Great reads for adults and children!
I was intrigued by Two Steps Forward. I read and recommend The Paris Wife about Ernest Hemingway and his first wife Hadley. The author has also written a book on Hemingway’s wife Martha Gellhorn which I reviewed. Both are very good. Otherwise, mystery and a classic by Fierstein.
Where I live, the weather is currently cold and the days are short. When Trace Elements takes place during a summer in Venice, it is as hot as hot can be. Clothes are sticking, meals need to be light and our detective, Guido Brunetti is mystified by the tourists who want to be in Venice at this miserable time. I could feel the heat and the need to drink mineral water. All of this is to say that Ms. Leon is a master at creating her scenes and characters. When Brunetti was eating his cheese and salad, I salivated. When I followed this essentially good man throughout the story, I wanted to know him and his colleagues as real people. When Brunetti was with his wife, Paola, I wanted a marriage like theirs. All of this adds verisimilitude to a novel that, in parts, is deeply tragic.
Tue story begins when Brunetti and a female colleague go to visit Benedetta, a women in hospice care, who is dying a miserable death from cancer. Readers will feel great sympathy for this character’s suffering. Before she dies, Benedetta presents Brunetti and Claudia Griffoni with something to investigate. They learn that Benedetta’s daughters are about to become orphans as Benedetta’s husband recently died in a crash. Was his death an accident? If it was murder how, if at all, does it relate to his job?
In Trace Elements (an apt title), the crime as it relates to Venice feels all too plausible. Ms. Leon has done her research and written a believable and sad tale of human corruption and its consequences. Wrong actions happen but the reasons for them differ.
This title is the latest entry in Donna Leon’s long running series about Guido Brunetti. It is a most excellent novel and I recommend it highly.
The Mitford Scandal is the third mystery in a series by Jessica Fellowes. Each features one of the six Mitford sisters. They were quite a group and well worth reading about in books like The Six.
Ms. Fellowes has done her research on the 1920s and 30s and the book is enhanced by what she has learned and shared. This entry is largely about Diana Mitford and her circle of “Bright Young Things.” In that circle were artists, writers and those living the high life. For example there are Lytton Strachey, Waugh and Dora Carrington. Settings include London, the British countryside, Italy and France. All are described well.
Diana, herself, marries young to an heir to the Guinness money. It is hard to realize that she is only 21 or so when she is the mother to two small children. She leads a glittering life. The reader learns that she meets and is intrigued by Oswald Moseley, a British Fascist. This adds further verisimilitude to the story.
Oh, and of course there are murders. SPOILER: A maid, a wealthy man allergic to sesame, his wife and an actress. There is also a missing maid. How are these connected? You will need to read the book to find out.
Readers who are returning to the series will welcome spending time with Louisa and Guy, along with other members of the Mitford clan.
All in all, this was an enjoyable, moderately paced mystery that will be welcomed by fans of historical mysteries.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.
Mostly mystery with the addition of Graham Greene. Faith Martin book is free.
The book’s introduction is personal and explains the deep importance of what follows to the author. She recalls looking for people more like her and longing for role models; Ms. Sicardi is making what she wanted easily available to young readers.
This book can be read in order or flipped through. It is engagingly illustrated and filled with people, some of whom readers will know even as others become new acquaintances. Just some of those profiled include Sappho, Freddie Mercury, Emma Gonzalez, James Baldwin, Tove Jansson, Martina Navratilova, Tim Cook. Virginia Woolf, Lili Elbe and Nobuko Voshiya. The book also includes a helpful glossary.
This title provides its readers with a sense that they are not alone in the world. It may well encourage them to learn more about those in the book whom they find most appealing.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.
From the publisher:
David Bowie became an icon to many in the LGBTQ+ community. His work opened the door for others to embrace sexual diversity, and he challenged people’s perception of gender stereotypes.
Frida shared her work with Diego Rivera, who encouraged her to continue her artistic career path. It was not long before the couple fell in love and they married in 1929, but it was a rocky and turbulent marriage. Frida, who was openly bisexual, had affairs with men and women. Diego too had numerous affairs, and the couple eventually divorced, although they married once more in 1940!
Frida Kahlo, the Mexican, bisexual, Communist, feminist has become one of the best-known artists of all time.
When I was a young teen, I took a sewing class. For some reason, the skills needed for making a skirt or a jumper did not come easily to me. So, it was with great interest that I picked up this title on skills that I lack. What I found was a gorgeous book, beautifully illustrated and filled with quotes. In it, the authors teach so much that one needs to be able to mend, beginning with the basic threading a needle. It becomes clear that mending is also full of metaphor for life.
We are entering a time when popular wisdom is suggesting that we reuse and recycle our clothes rather than always buying new things. So, this book on sewing and more is quite timely.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this lovely book. All opinions are my own.
From the publisher:
This title is the latest in a series of brief biographies of well known individuals. Each is meant to teach and inspire young children. This entry about Martin Luther King is no exception. In this title with muted, multi racial illustrations, Martin’s story is told from childhood. At that time, he experienced discrimination. Young readers learn how this impacted him as he moved to change things through peaceful protest. Because this book is for young children, there is no mention of his assassination but rather focuses on his “I have a dream” speech.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book in exchange for an honest review.
Mostly mysteries here. I enjoy The Grantchester Mysteries, also the subject of the tv series (although they are not consistent with one another). There is also a Donna Leon; my goal is to read all of them. Enjoy.
I was drawn to this book’s appealing cover and its promise of interesting tales inside. Indeed, readers will enjoy eight stories about modern, bold young princesses along with beautiful illustrations. Plus, there is a magic mirror; all in all a fun read and a Guardian book of 2019.
The author draws readers in in the first short chapter of the book that is written in a familiar fairy tale style. In it, an enchantress is asked to be a godmother and realizes that she needs to figure out the best attributes for a princess. The answers she receives do not seem adequate so, with the help of a magic mirror, she goes on a quest to learn more and the stories begin…
In the first, a princess’s sister is ill. Though the palace is filled with knights, none are willing or brave enough to seek the witch who might provide a cure. So instead, a princess who needs to tie her glasses on with string, is the one to go on a quest. What will happen? Feminist adults will enjoy what does and the encouragement that is given to a girl to be strong and to believe. So it goes from there for the rest of the tales until the final one in which a building project is successfully scuppered in order to save a garden. Throughout all of the stories the mirror is a constant as the reader learns about the qualities that a princess requires.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this fun and empowering take on the fairly tale in exchange for an honest review.
From the publisher:
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 