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

I loved Loving Frank (Horan)

Loving Frank: A Novel by [Horan, Nancy] On Sale Today for $1.99 for the e-book version.

At first, I had avoided reading this book because of a huge spoiler that deterred me. I am so glad that I eventually decided to change my mind. The Frank is Frank Lloyd Wright, the renowned architect. Think Falling Water among other places.

This historical novel takes place when FLW was a young man. It tells the story of his first and second marriages in an involving and engaging way. You might not always like Frank Lloyd Wright when you read this novel but I think that you will find him to be intriguing. I very much enjoyed getting to know Mamah Borthwick Chaney, a Chicago society matron. I will let you learn who she was for yourself. Spoiler alert…The story has some very real tragedy but is well worth the read.

Highly recommended. 5 ***** out of 5.

A Blurb:
“It takes great courage to write a novel about historical people, and in particular to give voice to someone as mythic as Frank Lloyd Wright. This beautifully written novel about Mamah Cheney and Frank Lloyd Wright’s love affair is vivid and intelligent, unsentimental and compassionate.”
——Jane Hamilton

Uneasy Lies the Crown (Tasha Alexander)

Uneasy Lies the Crown follows last year’s excellent, A Death in St. Petersburg. This time, Lady Emily and Colin are trying to keep the (very) new king safe from possible threats. There have been several murders with each corpse dressed as an historical king. Is this meant as a direct threat to Bertie or is there something else going on?

In tandem with this plot is a story set in the 1400s. This is the tale of a brave knight who fights for his king and his relationship with his wife. This earlier historical tale is connected with Colin’s ancestors.

This book will be welcomed by those who read each book by Tasha Alexander as it comes out. That having been said, I thought that last year’s entry was stronger. I look forward to seeing what comes next. Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur books.

#UneasyLiesTheCrown #NetGalley

Queen Sugar (Bazile for book and DuVernay for TV)

African American Women's Fiction Kindle Store I have watched the first two seasons of Queen Sugar and am in the middle of the third. The show tells the story of three African-American siblings and those around them. The story takes place in Louisiana where Queen Sugar is sugar cane. The show has taken on some tough issues, including police treatment of Black men and the difficulties of being a woman running a cane business, and has done so well. I was curious to read the book after seeing the series although usually I have read first and watched second. The book is different from the TV series in some ways. For example, Charley is a widow, not married/divorced from a professional basketball player and Micah is a girl, not a boy, and not a teen, while Ralph-Angel’s wife died unlike in the TV series where Blue’s mother faces substance abuse issues. Still, there is a story to tell and Natalie Bazile does it well.

From Booklist

Already a widow raising an 11-year-old daughter, Charley Bordelon is further disoriented by the death of her adoring father. He has left her an 800-acre sugarcane field in their native Louisiana, attaching clear restrictions that she must revive the farm or give it to charity, with no option to sell the farm or share it with her estranged half brother, Ralph Angel. So Charley and her reluctant daughter, Micah, relocate from L.A. to rural Louisiana, welcomed into the bosom of the family by her grandmother, Miss Honey. But they walk into old family tensions when Ralph Angel and his 6-year-old son, Blue, come for an extended stay. Charley arrives just in time for the growing season, facing dilapidated fields desperately in need of care. As a citified black woman with no experience in farming, can she make a go of it as a sugarcane farmer in an area that clings to privileges afforded to whites, males, and the wealthy? In alternating chapters, Baszile shows the separate paths that lead Charley and Ralph Angel back home in this exploration of family ties and disconnections. –Vanessa Bush

You decide TV? Book? Both? Let me know what you think!

This will bring you Joy (Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu)

The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by [Lama, Dalai, Tutu, Desmond, Abrams, Douglas Carlton] This book is an e-book bargain today. The Book of Joy recounts the five days that the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu spent together talking about their beliefs and lives. It is an inspiring and unstuffy read. Spend some time with these men and know for sure that you will leave with some good takeaways.

“This sparkling, wise, and immediately useful gift to readers from two remarkable spiritual masters offers hope that joy is possible for everyone even in the most difficult circumstances, and describes a clear path for attaining it.”
—Publishers Weekly

For Girls Who Dare (Time Kids/She Changed the World)

I have blogged on a number of books that can inspire children to reach for their dreams. What makes this one special is that each woman featured speaks directly to the reader in her own voice . The scope of the book is broad; for example there are entries by Hillary Clinton, Sheryl Sandberg, Ava DuVernay, Shonda Rhimes, Serena Williams and Gabby Douglas. among others. As you can see the book features contemporary women in politics, business, government service, television and sport, along with other career choices. Each entry includes photos in addition to the text. The book also has a time line of women’s history beginning in 1920 when the 19th amendment was passed. This book deserves a spot in school libraries and on the shelves of girls who want to think about their possibilities in life and plan for their futures.

#SheChangedTheWorld #NetGalley

A busy pub date: Part 2 for adults

This is Fiona Davis’s third New York City based historical novel and it is a winner! I have not read her earlier books,The Address and The Dollhouse, but may well do so now.
The Masterpiece has a dual narrative structure, one story is set in the 1920s-30’s and the other in the 1970s. The stories of Clara Darden and Virginia Clay overlap and intersect.
Darden is an illustrator, teacher and painter in the earlier era while Virginia, a divorcee, begins working at Grand Central around the time when the landmark battle was underway. Each woman has a backstory, relationships and challenges, all of which are well depicted.
Did you know that in the 1920’s there was an art school right in Grand Central? Did you know that Sargent was one of the founders? Are you interested in historical preservation? Do you enjoy a story with a plot twist? If you can answer yes to any, or all of these questions, I highly recommend this book.

