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

He Saw the World in a Wave

by Susie Hodge

This series of books for children is published in conjunction with New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Each entry is beautifully illustrated and gives a sense of the artist’s spirit and sensibility. This time the artist featured is a well-known Japanese one.

Even as an adult who has taken art history classes, I learned new things in reading this title. For example, the artist changed his name many times, lived to a rather old age and was interested not only in Japanese art.

Children will learn that Hokusai was adopted, that he studied with many artists and that he constantly wanted to improve. They will see that he was an artist who developed his own style during a time when there was much conformity in Japan.

The author invites children in. She offers them art projects that they might want to explore. As in the other volumes, there are some special sections at the end of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this enjoyable title. All opinions are my own.

Anna Lee Huber’s novel, is an historical mystery that is reminiscent of an Agatha Christie novel. A group of characters is stranded on an island, (think “And Then There Were None”), as the action unfolds. Widow Verity attends an engagement party weekend, while trying to find out whether her husband, Sidney, was a traitor during WWI. Not the most believable plot but Verity is a plucky character and one that I rooted for.  Book provided by NetGalley in return for an honest review.  Thanks NetGalley!

Elin Hilderbrand has written many novels that take place on Nantucket.  This is her first murder mystery and the first book that I have read by the author.  The setting is beautiful and full of details of how the well-to-do spend their summers on the island.

A wedding is scheduled to take place.  The groom, Benji is the scion of a wealthy family while his bride to be, Celeste,  comes from a loving, middle-class background.    Celeste and Benji’s parents come to life in portrait-like depictions.  Benji’s mother is a society woman who writes mystery novels and always hosts in the most proper ways.  Her husband, Tag, is a man who has had many affairs. They live a life of luxury but do not have a happy marriage.  In contrast,  Celeste’s parents are “salt of the earth” types who have a loving relationship.  Karen, who has breast cancer, is portrayed in a wonderfully empathetic fashion.  Kudos to the author for sympathetically but not maudlin-ly describing Karen.  Bruce, Celeste’s dad, clearly adores both his wife and child.  They want only for Celeste to be happy and secure.

Celeste’s maid of honor is the murder victim.  For fear of spoilers, I won’t say more about what happened or the solution of the mystery.  There are numerous suspects and many relationships come into play.

This is what I would describe as a good summer read.  It is a long (over 400 pages) novel in which the reader becomes immersed.  If you want a light summer escape, this one is worth trying.

I may be one of very few people never to have read anything by Margaret Atwood.  I am so happy to now have had the chance to spend some time with her poems.

The poems are reflective and often moving.  One of my favorites was called Blackberries.  It is about fruit, growing older and generational connections.   Another elegiac poem called Blizzard is about the poet’s mother getting older and how hard it is to let go.

Ms. Atwood covers a wide range of topics in this collection.  It is definitely worth either reading straight through in order or dipping into.

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

Pub date:  November 10, 2020

#Dearly #NetGalley

In May 2019, Katherine Reay’s novel The Printed Letter Bookshop was published. Her new book, Of Literature and Lattes can be read on its own but will be enjoyed most by those who have read The Printed Letter. The setting in Of Literature and Latte is the same town as in the prior book and readers catch up with the lives of some of the characters from that book as well. However, the novel also has its own plot and some new characters.
In this book Alyssa has left a job with a company that seems to be based on Theranos and that similarly explodes for her. With nowhere to go and under investigation, she returns to the town where her parents (characters in The Printed Letter) live. Alyssa has to figure out what to do with her life and with her unhappiness.
Jeremy has come to Winsome to run the kind of coffee shop that many of us dream of, one that values community and great beans that make great drinks. However, the shop is struggling as is Jeremy. One ray of brightness is his daughter but his daughter’s mother is threatening to leave town.
Janet, from the prior novel. is trying to have a life in which she has stronger relationships with Alyssa and Seth, the man she first married, and is again seeing. It is complicated.
The stories of these characters come to life and I think that readers will care about them. I did not find Of Literature and Latte to be as strong a novel as The Printed Letter but I am pretty confident that this author’s many fans will be eager to engage with this title.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this read in exchange for an honest review. By the way, I love the cover.

I give the three and 1/2 stars.

#OfLiteratureandLattes #NetGalley

To begin at the end, although readers should not do this as there are spoilers, I learned that this novel is based on real people and real events that occurred in the build up to WWII. The story is well told and engrossing.

Protagonist Evelyn was raised in what seems to be a “typical” British home. Her father had a job, her mother was a homemaker and, while not terribly well off, the family managed well. Evelyn , who was intelligent, moved away from her family’s sphere. First she went to a boarding school and later was an Oxbridge graduate. She studied German at university, a helpful language for the time in which the novel took place. Evelyn’s best friend Sally is from a wealthier and more upper class and influential family. They happily included Evelyn in their world. Sally’s cousin Julia is her own woman and a bit of a black sheep. The novel revolves around these three women but with many other characters as well.

What happens when Evelyn becomes involved in war work? What starts out as a secretarial job leads to much more. Readers learn about this and the consequences that Evelyn’s decisions and actions have for her.

One thing that the author does extremely well is to portray the anti-Semitic and pro German attitudes of a group of British citizens. On their own, with Russian emigres and more, they wanted a world in which Hitler was ascendant. This made for some chilling reading.

Another well done aspect of the story was its presentation of work done in MI5. Where did women fit in this? How were agents supported (or not)? These issues add to the intrigue of this story.

What happens to the Unlikely Spy both before and after the war? Read this involving novel to find out.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

What will be found: The Searcher by Tana French

What will be found: The Searcher by Tana French

— Read on joycesmysteryandfictionbookreviews.blog/2021/02/03/what-will-be-found-the-searcher-by-tana-french/