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!
Kids with imagination will like looking at this title which can be read in order or enjoyed by looking at pages randomly. The illustrations are vibrant and engaging. The text is very readable.
Here are magical creatures from the land, water and air. There are many in these pages including a faun, a unicorn, a werewolf, Cyclops, troll, Jormungandr, selkie and the list goes on. I think that adults will be surprised by how much they may learn as well.
Many thanks to DK Children and NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own
I know that the foster care system is complex and does not work as it is meant to in terms of protecting vulnerable children. Anyone who reads this suspenseful story will, no doubt agree and will think that the protagonists of this story deserved better-much better.
Three women are introduced in this novel that details both their present and past lives. Their experiences make this novel both suspenseful and bleak (although there are moments of humor).
This book was a difficult read for me because of the poor treatment of the protagonists. Still, I think that many will rapidly turn the pages of this title.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this title. All opinions are my own.
We all know that life does not always go to plan. What we choose to do next can make all the difference. This is the situation that Jess is experiencing as this lovely novel opens.
Jess has recently faced some hard times that have made it difficult for her to trust and believe in others. She has been couch surfing at her best friend’s and needs a place to live. This is how she comes to meet Joan who is looking for a lodger.
This device puts one younger and one older person together as Jess rents a room in Joan’s house. Joan is doing this in order to liven up her life. Indeed many things will happen for both of these women over the course of the story. One of the entertaining ones for me was to watch Joan and Jess switch with Jess swearing off her mobile for old fashioned communications just as Joan learns about the internet and more.
Will Jess and her close friends be able to save a vintage theater? What role (for good or bad) will Joan’s son play in this? Will someone from her past get in touch with “Joany?” Will these characters find some happiness? Read this one to find out. It is just delightful.
Many thanks to Headline and NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own.
I have adored every book that I have read by Nina George starting with The Little Paris Bookshop. To me, her books are quite special. I think that is why I held this one back-just so I would know that there was a Nina George for me when I needed it.
This is the story of Marianne who needs to/wants to change her life. She has been in an exceedingly difficult marriage for one thing. Go on a journey with her. You will be glad that you did.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.
This is a very cute and simple alphabet book. What may distinguish it for some is that all of the words have something to do with Australia. For example, D is for Didgeridoo; J is for Jumbuck; N is for Ned Kelly and so on.
I think that both kids and adults may enjoy this one. I certainly did.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Familius for this title. All oopinions are my own
I was drawn to this title by the inviting cover and the name of author Jo Thomas. Thomas writes books that are perfect for a bit of escape in a gorgeous setting. This title set in Provence is everything a reader could want for a summer read.
In these pages readers meet Del, Stephanie, Rhi, Fabien and many others. Each has a story to tell and a connection with Del. Del, herself, moved to Provence hoping to repair her marriage. When that did not happen, she chose to stay in France where she is both a chef and the proprietor of a lavender farm. As the story opens, it is time for the harvest.
A harvest is a time of hard work, accomplishment and celebration. Will these same characteristics influence the people in this book? Readers will hope so.
The nice thing about a summer read is that it does not always have to be happy and yet readers can feel safe in the author’s hands. That is certainly the case here.
It is easy to recommend this title to those who enjoy women’s fiction and well told stories.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK-Transworld Publishers for this title. All opinions are my own.
In this twisty Victorian detective thriller from the author of The Darwin Affair, Inspector Charles Field hunts a serial killer with a sinister signature targeting Florence Nightingale’s nurses in Crimea and women in London.
Who is stalking Florence Nightingale and her nurses? Is it the legendary Beast of the Crimean, or someone closer to home? In 1855, Britain and France are fighting to keep the Russians from snatching the Crimean Peninsula from the Ottoman Empire, and Nightingale, a wealthy young society woman, has made it her mission to improve the wretched conditions in the British military hospitals in Turkey—despite fierce objections from the male doctors around her. When young women start turning up dead, their mouths sewn shut with embroidered fabric roses, Inspector Charles Field (the real-life inspiration for Charles Dickens’s Inspector Bucket in Bleak House) is sent from England to find the killer among the doctors, military men, journalists, and others swarming Turkey’s famous Barrack Hospital. Here Field meets both the famous Nightingale as well as Nurse Jane Rolly, the woman who will become his wife, and as he races to protect them, the prime suspect takes his own life.
Case closed. Or is it?
Twelve years later, back in London, amid the turmoil surrounding the expansion of voting rights, women again start turning up dead, their mouths covered by that telltale embroidered rose. Did Field suspect the wrong man before, or is he dealing with a deviant copycat? Either way, he must race against time to stop the killer before more bodies are discovered, and before his own family gets pulled into danger. Populated by real figures of the day, from Benjamin Disraeli to novelist Wilkie Collins to, of course, Florence Nightingale herself, and steeped in historical details of 1860s London, The Nightingale Affair plays out against a backdrop of a rapidly changing society. Most of all, it is a pure reading delight, offering shocks, unforgettably vivid scenes, and surprising twists.
My thoughts:
Anyone who enjoys historical mysteries that reference real life people will want to give this title a look. It is the second mystery by the author following on The Darwin Affair.
This time the historical personage reference is to Florence Nightingale and the time is the mid 1880s. How will the doings in the Crimea and a serial killer from that time figure into the story? Is this beast killing again or is this a red herring? Is the crime, a murder, personal or political? It will be up to Inspector Charles Field to figure out this complex and serpentine situation. This is something that he does most competently in a story that was given a starred review by Publishers Weekly. I concur.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for this title and the blog tour invite.
Put the word book club in a novel’s title and I always want to take a look. That, plus the cover of this one, made me want to read The Bordeaux Book Club.
This is an easy and enjoyable read about a group of ex-pats. One of them, Grace, likes to keep busy and perhaps to feel important. She posts a notice for a book club for ex-pat English speakers and waits for people to sign up.
Among those who attend the first meeting is Leah. She is already a friend to Grace. Leah and her husband moved to France looking to have a better quality of life. It is not clear that they are finding this. Their daughter is cranky and it seems that Leah’s husband may have some secrets.
Several others come to the first meeting including Monica, George and Alfie. Alfie stands out for being the youngest in the group.
The first book selection is Great Expectations as this was Grace’s choice and she can be forceful. What will this book and others mean to the book club members as they read and get to know one another…oh, and drink some wine too. (Bordeaux is in the title for location but possibly also for the wine.)
Those looking for a quick, escapist read will, I think enjoy this title.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this title. All opinions are my own.
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 