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

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This novel is highly recommended. It is a mystery that also addresses some bigger issues.

Fiona Davis sets her novels in iconic New York City locations. She has told stories set at the Barbizon Hotel for Women, The Dakota, Grand Central Station and now at the Chelsea Hotel. In each of her three prior novels, the narrative took place during two eras; in this book, the author follows two characters in the same time period. They are actress Maxine and would be actress and playwright, Hazel.

The novel opens with Hazel joining a USO troop in Italy during WWII. These scenes were so evocative, both in terms of the war and the emotions raised for the performers. This beginning left me feeling very excited about the rest of the book except…for a while, I then found the narrative less engaging. However, round about chapter 18 there was a twist and I again became very involved in the story and the characters’ lives. It is worth sticking with the book in my opinion.

Much of this book centers on the activities of HUAC, the House Un-Amercian Activities Committee. Who is a Communist? Who is being targeted unfairly? Should we be rooting people out and encouraging them to turn on others? What are the consequences to everyone when a government sponsored witch hunt is going on? You will think about these issues as you read and may also find the subject relevant in our current political climate.

In addition to HUAC, the reader spends time at the Chelsea Hotel, the Tonys, on Broadway and more. There are actors, government workers, names dropped of famous and real Chelsea Hotel denizens and more. Most of all, readers will connect with Hazel and Maxine, their friendship and its challenges.

All in all, this was a good read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my e-galley. All opinions are my own.

Other reviews:

“Featuring vibrant, witty characters who not only weather but thrive in a dark period of American history, Davis’s tale of one friendship’s strength will stun and satisfy readers.”—Publishers Weekly

“This novel in three acts brings to vivid life the McCarthy era and its impact on the entertainment industry in a heartbreaking tale of the friendship of two brave women.”—Library Journal

This is a short, beautifully illustrated picture book that tells the story of a squirrel and a snowman who become friends during the coldest part of the year. Snowman is cold and squirrel realizes that he wants to help. Soon our snowman is covered in scarves and blankets. Snowman and a variety of animal friends enjoy spending time together. You can probably guess what happens…Spring comes and snowman is no longer there. Squirrel and his friends miss the snowman. The wise owl tells them “Look around and you will see that Snowman is always with you.” This seems to me to make this book one that can be read by children to help them to cope with a death.

I understand the concept of this book and can see where it could be a non-threatening way to talk with children. I do think that some of them may wonder why a snowman would not want to be cold in winter but perhaps that is a small quibble.

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

I loved this book that encourages children and adults to get out and enjoy nature.  As noted in the foreword, “discovering the natural world should be a part of every childhood.”  This cannot be overstated in my opinion.  Now, enjoy the summer, get away from the devices and see all that the world has to offer with this book as your guide.

The book is divided by seasons, starting with summer and ending with spring. In each section, there are ideas of things to observe in nature from trees, to flowers, to critters and more.  There are also lots of suggested activities.  A few examples:

Summer:

Leaf types, What’s in a Leaf?, Leaf rubbings, the Forest at Night

Fall:

Danger! Poison!, Nut Collecting, Fungi and Lichen, Migration

Winter:

Below the Ice, Slowing Down, Winter Treasures

Spring:

Signs of Spring, Sprouting Seeds, Flower Pressing, Rivers, Streams and Creeks.  Also, Twig Racing, Plaster Casting

The text is illustrated in a most appealing way.  The color palette changes with each season.

I highly recommend this book.  Thanks to NetGalley the publisher for this read in return for an honest review.

Five stars *****

From the publisher:

Here are two classic mysteries, each a part of an excellent series.

On Reginald Hill and his series:

The “master of . . . cerebral puzzle mysteries” sends his Yorkshire detectives back to college to be taught a lesson in murder (The New York Times).

