This title got a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly.My review:
Imagine that your family sends you (alone) to the U.S. because of financial hardship in Ireland and you will need to support your relatives back home. Imagine that you are able to take on someone else’s identity to become the servant of Andrew Carnegie’s mother. Will you be found out? Will your position be secure? These are among the premises of this richly detailed historical novel. Relationships between upstairs and downstairs, specifically between Clara and Andrew Carnegie are a major part of this novel. Read it too to learn more about the business world and women’s roles in the post Civil War U.S. Overall, an enjoyable read.
If you are ready for a BIG readPeople in my family liked this.
Here is an entry in the popular series that is designed for the youngest children and their adults. This book and each entry is short and filled with brightly colored illustrations. A few of the women met here are Cleopatra, May Jemison, Sylvia Earle, Jane Austen, Millo Castro Zaldarriaga along with others.
This book will show children that girls can grow up to do amazing things. Hopefully, it will, in time, inspire these toddlers as they grow up.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Retbel Girls for this title. All opinions are my own.
When my children were young there were no ipads and I don’t know if I would have wanted one sharing a restaurant table with me anyway. This title therefore felt nostalgic to me, in the best possible way.
Bring some crayons and a pencil, along with this book, with you for a restaurant outing. This is a generous book at over sixty pages. Inside start with a spot for a child to enter their information and restaurant reservation and it goes on from there. Next, there are restaurants and chefs in a matching game. Creativity is encouraged as kids are asked to invent a menu item for each. There are dot-to-dot puzzles, number searches, an I Spy Game, Shadow Matches, Mazes and loads more.
I really recommend this colorful and engaging title for kids. I definitely would buy this one.
Many thanks to Quarto-QEB Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.
Every time that I am given a chance to spend time with Katherine Center, I find myself eager to immerse myself in her fictional world. I know that she will tell a good (if slightly predictable) story and that I will forget about the real world for a bit, something that I welcome these days.
This time readers learn something about what it is like to be a bodyguard. For example, it is in the training and a person does not have to be BIG to be able to do the job. That is why Hannah has been good at her job.
As the novel opens, bodyguard Hannah is having a hard time. Her boyfriend Robbie has broken up with her and is dating Hannah’s close friend. To make things worse and sadder, Hannah’s mother has died. She was not an easy woman but this is still life changing. Usually Hannah uses work to escape, the farther away the better. However, this time her boss is not letting that happen.
Instead, and under protest, Hannah is hired to look after a heart throb movie star, Jack Stapleton who is in Texas which is where Hannah is based. Hannah will pose as Jack’s girlfriend feeling dubious about this as she is no glamour queen. Despite not wanting the position, Hannah will do her best.
From here, readers spend time with Jack as he faces a family issue. How will being the bodyguard for Jack go? Will there be mutuality in Jack and Hannah’s relationship, despite Hannah’s always wanting to be professional? Turn the pages to find out.
Readers may feel that they know what will happen and that’s okay. The fun is in watching the plot unfold and just enjoying it.
I got to do my favorite thing with this title, toggling between the book and the audio. This works so well for me. The narration was clear and easy to follow.
Whichever way, you like your Katherine Center novels or, if you are just discovering this author, give this title a look. It is a good book for those looking for a break.
Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for this title. All opinions are my own.
Murder with Oolong Tea is book number six, out of eight so far, in the Daisy’s Tea Garden series. This is a cozy series that may be just right for reading on a warm summer day with a glass of iced tea nearby. I enjoyed the Pennsylvania Dutch setting.
In this entry, Daisy is providing refreshments at a school. Althea, who appears beloved by none, is found dead in the school’s pool. It is easy to understand why she might have been a victim but which of the many possible suspects did it? Stick by Daisy as she unravels everything and justice is served.
Fans new and old may want to give this title and series a look. Cozy lovers should enjoy it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for this title. All opinions are my own.
Here is another in a terrific series of Sherlock Holmes stories for kids who are starting to read (slightly longer) chapter books. These retellings of the Conan Doyle tales are just the right length and are illustrated to keep a young reader’s interest. Each remains true in spirit to the original story.
This time readers face The Final Problem. It is one of the most exciting stories in the canon as Moriarty and Holmes face off.
Spark a child’s interest with this classic series. They will thank you.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Arcturus for this title. All opinions are my own.
