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

The trend for Scandinavian mysteries continues.  My daughter pointed out an additional trend in these northern novels, when she observed that they include so many enticing food details and scenes of ordinary, daily life.  I wanted to eat with Nora and to visit the island of Sandham where she lives for the summer.

Viveca Sten is an author I did not know.  I just finished Still Waters and have immediately plunged into Closed Circles, the next in the series.  In her own country, Ms. Sten has sold millions of books.  I think that U.S. readers could also enjoy hunkering down with her novels.  The main characters come fully to life in a way that makes me want to follow them through the next books.  The final solution to the mystery is not the strongest part of the book but I did not mind as I so enjoyed everything else in…

by joycesmysteryandfictionbookreviews

THIS TITLE IS AN E BOOK BARGAIN FOR 6.26.21

This is a wonderful historical novel based upon the Book Women who delivered library materials to those in the out of the way sections of Kentucky.  The book women were part of a program started by President Roosevelt under the WPA.

There are many book women in Troublesome Creek, Kentucky but the protagonist of the novel is the unforgettable Cussy. Cussy speaks in dialect which helps the reader to fully enter into her world. Cussy faces special challenges because she is the last of the ‘blues.’ There really were blue-skinned people in America as a supplement at the back of the novel attests. They were objects of curiosity and also of prejudice, just as was the case for the African American population.

Cussy wants to be independent both before and after her disastrous short term marriage. And yet, what…

They say that you can’t judge a book by its cover but I have to say that, as soon as I saw this one, the visual appeal made me want to read Murder at the Mena House.  This is an historical mystery set in Egypt in 1926.  The author does a wonderful job with the setting, both in terms of the indolent, luxury hotel and the sites, including the pyramids, museums, camel races and more.  There are a variety of colorful characters and some interesting backstory for the majority of them.

I think that this is the author’s first published book.  I enjoyed this read although the mystery itself was the least engaging part for me.  I will read further adventures of Jane as they are published.  She was a good guide to Egypt and those around her.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange…

25 Tales of Women Who Protect the Earth

by Rebel Girls

I love the Rebel Girls series. Through these books, young readers learn about so many interesting people’s dreams, aspirations and accomplishments. This entry takes on one of the most important topics of our time, the environment. Rather than despair, rebel girls show how they are doing something! Learn about 25 women who are doing their best to protect our earth. Just a few among those featured are author Margaret Atwood, climate activist Greta Thunberg and marine biologist Rachel Carson. There are also those whom I just met through these pages including journalist Bernice Notenboom, activist Julia Butterfly Hill and zoologist Lucy King. Each woman’s biography is shared and there is an illustration of her on the accompanying page.

Find inspiration and hope in this excellent collection. There are several special sections at the end of the book.

Me Before You was truly a breakout book for Jojo Moyes.  It was not her first book.  Other novels that she has written include Ship of Brides, Windfallen, and Last Letter to My Lover (which I liked very much), among others.  The sequel to Me Before You was Me After You.  Honestly, I found that one to not be nearly as good.  Then came Still Me.  Still Me was an excellent read.  In this one, Louisa finds her footing after some ups and downs.  She has moved to Manhattan where she becomes the assistant to a wealthy second wife.  It would be easy to caricature Mrs. Gopnick but Ms. Moyes does not do this; the reader feels empathy for her, along with the elderly woman whose dog’s name is Dean Martin and the building’s doorman and his family.  There are two romances for Louisa, one with Sam (from Book Two)…