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Stephanie Barron has written in several genres. She is the author of the Nantucket based, Merry Folger mysteries which I read and enjoyed. She also wrote the Jane Austen mystery series and novels with JFK and Virginia Woolf as characters. In this book, That Churchill Woman is Jennie Jerome Churchill, the mother most famously of Winston, the wife of Randall and a lover of Charles Kinsky.

The novel moves back and forth in time allowing the reader to understand Jennie’s upbringing in the Gilded Age and her father’s influence on her life. The reader also learns about the traumas of Jennie’s early life, including the profound loss she faced, her father’s affairs, her move to Europe, etc.

Jennie glitters in British society. There are numerous appearances in the book of Bertie, the Prince of Wales and his wife Princess Alix. Other American women who married into the British aristocracy are also characters in the novel.

The reader empathizes with Jennie, especially during a time when a young Winston is quite ill. Further, as Jennie learns the truth about her husband, (I don’t want to include spoilers), one truly feels for her.

I highly recommend this novel for those who like historical fiction, those who are Anglophiles and those interested in the family in which Winston grew up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this absorbing read.

#ThatChurchillWoman #NetGalley

I have truly loved the Inspector Banks series and have read all of the novels, except this one, the most recent.  I have been saving it, as I sometimes do when a book is by a favorite author.  I plan to read it soon.  In the meanwhile, you can add it to your TBR list as it is just $1.99 today.

These novels can be read out of order but, if you start at the beginning, you will see how the relationships between characters evolve.  Up to you.

Packed with twists and turns, heart and soul, this is another triumph from an author “at the top of his game” (LOUISE PENNY).

From Goodreads:

 

This is a short book with snappy rhyming text.  In it, young Riley and a relative, Joe, imagine some of the many jobs that Riley could potentially grow up to do.  The continuing refrain is that Riley can be anything.  For example:

“Riley thought for a little while

And then he gave a massive smile.

“A pilot, ” he said.  “Now that sounds great!”

“I’m so excited.  I can’t wait!…”

Joe smiled and said…”Riley, you can be anything!”

The story ends at school where the students all give a thought about a future career.

This book shows children that they can dream big.  For that reason, it is worth reading.

Thanks NetGalley.

 

This is a level 2 reader with a simple vocabulary and short sentences, appropriate for those who are mastering their reading skills. The book is illustrated with photographs of families enjoying the holiday.

The text explains the origin of Thanksgiving and many of the holiday’s rituals and customs. This book will help newcomers to the U.S. to learn more about an iconic holiday, while those who already celebrate, will be reminded of why they do so and what they most enjoy about the day.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this seasonal read.

I am waiting to read this one.  What you see below is courtesy of the publisher.

In Blood is Blood, a bombing injures private enquiry agent Cyrus Barker, leaving it up to his soon-to-be-married junior partner Thomas Llewelyn to find the person trying to murder them both before it’s too late―in the newest mystery in Will Thomas’s beloved Thomas Llewlyn series.

In 19th century London, Cyrus Barker and his associate Thomas Llewelyn are renowned private enquiry agents, successfully employed by the highest levels of Her Majesty’s government as well as private citizens. Their success, however, has led to their acquiring a powerful group of enemies, many of whom are determined to have their revenge.

At least one of those enemies is responsible for a bombing of their offices that puts Cyrus Barker into the hospital and endangers Thomas Llewelyn’s rapidly forthcoming nuptials. To add to the confusion, Barker’s long-lost brother Caleb turns up on the rubble of their doorstep not long after the not-quite-fatal bombing.

Unsure of Caleb and warned about him by Barker, Thomas reluctantly accepts Caleb’s help both with a new case that comes in as well as trying to pinpoint which of Barker’s enemies is making a move against them. As Thomas works his way through their enemy list, someone else is winnowing down that list: one by one those enemies are dying.

With time running out―and his bride-to-be reconsidering their marriage―Llewelyn must (with the sick-bed bound Barker’s help) uncover the killer and the plot before it’s too late.

