This is Stig Abell’s second title; it follows on Death Under a Little Sky. While it is not necessary to have read the first book to enjoy this one, anyone who likes Death in a Lonely Place will want to read the origin story.
Here are many of the characters from the first book starting with Jake. He is a former detective who has chosen to live largely off the grid in a remote home that he was left by a relative (although he has many go arounds). Readers should take a look at the map of the estate that is in the front of the book. Jake has charmingly named the various spots for well-known detective fiction people and characters. There are other mysteries and authors mentioned in the text as well.
Jake is in a relationship with a local vet, Livia, who has a young daughter named Diana. He wants this relationship to succeed. He and Livia are in different spots as an old case surfaces and Jake becomes involved while Livia’s main wish is to keep Diana safe.
No Taboo-it is a dark organization that offers people the unthinkable. In investigating it Jake has to think about a very dark place. Readers will wonder how the events unfold. Will Diana’s newest and very wealthy client put her and/or Diana in danger?
This book offers an interesting mix between Jake’s rather cozy domestic life and some very nasty business. Abell manages both of these story aspects well.
I recommend this title to those who enjoy crime stories. I look forward to whatever Abell writes next.
Many thanks to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 11 April 2024
Praise for Death in a Lonely Place
‘Loved this. Multiple layers of delight for crime fiction fans’ Lee Child, creator of Jack Reacher
‘Abell is a skilled storyteller and it’s easy to fall into the pages of Death in a Lonely Place. Highly recommend’ Karin Slaughter, creator of Will Trent
‘An immersive, intelligent delight with huge atmosphere and heart. My favourite new crime series’ Lucy Foley, author of The Paris Apartment
‘Utterly beautiful descriptive prose that brings Jake Jackson’s world to life’ Jane Casey, author of the Maeve Kerrigan series
‘A darkly elegant, thrilling, escapist slice of countryside crime’ Chris Whitaker, author of We Begin at the End
I found myself constantly reading “just one more” chapter every time I picked up this book. It is light (yet with some depth) and a very enjoyable novel. That said, it does require some suspension of disbelief, I think.
Have you ever felt that you were in a rut? Doing a job that you know well but which feels unsatisfying? Have you ever hoped for the rush of a new romance and the chance to make a spontaneous life change? These are aspects of Clare’s life so when the opportunity to live in Switzerland with her new romance is a possibility, she does the unexpected and goes.
Clare wants to take a course while there and chooses chocolate making. Through a bit of an error, Clare has enrolled herself in a class with those who have much more experience than she. Not everyone is nice to this beginner. Despite doubts, Clare stays.
Readers get to know a lot about the making of chocolate. I enjoyed this aspect of the book. They also get to know the other students in Clare’s class and those who work at the school.
The boyfriend turns out to be a maybe. Read the book to see if Clare is with him at the end or with a well-known chocolatier whom readers learn is facing his own challenge.
Recommended to those who like fiction, women’s fiction, romance, stories of growth, Switzerland and chocolate. That certainly means many readers who will enjoy this one.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK-Transworld for this title. All opinions are my own.
A muizai is a mistress’s shadow. You are there to do her bidding…
19th Century China. Tightly bound feet, or “golden lilies,” are the mark of an honorable woman. When Little Flower is sold as a maidservant to Linjing, a daughter of the prominent Fong family, she clings to the hope that her golden lilies will someday lead her out of a life of slavery.
Not only does Little Flower have bound feet—uncommon for a muizai—but she is gifted at embroidery, a skill associated with women of fortune. Resentful of her talents, Linjing does everything in her power to prevent Little Flower from escaping. But when scandal strikes the Fongs, both women are cast out to the Celibate Sisterhood, where Little Flower’s talents catch the eye of a nobleman, threatening not only her improved status, but her life—the Sisterhood punishes disobedience with death. And if Linjing finds out, will she sabotage Little Flower to reclaim her power, or will she protect her?
Richly atmospheric and profoundly moving, The Lotus Shoes is an empowering tale of two women from opposite sides of society, and their extraordinary journey of sisterhood, betrayal, love and triumph.
