Author: joycesmysteryandfictionbookreviews

Quite a mix here but perhaps there is something that you will enjoy….magical realism, historical mystery, literary fiction,  Woman 99 and a collection of Katherine Neville novels

I recently reviewed The Cold Way Home by Julia Keller, a novel that I loved.  Woman 99 seems to address an issue from that novel-the incarceration in mental institutions of women who were confined against their will.

This cookbook is utterly charming!  It pays tribute to Louisa May Alcott with quotes and background, including a very informative introductory essay.  Food plays an important part in the novel as readers of the book know and as the author of this cookbook knows as well.  There are so many fpasssages about food as the Little Women grow.  There are Amy who  has issues with her limes, Meg who has trouble with her jam, breakfasts given to those in greater need and much more.  Reference to all are made and give the reader the opportunity to enjoy memories of reading Little Women.

The recipes themselves are easy to follow.  They are organized into four chapters:

-Hannah’s Breakfasts

-Gatherings with Family and Friends

-March Family Dinners and Suppers and

-Sweet Treats, Desserts and Drinks

A few of the featured recipes include:

Buckwheat Pancakes, A better Omelet for Marmee and Milk Toast in the breakfast section.

Roast Beef Picnic Sandwiches, Jo’s Much Improved Corned Beef and Spice Trade DEviled Eggs in the Gatherings section and of course more as you move through the additional chapters.  The recipes are clearly delineated and look easy enough for those who are not kitchen stars.

The illustrations throughout are delightful. They definitely enhance the text.  There are also some photos, including one of the Orchards, the Alcott home.

I thoroughly enjoyed this cookbook both for the recipes and for the joy of browsing through the book itself.  Last year, I read Little Women for the second time.  It was more substantive than I had recalled.  Read it while your  food is cooking and while you wait for the newest version of the movie to be released this December.  Enjoy!

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

5 stars *****

#TheLittleWomenCookbook #NetGalley

From the Publisher

Experience the exciting and heartwarming world of the March sisters and Little Women right in your own kitchen

Chapter 1 Hannah’s Breakfasts Rise and shine—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy–style—with these gratifying, true-to-the-era recipes, including cornmeal or buckwheat griddle cakes, a Jo-proof omelet for Marmee, Christmas Day muffins (Amy’s favorite), and an apple-studded sweet oatmeal porridge. Chances are that if you try your hand at making Hannah’s legendary turnovers, the buttery-rich, flaky pastries will become as sought after at your house as they are at the Marches’.	Chapter 2 Gatherings with Family and Friends When the Marches and the Laurences have company over, each family may bring different kinds of meals to the table, but no matter what their means, they always show their guests a good time. You can, too, with these Little Women–style ways to bring your favorite people together over picnics, dinner gatherings, and even a Sunday roast.	Chapter 3 March Family Dinners and Suppers “I was truly grateful that I not only possessed the will but the power to cook wholesome food for my little girls,” Marmee tells her daughters in the pages of Little Women. Here, then, are the very types of simple everyday recipes that Marmee, Hannah, and the newly married Meg would lovingly put on the table to gratify and nourish their families.	Chapter 4 Sweet Treats, Desserts, and Drinks Amy insists on giving her friends the best French chocolate, while Mr. Bhaer treats the March family to a windfall of fruits and nuts before he leaves for the West. Jo’s specialty is gingerbread, while Meg’s trump card is blanc-mange. And at the end of the book, apple turnovers and cookies turn up all over the orchard. Indeed, the March family and their companions are generous with their sweets. Here’s how to indulge your friends and family with the same irresistible delights.

Vanilla Butter Cookies with Mr. Bhaer’s Chocolate Drops

Demi . . . soon discovered that Dodo like to play with “the bear-man” better than she did him, but though hurt, he concealed his anguish, for he hadn’t the heart to insult a rival who kept a mine of chocolate drops in his waistcoat pocket.

Whenever Mr. Bhaer visits the March family, he brings Meg’s children, Demi and Dodo, chocolate drops, a popular sweet at the time. You can still find these old-fashioned candies in the candy aisle of the supermarket. They resemble large M&Ms, without the candy coating. Here, they top butter cookies, another popular treat from those times. Anyone who loves chocolate and butter cookies (who doesn’t?) will adore these treats as much as Dodo adored Mr. Bhaer and his chocolate drops.

