Spectacular Spreads

50 Amazing Food Spreads for Any Occasion

by Maegan Brown

#SpectacularSpreads #NetGalley Pub Date 28 Sep 2021

There are loads of spreads in this title. They cover Breakfast & Brunch; Lunch & dinner; Special Occasions; Holidays; Desserts, and Drinks.

The book opens with some helpful sections as, for example, How to Use This Book, What You’ll Need, and Planning. Then come the spreads beginning with a Continental Breakfast that includes cinnamon swirled coffee cake, mini banana muffins, blueberry streusel quick bread, and mini cinnamon rolls. These recipes are followed by suggestions for accompaniments. Some of the recipes that follow are familiar crowd pleasers; there are soups and sandwiches, tacos, pizzas and more. Holiday spreads include one for a family Valentine’s Dinner, an Easter Brunch and more.

This cookbook has many illustrations that may well inspire those who are planning gatherings…once we are again able to do so.

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

#CozyCaseFiles13 #NetGalley

I always enjoy this free resource. Cozy Case Files 13 includes descriptions of forthcoming mysteries along with generous excerpts. The authors featured in this one include Donna Andrews; Diane Kelly; Elizabeth Penney; Ellie Alexander; Jane K. Cleland; Jess Dylan; and M. C. Beaton. The Jane K Cleland is in my TBR pile of ARCs and looks intriguing with possible Jane Austen letters having been found. Another author, Elizabeth Penney is new to me and I would like to read her novel that has a book related theme along with a trip to Cambridge, England. Other entries also look interesting. Spend time with this volume and plan your upcoming reads. Those who like their mysteries without excessive violence will get some good ideas here.

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

Southern Grit

100+ Down-Home Recipes for the Modern Cook

by Kelsey Barnard Clark

#SouthernGrit #NetGalley

This beautifully illustrated cookbook may well leave readers feeling hungry. It is divided into sections including Happy Hour Bites & Sips; Greens; Potatoes, Grains & Pasta; Seafood; Eggs & Poultry; Pork & Beef; and Breads & Pastries, so…pretty much everything. There are 100 recipes in all. Just a few of these are Alabama Salad with Cucumber Skin Green Goddess Dressing; Smoke Gouda Grits with Redeye Gravy; Girl Boss Steak with Confit Onions and Mushrooms; and Beeb’s Blackberry Cobbler. Sound good? Give this one a look and get cooking.
Note that this book includes sections on everything from stocking the pantry to knife skills in addition to the recipes.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.
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Beginning-to-Read – Big Feelings

by Mary Lindeen

#FeelingAfraid #NetGalley

This book is part of a series that focuses on feelings. I think that it does an excellent job of addressing its topic for its young readers.

Children will learn that everyone is afraid of something but that not everyone is afraid of the same things. They will discover some ways in which fear can be helpful and times when it may hold them back. Some (mindfulness) techniques for coping are offered, along with the suggestion of talking to a trusted adult and remembering that the feeling may not last.

At the end of the book there is a section that suggests ways to talk about fears.

The book is full of photographs. These will help children to relate to the text and also shows kids just like them who feel and cope with being afraid.

I recommend this one. It offers a good way to open a discussion withe the goal of helping a child to feel and cope better.

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

The above books are recent releases and are all under $10.

Some other e book bargains for today:

Moby Dick is free. I read the novel in college and along with reading Paradise Lost it was one of my bigger literary accomplishments. Have you read the story of Ahab?

Our Woman in Moscow (by Beatriz Williams)

There was a time in England when Cambridge grads became traitors; among the most famous of these men were KIm Philby, Guy Burgess, Anthony Blunt and Donald Maclean. They hid in plain sight, not suspected for a long time because of their social class and educations. They were idealistic to start with but some devolved into alcoholism and of course, many defected.

This novel takes place within the time frame of these spies in the late 40s and early 50s. One of the spies, Guy Burgess, is even a character in the novel.

Two sisters Iris and Ruth are the book’s protagonists. When the story opens, Ruth is successfully running a modeling agency in New York. She and Iris have not spoken for many years. Readers will find out why when they read the novel.

When the two were still close, they lived in Rome during part of WWII. While there Iris falls madly in love with Sasha Digby. She makes the decision to follow him wherever he goes and, not to spoil anything they eventually make a big move. Readers will find out why.

One day, Ruth gets a call for help from Iris. She heeds it and this leads to the most exciting events of the novel.