Start reading:
One
Little Flower
I sat shivering on a low stool in our farmhouse kitchen. The frosty air stung my cheeks and chilled my hands and feet until they hurt. To warm up, I rubbed my arms and legs. Though it never snowed in southern China, this winter in the sixth year of Emperor Guangxu’s reign felt brutally cold. Normally, I would still be curled beneath our patched quilt, but my aa noeng had woken me at first light.
“We are going on an adventure today,” she announced, turning to me with a basin of boiling water. For the first time in months, her thin, pale face broke into a smile. But it wasn’t a proper sparkling smile, like the ones she used to shower on me before my aa de died. This smile looked stiff, and her eyes remained dull.
“I’m taking you to Canton City,” she continued. “Farmer Tang will give us a ride on his cart.” She poured cold water into the basin. I squealed, clapping with delight. I had never been to Canton City, but I had heard all about it from traveling storytellers. Peddlers prowled the streets, selling sugared plums, sweet buns and roasted chestnuts. My belly grumbled at the thought of them, reminding me that I had not eaten since yesterday’s bowl of watery congee. The storytellers also boasted of traveling acrobats, men who swallowed live snakes, and puppet shows.
“Is Little Brother coming too?” I asked.
“He is too young,” she said. “I’ve sent him to our neighbor for the day. This is a mother-and-daughter trip.”
“Why are we going?” “Little girls should not ask questions,” she chided. “Good girls keep quiet, follow rules and obey grown-ups.” Her tone was mild, but her face sagged with misery, frightening me into silence.
She knelt in front of me, cradling my golden lilies in her palms. “Do you remember why I started binding your feet when you were only four?” she asked.
“Because…because…” I shook my head. With a heavy sigh she explained, “Other six-year-old girls in our village wouldn’t start foot-binding until now. Some farming families might even wait until their daughter is seven or eight, if they’re desperate for an extra worker around the house. But that is risky. Do you know why?”
I shook my head again. “The bones might already be too stiff to be shaped. I love you so much that I bound your feet two years ago, as though you’re a little lady, to make sure you get perfect golden lilies so you can be like Consort Yao Niang. Do you remember her story?”
“I do!” Eager to impress her, I merrily recited the bedtime tale she had often told me. “Once upon a time, before the Manchu invaded and when China was cut up into lots of little kingdoms, like a patchwork quilt, there lived an emperor called Li Yu. He loved to see new things. One day he asked his many, many wives to surprise him with a new dance. Everyone tried but no one was good enough except Yao Niang. She wrapped her feet into crescents and danced on her toes!”
“What else?” she quizzed.
I frowned.
She prompted, “The emperor was so impressed that he promoted her to Royal Imperial Consort—”
“Oh!” With a bounce I finished her sentence, “So no other wife could boss Yao Niang around except the empress. All the ladies of the court copied her and soon rich girls across the country started to do the same. Now all re-respectable girls have bound feet. And the most loving mothers make sure their daughters have perfect four-inch golden lilies.”
I expected the rest of my speedy answer would earn praise, especially since I had only stumbled on two characters, but Aa Noeng’s lips trembled. I reached out to hug her, but she shook her head as she straightened her back and smoothed her faded tunic-blouse, ou.
“Even the poorest boy might hope to pass the imperial exams and become a mandarin if he is clever and studious,” she said, “but a girl’s only chance for a better life is through her golden lilies. This is my priceless gift to you. No matter what happens, I want you always to remember how much I love you. You’re my precious pearl. Do you understand?”
“I love you this much too!” I swung my arms behind my back until my palms touched. But she didn’t return my smile.
“Why is it important to have perfect four-inch golden lilies?” she asked.
“To get a good marriage,” I chirped. “Matchmakers and mothers-in-law like tiny feet. Golden lilies are proof of a girl’s goodness.”
“Yes,” she agreed. “Only girls with immense endurance and discipline can get perfect golden lilies. This is what mothersin-law from nice families want for their sons.” She squeezed my hands and asked, “Do you want to marry into a nice family when you grow up?”
“Yes.”
“How do you get four-inch golden lilies?” she asked.
“I must sit very still when you clean my feet and change my bandages.”
“What else?”
“I mustn’t complain when you tighten the bindings.”
“That’s true,” she replied slowly. “But…” After a long pause she said, “You are a big girl now. It’s time you learned to take care of your golden lilies yourself.”
“I’m still little!” I protested, alarmed by her grave tone.
“Watch carefully,” she instructed. She unraveled the binding and eased my left foot into the basin of warm water. She massaged away the dead skin on the sole and between my toes. Next she trimmed my toenails and wrapped my foot in a towel before sprinkling alum onto it.
“Be sure to use a generous amount of alum,” she said. “It wards off sweat and itch.”
She wound a length of clean, dark blue cotton around and around my foot. The pressure increased with each layer until my foot throbbed and my eyes ached with unshed tears. I had to use all my willpower not to groan. She continued to wrap the bindings, much more tightly than usual. I tried to pull my foot away. She gripped it harder. “Stay still,” she ordered.
“Aa Noeng,” I cried. “It hurts too much.”
“Hush,” she said. “One day these golden lilies will bring you a good marriage. You will wear silk and live in a house with tiled floors. Best of all, you will never go hungry again.”
My whimpering faded as she continued to talk about the tasty food that would fill my belly when I become a bride in a wellto-do family. Finally, she eased my foot into my best pair of indigo cotton shoes. She pushed the basin toward me.
“Now you must do the same for your right foot,” she said.
Jane Yang was born in the Chinese enclave of Saigon and raised in Australia where she grew up on a diet of superstition and family stories from Old China. Despite establishing a scientific career, first as a pharmacist and later in clinical research, she is still sometimes torn between modern, rational thinking and the pull of old beliefs in tales that have been passed down the family. Jane’s family tales are an inspiration for her writing. She writes stories about women in pre-Communist China, exploring power and class struggles, and sometimes with a dash of suspense, spirits and hauntings.
I am delighted to be on the blog tour for this title. Many thanks to the team at HTP for this opportunity.
Those who enjoy historical fiction set in Asia, as well as those who enjoy historical fiction in general, will want to pick up this title. It offers a glimpse of a world and time with which some may be unfamiliar. That landscape and the characters offer much to the reader.
What does it mean to be a muizai? What does it mean when the relationship between the server and served faces challenges? How will each character navigate and how will they change?
Last year I read Lisa See’s novel about Lady Tan. Anyone who enjoyed that will, I think, like this title as well. Both this book and See’s show how difficult life could be for women and some of the practices (foot binding) to which they could be subjected.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own.
I had seen this book on a British bookstore’s website and was quite intrigued. I was delighted when it became available in the U.S. and thrilled to get an early review copy of this series starter.
Jo Callaghan has already received awards and praise for her debut. She is the Winner of the Crime Writers’ Association’s John Creasy New Blood Dagger Award and the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. These are huge accomplishments and, in my opinion, well deserved.
Readers will not forget Kat and Aide. Kat is a detective who has been paired with an artificial intelligence device. It is an experiment to see if and how AI might be useful in investigations. Aide can assume bodily form as a hologram, at times causing much consternation. He also can be rather outspoken. There is much interplay between Kat’s intelligence and emotions as compared with Aide’s brilliance and lack of tact.
Kat, Aide, her team and the creator of Aide Lock are tasked with the investigation of two (cold) missing persons cases, both young men. One is a Black student missing from Uni. The other is a white theater graduate who is from a well to do family. Are these situations independent or linked?
In this novel, there is an excellent mystery plot and added to this are the AI elements of the story. Both kept me turning the pages and sad to reach the end of the story. Luckily the sequel, which is out in the UK, will be coming to the U.S. before too long.
The other aspect of the story that I enjoyed was the characters. Each had enough back story to keep them interesting. In the case of Kat, she is widowed and has a teenage son. One of her investigators has a sister who had a bad experience at university while another, Debbie, seemingly lacks confidence. The relatives of the missing young men and others also very much come to life.
