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!
Leonard Cohen is beloved by many. His musical talent and unique perspective got people listening to his music. But…how did he become this icon? Young readers and their adults will find out in this title.
As a child, Leonard loved the stories around him; he found them everywhere from his books to the stories he heard in his synagogue. All that he took in influenced his later song writing as did the message he wrote to his father on the day of his (father’s) funeral. Over time, Leonard moved from writing poetry to making music and collaborating with Judy Collins.
Adults who love Leonard’s music will enjoy this title. Children will, as always in this series, feel encouraged to pursue their own creative dreams.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.
Rhys Bowen is a busy author. She has her long running Molly Murphy and Her Royal Spyness series. In addition, Bowen has written a number of stories set during WWII. The Paris Assignment is one of those.
Londoner Madeleine Grant meets her future husband, Giles, in Paris. The two are living a charmed life with their young son when the world changes for them, just as it did for many others. WWII’s impact is hitting them. This leads to the geographical separation of the couple. What happens to each of them (including some tragedy) forms the basis for this good work of historical fiction.
Rhys Bowen fans and those who enjoy WWII fiction may well enjoy this title.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.
This title was published in August 2023
Some others’ thoughts on this one:
Rhys Bowen’s multitude of fans will love The Paris Assignment, a story of love and war, of bitterness and brutality, of bravery and forgiveness, woven together with a rich sense of time and place, and characters only a master storyteller could create.” —Jacqueline Winspear, New York Times bestselling author of The White Lady and the Maisie Dobbs series
“No one writes a wartime historical novel as well as Rhys Bowen. The Paris Assignment is a gripping, evocative, and skillfully plotted read, with a heroine you will root for right up to the satisfying conclusion. I couldn’t put it down!” —Deborah Crombie, New York Times bestselling author of the Duncan Kincaid / Gemma James novel series
Susie Hodge has written a number of books about museums and art. I have found all of the ones that I have read to be interesting and informative. That is again the case here with Ms. Hodge here sharing her insights and ways of looking at things.
This title is well organized. There are ten elements of art explored in these pages. These include scale, colour, light, movement, medium, technique, content, location, time and, the artist. After explaining each of these in a clear way, Hodge moves on to explore a number of paintings. Just some of these works are The Arnolfini Portrait (van Eyck), The Serenade (Judith Lester), The Monk by the Sea (Caspar David Fridrich), Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Katushika Hokusai), The Starry Night (Vincent Van Gogh), and Guernica (Pablo Picasso). There are too many to list but all are engaging and worth a look.
There are works here that readers will recognize and look at anew and those that will be getting a first glance. In each case, it is terrific to read what Hodge has to say.
Highly recommended to art lover experienced and un. Note the many gorgeous reproductions as the pages turn.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.
Looking at this title left me with a deep appreciation for the National Parks system. Here is a delightful resource for anyone with plans to visit any of the parks.
An incredible amount of information is packed into this small book. In addition, there are prompts so that travelers can record their impressions and experiences in the parks that they visit.
Be sure to look at the travel tips. They are quite helpful as are the bucket list suggestions.
This title is organized by region. For each each park, there is a good amount to discover.
This journal is beautifully illustrated throughout. it would make a perfect gift for anybody with travel plans. Give this book to a child or teen and they will make use of it for many years.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.
As a reader, I have been on quite a journey with this author and her character Maggie Hope, sometimes known as Paige Kelly. This title is the last and eleventh in the series that began with Mr. Churchill’s Secretary. Over the course of the novels, Maggie has taken on new jobs, new relationships, new challenges and also has experienced risks and loss. She feels like a friend to me and I will miss her. (or maybe I will just begin again with book one and keep going).
In many of these titles, real people intersect with the fictional ones in the story. This time, Coco Chanel is just one of those real people along with her German lover. Anyone who watched the Apple series on Chanel and Dior will recognize the way that she is portrayed here. How will her life intersect with Maggie’s this time? The two have history from an earlier book.
Maggie is tasked with going to Spain by none other than Kim Philby. People who know their history may have some idea about what this might mean. Maggie is told to assassinate a prominent German scientist to prevent his work on atomic bombs going forward. Will she do what is expected of her?
Just one person Maggie meets along the way is a famous bullfighter. There are people from the embassy and a rich and full cast of characters here.
