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

The great e-book bargains just keep coming.  I truly enjoyed Dear Mrs. Bird and will reprint my review below.  You cannot go wrong with Agatha Christie and/or P.D. James if you are a mystery fan. Maeve Binchy provides the best sort of comfort reading while Lisa Jewell is becoming a master at suspense.  Manhattan Beach got good reviews and The Room on Rue Amelie sounds intriguing.  Enjoy!

Dear Mrs. Bird is an engaging and warm first novel. Readers who enjoyed The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society are almost certain to rate this book highly.

Mrs. Bird is an out of touch editor at a woman’s magazine during WW II who is responsible for the agony column. Sadly, she deems most letters “unsuitable” for answering. Enter Emmy; young, naive, and trying to cope with bombs and disasters in London. She begins to answer letters as Mrs. Bird and… you need to read the book to learn what happens. This novel at first seemed like it would be light but it has substance. Themes of love, friendship and how to relate to others all have their place. I highly recommend Dear Mrs. Bird! I would like to write her a fan letter.

Thanks for this read NetGalley.

Many thanks to all of you who take the time to read and to like some posts.  I definitely appreciate it!  Looking forward to more good reads in 2019.

There should be someone for everyone here.  Hope you find something that you would like to read!

This novel has received a good deal of attention, including being selected for Reese Witherspoon’s book club.  It is the story of Laurie and Jack, their friends and families.  It is a story of a romance that may or may not go to a happy ending.  It is definitely one in which the course of true love “never did  run smooth.”  If you enjoy light, romantic fiction you might want to join the many who have read this title.

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

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick

“Get ready to be swept up in a whirlwind romance. It absolutely charmed me.” —Reese Witherspoon

“Josie Silver writes with a warmth so palpable her characters sneak their way into your heart and stay for a long time.”—Jill Santopolo, New York Times-bestselling author of The Light We Lost #OneDayInDecember #NetGalley

I previously reviewed another novel with the same name.  That review is reprinted below.  I think that I preferred the less well known one, which is this one.

Red Light, Green Lion is one of those children’s books that also has a fine and uplifting message for adults.  It is about the unexpected things that can happen in life and about coping with whatever comes up with an open mind and heart.

Some examples of the clever pages in this book…each is on a two page spread with whimsical line drawings, so at first it is not clear what the second page will say.

Red Light…Green Li (next page) lac (lilac)

Red Light…Green Li (next page) fe preserver  (life preserver)

And some text:

“Then on some days, when we feel most discouraged, something amazing happens right in front of us, and we don’t even notice it happening.

Red Light…Green Li (next page) ghtning bugs

And it changes everything.”

This is a sweet book with a positive message.

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

I happily read all of the books by Mary Stewart when I was younger.  My mom had some of them at hand.  They were always enjoyable reads.  As is the case with This Rough Magic, the books always had intelligent heroines, interesting settings, mystery and romance.  This one features Lucy, an out of work actress, who spends time with her sister on Corfu.  There are death, accident and adventure in this story.  Who is Godfrey and what is he doing on Corfu?  Why is an older actor holed up there and what is his son doing on the island?  With a cast of both local and visiting characters, this is a good read for those who would like a bit of escape.

The critics:

“A magical concoction brewed from the most disparate plot elements. . . . A warm and sunny book, for all its violence.”  —New York Times

“Romantic, suspenseful, delightful.”  —Columbus Dispatch

“The best sort of romantic suspense, the kind that only Mary Stewart could write.”  —Nancy Pearl, author, Book Lust to Go

“Mary Stewart’s writing is magical, with every word and phrase carefully chosen for beauty and sound and shape. . . . One marvels at the exquisite evocation of scene.”  —Los Angeles Times

“Wonderfully evoked atmosphere . . . fine plotting and suspense.”  —San Francisco Chronicle

“Suspense and romance, expertly mingled.”  —Observer

These are all either books that I have read or would like to read.

The Alice Network got excellent reviews and is on my TBR pile.

My review of Transcription:

I have read and enjoyed Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie mysteries. Life After Life and A God in Ruins have been in my TBR pile for quite awhile. When, pre-publication, I read about Transcription, I knew that I wanted to read this novel. Some of my favorite fictional subjects were in fact subjects in the novel including WWII, Britain and spies. Despite all of this, I did not enjoy Transcription as much as I had hoped that I would. Yes, the pages turned and there were some good plot twists but, somehow, I expected more given that Atkinson is so accomplished a writer. My favorite parts of the book were the parenthetical asides.

Have you read Transcription? If yes, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Another view:

This is from the Poisoned Pen Bookstore’s Newsletter: as you will see, I think that they liked the novel more than I did.

“Kate Atkinson brings the past of mid-20th century Britain so thoroughly to life that she almost seems to be reporting rather than inventing.  Her details are so rich and her hand so certain that, as readers, we are there-we are walking those streets, sitting in those smoky rooms.  And, most of all, we are completely caught up in the emotional power of the tensions and fears of that past.  With Juliet Armstrong, Atkinson has given us a remarkable addition to the canon of British spies.”

The Art Forger is another in my TBR pile.

Where’d You Go Bernadette is a quirky and highly enjoyable read about the eccentric Bernadette and her family.  You will travel to cold climes in this one.

Any Day Now: Readers who enjoy novels by this author will be happy to see this women’s fiction bargain.

The Goldfinch is a long read and perhaps a modern classic.

Hamilton:  For fans of the musical.

And here they are…

The Woman in the Window

This one was one of this year’s most popular thrillers.

Varina

An historical biographical novel set around the Civil War.

Hidden Figures

Science during times of discrimination. The movie was based on this book.

Between You and Me

The newest release by-the popular Susan Wiggs.

Atomic City Girls

An historical novel that takes place around WW Ii.

The Mystery of the Three Quarters

The latest Hercule Poirot as written by Sophie Hannah with the approval of Christie’s estate.

The Secretary

A new thriller by the author of Disclaimer.

Merry Christmas to all of my reading buddies who celebrate the holiday. Hope it will be a peaceful day for one and all.

Children will meet a number of animals in this book including, among others, a dragon, a hippo and a cat. Each animal is shown in an illustration with a picture of their house. The challenge for the child is to turn the page and find exactly that house among those pictured.

This book provides children with a fun way to build their visual discriminatory skills. I recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.