Also in the story is Lyudmilla, a very conforming Russian. Where does she fit in the story and how do her life and the Digbys’ lives intersect? Again, read to find out.

Beatriz Williams has written an absorbing story here with an excellent plot twist. Events unfold; this is not a James Bond like read but it is a good one. The settings and characters shine.

Think about the title as you read. See how close you come to guessing some of the story’s resolutions. Enjoy the novel as you do. It makes for a good read.

The Bookseller’s Secret

A Novel of Nancy Mitford and WWII

by Michelle Gable

#TheBooksellersSecret #NetGalley

Right off the top, there were several reasons why I wanted to read this novel. (Thank you NetGalley and the publisher!) I was familiar with the author, am interested in the Mitford family, love stories set in bookstores, and enjoy dual time line novels. In this case, parts of the story are set in the present. while others take place during WWII. Both stories are well told and readers are aware that they will intersect.

The protagonist in the present is Kate. She has written several novels and is experiencing writer’s block. She does not want to take the easy route of writing a sequel to her most popular title. Her difficulty in putting a story to paper is convincingly portrayed. I could not help but wonder if Ms. Gable had first hand experience with this issue.

Kate travels to London to spend time with her close friend JoJo. This leads to her working at the shop where Mitford was employed years earlier. By the way, Kate did thesis work on Mitford and is interested in her.

The WWII part of the story takes place partly at the Heywood Hill book shop. This is a real store and I enjoyed visiting there virtually. It appears charming and very individualized for its customers as I found when I looked online.

In need of funds, Nancy begins to work at HH. Has she left something behind there?

In the present day, Kate meets a man who would like to find a missing manuscript. Readers learn why. He and Kate become involved in this project while Kate is working at Heywood Hill.

Readers become aware that Nancy and Kate share some things in common. Will they each be able to write again? How does working at the bookshop impact each of them?

I found this novel a bit slow to capture me but once it did I enjoyed it very much. Historical fiction lovers may well want to take a peek at this one!

British Library Crime Classics

by Martin Edwards

#BloodOnTheTracks #NetGalley

Those who enjoy vintage crime and short stories are sure to enjoy this collection that has been edited by Martin Edwards. As is true of his other compilations, Edwards has chosen wisely and offers readers a variety of authors who have set their stories on trains.

Here are tales that are of the Locked Room genre in that most iconic of settings, a train making its way to a destination. There are some well-known authors here as, for example, Conan Doyle and Dorothy Sayers. There are other authors with whom I was not acquainted. Still, I know them better after traveling with them through this volume.

I would also like to comment on this book’s cover. The artwork is very appealing and immediately invites the reader to use their imagination and travel on trains fr0m years past.

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

The House of Mirth is free and an American classic.

by Mary Alice Monroe

The Summer of Lost and Found is book seven of a series of novels set in an idyllic South Carolina community. I have not read all of the books and, while I will probably do so, my enjoyment of this title was in no way diminished.

This is the first fiction that I have read in which the Corona Virus is front and center as it impacts the lives of many of the characters. I think that the author did a masterful job with incorporating real life into the story. I hoped that David would successfully quarantine, that Linnea’s boyfriend would be able to leave England, that Hope would deal as well as a six-year-old might, and much more. I felt connected to each of them as they dealt with the early days of the pandemic.

The novel’s primary character is Linnea whom I remembered from book 6. She is experiencing changes and trying to reconfigure both her professional and personal lives. There are both a former and current boyfriend with whom Linnea has a relationship to figure out. Old boyfriend John is communicating through charming paper airplanes as the story begins. This is because he is quarantining due to Covid. Gordon is in England and may not be able to leave due to restrictions on entering the U.S.

Readers will enjoy spending time with a wide ranging cast of recurring characters, each of whom has their own story and also a connection with Linnea. There are Linnea’s aunt, her parents, her niece and her neighbor, just to mention a few.

Mary Alice Monroe knows how to invite a reader into a world. I very much enjoyed spending time there, even if Covid came along too.

I recommend this novel to those who enjoy women’s fiction.

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

One of Bustle’s “20 Best Beach Reads of 2021”
One of BookTrib’s Most Anticipated Reads of 2021
One of Get Literary’s Most Anticipated Reads of 2021
One of Country Living’s “30 Can’t-Miss Beach Reads for This Summer”
One of Frolic’s “25 Best Books of Spring 2021”