Author: joycesmysteryandfictionbookreviews

#mysterywriter #NetGalley

One thing that I love about Sulari Gentill is that she never seems to rest on her laurels. I very much enjoyed her novels about Rowly Sinclair and his group of friends. These are historical mysteries, set in the 1930s, in a series that began with A Few Right Thinking Men. There are good characters who are good friends and good stories in each of the entries.

Ms. Gentill then began to write some standalone novels and stories set outside of Australia. These include After She Wrote Him, The Woman in the Library, and now, The Mystery Writer. Each has an intriguing and, perhaps quirky, story.

In this new book, Theo (Theodosia) has decided to leave law behind. She wants to be a novelist. When her mentor is killed and her brother becomes a suspect, the scene is set.

A few things to ponder…who was the murderer, where is Theo’s manuscript, and what secret things are happening? Get ready for the unraveling.

It is easy to recommend this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 19 March 2024

For many readers, including me, just seeing Katherine Cemter’s name on the cover of a book is enough to make it a must read. Center is a master of writing stories with good characters, plots that keep the pages turning and, most importantly, humor and heart. Readers come to care about her characters and their lives, almost as if they are real people. This book is no exception.

Emma is woman with unrealized dreams and potential. She works freelance on writing projects for her old high school boyfriend. Emma’s father was in a catastrophic accident and requires her to be around full time. Her sister has, in some ways, been living out Emma’s dreams. She has gotten to go away to college and is about to begin a prestigious internship as the story opens.

A plot twist then comes. Logan, the high school boyfriend, offers Emma a ghost writing job with her absolute idol, screenwriter, Charlie Yates. Let’s just say that Emma has an unbelievable crush on Charlie and his films. However, his latest attempt, an update of one of Emma’s favorite movies (It Happened One Night) is an absolute disaster.

So…Emma makes the necessary arrangements for what she thinks will be the job and experience of a lifetime and flies out to L.A. Okay…I’ve set the scene but don’t want to spoil the fun by saying anything else.

This book is a perfect summer read. Anyone who picks it up will be sorry to see it end.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 11 June 2024

The Audio Version

I both read and listened to this book, enjoying the audio when I was going for walks or doing household stuff. As a real treat, it is partly narrated by the author. The audio is excellent and invites the reader right in.

Either way (or both) that is chosen, here is a book to put on a must read list.

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio for this delightful listen.

For quite a while, I posted on daily e book bargains. I have now stopped doing that but want to share a few of the places I looked at in making the lists each day.

Bookbub

Early Bird Books

Bookperk

Amazon

Simon & Schuster (email that comes out on Friday or late Thursday night)

Feel free to post your own favorite book bargain sites.

I absolutely adored Ruth Hogan’s novel, The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes, so I was quite eager to read The Moon, The Stars and Madame Burova.

Around the plot, Ms. Hogan looks at some emotionally resonant issues. These include identity, race, the nature of love, how to treat others and also how to treat one’s self. All is skillfully done and is not too heavy handed.

Madame Burova’s mother, Shunty Mae, was a reader of tarot cards, palms and crystal balls. Her daughter, Imelda (aka Madam B) has taken on her mother’s vardo and profession. She is very good at it and her booth becomes a confessional for many. In the present, Imelda Burova is considering retirement; in the past she led an active life.

Imelda spent time at Larkin’s, a family holiday camp, when she was a young woman. There were many people and acts there. Imelda was close to Jeannie, a talented young singer and to Cillian Burke, a man who was of great importance to her. Readers will find out how Cillian influenced the title of the novel. Also at the camp is Vivienne; she wants Cillian and is used to taking whatever she feels that she needs.

In the present, Billie’s parents have recently died. She finds something out in a note that her father left her. This leads her to connect with Imelda and connect they do! In the present, Imelda offers Billie some answers and all the wonderful aspects of the kind of person she is. Readers will root for both of them.

