The Vineyard at Painted Moon

A Novel

by Susan Mallery

Pub Date 09 Feb 2021

Mackenzie Dienes made a close friend, Stephanie, when she was in college. Over time, Mackenzie married Stephanie’s brother, Rhys, and she began working for Rhys’s mother, Barbara at the family winery. For sure, Mackenzie knows her grapes and the business yet she is always an employee, never a full partner in the company.

Mackenzie at first thought that she had everything that she could possibly want with her marriage, home and career. However, big cracks began to appear. A slight spoiler…Mackenzie and Rhys realize that they cannot stay together any longer. What will happen to Mackenzie? Will she find the life that she wants and what will she have to go through to get there? Read the book to find out.

I give this book a solid three stars. I did not find myself so immersed that I couldn’t wait to get back to the story to read more.

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

The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs

I subscribe to this author’s newsletter so had been hearing about The Lost and Found Bookshop for months before it was published.  I entered a number of giveaways in my enthusiasm, did not win the book and eventually got it from the library.

The story is about Natalie who suffers some losses from which she must recover.  The reader encounters those with whom Natalie is involved as she moves from a high powered, but unsatisfying career, to become the proprietor of her family’s bookshop.  There is Peach, clearly to be a romantic interest; a popular author who wines and dines Natalie; Dorothy, the precocious daughter of Peach; Grandy, who is slowly sinking into dementia and others.

Ms. Wiggs love of bookstores and what they offer to people and communities come across clearly.  The city of San Francisco is also painted by someone who is fond of both its history and what it offers now to those who live there.

The resolution of the story is satisfying but…somehow I had hoped for a little more from this novel.  Its insights were not unique although they were true.

If you enjoy women’s fiction, I recommend this title.  However, there are books by this author that I have enjoyed more including the Lakeshore Chronicles series, Map of the Heart and Just Breathe, to name a few.

Have you read this book?  What did you think?

A very clever mystery: Moonflower Murders

A Novel

by Anthony Horowitz

Anthony Horowitz is a creative and imaginative author of complex mysteries. This book follows on his earlier novel, The Magpie Murders that also featured Susan Ryeland and the story within a story detective, Atticus Pund. I liked this title more than that first title in the series.

When the story starts, Susan has left England to run a hotel on a Greek island. It seems that venture is beginning to pale so when the opportunity comes to return to England, Susan is on her way. Susan is asked to investigate the disappearance of a hotelier’s daughter. Cecily was not seen again after calling her parents to tell them that, based on an Atticus Pund novel, she believes that a guest murdered at the hotel a number of years previously, was not killed by the accused and then convicted hotel worker. Does this sound a bit confusing and convoluted? Well, it just may be.

Susan investigates the case and, as part of her research, rereads the Atticus Pund book. That novel is very cleverly inserted in the middle of the book. I found this to be so appealing. There was the book cover, the blurbs, the copyright, everything one would expect but, again, it is a novel within the novel.

Will Susan solve the case? What happened to the missing daughter? Who committed the murder at the hotel and that is then fictionalized in the Pund book? There are many characters and there is lots to solve here.

This book is original and intriguing. I very much enjoyed it. It is long at over 600 pages so settle in for a long read.

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

A Maisie Dobbs Novel

by Jacqueline Winspear

Pub date: March 23, 2021

I have loved the Maisie Dobbs series since the very first named title that was simply called Maisie Dobbs. That first in the series took place during WWI. By the time of the newest novel, Britain is heavily involved in WWII and Maisie is involved in her sixteenth investigation. Over the course of the books, all of which are excellent, Maisie evolves and grows. She goes from being a very bright housemaid to an independent woman who investigates a wide variety of cases, both those that are private and those that are for the government. While most of the books take place in England, Maisie has also been to Gibraltar and Germany. Her relationships deepen and grow and this is one facet of the stories that always brings me back. There are also love, loss and a little girl called Anna as one makes their way through the series.

In this entry, a young boy witnesses a murder. However, he is not believed by everyone. Maisie becomes involved in trying to determine what exactly happened. The concept of honor becomes important to the solving of the case. At the same time, Maisie is interviewing potential agents who, if approved, will be dropped into France as saboteurs and intelligence agents. How will she make decisions when some of the candidates are people she knows? How strained will she be by the constraints of the official secrets act? What will happen with the romantic relationship that has more recently come into her life?

Ms. Winspear has a talent for creating engaging characters. The setting of wartime London also is quite evocative. These are just some of the pleasures that are here for the reader.

This title will be eagerly welcomed by fans of Ms. Dobbs. New readers can jump in too but they may then want to go back to the beginning to see how Maisie evolves and to fully enjoy and engage in her life.

I very much enjoyed this novel. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

How to Survive in Ancient Egypt by Charlotte Booth

When I was young, there was one museum near my home.  I periodically visited there with either my family or school.  The highlight of these visits for me was the small collection of Egyptian artifacts.  Eventually, I grew up and moved to a very large city with an incredible array of art and artifacts from  several of the Egyptian dynasties. I have visited often and  I have stood in the Temple of Dendur many times.  I’ve read some on the gods and goddesses but I have never read a book like this one.

Charlotte Booth puts the reader right into ancient Egypt, as a person who was living there at the time.  This readable book is packed with information.  There is a section on history followed by many sections on every day life.  For example, these include food and diet, getting a job, beliefs and rituals,staying healthy, stepping out in style, passing time in the capital an obeying the laws.  The book also includes maps, illustrations, timelines and more.

I loved this book with its deeply engaging take on history.  Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

A Year in an Irish Garden

by Niall Williams; Christine Breen

In Kiltumper

A Year in an Irish Garden

by Niall Williams; Christine Breen

#InKiltumper #NetGalley Pub Date 31 Aug 2021

When I read this couple’s first book, O Come Ye Back to Ireland, I fell in love. With the couple, with their story and the way in which their story was told. I went on to read the other memoirs about their life in Ireland. These included The Pipes Are Calling and Summer’s in the Meadow. Every one of these was beautifully written and I felt that I knew Christine and Niall.

I was beyond excited to see that this couple had written another book together. (They have each written other titles separately.) It felt like I was being given a wonderful opportunity to connect with old friends after many years.

I adored this book. Its structure allows each author to have a voice. The hardest thing was to realize that, just like all of us, Niall, Christine and their children have gotten older with the passing years. They are no longer the young Irish-American and Irish duo who decided to leave the bustle of the city for their family’s homeland. I was eager to learn how the years have passed for both them, those around them, their farm, their garden and their world.

I highly recommend this title. For the full joyful experience, consider going back to the beginning with them.

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

Beginning-to-Read – Big Feelings

by Mary Lindeen

#FeelingExcited #NetGalley

The titles in this series are all designed to help children recognize their emotions and, when needed, to cope with those that are difficult. This social-emotional learning will help children in many areas of their lives. Think, for example, of how a child would do better in school if not distracted by upsetting feelings.

This entry is about a happy emotion though. Readers are invited to think about how they react when they are excited. There are photos of children from many backgrounds leading the way by showing what they do at such moments. Examples are also given of times when a child might feel excited and asking if these times are true for them. Suggestions are also gently given for times when a child is over excited and needs to calm down.

The end of this helpful short book offers additional resources for reading and for discussing the book’s content.

I recommend this series and this title. It is critical for kids to be able to acknowledge their feelings in different situations and figure out how to live with them.

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

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