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

#SecondChanceSummer #NetGalley

Second Chance Summer is a perfect title for a relaxing vacation read. I loved the setting that made me want to visit all of the locations (both fictional and non) that were described in these pages. I enjoyed the story (and backstory) of the two main characters, one a woman desperately needing a break and the other a man who is trying to open a mindful resort space.

One thing that I enjoyed about this story was that it was not completely predictable, as some books in the genre can be. No spoilers but one example has to do with an incoming tide.

Anyone who enjoys women’s fiction/romance cannot go wrong with this title.

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

Pub date: 06 June 2024

#WonderfulMe #NetGalley

The author of this cheerfully illustrated book speaks directly to her young readers. She engages them with information, questions and things to think about. Wonderful Me is a positive and affirming look at the ways in which kids can/can learn to take good care of themselves. The topics covered include everything from sleep to friendships and much, much more.

This book provides an excellent resource for its intended audience. It deserves a spot in home and school libraries.

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

Pub date: 07 May 2024

About the Book

To save an innocent man’s life, amateur sleuth and cook Kat Holloway must expose a financial scam that could ruin the most powerful aristocrats in Victorian-era London, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Secret of Bow Lane.

Kat Holloway is distressed to learn that Samuel Millburn, husband of the woman who looks after her daughter, has been accused of embezzling funds from the bank where he works as a clerk. The accusation is absurd, and Samuel’s wife fears that her husband will not only lose his post but be imprisoned. Kat vows to uncover the truth.

When she discovers the bank is involved in shockingly murky business dealings, Kat realizes she’s treading in dangerous waters. She turns to her confidante and handsome suitor, Daniel McAdam, for help. To exonerate Samuel, Kat and Daniel may have to expose the unseemly financial dealings of prominent aristocrats and government officials, and even those working to bring down the royal family. Kat will risk everything to protect the man who has sacrificed so much for her daughter, even if it means endangering herself and the friends she has come to love.

About the Author

Jennifer Ashley is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Below Stairs Mysteries, the Shifters Unbound paranormal romances, and the Mackenzies historical romances. She also writes as USA Today bestselling mystery author Ashley Gardner.

My thoughts

I enjoyed this engaging, historical mystery with its interesting cast of characters and good storyline. This is a Victorian era set story that includes financial chicanery and a protagonist, Kat, who is determined to set things right. I can’t wait for the next entry in this long running series.

Many thanks to Berkley Publishing for the opportunity to take part in this tour.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is one of my favorite new series. Ashley writes exquisite historical romance and equally marvelous mysteries.”
—The Washington Post

Praise for the Below Stairs Mystery series

“Well-drawn supporting characters and logistical details of running a prosperous household complement the intricate plot. Downton Abbey fans will be delighted.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Jennifer Ashley’s ability to bring the food, events, and attitudes of the Victorian era to a compelling mystery will leave you spellbound and literally hungry for more.” 
—Historical Novel Society

“Fans will enjoy the continuing exploits of the clever cook, who gets to solve two complex mysteries.”
—Kirkus

#EveryoneGetsaTurn #NetGalley

I love the delicate illustrations in this children’s title. They made me want to both look carefully and turn the pages. The story itself is very sweet and also funny.

What happens when friends find an egg? It will mean changes for both them and that egg. Read this with a child as you both wait to see what happens next. It is so cute!

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

Pub date: 05 March 2024

I am very excited about Julia Alvarez’s forthcoming novel. It will be published on 02 April 2024 and looks like it will be a wonderful read.

Description

Literary icon Julia Alvarez, bestselling author of In the Time of the Butterflies, shares an inventive and emotional novel about storytelling and her homeland—the Dominican Republic—that Kirkus Reviews calls a “rich and moving saga” and Shelf Awareness calls “a lyrical thought-provoking meditation on truth, complicated family narratives, and the question of whose stories get told.” 

Alma Cruz, the celebrated writer at the heart of The Cemetery of Untold Stories, doesn’t want to end up like her friend, a novelist who fought so long and hard to finish a book that it threatened her sanity. So when Alma inherits a small plot of land in the Dominican Republic, her homeland, she has the beautiful idea of turning it into a place to bury her untold stories—literally. She creates a graveyard for the manuscript drafts and revisions, and the characters whose lives she tried and failed to bring to life and who still haunt her.

Alma wants her characters to rest in peace. But they have other ideas, and the cemetery becomes a mysterious sanctuary for their true narratives. Filomena, a local woman hired as the groundskeeper, becomes a sympathetic listener as Alma’s characters unspool their secret tales. Among them: Bienvenida, the abandoned second wife of dictator Rafael Trujillo, consigned to oblivion by history, and Manuel Cruz, a doctor who fought in the Dominican underground and escaped to the United States.

The characters defy their author: they talk back to her and talk to one another behind her back, rewriting and revising themselves. The Cemetery of Untold Stories asks: Whose stories get to be told, and whose buried? Finally, Alma finds the meaning she and her characters yearn for in the everlasting vitality of stories.

Alvarez’s extraordinary novel reminds us that the stories of our lives are never truly finished, even at the end.

The author:

#TheCemeteryofUntoldStories #NetGalley

#JuliaAlvarez

#TheCemeteryofUntoldStories

Fives stars

This beautifully illustrated title will be enjoyed by those who are interested in the British Isles, history, archaeology and more. It is a beautifully photographed and wide-ranging tile.

The author begins with an introduction, a timeline and a map. She follows this with the many places where she is interested in “unearthing our mysterious past,” as the title of the book notes.

There are so many places included. To name some there are the Tomnaverie Recumbent Stone Circle, Seahenge, Must Farm, Snettisham Treasures, the Dagenham Idol and Stonehenge. The geography includes Kent, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Moray and many more locations. The first object featured is the Westray Wifey which is over 5,000 years old and was found on Orkney. There are so many more to follow.

This book can be dipped into or read in its entirety. I very much enjoyed the time that I spent with this fascinating title.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-galley. All opinions are my own.

#GreatMindsonSmallThings #NetGalley

I found this to be a rather idiosyncratic book but one that was quite interesting. It worked best for me when I dipped in for random small doses. Thisibook based on philosophy but delivered with the unique perspective of the author.

Organized by the alphabet, there are exactly what the title describes: Great Minds on Small Things. For example, with the letter B, the author thinks about de Beauvoir’s comment on her bath and takes off from there. Just a couple of other letters and topics to give the flavor would be L where there are entries on laziness and listening among others; for T there is Tea. So, if this sounds like your cuppa, give this one a look. For a bonus, there are illustrations.

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

Pub date: 05 October 2024

Four stars ****

Anyone who is a senior, or who knows a senior, may want to purchase this book. It is simple and straightforward. The exercises are described in an easily understandable way. The illustrations show exactly the positions that a person should take. All in all I think this book is a good resource.

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

#PrivateEquity #NetGalley

Before reading Carrie Sun’s insightful memoir, I knew nothing much about Private Equity other than that it made some people very wealthy. The world of this book is not my world but I felt its intensity almost painfully as I turned the pages.

This is a book about privilege (the ability to make a very good living, to work with smart people, etc.) but also about the toll that working in an environment that may not be a good fit ultimately takes on a person. The question then is whether someone can walk away from the benefits for the sake of another (perhaps even better) existence.

Carrie Sun is the child of immigrants. She was raised to work hard, very hard indeed and to be successful. As her memoir opens, she is in a relationship with a man named Josh who is, himself, very successful. However, just as can happen in work, some things that Josh wants from Carrie may take her too far away from her values.

Carrie decides to apply for a job with a billionaire after a position is floated by a headhunter. She undergoes, for this one job, more interviews than I have had in my whole career. Carrie gets the position and readers follow along to share her experiences and decisions.

This book, at times, read like a novel though there were also some technical aspects to it, as when Sun describes what PE is. In some ways it is a cautionary tale. It is also, importantly, a story of discovering one’s self. I recommend that it be read by a wide readership including those who are considering, or feel stuck, in their career choices.

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

Pub date: 13 February 2024

#EssentialLifeSkillsforGirls #NetGalley

I highly recommend this title that teaches and empowers girls (though it could be useful to boys, adults…). It is nicely illustrated and packed with information.

This title is divided into sections on matters related to home, schoo,l and being out in the world. Just to give a flavor of the title with a subsection from each area…learn how to do laundry, to have difficult conversations with friends, to understand money matters.

This title would make a great gift and I think the recipient may refer to it often.

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

Pub date: 09 April 2024