Makes 4 dozen cookies

• 1½ sticks unsalted butter, allowed to stand at room temperature for 20 minutes to soften
• ¾ cup (150 g) sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1¾ cups (220 g) all-purpose flour
• 4 dozen chocolate drops or stars (from an 8-ounce [226 g] bag)

I admired both Sonia Purnell and Clementine Churchill even before I was (fortunately) approved by NetGalley for this book on Clementine Churchill . I learned so much from the biography written by Ms. Purnell. This book reiterates many important elements of this fascinating woman’s biography, from her troubled childhood throughout two World Wars and her life beyond. What makes this book different and special, at least to me, are the photographs. They are fascinating both in terms of Clementine and Winston’s lives and as illustrations of the lives of people who lived throughout the 1900s. The text and photos are perfect complements to one another and add to the depth of experience for the reader.

I am savoring this book as I read it. I highly recommend it and give it five stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this magnificent book.

#ClementineChurchill #NetGalley

Forthcoming I will have a review of Lady Clementine, a fictional account of Clementine’s life.  I seem to be reading lots on her but have no Clemmie fatigue.

The earlier biography by Ms. Purnell

Editorial Reviews

Some thoughts on today’s choices.  See covers below.

Me on Anna Karenina

Today we spent three hours talking about Anna Karenina in my class on Adultery in Nineteenth Century Fiction. Three hours was not nearly enough and yet the class has to move on to Jude the Obscure. I could talk about this book for several more classes.

I learned more about Tolstoy. As many of you may know, he was a Count and very well educated. He became religious in later life. Tolstoy despised the society of St. Petersburg. He had something like thirteen children with his wife and many other children through his liaisons. It took him many years to complete this novel and Tolstoy was most like the character Levin.

This is a novel of such incredible scope. There are of course the relationships-the marriages and the liaisons. Dolly and Stefan, Anna and Karenin, Anna and Vronsky, Levin and Kitty, Dolly and Kitty’s parents, who have one of only two happy marriages in the book. (The other happier relationship is a peasant couple.) There are themes of city versus country, accepting or not accepting the boundaries of marriage, doing what is expected/not expected of one in society, motherhood, aristocrats as compared to laborers, religion and, I am sure many more.

I have loved reading this novel. The scenes are beautifully rendered whether it is Anna and Vronsky’s first meeting, a ball, a wedding, hunting in the country, etc. The characters have depth and generally, like real human beings, have complex emotions and are not always consistent.

It is a big commitment to read AK. It has taken me the better part of a month. It has been time incredibly well spent. I remember that, as a child, for the longest time I thought the word Classic translated to boring. That changed when I read Little Women. If you think that classics are not for you, think again. This is a wonderful novel. I liked it much more than Madame Bovary which I previously blogged. Pick it up and see what you

From Booklist 

The Wicked Girls

One delightful thing about reading and reviewing children’s titles is the opportunity that is presented to learn like a child again. I never studied volcanoes and earthquakes when I was in school; I remember magma from my kids’ studies and that was about it. In this appealingly illustrated title, I learned about geology with Ava and George. They were excellent guides.

This book provides lots of information and terminology in small easy to learn pieces. There are many GeoFacts and experiments to try at home as children learn about volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis. At the end of the book, there are a useful review section, an author’s note and a list of websites for young scientists who want to learn more.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review. You and your young scientist will love it.

#VolcanoesAndEarthquakes #NetGalley

From the publisher:

Molten Mud Murder is published by the excellent Poisoned Pen Press, a small press that is dedicated to mystery fiction. This is author Johnson’s first novel and the first in a projected series.

American protagonist, Alexa, is a forensics examiner whose specialty is teeth. She has come to New Zealand on a fellowship, falls in love with the country and wants to stay longer. She manages to insert herself into the murder case involving a city counselor.

What I struggled with a little: Alexa took many risks that felt plot driven. Some mysteries, such as what happened to her friend, Mary, were not fully solved. Perhaps that is for another book.

What I liked: The setting on the North Island of New Zealand and the ways in which the landscape is brought vividly to life. The information about tribal Maori customs and rituals. That there was a back story for Alexa. The hint of romance between her and Bruce, the Senior, a term for the chief detective. The details on forensic examination.

This mystery should appeal to armchair travelers, lovers of New Zealand and those who enjoy action packed mysteries. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this proof in return for an honest review. I look forward to the author’s next book.

I enjoy the Inspector Wexford mysteries, of which, An Unkindness of Ravens is one. I have not read the Meg Wolitzer but it got decent reviews.