This book is easily one of my favorites of the year. I hope Callaghan writes many more titles.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this one. All opinions are my own.
Jo Callaghan’s new book!
#LeaveNoTrace #NetGalley
Jo Callaghan’s first novel was easily one of my favorite crime stories of 2024. All of the elements that made me love that book are back in Leave No Trace, the second in this series. These include characters with depth (and backstory), a plot that keeps the pages turning, and the use of a unique sidekick to detective Kat Frank.
AIDE is an AI created detective. Through a hologram, he looks very real. His thoughts, although at times concrete because of a lack of understanding of nuance, are often key to the case. It has been enjoyable to watch the “relationship” between Kat and AIDE evolve. That is just one of the joys of the series.
This time, Kat has asked for a “live” as compared to historical case. The one that she is given is rather grim. A man has been found at the top of a local landmark and he has been gruesomely murdered. The case will lead to fear and warnings to young men.
Readers know that the case will be solved. The enjoyment is in watching how the team accomplishes this.
Kudos to the author. I am already eager for book three.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.
Patti Callahan Henry is one of my absolute favorite authors. Ever since reading Becoming Mrs. Lewis I have been a fan. The Secret Book of Flora Lea was one of the most enjoyable books that I read last year. And now, there will be (in March 2025), The Story She Left Behind. It is another triumph of emotional storytelling.
The novel opens in the U.S. in the 1950s and takes place between there and England. Readers meet Clara Harrington and her daughter Wynnie. They are very close as was Clara to her own mother before she disappeared. What happened to her is a central theme in the novel.
Clara’s mother (based on a real person), Bronwyn, was a writer with a vivid imagination. In fact, she created not only her own fictional world but a language. Her famous novel was published when she was very young. The dictionary that will decode the language has been missing ever since Bronwyn went away.
The author makes clear that Bronwyn had struggles. However, there was no indication that she would vanish. The loss has been pivotal in Clara’s life.
Out of nowhere, Clara hears from Charlie (in London) who has found some belongings of Bronwyn among his father’s papers. The story is set when Clara and Wynnie travel to meet Charlie and are immediately enveloped in the devastating fog of 1952.
No spoilers so no more plot. I will just say that this novel has everything I want in a book. The characters, the vividly described settings and the story all kept me both wanting to turn the pages and not wanting to as I did not want to finish the book. I recommend this title most highly. I am already wishing for Henry’s next book.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this title. All opinions are my own.
I am delighted to join this blog tour for Sara Ackerman’s newest novel. I have enjoyed other books by this author including The Codebreaker’s Secret. Her stories are must reads for me.
Book Summary:
Taylor Jenkins Reid meets The Hundred Foot Wave in this dazzling new romance by USA Today bestselling author Sara Ackerman.
‘Iwa Young’s life is high in the Maui rainforest. As a field biologist, she’s happiest in company with trees and birds and waterfalls. When a developer arrives with plans for a so-called Eco Resort in the middle of a forest full of endangered species, ‘Iwa puts all her energy into the fight to protect it. But a chance encounter threatens to distract her. His name is Dane Parsons, and he’s a big wave surfer from California. ‘Iwa has a few unbreakable rules, and at the top of her list: Never Date A Surfer.
Dane Parsons is part of an underground group of big wave riders and his connection to the ocean runs deep. When he meets ‘Iwa he can’t get her out of his mind. But ‘Iwa wants nothing to do with Dane until he offers to help protect her beloved forest and waterfall. Always on the hunt for the ultimate ride, Dane suddenly glimpses something even greater, but just out of reach.
In this thunderous love story, we travel deep into the Maui rainforest and hop across the globe from Maui to Mavericks to Portugal, chasing waves the size of nine story buildings–where the unthinkable is always just one breath away.
