Author: joycesmysteryandfictionbookreviews

This book about Elizabeth Bishop is for young school-aged children.  Elizabeth began making and enjoying rhymes as a girl and grew up to become a well-known poet.

Elizabeth had a complicated childhood, as the introduction to the book explains.  Her father died when she was young and her mother was eventually admitted to a psychiatric hospital.  It was then Elizabeth’s maternal grandparents who raised her in Nova Scotia, Canada.

The story is told by showing the places that were important to Elizabeth. It is narrated in the present tense in a “you are there” tone. For example, the reader sees Gammie and Elizabeth in the kitchen or the family eating dinner in the dining room.  The reader also travels outside with Elizabeth, for example, accompanying her to school or the post office.

The illustrations in this book are gorgeous; they are both whimsical and appealing.  Additionally the book includes many quotes from Bishop and her writings.  This title is not in any way a full biography but it gives a nice sense of Elizabeth’s world.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

This is a charming story about Gertrude Stein and her world including her brother, Alice and the many artists that they knew. Gertrude’s acquaintance with Picasso is there as are stories about Gertrude’s salon. Space is even given to the sweet dog, Basket. The illustrations are whimsical and very appealing. The story itself is simply told and engages the reader/listener. Additionally, the text is interspersed with quotes.

At the end of the book, there are additional sections. One of these focuses on why Stein’s artworks were not taken by the Germans during WWII. There are also a timeline, a list of Stein’s writings and a bibliography.

I found this book to be very appealing. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

This is a true bargain at $2.99 for $37 dollar cookbook.

The first two are literary followed by historical fiction, a thriller, a women’s fiction title and another mystery/thriller.  Enjoy.

As adults, we are very aware of the many issues in the world. From politics to climate change, from bullying to plastics, there are so many areas that stress us. That stress can easily be passed on to kids.

How to Make a Better World offers an optimistic alternative for children by empowering them to make a difference. There are so many suggestions and roadmaps for what can be done in this book. Divided into sections on You, Community, Environment and more, the book helps children to look at what they might like to achieve. The author starts with one’s self stressing the need for good care, mindfulness, sleep, etc. Then the author moves out to things to do in the world from how to be a good friend to writing to elected officials and to going on a protest march, to name just a few. Brightly illustrated with inclusive art, the pages of the book are quite appealing. All in all, this is an inspiring book for elementary school aged children.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this title in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cute book for young children about what is involved in cleaning the yard and making a garden.  There are pictures of the tools that are involved and pictures of them being used.  The book ends in a cute way with the yard workers needing a rest.  The only thing that I did not like about this well illustrated book was the use of the circle heads with no features at all.  I think that young children might be happier seeing a simple face.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

#LetsFixUptheYard #NetGalley

We have now made it to March, so spring is not too far away.  Still, where I live, it is rainy and gray today.  What a perfect day to spend time in the gardens of Brandywine Cottage.

The photographs throughout the book are just gorgeous!  The text is very informative as well but I think that I spent more time admiring the photos as I read and browsed.  There are recipes, practical tips, information about plants and much more to read.

The gardens are organized by six, not four, seasons.  After reading what the author has to say, this made sense.

I dreamed about gardens in all seasons after reading this delightful volume. Many thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to spend time at the cottage.  All opinions are my own.

AYearatBrandywineCottage #NetGalley

Sharing a story with a toddler can be one of life’s sweetest experiences. There is the joy of sitting close together and the knowledge that helping a young child to love books is giving them a gift that will last throughout their whole life.

In this book, the author has compiled a group of short tales that are diverse. To name a few, there are stories from Scandinavia, ancient Rome, Mali, Russia and more, twenty beautifully illustrated stories in all. These entries are sometimes based in folklore or may have come from Aesop. They are tales that do not talk down to children and are not too simplistic.

All in all, this title offers a nice collection of stories. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this read in exchange for an honest review.

Erik Larson has a true talent for bringing history to life.  In prior books he has written about an American family in Hitler’s Germany (In the Garden of Beasts) and, in the Dead Wake about the crossing of the Lusitania, among others.  He is clearly well credentialed for writing about history and WWII.   As an added bonus, Larson’s books are not only informative, they are very readable.

I was quite excited to receive this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  As can be seen from the title, this one is about Churchill and his circle during the time immediately after he became Prime Minister.

I have read several books on Clementine Churchill, both fiction and biography so was very interested in this book.  It did not disappoint.  It was wonderful to spend time with this man who was truly the right man for England’s difficult blitz years.  The book reads easily and tells the story of the country and also Winston and those who surrounded him, including his wife and children.  Readers also get to spend time in iconic locations, including Chequers.

This book is highly recommended for those interested in England, WWII abd a human and steadfast leader to whom we all owe much.

Again, many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

There are two titles in Anne Perry’s Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series on sale today.  Perry is the author of several series including another one that features Thom and Charlotte’s son, Daniel.  There are many Anne Perry reviews in my archive, if you are interested.