I was so in love with reading our last book for class, Mrs. Dalloway, that I have found it difficult to move on to TEWWG.  I will just say that Mrs. D has rocketed to the top of my favorite novels list, along with Ann Patchett’s Bel Canto.  In this class I read Mrs. Dalloway for the second time and I think that it is a book that needs more than one read.  I loved being in the minds and thoughts of everyone in the novel, despite some of the stories, like that of Septimus, being tragic.  I think that Virginia Woolf had an incredible capacity for nuance and exploring her character’s daily thoughts and lives.

Their Eyes is a very different book.  If Mrs. D is often internal in its focus, Their Eyes is about characters but also community.  Janie is a young African American girl who has been raised by her grandmother, a woman who recalls slavery.  Her wish is to keep Janie safe and to protect her, so Janie, a dreamer, is soon married.  Over the course of the novel, her relationships with the men in her life are explored as is her lack of agency with her first two husbands.  The community that her second husband Joe wills into being comes to vivid life.

Much of the novel is in a dialect which adds to the sense of place, a small town in Florida, and takes a bit of adjustment for the reader at first.  Zora Neal Hurston was deliberate in this choice.

Below is one writer’s assessment of the novel.  If you have read this book, I would love to know what you thought of it.

“A deeply soulful novel that comprehends love and cruelty, and separates the big people from the small of heart, without ever losing sympathy for those unfortunates who don’t know how to live properly.” —Zadie Smith

This is an honest introduction to the stories of forty Greek gods and goddesses.  All the gory details including husbands and wives who are brothers and sisters (or fathers and daughters) and brief accounts of the violent acts that the gods committed are there but all is simply told.  Each god or goddess has a couple of pages in the book, complete with illustrations, interesting facts, genealogy, symbols and accomplishments, etc.  This reads more like a beginning reference book than a story-like retelling of the myths.  It is a good reference for those who want to learn about the early Greeks’ stories and world views.

#GreekGodsAndHeroes #NetGalley

Everyone at the Anne of Green Gables brunch was given a copy of this beautiful Sourcebooks edition of the book.  I am so looking forward to rereading this favorite book for the third time.  The brunch was fabulous.  At our table we shared hushpuppies with maple butter and a saucy (like Anne) cauliflower dish.  Then one of us had a sandwich with a tomato biscuit, tofu, lettuce and   tomato; one had a fishless fishcake and one had egg salad.  There was chocolate cake for dessert and drinks included raspberry cordial and blueberry lemonade.  Readers of the book will recall that the cordial did not agree with Diana!  All of the food was inspired by Canada and the book.  The Colleen Dewhurst, Megan Fallows Anne of Green Gables series played on screens in the background.  It was a completely enjoyable experience.  Put this on your calendar for next July 1 if you will be in New York.  The restaurant is called Dirt Candy.

Congratulations on getting 500 total likes on Joyce’s mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too!.

Tomorrow. for Canada Day, I plan to go to an Anne of Green Gables brunch at a local restaurant.  Here is what is being offered…nostalgia and fun.

HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!!

This is the second in the cozy mystery series that follows Sister Lou, her colleagues, nephew and friends.  In this one, the congregation is planning a retreat in order to get into the proper frame of mind for Christmas.  The site is selected when the owner of the resort is murdered.  There are numerous suspects, police who could use help (although they don’t think so) and a desire to clear the congregation and the college they support of suspicion.  This is very much a domestic mystery, as you can tell from the cover.  There is little violence and all, of course, is resolved.  For those who like to know that there will not be too much blood or gore, this may be a good series to try.

Counseling Insights will be an excellent resource for therapists and students of mental health.  It is a clear, concise guide to possible ways to treat grief, depression, addiction, those who have suicidal feelings, those who struggle with gender identity and more.  The book is written by multiple experts, each of whom is featured in a chapter.  Especially helpful in the book are the case descriptions.  Both novice and experienced mental health practitioners can think about their own interventions and how they compare with the ones suggested.  This would also be a helpful guide to those who are starting private practices and want an overview of the issues that their clients may present. This is a succinct and useful book that deserves a place on the clinical bookshelf.

#CounselingInsights #NetGalley

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.