by Albert Arrayás

Pub Date 04 May 2021

If one judges a book by its cover, it seems pretty clear that this title should be fun. Just look at the characters; their names are sure to make adults smile.

I loved the imagination of this author. Just think, every chicken tucked in its own bed and even some with bathrobes! The plot has to do with a competition, the most important event of the year. But, horrors (!), who is hen-napping the contestants and why? Luckily, witch, Miss Henrietta is on the case.

The illustrations are whimsical and fun. My only quibble is that children may find the final twist a little confusing.

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

Starring He, She, and They

by Ian Hoffman; Sarah Hoffman

Pub Date 04 May 2021

Parents can educate themselves and their young children with this title in the helpful series published under the auspices of the American Psychological Association. Through the setting of a school play, this picture book looks at the subject of chosen pronouns, specifically the use of “they,” in addition to,”he” or “she.” The importance of respecting each child’s choice is the theme.

The class play is about a farm and harvest. The author ties the theme together by showing that farm crops grow just as they are supposed to, as do people. This inclusive message should be an important part of a child’s early learning.

I recommend this book for families and preschools.

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

Elizabeth & Margaret

The Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters

by Andrew Morton

The Golden Age of the American Essay

1945-1970

by Phillip Lopate

This collection, edited by Phillip Lopate, reads as a who’s who of great writers and thinkers. Some of the authors whose essays can be found here include James Agee, Reinhold Niebuhr, James Baldwin, Mary McCarthy, E.B. White, Norman Mailer and Martin Luther King among others.

The book begins with a helpful and detailed exploration of what may have led to this time period yielding so many exceptional essays. Each entry then has a brief introduction.

This is a generous compendium. Readers can dip in and out, always finding something of interest. It is worth a read.

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

The Last Bookshop in London

A Novel of World War II

by Madeline Martin

As soon as I saw the title of this book, I wanted to read it. The magic word, of course, was bookshop. I also found the cover to be very appealing. So, I initially judged this one by its cover. That said, I wasn’t’ disappointed.

This novel’s protagonist, Grace, is a young woman who recently lost her mother. Along with her best friend, Viv, she moves to London to stay with a family friend. The two arrive only to have war declared not long after. Viv enters one of the women’s units while Grace remains with her mother’s friend. She takes a position in a bookshop and the shop is also a character in the book.

This story points out the importance of literature. In a lovely scene, Grace goes underground during a bombing raid where she begins reading Middlemarch to those who are stuck in the shelter over night. Those stuck there look forward to additional chapters when the next call to go underground comes.

Grace organized the bookshop and develops a relationship with its curmudgeonly owner. She studies way to make the shop successful and, for example, advertises buying books to read while unable to sleep in one’s beds due to the bombings.

The author does a good job of portraying wartime Britain. There are losses of people, property, usual foods, a way of life. There are also the joys of friendship, love, books and connection.

There are so many WWII set novels being written now. My theory is that, awful as the war was, it is more reassuring to look back at that time than our current one. For all of the suffering, the reader knows that eventually Britain will declare victory.

I think that this title is worth reading. Let me know what you think!

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

What happened? Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder

by joycesmysteryandfictionbookreviewsJanuary 7, 2021

A Novel

by T.A. Willberg

Some have compared Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder to Harry Potter and I can see why. There is a magical setting (Miss Brickett’s instead of Hogwarts), a special training (to be an investigator as compared to a wizard), orphans (Harry and Marion), ghastly relatives (Dudley and his parents and Marion’s grandmother) gadgetry, friendships, secrets, maps, mysteries, villains and more.

If all of this sounds good to you, think of giving this 1950s set mystery a read. I think that you will enjoy it.

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

The H.G. Wells is free.

Let’s read and drink coffee: Of Literature and Lattes by Katherine Reay

by joycesmysteryandfictionbookreviewsFebruary 23, 2020

In May 2019, Katherine Reay’s novel The Printed Letter Bookshop was published.  The new book, Of Literature and Lattes can be read on its own but will be enjoyed most by those who have read The Printed Letter.  The setting in Of Literature and Latte is the same town as in the prior book and readers catch up with the lives of some of the characters from that book as well.  However, the novel also has its own plot and some new characters.

In this book Alyssa has left a job with a company that seems to be based on Theranos and that similarly explodes for Alyssa.  With nowhere to go and under investigation, she returns to the town where her parents (characters in The Printed Letter) live.  Alyssa has to figure out what to do with her life and with her unhappiness.

Jeremy has come to Winsome to run the kind of coffee shop that many of us dream of, one that values community and great beans that make great drinks.  However, the shop is struggling as is Jeremy.  One ray of brightness is his daughter but his daughter’s mother is threatening to leave town.

Janet, from the prior novel. is trying to have a life in which she has stronger relationships with Alyssa and Seth, the man she first married, and is again seeing.  It is complicated.

The stories of these characters come to life and I think that readers will care about them.  I did not find Of Literature and Latte to be as strong a novel as The Printed Letter but I am pretty confident that this author’s many fans will be eager to engage with this title.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this read in exchange for an honest review.  By the way, I love the cover.