This book is not a cliffhanger. It is a slow-ish read that I enjoyed and recommend. Not quite as good as Sally but very good nonetheless.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Three stars ***

The subtitle is a key to everything this title is about. So many of us find it almost impossible to do one thing at a time. We race, we multitask, we hope to get things done but somehow are not always successful. Here is another way to look at how we go about spending our time and accomplishing things. The system may resonate and is definitely worth a look.

Learn what timeboxing is and why it can be beneficial. Take a look at the four sections. These include Believe, Plan, Do, Own. There are a number of topics within each of these. For example, in Believe are reasons why to do this, while in Plan there are things like Box Making, and in Do there is a section on Pacing and Racing. The final section has subheadings including Better Sleep and It’s Working. Hopefully it will work for the book’s audience.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

#MindfulnessandNature #NetGalley

This book is geared towards kids who are in about Kindergarten through third grade although that is is no way proscriptive. It 0ffers an easy to understand look at mindfulness and suggests nature related activities that children can do. Just a few of the sections include Seeing the World Anew; Your Mind, Your Senses; Nature’s Colors; and Nature’s Journey.

There are good activities in these apges that will help kids to perhaps slow down, observe and learn to live in the present. In addition, the book’s illustrations are engaging and go well with its theme.

This title could be helpful to most children in my opinion. Buy it for a kid you care about.

Many thanks to Mayo Clinic Press Kids and NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 19 March 2024

#TheBookClubHotel #NetGalley

This is the perfect book to sit down with on a fall night. It is nicely written and plotted; the characters are people with whom readers will wish to know. (Too bad, they can’t come for a real visit).

The Maple Sugar Inn just seems like the perfect place to go to relax. The setting is gorgeous, the rooms are beautiful and the inn keeper cares about her guests…even as she has her own struggles.

Inn owner, Hattie is carrying on the dream of her husband which was to run this inn. Readers learn early in the book that he died in a freak accident, leaving Hattie a widow and a very young one at that. Will she want to keep the inn going?

Three friends are going to visit. Their lives are quite different from one another’s but the relationships go back years and are deep. One is a single, su

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

Also:

If interested, I did a blog tour for this one. It is on my site.

From the Publisher

New thrillers for March 2024 — a horrific crime in the Lake District

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/18a46878-afcf-47d0-93eb-7939d73902a6?shareToken=5dbb35c6e055bd798e8dd4a61e7ad0c3

Four stars ****

Readers/listeners, decide which way you would like to access this latest Secret Staircase mystery or, like me, alternate between the two. I often do this so I can continue a story while I go on a walk or do chores.

This is the third book in this modern locked room series that pays tribute to the best classic mysteries and, I think, maybe to Nancy Drew. All of my favorite characters are here again, even those who are missing (Tempest’s mother).

In my opinion, this latest can be enjoyed without having read the earlier books but readers may want to read all three just for the fun and pleasure. There is backstory but enough is told so that someone new to the series can follow along.

Things are looking bad for the Secret Staircase company. There is a lawsuit and then, to make things worse, there is murder. Enjoy the magic, the detecting and the all around fun of this entry in the series. It was a good read.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the book and to Macmillan Audio for the listen. And, of course, thanks to NetGalley for both of these. All opinions are my own.

#TheSchoolOfLifeCollectedEssays #NetGalley

About The School of Life: An introduction from the publisher.

The School of Life is an organization with a mission at its heart: to help foster calm, self-understanding and greater emotional maturity. 

For the last 15 years, we have produced landmark essays on important life topics, now gathered together for the first time.

My thoughts:

This title consists of a series of essays on topics that both intrigue and provoke thought and self-reflection in the reader. Some of the subjects covered in this interesting volume are What is Psychotherapy; The Sorrows of Love; How to Reform Capitalism, and more.

Be sure to read the introduction in which the publisher discusses “the point of books.” Read the sections in any order but allow sufficient time to think and reflect.

This title will appeal to those who want to take time to think about some big aspects of life.

Many thanks to NetGalley and The School of Life for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 02 April 2024