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

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!

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher.

#ThePeopleAwards #NetGalley

Have you seen Renoir’s painting, Luncheon of the Boating Party?  It is in the Phillips Collection in Washington DC.  The painting is so full of life and character that it is a joy to stand before it.  Susan Vreeland ably tells the story of Renoir, his painting, his friends and the creation of this iconic work in an enjoyable and smart historical novel.  You could pair this with Renoir’s Dancer, a biography that I blogged on a few months ago. 

I have blogged on several of the books in this series.  All are about women who were once children and who can inspire young readers.  This entry on Jane Austen is no exception.  As always, the illustrations are charming.  Jane is described within her family, credit is given to her father for believing that girls should be educated, a romance for Jane is explored and, of course, she becomes a writer who gives her heroines agency.  Another welcome addition to a good series!

This is always a great resource.  You can find out whether authors you love have new books coming out and can also perhaps find titles to explore that will lead you in new directions.  There are lists and lists along with excerpts from a number of forthcoming titles.  I noted that Beatriz Williams, Michiko Kakutani, Megan Abbott, Anne Tyler, Cristina Alger, Louise Candlish and  Sophie Hannah all have books coming soon.  These may be of interest to you or you may flag completely different titles.  Either way, there is lots of good reading ahead for the summer.  Note that this can be accessed on amazon.

MMary Stewart, a British author, wrote her books roughly between 1954 and 1997.  Her first novel was Madam Will You Talk while today’s e-book bargain, The Gabriel Hounds, was published in 1967.  This author wrote clever, engaging novels of romantic suspense.  Often the chapters began with quotes from Shakespeare.  Her heroines were generally engaging, the stories took place in scenic locations and reading them was pretty pleasurable.  This one takes place in Lebanon.  A teaser:

The deep blue oblong of sky above the open court was pricking already with brilliant stars. No ugly diffusion of city light spoiled the deep velvet of that sky; even hanging as it was above the glittering and crowded richness of the Damascus oasis, it spoke of the desert and the vast empty silence beyond the last palm tree.

Let the adventure begin.  Of note, many years ago Hayley Mills starred in several movies based on Mary Stewart’s books.  The books have recently become available as e-books; each has a beautiful cover.  Many are available for $1.99 or $2.99.

I read Lauren Belfer‘s book when it first came out.  It is an historical novel and one that kept me turning the pages.  I read it  a while ago so borrow a review below:

From Booklist

I am very excited to have started a five-week summer class on the “modern” novel.  I have read all of these books before but am looking forward to re-reading and discussing them.  How do all of you feel about re-reading?  I think that each time I read a book I get something different from it. Do you?

We have started with A Room With A View; this book is a perfect summer read for the armchair traveler who gets to spend time in both Italy and the English countryside.  Forster is witty but also has something to say.  What does it mean to want  A Room With A View?  How can the young protagonist, Lucy Honeychurch, open her world and grow and is this a worthwhile quest?  What does it mean to begin to trust one’s own perceptions and to perhaps step away from society’s dictates?  Of amusing note are the character’s names which seem to reflect personality traits; there is Miss Bartlett who is kind of like a hothouse pear, the Emersons who are philosophical like Ralsph Waldo, Miss Lavish who indulges herself, etc.  If you have not read this novel, I definitely recommend it.    Next for the class will be Mrs. Dalloway….I will write more soon.

This is a truly wonderful book with engaging illustrations.  The author presents brief biographies of men who have done just about anything that you can imagine.  From Confucious to Louis Braille,  from Daniel Anthony (father of Susan B) to David Attenborough, from Patch Adams to Galileo and more, the list of boys who became men that followed their dreams goes on and on.  There are men you have already heard of and men that you will be so pleased to meet.  This is genuinely a book that tells young boys that they can do anything they set their minds and hearts to.  While this book is written for boys, I believe that girls and adults of all persuasions will relish this testimony to what the human spirit can achieve.  Thanks for this book NetGalley.  It is sooo good.

#StoriesForBoysWhoDareToBeDifferent #NetGalley

Ellis Peters is the well–known and highly regarded author of the Brother Cadfael series.  The novels were made into a televison series starring Derek Jacobi.  Many of these books are now on sale for either $1.99 or $2.99.  I’ve copied some covers below but there are even more at the bargain price right now.  I have not read Brother Cadfael books yet but am about to purchase a few!

Note that the author has also written the Felse series which is a series of contemporary police procedurals with recurring characters.  I have blogged on these  previously.  So…two good series from one excellent author!

Do you like fairy tales or enjoy reading them to a youngster in your life?  Do you like stories in which girls and women are strong characters with independent lives?  If the answer is yes, you might enjoy reading this book with a grade school child that you know.  The author has taken well-known fairy tale heroines and given them lives that have more roles than just princess/bride.  From detectives to environmentalists, these girls want to accomplish things.

I very much enjoyed the concept of the book.  At times though, I think that the book was a little too heavy handed.  On  the other hand, the author is trying to make up for years of a certain kind of fairy tale, so I can see where this is a matter of taste.  I would give this book three stars although others might rate it more highly.

#PowerToThePrincess #NetGalley

Bargain 1:

Before Girl on a Train, there was Before I  Go to Sleep, a thriller by S.J. Watson. This was an excellent and suspenseful read.  I read this a while ago, so am borrowing from the blurb for the book below.  This is currently an e-book bargain.

Bargain 2:

If you would like to learn more about grammar in the most fun and least painful way, pick up Lynn Truss’s Eats, Shoots & Leaves.  It is a bargain today and worth a look.  The title:  Eats, shoots and leaves means something very different from Eats shoots and leaves.  If you get that, maybe you don’t need the book but you will enjoy it!