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

Jenny Colgan is a talented writer of light, humorous women’s fiction.  I find that her novels are good reads for when I want to escape.  In this book, The Cafe by the Sea, the escape is to the fictional island of Mure in very northern Scotland.  The scenery is beautiful, the family life complicated and the romance eventually works ot as it tends to in this kind of fiction.  Recommended for a relaxing, stressfree read.

Do you know a child who has been afraid?  Do they have a fear that just seems to grow and grow?  In this short children’s book, the author personifies fear as an ever present companion to a school-aged girl.  Over the course of this story, the protagonist’s fear shrinks to manageable size.  She learns that many of her peers face fears as well and so she is not alone.  This is a reassuring book that maybe some of us adults could benefit from as well!

#MeAndMyFear #NetGalley

This short book provides the young reader with a painless grammar lesson.  With witty illustrations and a lack of pedantry, the author  demonstrates how to write clearly and effectively.  A bonus is that the profits from this book will be donated to charity.  A good book for teachers with a sense of humor.

I have previously blogged on the Dorothy Simpson mysteries which have recently been reissued.  They are traditional, British and perhaps a bit like the Inspector Wexford series by Ruth Rendell.  It is the sort of series where the reader enjoys visits with the main characters in each novel. Today you can get these three books at a great price.

Today’s New York Times Saturday profile is on Louise Penny. Her Canadian set mystery series is gong strong. Article is worth a look.

Kathleen Ernst goes from strength to strength. I so enjoyed last year’s book, Mining for Justice, and was hoping that this new novel would be as absorbing.  It is!  The Lace Maker’s Secret, set in Belgium and Wisconsin, has a dual narrative structure.  The modern part of the novel takes place in the 1980s while the historical narrative begins in the 1800s and moves through WW I.  While the murder mystery was there, the remarkable parts of the novel are the sections where the author describes life for Belgian immigrants.  The characters of Seraphine and her family members truly come to life and the hardships that they experience are heartbreaking.  I did not know about this time in Wisconsin’s history and am amazed by what I learned.  As always, it was good to spend time with protagonist, Chloe, and her boyfriend, Roelke. The relationship between the two continues to grow in this novel.  I recommend all of the novels in this series with a special shout out for The Lace Makers Secret and Mining for Justice.  Thanks for this one NetGalley!

#TheLacemaker’sSecret #NetGalley

Are you planning a summer vacation?  Are you staying in the U.S.?  If you are,  think about visiting a National Park. This book will make you appreciate the rich natural heritage of our country.

Did you know that the National Park Service began under Ulysses S Grant?  That is just one interesting fact that came from this book for children and their families.  Divided by geographical regions and parks within each area, this wonderful book highlights when each park was founded, where it is located and what can be seen there.  The illustrations are so appealing that the reader definitely enjoys exploring in this book.  Highly recommended for travelers both real and armchair.

#NationalParksOfTheUsa #NetGalley

Happy Anniversary with WordPress.com!

I received this symbol from WordPress.  It is to tell me that I have been blogging for one year on this site.  It feels like quite a journey as I have thought and shared about so many books in the past year.  Readers of this blog, thanks for spending time with me.  I look forward to writing about many more good reads in the years ahead.

This is from NetGalley for having published 100 reviews.  I feel honored to have been given access to so many wonderful reads and have enjoyed sharing them with all of you.  Here’s to the next 100!

This is an important, painful, fascinating and uncompromising look at the life of Anne Frank, her family and the destruction of the Jews during the Nazi years. The narrative is readable and makes Anne and her family come alive. There are many photos of Anne’s daily life which serve as a painful reminder of all that was lost and the absurdity of one group of people despising and mistreating another. There are many asides in the book that answer historical questions. While not an easy read, this is a superb introduction to Anne, the horrors of WWII and antisemitism.  The courage of those who hid the Franks is also noteworthy.  While written for middle school to teen readers, adults can surely benefit from spending time with this book as well. I recommend it most highly.

#AllAboutAnne #NetGalley  Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this important book.