Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too!
Great reads for adults and children!
I just read this book. I enjoyed all of the baking aspects in the plot. Jennifer’s secret is one that has been used many times which was slightly disappointing. All in all, this was a good read though.
In “Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame,” Olivia Ford whips up a sweet confection about a septuagenarian cook with reality TV dreams.
— Read on www.nytimes.com/2024/01/29/books/review/mrs-quinns-rise-to-fame-olivia-ford.html
| #GoodCompany #NetGalley |
Good Company is an absorbing novel that follows four intertwined lives and the lives of those around them. The title refers to an acting company in which some of the protagonists are involved and, of course, also could refer to who enjoys spending time with whom.
Flora and Margot met when they were both starting their careers. They know a good deal about one another but there is also at least one big secret waiting to be revealed. Margot, for much of the novel, is a doctor on a long running tv series, while Flora has opted to spend more of her time doing voice overs so that she can spend more time with her precious daughter Ruby.
Flora is married to Julian an actor and one of the company managers. Margot is married to David. His medical career was upended and reinvented.
The novel covers a number of years and moves back and forth seamlessly. The story unfolds on both coasts and also in Europe for a bit.
As the blurbs for this book note, Julian’s wedding ring takes on a great deal of importance in the novel. Its history and whereabouts becomes a theme that involves the primary characters.
This novel offers a well told story and nuanced characters. The lives of the actors, their choices and stresses, feel authentic. I definitely recommend this title.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.
#PoemsforEverySeason #NetGalley
To start: This book offers a visual delight. The illustrations (woodcuts) are just gorgeous throughout. I will return to this book often just to admire them.
The concept is rather brilliant too. This collection evokes the season and, at the same time, introduces kids to many different ways of composing poems, everything from the sonnet to a haiku and so much in between, including forms of poetry that were new to me. Helpfully, readers can find the poem’s style on the bottom of the pages. In addition, each style is described at the end of the book.
This title is listed as one for children but I think that there is much for adults to enjoy here as well.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 17 February 2025
from the publisher
“A remarkable collaboration.” —Kirkus Reviews (STARRED REVIEW)
Poetry and the beauty of nature combine for this breathtaking celebration of the year.
In this stunning combination of wordcraft and woodcuts, readers meet the changing seasons with thirteen poems, all in different poetic structures, from award-winning Dutch author Bette Westera. Each season opens with a haiku, following with the season’s months and their poems. Readers will dance into March with a rondel for a newborn lamb, wave in the August wind with a five-line tanka for a summer sunflower, snuggle in for December with a limerick for all those who stayed home instead of going south…
Exquisite woodcut art from Henriette Boerendans, an artist making her US and UK debut, showcases the wonder of the natural world. Back matter offers further details about the poems’ structures—offering the perfect opportunity for young writers to write their own sonnet for February or quatrain for September. Translated from the Dutch by David Colmer.
Poetic types spotlighted:
Haiku
Rondel
Acrostic
Double dactyl
Pantoum
Elevenie
Tanka
Quatrain
Diamante
Rondelet
Limerick
Stacking Poem
Sonnet
from Amazon
Bette Westera has written over fifty books for children, including Fast Cheetah, Slow Tortoise and the Mildred L. Batchelder Honor Book Later, When I’m Big (both Eerdmans). She has also translated books by Dr. Seuss, Astrid Lindgren, and Julia Donaldson into the Dutch language. Bette lives in the Netherlands, where her books have received two Golden Pencil awards and six Silver Pencil honors. Visit her website at bettewestera.nl.
Henriette Boerendansis an Amsterdam-based printmaker and illustrator. Poems for All Seasons is her English-language debut. While walking in nature together one day, Bette and Henriette brainstormed new projects and came up with the idea for this book. Follow Henriette on Instagram @henriette.boerendans and visit her website at boerendans.com.
David Colmer is an Australian writer and translator of Dutch and Flemish literature. He has translated over eighty books throughout his career, including I’ll Root for You, A Pond Full of Ink, and Fast Cheetah, Slow Tortoise (all Eerdmans). His work has been honored with many awards, including the PEN Translation Prize and the Dutch Foundation for Literature’s James Brockway Prize, which recognizes a translator’s body of Dutch-language poetry. David lives in Amsterdam.
“Boerendans’…work throughout is masterful. The book’s design is innovative, while the verse is thoughtful and immersive….A remarkable collaboration.”
―Kirkus Reviews (STARRED REVIEW)
This semester I took a class on the Iliad and related works. Reading Emily Wilson’s translation of the Iliad is something that I highly recommend, although I am not sure if I would have persisted on my own. Having class discussions added so much richness to this work.
The last read of the semester was The Song of Achilles. This is a gorgeous, brilliant and heartbreaking work that imagines the story of Achilles and Patroclus and the world around them. While Miller is clearly very familiar with the Iliad, in the early parts of this novel, she beautifully imagines how Patroclus and Achilles met and built their relationship.
As the book progresses, events familiar to those who have read the Iliad appear. There are innumerable characters from Homer in these pages. All I can say is that I was fervently hoping for a different version of events, even though I knew that would not happen. It is such a tribute to the author that I cared so passionately about these characters who lived millennia ago.
Anyone who likes historical fiction and the ancient Greeks will want to read this. I give this Orange Prize winner my full five stars.
An e book bargain
#TheLibrarians #NetGalley
The Librarians is the first book that I have read by Thomas who will now become one of my favorite authors. Her earlier books were historical mysteries, I think, while this one is contemporary.
There were many things that I loved about this title. Scenes set in libraries appeal to me most definitely. I also very much enjoyed getting to know the four main characters and their backstories.
Readers meet Astrid, who has hidden something about her identity; Hazel, who has left behind a tricky past involving her husband; Sophie, who did something that she should not have but had reasons for it; and last, Jonathan who has taken time to accept his identity.
When two murders occur, there are complex links and actions binding these four librarians to one another. Who killed a man who ghosted Astrid only to reappear? Why was a woman who came to an evening event at the library found murdered that very night? What is it like for characters when people from their pasts reappear? Finding out will keep readers turning the pages.
Spending time in this book’s worlds (Austin, Singapore, Madeira), with its characters, and in its timeline made for a very fun read.
I am eager to see what Ms. Thomas does next.
Kirkus Reviews states: “This knockout mystery mixes the camaraderie of The Thursday Murder Club with the chic family and romantic drama of Crazy Rich Asians. Thomas’ virtuosity shows in this fast-paced and intricate yet emotionally moving mystery.” True.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 30 September 2025
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 