Chicago is a city of bookish abundance, home to countless literary giants past and present. The author Rebecca Makkai recommends works that capture its spirit.
— Read on www.nytimes.com/2024/12/11/books/chicago-books-rebecca-makkai.html

A Romp through Art History for Dog People

by Jessica Poundstone

#MuseumofDogs #NetGalley

Did you know that (according to this title’s author) people and dogs have been spending time together for 15,000 years? I did not. I realize though that this would allow for there having been many dogs in art over the years. This books showcases many of them.

Each dog is placed in historical context and its material is given, along with other of the author’s thoughts. The first dog is from the second century BC in Greece but looks far more modern.

This book does not go in chronological order. It was created for dipping in and out of. That said, I loved the second illustration of three dogs made by a Japanese artist. I was very interested in seeing everything that followed. I found so many favorites here…indeed, practically everything I saw I liked. My most favorite were many of the endearing Japanese dogs, however.

Cynophiles (dog lovers) will, I think, very much enjoy this title. It just might bring smiles to faces.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 05 May 2025

Arts and Photography

225 pages

#MotherDaughterMurderNight #NetGalley

This book has gotten a lot of hype, including being picked for Reese’s book club and receiving a starred review from Library Journal. Based on that, readers may expect a lot from this first novel. In my opinion, it delivers. It is the kind of read where I kept saying that I would return to other things that I had to do when I finished the chapter that I was reading…but then, I just kept on going. All in all, I really enjoyed this one. There are humor, family relationships, a murder…and all of this is well executed in these pages.

Readers meet the three women of the family. Lana has been a real go-getter. A cancer diagnosis has led her to needing some assistance not an easy thing for her. Lana asks her daughter for help and Beth brings her from LA to a quieter community by the water with a slough.

Beth was a teen mother. She is a nurse who lives on the grid but with a homespun lifestyle. She and Lana have a history of not seeing eye to eye. Beth is mom to Jack (Jacqueline), who, when the story opens has been a pretty independent and competent teen. She has led many expeditions on the waters near her house.

What will happen when a body is found? Which of these women will be under suspicion? (Readers find this answer early on.) Who will get involved in finding the truth? Will they succeed? Read this one to find out. Readers will be glad that they did!

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for this title. All opinions are my now.

Pub date: 05 September 2023

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Simon’s dazzling debut delivers everything a mystery fan could crave, including a realistically nuanced cast of characters, a vividly evoked coastal California setting, writing imbued with a deliciously desiccated sense of wit, and a perfectly plotted murder with enough red herrings deftly dropped in to confound the most experienced mystery reader. Insightful and frequently funny analysis of family dynamics wrapped up in a cleverly crafted cozy crime novel.” — Library Journal (starred review)

“Three women bond while investigating a homicide in Simon’s spirited debut…. Simon stocks her layered plot with plausibly motivated suspects and convincing red herrings, but it’s her indomitable female characters and their nuanced relationships that give this mystery its spark. Readers will be delighted.” — Publishers Weekly

I love the Venice set, Brunetti series. He is such a good man with a wonderful family. Many of the books are e book bargains today! worth a look.

#OtherPeoplesSummers #NetGalley

Sarah Morgan has become one of my favorite authors when I want a story with good characters, plot and settings. That is definitely true in her newest novel which has all of these qualities.

Characters include two women who were best friends and are now coming back together. They are Milly and Nicole. There are other characters as well from Milly and Nicole’s lives.

Milly lives and works at her family’s lakeside resort. While no specific location is given, I would visit there if I could! Milly is recently divorced and mom to a young teen.

Nicole made it big as an actress. She has not been able to secure her mother’s admiration and, as a child, adored Milly’s more open and affectionate family.

A scandal causes Nicole to reach out to Milly. From here, the story takes off. It is one about reconciliations, friendship, living a good life even when that is not a perfect life, and more.

Highly recommended to readers of women’s fiction.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 06 May 2025

General fiction-women’s fiction

308 pages

From the Publisher

Other books by this author:

Note: While some of these are listed as e book bargains, that was true at the time of the original post and may no longer be true.

The Holiday Cottage

An e book bargain-The Book Club Hotel (Sarah Morgan)

Readers will want to make time for: The Summer Swap (Sarah Morgan)-an e book bargain

Recently I read an article that critiqued historical fiction with one argument being that this genre is not always completely accurate in depicting characters or events. That may be true but historical fiction remains one of my favorite genres. I love the immersion into a person’s life and time. This was certainly true for me in this story about Mary Leakey (in one part of this dual time line story) and Grace Clark in 1983. Note that of these two, the fictional character is Grace.

I adored the setting of this book, the characters and the story itself. Leakey was a fascinating woman with the most interesting life. I also enjoyed meeting seventeen year old Grace and watching the relationship between these two women.

This seems like a perfect title for Women’s History Month or, indeed, any month. Most highly recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks-Landmark for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 25 February 2025

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

#WelcometoGloriousTuga #NetGalley

It is not easy to get to glorious Tuga. This fictional island is far from anywhere, takes a long sea (sick) journey to get to, and is often not accessible. It is a very distant (fictional) British outpost.

