Reading is a great way to pass the time—especially while you’re stuck at home—but it can quickly get expensive. Here’s how to read more while spending way less.
— Read on www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/read-more-for-less/

www.nytimes.com/2022/09/08/books/new-fiction-fall-2022.html

www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/09/09/books/review/california-novels-quiz.html

sleuthofbakerstreet.ca/i/1584200/September_2022_e_MOM_Read.pdf

www.nytimes.com/2022/09/08/books/books-queen-elizabeth-ii.html

If you like your mysteries on the cozy side, curl up with one of these delightful new books featuring amateur sleuths.
— Read on www.bookbub.com/blog/charming-cozy-mysteries-2022

Don’t miss all the best new books releasing in fall 2022, from titles by Michelle Obama, Haruki Murakami, Nora Roberts, David Baldacci, and more.
— Read on www.bookbub.com/blog/best-books-of-fall-2022

A well portrayed romance: Before the Crown by Flora Harding

This book will certainly be quickly picked up and read by those who love stories about Elizabeth and Phillip, and/or by those who enjoyed the Netflix series, The Crown.  This story starts as one of youth; readers observe as Elizabeth and Phillip get to know each other, beginning when the future queen was just a girl.  There is an early vivid scene of a Christmas pantomime at the castle during WWII.  Elizabeth is an Aladdin who eagerly looks for a certain dashing naval officer in the audience.  She is clearly interested in him.  But, what does he think of or want from her?  Even if you know how history played out, the author manages to create some suspense.

Phillip is portrayed as interested in this young Elizabeth but also as a man who is not fully ready to settle down.  The influence of his family history (royalty without a country) and his uncle Mountbatten’s pressure to become the future monarch’s husband are realistically portrayed.

Another section of the book, at the end of the war, shows Elizabeth as the young girl she is.  This has been the subject of a movie, A Royal Night Out. and very much comes to life in the novel.  It was one time when Elizabeth was able to shed her persona and be part of a crowd in a celebration.

From these beginning chapters, the author crafts a well told accounting of one of the longest and most famous marriages in the Western world, one that Elizabeth’s father did not initially endorse.  Readers are swept along as this couple moves toward one another and their eventual wedding.  Be there with them on this journey as the pages turn.

I highly recommend this readable and enjoyable historical novel.  Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

Bouchercon is once again upon us. For the first time since the pandemic began, the crime fiction conference is happening in person, with one of the CrimeReads editors already here and typing this in their Minneapolis hotel room. Ahead of the convention, we asked nominees for the Anthony Awards to answer a few questions about…

The State of the Crime Novel: A Roundtable Discussion with Crime Authors — CrimeReads

by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara

When I was in elementary school I read a biography about Helen Keller. The changes that came to her after a bout with illness seemed unimaginable to me. Not to be able to see OR hear; how could one go on? Having the right teacher can make all the difference and indeed Helen went on to achieve more than many of us. Hers was such an inspiring life.

I enjoyed Ms. Sanchez Vegara’s telling of Helen’s story although it focused less on Helen’s frustrations than the book I had read. The text is accompanied by illustrations that invite young children in. I hope that they will be as inspired by Helen as I was (and am).

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group-Frances Lincoln Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 04 October 2022