This book is an incredible resource for parents and other important adults in a child’s life who want to impart a love of reading to children. I was given this book in e-galley form by the publisher and NetGalley. I will most definitely want to purchase the hard copy. I bookmarked and bookmarked as I read.

Pamela Paul oversees book coverage at the New York Times while Maria Paul is associated with the Times. They both love reading and want children to as well. Both authors recall their favorite reads over the course of the book. As an adult, like me, you may start thinking again about when you learned to read and the books that you most loved as a child as you make your way through the text..

The book is divided into four sections: Born to Read which is about babies and toddlers; Growing a Reader which is about emerging and then independent readers; Your Middle-Grade reader and A Reader for Life: Teenagers. The book ends with a section on more books by theme and reading level.

In each section there are many suggested books. I will give just a brief idea of the riches within. For babies: Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed and Moo, Baa La La La. Classic board books are mentioned as well including The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Snowy Day. Toddler suggestions include The Carrot Seed, Millions of Cats and Harold and the Purple Crayon along with new Classics like Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and Hello Lighthouse. The authors continue with suggestions right through the teen years. The importance of keeping an open dialogue with children is stressed; for example, The Hunger Games may upset some readers but not all. It can be good to dialogue with the reader.

Paul and Russo are parents and it shows. They have practical knowledge about raising readers. There are so many suggestions from using the library, to NOT using books that are device based, to not getting overly caught up in parental contests about whose child learned to read first, to the joys of bedtime stories, young readers love of series and so much more. One aside was about Harry Potter with the authors noting that these are not meant for very young readers even if they are able to decode the words.

I recommend this book most highly. It is full of reasoned ideas and book suggestions that will make adults excited about opening the world of literacy to children.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this terrific book. The opinions are my own.

In case you missed my recent post on this.  I really liked this one.

Kudos to the talented Ann Cleeves for this first entry in her new series. I have read the author’s Vera and Jimmy Perez novels, both of which I recommend. As a reader who looked forward especially to every Perez novel, I was sad to learn that the series had finished. I wondered if there would be no more books by this author. I am delighted that that is not the case.

In The Long Call, Ann Cleeves creates a world within a small community in North Devon where rivers converge; the setting effectively becomes a part of the story. In this world, there are three police officers who are central characters. First is Matthew; he was raised within the Brethren, a conservative religious group. While Brethren characters are very much a part of the novel, Matthew himself has left the group. This cast him away from the familiar into a new life in the police and with his husband, Jonathan. Next is a female character, Jen. She is divorced and never has sufficient time for that elusive work-life balance. Ross is a police officer who seems a bit full of himself but he too has reasons for being as he is. I enjoyed spending time with each of these characters.

The story is populated with many others. There are businessmen, a curate and his girlfriend, an artist and many others. There is the murder victim whose backstory is essential to the plot. Also, there are three young women with Down Syndrome who are integral to the novel. Ms. Cleeves portrays each as a fully rounded person. She is clear eyed and empathetic in the portrayals of the three and their families.

This book was an excellent read and one that I highly recommend. I was sorry to get to the end of the book and only hope that the next in the series comes out soon. If you are a person who enjoys well written British mysteries, put this one on your TBR pile

Many, many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this book in exchange for an honest review.

The novels that Julia Keller, a Pulitzer Prize winning author, writes are never easy reads…but, boy, are they good! Each book is set in Ackers Gap, West Virginia, a place that faces far too many harsh realities. There are many drug problems, crushing poverty, a lack of resources and yet…people persevere.

This title is the eighth in the series which began with A Killing in the Hills. Long time readers will want to catch up with Bell Elkins, a former attorney (to know why “former” you need to read the earlier books), Jake, who is disabled (to know why, you need to read the earlier books) and Nick, the former sheriff. The three now run their investigative firm. Each has a rich and complex backstory of life events and relationships. Because of the depth of backstory, old readers, like me, are eager for updates but you can also read this novel as a stand alone.

I have learned to trust this author, even when the official book description sounds bleak. In this one, the devastating story has to do with a former hospital where lobotomies were performed on women who were “troublesome” and certainly not capable of giving consent or even asked about consent. This historical malpractice figures in the story that takes place in the current day even though the hospital has been long closed. So…oh, no is what I thought. Not sure I can go there but…I am so glad to have read this title.

There is despair in this one but also glimmers of hope. There is also a death to be investigated, lots of local color and beautifully delineated characters, even minor ones such as a trucker and a librarian.

I give The Long Way Home 5 stars, not something I do often. I recommend it most highly.

Many, many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this book in exchange for an honest review. I am already longing for the next in the series.