If you like Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None and WWII intrigue, you will certainly like this book. I have read and enjoyed all of the novels in this series, starting with Mr. Churchill’s Secretary. Maggie Hope is a resourceful, smart and spunky protagonist who takes great, and possibly foolish, risks, in order to help with the war effort. In The Prisoner in the Castle, Maggie has been exiled to an island where agents who pose a risk to security are secretly being housed. Over the course of Maggie’s stay on the isolated and claustrophobic island, life goes on with one big exception…Maggie’s fellow agents are being killed at a rapid, daily rate. Why? What danger do they present? Who can be trusted? How will the murderer be stopped? Will Maggie survive or could this be the end of the series? You will need to read the novel to find out.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a fun read in an enjoyable series.

A very busy pub date! Part 1 for children

I loved this book! The author speaks to the middle school reader without ever being condescending or talking down. When historical background is needed, it is simply included in the text.

Eleanor Roosevelt comes alive with her bravery, deep desire to do right and also in her doubts and difficulties. The reader learns the basics of Eleanor’s biography; not being beautiful for her mother, having a father who was an alcoholic, being orphaned. There is an excellent chapter or Eleanor’s schooling in England and its impact on her. The joys and imperfections of her relationship with Franklin are acknowledged. The young reader learns of affairs but gently.

The author shows the ways in which Eleanor’s consciousness was raised. She describes the prejudices with which Eleanor grew up and how she began to overcome them and fight for her beliefs.

I have read a number of books on the Roosevelts so felt knowledgeable going in. Yet, I still learned a lot. Of note, too, are the illustrations which make historical personages real and present.

I recommend this book highly for readers from middle school through adulthood.

This is an inviting book for young readers (or those being read to) that adults will enjoy as well. Mini biographies of the well and not so well known are offered along with appealing illustrations, quotes from the personages and funny (at times) but always true award titles. Some examples: The Bad-Tempered Musical Genius Award (Beethoven); The 1,279 Goals Award (Pele); The Most Loved Diary Award (Anne Frank); The Saving Lives Award (Pasteur); The One Voice Award (Malala Yousafzai) and many more. This book is inspiring and wide ranging. It will give children a sense that they can accomplish great things while enjoying the accomplishments of those who came before them. Highly recommended!

Here is a picture book that will appeal to many children, especially those who have felt different for any reason. This short, whimsically illustrated, story is about Maud, who does not fit in with the other dragons but has one very loyal friend, a mouse. All of the other dragons are more darkly colored; they breathe soot into the skies to bring on darkness. However, when Maud needs to take on the job in an emergency situation, her breath matches her colorful appearance. So now you know know why it looks so pretty at sunset…share this knowledge with a child in your life!

A gorgeous, geography I Spy book for young children (Rosart)

I am honestly not sure who will love this book more: will it be the children or the adults who are either looking at the book with them or grab the book to look at on their own? The illustrations are so appealing, friendly and engaging. The two-page spread for each state captures the spirit of that state and its special attractions. And, of course, I Spy is a fun game. Add this one to your shelf and delight in the glories of the USA.

#IspyThe50states #NetGalley

E-book bargains for lovers of women’s fiction (Moyes and Moriarty)

The Horse Dancer The Husband's Secret

$1.99 today. Jojo Moyes had written a number of novels before she became well-known for her stories about Louisa Clark. The Horse Dancer is a story about a girl, her grandfather, a horse and the woman and lawyer, Natasha, who becomes involved with the girl, Sarah. I have not as yet read this one but plan to. A blurb is below:
“Reading Jojo Moyes’s newest novel, The Horse Dancer, I had to keep reminding myself that I was not, in fact, reading Dickens. . . As a storyteller, Moyes again takes a note from Dickens, moving easily between several storylines, toggling between the past and the present, the urban and the rural, the domestic and the professional, with ease and confidence. . . Moyes’s vision of people lifted from despair by nothing more than love (and a little money) is nothing if not poignant.” —Washington Post

Liane Moriarty wrote The Husband’s Secret before her breakout novel Big Little Lies. This one is also in my TBR pile. $2.99 today.

From Publishers Weekly

Australian author Moriarty, in her fifth novel (after The Hypnotist’s Love Story), puts three women in an impossible situation and doesn’t cut them any slack. Cecilia Fitzpatrick lives to be perfect: a perfect marriage, three perfect daughters, and a perfectly organized life. Then she finds a letter from her husband, John-Paul, to be opened only in the event of his death. She opens it anyway, and everything she believed is thrown into doubt. Meanwhile, Tess O’Leary’s husband, Will, and her cousin and best friend, Felicity, confess they’ve fallen in love, so Tess takes her young son, Liam, and goes to Sydney to live with her mother. There she meets up with an old boyfriend, Connor Whitby, while enrolling Liam in St. Angela’s Primary School, where Cecilia is the star mother. Rachel Crowley, the school secretary, believes that Connor, St. Angela’s PE teacher, is the man who, nearly three decades before, got away with murdering her daughter—a daughter for whom she is still grieving. Simultaneously a page-turner and a book one has to put down occasionally to think about and absorb, Moriarty’s novel challenges the reader as well as her characters, but in the best possible way. Agent: Faye Bender, Faye Bender Literary Agency. (Aug.)

For Adult Literary Explorers; The Writer’s Map by Lewis-Jones

Are you a true bibliophile? Do you enjoy entering both fictional and real worlds? Do you enjoy seeing the maps that writers create and love? If yes, this book is an amazing one and one that deserves a place on your bookshelf or coffee table. Readers can dip in and out and explore the many places within the book guided by well-known writers. I highly recommend this one. The illustrations are intricate and reproduced well. The text is interesting and offers lots of insight. One note: I read this as a digital ARC. I am eager to see the paper book so that I can browse back and forth more easily.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher.