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

Are you a person who watches Jeopardy?  Do you like to challenge your knowledge of facts either alone or as part of a team?  Are you looking for a fun activity for New Year’s Eve or the New Year?  However you choose to play, this book is fun and entertaining.  Questions are divided by topic and test a person’s knowledge base.  Below, a couple of examples.

Topic:  19 and 20 Century Painters:

In May 2-10, Meules sold for more thatn $110 million, the most ever commanded by an Impressionist painting.  Who Painted this masterpiece?

a.  Edouard Manet  b.Claude Monet  c. Edgar Degas or d. Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky is often considered the first important painter o

a. Oprhism b. modern abstract art c. Futurism or d. Synchronism

Topic: Food and Drink-Regional favorites:

Some say that if you want a cheesesteak, you have to go to the source-this Pennsylvanian city.

This region is where white clam chowder comes from.

This dish of French fries, gravy and cheese has migrated to the United States from Canada.

If this has tempted you, you will most definitely enjoy this book.

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

 

 

What a clever idea for an anthology! The author organizes this book into sections that reflect moods such as “cry it out with, fall in love with, celebrate life with, focus with, dance around with” and more. Each section features artists as, for example, cry it out with Lana Del Rey, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Joni Mitchell and others. There is then information about each artist including biographical facts and suggestions of songs. This book with illustrations of the musicians would make a great gift for an eight year old or above child in your. The suggestions are good for adults too.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this read in exchange for an honest review.

#MusicIsMyLife #NetGalley

Wow!  I am impressed by today’s choices.  Many that I have either enjoyed or want to read.  After blogging on Julia Spencer Fleming yesterday, I was glad to see the her first book here.  Try her series!  I also blogged on the Widow which was very well written.  I am currently reading the second in this series.  The Memory Keeper’s Daughter wills stir your emotions and you can never go wrong with Ann Cleeves. I included Invitation to Sociology because it got me interested in my college major.  All of the other titles here are also worth a look.  Happy reading.

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Julia Spencer-Fleming pens one of the best mystery series around.  I recommend her books most highly and I have read them all, starting with In the Bleak Midwinter.  The setting is upstate New York and the region is brought to life in a way that makes a reader feel that they are there.  The protagonists, Clare and Russell are adults with histories; both were in the military.  Clare is now an Episcopal priest while Russ is the head of the Millers Kill Police Department. Over the course of the series, readers get to know these real, flawed and genuine adults well.

It is best to read this series in order.  Long term readers will be ecstatic to spend time with Russ, Clare and those in their world after a long hiatus between the last book and this one.  In this entry the main story is complex as it involves three murders; one took place in the 50s, one in the 70s.  No spoilers so I can’t say more.

If you know Clare and Russ,  I hope that you will be as delighted as I was by their return.  If you are new to the series, you are lucky as you have nine books to look forward to.  Mystery readers, please check this series out.  Ms. Spencer-Fleming, you have not lost your touch!

Many, many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this read in exchange for an honest review.

 

So many great titles here.  A special shout out to one of my all time favorites, The Little Paris Bookshop, and The Likeness, my favorite by Tana French. Me Before You was a good read and very popular.  Fantasy worlds in the first two listed here.  All titles here seem worth a look to me.  Let me know your thoughts.

The author of this cookbook has a compelling story about how she came to veganism. She shares that she grew up in Florida in a home where meals generally came out of packets of some sort. She had little in the way of fresh ingredients come her way. Now, a mom of two, Moreno has embraced seasonal, plant based food, the subject of this beautifully photographed cookbook.

The book is organized by season with the author enjoying the colors and flavors of locally produced ingredients. Fall recipes include Crispy Pumpkin Spiced Chickpeas, Butternut Squash and Apple Soup, and a Sweet Miso Tahini Macro Bowl…and then, let’s not forget the Pumpkin Stuffed Mac and Cheese. There are similarly appealing recipes for the other three seasons.

The directions are clear and precise. This book will especially be welcomed by vegans but everyone can find something healthy and appealing to eat within these pages.

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

Who doesn’t love chocolate?  If you do and you would  like to make chocolate creations at home, this book is for you!  The author has such wide ranging knowledge and she generously shares it in this book.  There are many excellent recipes, information about tools and techniques, troubleshooting sections, information about the different kinds of chocolate and more.  Looking at this book made me want to get to work.  It also made me aware that learning to make great treats with chocolate may take some time and patience.

I highly recommend this book and hope, that if you make something in it, you will let us bloggers know how it was!

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

From the publisher:

SAMPLE RECIPE: Chocolate-Dipped Chocolate Creamsicles

What makes a creamy chocolate ice pop even better than the near-perfect frozen summer treat that it already is? Coating it in a thin, crackly layer of chocolate!

1. Chop 4 ounces of bittersweet chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl. Heat the milk and honey in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the milk mixture boils, pour it immediately over the chopped chocolate. Wait one full minute, then whisk the chocolate mixture until it is smooth. Whisk in the heavy cream.

2. Pour the warm chocolate mixture into ice pop molds. Insert an ice pop stick and freeze.

3. Melt 8 ounces of bittersweet chocolate and the coconut oil

together using the Double Boiler Method. Pour the sauce into a tall container that is just wide enough to accommodate an ice pop

4. Line the half sheet pan with parchment paper and place the pan in the freezer. Release the ice pops from the molds. Holding an ice pop upside down by the stick, lower it into the container of chocolate sauce. Once the entire ice pop is immersed, pull it out, let the excess sauce drip off it for a few seconds, then place it on the half sheet pan in the freezer. Repeat this step with each ice pop.

#ChocolateforBeginners #NetGalley

I reviewed The Guest Book (see blog) and liked it.  Before I Go to Sleep was a good thriller.  Betty Smith presents a classic.  If you miss Agatha Christie, you might like The Monogram Murders, though the original AC is better.  Linda Castillo writes a fairly hardboiled series in an Amish community; not cozy.

Hope you see something tht interests you here.

Grow Kind is another title published in conjunction with the American Psychological Association. These books address issues and subjects that will lead to positive growth for children.

In this title, that is colorfully and very cheerfully illustrated, a young girl learns about being kind to others. This is shown is several ways; there is allowing her older sister to sleep late, picking the bounty from a garden and sharing it with neighbors and classmates. The protagonist also gives food to someone who is standing by the road and is hungry.

As always, the story is followed by sections for adults that further enhance the lesson of the story and that help those who interact with children to understand their needs. I found this title to be another good entry in a good series.

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

review.

 

#MindfulThoughtsforMothers #NetGalley

Of all people, parents may benefit from practicing mindfulness (if only they can make the time). There are so many stresses and challenges that come with being a mom that stepping back for a moment can be incredibly helpful. This book aims to help with that. Some of the topics covered include love, the first few months, mothering together, tantrums, impermanence, the daily grind, challenges and acceptance, gratitude, , teenagers and the journey onwards, among others. This book offers gentle advice to mothers. Maybe this title will help you or a mom that you know.

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