Now out: A is for Australia

This is a very cute and simple alphabet book. What may distinguish it for some is that all of the words have something to do with Australia. For example, D is for Didgeridoo; J is for Jumbuck; N is for Ned Kelly and so on.

I think that both kids and adults may enjoy this one. I certainly did.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Familius for this title. All oopinions are my own

Four stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Who will find: Love in Provence (Jo Thomas)

#LoveInProvence #NetGalley

I was drawn to this title by the inviting cover and the name of author Jo Thomas. Thomas writes books that are perfect for a bit of escape in a gorgeous setting. This title set in Provence is everything a reader could want for a summer read.

In these pages readers meet Del, Stephanie, Rhi, Fabien and many others. Each has a story to tell and a connection with Del. Del, herself, moved to Provence hoping to repair her marriage. When that did not happen, she chose to stay in France where she is both a chef and the proprietor of a lavender farm. As the story opens, it is time for the harvest.

A harvest is a time of hard work, accomplishment and celebration. Will these same characteristics influence the people in this book? Readers will hope so.

The nice thing about a summer read is that it does not always have to be happy and yet readers can feel safe in the author’s hands. That is certainly the case here.

It is easy to recommend this title to those who enjoy women’s fiction and well told stories.

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

Pub date: 06 June 2024

Spotlight on The Nightingale Affair by Tim Mason

An e book bargain today

From the publisher:

Algonquin, $28 (400p) ISBN 978-1-64375-039-2

Description

In this twisty Victorian detective thriller from the author of The Darwin Affair, Inspector Charles Field hunts a serial killer with a sinister signature targeting Florence Nightingale’s nurses in Crimea and women in London. 

Who is stalking Florence Nightingale and her nurses? Is it the legendary Beast of the Crimean, or someone closer to home? In 1855, Britain and France are fighting to keep the Russians from snatching the Crimean Peninsula from the Ottoman Empire, and Nightingale, a wealthy young society woman, has made it her mission to improve the wretched conditions in the British military hospitals in Turkey—despite fierce objections from the male doctors around her. When young women start turning up dead, their mouths sewn shut with embroidered fabric roses, Inspector Charles Field (the real-life inspiration for Charles Dickens’s Inspector Bucket in Bleak House) is sent from England to find the killer among the doctors, military men, journalists, and others swarming Turkey’s famous Barrack Hospital. Here Field meets both the famous Nightingale as well as Nurse Jane Rolly, the woman who will become his wife, and as he races to protect them, the prime suspect takes his own life.

Case closed. Or is it?

Twelve years later, back in London, amid the turmoil surrounding the expansion of voting rights, women again start turning up dead, their mouths covered by that telltale embroidered rose. Did Field suspect the wrong man before, or is he dealing with a deviant copycat? Either way, he must race against time to stop the killer before more bodies are discovered, and before his own family gets pulled into danger. Populated by real figures of the day, from Benjamin Disraeli to novelist Wilkie Collins to, of course, Florence Nightingale herself, and steeped in historical details of 1860s London, The Nightingale Affair plays out against a backdrop of a rapidly changing society. Most of all, it is a pure reading delight, offering shocks, unforgettably vivid scenes, and surprising twists.

My thoughts:

Anyone who enjoys historical mysteries that reference real life people will want to give this title a look. It is the second mystery by the author following on The Darwin Affair.

This time the historical personage reference is to Florence Nightingale and the time is the mid 1880s. How will the doings in the Crimea and a serial killer from that time figure into the story? Is this beast killing again or is this a red herring? Is the crime, a murder, personal or political? It will be up to Inspector Charles Field to figure out this complex and serpentine situation. This is something that he does most competently in a story that was given a starred review by Publishers Weekly. I concur.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for this title and the blog tour invite.

Hashtags:

#TheNightingaleAffair

#TimMason

Can I sign up: The Bordeaux Book Club (Gillian Harvey)

An ebook bargain today

#TheBordeauxBookClub #NetGalley

Put the word book club in a novel’s title and I always want to take a look. That, plus the cover of this one, made me want to read The Bordeaux Book Club.

This is an easy and enjoyable read about a group of ex-pats. One of them, Grace, likes to keep busy and perhaps to feel important. She posts a notice for a book club for ex-pat English speakers and waits for people to sign up.

Among those who attend the first meeting is Leah. She is already a friend to Grace. Leah and her husband moved to France looking to have a better quality of life. It is not clear that they are finding this. Their daughter is cranky and it seems that Leah’s husband may have some secrets.

Several others come to the first meeting including Monica, George and Alfie. Alfie stands out for being the youngest in the group.

The first book selection is Great Expectations as this was Grace’s choice and she can be forceful. What will this book and others mean to the book club members as they read and get to know one another…oh, and drink some wine too. (Bordeaux is in the title for location but possibly also for the wine.)

Those looking for a quick, escapist read will, I think enjoy this title.

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

Pub date: 15 March 2024

Readers will not forget: The Swans of Harlem (Karen Valby)

Sending nyt review too

#TheSwansofHarlem #NetGalley

The Swans of Harlem is a must read for those who love ballet and social history. Here readers will meet some remarkable women. They are Lydia Abarca, Gayle McKinney Griffith, Sheila Rohan, Karlya Shelton, and Marcia Sells. Readers will also spend time with the Dance Theater of Harlem and witness the many accomplishments of that company and its dancers.

In her prologue, the author notes that Abarca’s daughter was very proud of all that her mother had done as a dancer who broke barriers and was an exquisite performer. However when she did some research, she found that there was a dearth of material on any Black dancer except for the wonderful Misty Copeland. This book is in some ways a response to the need for documentations and recognition of the contributions of earlier ballerinas. No one who reads it will forget these dancers/friends/colleagues/barrier breakers and more.

This book benefits from the author’s connection to her subjects. She documents their beginnings, careers, retirements and legacy. Those who read it will have met some remarkable women and deepen their knowledge of dance.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Pantheon for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 30 April 2024

“Remarkable…Spirited…Valby’s extensive interviews with the dancers lend an intimacy to the narrative, the details of their lives elevated and their perspectives clearly observed. The women of the 152nd Street Black Ballet Legacy Council are determined to bring their story out of obscurity. In The Swans of Harlem, they become unforgettable.”
—Bookpage

“A loving tribute.”
—Smithsonian Magazine
 
“Five of the world’s greatest dancers helped change the face of ballet—they performed at the White House, they appeared on Broadway, they were on the covers of magazines…This insightful history from Karen Valby tells the stories of Lydia Abarca, Gayle McKinney-Griffith, Sheila Rohan, Karlya Shelton, and Marcia Sells, celebrating the contributions they made to their art form and giving them the recognition they so greatly deserve.”
—Town and Country Magazine