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!
Truth here…I love Anne of Green Gables. I have read the first book in the series more than once and I adored the old TV series with Megan Fellows. The original may seem wordy to today’s young readers but it is still a great read aloud or read alone for elementary school kids. There are fun adventures in the book and also universal longings (as for love and acceptance).
For a child who is not ready for the length of the unabridged book this could be a good introduction. It may even encourage some to go to Montgomery’s novel. The events are true to those in the book. There is an added plus here with the beautiful, vividly rendered illustrations.
What happens to Anne (remember the important final E) when Gilbert Blythe comes to school? Follow the short chapters to find out.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.
This book’s title is derived from Van Gogh’s description of his home in Arles. He lived there for 444 artistically productive days, leaving after the notorious incident with his ear. Intriguingly, the book’s author has a theory about why that happened when it did.
This work is well-researched and engaging. It can be enjoyed by both serious art scholars and those who simply adore Van Gogh. The number of reproduced paintings is impressive and readers will enjoy studying them at leisure and learning more about them, the artist and those who knew him.
This title is highly recommended. It offers readers an immersive and involving reading experience.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher . All opinions are my own.
From the Publisher
Studio of the South tells the story of Van Gogh’s stay in Arles, when his powers were at their height…
Van Gogh’s home and studio was the Yellow House, which he rented two months after his arrival in Arles. It provided his own personal space to sleep and paint – a welcome change from a cramped hotel room. Van Gogh immediately dreamed of sharing his new home with a fellow artist from Paris. Life would be cheaper, but more importantly it would be stimulating to live and work with a companion. He described it as the ‘studio in the south’. Vincent first used this expression in a letter to his brother Theo. Asking for money to buy beds and other furniture, he exclaimed: ‘How I’d like to set myself up so that I could have a home of my own!’ Once furnished, ‘we’d have a studio in the south where we could put someone up’. He regarded his beloved Yellow House as not simply a physical space, but a ‘living studio’.
The Yellow House, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
DISCOVERING ARLES
Van Gogh arrived in Provence at an extraordinary moment. Having taken the overnight train from Paris he awoke on the morning of 20 February 1888 to find the countryside blanketed with snow, although Arles normally enjoys mild Mediterranean winters. He described the scene to Theo: ‘The landscape under the snow with the white peaks against a sky as bright as the snow was just like the winter landscapes the Japanese did.’ The white hills were the Alpilles (the Little Alps), a chain with craggy peaks which begins just north of Arles – and which would soon appear in the background of many of his landscapes. A local newspaper reported that the snow was 45 centimetres deep, ‘enormous for the land of the sun’.
Arles seen from the Wheatfields, Musée Rodin, Paris
THE RHÔNE AND ITS CANALS
Langlois Bridge with Washerwomen, Kröller- Müller Museum, Otterlo Langlois Bridge with Washerwomen was completed in mid-March 1888, just three weeks after Vincent’s arrival. Writing to Theo, he described it as ‘a drawbridge, with a little carriage going across it, outlined against a blue sky – the river blue as well, the banks orange with greenery, a group of washerwomen wearing blouses and multicoloured bonnets’.
Quay with Sand Barges, August 1888, oil on canvas, 55 x 65 cm, Folkwang Museum, Essen (F449) Van Gogh later painted a similar scene, Quay with Sand Barges, this time with part of the embankment. His striking perspective omits the sky. He described the scene: ‘Boats seen from a quay, from above; the two boats are a purplish pink, the water is very green, no sky, a tricolour flag on the mast. A workman with a wheelbarrow is unloading sand.’
Trinquetaille Bridge, October 1888, oil on canvas, 74 x 93 cm, private collection On the other side of the Rhône lay the small town of Trinquetaille, which in 1875 had been linked to Arles by a bridge. Van Gogh painted Trinquetaille Bridge from the Arles side. Selecting a dramatic viewpoint, he looked up the wide steps heading from the street to the embankment and then up to the bridge itself. A sprinkling of pedestrians add scale and movement. The cylindrical object behind the small tree is probably a pissoire.
More from Martin Bailey
MARTIN BAILEY is a leading specialist on Van Gogh and an arts journalist. He is a London-based correspondent for The Art Newspaper. Bailey has curated several exhibitions on Van Gogh including one at Tate Britain in 2019. His most recent books include:
This title provides a wonderful introduction to Shakespeare for young readers. There are fifteen plays included; to name just a few, there are The Merchant of Venice, Othello, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Romeo and Juliet, and The Tempest. Each play is brought to life, simply retold but true to the spirit of the original. The illustrations that accompany the stories are truly magnificent. Those who would like to introduce a new generation to Shakespeare may well want to pick up this book and let the bard do the rest.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
Fallen is the thirteenth entry in Ms. Castillo’s long running series of mysteries that take place among the Amish in Painters Mill, Ohio. This case feels personal to Inspector Kate Burkholder as she once babysat for the victim. As is true for Kate, Rachel left the Amish community to live her life differently. What brought her back to her childhood community? Who murdered her? Why? Was it because of some of her unsavory activities or something else? Readers will eagerly turn the page to find out.
Those who already know this series will excitedly fall on this latest entry in which the detective straddles two worlds. New readers may also read this one as their first novel by this author. They may then want to work their ways through the other twelve entries!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
A number of years ago Elisabeth Kubler-Ross wrote her seminal and most highly regarded work on the stages of grief. In the years since then thinking has evolved. The stages are still seen as apt descriptions of what many experience but it has become clear that progression through them is not a straight line.
It is now known that grieving is both a universal and intensely personal experience. Being inside this universe arouses a multitude of emotions and feelings. They may be overwhelming, sad, comforting or anything else at all that a person finds. This book has been written to help readers when they spend time in this difficult spot. There are many exercises and observations within this journal. It is packed with knowledge and activities.
I found this book to be wise and helpful I wish that no-one would ever need it but, since that cannot be, think of this as a resource for you or someone you know.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
A number of years ago, I read an entertaining mystery series by someone named Kathy Hogan Trochek. The stories featured Callahan Garrity. She ran a cleaning service as I recall but bodies always seemed to be in the way. I recommend the novels. What is relevant here is that KHT and Mary Kay Andrews are one and the same! This meant that I knew that The Newcomer would feature an involving story line, good plotting and interesting characters. I was not disappointed.
The Newcomer in this story could be looked at as several different people, although I think that it principally refers to Letty. Letty and her sister Tanya grew up in less than stable circumstances. Letty, an aspiring actress, has moved to New York. She meets and gets to know Evan. Not long after, Letty’s sister Tanya joins Letty, thus becoming a newcomer to New York. She proceeds to take over Letty’s boyfriend (Evan) and works as an aspiring model. When something happens to Tanya, Letty flees with Tanya’s little girl. Letty then becomes the newcomer at a Florida motel that is run by a very goodhearted woman. Letty got the name of this motel from Tanya’s belongings.
Why did Tanya keep the clipping on the motel? Who was responsible for what happened to Tanya? Will Letty successfully be blamed by Evan? Will Evan track her down?
Around this, also get to know Joe. He is a cop and the son of the motel owner. Will he figure out Letty’s story? If/when he does, will he then help or harm her?
The fun of reading this book is the sense that everything should mostly work out in the end. This lets readers relax and immerse themselves in a perfect beach book that is partially set at a beach.
I read some of this book and listened to some of it on audio. Both ways were involving and entertaining. The narration of the audio book got me through many a walk in the heat.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 