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

This is another entry in the series of children’s books that is published in conjunction with the American Psychological Association. Each title gently teaches young children how to manage their world.

In this picture book, Blue is upset when Red and Yellow fly off without him. In his upset, Blue starts a rumor that is spread by birds of many colors. (A side benefit of the book is that children can show off their ability to identify the colors.) Eventually all is resolved. Blue apologizes for his lie while Red and Yellow acknowledge that they should have invited Red to come along. The birds of every color are together in harmony.

At the conclusion of the story, there is a section for caregivers on how to help children to deal with similar situations. This adds extra value to the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book that belongs on nursery and day care bookshelves.

#ThreeLittleBirds #NetGalley

This is an appealing and funny way to help young children learn the importance of good manners. In this humorously illustrated story, Dot and Duck have a visit. The two are going to have tea together but Duck is never satisfied and behaves quite poorly. Dot’s refrain throughout is “How rude!” Things get worse and worse, the mess gets messier, the phrase how rude is printed larger and larger… and so it goes. Finally Dot has her own moment. By the end of the book all comes together and both Dot and Duck have shown their better selves. The story resolves in a way that will entertain young children.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this likeable read. The opinions expressed are my own.

#HowRude #NetGalley

I am featuring mysteries here.  What a way to start the year.  So, so many books.  Some are priced as low as $1.20 and there are multiple books in some series, for example Janet Evanovich, Ellis Peters, Phil Rickman and Dorothy Sayers.  There is also a book by Ausma Khan.  I just blogged on her soon to be published novel which was excellent.

and other dorothy sayers

 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-galley. The opinions are my own.

This book will provide a lot of entertainment for elementary school aged children while simultaneously teaching them about their world. Divided by geographical region, young students can examine the atlas and learn about cultural highlights as well as the flora and fauna of each area. What makes this book special is that three viewing lenses are provided. Each lens is to be used in order to highlight the hidden objects in the maps. Of course my copy of the book is virtual so I had no lenses but I really wished that I did!

I think that kids will enjoy this easy and entertaining way to experience and learn more about their world.

****Four stars

#Illuminatlas #NetGalley

This appears to be an excellent picture book for adults to share with the nursery school aged children in their lives. This is the story of a young boy who sometimes feels angry. Simon does not know how to manage this difficult emotion but learns to handle things better by the end of the book.

Along the way, Simon’s anger is anthropomorphized as a variety of animals that grow larger and larger. The illustrations of the animals are very expressive as you can see from the book’s cover. Each time the refrain is

“It was great, it was marvelous, it was magical to have…” an animal to express his anger.

While at first Simon seems to feel powerful and not to care about others, of course, eventually he wants to re-connect and needs help to do so. The author writes

“It was not so great, not so marvelous to always have such anger.”

Simon practices a bit of calming down mindfulness which begins to help. He reconnects with others after this.

At the end of the book, there is a detailed section for adults on ways to help the children that they guide.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-galley which will be helpful to both kids and adults.

I absolutely adore the poetry of Mary Oliver.  It is simple yet deep; it is also profound and moving.  I often start my day by reading a poem from this wonderful anthology.

Very sadly, I read today that Ms. Oliver died at age 80 plus in Florida.  Her shimmering and beautiful work will be here for me still but nonetheless she will be missed.

Read Devotions or any of her other works; you will be deeply affected.

In “When Death Comes,” she wrote:

When it’s over, I want to say: all my life

I was a bride married to amazement.

I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.

When it’s over, I don’t want to wonder

if I have made of my life something particular, and real.

I don’t want to find myself sighing and frightened,

or full of argument.

I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.

This is the first novel that I have read by Ms. Khan, although it is not her first novel. I plan to read this entire series of mysteries featuring Esa and Rachel, along with the significant people in their lives.

This novel is a mystery but more than that. It has an important story to tell that resonates in the current climate of being less than welcoming to immigrants. The story takes place in a small Quebec community where the Muslim population is mistrusted by many. An attack occurs at a mosque and deaths result. Who is at fault? What has led to such deep feelings of unease on everyone’s part? Is the situation hopeless?

In A Deadly Divide there are members of the Wolf Gang, a white supremacist group, the Lilies, a group of girls, whose role in all that goes on seems ambiguous, the local priest, a reporter, the police force and a government spokesperson, among others. All are well described and become real and distinctive.

Along with the mystery and the politics, this novel is very much about the relationships of the characters with one another. This felt true to life as human feelings and emotions do not go away, even in the light of crises and volatile political situations.

I recommend this novel. It will make you think about the positions that you hold while also enjoying a well told story. Fans of author Suzanne Chazin’s series will want to read this. Both series look at the role of immigration in our world view while also depicting complex mysteries.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-galley. The opinions are my own.

“Outstanding…Khan perceptively explores who fear can quickly erupt into violence.”―Publishers Weekly (Starred and Boxed)

“Khan peoples her police procedural with believably nuanced characters to highlight the consequences of hate. The tension never lets down.”―Kirkus

AUSMA ZEHANAT KHAN holds a Ph.D. in International Human Rights Law and is a former adjunct law professor.

