As this book opens, Grace Adams is not feeling so amazing. it would be more accurate to say that she is feeling overwhelmed. Anyone who has ever been stuck in traffic will enjoy reading what Grace does when in this situation. This will be the beginning of readers caring about what happens to Grace.
The novel moves back-and-forth in time, letting readers know about Grace’s early linguistic talents, her marriage, her work, motherhood and more. She is the kind of woman who is trying to manage her life as. anyone who has read a novel by Allison Pearson might recognize.
Readers who enjoy stories with humor and emotion will be happy to meetGrace.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for this title.
We all know that life does not always go to plan. What we choose to do next can make all the difference. This is the situation that Jess is experiencing as this lovely novel opens.
Jess has recently faced some hard times that have made it difficult for her to trust and believe in others. She has been couch surfing at her best friend’s and needs a place to live. This is how she comes to meet Joan who is looking for a lodger.
This device puts one younger and one older person together as Jess rents a room in Joan’s house. Joan is doing this in order to liven up her life. Indeed many things will happen for both of these women over the course of the story. One of the entertaining ones for me was to watch Joan and Jess switch with Jess swearing off her mobile for old fashioned communications just as Joan learns about the internet and more.
Will Jess and her close friends be able to save a vintage theater? What role (for good or bad) will Joan’s son play in this? Will someone from her past get in touch with “Joany?” Will these characters find some happiness? Read this one to find out. It is just delightful.
Many thanks to Headline and NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own.
How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World
by Gretchen Rubin
#LifeinFiveSenses #NetGalley
Gretchen Rubin has written what, I am sure, will be a best seller and a book welcomed by her many fans. This time, she focuses on learning to appreciate life through the senses, recognizing all that they do for us, NOTICING them, and using this awareness to have a more meaningful and fulfilled existence.
One aspect of the book that I enjoyed was Ms. Rubin’s sharing of personal anecdotes. Her personality, organized yet open, inquiring yet functioning best with routine come across most clearly through these.
Each sense is carefully explored through a variety of lenses. The author begins with sight. There is scientific information and much about the ways in which Ms. Rubin literally began to see and notice more. Two examples; Ms. Rubin began a collection of objects in one color family and, for another, she began going to the Metropolitan Museum daily in an effort to really LOOK at what what was there. I found that I paid more attention in my life as a result, just noticing the hues of my world a bit more and slowing down to enjoy them. The same is true as each sense is examined and readers are invited in.
This book will be a welcome guide to its intended audience. Ms. Rubin has done it again.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.
The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America
by Elizabeth Letts-an e book bargain
#TheRideofHerLife#NetGalley
I loved Elizabeth Letts’s earlier book, The Eighty Dollar Champion which I highly recommend. It tells the story of Snowman, the amazing horse bought for virtually nothing by Harry de Leyer. Read the book to find out what kind of horse Snowman turned out to be. The story is a heartwarming one. Personally knowing some members of the family gave this title extra meaning to me. It is a feel good story.
I think that the same can be said for The Ride of Her Life, another story about a person and a horse. This time, our person is sixty-three year old, Annie Wilkins. She lived in Maine, had recently lost her farm and decided to ride ahorse to the West coast. Annie wanted to see the Pacific Ocean before she died. Tarzan, Annie and Annie’s dog thus began an incredible journey in 1950s America.
How did the trip go? Who did they meet? How were people changed by this?
Read the story of this life affirming and changing journey to find out. I highly recommend it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
We currently live in a rather fractured and partisan world in which, it seems to me, we often lose the ability to disagree without being disagreeable, to attempt to understand another’s perspective and to venture out of communicating only with those with whom we already know that we will agree. How did we get to this point? Is it where we want to be? If, those reading this post recognize that there is work to be done but need help getting there, please pick up this book.
David Brooks has written a work that cries to be read by just about everyone, including the mental health community, politicians, the person who is a friend, a parent, a partner, and so on. He has synthesized a great deal of research on how to relate to others while also sharing some of his personal experiences with the reader.
Brooks observes that, despite being a reporter, he did not always communicate well outside of his professional role. In some ways, he wrote this title for himself as well as the reader.
Some of the topics artfully explored include how to really see another person and to listen to them, what gets in the way of that, whether a person wants to be an “illuminator” or not, defense mechanisms, talking about the hard things, understanding what empathy really is and much more.
The number of highlights that I have added to my copy of this book reminds me of how much I was left to ponder. Book clubs, teachers, social workers and others, read this book and then talk tabout it. It will be worthwhile.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.
Close to 1,000 people have already given a thumbs up to this resource. I now add my agreement.
Anyone who reads books from NetGalley knows how tempting it is to request a new title. After a bit, most readers have a long list and need a way to organize it. Here is the Reading Journal to the rescue.
As noted in the introduction, inside are customizable review pages, challenges, check-ins and more. Now I feel a bit more optimistic about staying on top of things in 2025.
Many thanks to NetGalley for this resource. All opinions are my own.
I absolutely adored Messina’s first novel, The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World. It was tender and heartfelt. It did not look away from tragedy and, at the same time, showed such faith in humanity.
Once again, Messina writes with her unique voice and moves the reader. Readers should know that there really is a heartbeat library. What a thing to contemplate and to make one think about one’s life and those of others.
As was true in the first book, the cover and design of the novel are beautiful. There are some interior illustrations that are simple and engaging. The novel is constructed uniquely with narrative and other sections of thoughts and revelations.
The story is about a man, Shuichi, and a child Kenta. Part of their connection came through Shuichi’s mother. She is no longer alive. Shuichi is clearing out her belongings and thinking about their relationship and his life. When he notices some things are being taken, he comes to see and know Kenta, a boy who has had struggles. Both Kenta and Shuichi have their stories and they are well told here.
Here is another moving and emotionally resonant novel by a talented author.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Abrams for this title. All opinions are my own.
As far as I know, this favorite author of mine has not written a mystery like this one before. Well, here is yet another tour de force by Ms. Benedict. It feels like she is skilled at writing both a detective story and historical fiction. I recommend it highly.
Many know who the Queens of Crime were. This group included Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Baroness Orczy, and Margery Allingham. They all have prominent roles in this enjoyable story that is narrated by Dorothy Sayers.
At the time that the story was set, a number of male writers of detective fiction decided to band together in a society. Well, the women wanted a part of this too and pushed their way into the Detection Club.
In this story, these women want to prove their worth by solving a real case. They become involved in figuring out what happened to a British nurse who was murdered in France. They are intrepid in following clues, making hypotheses, and working to bring matters to a resolution.
Along with the crime story, readers are given insight into who these women of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction were. I enjoyed these parts of the story and also what was shared about the creation of their novels.
All in all, this is a most engaging read that fans of historical crime fiction and Benedict will enjoy. I think that Benedict will find some new enthused readers as well.
Note: I am a fan of toggling between the audio and reading editions of titles. They complement one another and add to my enjoyment. In this instance, the audio book narrator did a wonderful job of speaking in the voices of each of the main characters. This added to my pleasure in this title.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this title. Also, thank you to Macmillan Audio for the audio book. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 11 February 2025
Another forthcoming title featuring these characters:
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 