Category: Uncategorized

It’s summer now so, of course, I am thinking about summer reading. Here is a good one to put on your TBR pile if you are looking for a relaxing and enjoyable book
This is a story about Ellen who is a single mom as the story opens. She has a college bound son, Cooper, who is worried about leaving her by going away to school. What will happen? Why is he worried?
Readers watch as Ellen’s friend, Unity, steps in and up. She develops a list of challenges for Ellen to get her moving forward. Unity will also work on this list. (Readers learn that she is also stuck) How will they grow and change? Read the novel to find out.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this enjoyable read in exchange for an honest review.

There is nothing like the bedtime story ritual for both children and adults. Reading a story together can be the perfect way to end a day.

This book contains eight short, engagingly illustrated stories. They feature simple story lines with animals. There is a lamb whose curiosity separates him from his mom, a rabbit who does not like loud noises, and a mouse who serves as a lighthouse keeper, among others.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review. Toddler and preschool listeners will enjoy these stories, I think.

#ATreasuryofGoodNightStories #NetGalley

Here is yet another winning entry in a wonderful series of short biographies for little people.  This time the story of Pele, one of the most iconic soccer players ever, is told in simple text with engaging illustrations.  Children will learn that with a combination of family support, talent and hard work it is possible to do amazing things in both sport and life!

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

Pub date:  September 1, 2020

#Pele #NetGalley

Ann Cleeves is one of the best mystery authors writing today. She has three current series including the Vera Stanhope mysteries, those featuring Jimmy Perez on Shetland and last year’s novel, The Long Call which featured a new protagonist. I have read them all and recommend that mystery lovers do so as well. Truly dedicated readers should note that Ms. Cleeves also has two earlier series of books worth searching out with one featuring birders and the other with Inspector Ramsay.
The Darkest Evening is a Vera Stanhope mystery with all of the trademarks including the irascible Vera herself, her team (especially Joe and Holly), vivid settings, well developed characters and good plotting. Readers will be swept up.
The story takes place partly at a country house that belonged to a branch of Vera’s family, and its environs. Long term readers will enjoy the glimpse of Stanhope family history while new readers will not be unduly hampered even if this is the first Vera book that they read.
Characters include some of Vera’s relatives, including her cousin,Juliet, who longs for a child and her husband Mark; who is in the theater; Harriet, Juliet’s mother; Dorothy who is a close friend of Juliet, and two murder victims. There are, in addition, a number of other characters who live in the community and have relationships with the victims. What are these connections? Who has killed and why? Readers will be turning the pages as they wait to see how all of the story’s threads come together. I highly recommend The Darkest Evening (readers will learn the context of the title as they make their way in the novel).

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

Pub date:  September 8, 2020

#TheDarkestEvening #NetGalley

I read and reviewed the Jodi Picoult novel which was very timely.  The Apothecary Rose is the start of a very good historical mystery series.  I am currently in love with Louise Penny’s books, of which one is a bargain today.  Possibly best read in order but not necessarily.  Last year’s A Better Man was a true favorite!  See the review in my archive. Jan Karon is a perfect book for those seeking a quiet read.

#TheLionsofFifthAvenue #NetGalley

Fiona Davis has written a number of historical fiction titles. Each book is set in an iconic NYC landmark and has a dual narrative structure and timeline. In this, the strongest of her novels yet, the reader spends time at the main New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue.
The story in the past begins around 1913. The iconic library has just opened. The superintendent, Jack; his wife, Laura; and their two children, Pearl and Harry actually live in an apartment inside the enormous new library. Jack, in addition to his job, is writing what he hopes will be the great American novel. Laura, up until now, a woman who married for love and cares for her family wants more. She enrolls as one of very few women at the Columbia School of Journalism. Jack and Laura’s desire for fulfillment leads to conflict, misunderstandings and tragedy. The fallout from their actions influences the story that takes place in the 1990s which is about their descendants.
In the present, Sadie works as a curator at the very same library on 42nd Street. Her love of all things bookish is apparent. Under Sadie’s watch, volumes are being stolen from the library. How do the past and present collide? Read the book to find out.
I learned a lot about collectable and antiquarian books as well as the library through reading this novel. I now know more about valuable books and how they are both vulnerable and protected. Clearly Ms. Davis has been meticulous in her research and loves her subject.
There are themes to this novel in addition to the mystery, romance and depictions of life at the Columbia School of Journalism, the Village and the library. What sacrifices are women asked to make and when are they too much? How much is owed to a family? Can we be forgiven for mistakes? How important is it to have a relationship and to take risks for it? Who should define what a person wants in life?
Ms. Davis does an excellent job of connecting the two narratives. The book is a page turner that will be eagerly embraced by her loyal readers and will also be enjoyed by those new to the author.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review. I recommend it very highly.

I have read every book in Peter Lovesey’s wonderful Peter Diamond series so I was absolutely overjoyed to receive this e galley to review. As always, the story takes place in Bath, England; the setting is vividly brought to life with its unique architecture and planned design. Imagine my surprise and delight when I found that a significant location in this title was the very street that I had lived on in Bath. It just added extra joy for me as I read this.
Peter Lovesey has a sardonic, playful sense of humor which was very present in this book. The title has several meanings as becomes clear as one reads. There are police officers, most already known to the devoted readers of the series, along with other characters who are vividly brought to life including a criminal from an old case of Diamond’s, a murder victim, the Russian Olga, teacher Maeve, illegal immigrants and many more. Some of these characters are in a half marathon that is central to the action of the story.
Lovesey spins plates in the air as the plot evolves and he manages to get to the end of the novel without dropping any of them. I loved this book and hope that Lovesey, who is in his 80s, will just keep on writing.
Many, many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest view. I adored my virtual trip to Bath and the time spent with this book and its characters.

This WordPress circle symbolizes the blog having 200 followers. Thanks to each of you and happy reading!

This delightfully and inclusively illustrated alphabet book encourages children to think big.  There are so many things that they can dream of, everything from A’s Astronaut to C’s Costume Designer to G’s Game Developer to L’s Landscape Architect and many more until Z’s Zookeeper.  This is a great addition for an alphabet book collection.  It would make an excellent baby gift.

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

pub date:  September 1, 2020

#ABCforMeABCWhatCanIBe #NetGalley

I have read so much historical fiction that takes place during WWII and its aftermath. This makes it easy to think that I could skip reading a new book set in that time period and you may think that as well but DON’T.  Paris Never Leaves You is an extraordinary novel.

From its visceral opening scene in which collaborators are shamed and attacked on a Paris street, and right on through the novel, this is an immersive, engaging and intriguing book. Within its pages readers will spend time with Charlotte and Vivi, a mother-daughter who survived the war and came to New York. The book is told in seamlessly interwoven timelines; there is one in which Charlotte works in a New York publishing house and Vivi is a fourteen year old school girl and a second that takes place during the war in Europe.

The characters in the novel are each brought to life from Horace, in a wheelchair, to Julian to so many more. The settings are also evocative. Readers will feel what it was like to scrounge for food and to reconsider moral stands in the Paris of the war. Book lovers will also enjoy the inside view of the world of publishing in the U.S.  that Ms. Feldman provides.

Early in the book, Charlotte is at a makeup counter where she is told that a certain product “will erase your past.” But, of course, the past cannot be erased. Should it be? Another provocative quote is when Charlotte says that she was not Jewish until Hitler made her so. What does this mean to her? How do we form identities? These are just some of the issues to ponder.

I give this book a solid five stars and highly recommend it. Readers will be drawn in and the novel will resonate with them even after they have read the last lines.

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