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!
What a visual treat this title is! I loved turning the pages and dreaming of all the places where I will (never) live.
This book showcases twenty-two interiors. I only recognized Cath Kidston’s name in that list but no matter. One does not have to recognize the names to enjoy what has been created. I was sold from the introduction where I saw a colorful bathroom. And, color is really featured in these interiors.
In addition to the gorgeous photos, there is also good text. The author notes that the interiors are rich with feeling and mood. I agree. She is a good guide and I enjoyed meeting those to whom she introduced me.
Whether or not a reader is thinking about decorating, this is a title that makes for a wonderful escapist read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.
The cover of this title shows Jackie Kennedy and Maria Callas. In the novel, they are surrounded by those in their lives including Onassis, JFK, RFK, Jackie’s sister Lee and many others. All are brought to life in this excellent historical fiction. Jackie and Maria had more in common than Aristotle Onassis. According to the book, both had mothers they could not please and both faced terrible losses around pregnancies. In addition, each was involved with a charismatic man who did not believe in fidelity and who did believe in power. The settings of the novel bring the story to life. Readers will be in many locations including DC, Paris, Greece, the Cape, Aristotle’s yacht and more. The story unfolds in these places in a dual narrative that features the world from both Maria and Jackie’s perspectives. As in the best historical novels, the world of the characters is portrayed in such a way that I very much wanted the history that I already knew, to somehow magically be transformed for the sake of the people on whom the characters are based. Of course, it could not be. I enjoyed this title and recommend it highly for those who enjoy historical fiction. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.
Anne Perry wrote many Christmas novellas, beginning with A Christmas Journey in 2003. Each features a character from one of her book series. This time, the focus is on Mariah Ellison. Readers of the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series know her as Charlotte’s grandmother. She is an elderly woman in this title and is reflecting on her life, attitudes and actions. This makes the book feel a bit elegiac and indeed, I think that this may have been Perry’s last book as she died not long ago.
Mariah goes to visit an old friend. She arrives travel worn only to find her friend is not there and the husband far less than welcoming. It takes a bit of time before Mariah finds a comfortable berth in the village where she once lived. She then tries to ferret out her friend’s whereabouts and fate.
What happened to Sadie? Did she go somewhere voluntarily? Why is her husband not more concerned? Has he harmed his spouse? Mariah will try her best to find out.
This book is set in the festive season. I very much enjoyed it. It reminds me of the many reasons that the author’s death was a true source of sadness for those who love historical mysteries.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing-Ballentine for this title. All opinions are my own.
Often WWII historical novels take place in France or Germany. However, the European front was not the only location where battles were fought. Novels have also been written about the code breaking that took place at Bletchley Park. However, this is the first time that I have read a WWII novel that involves breaking Japanese ciphers.
In her latest book, Ms. Ackerman has readers enter into the stakes of the war immediately as they meet Isabel. Isabel is in DC where she strives to decode Japanese messages. She is a bright and somewhat quirky young woman. For example, when her brain is humming, she literally wants to hum as well. Isabel’s life has been influenced by deep loss. Readers will viscerally feel the tornado that leads to her first reasons to mourn. Isabel also has lost her brother in the war. She longs to be in Hawaii so that she can learn more about what happened to him.
It is not a spoiler to say that Isabel goes to Hawaii. After all, all of the author’s historical novels take place there. Readers will eagerly follow Isabel’s life there as Pearl Harbor events unfold. Especially intriguing is the male character who enters the story. He is a “hotshot” pilot, a friend of Isabel’s dead brother and a man with his own story. Will he and Isabel come together?
As is often the case in historical novels, there is a dual story and timeline. Lu’s story takes place in the 60s as a luxury Rockefeller hotel is about to open, again in Hawaii. A guest goes missing. Lu links up with her own male counterpart. How will their stories intersect with that of Isabel? Readers will most definitely want to know.
I very much enjoyed this novel. It contains both mystery and romance in each of the time periods. I recommend this one to those who read WWII fiction and are looking for something new.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.
“Beautifully structured and well-told with authentic historical detail, interesting relationships, and the mystery of two young women who go missing from the same spot 22 years apart, this is another top historical novel by Ackerman.” —Booklist (starred)
Phaedra Patrick has become one of my favorite authors. I very much enjoyed both The Messy Lives of Book People and The Secrets of Love Story Bridge, so was very excited to read this forthcoming book.
Patrick’s talent for creating wonderful settings and people with whom readers will enjoy spending time are very present here. Much of the story takes place at a small, Italian, old fashioned hotel. This spot contrasts with a much more modern hotel that is nearby. Readers can decide where they might rather be as they read the story.