When I was a kid I loved going to our local museum and visiting the exhibit on Ancient Egypt. I saw a mummy and I also remember some painting on bricks. When I grew up I was able to visit the Temple of Dendur and a much bigger exhibit than my childhood one. I think that lots of kids and adults are like me and are fascinated by ancient Egypt. This book will be welcomed by them.

The set up of this book is clever. Each two page spread has a topic; examples include the Sphinx, Cleopatra, Tutankhamun’s Tomb, Death and Mummies, etc. Each section is elaborately illustrated in a Where’s Waldo way. The reader is given ten objects to find on each topic; information for each object is given as is additional information in the larger drawing. At the end of the book, there are the solutions, another chance to look for the objects, a timeline and more.

This book should really appeal to those who enjoy learning about ancient Egypt and would like to have some fun while doing so. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this fun book.

#EgyptMagnified #NetGalley

From the publisher:

 

Fortunately the author lets you know from the cover that this is a story “with a happy ending.” That makes it easier to read.

This book is told from the point of view of a fifteen year old girl who has been treated for cancer. She voices feelings that young cancer patients most likely experience but do not, perhaps, share with those around them. For example, the teen in this book does not want to be told that she is brave. She does not feel that she is and she feels pressure to have to be that way, fearing that she will disappoint others. This girl talks frankly about what it is like to be in the hospital, her sadness at the death of a friend and her teenage crush on a boy named Victor. Everything that is expressed feels very genuine. Reading this even though the reader knows the ending from the title, there is suspense. The reader will feel relief as they close the book.

I recommend this one for kids of the right age; it will help them to know that they are not alone with their feelings but that others have experienced them as well The book is also a valuable resource for parents and caretakers. It will help them to be more sensitive to the person that is going through the experience.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an important read.

***** five stars

 

Much has been written about Ernest Hemingway and his wives but no-one writes about them better than Paula McLain, whose new novel is about Ernest Hemingway and Martha Gellhorn. I thought that this author’s debut novel, The Paris Wife, was a wonderful book; it told the story of the young Hemingway and his first wife, Hadley. The author beautifully captured Hadley’s voice. When I started Love and Ruin, I wondered if Ms. McLain would be able to again capture the essence of an historical character…she does!
Martha Gellhorn and Hemingway initially meet in Florida. They become closer when traveling to Spain during the Civil War, a war which is hearbreakingly portrayed in the novel. Hemingway and Gellhorn travel together to Cuba, Florida, Europe during WWII, Utah, etc. with each locale coming alive. World events unfurl in their presence.
This is also the story of a relationship; what is it like to be in the orbit of a truly charismatic person? Is that enough? How does one maintain a sense of identity? Gellhorn, a writer and reporter of merit, struggles as a relationship of equals becomes less so. There is love and yes, ruin, in the coming together and apart of these two historical personages. The reader is a witness to the joys and struggles of this couple.
I highly recommend Love and Ruin. It is one of the finest historical novels that I have read. Thanks for this one NetGalley! It was special.

The Recovering is, simply. an excellent non-fiction title.  The author, Leslie Jamison, also wrote The Empathy Diaries which was well received.

The Recovering is a hybrid book.  In parts, the author shares her own history of alcohol abuse and her candid thoughts about drinking, her efforts to stop and her life during these years.  At times, these sections read like a novel; the reader hopes for Ms. Jamison and keeps turning the pages to learn how she fares.

In addition, the author, who has a PhD, explores her thesis subject; she looks at the life stories of many authors who faced or did not face their issues with alcoholism; for example, there are sections on Raymond Carver and Jean Rhys.  There is also information about many treatment centers (some historical), types of treatment and attitudes towards addiction over the years.

If you would like to understand more about alcoholism, read this graceful and moving book.  Highly recommended.

Some other opinions:

“A sprawling, compelling, fiercely ambitious book…Its publication represents the most significant new addition to the canon in more than a decade…Jamison’s writing throughout is spectacularly evocative and sensuous…She thinks with elegant precision, cutting through the whiskey-soaked myths…Jamison is interested in something else: the possibility that sobriety can form its own kind of legend, no less electric, and more generative in the end.”―Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic

“Masterful…beautifully honest…Essential reading…The most comprehensive study of the relationship between writing and alcohol that I have read, or know about…The prose is clean and clear and a pleasure to read, utterly without pretension. Although the subject is dark, Jamison has managed to write an often very funny page turner…In short, The Recovering is terrific, and if you’re interested in the relationship between artists and addiction, you must read it.”―Clancy Martin, Bookforum

“Magnificent and genuinely moving. This is that rare addiction memoir that gets better after sobriety takes hold.”―Dwight Garner, New York Times

“A remarkable feat…Jamison is a bracingly smart writer; her sentences wind and snake, at turns breathless and tense…Instead of solving the mystery of why she drank, she does something worthier, digging underneath the big emptiness that lives inside every addict to find something profound.”―Sam Lansky, Time