This is a reassuring, optimistic, factual and supportive book that talks about gender identity.  Terms are clearly defined, children are encouraged to be who they are and all topics are clearly explained.  This book will be especially welcome to families whose children may not identify with the old girl/boy dichotomy of times past.  It will be a good resource for school library shelves.

Anne Perry has been writing Christmas novellas for many years; A Christmas Revelation is this year’s entry. This is a story about Worm, a precocious orphan, who lives at a shelter/ women’s clinic whose bookkeeper is a reformed criminal named Squeaky. Readers of the William Monk series will recognize the clinic as the one where Hester works and will also know that Squeaky is a regular series character.

Worm sees a beautiful woman on the street who appears angelic to him. When he realizes that she is in trouble, Worm wants to help. Because he cares for Worm, Squeaky becomes involved in a somewhat convoluted plot to help her. Their efforts form the plot of the novella.

In the fore and backgrounds of the story is the spirit of Christmas as is appropriate for this seasonal book. The reader observes as Worm learns the meaning of the holiday and has, what appears to be, his first true holiday celebration.

Long term fans of Anne Perry will want to read this book so as to be up to date with all of her series and characters. However, much as I love Anne Perry, I have enjoyed several of her holiday novellas more than this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. I very much wanted to read this book.

If you like to doodle and would like to learn how to make adorable pictures of food, animals, landmarks, etc., this is most definitely the book for you! The creator of this volume, quit a job to become a full-time doodle artist. Kawaii is  explained as a particular kind of doodle which focuses on cheerfulness and sweet faces in the illustrations. Steps are provided for how to create many irresistible doodles on your own.  I woke up grumpy today and found that this book cheered me up and gave me lots of good ideas.  Highly recommended if you like to draw!

#KawaiiDoodleCuties #NetGalley

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I read fewer cozy mysteries than I once did so they have to look interesting if I am to pick them up. Having read last year’s novel by this author, I was eager to read her sophomore effort. I enjoyed The Hour of Death very much.

The series is set in small village Wales and many of the characters are in religious life. I found the descriptions of the Sisters’ daily life to be endearing and appealing. Pryderi feels like the perfect community, even though there are developers encroaching and murders taking place.

Protagonist, Sister Agatha, is a librarian, cheese maker and would be author of detective fiction. Her heroes are Inspector Barnaby and Armand Gamache, among others. The insertion of these and other loved mystery authors seems to fit right in. Sister Agatha’s main partner in crime is Father Selwyn. The two have known each other since childhood and together follow the clues, often while drinking Welsh teas.

In this new book by the author, an important member of the WI is killed. Of course, the question is “who did it?” Around this, there are other female characters, most especially Lucy, whose story unfolds over the course of the novel. Returning characters, including the female Bishop and Sister Gwennyd, add to the book’s pleasure.

This is not the hardest mystery to solve but the story is very enjoyable. Highly recommended if you like cozy mysteries.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Press for this relaxing and seasonal read that takes place in the buildup to Christmas.

 

My review of the first book in the series:

The Shadow of Death is a cozy mystery by an author who is new to me.  The novel’s protagonist, Sister Agatha, is a Jessica Fletcher like amateur detective.  In the book the reader finds murder, financial shenanigans and characters who have troubled pasts. The delights in the novel are the setting, the insights into modern (un-stuffy) religious life and the warmth of the characters.  My guess is that we will be reading a sequel this time next year!

 

I really liked this book and think that young beach explorers (and their adults) will too!  It is filled with information, photographs, illustrations, stickers, suggested activities and more.  There are many suggestions about things to look for and observe; everything from seabirds to plants to tides to sounds to shells and rocks and loads more.  There are suggestions for games, building sandcastles and many other activities.  At the back of the book is a facsimile of a diary entry in which a child can note the day’s adventures.  The book is appealing and interactive.  I recommend it highly!

#BackpackExplorerBeachWalk #NetGalley