Category: Uncategorized

As is often the case, many good choices.  My favorites among these include Airs Above the Ground. The Art of Fielding and Bitter River.  Mary Stewart’s Airs Above the Ground is a novel of romantic suspense.  Though Mary Stewart’s books are not new, I have found that I have continued to enjoy rereading them.  The Art of Fielding is a good novel that has a baseball theme while Bitter River is in the Bell Elkins’s series.  I have read all of these; they are not always easy but they are always good.  They take place in West Va.  where life is difficult for many.

I also enjoyed the Susan Wiggs series, of which two are featured here.  They are good, relaxing reads. And of course, I think every book on this post is worth a look.

HAPPY READING!

Before and Again…how does what happens, mistakes that we have made, impact our view of the past, our present and our belief in the future? These big issues are fictionally brought to life in Barbara Delinsky’s newest novel.
Early on in the book, the reader learns that a moment of inattention led to the death of the protagonist’s daughter, Lily. Any parent can, but does not want to, imagine what this could mean. The reader watches as Maggie tries to move on and start fresh but…can/should the past be denied? A concurrent theme involves Grace who has secrets and stories of her own. In addition, Grace’s son is accused of computer hacking and the consequences of his act may impact his future, just as Maggie and Grace are impacted by their pasts.
I found the characters to be sympathetically drawn and would recommend this book to readers of women’s fiction.

Dear Mrs. Bird is an engaging and warm first novel. Readers who enjoyed The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society are almost certain to rate this book highly. Mrs. Bird is an out of touch editor at a woman’s magazine during WW II who is responsible for the agony column. Sadly, she deems most letters “unsuitable” for answering. Enter Emmy; young, naive, and trying to cope with bombs and disasters in London. She begins to answer letters as Mrs. Bird and you need to read the book to learn what happens. This novel at first seemed like it would be light but it has substance. Themes of love, friendship and how to relate to others all have their place. I highly recommend Dear Mrs. Bird! I would like to write her a fan letter. Thanks for this read NetGalley.

This is the third novel that I have read by Kate Morton and it is by far my favorite. I loved this novel! I am going to give it one of my rare five star reviews and say that it is one of my best reads of the year.

Aptly named with an allusion about time, The Clockmaker’s Daughter takes place in different periods including the 1860’s, 1899, 1928, WWII, 1962 and the present. Like the exquisite, interlocking, sensitive and perfectly balanced workings of a clock. the characters are connected over time and in their relationships. The revelations of the interconnections add depth and emotional resonance to the novel.

The plot is complex as would be expected in a novel that keeps the reader’s interest for over 500 pages. Characters include an artist, his model and their circle; the backstory of the model; the artist’s family; a young British girl sent to boarding school in England from India; an archivist; a biographer; a hunter of lost treasure and more. The most consistent and overarching presence is that of Birdie, the clockmaker’s daughter and artist’s model who is a spiritual (ghostly) presence throughout. For me Birdie worked perfectly even though I do not gravitate toward books with spirits. The other main character is the house where much of the story takes place. Within the pages there are mysteries, murder, love, grief, family and friendship.

I was sorry to finish this book as I enjoyed it so much. I hope that you will too.

Many, many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this wonderful and engrossing read.

The Banker’s Wife is a super bargain at $.99.  See my archives for the review.  It was a good read.  The Val McDermid is from an early series featuring a gay detective.  The Pam Jenoff is on my TBR pile. 

In my opinion, this is a very cool book! It is perfect for travelers to Britain who would like to have unique experiences. The author of this book has visited 50 underground sites across the British Isles. He has organized the book by regions including The North, The Midlands, The Southeast, The Southwest, Wales and Scotland. You can vicariously visit sites related to WWII, a mining museum, caverns, Churchill’s War Rooms, The Roman Baths, King Arthur’s Labyrinth and so much more.

The author has a knack for bringing each of these locations to life. Each entry includes helpful information such as location, hours, website information, etc. Each place described has additional sections including Spotlight and Going Deeper. Furthermore, the photographs throughout truly enhance the text.

When I finished browsing this book, I so wanted to be starting a vacation. You will want to as well.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a unique travel guidebook. I enjoyed it.

This book is a new entry in the wonderful Little People,Big Dreams series. It tells the story of Dolly Parton, a young girl who wanted to sing. Dolly grew up in a large family with ten sisters and brothers. An uncle helped her to get her start in music.

Young readers will learn about Dolly’s passion for country music, her evolution to pop, her entrepreneurial spirit and her desire to give back. All in all, an inspiring story. The delightful illustrations add a spirit of happiness to the narrative.

As always, there is a timeline with photographs at the end of the book. There are additional facts about Ms. Parton there.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto for this e galley in exchange for an honest review. I always look forward to new entries in this series. They make for inspirational reads and should be on school and library shelves.

There are lots of good choices here.  The Lost Man is by the well received author of first mystery, The Dry.  The Best of Us is vintage Robyn Carr.  The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna is very recently published.  Getting the first three novels in Andrea Camilleri’s series is a big bargain for those who would like to get to know Inspector Montalbano.  The Map of the Heart will be enjoyed by readers of Susan Wiggs’s novels. And, those not already mentioned are in my TBR pile.

I have been following Chloe since the first book in this series,, Old World Murder, was published back in 2010. Chloe is an historical interpreter who works on various museum sites such as Old World Wisconsin. In each book, in addition to a good mystery, the reader learns about Wisconsin’s settlers and immigrants. Often the history has to do with Norway, as is the case in Fiddling with Fate.

In this entry in the excellent series, the history is personal. No spoilers from early books so I will just say that Chloe learns more about her own family in this one. Long time readers undoubtedly will enjoy this aspect of the book. Of course, there is also murder.

Chloe and her fiancee, Roelke, leave Wisconsin for Norway where Chloe will travel on a trip that her mother had hoped to take. While in Norway, Chloe and the reader will learn a great deal about the role of music and fiddling. Music and dancing (in the novel’s historical sections) were viewed by some as an essential aspect of life, while for others the Hardanger’s fiddle was the devil’s instrument. These attitudes very much relate to the fate of the book’s central characters in both the present and the past.

Readers will spend time in the fjords, climbing paths, museums and charming hotel where Chloe and Roelke stay. Readers will also meet the many characters from museum employees, to fiddlers, to dancers.

There are links and suggestions provided for those who want to see and learn more about the places and things that are central to the story. I always find that these suggestions have helped me to enjoy the novels even more.

I think that this book will be enjoyed most by long time readers of this series. New readers might want to start right from the beginning and move through each of the ten books. Two of my favorites are The Lace Maker’s Secret and Mining for Justice.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Midnight Ink for this e galley in exchange for my honest review.

My next mystery will be….

More to follow on this one that is set in New Zealand.

This is a dictionary, but not a typical one.  It is designed for children who are intrigued by words or who could use something to help them to become more interested in words and reading.  Appealingly illustrated and wisely selected, the entries are entertaining and informative.

The author playfully suggests ways to read the book.  A few examples include back to front, front to back, by opening to a random page, etc.  The idea is that exploring words should be intriguing.  Before getting started, there are a couple of helpful sections; one describes the parts of speech and another offers hints for decoding some words (for example phile referring to loving something).

The words themselves are appealing.  Some, even if arcane, I knew while others I came across for the first time.  Often difficult to pronounce or spell, the child who learns them will feel mighty clever!

This book deserves its place in homes and schools.  It is a perfect book to browse through and enjoy.

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