Protagonist Ginny has, for many years, had a radio show in which she offered help to others as a kind of agony aunt. To her surprise, Ginny learns that there are issues in her own life when her husband says that he wants to separate. This occurs just as Ginny had been planning a romantic getaway for them.
Needless to say, Ginny is distraught. When she finds that she cannot get a refund, the plot leads her to invite some of her listeners on her trip to Italy. They then stay at the hotel mentioned above.
The travelers include an elderly widow grieving her special needs daughter, a teacher whose mother is unwell, a man who has lost his best friend (a dog), and a property developer. Readers also get to know the hotel owner and his daughter.
One of the plot threads has to do with what happens when Ginny, posing as Jenny, and Aidan (her husband) start to communicate without Aidan knowing that he already intimately knows “Jenny.” Will they want to try again? What will happen to the other characters, all of whom become quite close to one another as they visit museums, hike, quilt, eat and do other activities together? Readers will enjoy finding out.
This book is recommended to those who enjoy women’s fiction. Those who know the author will be delighted to read another one of her books. Those new to Patrick are in for a treat.
Many thanks to NetGalley and HTP for this title. All opinions are my own.
This is Dervla McTiernan’s second novel; it follows The Ruin and features many of the same characters. The Scholar takes place in Ireland at a university and science lab. A young former chemistry student is murdered. As you read the novel, you may, like me, think that you know exactly how it will end. I was partially wrong as it was more complex than I had anticipated.
In addition to Della, the (first) victim, the novel tells the story of Carline. She is heir to a great pharmaceutical company but does not feel fully accepted by the grandfather who owns it. What will she do to try to ensure her place? What will happen to her?
The first book’s primary detective was Cormac. He is in a relationship with Emma who works for Darcy Pharmaceuticals, the lab at the heart of this story. What will happen when Emma is both a witness and a potential suspect?
This sophomore effort by Ms. McTiernan is definitely worth reading. I raced through it. Fans of authors including Tana French should love this one!
Fresh Water for Flowers is the first book by Valerie Perrin to be published in English. The writer’s native language is French. Fresh Water is a beautiful book that is told in a unique voice. Protagonist, Violette, was abandoned by her mother and grew up in care. She was a loner until she becomes involved with Phillipe Toussaint. Together they have a child but Phillipe eventually disappears.
Phillipe and Violette worked at a railroad crossing although Violette did most of the work; they later go on to become cemetery keepers. Violette remains there after Phillipe leaves.
The story is told from Violette’s point of view. She tells it all, her hard times, her hopes, the things that she learned and taught herself, the people she sees and cares for and those with whom she works. All this within the background of the cemetery and many sayings from gravestones.
This novel is filled with humanity. I recommend it.
I am reviewing the audio version. It was a beautiful listen and I was sorry when the story ended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
This entry in the Little People, Big Dreams series offers a sensitive and honest biography of Van Gogh for young children. Vincent’s close ties to his brother are noted as are his struggles to settle into adult life and fit in.
Readers watch as Vincent begins to paint and develops his own style. They also learn in a simple way about his on going mental health issues.
This title shows how children can learn about many different kinds of people including those whose lives are not easy. I recommend this book and also believe that it could lead to good discussions between children and adults.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.
For fans of Mary Kay Andrews, Jenny Bayliss, and Julie Murphy, #1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery’s witty and heartfelt story of a mother who couldn’t love her kids more but hopes that, just this once, they please don’t come home for Christmas.
Don’t come home for Christmas. . .
Julie Parker’s kids are her greatest gift. Still, she’s low-key joyful that they want to skip a big Christmas this year. Her son Nick is romancing his bride Blair with a belated honeymoon, while her daughter Dana plans to purge every reminder of the guy who dumped her. Again. Julie’s excited to hole up for the holiday with Heath, the (much) younger man she’s secretly dating.
Her plans go from cozy to chaotic when her kids change their minds and plead for Christmas at the family cabin in memory of their beloved father. Julie can’t refuse, despite being nervous about the over-the-top traditions her grown children still enjoy—and anxious about how they’ll feel when they meet Heath and realize she’s been lying to them for months. She has justified her deception by insisting to herself that they’re not serious, despite the spark she feels whenever he’s near.
As the guest list grows in surprising ways, from Blair’s estranged mom to Heath’s beautiful young ex, Julie’s secret is one of many to be unwrapped. Over this complicated and very funny Christmas, she’ll discover that more really is merrier, and that a big, happy family can become bigger and happier, if they all let go of old hurts and open their hearts to love.
