It is widely accepted that friendships are relationships of great importance. What contributes to good ones? What can lead one astray? Learn more in this School of Life title that offers a wide ranging perspective.
The book consists of four chapters plus the introduction and conclusion. These are Varieties of Friendship; Enemies of Friendship; Friends of Friendship; and Substitutes for Friendship. I especially liked the section on Friends of Friendship. Here are a number of suggestions on how to be a good friend; readers may find that they already practice what is suggested or they may get some new ideas. Just spending time thinking about this seems worthwhile.
At under 200 pages, this is not a long read. It is, however, a worthwhile one.
Many thanks to NetGalley and The School of Life for this title. All thoughts are my own.
Pub date: 09 September 2025
Description:
from the publisher
The second book in The School of Life’s ‘Secrets’ series, offering lessons on the emotional skills necessary to build and maintain friendships Few things promise as much potential happiness as friendship, yet the challenge of finding and maintaining meaningful connections remains one of life’s great struggles.
Through The School of Life’s unique approach to psychology, philosophy and cultural history, The Secrets of Successful Friendships offers a thoughtful exploration of why friendship is both more complex and more rewarding than we typically imagine, and offers strategic for creating strong bonds with others. It examines why we get lonely, what holds us back from deeper connections, and how we might develop the emotional intelligence needed for lasting bonds.
With characteristic wisdom and warmth, the book explores different varieties of friendship, from casual acquaintances to profound lifelong connections, while offering practical insights into overcoming common obstacles like shyness, envy and fear of vulnerability.
By explaining friendship’s true purpose, the book gives us a chance to build new relationships of genuine depth and meaning.
The Memory Gardener was just the kind of book that I was looking for. I wanted something with a nice setting, good characters and some hope in the plot. Note that plots of the gardening as well as the fictional are a part of the story. There is also a bit of magical realism with the main character having a special connection to scents.
Lucy had fled her small hometown after a personal tragedy. She has been living a peripatetic existence since then working as a garden restorer but moving on as each project is completed. However, Lucy has returned home to her widowed father as the story starts.
Lucy finds an ad that leads her to her next position which is fixing the neglected gardens of a senior residence. Lucy believes that her deceased mom has led her here.
Both Lucy and the reader meet many of the residents and staff of the home where Lucy becomes a change agent. All of the characters also spend time with Lucy’s delightful dog named Gully.
Lucy has a gift for recognizing scents that bring back memories for people. This once backfired spectacularly so it is only with great caution that Lucy shares scents with some of the elderly at the home. For instance, Mr. Fitz reconnects with his love of taking photos after smelling something that leads to reminiscing.
In addition to the characters mentioned above, Lucy meets a young widower and his electively mute daughter. Gully and she connect. Readers will hope that Lucy and Adam do as well.
All seems to be going along nicely until Lucy learns why she is really at the home. Will things work out? Readers will definitely hope so.
Those looking for a gentle yet engaging read will, I hope, enjoy this title as much as I did.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 25 November 2025
From the publisher:
Lucy Barnes is a gardener with an uncanny ability to know exactly which scent among her flowers will illuminate to a person a key from their past that might change their future. Sadly, after a tragedy ten years ago, she no longer uses her gift and has fled her hometown.
But six months after her mother’s death, Lucy awakens to find her mother’s unmistakable scent drifting over her, and she knows that she is being called home. And when a mysterious note leads her to take a job as the gardener at the Oceanview Home, a senior-living residence, Lucy finds herself wondering if there is more to her gift—and her mother’s past—than she ever knew.
Her work among the lush gardens of Oceanview Home soon awakens the entire community, unearthing memories that will forever change all who cross Lucy’s path. But not everyone is happy to see how her presence has transformed the Oceanview Home, and when a secret comes to light that threatens to shatter the entire community, the future suddenly looks uncertain. Have the memories that Lucy has unearthed awakened something wonderful…or are some memories better left buried?
About the Author
Meg Donohue is the USA TODAY bestselling author of You, Me, and the Sea; Every Wild Heart; Dog Crazy; All the Summer Girls; How to Eat a Cupcake; and The Memory Gardener. Her novels have been translated into Dutch, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, and Turkish. Meg has an MFA from Columbia University and a BA from Dartmouth College. Born and raised in Philadelphia, she now lives in San Francisco with her husband, three daughters, and dog. She is working on her next novel.
Several members of my family (all adults!) are quite fond of chipmunks. Some of them count the number of chipmunks that they see while on walks. So, I thought it would be fun to see what this title has to offer to both kids (and grown up kids).
This book is packed with information. I think that it would be a great addition to a school library’s science/animal collection. It would also be a nice title to have at home for young animal lovers. There is a lot to learn in these pages.
