Great reads for adults and children!
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See review on my site for the titles directly above and below
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SOME SHORT LIST CHOICES: Under $10.
See review on my site: https://joycesmysteryandfictionbookreviews.wordpress.com
This review is for a sample of this book. I can’t wait to see the book when it is published.
Travelers will enjoy the opportunity to visit or revisit their favorite national parks. This looks like a fantastic book. There are gorgeous photos and interesting text about the parks. I saw pages on everything from New York’s Central Park to the National Historic Trail that goes from Selma to Montgomery. It gives me such admiration for the U.S. park system.
Many thanks to NetGalley and National Geographic for this wonderful title. All opinions are my own.
This title will be published on 10 May 2022.
#PandorasJar #NetGalley
I read, enjoyed and recommended Ms. Haynes’s earlier book, A Thousand Ships. The novel told the story of the Trojan War from the women’s perspective. The author’s new book is a retelling of the stories of many women of Greek myth and legend. Included are Pandora, Jocasta, Helen, Medusa, The Amazons, Clytemnestra, Eurydice, Phaedra, Medea and Penelope. The end of the book includes a section of further reading and resources.
This book may be read straight through or readers may want to dip into sections of particular interest. Each woman receives a generous chapter with an illustration.Having read the Metamorphoses for a class this term, I went first to the section on Eurydice. I learned so much that I had not known, as for example more on the antecedents of the story. Ms. Haynes includes the tale, resources, commentary and all in a very readable, and at times humorous, fashion.
I recommend this book to teens and adults who are interested in ancient Greece. I am sure that it is a title to which I will return many times.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for this title. All opinions are my own.
“Funny, sharp explications of what these sometimes not-very-nice women were up to, and how they sometimes made idiots of . . . but read on!” — Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid’s Tale
“A hugely enjoyable and witty book, which will appeal to admirers of novels such as Madeline Miller’s Circe, Kamila Shamsie’s Home Fire, and Haynes’s own fiction.” — The Guardian
“Natalie Haynes is both a witty and an erudite guide. She wears her extensive learning lightly and deftly drags the Classics into the modern world. I loved it.” — Kate Atkinson, author of Life After Life
“Impassioned and informed . . . When Haynes gets down to retelling the stories . . . and teasing out their distortions and elisions, the book flies.” — Sunday Times (UK)
This book invites men to cook, though I think any sex/gender might enjoy this book. There are recipes for everything from breakfast to dessert and more. Some of the things to make include pumpkin spiced oatmeal, pineapple roast pork in a sandwich, oregano chicken with butternut squash, corn sauerkraut salad, sea salt caramel fudge brownies, and many more.
The book includes basic kitchen information, lots of photos and recipes that can easily be followed. So, get in there and start cooking.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Callisto publishing. All opinions are my own.
1. In a medium bowl, stir together the shrimp, scallions, tomatoes, cilantro, and salt until well mixed.
2. Evenly divide the filling among the avocado halves.
3. Serve immediately.
This book is recommended to those who enjoy women’s fiction in which the past and present intertwine. It tells the story of a young woman who finds a photograph that will influence her future, as she comes to understand what happened to her great-great-grandmother. Alexandra is led to a small French village and a castle that is there. She is also unexpectedly led to Eric and a new relationship.
Readers will be drawn into this title when they read the note from the author at the start of the novel. This is clearly a personal and special book for her. It was initially published in France and later in the U.S.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this title. All opinions are my own.
#TheKnowNonsenseGuidetoGrammar #NetGalley
This book is such a terrific, cheerful resource for kids (and maybe even some adults). First, it covers each of the parts of speech. This section is followed by guides to grammar, everything from capitalization to collective nouns to punctuation, including my bete noir, the comma. Finally there is a section on literary devices; just a few of the ones that are here include cliches, analogies,onomatopoeia and more.
This book offers an entertaining, at times funny, and very helpful guide to grammar. It just might need a spot on your child’s bookshelf.
Many thanks to Quarto Publishing Group – Walter Foster, Walter Foster Jr for this title. All opinions are my own.
This title was published on 05 April 22.
I have enjoyed so many books by Ms. Carr and always look forward to her new titles. I am truly delighted to be part of the book tour for A Family Affair. Many thanks to Justine Sha and everyone at Harlequin Trade Publishing for this opportunity. Lovers of women’s fiction, be sure to give this a look.
HERE IS SOME INFORMATION ON THIS TITLE:
A FAMILY AFFAIR
Author: Robyn Carr
ISBN: 9780778331742
Publication Date: April 5, 2022
Publisher: MIRA
Buy Links:
Social Links:
Twitter: @RCarrWriter
Facebook: Robyn Carr
Instagram: @robyncarrwriter
Author Bio:
Robyn Carr is an award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than sixty novels, including highly praised women’s fiction such as Four Friends, The Summer That Made Us and The View from Alameda Island, as well as the critically acclaimed Virgin River, Thunder Point and Sullivan’s Crossing series. Virgin River is now a Netflix original series. Robyn lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. You can visit her website at robyncarr.com.
Book Summary:
An exceptional storyteller, #1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr beautifully captures the emotionally charged, complex dynamics that come with being part of any family. Readers will laugh and shed a few tears as they discover what it means to be loved, supported and accepted by the people who mean the most.
When a woman notices a young pregant woman attending her husband’s funeral she realizes his mid-life crisis went far beyond his weekend warrior lifestyle. But Carr’s story of a family dealing with their grief is full of surprises and as everyone examines their own beliefs and behavior, they become closer than they ever thought possible. Carr tackles the serious issues women face with humor and heart.
HERE IS A BOOK EXCERPT TO WHET YOUR APPETITE:
The celebration of life was not held in a funeral parlor or church but rather in a fancy clubhouse in an upscale Mill Valley community. It was furnished with comfortable sofas, chairs, small round accent tables, thick carpet and carefully chosen art. Its primary purpose was for hosting parties. Residents in the community could rent it for events, which Anna had done. There was a huge viewing screen upon which the pictures of Chad’s life played, a hundred and fifty of them, carefully and lovingly chosen by Anna with a little help from the kids. Every picture had Chad in it, starting from old childhood prints she’d inherited from Chad’s mother years ago. She’d glance up to see one of him in a high school football uniform looking the worse for wear with a big grin on his dirty face; she caught a huge blowup of their wedding picture; there was one soon after of him with baby Jessie asleep on his chest. There were many pictures of Chad alone, a few of Chad and Anna, one of a young Anna gazing lovingly up into Chad’s face, several family groupings. The focus was Chad, his life, his accomplishments, his achievements, his happiness, a few of the important people in his life. Chad, Chad, Chad. Just like before he died.
Things had been tense lately, but she remembered those younger years fondly because, although it hadn’t been easy, they had been deeply in love. They met through what can only be described as fate, as destiny. In fact, their meeting was a legendary family story. Anna had been in San Francisco, shopping on her lunch hour down at Fisherman’s Wharf. Shopping but not buying, which was typical for her as she had been and still was very frugal. She loved the sea lions, enjoyed watching tourists, sometimes found bargains at Pier 1, enjoyed the occasional meal on the pier.
On that day, something strange happened. She heard a panicked cry rise from the crowd of tourists on the pier, saw a food truck trundling across the pier without a driver, picking up speed. A man in work clothes and apron was chasing the truck. She only had seconds to take it in. It seemed the food truck, its awning out and moving fast, was headed toward a group of people. Right before her eyes the truck knocked a man off the pier before the truck was stopped by a barricade.
The man, completely unaware, flew off the dock and into the water below, startling a large number of fat sea lions who had been sunning themselves nearby.
The sea lions scrambled into the water and the man was flailing around in a panic. Someone yelled, “He can’t swim!” Hardly giving it a thought, Anna dropped her purse, kicked off her shoes and jumped off the pier, swimming to the man. Getting to him was no challenge; she practically landed on top of him. But he was hysterical and splashing, kicking and sputtering. “You’re okay, come on,” she said, grabbing his shirt by the collar. But he fought harder and sank, nearly pulling her under with him.
She slapped him in the face and that startled him enough he could let himself be rescued. She slid her arm around his neck and began pulling him to the dock where a couple of men seemed to be standing by to pull him in.
There was a lot of commotion, not to mention honking noises from sea lions. Anna was shivering in her wet clothes and all she could think at the time was how was she going to locate a change of clothes for her afternoon at work. Then there were emergency vehicles and a handsome young police officer draped a blanket around her shoulders and took a report. The near drowning victim was taken away in an ambulance and Anna was given a ride to her apartment by the cute policeman. She was delighted and surprised when the police officer called her a week later. She almost hyperventilated in hope that he’d ask her out.
“The man you pulled out of the water has been in touch. He wants your name,” the officer said.
“He isn’t going to sue me, is he?” she asked.
“I don’t think so,” he said with a laugh. “He seems very grateful. He won’t have any trouble tracking you down but I said I’d ask. He probably wants to thank you.”
