoy the book and will probably then look to read others in the series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this good read. The opinions are mine alone.

#UntoUsASonIsGiven #NetGalley

A STEAM story: The Backyard Build by Litton

This is the second book that I have read in this Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM) series. In this one, two children build a playground in their backyard. They construct a swing, seesaw and slide. Elementary engineering information is introduced along the way and there are additional resources at the back of the book. This entry is clever. It may encourage children to build and to see that engineering plays a role in every day life. All in all, this is a good entry in a good series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto. The opinions are mine.

#SteamStoriesTheBackyardBuildEngineering #NetGalley

One more bargain. The Postmistress

The PostmistressI read this one when it came out and enjoyed it. The novel takes place in the U.S. during WWII.

From Publishers Weekly

Weaving together the stories of three very different women loosely tied to each other, debut novelist Blake takes readers back and forth between small town America and war-torn Europe in 1940. Single, 40-year-old postmistress Iris James and young newlywed Emma Trask are both new arrivals to Franklin, Mass., on Cape Cod. While Iris and Emma go about their daily lives, they follow American reporter Frankie Bard on the radio as she delivers powerful and personal accounts from the London Blitz and elsewhere in Europe. While Trask waits for the return of her husband—a volunteer doctor stationed in England—James comes across a letter with valuable information that she chooses to hide. Blake captures two different worlds—a naïve nation in denial and, across the ocean, a continent wracked with terror—with a deft sense of character and plot, and a perfect willingness to take on big, complex questions, such as the merits of truth and truth-telling in wartime. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

 

Buy this for a tween that you care about: The Book of (No) Worries by Cox

This book is an excellent resource for tweens who are experiencing the normal roller coaster of growing up. With chapter headings including School, Mental Health, Friends, Appearance, Emotional Well-being and more, tweens will be easily able to focus on an area of concern. Especially helpful are the q and a sections and those in which a young person directly speaks to the reader about an issue that was faced.

The author conveys that all worries can and should be talked about, not held inside. She normalizes many concerns and offers ways to cope. Most importantly, she offers hope that things can get better.

Give this book to a young person that you care about. Encourage your school or community library to add this volume to the shelves. A tween may not thank you directly but I do think that they will appreciate having this resource.

Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto for this egalley. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

#TheBookOfWorries #NetGalley

For when you need to laugh: The World’s Best Jokes for Kids Volume 1 by Lazar

This is a fun compendium of jokes and riddles that will be enjoyed by both kids and adults.  Some examples:

Why are hairdressers never late for work?  They know all the short cuts.

How much room is needed for fungi to grow?  As mushroom as possible.

What treat is never on time?  Choco-late

What kind of lights did Noah use on the ark?  Flood lights.

If any of these made you smile, this is a book for you or a child that you know.  There are cartoon like illustrations with each joke.  These add to the fun.

Highly recommended for those with a funny bone!

TheWorldsBestJokesForKidsVolume1 #NetGalley

For lovers of Venice and/or Brunetti: My Venice by Donna Leon

My Venice: And Other Essays by [Leon, Donna]I loved Donna Leon’s first Brunetti mystery, Death at LaFenice, which, like all of her novels, takes place in Venice.  The setting is critical to Ms. Leon’s series and she truly brings it to life in each of her novels.  I am currently reading the forthcoming Unto Us a Son is Born (thank you NetGalley) and can already tell that I will be giving it many stars.

My Venice is about this expatriate author’s life in her chosen city.  It is an e-book bargain for today.

From Booklist

The many thousands of readers who love Donna Leon’s Guido Brunetti mysteries love them for multiple reasons, the least of which is probably their plots. Not that there is anything wrong with those plots, but it is the side dishes surrounding the plots that entrance us, especially the character of the cynical yet sensitive Brunetti and the way he interacts with his family. So it is with the essays in this collection of Leon’s brief nonfiction writings. Whether she is musing about Venice, expressing not only an appealing crankiness about garbage or Bermuda shorts–wearing tourists but also an unassailable love of the human interaction that the city’s car-free status makes possible; or about her love for classical music; or her mixed reactions to America; or her thoughts on men, she never fails to explore the periphery of her topic, deepening her theme and giving it context and nuance. A favorite? How about “With Barbara Vine,” in which two celebrated mystery writers chat about their favorite ways of doing somebody in (“Oh, I love a good push down the step”)? –Bill Ott

An appetizer-Small Plates by Katherine Hall Page. An e-book bargain

Small Plates: Short Fiction by [Page, Katherine Hall]Katherine Hall Page has written a series of cozies featuring Faith Fairchild.  Faith is a New York City caterer who falls in love with a minister in small town Aleford, Mass.  The books follow Faith’s relationship with her husband, her children, her friends and her community.  They are reliably good cozy mysteries.

Today, Small Plates, is an e-book bargain.  If you want, you can taste this author through her short stories and then decide if you would like to read the novels.

PRAISE:

“A tasty introduction to Agatha Award–winner Page’s popular mystery series.” (Publishers Weekly)

“A variety of tasty short morsels that will whet [Page’s] fans’ appetites…Well paced and will leave the reader satisfied, as a good short story should… [A] delectable treat.” (Library Journal)

“The perfect accompaniment to the summer vacation or a simple afternoon on the porch swing…delicious.” (Daily News)

“Serves up, in miniature, the kinds of old-fashioned puzzle mysteries that fans of writers like Agatha Christie crave.” (Boston Globe)

From the Back Cover

Katherine Hall Page, author of the beloved Faith Fairchild series, invites you to enjoy her first ever collection of short fiction. Readers will delight in the broad range of these mysteries—tales to suit every taste and mood.

Page’s stories will take readers from the skyscrapers of Manhattan to the dunes of Cape Cod and “Across the Pond.” Her characters include a man who longs for widowhood, dreaming of attention from the casserole brigade—good women lining up at his door with offerings of food and perhaps themselves. A British bride calls Faith and her sister for help after a series of alarming “accidents.” And Faith herself is almost “Sliced” in a reality TV show when the competition turns deadly.

For those who love books and bookstores; The Printed Letter Bookshop by Katherine Reay

I have read several books by Katherine Reay and will rank this one among my favorites. It is the story of three women who run a bookshop following the death of one of the protagonist’s relatives. The main characters are Madeline, who inherits the shop; Clare who feels unseen by her family and struggles with her teenage daughter; and Janet who made one mistake that led to the end of her marriage and another that led to a major crisis for the store. The stories of these characters overlap and form the basis for the novel.

The novel takes place in a small town outside of Chicago. The location feels idyllic as does the bookshop.

If you have ever had a dream about owning a bookstore that enhances a community, you will enjoy this novel. There are definitely struggles for the store but the author makes owning a bookshop feel so worthwhile.

I enjoyed this novel very much. There are friendship, romance and books, books, books within these pages. An added bonus was the number of books that are named in the novel and the complete list of those titles at the end. This list is a great resource for future reads.

So…if you like a light story with a great setting, think about this one. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book about books.

 

#ThePrintedLetterBookshop #NetGalley