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

Erica James has written many novels.  In each, the reader becomes absorbed with the characters, settings and actions of the people who come to life.  In Coming Home to Island House, the time is 1939 and the outbreak of WWII.  Independent and a writer, Romily has finally become invested in a relationship.  Older than Romily,  Jack Devereux, respects her and does not want her to change.  No real spoiler, because this happens early in the novel,  but Jack dies leaving Romily to live in the beautiful Island House.  Also coming to Island House are Jack’s children, including a niece whom he adopted.  Arthur is self-centered and not very likeable, while his brother Kit seems very much his opposite.  Hope has been widowed and is the guardian of her baby niece, who was smuggled out of Germany because of being part Jewish.  Last, there is Allegra who began life in an Italian orphanage, only to begin living with her uncle Jack. Each of these main characters has hopes, dreams and relationships that the reader follows in the book.  There are also some below stairs folk, people in the village and a young British evacuee, among others.

Ms. James moves among the characters, giving readers the chance to get to know them well.  If you enjoy a family story and like to immerse yourself in a long novel, consider this one.  It was published in Britain but can be ordered through sites such as abebooks.com.

Readers are captivated by Coming Home to Island House:

‘Erica James at her very best…a fulfilling, hugely enjoyable read’

‘This book felt like a luxurious treat’

‘A wonderful thread of love, grace, loss and forgiveness… Highly recommended’

‘One of those glorious stories where you don’t want to put the book down!’

‘I feel completely in love with all aspects of this books – the characters, the setting and the writing. I

We have now made it to fall, so winter will not be too far behind.  If a young child you know would enjoy thinking about  winter fun, share this book with them.  In it cat, Sammy, and friend, Hob, enjoy a variety of winter activities.  They skate, build a snowman and more.  The story is simple, the illustrations bright and cheerful.  All in all, a nice seasonal story.

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

Note: A book with half pages that hide and reveal how Sammy and his little horse Hob enjoy winter. For toddlers ages 30 months and up, with a focus on the child’s world.

I could not tell this from my digital copy of the book.

#SammyInTheWinter #NetGalley

The Huntress is by the author of the well-received The Alice Network.  I read and enjoyed The Gown.  The review is in my archive.

Literary fiction, short stories, historical fiction and a thriller.  Enjoy!

My favorite part of this book was definitely the illustrations. They are so vibrant and appealing and they complement the text well.

This is a book in the American Psychological Association series. Each title is designed to help young children to learn about and cope with issues that face them as they grow up. In this one, the story is about a young witch who keeps tattling on her peers. This causes the other children to dislike her. They cast a spell on Wanda to teach her a lesson. All ends well as Wanda learns the difference between telling due to danger to another and catching all childish misbehavior. At the end of the book there is a very helpful section for adults on how to help children to know when it is important to tell a grownup something and how to help children in coping. Reasons that a child might be the one who always tells are also explored.

The section for adults is well done. My quibble with this book was that the solution was for a group of children to “gang up” on another child. This may be true to what can happen but I felt that it gave a somewhat wrong message with how to cope with another child’s behavior, even if that behavior was troublesome.

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

The story of Mary Shelley is a complicated one for  young readers/listeners.  Mary’s mother died when she was eleven days old.  She had a wicked stepmother.  She fell in love and left home to be with a married poet.  And, oh yes, she wrote a horror story that conjured a scary future.

Somehow the author of this continuously excellent series, manages to make this all understandable.  She also acknowledges the talents of Mary’s parents and the circle of which Mary was a part.  As always, there is a helpful timeline at the end of the book.  Kudos to the author for doing all this in a short, illustrated book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto publishing for this book in exchange for an honest review.

#MaryShelley #NetGalley

 

This entry in the author’s long standing Gamache mystery series is truly outstanding.  It is one of the very, very best mysteries that I have read this year.

The plot involves the death of a woman who had been abused by her husband.  Does that mean that he was the murderer?  If yes, how to convict and, if not, who was it and why are central to the plot.

But…it is the way that Penny writes that makes this book so truly excellent.  She is philosophical and thoughtful, all the while enhancing, not taking away from the plot based action.  The book is full of references to Moby Dick whose relevance becomes apparent.  Many of the characters are chasing their own versions of that great whale and, as in the novel, they are distressed.

Penny has a true talent for making  her characters com to life.  This is true for the series regulars as well as those who fully inhabit this novel. The people are complex and within contain both much goodness and potential for wrongdoing, even if sometimes for what they feel are the right reasons.  In addition, the early chapters of the book about potential flooding made me feel the cold, the rain, the fear and the worry.

Penny herself states:

“These books are about community.  About love and belonging.  About the great gift of friendship.

How lucky I am to live in Three Pines.”

You, too, will be most lucky to visit Three Pines.  I give this one 6 stars out of five.  Really.

INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A December 2018 Indie Next Pick
One of Kirkus Reviews’ Best of 2018 Picks
BookPage Best of the Year 2018
A LibraryReads Pick for November 2018
A LibraryReads Hall of Fame Winner
Washington Post’s 10 Books to Read This November
One of PopSugar’s Best Fall Books to Curl Up With
One of Publishers Weekly Booksellers’ Favorite 25 Titles of the Year in 2018

 

I previously reviewed this excellent first entry in Ann Cleeves’s new series. See archive.

This book provides a concise and clear explanation of Social Security benefits.  It includes information on who is eligible, how benefits are calculated, where the money comes from, when it is best to apply, benefits for spouses and children and more.   To make things easy to understand, the author gives case examples in making her points.

Regular readers of my blog know that I spend a lot of time reading mysteries, fiction, children’s lit and many things that are not like this book.  Nonetheless, I rate this book highly for those who are contemplating applying for Social Security in the U.S.

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

#SocialSecurityIn30minutesVolume1retirementBenefits #NetGalley

A mix here.  I don’t read Thomas Harris’s novels but know that this was a big release for his fans.  I adore Colin Dexter and Inspector Morse.  The Carolotta Carlyle mysteries were enjoyed by me in the past.  The Summer I Met Jack is historical fiction about JFK.  The other two are a light mystery and a thriller.