When was the last time that you read a book and found that tears were rolling down your cheeks? For me, it has been quite a while but I cried over this one.

When I told my husband about this novel, he said that it must have been depressing. I replied that it was not depressing but that it was sad. Sadness is an essential piece of this book and yet to me it was a wonderful read and one that I recommend highly, if it is your kind of book or if you are willing to see if it is.

Henri, a French man with a history, is a journalist who covered wars. His thirteen year old son, Sam, did not know him. Just when they are about to meet, Henri saves a young girl but himself is injured and thereafter is in a coma. This means that Sam and Henri’s reunion takes place in the hospital where Sam, who has synesthesia, senses deeply and feels Henri’s presence. Sam spends every day at the hospital sharing himself with Henri and the novel’s other protagonists.

This book is the story of several characters: Sam, Madelyn who is a young girl in a coma and Eddie, the woman that Henri let get away. Their relationships are explored and intersect with one another over the course of the novel which is told in alternating voices.

There is a philosophical underpinning to this book. The characters both live their lives and imagine the ways in which their lives might have played out differently with the same people. The author also explores what she imagines that characters think and feel when they are in a non-awake state and what happens when someone is about to die.

Nina George comments that she wrote three of her novels, of which this is the third, to better understand death. She was writing in the aftermath of her father’s death. The book is beautifully written.

I very much enjoyed this author’s novel, The Little Paris Bookshop and feel that The Book of Dreams is also a keeper. For me, it is a five star novel.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a moving and wonderful read. The opinions are my own.

A Year in an Irish Garden

by Niall Williams; Christine Breen

In Kiltumper

A Year in an Irish Garden

by Niall Williams; Christine Breen

#InKiltumper #NetGalley Pub Date 31 Aug 2021

When I read this couple’s first book, O Come Ye Back to Ireland, I fell in love. With the couple, with their story and the way in which their story was told. I went on to read the other memoirs about their life in Ireland. These included The Pipes Are Calling and Summer’s in the Meadow. Every one of these was beautifully written and I felt that I knew Christine and Niall.

I was beyond excited to see that this couple had written another book together. (They have each written other titles separately.) It felt like I was being given a wonderful opportunity to connect with old friends after many years.

I adored this book. Its structure allows each author to have a voice. The hardest thing was to realize that, just like all of us, Niall, Christine and their children have gotten older with the passing years. They are no longer the young Irish-American and Irish duo who decided to leave the bustle of the city for their family’s homeland. I was eager to learn how the years have passed for both them, those around them, their farm, their garden and their world.

I highly recommend this title. For the full joyful experience, consider going back to the beginning with them.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

A Novel

by Sarah Jio

This is the first book that I have completed in 2022. I hope that I will enjoy many others as much as I enjoyed this one.

To begin, I did not (at first) love the cover. However, by the time a reader finishes the novel, it is clear that everything there has meaning. This is true for the title of the book as well.

This is a dual timeline story. One focus is on Eloise. She is a British woman who makes relationship choices that reverberate across both time and the plot. Readers watch as she chooses between Edward, a wealthy Brit, and Frank, an American. What will happen to her and how will she cope?

Eloise’s daughter is Valentina. She lost her mother’s presence in her life when she was twelve. This has left her wounded. What happened? Why?

Plot lines cross when Val travels to London to take over a bookshop. What will she learn about herself over the course of this endeavor? One spoiler…she will find love.

I don’t want to give anything away so no more on plot. I will just say that this is a novel with heart.

The bookshop is really a character in the book. I would want to spend so much time there were it a real place. Because of this, the novel is an anthem to books and their role in reader’s lives.

I very much enjoyed this novel. It is a lovely read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

A Novel

by Annie Hartnett

#UnlikelyAnimals #NetGalley

This unique and quirky novel was a book club pick for Good Housekeeping. It tells the story of Emma. She is a young woman who has had her struggles. She has left medical school and seemingly has lost her way.

Emma returns to the place where she grew up. Things are no easier there. Emma’s father is dying. Emma’s mother judges her. Emma’s brother has issues. Emma’s good friend is missing. There is much to cause despair.

This is a novel that invites readers into a world and asks them to consider some big issues. This is all done in a work that is both funny and heartbreaking at times as readers spend time with both human and animal characters.

Many thanks to Random House-Ballantine and NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 12 April 2022. 345 pages

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A quirky, poignant novel about family, community and love for our animal friends.”—The Washington Post

Twenty-one Days is an offshoot of Anne Perry’s Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series. I read the first book, The Cater Street Hangman, in 1979. I can still remember not wanting to arrive at my destination on the subway because I wanted to keep reading.
So, it was with much anticipation that I began this novel in which Charlotte and Thomas’s son, Daniel, is the protagonist. He is all grown up, has attended Cambridge and is a newly qualified lawyer. Daniel is assigned several cases in this story, the 21 days has to do with the number of days it will be until a man convicted of murder will be hanged…or will he? Is he guilty? Read the story for a somewhat complex and engrossing solution.
It was lovely to see Thomas and Charlotte as peripheral characters and to read about Jemima, Thomas’s sister, who is now in New York. Victor Narraway and Aunt Vespasia also are mentioned. There are also new and very likeable characters as well.
If you like Anne Perry, read this! If you don’t know Anne Perry, read this and then work your way through the series starting with the book mentioned above. Highly recommended by me.

