This novel by Bruce Nash is relatively short, at 240 pages, and yet he successfully creates Rose’s world. She is an older woman (in her 80s) who resides in assisted living. Her days are pretty routine and include meals, medications, visits from her family, time spent with another resident who is a friend, and time spent observing the life of the home. Rose also must deal with dementia.

Nash does what feels like an accurate job of portraying Rose’s inner life. He shows how unnerving dementia can be. Readers watch as Rose often says a word that is not the one that she wants although, often, she is able to make a correction. She also, for example, has a unique way of playing scrabble.

One day, her friend and neighbor is found dead. Will Rose be able to figure out what happened to her and why? Readers will watch as Rose tries to figure things out.

Readers who want to get a sense of the world of someone like Rose may want to give this title a look.

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

Pub date: 01 July 2025

From the Publisher

#TheAirRaidBookClub #NetGalley

I truly enjoyed Annie Lyons’s novel about Eudora Honeysett and gave it five stars. I, was then, of course, quite eager to read The Air Raid Book Club. It did not disappoint.

This is an historical novel that will appeal to those who have read Dear Mrs. Bird, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Last Bookshop in London, and other similar titles. It is warm in the same way with characters about whom writers will care. Plus, there are books, lots of books. At the end of the novel titles are listed should readers wish to explore further.

Gertie was married to Harry. Together the two opened and loved a bookshop. Sadly, Harry died from the very thing that kept him from serving in the military. Gertie has subsequently lost her zest for life. When she is asked by one of Harry’s friends to take in a Jewish child as WWII looms, she hesitates before making her decision. What happens as a result of this choice, the importance of books, and more make this title a most satisfying read, even with some sadness in the events of the story. As an extra bonus, get to know Mr. Hemingway…no, not that one! He is Gertie’s lovely dog.

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

Pub date: 11 July 2023

From the Publisher

My review of Eudora…

So many of the reviews that I saw for this novel were quite praiseworthy so I read it with very high hopes and expectations. It did not disappoint. This is a novel that engages the reader through its characters and its story lines. I think that readers who enjoyed novels like The Little Paris Bookshop or The Lido will want to read this one…as will many others. Miss Honeysett is a prim woman who is 85 years old. She believes that the time has come to take control of the end of her life. This leads her to contact a Dignitas like clinic and submit an application. Will her request be granted? Will Eudora want it to be? Readers learn that Eudora faced a number of tragedies and disappointments over the course of her her life. Most chapters in the novel include a flashback to a key moment for Eudora. No spoilers so I do not want to write more. In the present, Eudora meets the irrepressible Rose. The two have a relationship that evolves over the course of the book as Rose awaits becoming a big sister. Another important character is Stanley. His friendship with Eudora and Rose is impacted by some memory issues. What will happen to each of them? At times acerbic, at times touching this is a novel that I most definitely recommend. Give it a try. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

They sure do: My Grandma and Grandpa Rock!

by Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo

#MyGrandmaandGrandpaRock #NetGalley

This book is so very inviting and will be enjoyed by kids and their grandparents. The illustrations are lively and engaging. The accompanying text is fun.

The narrator’s grandparents enjoy music, both singing and with their hands respectively, and are not quiet and calm. They dress uniquely. They are given space here, even as kids are invited to think about what their own grandparents are like and can do.

The end of the book has fun illustrations with the names for grandparents in many cultures. A shout out is given to whatever talents they may have, sweetly ending with how they love their grandchildren.

This title will make a perfect addition to a toddler’s library.

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

Pub date: 09 September 2025

Four stars ****

Emerson, Thoreau, Alcott (Bronson and Louisa May)…Margaret Fuller? Most readers of American fiction and essays know the first few names on this list. They may be less familiar with Margaret Fuller. However, by the time that readers close this book, they will fully appreciate her life with its successes, challenges and tragedy.

Young Margaret was a highly intelligent child, whose father took her education most seriously. When he died, Margaret was left feeling that she needed to support her family. She did that while also being part of the transcendentalist movement and more.

One aspect of the book that I really liked was the way in which icons became human. For example, early in the novel, Margaret visits Emerson and his second wife. Waldo, as Margaret is invited to call him, engages in a flirtation with Margaret. It is in moments like this, that readers get to look at great American figures in a new and less iconic way. Similarly, as the story opens, Thoreau is a young man working for the Emersons, and just beginning his writing career. Bronson Alcott is running a school, while Louisa May is still a child.

Pataki has written a number of works of historical fiction. She has another success on her hands here.

Many thanks toNetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

From the publisher:

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/23/books/review/best-spy-novels.html

www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/08/25/books/review/gilded-age-quiz.html

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/books/new-books-september.html

THIS NOVEL IS AN E BOOK BARGAIN

by joycesmysteryandfictionbookreviewsMarch 22, 2020

Meet Me in Monaco feels like the perfect title for right now.  It is a gentle, romantic story that will allow its readers to escape daily life.  Much of the book is set in France with its beautiful towns and countryside.  And then, of course, readers also spend time in Monaco itself.

The background for the story is Grace Kelly’s wedding to Prince Rainier but Sophie and Jim are also prominent characters for whom readers want the best.  Sophie is a parfumier with a beloved family business that is facing financial ruin.  The man she is to marry does not always seem right for her.  Jim is a photographer assigned at times to follow Ms. Kelly.  Jim is divorced and the woman in his life is daughter, Emily.

Sophie meets Jim when he chases Grace into Sophie’s store.  From this beginning, readers will spend time with the three and with the others who surround them, all the while hoping for fairy tale endings.

The book follows a typical narrative structure with the addition of interspersed news articles.  These are fun to read and help readers to feel that they are witnesses to the action.

This novel was written by two authors who worked very well together.  It was impossible for me to detect who was writing when.

I highly recommend this novel for those who need a bit of feel good time.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

From page-turning thrillers to tales of espionage, find your perfect crime in these mystery novels that will hit shelves soon!
— Read on www.penguinrandomhouse.com/the-read-down/mystery-coming-soon