Author: joycesmysteryandfictionbookreviews

I have been spending time in Pecan Springs, Texas for over twenty years.  Pictured are the first and last books of the series with over twenty novels in the middle. In these books, Susan Wittig Albert has created a place that feels real, peopled with characters that feel genuine, decent and real while also having a central mystery in each book. The characters grow over time as we learn more about their histories.  China Bayles, the protagonist, is a Texas lawyer who did not want to pursue that career any longer.  She moves to small town Texas where she opens an herb and plant shop. China meets a number of folks along the way, including the crystal reading Ruby who owns a shop nearby.  There is also Mike McQuaid and his son, Brian along with their dog.  Mike represents the police in the early books.  Each of the novels has a self-contained mystery with the author bringing in enough information that you do not have to read the series in order (though I recommend reading in order).

SPOILERS:  Ruby had a baby for whom she planned adoption; China’s mother has a complex history while what happened to China’s father and half brother?

SPOILERS DONE:  You will want to know what happens to each of these characters. I am eager to begin the latest novel which came out last week.  I have not missed a single one and will continue to read about China and Co for as long as the author lets me.  Please keep writing Ms. Albert!

Twenty-one Days is an offshoot of Anne Perry’s Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series. I read the first book, The Cater Street Hangman, in 1979. I can still remember not wanting to arrive at my destination on the subway because I wanted to keep reading.
So, it was with much anticipation that I began this novel in which Charlotte and Thomas’s son, Daniel, is the protagonist. He is all grown up, has attended Cambridge and is a newly qualified lawyer. Daniel is assigned several cases in this story, the 21 days has to do with the number of days it will be until a man convicted of murder will be hanged…or will he? Is he guilty? Read the story for a somewhat complex and engrossing solution.
It was lovely to see Thomas and Charlotte as peripheral characters and to read about Jemima, Thomas’s sister, who is now in New York. Victor Narraway and Aunt Vespasia also are mentioned. There are also new and very likeable characters as well.
If you like Anne Perry, read this! If you don’t know Anne Perry, read this and then work your way through the series starting with the book mentioned above. Highly recommended by me.

This well known historical mystery series is on sale today.  I have shown you just three of the seven titles that you may purchase.  Cadfael is beloved by many.  The novels were even made into a tv series starring Derek Jacobi.  These come highly recommended.

I had bought this book a while ago but only started to look at it recently.  The comics are adorable and gently hit on some home truths.  Save this, or any other volume in the series, for when you need a sweet laugh with the great Peanuts gang.

Invitation to Sociology is the book that made me become a Sociology major .  New to college,  I had never even heard of the field.  Peter Berger made the subject intriguing, applicable to every day life and a route to understanding more about the world.  Many courses later, I still felt a fondness for this book.

The Social Construction of Reality ($2.99 today) quickly followed in my studies.  It provided a framework for understanding.  A blurb on this one from Amazon:

As readers who are acquainted with this author know, she likes to write series.  There was the Grace Valley trilogy, the Virgin River books and the Thunder Point novels.  Now we have the Sullivan’s Crossing books.  In all of the author’s series, new characters are introduced while the reader also meets up with friends from the previous novels.  This successful formula appears again in Sullivan’s Crossing.  The first novel is What We Find, while the second, Any Day Now is a $1.99 book today,  The third book in the series will be released this spring.  If you enjoy women’s fiction, like to run a series and become involved with a community, these may be just the books for you.

Is there a reader out there who hasn’t felt stressed at some point?  There are many routes to help; a number of these involve the assistance of mental health professionals.  But, in addition, or sometimes, we want a read that helps us to understand ourselves better, to feel that we can make changes or to be able to accept ourselves in our perfect imperfection.  I want to start periodically giving a nod to some of the books that might be helpful.

Brene Brown has written many books and I may blog others later.  Here I have noted  two that I have found incredibly helpful to peruse.  The Gifts of Imperfection is clearly written and helps the reader to embrace her ten guideposts.   A blurb on this book:

From Booklist

I have blogged on Susan Wiggs, a writer of women’s fiction before.  This book came out in 2016.  It tells the story of a woman whose life drastically changes after an accident.  I like the book’s setting in Vermont and its exploration of how to move forward after tragedy.

From Booklist:
“Soul-satisfying…Will delight readers of Robyn Carr and Debbie Macomber…Wiggs writes with effortless grace about what breaks families apart and what brings them back together. Add this to her gift for crafting exquisitely nuanced characters and flair for perfectly capturing the rhythm of life in a small town.” (Booklist (starred review))

I have not read Fiona Barton’s first book, “The Widow,” although I probably will now. Her sophomore effort, “The Child,” is intriguing and suspenseful Who is the baby found on the building site? How are the characters and their stories connected? What does it mean to be a parent? To grieve? To confront and accept one’s past? “The Child” is about all of this while being a page turner. I did guess the answer to the central mystery but this did not in any way lessen my enjoyment of this novel. I feel confident that Fiona Barton’s next book will be, “third time the charm.” Recommended for suspense fans.