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

Me Before You was truly a breakout book for Jojo Moyes. It was not her first book. Other novels that she has written include Ship of Brides, Windfallen, and Last Letter to My Lover (which I liked very much), among others. The sequel to Me Before You was Me After You. Honestly, I found that one to not be nearly as good. Then came Still Me. Still Me was an excellent read. In this one, Louisa finds her footing after some ups and downs. She has moved to Manhattan where she becomes the assistant to a wealthy second wife. It would be easy to caricature Mrs. Gopnick but Ms. Moyes does not do this; the reader feels empathy for her, along with the elderly woman whose dog’s name is Dean Martin and the building’s doorman and his family. There are two romances for Louisa, one with Sam (from Book Two) and one with Josh. Read the book to find out who the better man is. Louisa’s family also figures in the novel; her sister finds a happier life and her parents move forward as well. This book feels like it will be the last one about Louisa. She has been given a very good send off!

This book is a good one for a nursery or pre-k library. In this story, Alycat is looking forward to a school field trip. When she does not get to sit with her best friend on the bus, she at first is sad. However, Alycat figures out a way to have two good friends! In addition, this book has some health information because the field trip involves meeting with Dr. Katz. A bonus is that this book has instructions for making a simple friendship bracelet at the end.

#AlycatAndTheFriendshipFriday #NetGalley

This is a gentle and sweet read aloud story. At bedtime, Chick visits all of her animal friends and there are many including a hedgehog and ducklings, among others. Chick helps each animal to settle down for the night and even helps the owl to settle down for sleep in the day. Young listeners will like the repetition on a theme and they can also learn the names of many animals too! This one is a nice addition to the bedtime shelf with its simple sentences and appealing illustrations.

#AhundredKissesBeforeBedtime #NetGalley

I loved this alphabet book about all of the jobs that  girls can do.  With one entry for each letter of the alphabet and appealing, bright illustrations, this book is a winner!  A few of my favorites include:

W is for writer, U is for UN Ambassador, S is for Software engineer, Q is for quantum physicist…you probably get the idea by now; it is that girls can dream big.

Highly recommended for those who want to nurture possibilities in our children.

 

This is a comprehensive look at all things romance.  The reader will find movie and TV news, numerous book reviews (all by category), interviews and more. Some reviews that I enjoyed were short but helpful ones; for example on Jodi Picoult’s new book and the adaptations of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society and  The Bookshop with Emily Mortimer.  This time the holidays are a focus.  There are listings of ghost stories, Thanksgiving reads and lots for Christmas.  The quarterly gives a great deal of information to readers at a very reasonable price.

I have adored all of the Tana French novels.  Start with In the Woods and work your way forward.  In a clever schema, the first book has detectives A and B, the next detectives B and C, etc.  This keeps the books fresh by keeping old characters while introducing new ones.

Tana French’s newest book is a standalone.  It is one of the books that I have most looked forward to reading this fall.

From Goodreads:

Dublin crime novelist Tana French has the kind of critical reviews that other writers would…well, die for. Her debut murder mystery, In the Woods, won rave reviews and multiple literary prizes upon its release in 2007. Since then, her books have tended to haunt the bestseller lists, on both sides of the pond, and for months at a time. British newspaper The Independent has dubbed French “The First Lady of Irish Crime,” and The Washington Post says she is the most important crime novelist to emerge in the past ten years.

Like her literary hero Patricia Highsmith, French writes psychological thrillers that plunge fearlessly into the darkest depths of the human psyche. Her Dublin Murder Squad series includes the novels In the Woods, The Likeness, Faithful Place, Broken Harbour, The Secret Place, and The Trespasser. Where some writers aim for labyrinthine story lines, French specializes in labyrinthine character studies. In her stories, murder and motive emerge not from circumstance and opportunity, but from dark places of the heart and mind.

Her new novel, The Witch Elm, invites readers along on yet another ambitious expedition into the remote wilds of human psychology. Marketing specialist Toby, happily employed at a hipster art gallery, has lived a charmed life. He’s one of those people we’ve all come across—the guy who gets all the breaks. But on one fateful night, Toby’s luck runs out. Beaten to the brink of death by a pair of mysterious burglars, Toby retreats to his family’s ancestral home to recuperate. Brain damage is causing Toby’s memories to flicker and fade, but things really get weird when a human skull is discovered in the garden elm tree…

This novel has received absolutely amazing reviews.  I will add  mine once I have read the novel.  I both want to start and wait so as to have a fantastic read to look forward to.

 

Isn’t little white fish sweet looking? He is trying to find his mommy in this gentle picture book story for toddlers and pre-schoolers. Little Fish encounters a number of sea creatures while searching; for example there are a red crab, a green turtle and a purple octopus. Young folk will painlessly learn about colors and water life in this adorable read. A nice book for a young child’s bookshelf!

#LittleWhiteFish #NetGalley

Some examples…

This book has a very appealing appearance.  There are two page spreads, each with multiple small illustrations and commentary.  Every page is vivid, bright and a joy to look at.

One Day So Many Ways is about daily life in a variety of countries.  With headings like School, Waking Up, After School Activities, Friends, Family Time, Meals, etc. children are shown experiencing the same activity but within their own unique culture.  This is not a deep dive but there is enough to show that life both does and does not vary from country to country.

This book will give your elementary school child the chance to see that our world is full of amazing experiences.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher!

 

OneDaySoManyWays #NetGalley

The Apothecary Rose is the first of the Owen Archer mysteries by Candace Robb.  I read this many years ago,  enjoyed it and went on to read other novels in the series.

From Goodreads:

Christmastide, 1363-and, at an abbey in York, two pilgrims die mysteriously dead of an herbal remedy. Suspicious, the Archbishop sends for Owen Archer, a Welshman with the charm of the devil, who’s lost one eye to the wars in France and must make a new career as an honest spy.

Masquerading as an apprentice to Apothecary Nicholas Wilton, whose shop dispensed the fatal potion, Owen’s dark curls, leather eyepatch and gold earring intrigue Wilton’s wife. But is this lovely woman a murderess? and what links the Wiltons to bumbling Brother Wulfstan, ascetic Archdeacon Anselm and his weaselly agent Potter Digby, and the ragged midwife Magda the Riverwoman? Answers as slippery as the frozen cobblestones draw Owen into a dangerous drama of old scandals and tragedies, obsession and unholy love…

The Apothecary Rose marks the arrival of a bold and quick-witted detective in this expertly detailed, engrossing tale of medieval life-and death.

I have absolutely adored Elly Griffiths’ Ruth Galloway mystery series and hope that she will continue to write many more book about Ruth, her family, colleagues and friends. Ms. Griffiths has also penned the post-war Max Mephisto series. Now, she has written her first standalone novel. I will start by saying that this atmospheric, character driven story does not disappoint.

Plot: Clare is a teacher at the school where her daughter, Georgia, is a student. Harbinder is a Detective Sergeant whose alma mater is this school. When Clare’s colleagues begin to die, Harbinder is assigned the investigation. The school also has close ties to the author of a very scary story. These threads intertwine to produce a suspenseful, somewhat Gothic tale.

Most interesting to me in the book were the many characters and their interrelationships. There are Clare and her ex-husband, Clare and her daughter, Clare and her colleagues, Clare and Harbinder. Then there are Georgie and her parents, Georgie and her teachers, Georgie and her boyfriend, Georgie and her writing group, etc.

Another feature of the novel is the offering of different points of view. The reader sees events through the eyes of Clare, Georgie and Harbinder.

As in all good mysteries there are some twists. This is a novel that I definitely recommend. My favorite novels by this author are still the Ruth novels but this is worth a read for suspense lovers.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this read by one of my favorite authors!

Some advance praise for the novel:

Utterly bewitching. This atmospheric, intricate thriller, a pitch-perfect modern Gothic, chilled my blood and warmed my heart. As unforgettable as it is original.”
—A.J. Finn

“Goose-bump spooky, smart, and haunting, in every sense.  I loved this book!  And you will too.”
—Louise Penny