Found this in my local park. Great idea!

FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

What a smart change of pace for Deborah Crombie in A BITTER FEAST (Morrow, $25.99), a classic village whodunit that challenges her sophisticated city sleuths, Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid of Scotland Yard and his wife, Detective Inspector Gemma James. This power couple is supposed to be enjoying a restful weekend in the bucolic Cotswolds, but a fatal road accident and a series of suspicious deaths swiftly shatter the peace at their host’s country house.

Crombie has a deft hand with plot, and this one is enriched by characters like Viv Holland, the gifted chef at the local pub, and Fergus O’Reilly, who becomes a person of interest because he looks good in a fedora. But the book’s beauty is in its descriptions of pastoral life: the handsome dogs, the luscious meals and, best of all, the glorious gardens. Murder has some damn nerve, disrupting the tranquillity of such a heavenly place.

MY REVIEW

I was thrilled to receive this novel from NetGalley and HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review. I have read every book in this series of very British mysteries that, surprisingly, are written by an American author who lives in Texas. A Bitter Feast is book 18 in this fine series that has deepened over time. If you can, read the books in order for the people, the history and the relationships but, if you can’t, this could be read as a standalone.

Detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma Jones, who married many books ago, are invited to the country with their three children (Backstories on the children appear in earlier books as only one is the shared child of both Gemma and Duncan). They are invited by another police officer, Melody Talbot (again backstory in earlier novels), to her parents beautiful Cotswold home for the weekend. The descriptions of the countryside and the house will make you wish that you could hop a plane, unless you already live in Britain.

Of course, there are murders. There is also lots of food as chefs are important characters in the story. Why was a famous chef murdered? Why was his demise followed by others? And of course, whodunnit? I thought that I knew but I was wrong.

My only regret upon finishing A Bitter Feast was knowing that I now have to again begin the wait for the next book by this author. If you like traditional British mysteries/police procedurals, I highly recommend.

by Patrice Mcdonough

#ASlashofEmerald #NetGalley.

Fans of historical fiction/mystery titles will want to give this title a look. It features (as is often the case but still such fun) an unconventional woman (a medical examiner) and a Scotland Yard detective. They are in London in the year 1867.

The background for this entry in the series is the art world, one that includes some women painters. What is happening to their sitters? What is behind the suicide and murder in this world?

I am a fan Deanna Raybourn’s novels. Those who enjoy her books or this genre will, I think, enjoy McDonough’s books. Characters, setting and plot all are engaging.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 25 February 2025

#DeathUnderaLittleSky #NetGalley

‘I LOVED this. I found it totally immersive, and couldn’t wait to squeeze some time from my day to return to it. The writing is very classy and the conclusion came as a surprise, which is always a treat’ Ann Cleeves

My thoughts:

Death Under a Little Sky is the first story that Abell wrote featuring Jake, Livia, Diana and the many others who live in a small, rather isolated community. The people and the place are both lovingly described in much detail with the resultant creation of a world.

How did Jake come to be here? He was a police officer who went through some hard times both professionally and in his marriage. An uncle left him this place that is indeed “Under a Little Sky.” Existence is literally out of this world; Jake has no modern conveniences or cell phone service. He does have an amazing library and excellent music though. How Jake adapts and creates a meaningful life is one theme of the book.

Even away from much of the world, bad things can happen. When old bones are unearthed they point to a murder. Jake cannot stop himself from investigating despite the fact that many wish he would do no such thing. There are threats yet Jake persists even when a second person is murdered.

Readers will be interested in the outcome of the case but much of what makes this novel intriguing is getting to know Jake and the many other characters. I read the second in the series before this (not a problem) so enjoyed each person’s first entry into the story in these pages.

Recommended to those who want a good story that proceeds at a bit of a leisurely pace with much excellent description.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 29 February 2024

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From the Publisher

	Death Under a Little Sky: The new debut rural crime detective thriller you wo…	Death in a Lonely Place: An atmospheric, escapist new crime detective thrille…	The Burial Place: A beautifully written, escapist new crime mystery detective…

Broken Ground by Val McDermid

#BrokenGround #NetGalley

Val McDermid writes a number of series; of them all, the Karen Pirie novels are my favorites. Broken Ground is the newest of these.
I enjoy Karen. She is a quirky woman who has faced a significant loss and is still recovering. In this novel, she gingerly considers a new relationship. She is an old fashioned copper who cares about justice and what is right. She is loyal to those on her team who are still learners.
Karen is the head of the Historical Cases Unit in Scotland. Spending time with her, the members of her team (including her adversaries) and her cases is always time well-spent. In this novel, there are several stories; one relates to events of WWII, another to a serial rapist, and there is also a present day murder. Each of these plots is explored satisfactorily.
I finished this book today and am already looking forward to what happens next in the series. I highly recommend both this book and the series.

Many (!) thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this satisfying read.