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

A Visual Directory of 100 of the Most Popular Songbirds

by Noble S. Proctor

NOW OUT!

During Covid I often went for walks at my local botanical garden. While there, I saw and heard a number of birds. I recognized a few-robins, cardinals, sparrows, red tailed hawks and several more but I always wished that I knew more. In terms of sounds, I recognized a woodpecker and that was about it.

This book was created for folks like me although even those with more knowledge can also enjoy this title. There is a helpful introduction about why, how, when and where songbirds may be found. The book goes on to include lots of songbirds in categories, as for example, larks swallows, jays, nuthatches, wood warblers, tangers and many more. Readers enjoyment of the text is enhanced by the many detailed illustrations.

This book also has information on topics including making feeders and homes for birds. Some of these projects will undoubtedly lead to even more enjoyment as birds could land right in a reader’s backyard.

This title is an excellent resource for learning about birds. There is plenty of information on each bird that is featured within these pages. For example, take the Olive-sided Flycatcher. I now know where they can be found, what their song is like, how they behave, what they eat and more. There is similar information for each of the included birds.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own. I can’t wait to get back in nature to learn more.

The last three books listed here are discounted but are in the $5 and above range.

by joycesmysteryandfictionbookreviewsFebruary 6, 2021

A Novel of World War II

by Madeline Martin

Pub Date 06 Apr 2021

As soon as I saw the title of this book, I wanted to read it. The magic word, of course, was bookshop. I also found the cover to be very appealing. So, I initially judged this one by its cover. That said, I wasn’t’ disappointed.

This novel’s protagonist, Grace, is a young woman who recently lost her mother. Along with her best friend, Viv, she moves to London to stay with a family friend. The two arrive only to have war declared not long after. Viv enters one of the women’s units while Grace remains with her mother’s friend. She takes a position in a bookshop and the shop is also a character in the book.

This story points out the importance of literature. In a lovely scene, Grace goes underground during a bombing raid where she begins reading Middlemarch to those who are stuck in the shelter over night. Those stuck there look forward to additional chapters when the next call to go underground comes.

Grace organized the bookshop and develops a relationship with its curmudgeonly owner. She studies way to make the shop successful and, for example, advertises buying books to read while unable to sleep in one’s beds due to the bombings.

The author does a good job of portraying wartime Britain. There are losses of people, property, usual foods, a way of life. There are also the joys of friendship, love, books and connection.

There are so many WWII set novels being written now. My theory is that, awful as the war was, it is more reassuring to look back at that time than our current one. For all of the suffering, the reader knows that eventually Britain will declare victory.

I think that this title is worth reading. Let me know what you think!

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

A Novel

by Zakiya Dalila Harris

#TheOtherBlackGirl #NetGalley

The Other Black Girl has received a great deal of attention and praise. This is a first novel about publishing, being Black, ties, connections and more. It is written by an author who worked in publishing and she most successfully creates her fictional house. There is jockeying for position from the lowly assistants through the editors…and, of course, the authors. All of this is very successfully portrayed.

Nella has been working as the only person of color in her position as an editorial assistant at Wagner. Mostly, early in the book, it feels as if everyone gets along with Nella, although there are microaggressions and the firm is certainly not forward looking. One day, another Black young woman is hired. Hazel exudes a confidence that Nella does not always feel. The two develop their relationship but it is complicated.

Layered into the plot are an author who mysteriously disappeared and thet troubling notes that Nella begins to receive. These notes clearly state that Nella should leave Wagner. Why? Who is behind this? Pages turn in this novel as readers await the denouement.

All credit to new author, Ms. Harris for writing a novel that is entertaining, even if some plot elements strain credulity, It is also one that may make the reader think.

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

A Good Morning America, Esquire, and Read with Marie Claire Book Club Pick and a People Best Book of Summer

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2021 by Time, The Washington Post, Harper’s Bazaar, Entertainment Weekly, Marie Claire, Bustle, BuzzFeed, Parade, Goodreads, Fortune, and BBC

I admit that I have only watched part of one episode of Bridgerton, the series that everyone seems to be raving about. I may go back and watch more. In the meantime though, I will enjoy some of the scrumptious recipes that are in this book. I am enough of an Anglophile to know that there is no time like teatime, so I am eager to sample some of these treats.

This title is broken into chapters on canapes; scones and spreads; teatime sweets; dinner party fare; and Regency Cocktails. So many things look delicious but I admit that I especially love scones so that was my favorite section.

The recipes are varied and look easy to follow. So if you are an Anglophile and.or Bridgerton fan, this book is for you!

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

#TheGiverofStars #NetGalley

Jojo Moyes has written many novels that I have loved. There, of course, was the trio of books that began with Me Before You. I also enjoyed The Last Letter From Your Lover and Silver Bay, among others.

I was interested in reading The Giver of Stars but hesitated for a while. The reason was that I had recently read The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek and I knew that the books covered similar territory (literally in terms of geography and also in concept). I am glad to report that both novels are well worth a reader’s time.

Each of these historical novels is premised on the love of books and ways to make books available to readers. In this one, readers follow Alice. She was born in England and has married an American. Her life is not exactly what she was hoping for so, when Eleanor Roosevelt is looking for women to distribute books, she is eager to rise to the challenge.

Over the course of the novel Alice and her new female friends learn a lot about one another and how they want to live their lives. Follow along with them and enjoy this latest novel by one of our best writers of women’s fiction.

My only quibble with this book is that it is so similar to Troublesome Creek. For that reason, readers may want to spend time with just one of these titles.

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

Editorial reviews:

“Though she made her mark writing contemporary romance, Moyes proves just as adept at historical fiction. . . . The Giver of Stars is a celebration of love, but also of reading, of knowledge, of female friendship, of the beauty of our most rural corners, and our enduring American grit: the kind of true grit that can be found in the hills of Kentucky and on the pages of this inspiring book.”
—The Washington Post

“Moyes paints an engrossing picture of life in rural America, and it’s easy to root for the enterprising librarians.”
—The New York Times Book Review

by Nikolas Ilic

#AnimalABC #NetGalley

Pub Date 20 Jul 2021   

This entry in the ABC book market features 26 colorful, cartoon-like animals. For each creature, there is a fun fact beneath the illustration. Some of the animals are well-known, as for example, a dog and a fox. Others are a bit more obscure; there are a komodo dragon, a quetzalt and an urial for instance.

Those looking for an ABC that has a unique character may want to pick this one up.

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

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