Author: joycesmysteryandfictionbookreviews

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!

Let’s Go: Quick and Easy Vegetarian Cooking for Beginners

Simple and Delicious Vegetarian Meals for Everyone

by Erin Alderson

#QuickandEasyVegetarianCookingforBeginners #NetGalley

This book will be welcomed by vegetarians, those who are not vegetarians but love good recipes and, those who like recipes that are easy to follow and yield good food. The author organizes the book by meals, appetizers and small plates, and desserts after a short introduction.

Some choices for breakfast include Morning Oats, Rye Waffles with Lemon and Blackberries, and an Herbed Omelet. For lunch try Grilled Polenta with Chickpeas and Ginger Chutney or Grilled Vegetable with Cheese and Hummus. An appetizer to try might be Traditional Hummus or Fresh Spring Rolls. Dinner options include Black Bean Enchiladas, Simple Stuffed Peppers and, Veggie Burgers, among others. And for dessert, maybe Vanilla Cupcakes, a Vanilla Bean and Pomegranate Custard Tart or a Whole Grain Bread Pudding.

The directions look easy to follow. There are also many delicious looking photos.

This title looks like a nice resource. Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 18 April 2023

Let’s Go: Quick and Easy Vegetarian Cooking for Beginners

Simple and Delicious Vegetarian Meals for Everyone

by Erin Alderson

#QuickandEasyVegetarianCookingforBeginners #NetGalley

This book will be welcomed by vegetarians, those who are not vegetarians but love good recipes and, those who like recipes that are easy to follow and yield good food. The author organizes the book by meals, appetizers and small plates, and desserts after a short introduction.

Some choices for breakfast include Morning Oats, Rye Waffles with Lemon and Blackberries, and an Herbed Omelet. For lunch try Grilled Polenta with Chickpeas and Ginger Chutney or Grilled Vegetable with Cheese and Hummus. An appetizer to try might be Traditional Hummus or Fresh Spring Rolls. Dinner options include Black Bean Enchiladas, Simple Stuffed Peppers and, Veggie Burgers, among others. And for dessert, maybe Vanilla Cupcakes, a Vanilla Bean and Pomegranate Custard Tart or a Whole Grain Bread Pudding.

The directions look easy to follow. There are also many delicious looking photos.

This title looks like a nice resource. Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 18 April 2023

What will transpire at: Independence Square by Martin Cruz Smith

It is hard to believe that Independence Square is the 10th Arkady Renko novel. Faithful (and new) readers of the series will enjoy this title that Publishers Weekly has given a well deserved star review. It is described by the publication as “stellar;” what more could a reader hope for?

Given the current state of the world, it is interesting to read a book that is set in Ukraine and to be there with Arkady. He is a good companion.

When the story opens, Arkady is, I think, a bit bored. Finally, something interesting comes along when he is asked to locate musician Karina. She is the daughter of a body builder who is a man doing some unsavory work. Karina, herself, is anti-Putin; what could be more dangerous?

The case takes Arkady to the Crimea and Ukraine. What will he find there? Will Karina be alive? And, how will Arkady cope as he faces a medical diagnosis? Oh, and some complications in his relationship too.

Note that Smith has been writing about Russia for quite a while. He knows whereof he speaks. He also has intimate knowledge of Arkady’s medical condition and writes movingly about this.

Those who enjoy spy fiction, good writing and good stories will want to pick up this title. Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 09 May 2023

The Best Debut Crime Novels of the Month — CrimeReads

The CrimeReads editors select the month’s best debut novels in crime, mystery, and thrillers.  * Nick Medina, Sisters of a Lost Nation (Berkley) Nick Medina’s debut is told from the perspective of Anna Horn, a young Native girl who works at her town’s local casino and starts to notice a pattern when it comes to the…

The Best Debut Crime Novels of the Month — CrimeReads

Mark your calendar: NONE OF THIS IS TRUE by Lisa Jewell

Is everything false? Is nothing true? Is the title of the book just a trick? Readers will eagerly, maybe compulsively, turn the pages of this title to find out. If they know Lisa Jewell at all, they will expect a gripping story that takes them for quite a ride. If readers are new to the author, they will finish this and look to her backlist.

Two women. Two lives. Two stories. Intersections. Podcasts. True crime shows. Is that enough? I assure you that it will be.

Josie and Alix are both celebrating a forty-fifth birthday. Their lives look very different when each goes to dinner that night at the same place. Josie is there with her husband and it is a big splurge while Alex is there with a large group of friends and seems more financially comfortable.

Josie starts something when she points out to Alix that they are “birthday twins.” Uh-oh, a lot happens from this point on as readers get t know these women, their families, the way their minds operate and more. When Alix and Josie start work on a project together a complex set of circumstances results.

Those who like domestic thrillers and.or domestic thrillers will turn the pages at lightning speed in an effort to figure all of this out. Ms. Jewell has done it again; she has written exactly the kind of novel at which she excels.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 08 August 2023

Now out: Poems for Life

Just today, a friend was telling me that they wanted to explore poetry more. Here is a lovely way to begin or, if you already enjoy poetry, to continue. The editor of this book has curated a collection of just thirty-one poems, a number that will encourage reading poems, while not overwhelming in any way. In fact, readers may well want to go on to explore additional works by the poets featured here. Just a few of them include John Donne, Robert Frost and Rudyard Kipling, along with others less well known by me as, for example, Kate Seymour Maclean.

I enjoyed my time with this title. Others will too, I think.

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