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!

Lunchbox

So Easy, So Delicious, So Much Fun to Eat

by Marnie Hanel; Jen Stevenson

#Lunchbox #NetGalley.

This was the perfect time for me to discover this book and let others know about it. School is just beginning. Are you a person who regularly needs to pack a lunch for a child you know? Would you like to do this with a bit more elan and flair?

Surprise someone by making their lunch tasty and fun. It will feel doable after spending time with this book and its many ideas.

The author begins with a chapter called Lunch Logistics. It provides all the information that is needed for the following chapters.

One of the many things that I enjoyed seeing was all the ways that a mini Babybel cheese could be decorated. This is just one of their whimsys.

The authors seem to like bento box style lunches. Many of these involve assembling not needing to know anything special about cooking or baking. Others do involve some cooking but the recipes feel very doable. For example, one lunch box includes peanut noodles (recipe included) along with apple slices, rice cracker mix, tangerine and raspberries, and edamame. Yes, the noodles are a bit more sophisticated than peanut butter and jelly but that may be just the thing. Others such as a suggested first day of school lunch are simple and creative. For example assemble a pencil whose base is cheddar cheese.

Recommended for those who are creative and view lunch as a fun challenge. Their lucky kids will enjoy opening thier lunch boxes.

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

Pub date: July 2022

Remember a young Elizabeth

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.