Read the latest book recommendations from President Barack Obama. Here he shares his favorite novels and insightful nonfiction.
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Excellent newsletter
Are you curious about: Other People’s Houses by Clare Mackintosh
#OtherPeoplesHouses #NetGalley
I was lucky enough to hear Clare Mackintosh speak not long after I had read the first book in her Ffion Morgan series. That was an enjoyable experience.
I have since read books 2 and 3 in the series with the third one being Other People’s Houses. I was delighted to spend time in Ffion’s world again, both professionally and in her off duty life.
Mackintosh has created a number of series characters whom I was happy to again see. These include Ffion’s former husband, her new love and his son, her daughter, her mother and, of course her dog. He is a handful.
Ffion is an officer in Wales while Leo, her boyfriend, works with the English police. Their cases often overlap as they do here.
Leo has been investigating a number of break ins in a wealthy enclave. As it turns out, his former wife does not live there but is close by and is trying to ingratiate herself with her upscale neighbors. Meanwhile, there has been a murder in Wales of a female realtor. Readers will observe as the cases intersect.
Readers will also follow a crime podcast of a cold case. Will this become relevant to Leo and Ffion’s case?
I highly recommend this series. The settings are well done, the characters are interesting, readers will hope that Ffion and Leo can keep their relationship going and the snarky bits are fun.
Recommended to fans of Welsh and English crime, those who like series and those who enjoy a good crime story. Publishers Weekly states that “…mystery readers of all stripes will find something to like.”
Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 16 September 2025
Another in the series:
Another book by the author:
A spa to die for: Death in Daylesford
by Kerry Greenwood
An e book bargain
Welcome back Phryne and Dot! A new novel with these beloved characters is always cause for rejoicing. This time, Phryne and Dot make their way to a spa for recovering WWI soldiers. It may sound like a peaceful retreat but series regulars know that mayhem is sure to follow, along with a resolution by the end of the novel.
Readers who enjoy fashion, wit and spas are sure to love this latest entry in the series. After reading this, many will look for other titles by Ms. Greenwood or they may want to watch the Miss Fisher mysteries on Acorn TV. Whichever way readers choose to encounter Phryne, they can’t go wrong.
Also note the gorgeous cover of this novel. The artwork is magnificent and Miss Fisher shines.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.
An e book bargain-A Girl’s Guide to Winning the War (Annie Lyons)
An e book bargain
#AGirlsGuidetoWinningtheWar #NetGalley
Last year I read and enjoyed this author’s The Air Raid Book Club. With her latest novel, Lyons again sets a story during WWII.
Lyons has a gift for writing about characters with warmth and caring. Readers will be hoping for the best for many of those that they meet in these pages.
I loved how the book’s protagonist Peggy believed in libraries and stories. The author also makes literary references that I enjoyed.
Peggy is trying her best in all ways to help the war effort while working for the Ministry of Information. At the same time, her twin brother sees active service and Peggy hopes that her work will somehow end the war sooner and bring him home.
In contrast, when readers meet Lady Marigold Cecily, Peggy’s nominal boss, she is more of a socialite than a worker. Will she change and make a contribution? What about the others in Peggy’s unit? Some are irascible; all have personalities.
Readers also get to know generations of Peggy’s family. They are an endearing group.
This is a book that is very easy to like. I recommend it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Headline for this title. All opinions are my own.
The author’s last book
My thoughts:
I truly enjoyed Annie Lyons’s novel about Eudora Honeysett and gave it five stars. I, was then, of course, quite eager to read The Air Raid Book Club. It did not disappoint.
This is an historical novel that will appeal to those who have read Dear Mrs. Bird, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Last Bookshop in London, and other similar titles. It is warm in the same way with characters about whom writers will care. Plus, there are books, lots of books. At the end of the novel titles are listed should readers wish to explore further.
Gertie was married to Harry. Together the two opened and loved a bookshop. Sadly, Harry died from the very thing that kept him from serving in the military. Gertie has subsequently lost her zest for life. When she is asked by one of Harry’s friends to take in a Jewish child as WWII looms, she hesitates before making her decision. What happens as a result of this choice, the importance of books, and more make this title a most satisfying read, even with some sadness in the events of the story. As an extra bonus, get to know Mr. Hemingway…no, not that one! He is Gertie’s lovely dog.
Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for this title. All opinions are my own.
She is: Amazing Grace Adams (Fran Littlewood)-an ebook bargain
As this book opens, Grace Adams is not feeling so amazing. it would be more accurate to say that she is feeling overwhelmed. Anyone who has ever been stuck in traffic will enjoy reading what Grace does when in this situation. This will be the beginning of readers caring about what happens to Grace.
The novel moves back-and-forth in time, letting readers know about Grace’s early linguistic talents, her marriage, her work, motherhood and more. She is the kind of woman who is trying to manage her life as. anyone who has read a novel by Allison Pearson might recognize.
Readers who enjoy stories with humor and emotion will be happy to meetGrace.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for this title.
This book was published in 2023
An e book bargain-Who are the: Unlikely Animals
A Novel
by Annie Hartnett
#UnlikelyAnimals #NetGalley
This unique and quirky novel was a book club pick for Good Housekeeping. It tells the story of Emma. She is a young woman who has had her struggles. She has left medical school and seemingly has lost her way.
Emma returns to the place where she grew up. Things are no easier there. Emma’s father is dying. Emma’s mother judges her. Emma’s brother has issues. Emma’s good friend is missing. There is much to cause despair.
This is a novel that invites readers into a world and asks them to consider some big issues. This is all done in a work that is both funny and heartbreaking at times as readers spend time with both human and animal characters.
Many thanks to Random House-Ballantine and NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 12 April 2022. 345 pages
From the Publisher
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“A quirky, poignant novel about family, community and love for our animal friends.”—The Washington Post
Ane book bargain-Kids won’t forget: Impossible Creatures
by Katherine Rundell
#ImpossibleCreatures #NetGalley
Remember when the first Harry Potter title was published? It went on to become one of those books that just took off and has been loved by so many. Similarly, I think that Impossible Creatures has every chance of being that next, very special book.
This novel tells an involving story of two children and a created world. First readers meet Christopher. One day he rescues a baby griffin and his life changes for ever. On this very same day, Christopher meets Mal (and her magic coat). She is in need of his help. Of course the two join forces.
Over the course of this book much happens to these characters in a story that is heroic, magical and engaging. Note that the illustrations add much pleasure to the reading. These are whimsical and quite appealing.
In my opinion, young readers will be very eager to get their hands on this one! I am sure that it will get kids reading. Yay!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s-Knopf Books for Young Readers for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 10 September 2024 in the U.S.
* BRITISH BOOK AWARDS CHILDREN’S FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR * WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR WINNER * BOOKS ARE MY BAG READERS’ AWARD WINNER * FOYLES CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE YEAR * SHORTLISTED FOR AMAZON KIDS AND YA BOOK OF THE YEAR
* THE TIMES CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE WEEK * THE INDEPENDENT CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE WEEK * THE DAILY TELEGRAPH CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE WEEK * SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER IN SEPTEMBER 2023
There’s a place where all the wildest stories began . From Katherine Rundell, the British Book Awards Author of the Year, comes the paperback release of the first novel in the critically acclaimed, award winning, best-selling Impossible Creatures series. This edition includes The Centaur’s Spectacles bonus short story.
Christopher is stunned when he discovers a passage to the Archipelago: a cluster of magical islands where all the creatures of myth still live and breed and thrive in their thousands. There he meets Mal: a girl from the islands, who is in possession of a flying coat and a baby griffin, and who is being pursued by a killer. Together they embark on an urgent quest to discover why the creatures are suddenly perishing, voyaging across the wild splendour of the Archipelago, where sphinxes hold secrets and centaurs do murder, in a bid to save both the islands and the world beyond them from a rising evil – before it’s too late.
