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

What Really Matters is about just that. This book of short readings, one for each day, is about living a life in accord with one’s values and beliefs. Taking the few minutes in the morning (or later) to pause, read and reflect, is a wonderful way to have a day that is filled with kindness and mindfulness. There are suggestions for bible verses to study which I think readers may delve into further should they wish. I myself don’t. The book is geared towards those who are Christian but the underlying messages are for everyone.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book in exchange for an honest review.

love this book! It is a picture book about a girl who looks forward to bedtime stories with her dad each night. This favorite time is disrupted when dad gets a new job and is too busy and distracted for this ritual. Taking matters into her own hands, Shailey advertises for someone to read to her. Readers will chuckle as Shailey edits and modifies her help wanted ad based on the applicants. For a further sense of fun, the applicants are all characters from favorite children’s stories. Both adults and children should enjoy recognizing job seekers like Cinderella and Goldilocks. The end of the book is sweet as the best applicant, gets the job.

At the end of the book are amusing personal statements from a few of those seeking employment, including Robin Hood and Tinkerbell. There is also a caution to keep devices and distractions away from story time.

All in all, this was a delightful story with great illustrations. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date:  March 2020

This book for young readers includes facts about 25 holidays. Some of the celebrations are secular or national (Thanksgiving, July 4th, Bastille Day, Groundhog Day, Anzac Day), while others are religious (Easter, Rosh Hashana, Christmas, Hannukah, Eid al Fitr). In addition to the holidays and celebrations just mentioned this book features fourteen additional days to remember. Throughout the illustrations are whimsical, bright and engaging.

This book will be a good addition to the school library shelves. It is broadly based with holidays from all over the world including China, Japan, India, Africa and more.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley. I enjoyed celebrating with you.

What a day!  I am especially excited about Maya Angelou’s poetry which I just purchased.  For a comfort read, no one is better than Maeve Binchy, the wonderful Donna Leon is here and look at all those bests!  Enjoy.

A groundbreaking novel of its time and a National Book Award winner: “[A] fine, honest, and moving a study of a young doctor” (The Atlantic Monthly).”

I read this one many years ago and it has been on my wanting to re-read list for a while.

A treat from Zadie Smith

I knew that the musical, Come From Away, was quite successful. However, since I was living in Manhattan on that fateful 9/11, I thought that I would never see Come From Away. I thought that it would bring back too many memories of an impossibly stressful, sad and difficult time. Then, this past spring, a friend got tickets for us and off we went, only for me to conclude that Come From Away was a fantastic show and one that was uplifting. I immediately began proselytizing for this musical, telling friends to see it. Of course, not everyone can get to Broadway, but this book will give readers a rich flavor of the play and its context.

Illustrated with photos of Gander and its surroundings, with sections on history and context, comment and information on the folks whose creation it was (the authors of this book, by the way), interviews with the cast and residents, and dialogue from the play’s book, Come From Away includes so much.

Given how much I loved the show and the people of Gander as they were portrayed, I was absolutely thrilled to be given an e galley of this title by NetGalley and the publisher, in return for an honest review. I give it 4.5/5

Lots of nonfiction today including

  and also:

In this novel, The Golden Hour literally describes the hour before sunset. It is an ephemeral time.  “The sun disappears.  The night arrives.”  This image is true to the novel where there are both bright and dark times for the characters.

In this novel, there is sunshine and shadow.  There is love and connection along with the potential to lose those whom one most deeply cares for.  As is true is many historical novels, the reader learns about these tropes through characters in two different time periods.  Eventually their stories converge.

In the earlier time period, readers follow Elfriede whose story begins in Switzerland in 1900.  Elfriede, who is breathtakingly beautiful, is married but not in a passionate relationship.  Suffering what we would now call postpartum depression, she is sent to a clinic to recuperate.  While there, Elfriede meets Wilfrid, the man who will be most critical to her being.  Around Elfriede swarm other characters including her son, Johann, and the children of her husband’s mistress whom she loves as her own.  There is much more to Elfriede’s story than I am including here so you will need to read the book to get the full scope what happens to her.

The second time line is the 1940s.  We meet Lulu who has quite a backstory.  She is in the Bahamas reporting on daily life whereshe joins the circle of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.  Life is a mix of decadence, amurder and Red Cross volunteer work.  While in the Bahamas, Lulu again meets up with Benedict, whom she loves as Efriede loves Wilfred.

Of course the stories and lives of Lulu and Elfriede intersect.  No spoliers, so no more except to say that there are several love stories, some of which are about parental/filial and not romance.

The story takes place in multiple countries and each place leaves the reader feeling like they are there. The denoument includes what may be a surprise for many readers.

I enjoyed The Golden Hour.  The characters are vivid, the pages turn and I was sorry to come to the end.  I give this novel 4.5 starts out of 5.

Have you read this one?  What did you think?

Reviews

The Malcontenta is part of a series of books about Detectives Brock and Kalla.  This one was one of my favorites.  The author is Australian but the books are set in England.  This one takes place at a spa.

This excellent first in the series is also a bargain today.

For the school performance, each child is going to dress up as a favorite food. There is a wonderful array of choices. The only one who cannot decide is Frankie because he likes so many things! His teacher is not in favor of some of his amusing combinations. She suggests that instead he help with the costumes. As a reader, I was not sure that I agreed with the message that sent as it seemed to discourage Frankie’s creativity. But..wait until the end to see what Frankie does.

This is a book with very cute illustrations. As stated, I did not completely agree with the teacher offering Frankie an option other than being a food, even though Frankie did not mind. If you read this one, let me know what you think.

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