The photographs throughout this title are delightful. They really show what it is like to be a chipmunk.
Many thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 25 October 2025
About the book:
from the publisher
Ever wondered how chipmunks fit so much food in their cheeks? Discover the secret in Chipmunk Secrets, the ultimate non-fiction adventure for curious kids!
Join Fiston, the cheeky little chipmunk, as he scurries through lush forests and cozy backyards, stuffing his cheeks with acorns and uncovering the hidden wonders of his busy, striped life. Chipmunk Secrets is a fun, fact-filled picture book that’s perfect for young animal lovers, nature enthusiasts, and aspiring explorers. With stunning real-life photographs on every page and engaging, easy-to-read text, this book will captivate kids from start to finish!
Your child will delve into the fascinating world of chipmunks—whether they’re scampering across the ground in your own backyard or discovering secret food stashes that would impress even the most skilled treasure hunter. This educational nature book for kids offers a delightful mix of fun facts and adorable moments, making learning a joyful adventure!
Why kids and parents will love Chipmunk Secrets:
✅ Fun and engaging—Perfect for curious little minds
✅ Beautiful, close-up wildlife photography on every page
✅ A wonderful blend of fun facts and adorable moments
✅ Perfect for bedtime, classroom reading, or backyard explorations
Whether your child is learning about chipmunk habitats in the wild or spotting them in their own backyard, Fiston’s story will leave them laughing, learning, and asking for more! Bring the enchanting world of chipmunks into your home with this captivating educational children’s book—a perfect gift for any young wildlife lover.
Order your copy today and dive into the wonderful world of chipmunks—where learning meets adventure!
Book Awards:
Finalist BookExcelence Award 2024
Top 10 Finalist Booksshelf 2024
Readers’ Favorite Book Award Finalist 2024
Advance Praise
Editorial Review 1:
What a delightful book about chipmunks!
I have many chipmunks in my yard but I learned so much from this book that I didn’t know.
Lieve Snellings’s wonderful photographs are clear and detailed, with beautiful close-ups. There is easy-to-understand information about the types of chipmunks found worldwide and their scientific names. Each photo has interesting text that describes a bit more about the appearance, lifecycle, and habits of the chipmunk.
New vocabulary is introduced and explained well. I love the illustration of how chipmunks dig their burrows with all the hidden “snack rooms”.
This book is sure to appeal to children of all ages who love animals and all those interested in knowing more about the natural world.
I love this book!
Nancy Rose, author/photographer/illustrator of « The Secret Life of Squirrels » series.
Val McDermid is such a talented writer and an absolute go to author for me. She has written a number of mystery series including those with Carol Jordan and Tony Hill, Allie Burns, Kate Brannigan, and Lindsay Gordon-while all of these are excellent, the Karen Pirie novels are my favorite. Each time a new one is released I debate between reading it and saving it; usually, as in this case, reading it wins.
The Karen Pirie books are always a joy. I love spending time with the characters and their relationships, the settings and the mysteries that face the HCU (historical crime unit). All of these elements are in Silent Bones.
A lot is going on in this book against the historical background of the Scottish independence movement. What happened to a young girl who went to a party? Whose body is found after a rainstorm? What other murder was he linked to? What does it mean to be a journalist? Will justice be served (even many years later)? What led to the death of a hotel manager? Is a book club in some way responsible? Pick this one up to find out.
In this novel, I learned a lot of new Scottish words which was fun for me. I also enjoyed McDermid’s comments on politics (though perhaps not everyone will).
My only complaint about a Karen Pirie book is that when it is finished, I will have a long wait until the next one is published. In the meantime, I highly recommend this one.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic-Atlantic Crime for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 02 December 2025
About the book:
from the publisher
Scotland, 2025. When torrential winter rain causes a landslide on a motorway, it dislodges more than mud and asphalt – it reveals a skeleton, concealed when the road was built eleven years prior.
Sam Nimmo, an investigative journalist who’d been poking his nose into the murky politics of the Scottish independence referendum, had become the prime suspect in the brutal murder of his girlfriend when he vanished. Now he’s reappeared, buried under the motorway. It’s the perfect cold case for DCI Karen Pirie, chief of Police Scotland’s Historic Cases Unit. What was Nimmo investigating that was worth killing over? Or was it revenge for murdering his girlfriend? Meanwhile, an allegation of murder has surfaced over the supposedly accidental death of a hotel manager. It may have links to another accident on a remote Highland road. It’s a series of puzzles that tests Karen and her team to their limits. And possibly beyond . . .
A darkly propulsive thriller of secrets hidden at the core of a Scottish Highlands town, Silent Bones reaffirms Val McDermid as a crime writer of inimitable power.
