McCarthy applied a stark, merciless vision to his stories of misfits and the apocalypse. Here’s where to start with his work.
— Read on www.nytimes.com/2023/06/13/books/cormac-mccarthy-best-books.html

I just reviewed this book yesterday.

Alison Gaylin on the Challenges of Bringing a Robert B. Parker PI into the Social Media Era

Latinx Horror and Crime Fiction to Check Out in 2023

An excellent read

T Matthews

SomeoneElsesBucketList #NetGalley

Readers who like stories that require a nearby box of tissues will want to take a look at this novel. It has sadness but also going out of one’s comfort zone in order to meet a challenge.

Protagonist Jodie’s sister has tragically died way too young. The family is grieving which would be more than enough but, in addition, they are being crushed by medical bills.

Bree left behind a bucket list. Jodie is told that someone will pay off the debt if she completes all of the tasks on Bree’s list. She agrees to try and readers will surely root for her as she moves through them. They may especially be interested to see if she falls in love. Readers will also, perhaps, come away with some new experience ideas of their own to complete.

This was a good read. Recommended to fan’s of women’s fiction and those who like stories in which heroines try hard to succeed and learn.

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

Four stars ****

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

Advance Praise for SOMEONE ELSE’S BUCKET LIST by Amy T. Matthews

“Fans of Josie Silver and Cecelia Ahern will be taken by this story of joy after grief.”—Publishers Weekly

The cover of this book is indicative of the absolutely lovely and appealing art work that is found inside. Five stars for such sweet illustrations for this story of families and love.

That said, the fanciful text may be confusing to some of the story’s intended audience (looking for a baby via balloon, for example). Also, the parents’ grief may be a bit of a burden to a child.

All that said, what comes across clearly is how deeply the adults wanted to be parents and what a wanted baby came into their lives. And, of course, all children want to know that they were wanted.

If this is a story about adoption or infertility, at least in part, I think that some more direct conversation after reading this title would be a good idea. Also, there is nothing at all related to birth and maybe that would have been welcome as well.

I wish that I did not have these quibbles. I very much like the concept and the illustrations are wonderful.

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

Pub date: 11 July 2023

#GeniusNoses #NetGalley

What qualifies a nose for genius status? Enterprising kids may just want to find out.

In these pages, readers will discover loads about animals and noses from all over the world and from different environments. There are sections of Flying Creatures, Ground Dwellers, those who spend time in trees and Water Creatures. There many facts on each spread. In addition, this books is engagingly illustrated throughout.

Kirkus has given this title a well-deserved starred review. Get it for a curious child whom you know. It is just chockablock with information and can be read in any order.

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

Pub date: 19 September 2023

Robert B Parker was a popular and prolific author whose death saddened his many fans. Luckily for his fans, characters, including Spenser, Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall continue to entertain with new authors. This book by Ms. Gaylin is a Sunny Randall mystery. It includes all that Sunny fans are looking for.

The title is most apt as the world of influencers is a critical part of the story. Blake and Bethany…who are they and what have they been up to? Readers learn that Blake is an influencer who has been threatened. Even worse seemingly, where is his manager Bethany and what has happened to her?

There is plenty of work for Sunny here. Luckily, she is equal to the challenge.

Note, I enjoyed that this title was written by a woman. She keeps Sunny fresh and interesting.

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

#RobertBParkersBadInfluence #NetGalley

Pub date: 13 May 2023

Calling all those who love to read mysteries and/or solve logic puzzles! Why not try your hand at some of the challenges in this book? There are 100 puzzles to keep you busy.

Following a helpful introduction, there are challenges of varying levels of difficulty. They are definitely fun to solve.

One quibble: a lot of these puzzles need the detective/reader to make a logic grid and then add information to it. I would have loved if the grids had been included in the book as is the case when buying many logic puzzle books.

That said, this book will entertain readers for hours. They will also sharpen their deductive skills. Oh…for those who love these, volume two is coming this fall.

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

#MurdleVolume1 #NetGalley

Pub date: 13 June 2023

From the Publisher