The college search process is often stressful, challenging, unrelenting and competitive. Having resources and support can be very helpful. For those who want a book that might help to sort through what schools offer and look for, this one could be of help.
The overall theme of this title is finding…including the following sections:
Finding Your Way, Finding Community, Finding Academic Success, Finding Value, Finding First Steps, Finding Activities, and Finding Global Learning.
The authors also look at hidden gems, fields of study in more. There are many lists to help in the sorting and discovery process.
This book is designed to help students find schools where they can thrive. It is not just recommending that handful of extremely competitive schools.
Start with the questionnaire and go from there to get some suggestions and advice.
This book is long and packed with lists. I wish that there had been more to this book than the lists however.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Educonsulting Media for this title. All opinions are my own.
Frank Bruni is a long term columnist with the New York Times and a writer who ably reflects what is going on in the world around him (and us). That is true here.
The cover of this book is quite evocative and points to how many are living now-instead of pouring oil on troubled waters, many seem to be reaching for the gasoline. Why so much grievance? Why so little understanding?
Bruni goes through many of these current grievances. A number of these will be familiar to readers who may have already formed their own opinions. Keep reading though because Bruni also has suggestions about how to do better. There are also suggested readings.
Note: those who regularly read Bruni’s columns may well find some familiar material here.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for this title. All opinions are my own.
Any adult who loves basketball may want to introduce a very young child to the legendary LeBron James. This cute board book offers one nice way to do just that. It is part of a series of Baby Biographies published by the Cider Mill Press (you can look for other titles).
The pictures in this book are vibrant and colorful and could appeal to a baby or toddler. The text may take a bit more growing up first, making this a book that may be picked up over a period of time.
Both adults and kids will learn a lot about LeBron here.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Cider Mill Press for this title. All opinions are my own.
A witty, cosy mystery packed with twists, turns and tea!
When her flamboyant and spirited half-sister, Frankie, returns to Little Clarsden to claim her share of Rose Cottage, left to them by their Aunt Lucy, she is met with a frosty reception from Julia, who still harbours an old grievance. In an attempt to mend their fractured relationship, the sisters attend a murder mystery weekend at the grand country house of the Medfield estate in the rolling hills of Somerset.
After the first evening’s supper, a “poisoned dart” “kills” one of the guests. In the classic whodunit style of a country house mystery, the game of tracking down the “killer” is afoot.
The playful intrigue takes a sinister turn when the sisters discover a real body hidden in a secret passage. When the body disappears before anyone else can see it, no one believes it ever existed.
As night falls, dark clouds are massing like a cloak of a thousand ravens. A fierce storm leaves the guests trapped in the mansion. With fallen trees and debris rendering the guest’s escape impossible, the killer strikes again. This time, everyone believes the sisters.
With the body count rising and two murders to solve, our sharp-witted, sleuthing sisters set aside their differences, determined to unravel the tangled clues of the murder mystery, track down the real killer, and uncover the truth.
Amid the glamour and intrigue of the other guests and the actors slipping in and out of character, it’s difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction. Nothing and no one is as they seem.
As the sisters get closer to the truth, someone wants them silenced—permanently. With laugh-out-loud banter, a hint of danger, and a twist even Agatha Christie would admire, can Julia and Frankie catch the culprit before the murder weekend becomes their last?
With witty and charming characters and a plot with more twists and turns than a country road, More Than Murder is a delightful blend of humour, mystery and the classic country house crime, perfect for fans of Richard Osman, M.C. Beaton and Benjamin Stevenson.
More Than Murder is the first book in this cosy crime series.
233 pages
My thoughts:
I generally enjoy traditional mysteries that are set in the English countryside. They can provide a welcome escape from day to day life. As a further inducement, this one features a murder mystery weekend at a grand estate. This allows for a variety of characters/suspects and an interesting plot. It also gives the protagonist, who is not enjoying her retirement, quite the focus.
The story features Julia (retired) and Frankie (Julia’s half sister); they have a few things to work out in their history. When the fictional mystery weekend begins to include real murders, will these two work together to solve a perplexing case?
Here is a story that has fun characters, some humor and twists, and a good plot. There are also Shakespeare quotes at the beginning of each chapter. I enjoyed this novel and look forward to others in the series.
Many thanks to Hannah Hargrave for an early copy of this title. All opinions are my own.
About the author:
Jayne Chard
Jayne started writing plays when she was eight and wrote her first “book” at fourteen. After graduating with a degree in psychology and drama, Jayne went on to win the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Buzz Goodbody’s Director Award. Whilst continuing to write, she started working as a professional theatre director , and two of her plays were performed at the London Fringe. Attracted to the small screen, Jayne became absorbed in TV drama directing. Now a multi-award-winning film and TV drama producer, her credits include the BBC flagship brand SILENT WITNESS. . In addition to a successful film and television career, Jayne was integral in setting up a veterinary clinic on the remote island of Koh Tao in Thailand. She has also worked as a radio presenter. Jayne lives in the West Country with her partner and two cuddly cockapoos. MORE THAN MURDER is Jayne’s debut novel and the first in this edgy, cosy crime series. .
This novel is certain to be one of the “big” novels of the fall. Its author Ann Patchett is well known for her thoughtful, literary style and moving story lines. The Dutch House will be welcomed by Patchett’s loyal readers and may well attract some new fans.
The book tells the story of siblings, Maeve and Danny, those around them and the home that resonates with them. The story moves back and forth in time as characters and their stories take center stage or temporarily recede.
This is a complex and sophisticated novel that makes readers think about relationships (parent/child, stepparent/child, husband/wife, siblings, step-siblings, those who work for families), finding a way in life, sacrifices and choices. Readers will not forget The Dutch House and those who lived there.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this read in exchange for an honest review.
Other Reviews
“Patchett’s splendid novel is a thoughtful, compassionate exploration of obsession and forgiveness, what people acquire, keep, lose or give away, and what they leave behind.”— (Publishers Weekly (starred review))
“Like the many-windowed mansion at its center, this richly furnished novel gives brilliantly clear views into the lives it contains.” (Kirkus Reviews (starred review))
“Expect miracles when you read Ann Patchett’s fiction.” (New York Times Book Review)
“Patchett is a master storyteller.” (O, the Oprah Magazine)
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 