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!
Happily, there are so many little people with big dreams that Ms. Sanchez Vegara has no trouble keeping this series going. This time, young people will get to know Dwayne, the Rock, Johnson. Why was he called this? Find the answer to that as much is learned about the child who became this man. He certainly was a fighter, not just as a sportsman or actor but as a person who needed resilience.
I especially like how this entry spoke about depression. It was normalized in an excellent way.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.
Vera Stanhope is a character known to many crime fiction aficionados. She has been the protagonist of ten novels and has also been made popular by actress Brenda Blethyn in a TV series.
Vera is untidy in both her dress and in her environments. She has a troubled back story with her father Hector. Vera also has a loyal team, a few friends and a mind that should never be underestimated. Spending time with Vera is a joy. Readers who love mysteries should definitely get to know the books. Old readers will be delighted to see Vera again.
This was one of the very best of the novels in my opinion. At times, there was a slightly elegiac quality to the read that added to its enjoyment. Vera is getting older (although she does not want to retire) and many of the main characters in this title are in their sixties. Much of the book is set on a place called Holy Island, a place that asks for some introspection from those who visit.
A group meets when they are teens in school and are taken to Holy Island to participate in a program called Only Connect. Indeed connections are made and many in the group attend the regularly scheduled five year reunions. This time it is different as there are murders. Are they related to the present? the past? both? I choose not to say more as it is so much more fun to read without spoilers.
The characters including, Annie, Lou, Ken, Rick, Phil and Judith, are unique individuals. All have back stories and relationships with one another. Life has challenged them as have the events of the book. Each reacts in their own way.
This story is well told although it took just a tiny bit of reading before I got fully involved. Once I was immersed, I very much enjoyed this novel and was sad to see it end. I recommend this one highly.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this title. All opinions are my own.
This title is part of a series called Object Lessons. Each relatively short entry gives a detailed view of a common object-here we have the stroller. It is that most iconic of parent purchases. It is an object that publicly states something about each family, in my opinion. I have seen a lot of social pressure around which one of these a family chooses and how it seemingly reflects on them.
This book is framed by the author telling readers something about herself and her decision to be a parent. Her children then enter the scene as do their transportation systems.
From this beginning, comes a lot of information about strollers, beginning with their history. There are some fascinating photos accompanying the text. I would bet that not all readers would know that there was a “gas safe pram” for use during war time. However I was most struck by how the topic of the pram offered the author an excellent opportunity to talk about parenthood and children.
This book is quite interesting and deserves an audience wider than the title may indicate.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Academic for this title. All opinions are my own.
There are three books for a baby in this box set. One is a board book for daytime play, one is a book that can go in the tub and the third is a soft book for bedtime. They are titled Let’s Play, Splash, and Goodnight. Perfect-such a good idea for a gift for a new little one.
Each book is short and has lovely illustrations. I like that two of the books have no words while the play book has simple sentences. The focus will be on the pictures and talking about them. This seems nice for bonding time.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.
An extraordinary A to Z of etymological exploration
by Tom Read Wilson
#EveryWordTellsaStory #NetGalley
This book will make a delightful find for both adults and kids. It can be dipped into in any order and will often bring a smile to the reader’s face. The book makes learning about (random) vocabulary, word origins and more entertaining and fun. There is a section of four words for each letter in the alphabet. The first letter gets a poem, information about etymology and a section called ‘did you know.’Then come other words that begin with the same letter. Throughout there are amusing illustrations.
One example: for q the poem is about the Qignog. Learn what this is in the book or see below so no spoiler here. The other three words are quafftide, quarantine, Queensland. Have fun with this letter and the other 25!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.
I started reading this novel soon after Serena Williams retired and when I had tennis on my brain. Carrie is not Serena but there is no doubt that tennis has defined her life. As the story opens, Carrie is at the U.S. Open waiting to see if her long held record for most wins will be shattered. From here the book moves back in time to when she first began playing and goes forward to the time of the book’s title.
I understand the basics of tennis but don’t have the knowledge base to know how accurate the descriptions in the matches played were. I know that they were deeply involving and that I always wondered how Carrie would do.
This novel, however, is not just about Carrie’s tennis but is also about Carrie. She has a rather hard and brittle shell and most although most everything about her has been about tennis, she has things to figure out. Readers get to know the people around her; there are those that she lets in to some degree. The most important one is her father who has shared Carrie’s dream. Another is a player on the male circuit named Bowe and, of course, many of the women players.
Along with a page turning story, this novel offers some food for thought. Are we our accomplishments? Does winning mean everything? How is it to have to deal with being in a constant limelight? What happens when a game that one started to play out of love becomes so dominant? No spoilers for the end of the book. Find out for yourself what happens to Carrie.
I recommend this title to tennis lovers, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s fan base and those who enjoy an involving story.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 30 August 2022
From the Publisher
Editorial Reviews
Review
“The books in Reid’s famous women quartet stand alone. . . . But each of the books centers a vibrant protagonist managing the tensions between her glamorous life in the public eye and the pressures she feels in private . . . with Reid meticulously collecting minute yet meaningful details to help build immersive worlds”—TIME
“Carrie Soto [Is Back] . . . is like other sports novels in which underdogs punch, volley, bat and birdie their way to victory or additional defeat, but it goes beyond this to explore sexism and racism in the tennis world in the 1990s. . . . This novel will grab you. You’ll tear through blow-by-blow descriptions of championship matches on some of the most famous tennis courts in the world. . . .”—The Washington Post
“An epic story about bravery, endurance, but also the power of vulnerability.”—BuzzFeed
“Reid . . . draws on the lives of actual tennis pros (think Serena, Sharapova) to build a world of believable rivalries and intrigue infused with the whiplash suspense of a nail-biting tennis match.”—People (Book of the Week)
“Nearly every Taylor Jenkins Reid novel reads like a survey course in some flagrantly glamorous specialty and era. . . . Come for the King Richard–level attention to the art of the game; stay for the more personal soap operas unfolding off the court, and the final score.”—Entertainment Weekly
The author of this collection is a committed environmentalist who wants children to feel hopeful, inspired and active in caring for our world. She shows what can be accomplished by sharing the optimistic stories in this title. Each story is short and accompanied by lovely and engaging illustrations. It will be a good book for children to read on their own or for reading aloud with an adult.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.
A look at the week’s best new releases. * Kate Atkinson, The Shrines of Gaiety (Doubleday) “[Atkinson] takes on London in the 1920s, masterfully capturing both its shimmer and its seediness…It’s a deliciously fun, absorbing read.” –Time Sarah Bonner, Her Perfect Twin (Grand Central) “Airtight, cat-and-mouse plotting with twists that will draw Gone Girl comparisons,…
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 