From the Publisher:
Praise for Silent Bones:
“McDermid is at the top of her game in the masterful latest installment of her DCI Karen Pirie series . . . McDermid’s procedural instincts are as sharp as ever, and she balances them with wrenching developments in Karen’s personal life . . . Readers will rest easy knowing they’re in the hands of a seasoned storyteller.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Flavoring her writing with colorful Scottish slang, McDermid combines compelling, intricate plotting with strong character development.”—Willy Williams, firstCLUE
“A propulsive, razor-sharp thrill-ride full of humour, heart, and trademark twists.”—Chris Whitaker, author of All the Colors of the Dark
“A perfect crime novel.”—Kate Mosse, author of The Map of Bones
Praise for the Karen Pirie Series:
“McDermid negotiates her ceaselessly exciting book’s twists like a master.”—Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal, on Past Lying
“[A] relentlessly engrossing series.”—Wall Street Journal on Broken Ground
“There are few other crime writers in the same league as Val McDermid. Her stories are ingeniously plotted, moody . . . Absorbing . . . It’s Karen’s character that’s the enduring draw of this series . . . Out of Bounds is another terrific and intricate suspense novel by a writer who has given us 30 of them. As I said, there are few other crime writers in the same league as Val McDermid.”—Maureen Corrigan, Washington Post, on Out of Bounds
“We read crime fiction for enjoyment, comfort and reassurance. McDermid provides all this . . . Still Life shows that she is still at the height of her powers; it is deeply enjoyable, one of her best.”—Scotsman (UK) on Still Life
“McDermid is at the top of her game and readers will be highly rewarded for taking this new journey at her side.”—CrimeReads on Still Life
“A thriller as steely and superlative as its heroine.”—O, The Oprah Magazine on Broken Ground
“No one writes sturdier mysteries than Val McDermid.”—Chicago Tribune on Out of Bounds
“McDermid remains unrivalled . . . brilliant.”—Observer (UK) on How the Dead Speak
“Further evidence that her ‘Queen of Crime’ status will not be challenged.”—Scotsman on How the Dead Speak
“Chock-full of crime . . . fans and newcomers to the series will enjoy the twists and turns.”—Library Journal on How the Dead Speak
“McDermid’s books are relentlessly excellent, with sympathetically flawed characters, well-crafted storylines, a clever twist or two, and crisp dialogue. It’s no wonder she’s considered the queen of Scottish crime fiction.”—BookPage on Broken Ground
Other McDermid books that I have reviewed:
Note that Still Life was an e book bargain at the time that this was posted. That may not be true now.
Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callhan tells the story of Joy Davidman and C.S. (Jack) Lewis. I absolutely adored that book so was thrilled when I received an early review copy of Once Upon a Wardrobe, another novel about C.S. Lewis.
The structure of the story is that George, a young boy with a heart defect, discovers The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and wants to know more about it. George’s sister, who loves him deeply, shares that Lewis is at Oxford where she, Megs, is a student. Wanting to do what she can for George, Megs gets to know Jack and Warnie and brings the tales that Lewis shares home to her brother.
Jack’s life story is beautifully told. There were very hard times and yet a man emerged who is so beloved by many. I won’t detail the biography so that readers can discover it for themselves.
George is preternaturally wise about life while Megs is perhaps less so. Over the course of the novel, she learns that her beloved scientific point of view and way of solving problems is but one way to look at the world. She and George are both deeply human, seeking, loving people with whom readers will enjoy spending time.
Those who have read the Narnia stories will eagerly read this title looking for the same insights that young George is seeking…to understand where the characters in the books came from, who they may have been based on and more. Will those answers be in these pages? You will need to read the novel to find out.
Those who have not read the Narnia books can still love this title. Its insight into a person’s life with all of its tragedies and peaceful moments are for all readers.
I give this one my highest recommendation. Ms. Callahan your talent for understanding Lewis and life are so impressive.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
Julia, a retired head teacher with a fondness for order, and her half-sister Frankie, who believes that rules are more like vague suggestions, are back—this time in the picturesque Cornish village of Portscatho.
Their morning swim off Tatum’s beach is rudely interrupted by a floating corpse. The police declare the death accidental, but the sisters have other ideas.
Soon, they’re knee-deep in smugglers’ tunnels, taking a bumpy ride in the back of a builder’s van, and facing down a gun-toting local with questionable fashion choices.
Can the sisters keep their heads above water long enough to uncover the truth or will the killer make sure they sink without a trace?
The Body That Floats – the mystery’s deep, the water’s cold, and the locals are packing more than just fishing gear.
The second charming and witty adventure in The Julia and Frankie Mystery series.