In addition, there are developments in Maggie’s personal life in this story. No spoilers so no more to be said.
All in all, the author has ended the series in a most satisfying way. Nonetheless, I am sorry to say good-bye.
I recommend this title highly but note that readers may want to enjoy some of the earlier title first.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own.
The Maid has garnered so much praise both before and after publication. It is a book that is definitely worth reading. Those who enjoy The Thursday Murder Club and Ruth Galloway mysteries are certain to love this novel with it quirky, idiosyncratic and (morally) good protagonist.
Molly sees the world in her own way. She appears to be “on the spectrum,” though I hate to use that term and do not want to make Molly anything other than the unique woman that she is. Molly has trouble reading social cues and people’s facial expressions. This can lead to her being naively trusting. Molly speaks with a beautifully old fashioned syntax and sometimes makes rhymes as, for example, “a tissue for your issue.”
Molly lives with her grandmother who works as a domestic. Molly is herself a maid, working at the Grand Hotel. It is a job that suits her orderly personality and Molly takes great pride in her work. (She will hopefully leave readers with more respect for those who toil in hotels for the benefit of the guests).
Molly becomes involved in a series of events that leave her in over her head. There were times when I wanted to yell “stop” to Molly when she trusted some of the hotel staff and guests but, of course, could not do so. The fact that I wanted to is a tribute to the author’s ability to create characters for whom readers will care.
Who will protect Molly? Will she get out of this mess? Will she or the hotel ever be the same? Read this charming, heartfelt novel to find out. To use one of Molly’s favorite words, it is “delightful.”
I sincerely hope that the author’s next book is published soon. I give this first novel of hers five stars.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
I am not a person who generally wins giveaways but, for once, I really lucked out. I was given a copy of this title through Goodreads and what a good read it was.
I read the first collaboration of these authors when they told the story of Belle Greene and the Morgan Library. That was a good read but I think that this new book is even better.
In these pages, readers spend time with Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McLeod Bethune. Each has a life story with unique experiences. Both had struggles for acceptance, although in different ways. Each wanted to make a difference in the world; readers will, I think, agree,that they succeeded in that regard.
Although this book is written by two authors, it flows seamlessly. I enjoyed the way that many chapters were set up so that first there was one about either woman, followed by the same day’s experience for the other.
Big issues are explored here along with telling a work of historical fiction. This is a book both of its time and ours. I recommend it highly.
by Kristin Hannah is an e book bargain for 15 May 2024
#TheFourWinds #NetGalley
Kristin Hannah’s new novels are eagerly awaited by her readers. With today’s publication of The Four Winds, I am sure that many will be purchasing her latest title.
Ms. Hannah has written books about WWII (Winter Garden and The Nightingale) and has established a solid reputation as an author of historical fiction. This time she turns her keen eye to the U.S. in the early to mid 20th century, a time of much pain in the country. The characters in this novel are horribly and deeply affected by what came to be known as the Dust Bowl, and by the Great Depression.
The book opens with a beautifully rendered scene of a small and prosperous Texas town. This depiction immediately draws readers into the world of the story. There are social classes within the town but life is good for its citizens. Of course, this changes as the 1920s turn to the 1930s.
The primary character in the novel is named Elsinore (I’m sure not by accident). She is also known as Els or Elsa. Elsa grew up as the ugly duckling in a family of swans. Sickly, lacking in self-esteem and dominated by her family, she finds escape in the world of books…and one night in the arms of Rafe, part of an Italian family that has a farm outside of town. Their meetings lead to their eventual marriage, one which seems to disappoint them both.
Elsa becomes quite close to Rafe’s parents, has two children and lives an orderly life. All of this changes when the droughts come. The depictions of what this calamity did to both the land and its people makes readers aware of the incredible tragedy and hardship that families faced. What happens to these characters and the impact of their decisions forms the basis of the novel.
Hannah’s readers will most likely think of their own difficulties during Covid as they read this title. This makes the timing of the book feel quite prescient.
Overall, I recommend this novel highly. I did at times feel frustrated, early in the book, by Elsa’s passivity and lack of confidence but the reader must remember that these traits go with how she was raised. Bear with her. Hannah’s fans and new readers will be glad that they do.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 