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Portrait of an Extraordinary Life

by Daniel E. Sutherland; Georgia Toutziari

There are so many iconic portraits. Who has looked at the Mona Lisa without imagining the life of its subject? I think that the same can be said of the woman in Whistler’s most famous work, his mother.

Looking at the portrait can lead observers (it certainly was true of me!) to wonder who this woman was and what her relationship with her son looked like. To me, Whistler’s mother appears to be someone who seeks equanimity but may or may not have found it. What do you see?

This book allows one to stop guessing and to get to know Mrs. Whistler. She did so much more than sit (passively) for a portrait. Anna, who was born in the slave holding South, went on to live or travel to many places, including Brooklyn, New York and parts of Europe. Her life was a full and interesting one. Learn more about her in this biography.

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

The Family You Make

A Novel

by Jill Shalvis

Readers who enjoy an involving story with characters that have some complexity should give this women’s fiction title a look. I very much enjoyed it.

Ms. Shalvis drew this reader in immediately. The first chapter of the book evoked strong feelings in me. Levi and Jane are stuck in a gondola (way high up) during a major weather event. I was almost literally trembling for them even though I knew that an author would not kill her main characters at the beginning of a novel. Still, I felt the cold, the shaking of the car, the fear of death and the relief when feet were again on the ground (just where I like mine to be!)

From this opening the author goes on to create a story with people about whom I cared. A few of them are:

Jane: She had a difficult childhood. Jane now works as a traveling nurse, never staying too long in any one place and, up until now, avoiding romantic attachments.

Levi: As a good male protagonist, he is nice looking and smart but he is dealing with a past grief. It is he and Jane who are trapped in the air together.

Charlotte: She is the one person to whom Jane has let herself become close. However, Charlotte has her own backstory with its repercussions in her current life.

Mateo: He knows all three of the others. Mateo is an ER doctor, so knows Charlotte, a surgeon at the same hospital. He and Levi were best friends for many years. Levi also knows Jane who lives with Charlotte and is a nurse in the same community for part of the year.

Watching how these people find their ways makes for a warmly involving read. This is the second novel that I have read by Ms. Shalvis and it will not be my last.

From the Publisher

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

Think You Know These Classic Tales? Guess Again!

by Stewart Ross, Samantha Newman, and Jo Franklin, Chris Jevons and James Hearne

The authors of this collection re-tell six fairy tales. The newly renamed stories are Cinder Elephant; Little Rude Riding Hood; The Three Little Narwhals; Octo-Puss in Boots; The Ninjabread Man; and finally, Snow White and the Seven Robots.

Each illustrated story retains elements of the original tale. For example, Cinder Elephant still has a wicked stepmother and two wicked stepsisters but the story adds silly elements. For example, Cinder Elephant’s fairy godmother has fairy dust in her ears and does not hear well so Cinder ends up with glass flippers, not slippers, when she wants a coach, the fairy godmother hears a roach…and so it goes.

This book will, I think be enjoyed by children who possess a sense of humor. It will help if they know the original stories as well.

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

This book will be published on 01 Mar 2022 |

See my review on the blog. I liked this one a lot but it is sad.

One of my favorites in the series.