More Than Murder, the first book in the series was described as “A wonderful debut. Julia and Frankie are hilarious, and More than Murder is a real page-turner” by Antony Johnston, bestselling author of The Dog Sitter Detective series.
TWO ESTRANGED SISTERS. ONE DISAPPEARING BODY. A witty, cosy mystery packed with twists, turns and tea!
When her flamboyant and spirited half-sister, Frankie, returns to Little Clarsden to claim her share of Rose Cottage, left to them by their Aunt Lucy, she is met with a frosty reception from Julia, who still harbours an old grievance. In an attempt to mend their fractured relationship, the sisters attend a murder mystery weekend at the grand country house of the Medfield estate in the rolling hills of Somerset.
After the first evening’s supper, a “poisoned dart” “kills” one of the guests. In the classic whodunit style of a country house mystery, the game of tracking down the “killer” is afoot.
The playful intrigue takes a sinister turn when the sisters discover a real body hidden in a secret passage. When the body disappears before anyone else can see it, no one believes it ever existed..
Amid the glamour and intrigue of the other guests and the actors slipping in and out of character, it’s difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction. Nothing and no one is as they seem.
With the body count rising and two murders to solve, our sharp-witted, sleuthing sisters set aside their differences, determined to unravel the tangled clues of the murder mystery, track down the real killer, and uncover the truth.
With laugh-out-loud banter, a hint of danger, and a twist even Agatha Christie would admire, can Julia and Frankie catch the culprit before the murder weekend becomes their last?
Witty and charming characters and a plot with more twists and turns than a country road, More Than Murder is a delightful blend of humour, mystery and the classic country house crime, perfect for fans of Richard Osman, M.C. Beaton and Benjamin Stevenson.
About the author:
Jayne started writing plays when she was eight and wrote her first “book” at fourteen. After graduating with a degree in psychology and drama, Jayne went on to win the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Buzz Goodbody’s Director Award. Whilst continuing to write, she started working as a professional theatre director , and two of her plays were performed at the London Fringe.
Attracted to the small screen, Jayne became absorbed in TV drama directing. Now a multi-award-winning film and TV drama producer, her credits include the BBC flagship brand SILENT WITNESS.
In addition to a successful film and television career, Jayne was integral in setting up a veterinary clinic on the remote island of Koh Tao in Thailand. She has also worked as a radio presenter.
Jayne lives in the West Country with her partner and two cuddly cockapoos. MORE THAN MURDER is Jayne’s debut novel and the first in this edgy, cosy crime series.
Many thanks to Hannah Hargrave for bringing this titleto my attention
Praise for More Than Murder
“Witty, charming and twisty, More Than Murder is a great start to an intriguing new cosy mystery series and I can’t wait to read more.” Thebookmagnet.co.uk
I have read and enjoyed every novel that I have read by Sophie Green. She is an author whom I found by chance.
Green is Australian writer who sets her stories in the recent past. Each features a group of women who connect with one another and share their struggles and joys.
This time readers the story takes place in the late 1990s on the Mornington Peninsula. Readers meet Frances, Joan, Kirrily and those around them. The people in their lives include husbands, children, friends and staff at the hotel.
Frances is the oldest of the characters. She had a great loss in her life and the hole that this left has deeply impacted how she has lived. Frances is lonely and has found connection with Sean, the hotel bartender with his own backstory. Readers also meet Frances’s son and daughter. They each have a story. This is emblematic of how Green expands reader’s worlds by involving them in the stories of the extended family of her main characters.
Joan has lived her life as a very traditional wife. One day, she decides that she has had enough. She goes to the Duchess Hotel where she pursues her art and meets the other main characters. Will Joan find herself and the life that she needs? Again, readers get to know others in Joan’s life including her husband, children and at least one of her old friends.
Kirrily has had a lot of responsibility in her life. She has also felt guilt for a terrible event that impacted one of her children. Kirilly works at the hotel. She has been flirting with someone there. Readers meet him along with her family. Will Kirrily find what she is looking for?
These characters all come together in many ways, one of which is at the titular Art Hour where Joan teaches.
Green again creates characters with whom I enjoyed spending time. I have one other of her books to still read. After that, I will eagerly wait for whatever she writes next.
Anyone who enjoys involving women’s fiction would do well to read this and Green’s other titles.
If you have read any of this author’s novels, please let me know your thoughts.
This book offers a cozy mystery surrounded by a number of word search puzzles. It is a light and relaxing title. Get to the end and solve the crime from your armchair.
This book will be enjoyed by puzzle solvers who want their puzzles to be fun and not too difficult. It is part of a series.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Adams Media for this title. All opinions are my own.
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 