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

Dreaming of Arcadia

by Tim Richardson

#TheEnglishLandscapeGarden #NetGalley

While I don’t have a garden, I so enjoy looking at books about them. I just sit down, relax and enjoy some virtual touring. It is a lovely way to spend some time.

In this well put together book, readers can visit twenty gardens including Castle Howard, Chiswick House, Blenheim Palace (all known to me) along with, to name a few (that I did not know), Stowe, Painshill, and Petworth Park among others.

The introduction lets readers know that the focus here is the eighteenth century landscape garden. In this section, learn what exactly and English landscape garden is-for one thing, it is naturalistic. Read a bit more and then get to the gardens. For each of these there photos and text. Dip in anywhere and enjoy!

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

#APoisonedChalice #NetGalley

The protagonist of this novel, Sister Agnes, has a complex back story. She was not always involved in religious life. Agnes was married to an abusive man and came to the church some time after this relationship ended.

Agnes now is involved with a homeless shelter. A woman comes there looking for her husband, Jay. He seems like a bad boy. What happened to him?

In further complications, what was the cause and reason for a fire in a church? How will events come together? And, to add to the mayhem, what about that chalice? Find out and follow the somewhat rebellious sister (Agnes) who investigates. Readers are given a complex and thrilling story in these pages.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 31 October 2024

by We Are Bookish

#NetGalleysSocialMediaHandbook #NetGalley

Are you a person who likes to write about what you read? Are you hoping that what you write will be seen? Are you unsure about how to go about this? If you answer yes to any of these questions, I recommend taking a look at this short (35 or so pages) and helpful resource.

If I had had this book before starting my blog, I might have done a few things differently. So, if you are just beginning start here. If you are experienced, find a few tips. All in all, this content was quite helpful.

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

Pub date: 01 October 2024

by We Are Bookish

#NetGalleysSocialMediaHandbook #NetGalley

Are you a person who likes to write about what you read? Are you hoping that what you write will be seen? Are you unsure about how to go about this? If you answer yes to any of these questions, I recommend taking a look at this short (35 or so pages) and helpful resource.

If I had had this book before starting my blog, I might have done a few things differently. So, if you are just beginning start here. If you are experienced, find a few tips. All in all, this content was quite helpful.

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

Pub date: 01 October 2024

Deck the halls with five short stories

#UndertheMistletoecollection #NetGalley

This enjoyable collection features short stories by Ali Hazelwood, Tessa Bailey, Olivia Date, Alexandria Bellefleur and Alexis Daria. All of the entries are holiday themed.

Along with the stories readers will find out more about each author. Find out about them and read their stories.

A lot of people are feeling very stressed these days. Once this title comes out, read it for a bit of what could be much needed escape. I loved escaping into these worlds.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 12 November 2024

#FifthAvenueGlamourGirl #NetGalley

Readers will be drawn to this book by its inviting cover. They will stay to read the story.

Estee Lauder became one of the best known women in the cosmetics industry. Now her name is attached to companies, charities, exhibits and more. Once, though, she was a woman trying to find her way.

As this story opens Estee is selling face creams and treatments out of a not very deluxe beauty parlor. Readers learn that she is the main support of her husband and young son, Leon. Estee is fortunate to have ambition and a strong belief in her self and her products. She will need those qualities.

At this salon, Estee meets a young woman who is down on her luck. Gloria has a father who committed the sorts of crimes that nowadays we would associate with someone like Madoff. Her difficulties and bad publicity cause Gloria to take on this new name. She also has to navigate so much more than she was raised to do in her life of wealth and elegance. Horrors! The first job of this formerly wealthy woman is as a shampoo girl.

This story about Estee is told through Gloria’s eyes. It is also the story of Gloria. Read along as these two women find their way in 20th century America.

This book is recommended to readers of both historical and women’s fiction. It is definitely worth a look to see how the real Estee and fictional Gloria are entwined and help one another.

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

Pub date: 25 April 2023

I have read and enjoyed Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie mysteries. Life After Life and A God in Ruins have been in my TBR pile for quite awhile. When, pre-publication, I read about Transcription, I knew that I wanted to read this novel. Some of my favorite fictional subjects were in fact subjects in the novel including WWII, Britain and spies. Despite all of this, I did not enjoy Transcription as much as I had hoped that I would. Yes, the pages turned and there were some good plot twists but, somehow, I expected more given that Atkinson is so accomplished a writer. My favorite parts of the book were the parenthetical asides.

Have you read Transcription? If yes, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Another view:

This is from the Poisoned Pen Bookstore’s Newsletter: as you will see, I think that they liked the novel more than I did.

“Kate Atkinson brings the past of mid-20th century Britain so thoroughly to life that she almost seems to be reporting rather than inventing.  Her details are so rich and her hand so certain that, as readers, we are there-we are walking those streets, sitting in those smoky rooms.  And, most of all, we are completely caught up in the emotional power of the tensions and fears of that past.  With Juliet Armstrong, Atkinson has given us a remarkable addition to the canon of British spies.”

Ever since Daphne DuMaurier wrote Rebecca, readers have enjoyed stories set in atmospheric mansions and their environs. That is the case here in a story that takes place in North Carolina. The mansion was the home of an extremely rich woman whose first name was Ruby.

Ruby had quite a history. When she was young, Ruby got lost in the woods and was taken by a family who had lost their own child. Her wealthy parents searched for her and eventually Ruby made it home. Were the events really as described? Readers may wonder as they turn the pages.

Ruby went on to marry four times. All of Ruby’s husbands seem to have come to bad ends. Was Ruby responsible?

Ruby adopted a child. Why did she adopt Cam? Are there any secrets here? Again, readers will wonder as they turn the pages.

Around Ruby and Cam there are many other characters. These include Ruby’s jealous sister, with whom she never got along, and her sister‘s children, among others. All have their parts to play.

For his part, Cam wanted a normal life, even though he could live the life of a very rich person. Instead, Cam isan English teacher who lives in Colorado with his wife, Jools. When Cam and Jools decide to go to North Carolina, events are set in motion.

I enjoyed this book. It was suspenseful and engaging. I liked how the narrative took different forms, including letters, newspaper reports, etc.

Those looking for a page turning read, look no further. The Heiress will entertain you.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 09 January 2024