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!
Savvy readers will recognize the name Anne de Bourgh. Those who do know that she is the daughter of Lady Catherine from Pride and Prejudice. Lady C is the patron of Mr. Collins, he who married Lizzie’s best friend and is set to inherit the Bennet family home. She has also had strong control over her daughter Anne.
This novel imagines what happens to Anne. She becomes her father’s heir and makes a break, hoping to escape her laudanum based life and her mother’s influence. To find out what happens to her, read this novel.
Molly Greeley is a writer who clearly enjoys the world that Jane Austen created. This is her second novel, following on The Clergyman’s Wife.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
“
Greeley’s storytelling is intricate, masterly, and delightfully imaginative. Highly recommended.”—Library Journal (starred review)
ONE OF 2021’S MOST ANTICIPATED HISTORICAL NOVELS—BUZZFEED AND OPRAHMAG.COM
The dragon in this story is appealing looking and friendly. S/he is here to show children behaviors that the author clearly hopes that children will also practice. The dragon’s day is much like a child’s; there are games, meals, getting ready for bed and more. The text rhymes and has a repetitive refrain to get children involved in the story.
One quibble with the book: on one page the author observes that a dragon might turn “bad.” I think that another term might have been preferable. When children melt down, I don’t think that “bad” is the best word to use. Other choices are preferable.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.
To say the most important thing first…I LOVED this book and highly recommend it. Yes, there are many, many novels currently being published that are set in WWII. I have read and enjoyed many of them. Still, even if you feel WWII fiction fatigue, give this one a chance.
The Rose Code’s main setting is Bletchley Park. As most know, this was an important location for those who broke codes and helped to win the war. Into this setting come three women:
Osla: She was a debutante before the war took her to BP but she has always wanted to do more and to be seen as more than this. Osla had a haphazard upbringing by a neglected mother but she moves in society’s highest circles; her godfather is Mountbatten and she knows a certain Phillip very well.
Mabel, renamed (by herself) as Mab: She grew up in Shoreditch where expectations for her were low. Coming to BP allows her to do and become more.
Bethan/Beth: She has lived in the shadow of a domineering mother but BP allows her particular genius and talents to flourish. She has a laser like focus and a great talent for the work she does.
What happens to these three and the events and people around them form the core of this immersive read. There are romance, joy, friendship, traitors, hardship, mystery and more contained in the pages of the story. It will engage readers who will wish that the book were even longer than its hefty length.
I listened to the audio of this title. The narrator was fantastic. She created each of the characters with their own voice.
Whether you like to read or listen, put this one on your TBR list.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.
In Barbara Delinsky’s newest novel, one week changes lives as relationships are re-examined, rekindled and renewed.
One week, usually not much happens in that amount of time, but for the characters in this novel past and present come together as old hurts along with family secrets and relationships surface along with questions about a disappearance.
Protagonist Mallory lives with her thirteen-year-old daughter Joy in New York where she has a busy life as a photographer. Mallory’s camera allows her to both be creative and to look at the world through her own (literal) lens. Mallory’s sister Anne lives in the Rhode Island town that Mallory left behind. Anne cares for her father, runs a (delicious sounding) breakfast restaurant, The Sunny Side Up and tries to decide what she wants from a relationship. Third sister Margo has also left town and lives in Chicago with her family. The three sisters reunite at the shore.
Also in Rhode Island is Mallory’s boyfriend from her younger years. They had a serious falling out when Jack’s mother disappears from Mallory’s father’s boat, not to be heard from for over twenty years. What happened to her? What was the involvement of Mallory’s father? Did he cause her death? Did she die? Will he talk? This is one of the big mysteries of the novel but there are others including the question of Mallory’s paternity.
I grew up in Rhode Island where the book is set. To me the town seemed generic though, like any beach town, not especially RI-ey. However, the town was charming and readers will wish that they could visit there.