The man’s name was Chad. He was finishing up his PhD at Berkeley while she was working in a law office in the Bay Area. She was twenty-three and he was twenty-seven and she was not prepared for how handsome he was and of course much better put together than when he was dragged out of the water.
He took her to dinner and, as she recalled, their first date was almost like an interview. He wanted to know everything about her and was utterly amazed to learn she’d had a job as a lifeguard in a community pool for exactly one summer when she was a teenager and yet jumped in to save him with total confidence. They fell in love almost instantly. The first time they made love, he asked her to marry him. She didn’t say yes right away, but they knew from the start they were made for each other. What they didn’t know was how many fights they’d have. Very few big fights but many small ones; she thought of them as bickering. They fought about what was on the pizza; a scrape on the side of the car that was not her fault, not even remotely; what kind of vacation they should have and where they should go. As Anna recalled, they always went where Chad wanted to go. They fought about what movie to see, where to eat, what was grumbled under his or her breath.
They fought seriously about his affair. That was in the distant past but it took a long time to get over. Years. But when they finally pledged to stay married, to do their best to make it good, they fell into bed and had the best sex of their lives. And they had Elizabeth.
That experience was how she knew that all the excuses for this current marital rift, no matter what he called it, was probably about another woman and not them growing apart or having divergent needs. He wouldn’t admit it and she had no proof, but she had better than average instincts. She believed he’d gotten all excited at the prospect of falling in love and was rewriting their history to make that acceptable. He was looking for an excuse that would make it reasonable to step outside the bonds of marriage. She could feel it; he’d been involved with someone else.
Excerpted from A Family Affair by Robyn Carr. Copyright © 2022 by Robyn Carr. Published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
For fans of The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
This is free.
Starting out, know that this is one of the very best of Marian Keyes’s novels. It is engaging and absorbing. The characters are so alive and the pages turn quickly. Note, too, that in this novel, Ms. Keyes takes on some big themes including addiction, relationships and SPOILER BELOW
stillbirth, along with much else.
Ms. Keyes writes like a true insider here. Her descriptions of what it means to lose a much longed for baby ring so true. Anyone who has had to deal with infertility, miscarriage or pregnancy loss will know just how authentically the experience is described. Those who have not had these woes will certainly develop empathy for those who have.
SPOILER ENDED
Rachel works at a treatment center. Anyone who wonders what goes on when addicts are facing their actions and lives will learn a great deal. This could be very helpful to anyone who has a loved one who has needed such care. These sections give a real “fly on the wall” feeling.
Now, be clear that this is a wonderfully involving novel with good story lines. It is by no means a didactic title.
Rachel and those around her first became known to readers through Rachel’s Holiday, a novel that was published twenty years or so ago. Fans of that title will be delighted to see Rachel again. Those who have not read that book, no worries. It is very easy to step into the lives of this clan.
As the story opens, Rachel’s life seems to be going well. But, of course, there will be challenges. Readers will be hoping for all the best for Rachel. She is a character that it is easy to love.
Order this. It is such a good book. I highly recommend it!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
Some other opinions:
“A witty and warm-hearted sequel. . . . Effortlessly segueing from tragedy to comedy. . . . A novel replete with beautifully well-rounded secondary characters. . . . Again, Rachel has all of Keyes’s trademark wit, humour and whip-smart dialogue, but it’s also a novel teeming with compassion and redemption.” —The Observer
“Simply superb. . . . [Keyes] is hands down the funniest writer in the business.” —The Irish Times
“Keyes delivers punchy home truths with wit and charm. . . . Keyes’s beady-eyed observations and sparky, sweary dialogue . . . lighten another agonisingly painful story. There is a real genius to the way Keyes brings deep, awful truths to the surface. The plotting is more skillfully turned than in Rachel’s Holiday, and Keyes’s ability to keep the balance between realism and fantasy works like a kind of fairy charm. . . . Keyes has mastered the art of writing books that read like treats, but turn out to be good for you.” —The Telegraph
“Assured, wise and witty with superb observational detail, the characters and dialogue are so on point that reading Marian Keyes is like being cradled in safe arms. . . . Keyes fans won’t be disappointed and this is destined to be as successful as its forerunner.” —Woman & Home
“Rachel’s recovery storyline . . . is expertly crafted, as Keyes delves into what happens when a loss is so overwhelming that your usual support systems stop providing comfort. That portrait of grief, in particular the challenge it poses to those in recovery, is rendered with great compassion and acute emotional honesty.” —Independent (Irelan
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 