Start reading:
THE BLUE ROOM
Dane
Pe’ahi, Maui, January 3, 2012
The Hawaiian ocean was more blue than he remembered, and it smelled faintly of salt and sea foam. Dane sat on his surfboard watching rays of sun pierce the surface and descend into the depths. Farther out above the trench, the water shone indigo, and inside over the coral shelf, a dappled turquoise. Bathwater warm, smooth as blown glass, deadly. There were sounds—a light splash, the low rumble of whitewater meeting rock on the shoreline—but he didn’t hear them.
Someone is going to die.
An old man on the cliff had spoken these words to him just as he was scrambling down the rocks to get in the water, and he was having a hard time shaking it off. The man was thin as a twig and wrinkled, with a shock of white hair against his sun-beaten skin. A complete stranger. He touched Dane’s shoulder and looked him straight in the eye, pinning Dane in place for a few seconds, before he pulled himself away. His shoulder still burned.
Now he focused on the horizon and matched his breath to the rise and fall of the swells. Reaching down with both hands, he scooped up water and splashed himself to cool off. The air was thick with a salty haze, windless, hot and lazy. Usually by this time—early afternoon, the waves were blown out and ragged from the wind. But today was perfection. Even the locals were saying the conditions were epic.
All he needed was one wave.
The Maui offshore buoys showed an afternoon pulse, which meant that the swell could get even bigger before it faded away. No doubt it was a gamble to paddle out on his biggest board, a mint green beauty, but risk was his thing, the only constant he knew. While most people moved away from risk, Dane had always sought it out. Not consciously, but looking back, he had been the kid to climb the tallest tree, skateboard down the steepest road or take the highest jump on his bike, and later, often the only one to paddle out on those winter days when the whole horizon was closing out.
He checked his watch. Eighteen minutes since the last set rolled in, but it seemed like days. He could feel the island behind him, a massive volcano with a dollop of white snow on her peak, but he refused to look. Never turn your back on the sea. Anyone raised around the ocean knew this.
Four minutes left in the heat and Dane had nothing to show for it. He had missed the only rideable wave on the last set by being too far out. His last hope was the tide. It had just bottomed out, and now began to fill back in, the whole ocean heaving toward the island. All he could do was wait. Mother nature called the shots out here, there was no way around it.
Two minutes left and he was starting to sweat, when he noticed a bump on the horizon. He stood up on his board to get a better look. Definitely a set. Kicking his board out in front of him, he fell back in the water and crossed himself. This was it. Sliding back onto his board, he adjusted his vest, took a deep breath and started paddling toward the horizon.
A live wire ran under his skin, electrifying every cell, every muscle. It was a familiar feeling, and it meant game on. The first wave in the set rose up like a liquid mountain and began to feather, but already he could tell it wasn’t the one he was waiting for. Too small and a little too west. Let someone else have it. When he reached the top of that one, he got his first look at what was coming—a blue wall of water taller than a small building and farther out than he had thought possible. Lined up perfectly and swinging straight for him.
He scrambled to position himself a little deeper as the wave moved in and lifted him up and up. And fricking up. He turned and went for it. At the top, he hung for a second as he looked down the vertical face of water, half wishing he had wings. Beyond the point of no return, he jumped to his feet and dropped in. The first few seconds were a free fall and he was poised with arms out, as if in flight, while his board miraculously stayed under him. He managed to level out and picked his line. From behind, the lip hurled and thundered and created a bus-sized barrel, spitting out at him.
Still high up on the wave, which felt ready to pitch him at any moment, he felt the burn in his legs, his lungs, his eyes. Spray from the barrel chandeliered down on him and began to blot out the sun and everything else. If this beast closed out, he was done. He’d be held down on the reef for at least a few waves and then washed into a frothy cauldron of whitewater and boulders at the bottom of the cliffs.
Someone is going to die. The words came to him again in a flash, then disappeared. Today was not his day to die.
The avalanche of water behind him was creating its own wind, but he managed to stall for a few seconds in the barrel before getting shot out in the spit. Time slowed, and the outside world slipped away. A feeling of euphoria came over him. Saltwater ran in his veins and he looked down on the scene from a bird’s-eye view. Albatross or petrel or booby. When he hit the shoulder of the wave still standing, his arms shot up skyward and he fell back, landing with a splash in the very water that could have easily taken him. The horn sounded a few moments later, signifying the end of the heat.