Reginald Hill “raised the classical British mystery to new heights” when he introduced pugnacious Yorkshire Det. Inspector Andrew Dalziel and his partner, the callow Sgt. Peter Pascoe (The New York Times Book Review). Their chafing differences in education, manners, technique, and temperament made them “the most remarkable duo in the annals of crime fiction” (Toronto Star). Adapted into a long-running hit show for the BBC, the Gold Dagger Award–winning series is now available as ebooks.

The Old Success follows last year’s The Knowledge, a book that I really enjoyed. The Old Success is not quite as good but will still be welcomed by fans of Richard Jury and his eccentric circle of friends. Old readers, for example, will probably love Melrose’s latest attempt to get at his aunt. You do not have to have read all the books in the series to pick this up but it may help to know a bit about the cast.

In this novel, there are three murders. One takes place in the Scilly Islands, one in Exeter Cathedral and one on a family estate. Are they linked, and if they are, what is the connection?

As usual, there are characters who are children and essential to the story. In this case, the reader meets Zillah and Zoe. What did they witness? What is their connection to the bigger mystery surrounding the deaths?

The title of the book comes from the name of a pub, as is usual for Martha Grimes. Those in the pubs are witnesses and friends, including a retired police officer who solved all his cases. There is also his granddaughter who is talented at working with horses. Quite a mix.

Of course, all is solved. I read this book quickly. I rate it at 3 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance read in exchange for an honest review. The book publishes in November.

Welcome back Richard Jury and Co!
After reading The Man with a Load of Mischief, I always looked for books in this series. Then, I moved away from them…not sure why, the books or me. But, I will tell you that I very much enjoyed The Knowledge. All of the trademarks are here; characters including Wiggins, Melrose Plant, Diane, etc. and of course the preternaturally smart, cunning and ingenious child(ren). On top of this there is Africa, Art, Astrophysics, the Stars and murder, all of which line up as perfectly as an eclipse. If you enjoy traditional British style (author is American) mysteries with a twist, read this novel!

Pachinko. Korean historical fiction.

Becoming MrsLewis. About CS Lewis and his wife Joy n

The Poisonwood Bible. Barbara Kingsolver

American Duchess About Consuelo Vanderbilt

The Bookshop of Yesterdays About books

The Hamilton Affair. About Alexander H

The Red Coat. Boston based historical fiction

Give Me Your Hand Megan Abbott

Tangerine. Noir

The Secret to Hummingbird Cake. Southern fiction

A Caribbean Mystery. Agatha Christie

Grant. Ron Chernow’s monumental bio

The Sound of Broken Glass kincaid and Jones mystery

The Husband’s Secret. Liane Moriarty of Big, Little Lies

The secret Wife. Historical novel by Gill Paul

America Was Hard to Find. Newish with very good teviews

Read, read, read!! Enjoy.

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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.

I remember watching Gilmore Girls with my daughters. Every week we looked forward to seeing what was happening in Starrs Hollow. The cast of characters, the wit, the charm, the patter, the place; the show was just perfectly pitched. There was Emily, aloof but somehow vulnerable; Loreli, fast talking and rebellious and Rory, the funny teen who was intense and driven to succeed. Around them were so many others from Luke to Richard to Max and to Rory’s loves, Dean, Jess and Logan. Then there were all the friends and frenemies from Lane to Paris, Sookie to Michel and more. There was angst, college and love of child, friend, family, place. All these came together in a perfect mix. (For those of you who missed the Gilmore Girls phenomenon, the shows are available on Netflix).

So, as you can imagine, I was very excited about this book. It did not disappoint. Following an excellent introduction there are chapters that focus on relationships including mothers and daughters, fathers, romances and friendships. Throughout the reader learns about or is reminded of the depth of the characters. The second half of the book is about the role of the show in popular culture. There are sections on feminism, popular culture, class and small town life.

If you enjoyed Gilmore Girls, give this book a look..  It will let you relive many good times in Starrs Hollow with so many friends.  If you missed the series, here is your chance to enjoy it and learn more.

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

and all the way to the last season: