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

You can decide whether you prefer the British or U.S. cover for the latest novel by Jill Mansell.  Either way, this book is recommended for those who enjoy women’s fiction with engaging and endearing characters, a few plot lines, and confusion until, at last, order (and relationships) are restored.

In this one, Essie thinks that she has it all.  She is in love with and living with a partner whose flaws and family she excuses.  However, the relationship breaks up when a private document is seen by far too many.  So…no relationship, no home and Essie must regroup.  She finds a place to live with an elderly woman in return for household help.  Zillah is a force to reckon with.  She teaches Essie a lot about life.

Essie has a prior history with bar owner, Lucas.  She is now his employee.  Clearly there is an attraction but can their relationship work out?  Even if you think that you know the answer, you will enjoy the getting there.

There are several other main characters including Essie’s best friend, Scarlett, photographer Conor, Essie’s brother, Lucas’s girlfriend, Alice (who knew Zillah many years ago)…enough to keep you busy.

A truly appealing part of this novel told of how Zillah, Conor and Essie made the dreams of those in hospice care come true.  The stories are touching.  I only wish that such services really existed.

All in all, Ms Mansell comes through yet again.  Add this to your beach reads this summer and enjoy!

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks!

#ThisCouldChangeEverything #NetGalley

I have blogged on this author before.  I wrote about the Lakeshore Chronicles Series, Family Tree and Map of the Heart.  Some re-posts below.  Between You and Me publishes today. So…I have not read Between You and Me yet.    I understand that it tells a story of the Amish, an accident and modern medicine.  Since it is Susan Wiggs writing, I am certain that there will be romance.  It is going on to my summer reading list.

If you enjoyed books like The Nightingale and All the Light We Cannot See, you might enjoy this book as well.  Map of the Heart is women’s fiction but good women’s fiction.  It is about loss and love and the ways that loss impacts future relationships and risk taking.  The protagonist, Camille, is a photographer who restores old photos.  In the novel, through her photography, she uncovers the history of her father and grandparents who lived in France during WW II.  Tragedy has made Camille cautious; the reader watches as she slowly learns to again take chances and live fully.  The book takes place in both the present and in a French town that was occupied by the Nazis.   I recommend it.

This book came out in 2016.  It tells the story of a woman whose life drastically changes after an accident.  I like the book’s setting in Vermont and its exploration of how to move forward after tragedy.

From Booklist:
“Soul-satisfying…Will delight readers of Robyn Carr and Debbie Macomber…Wiggs writes with effortless grace about what breaks families apart and what brings them back together. Add this to her gift for crafting exquisitely nuanced characters and flair for perfectly capturing the rhythm of life in a small town.” (Booklist (starred review))

A re-post…

Before and Again…how does what happens, mistakes that we have made, impact our view of the past, our present and our belief in the future? These big issues are fictionally brought to life in Barbara Delinsky’s newest novel.
Early on in the book, the reader learns that a moment of inattention led to the death of the protagonist’s daughter, Lily. Any parent can, but does not want to, imagine what this could mean. The reader watches as Maggie tries to move on and start fresh but…can/should the past be denied? A concurrent theme involves Grace who has secrets and stories of her own. In addition, Grace’s son is accused of computer hacking and the consequences of his act may impact his future, just as Maggie and Grace are impacted by their pasts.
I found the characters to be sympathetically drawn and would recommend this book to readers of women’s fiction.

A great book for children (and their adults) who would like to understand more about planets, solar systems, galaxies, comets, asteroids and black holes, to name just some of the topics covered in this introduction to astronomy.  With colorful, amusing, pithy and relevant illustrations, this book teaches a lot in a fun way.  A few things that I learned…the sun makes up 99 per cent of the solar system’s mass; Venus is intensely hot and Earth is like baby bear’s porridge (see the book to find out why).  Learn more about astronauts and what the International Space Station is like.   An easy to look at book that young readers will be able to use as a solid reference.

#TheKnow-nonsenseGuideToSpace #NetGalley

This book has gotten a lot of good publicity.  It is the author’s first novel and a thriller, kind of in the mold of Rear Window.  I have not read it but purchased it when it was on sale today.

I also bought The Bookman’s Tale by Charlie Lovett.  His books are a blend of mystery, romance and the historical.  I truly enjoyed the two that I read and look forward to this one.  Those that I read were First Impressions (related to Jane Austen) and The Lost Book of the Grail which I loved and blogged on.  I will reprint that post below.

I adored this book.  It has everything that an Anglophile could possibly want.  There are churches, books and searches.  There is romance between a Brit and an American.  There are mysteries and family connections. There are even arguments about print versus digital.   On your first cold night in this fall, imagine you are by the fire and enjoy this read!

Of course, it is a good summer read too!

This one is a good read about Zelda (and Scott) Fitzgerald.

This one is based on mythology and has gotten excellent reviews.  I just purchased it.

A book we all should read.  Circe is kind of a companion to this one.

This is the start of the Peter Diamond series which is set in Bath, England.  I have loved every book in the series and each year look forward to the next.  Good characters, good settings and good stories are all here.

You will find many Anne Perry book reviews on my blog.  Here is a novel in the Monk series.  Read one and you may read them all.  Enjoy Monk (with amnesia), Hester (a Crimean War nurse) and Oliver (the barrister) as they work together on cases.

I have not as yet read this one.  It is about the wife of Jefferson Davis and is supposed to be very good.

I have blogged on this series; it is a good traditional one.  Here is a chance to get three of her novels for less than the price of one.

Another chance to start a series; this one is set in Sicily.  I am looking forward to reading these.

I am so thrilled to be reading Mrs. Dalloway for the second time!  As soon as I finished reading it the first time, six or so years ago, I thought to myself that I had not gotten nearly as much from the book as I wanted to.  To begin reading Mrs. Dalloway on a June day seemed like the absolutely perfect time as, of course, it is on a June day that Mrs. D is having her party.  The book makes more sense to me this time and I think it helps to already understand the ways in which time is represented along with already having a sense of the characters.  I find, too, that the book truly resonates for me this time.  So much of life is included in these pages.  The novel bustles with the city, moves from adolescence to middle age,  looks at the choices that characters make and how they live with them and more.  It is truly an amazing book.  Those of you who have read this novel, please let me know your impressions.

By the way, I am reading this book for a class so the discussion adds a great deal to my understanding.  Yesterday all of the students were instructed to go out in the city for half an hour and pay attention to their impressions. There was excellent discussion following this of how Woolf captures places and how one’s mind moves back and forth in time when out and about.

The narration of this book makes it feel like an ancient fable, which perhaps it is.  As is often the case in children’s literature, a story with animals is a way for children to access their feelings indirectly by identifying with a non-human character.  In this short, nicely illustrated story, Toad is sad because he does not have friends.  He blames himself for this dilemma, until a wise and friendly bird offers him some advice.  Armed with a new way of looking at things, Toad is able to form new friendships.  A simply told yet welcome tale for a read-aloud audience.

#TugOfWar #NetGalley

This novel is part of the  Inspector Wexford series of police procedurals.  I blogged on Ruth Rendell earlier and you can find what I wrote by searching the blog by author’s name.  This book was an Edgar Award finalist and may be enjoyed by lovers of traditional mysteries set in small towns.

From the Inside Flap

This is the first novel in this author’s series which takes place in Sandham. a Swedish vacation island.  I reviewed this previously and reprint that review below:

Anne Shirley is one of the most beloved characters in children’s fiction.  She has helped to make Prince Edward Island a place that Anne lovers dream of visiting.  Anne has spunk, imagination, honesty, deep feelings and a sense of adventure.  Anne Arrives tells the story of Anne’s beginnings at Green Gables.  In addition to Anne, of course there are Marilla, Matthew and Mrs. Lynde.

This is a book with short chapters for beginning readers.  The essence of the plot is there and Anne’s character shines through.  The illustrations are gorgeous and will add to the young reader’s enjoyment of the story.  Hopefully, Anne Arrives is the first in a series!  Thanks for this read NetGalley and the publisher.

By the way, for Anne fans, a restaurant in New York City is having an Anne brunch on Canada Day this year.  It should be great.  A book for all, food and movies.

#AnneArrives #NetGalley