Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too!
Great reads for adults and children!
#TheBookofPurrs #NetGalley
Cat lovers (and others) will enjoy this one. Some of the entries are comic. Others are written to offer a bit of self-love, comfort and wisdom. Who couldn’t use that?
This book would make a nice holiday gift for a cat person (purrson?).
Many thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 22 October 2024
#2025ABookofGraceFilledDays #NetGalley
This book of 365 short meditations begins with Advent and continues through the year. Each entry includes a quote from the Bible followed by something to think about.
This is a book for those who are of the Christian/Catholic faith primarily. It does offer some good opportunity for reflection. Think of concepts like grace and gratitude.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Loyola Press for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 30 July 2024
#TheLittleChefs #NetGalley
I was/am a great fan of this author’s Max & Ruby series. I did not know about the stories contained in this volume and was delighted to give them a read.
This book has some of the same qualities that have made Wells a beloved author. The illustrations are whimsical and the stories are imaginative. I think that kids and their adults will enjoy this collection of averted cooking disasters. I know that I wish that the Little Chefs would come to visit me!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Astra Publishing House for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 22 October 2024
#MurderattheMillpond #NetGalley
Anyone who enjoys puzzles and/or mystery novels will want to take a look at this title. Within the framework of a traditional crime story readers find a number of puzzles; these are completed in order to solve the case. Some of the puzzle types may be familiar to solvers while others may be new.
Anyone who has happily purchased the Murdle books will enjoy this one as well. I plan to buy the hard copy as I think that I need pencil and paper to truly enjoy this one fully.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Collins Reference for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 12 September 2024
#MotherDaughterMurderNight #NetGalley
This book has gotten a lot of hype, including being picked for Reese’s book club and receiving a starred review from Library Journal. Based on that, readers may expect a lot from this first novel. In my opinion, it delivers. It is the kind of read where I kept saying that I would return to other things that I had to do when I finished the chapter that I was reading…but then, I just kept on going. All in all, I really enjoyed this one. There are humor, family relationships, a murder…and all of this is well executed in these pages.
Readers meet the three women of the family. Lana has been a real go-getter. A cancer diagnosis has led her to needing some assistance not an easy thing for her. Lana asks her daughter for help and Beth brings her from LA to a quieter community by the water with a slough.
Beth was a teen mother. She is a nurse who lives on the grid but with a homespun lifestyle. She and Lana have a history of not seeing eye to eye. Beth is mom to Jack (Jacqueline), who, when the story opens has been a pretty independent and competent teen. She has led many expeditions on the waters near her house.
What will happen when a body is found? Which of these women will be under suspicion? (Readers find this answer early on.) Who will get involved in finding the truth? Will they succeed? Read this one to find out. Readers will be glad that they did!
Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for this title. All opinions are my now.
Pub date: 05 September 2023
“Simon’s dazzling debut delivers everything a mystery fan could crave, including a realistically nuanced cast of characters, a vividly evoked coastal California setting, writing imbued with a deliciously desiccated sense of wit, and a perfectly plotted murder with enough red herrings deftly dropped in to confound the most experienced mystery reader. Insightful and frequently funny analysis of family dynamics wrapped up in a cleverly crafted cozy crime novel.” — Library Journal (starred review)
“Three women bond while investigating a homicide in Simon’s spirited debut…. Simon stocks her layered plot with plausibly motivated suspects and convincing red herrings, but it’s her indomitable female characters and their nuanced relationships that give this mystery its spark. Readers will be delighted.” — Publishers Weekly
For anyone who thinks about the holiday season well in advance, here is a book for you. Instead of the blazing sunshine that I have today, I will think of fireplace warmth as I peruse these recipes.
The chapters are a bit whimsically named. For example, one is title Yummy Stocking Stuffer Sides, while another is Deck the Halls with Sips & Sugar.