The islanders are descended from several families. Many have distinctive dimples. Some want to stay there, a few want to leave (and come back) and once in a while an incomer arrives.

In this story readers meet Charlotte Walker, a vet, who has traveled to Tuga where she plans to live for a year while studying a particular tortoise. She is escaping her London life and her demanding mother while hoping that, in Tuga, she may discover her father, advance her career and enjoy a new experience.

On the trip to Tuga, Charlotte meets Dan. He is a physician who has studied abroad and is returning to Tuga to take over his uncle’s practice. He and Charlotte spend a lot of time together on the trip out. Will they have a future?

These are only two of the many, many characters who populate this warm hearted story. It takes a bit to sort them all out but there is a helpful character list at the start of the novel. Get to know them, their stories, their interconnections, challenges and loves in these pages.

Many have already declared this to be a special book. I agree. I have read that it is the first in a trilogy.

It seems to me that one of the joys of being an author is that the writer can create an entire world, populate it how they want and decide the fates of their characters. Segal has done all of this in creating Tuga. I recommend enjoying a (virtual) visit there.

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

Pub date: 02 July 2024

Cold Earth by Ann Cleeves

by joycesmysteryandfictionbookreviewsAu

Update; there is a new book coming in this series!gust 27, 2018

Here is the penultimate book in one of my very favorite series, the Jimmy Perez novels by Ann Cleeves.  I am so sad to know that the next book, Wild Fire, will be the final one.  In Cold Earth,  a mysterious woman is, yes, mysteriously murdered on the island.  She is discovered following a landslide and the funeral of a character from the first book, Black Raven.  Who was she?  What are her connections to Shetland and the people there? Who wanted her dead?  The plotting is intricate and the story is involving.  Jimmy and Willow, an investigator from off-island meet up again and the reader becomes involved in their relationship.  There are romantic developments for the under confident Sandy as well.  This book is definitely one to be savored.  If you have not read this series, do so.  The characters grow and develop and the reader cares  about them.  The books in order are:

• Raven Black (2006); Gold Dagger Award.
• White Nights (2008)
• Red Bones (2009)
• Blue Lightning (2010)
• Dead Water (2013)
• Thin Air (2014)
• Too Good To Be True (2016, novella)
• Cold Earth (2016)

The American Agent is the fifteenth title in the Maisie Dobbs series.  The first book was published in 2003 with protagonist, Maisie, having been a nurse during WWI.  The American Agent takes place in the Blitz during WWII. The perils that London faced remind me that, while facing Covid is our crisis, there have been many others that people have survived as well.

The Maisie Dobbs series is best approached in order as then readers are current with the events in Maisie’s life and those of the many recurrent characters.  For me, The American Agent felt a bit like it might be the last book in the series although I do hope that will not be the case.

In this entry, Maisie is tasked with figuring out who has killed an American female journalist and why.  In her personal life, Maisie’s best friend has been injured and Maisie’s much wished for adoption plan is not necessarily going to go according to plan.  In this latest novel there is also the possibility of a new relationship with Mark, an American with whom she has been working.  Around all this, Maisie solves her case.

I highly recommend this series and this title.  Have you read the Maise Dobbs series?  What do you think?

Editorial reviews:

“Excellent…. In Winspear’s capable hands, Maisie has evolved into a deeply sympathetic character. Readers will eagerly await her next outing.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

“The London blitz is the backdrop to Winspear’s latest as the inimitable Maisie Dobbs investigates the death of Catherin Saxon, an intrepid American journalist determined to document wartime Britain’s hardships for the folks back home. An immersive tale of wartime grit and grief.” (Booklist)

“Everything in this series turns on the psychological traumas of war. That’s what gives Maisie’s sometimes prosaic cases their sturdy backbone and air of urgency—that and Maisie’s own dynamic character. Hang on to your helmet and carry on, girl.” (New York Times Book Review)

“Advances Maisie’s inspiring activities, highlights the bravery of an embattled people during the Second World War, and intimates that lessons from that period have yet to be learned.” (Kirkus)

by Kate Storey

The Memory Library tells the story of a mother and daughter who have a complex relationship-is that not always the case? For Sally and Ella in particular, their issues lead them to live on opposite sides of the world (England and Australia) for decades. When Sally suffers a bad fall, Ella returns to England for a month and the stage is set.

One thing that I very much liked in this story was the love for books that came across quite clearly. Early on Sally reads Little Women to Ella and gives her a copy of her very own. They enjoy a tradition of a new birthday book each year. What a nice idea!

The title comes from what Sally did during Ella’s absence. Each year she purchased a book for Ella and inscribed it. What happened to them? Can they ever be shared?

This story delves into the lives of these two characters and those around them. It looks at how a parent-child relationship might fall apart and how it could be healed. It offers a heartwarming and enjoyable read.

Recommended for anyone who enjoys stories about relationships and families.

Note for those with Kindle Unlimited, this is a free read. For others, it is worth buying.

Pub date: 01 February 2024

From the Publisher