Start reading:
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“But you’re a woman.”
“Does that matter?”
“I don’t know. Do you know how to tow cars?”
Julie Parker did her best not to roll her eyes. At her age, it was a much less charming look. But still.
“Your car is fine,” she said, trying for patience, but failing to hit the mark and landing on snark instead. “You ran out of gas on the 405 freeway. If we should be questioning someone’s ability to exist in the world, we should probably start with you.”
“Hey!” The young twentysomething finally looked up from her phone and frowned. “You have attitude.”
“I do, and a busy schedule. Do you want help or not? It’s twenty bucks for the gas and seventy-five for the service visit.”
“Ninety-five dollars for a few gallons of gas? That’s robbery.”
“It’s also the price you were quoted when you called the company.”
Cars and trucks sped by on the busy freeway. It was a cold, rainy December afternoon, and Julie had a date with her very handsome boyfriend in a few hours. The last thing she wanted to do was waste time arguing with someone younger than either of her adult children.
The young woman shook her head. “I’m not paying that.”
“Fine by me.”
Julie started back to her tow truck, gas can in hand. The woman hurried after her.
“Wait. I’ll do it. So ninety-five dollars?”
“Yes. Tax is included in the price.” She fished her credit card reader from her overalls. “You pay, I pour.”
The woman gave her the stink eye, then reluctantly pushed a credit card into the machine. Less than five minutes later Julie had her money and the unhappy motorist had enough gas to get her on her way.
“Is this your car?” Julie asked, telling herself to walk away but unable to do so.
“It’s my boyfriend’s. He said I could drive it.”
Julie pointed to the instrument panel. “You probably always know how much gas is in your own car. It’s something we keep track of without thinking. But when you get into someone else’s car, check the gauge. When the weather’s like this, you can wait a long time for a tow truck, and the side of the freeway is a dangerous place.”
“Oh.” The other woman looked at the rushing traffic, then slid into the driver’s seat. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Have a nice day,” Julie called as the twentysomething pulled away, sending gravel up in a spray.
She made her way to her truck, telling herself she’d gotten her good deed for the day out of the way early, so that was something. Thirty minutes after that, she pulled into the tow yard, driving under the big Parker Towing sign her grandfather had installed nearly fifty years ago. She parked the small tow truck she’d used for the call, then ran through the pelting rain to the safety of the main office where Mariah Carey’s version of “Santa Baby” played over the speakers. She hung the keys on the pegboard in the locking cabinet and put the credit card reader on the docking station where it would automatically download and tally the transaction.
Huxley, the office manager slash driver whisperer slash mother hen, looked at her over his reading glasses.
“Why do you do that? Why do you take a call like that? I go to lunch and when I come back, you’ve taken one of the trucks and gone out to face God knows what in this kind of weather. I don’t like to worry. When I worry, I get hives, and then I have to go see the doctor and that costs our insurance company money. Do you want the premiums to go up? I don’t think so. But you do this. Every six months or so you think it’s twenty-five years ago and you’re still driving a damned tow truck. You’re the boss. You’ve been the boss for a long time. It’d be really nice if you remembered it.”
“I was delivering gas, not doing a repo. I was fine. Besides, it’s fun to take one of the trucks out every now and then. I want to keep my hand in. The men need to respect me, and for that I need to prove my skills.”
“A chicken could drag gas out to some fool who forgot to fill up his car. What skills are you going on about?”
She laughed. “I had a good time. I’m allowed. Leave me alone.”
“I can feel those hives popping out all over my body,” he said as she started for her office. “And Axel’s waiting to talk to you. He has today’s list.”
Julie’s good mood instantly faded. She walked purposefully toward her office, not breaking stride as she crossed the threshold and headed for her desk. She ignored the tall, fit man standing by the window, a folder in his hands. As she took her seat, she allowed her gaze to linger on the baseball bat leaning casually against the corner.
From the time she was eight until she was thirteen, her father had insisted on weekly batting practice at the cages up by the park. After all those sessions, she had a hell of a swing, and she wasn’t afraid to connect with a ball or anything else that needed hitting.
Not that she went around beating people with a baseball bat, but it had been a deterrence on more than one call and keeping it nearby in certain situations gave her a sense of security. The world was a better place, at least from her perspective, when she knew she could handle whatever came at her. She never asked for help—instead she took care of the problem herself.
She drew in a breath, then raised her head and looked at the man watching her. “Axel.”
He moved toward her desk and set down the folder. “I have five for tonight.”
“Five’s a lot.”
She glanced at the papers. Sure enough, there were five cars the bank wanted back. They were all high end, late models with appropriately high repo fees.
