The Wilde is free.

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Today’s Book Review is worth getting if you can. It celebrates the Review’s rich 125 year history with reviews and more from the past century.

the world’s most stunning remote locations

by Finn Beales

This title will be welcomed by those who have wanderlust, even if they are not currently traveling. Organized by sections on Mountains, Wilderness, Coast, Ice & Snow, Lakes & Rivers, and Forests, it is filled with spectacular photographs and essays. I especially enjoyed the “Behind the Lens” sections in which the artists explain something about their craft.

As one example, I read the essay on the Cape Wrath Trail that takes Richard Gaston on a long (!) hike through northernmost Scotland. I felt his experience viscerally as, at moments, the rain poured down. The accompanying photos gave a good sense of place. This is true for all of the landscapes featured here.

For armchair adventurers who enjoy spending time in less usual places, this book could make a welcome gift. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this title. All opinions are my own.

She Heard the Birds

The Story of Florence Merriam Bailey

by Andrea D’Aquino

This beautifully illustrated children’s book tells the story of Florence Merriam Bailey. She was a child who loved nature and who was lucky enough to have parents who valued exposing her to the world around her. Florence especially loved birds. She studied them and did all that she could to ensure that they were allowed to live. Florence gave people tools for seeing and thinking about avian life that did not involve taking feathers for hats or shooting birds for sport.

This book, which also has some resources and additional information at the back, may be enjoyed by young children who are interested in the environment. Those who also love Miss Rumphius may enjoy this title.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opin

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A Novel

by Felicity Hayes-McCoy

The Month of Borrowed Dreams is the fifth entry in the author’s series set in Ireland. A sixth book is also forthcoming in 2022.

I have not read the other titles in the series. I do think that I will go back and read them. In any event, it took me a little while to sort out the characters, something that long term readers probably will not have to do.

These folks who came to life include Hanna, Jazz, Louise, Aideen, Eileen, Mary and Saira as some of the main female characters. There are also the men in their lives and Rasher, a homeless young man whose life is hopefully turning around.

To be brief, Hanna is a librarian who returned to the peninsula with Jazz when her marriage broke up. Her mother Mary lives in the town. Jazz works for her grandmother Louise is an ethically sourced company. Aideen and Eileen are planning their weddings to brothers but the ways in which each wants to acknowledge the day are very different. Saira works with Rasher and is a wise counselor.

As librarian, Hanna has started a film club linked to novels. One of her choices is Colm Toibin’s Brooklyn. Readers who have not already read Brooklyn may well want to by the time that they finish the novel.

The Month of Borrowed Dreams is a gently paced stories of people’s lives. I think that it will be enjoyed by those who like the novels of Maeve Binchy.

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

The Book of Candlelight by Ellery Adams

The Book of Candlelight is the third entry in this mystery series by Ellery Adams. I have enjoyed all three books. In this one, readers again spend time with the four main female characters, each of whom has a significant secret in their past. They have bonded together to provide support to each other and to their community. Chief among the protagonists is Nora who owns a bookstore. She is a bibliotherapist and readers enjoy the added bonus of learning some of her book picks.

Series do not stay stagnant, so new characters are introduced. I hope that some will reappear in the next entry. The arrival of Sheldon adds a bit of magic to life at Nora’s bookstore and in the community. There are also the new owners of an inn.

There are two murders in the novel, one of a local Cherokee potter and the other of a young man who was seeking adventure and experience in the North Carolina region where the books are set. The mystery itself has connections with the past and is well developed. However, the main delight of this series is the characters and their world.

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

The Light Over London

Dual narratives currently appear to be popular in historical fiction. The recent novel, The Gown, uses this structure. These books offer the perspective of the present while exploring an earlier time and demonstrating that, whatever the period, characters look for meaning, relationships and safety. In this enjoyable novel by Julia Kelly, the reader gets to know Cara in the present and Louise during WWII. The device that links them is the diary that Cara, an antiques expert, finds when she is evaluating the objects in the home of a character with a link to Louise.

When the novel opens, Louise is living with her parents and is a dutiful daughter who dreams of one day moving to California with its sunshine and greater educational opportunities. However, her present is WWII Cornwall where she meets and falls for Paul. The evolution of their relationship is a key part of the novel.

The war provides Louise with the opportunity to enlist and leave her small community. She becomes an “ack-ack girl.” According to the website The Female Soldier, ack-ack girls “were members of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) that helped operate Anti-Aircraft Guns in the defense of Britain from German bombing raids during World War 2.” Louise becomes an integral member of an integrated male/female unit. She writes extensively to Paul while in the service. Will they have a happily ever after? You will need to read the novel to find out.

Cara, following a recent divorce, is giving most of her attention to her job until she meets a neighbor. Their relationship evolves. Will they have their happy ever after?

Throughout the book, Cara discovers Louise through her diaries, just as the reader does. These entries form an integral part of the narrative.

There are other stories as well, especially that of Cara’s grandmother who does not want to talk about her wartime life and who appears to be harboring a secret. Cara wants to know all that she can while her grandmother is alive to tell her. Will she find out?

Each of these narrative threads is handled well by the author and I very much enjoyed reading this novel. I experienced more of what it was like to live in London during wartime and connected with the characters and their stories. My only caveat would be that some of the physical romance feels a bit formulaic while it is the relationships that are more interesting.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-galley in exchange for an honest review. I recommend Light Over London to those who enjoy historical novels set during the second world war.