The recipes seem easy to follow. The illustrations are inspiring. See for example the Ho, Ho Holiday Appetizer Wreath. For another appetizer, consider Santa Suit Button Mushrooms. Keeping with adorable recipe/illustration, see the one for Rudolph’s Reindeer Burgers. A nice looking dessert is the Joyeux Dark Cherry Clafoutis.
All in all, this cookbook teams up the cute and the tasty. It seems perfect for its audience.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.
Five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I am no fashion plate. Still, I have very much enjoyed the novels by Natasha Lester that have consistently highlighted French fashion and, in her latest, American fashion. This led me to be aware of the Battle of Versailles, just one of many fascinating events in fashion and one that is covered in the Empresses of Seventh Avenue. I also was glued to The New Look on Apple TV. These experiences primed my interest in this title.
Here readers find out how American fashion came into its own and who some of the women were who led the charge. This was a radical change as American fashion had very much copied French couture. The events of WWII changed this radically.
These women came from many fields including design, retail, advertising, magazines and more. I recognized some of the names that were attached to the fashion evolution including Carmel Snow, Diana Vreeland and Claire McCardell. I was eager to learn more about them and others.
Anyone interested in fashion, social history, women’s contributions in the world and more will I think very much enjoy this social history. It is very readable.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 27 August 2024
Fashion writer MacDonell delivers a colorful chronicle of the female journalists, designers, and retailers who revolutionized American style during WWII. MacDonnell’s fine-grained character studies complement her fascinating insights into the political and cultural forces that ushered in a new era of American style. Fashionistas won’t be able to put this one down.” —Publishers Weekly
In my opinion, Marie Benedict is among the best of the current writers of historical fiction. Here, once again, the author has succeeded in writing an absorbing story that is based upon historical fact. Unlike in her earlier novels, this time she tells the story of six important characters (rather than one) who were sisters. They were so different from each other that it is hard to believe that they had the same parents.
The family included one son, Tom and many daughters. There was Nancy, the novelist. Diana was beautiful, married to one of (those) Guinnesses but she left
Bryan to be with the Fascist Oswald Mosley. Unity was somewhat of a fanatic who was deeply enamored of Hitler while Jessica was a Communist. There were also younger sisters Debo and Pamela.
Benedict tells her chapters from different characters points of view. She often has characters detailing their experiences in the same time frame.
There is a very rich history in this family. Readers will enjoy learning more about the Mitfords in this well written story.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this title. All opinions are my own.
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This title is part of a series by the author. I will look for the others. I find this to be a book that I would look forward to picking up each evening. It provides a quick time to reflect on life and to find that, sometimes elusive, sense of gratitude. Looking for a moment of calm? If so, buy this book.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.
Five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
#TheColdLightofDay #NetGalley
I have been following the exploits and relationship of Sidney and Verity since Huber began the series with This Side of Murder. She has mastered the art of storytelling with interesting characters, plots, relationships and an historical period. In my opinion, The Cold Light of the Day is the best entry yet (though readers may want to read the series from the beginning, especially the first book which sets the scene for the main characters).
In The Cold Light of Day, Sidney and Verity are in Dublin at an important historical juncture. It is the time of such notable figures as Eamon de Valera and Michael Collins, among others. Our protagonists are thrown right into the intrigue as they attempt to spy on both sides in the conflict. It is a real strength of the author’s that the history is clearly explained and easy to follow.
A spy/colleague/important person to Verity has been sent to Dublin to infiltrate those seeking Irish independence. He has not been heard from in some time. Will Verity and Sidney be able to locate him? Is he even still alive?
Finding out about Alec is just one of the many situations in which Verity is involved. Readers will turn the pages wanting to know how each storyline plays out. Then, like me, they may be sad to know that it will be at least a year before meeting up with Verity and Sidney again.
I thoroughly enjoyed this title and recommend it highly.
Many thanks to Net Galley and Kensington Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 24 September 2024
Murder Most Fair by Anna Lee Huber
What happens when it descends: A Certain Darkness (by Anna Lee Huber)
Welcome back, Verity and Sidney! Penny for Your Secrets by Anna Lee Huber
A Pretty Deceit
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 