After taking 25 percent off the top to cover expenses, including the lookout car, the company and repo guy split the fee fifty-fifty. It was dangerous work for not much reward and a part of the business she’d never understood. But repo guys lived on adrenaline, and she supposed someone had to go out and take back that which had not been paid for.
She closed the folder and pushed it toward him. “Try not to get shot.”
Axel flashed her a smile. “Me getting shot would solve a lot of your problems.” “Why would you say that? You’re my repo guy. I have no interest in finding another one.”
“You’re still mad at me. Any chance you could see your way past that?”
Mad didn’t come close to describing what she was feeling, she thought grimly, taking in his handsome face and dark eyes. He was the kind of man women noticed. A little dangerous, a little sexy, a lot of trouble.
“How long did you go out with my daughter?” His smile faded and he took a step back. “About two years.”
“How many times did she foolishly let you back in her life so you could break her heart yet again?”
His eyes became unreadable. “Three.”
“My count is four, but I’m not sure that matters. I’ll see my way past what you did to her when I’m good and ready. I’m thinking about thirty years, give or take.”
He hung his head. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t,” she snapped. “Don’t apologize to me. I only hate you by association. And if you really care about her, then stop screwing with her life. Leave her alone.”
“I’m trying.”
“Try harder.”
“The heart wants what the heart wants.”
“I’m pretty sure your heart isn’t the body part creating all the trouble.”
He looked at her. “You want me to quit?”
Some days she did, mostly when she was holding Dana as her daughter cried because Axel had once again dumped her. Because he’d been right—when it came to him, Dana’s heart did want what it wanted and, unfortunately, that was him. But on the rest of the days, she liked having Axel around. He was dependable, he understood the business and he had a habit of taking new hires under his wing, so to speak, and teaching them the tricks of the trade.
“You’re good at what you do,” Julie said reluctantly, staring out the window. “Stay away from her and we’ll be fine.”
“You’re a good mom.”
Words that should have pleased her but instead sent a quiver of guilt trickling through her. While she usually fell firmly in the “good mother” category, lately she’d been keeping secrets. Well, one secret. One big, tall, boyfriend-size secret.
At some point she was going to have to come clean about him, just not today, she thought. It was three weeks until Christmas. Her kids had plans that didn’t include her, Heath— the boyfriend, though she didn’t say that word aloud—didn’t have his kids for the holidays, so the two of them were going to hole up at her place and enjoy a little one-on-one time with nowhere else to be. She honestly couldn’t wait.
She carefully put the happy image out of her head, then returned her attention to Axel.
“Go get the cars,” she told him. “The weather’s going to get worse. Remember that and don’t try any fancy moves. Those big trucks you’re driving belong to me.”
The smile returned. “Yes, ma’am.”
He took the paperwork and left. When Julie was sure he was out of earshot, she murmured, “And don’t get dead.” Because while she was pissed as hell at Axel, she wasn’t heartless. Besides, except for when he crapped on her daughter, he was a good guy and secretly she liked him. Well, at least when it came to Parker Towing.
As for Dana and her devotion to the man, well, her daughter was thirty-one years old. At some point she was going to have to figure out how to move on. Because that was how life worked. You tried something and if it didn’t go well, you moved on. Julie’s father had taught her that, along with how to swing a bat, and she’d learned both lessons very, very well.
SUSAN MALLERY is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of novels about the relationships that define women’s lives—family, friendship and romance. Library Journal says, “Mallery is the master of blending emotionally believable characters in realistic situations,” and readers seem to agree—forty million copies of her books have been sold worldwide. Her warm, humorous stories make the world a happier place to live.
Susan grew up in California and now lives in Seattle with her husband. She’s passionate about animal welfare, especially that of the Ragdoll cat and adorable poodle who think of her as Mom.
Readers cannot go wrong when they pick up a title by Susan Mallery. She writes the sorts of stories that her readers (and those who enjoy women’s fiction) consistently look forward to reading.
In this holiday themed novel, readers get to spend time with the family and extended family of Julie Parker. There will be the unexpected, lots of folks gathered together, relationships and celebration. What could be better than spending time with this One Big Happy Family!
Many thanks to NetGalley and HTP for this title. All opinions are my own. Additionally, thanks to HTP for the opportunity to be part of this blog tour.
This is Dervla McTiernan’s second novel; it follows The Ruin and features many of the same characters. The Scholar takes place in Ireland at a university and science lab. A young former chemistry student is murdered. As you read the novel, you may, like me, think that you know exactly how it will end. I was partially wrong as it was more complex than I had anticipated.
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 