This is a solid novel that kept me turning the pages. It was not my favorite book by this author but I definitely enjoyed it and do recommend it to those who enjoy women’s fiction. I preferred Ms. Delinsky’s last novel, Before and Again but that just means that you could read both!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.
I read and enjoyed this author’s first novel, The Postmistress, so was thrilled to receive an e galley of her second novel, The Guest Book. The Guest Book was chosen as a Barnes and Noble book club read and it is easy to see why. This is the sort of novel that the reader wants to talk about with others who spent time getting to know the Miltons, their circle, and those who are on the outside of it.
The story covers three generations in a narrative that moves back and forth in time, beginning with Ogden and Kitty. They appear to literally own all that they could ever want, even including an island in Maine that is central to the book. The next generation includes Moss, Evelyn and Joan. Children who grew up with so much and who each make decisions about how they want to live in the world. Their children form the book’s third generation. Other important characters are Leonard, who is Jewish and Reg who is African American.
The world of these characters resembles the dance on the island late in the book. People dance with “their own” and occasionally with “others.” These interactions fuel the plot and thinking of the novel.
This is a story about those with power who casually dislike those who are not like them. So…can Leonard, who is Jewish, ever truly be with Joan? Is there a reason that Reg, who is African American does not sign the guest book of the title?
The reader spends much time with Kitty. No spoilers but several of her decisions, one casual and without awareness of the tragedy that will befall and one with knowledge of that but still a particular decision. The reader will be immersed in Kitty’s thoughts about the choices that she has made.
It can be easy to dislike some of the characters for their choices. The author tries to show that life and decisions are complex, made for reasons that are not always clear and may or may not be regretted. Ms. Blake has a message that she would like readers to take away. Around it, she creates a novel of considerable depth.
I highly recommend this one. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an e galley in exchange for an honest review.
I saw a number of intriguing reviews on this title, so was eager to read the book. It did not disappoint.
The novel tells the story of two artists, Anna in the 1940s and Morgan in 2018. Around them is famous, recently deceased artist, Jesse. The most impressive feat in the novel is the way in which the author connects their stories.
Anna wins a contest to create a mural in a small southern town. Northerner Anna has many experiences in Edenton, culminating in a major event. In the present, Morgan is trying to atone for past poor decisions. Around each of these characters are many others who come to life.
This story is partly a meditation on family (good and bad), race, community and more. The author clreverly adds to the story with diary entries and newspaper stories.
Readers of women’s fiction and others will enjoy this novel that so excellently portrays its places and characters.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this read in exchangefor an honest review.
This title has absolutely adorable and appealing illustrations of both young and adult animals. These should bring a smile to the face of both the child and adult who are looking at this book together. Further, seeing animals and not children may make it easier for children to engage with a book about anxiety.
This is a book to read with a child who is experiencing a bit of anxiety or to read with a child way before those feelings arise. There are gentle suggestions of things to try when a child is overwhelmed. The message that something can be done should be reassuring to a child. Practice right along with the child that you know and let them know that we all need to calm ourselves at times.
This is a book that has a number of suggestions. They do not have to all be done at once. Perhaps a child can pick something to try based on the pages that most appeal to them.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. It is an excellent resource.
This title offers a personal look at a prayer. It begins at a difficult moment in the writer’s life. The author, an Anglican priest, opens her book with a very moving account of a pregnancy loss that led to a potential loss of faith and a trip to the emergency room. In that moment, she and her husband, also a priest, recited a prayer of Compline, relying on a practice with a long historical timeline to sustain them. Having such words at hand provided a connection that was essential. The author moves broadly from this incident to the role of nighttime prayer over the course of this book.
This title acknowledges the ways in which we feel smaller at night, more vulnerable and more frightened. The Compline prayer can add something beautiful and comforting to life at these times. Prayer as ritual is acknowledged and the author takes a deep dive into the individual concepts of the Anglican nighttime prayer. She is an excellent companion and a thoughtful one.
Readers are invited to go on a journey with the author. Those, both Christian and not, will take something away from this thought provoking and moving read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.
This one is free.
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 