Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too!

So…here we have the newest Cormoran Strike novel, a mystery (her first) by Elin Hiderbrand, a nonfiction title and Paris.  Hope there is something here that you might enjoy.

This is a wonderful book for armchair readers and explorers.  25 fictional places are featured and paired with the novels that made them well known.  Some of my favorites were New York City/Catcher in the Rye; Yorkshire Moors/Wuthering Heights, Bath/Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, Naples/My Brilliant Friend, Alabama/To Kill a Mockingbird and really just about every place and book mentioned.  The author and illustrator are well matched; the text is informative and helps the reader to imagine the place described at the time that the book was written as well as now, while the drawings are just slightly whimsical and very appealing.

This book will inspire you to look at old favorites, find new ones and think about either real or virtual travel.  I recommend it highly.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-galley.  I enjoyed my journey!

There is quite a mix here.  There is historical fiction (A Well Behaved Woman), wome’s fiction (The Rosie Project, Friendship Cake, The Library at the Edge of the World,Dear Mr. Knightley), poestry and prose (Mary Oliver), classics (Wharton and Austen) and two other books that looked interesting (The Thing About Clare) and Reservoir 13).

Happy reading!

So here is something for everyone…travel to Provence, England, Georgia, Alaska, upstate New York or Brooklyn.

I give a special shout out to the book by Julia Spencer Fleming.  Please think about reading the whole series in order; it is one of my most favorite.  I got very attached to Clare and Russell and wish that the author would write a new book.

Enjoy!

Here are two suspenseful tales by Gilly Macmillan.

The first book in the Lady Julia Grey series and three subsequent novellas.  Also see below for the first in a newer series by this author.

Here are three suspenseful and/or mysterious reads.  Take a look.

I see this book and immediately think…Perfect for kids for car trips or plane trips or for waiting in doctor’s offices…you get the idea. This book contains a variety of puzzles that kids should find quite fun and amusing. There are mazes, word games, jokes, spot the difference puzzles, word searches and more. It is the sort of book that I adored when I was a kid. I even want to do the puzzles now. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this fun puzzle collection.

I love this book!  It is so sweet and caring as it demonstrates empathy without being preachy.

Daddy is sick and his daughter wants to make him feel better.  The child who listens to this picture book will see all that she tries..does daddy feel better in the end?  Is he ready to be the usual daddy again?  Adults may know but children will love finding out.

The illustrations as you can see from the cover are simple yet very appealing.  I enjoyed looking at the little girl, her dad and the dog.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a lovely book about what happens when a parent is sick and how a child might help.  The opinions are my own.

This is the first book that I have read by Lauren Willig. She is well known for her Pink Carnation Series and has also written standalone novels. The English Wife, (a standalone), was a page turner. To me, the book was like Jane Eyre crossed with Rebecca. If those are novels that you enjoyed, you may well enjoy The English Wife too!  Thanks for this book NetGalley.  It will be published in January.

I have been reading Ms. Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs’s novels ever since the first one was published back in 2003.  When the series began, the world was facing WWI.  Now. a number of books later, WWII is coming ever closer to England.

Against the backdrop of the rescue at Dunkirk, the author tells a story that includes a murder, heroism, a spy and war profiteering.  In writing this one, the author drew upon the experiences of her father during the war years.

The reader also spends time with Maisie’s in-laws, her father, Priscilla and her family, her employees and war time evacuee, Anna.  Long term readers of the series will rejoice in the opportunity to visit with them.

I have read books in the series that I liked a tad better but I NEVER regret time spent with Ms. Dobbs.  You won’t either.

This newest magazine suggests some books for reading in the month of St. Patrick’s Day:

There is also an interview of an author I adore in this issue…Elly Griffiths.