‘Rundell’s first foray into fantasy is both a deft, rich homage to the greats of children’s literature and an absorbing, profoundly poignant quest story for those aged 9+ – quite possibly her best yet’ – The Guardian
‘A marvellous, imaginative fantasy told with great style and sparkle – a book to race through in a day and keep for a lifetime’ – Jacqueline Wilson
‘The world of this new book is so intriguing and so well put together that I couldn’t resist it. Readers who already know her books will seize this with delight, and new readers will love it and demand all her others at once’ – Philip Pullman
‘A masterpiece to rival Tolkien and Pullman’ – The Daily Telegraph
‘Fantastically exuberant, wildly imaginative, impossibly brilliant. Rundell’s best, which is something to be marvelled at’ – Kiran Millwood Hargrave
‘Between the covers of Impossible Creatures is a world as enchanting, as perilous, as richly imagined as Narnia or Middle Earth‘ – Frank Cottrell-Boyce
‘Rundell’s book packs a punch with imagination and creativity in its purest form. She has created a story with potential to be adored by fantasy lovers for years to come’ – The Independent
‘With a delightful cast of characters, breathless adventure, and an abundance of myth and magic, Impossible Creatures offers the very best of fantasy’ – Aisha Bushby
‘A fierce, fantastic, wild-hearted adventure that roars and bristles with imagination. I devoured it like a hungry dragon’ – Sam Sedgman
‘A rare and remarkable feat of glittering imagination from a truly masterful storyteller’ – Catherine Doyle
‘The action is gripping. Every sentence sparkles. You can feel the flutter of griffin feathers and the menace of strange poisonous shrews. Magnificent’ – The Times
‘Surely the next classic’ – The I
An e book bargain-This one will move you: What Does It Feel Like?
by Sophie Kinsella
#WhatDoesItFeelLike #NetGalley
I, like many others, have enjoyed many light hearted books by Ms. Kinsella. This short title is something different.
As many may know, Kinsella has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Here, she takes a fictional look at a character facing a similar situation.
Author, Eve, seems to have it all. There are her writing, her spouse, her children and an all around lovely life until she wakes up in a hospital bed, not knowing why. The answer floods in on her as Eve learns that she is facing a life and death situation.
Readers follow Eve and those around her in a work that is extremely moving. I highly recommend this one.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 08 October 2024
From the Publisher
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An e book bargain-Would you want to join: The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club (Helen Simonson)
#TheHazelbourneLadiesMotorcycleandFlyingClub #NetGalley
I knew that I wanted to read this novel as soon as I saw the beautiful cover and the name of the author. Many may recognize Helen Simonson from her book Mr. Pettigrew’s Last Stand. In that work and this, Simonson writes with her own distinctive sensibility.
The Hazelbourne story begins not long after WWI has ended. Readers may think that the armistice resolved everything; however, for many figuring out a life post-war was not always easy. In this novel, the author spends time with some of those folks.
Constance grew up somewhat beholden to the family of her mother’s best friend. There were class differences between them but a relationship endured. During the war, Constance managed the family’s estate. Once the war was over, her sense of purpose was taken away since the job was given back to a man.
Poppy is a happily unconventional young woman. She seems to live as she likes. A big part of this is her motorcycle business. Riding along in one of these vehicles when driven by a woman was not expected at the time.
Poppy’s brother served and lost a limb. All he wants to do is fly again but no one will look at him as capable as the story opens.
The lives of these characters come together at a seaside hotel when Poppy asks Constance for a favor. Poppy’s mother, brother and she have seemingly taken up long term residence there While Constance is visiting as a companion to an older woman.
In addition to these main characters, many others are in these pages. In this way, the author creates a broad canvas for her story.
Lots happens as readers get to know the characters in this novel of manners that unfolds at its own leisurely pace. Issues are covered that are reflective of the time period.
Readers will become attached to many in this story and will wait to see how things l turn out. They will enjoy every bit of this over 400 page book.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 07 May 2024
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 