The crowd in the channel went crazy; he heard them even underwater. Jet skis, boats, boards, camera guys swimming—all rushed toward him. People yelling, hooting, clapping, cheering. Shirtless men and bikini-clad women. Not a wetsuit in sight. And there was no need to see the score, or the video. Their reaction told him everything he needed to know.
Sara Ackerman is the Hawai’i born, bestselling author of historical & romance novels set in the islands. Her books have been labeled “unforgettable” by Apple Books, “empowering & deliciously visceral” by Book Riot, and New York Times bestselling authors Kate Quinn and Madeline Martin have praised Sara’s novels as “fresh and delightful” and “brilliantly written.” Amazon chose Radar Girls as a best book of the month, and ALA Booklist gave The Codebreaker’s Secret a starred review. Find out more about Sara and her books at http://www.ackermanbooks.com and follow her on Instagram @saraackermanbooks and on Facebook @ackermanbooks.
My thoughts:
Native Hawaiian Ackerman sets her newest novel in a place she knows well and clearly loves. I am sure that, like Iwa, she is concerned about the ecology of the island.
Two people meet. They are Iwa and Dane. Each has feelings for Hawaii though their work and hopes for the island may differ. When they meet, what will happen? How will their pasts influence their futures? Throw is rain forests, surfing, Portugal and the novel moves forward.
Those who like books with settings that are vividly brought to life will enjoy this title. The same is true for those who like to read romances.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the team at HTP for this title. All opinions are my own.
I absolutely adored Messina’s first novel, The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World. It was tender and heartfelt. It did not look away from tragedy and, at the same time, showed such faith in humanity.
Once again, Messina writes with her unique voice and moves the reader. Readers should know that there really is a heartbeat library. What a thing to contemplate and to make one think about one’s life and those of others.
As was true in the first book, the cover and design of the novel are beautiful. There are some interior illustrations that are simple and engaging. The novel is constructed uniquely with narrative and other sections of thoughts and revelations.
The story is about a man, Shuichi, and a child Kenta. Part of their connection came through Shuichi’s mother. She is no longer alive. Shuichi is clearing out her belongings and thinking about their relationship and his life. When he notices some things are being taken, he comes to see and know Kenta, a boy who has had struggles. Both Kenta and Shuichi have their stories and they are well told here.
Here is another moving and emotionally resonant novel by a talented author.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Abrams for this title. All opinions are my own.
This is Stig Abell’s second title; it follows on Death Under a Little Sky. While it is not necessary to have read the first book to enjoy this one, anyone who likes Death in a Lonely Place will want to read the origin story.
Here are many of the characters from the first book starting with Jake. He is a former detective who has chosen to live largely off the grid in a remote home that he was left by a relative (although he has many go arounds). Readers should take a look at the map of the estate that is in the front of the book. Jake has charmingly named the various spots for well-known detective fiction people and characters. There are other mysteries and authors mentioned in the text as well.
Jake is in a relationship with a local vet, Livia, who has a young daughter named Diana. He wants this relationship to succeed. He and Livia are in different spots as an old case surfaces and Jake becomes involved while Livia’s main wish is to keep Diana safe.
No Taboo-it is a dark organization that offers people the unthinkable. In investigating it Jake has to think about a very dark place. Readers will wonder how the events unfold. Will Diana’s newest and very wealthy client put her and/or Diana in danger?
This book offers an interesting mix between Jake’s rather cozy domestic life and some very nasty business. Abell manages both of these story aspects well.
I recommend this title to those who enjoy crime stories. I look forward to whatever Abell writes next.
Many thanks to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 11 April 2024
Praise for Death in a Lonely Place
‘Loved this. Multiple layers of delight for crime fiction fans’ Lee Child, creator of Jack Reacher
‘Abell is a skilled storyteller and it’s easy to fall into the pages of Death in a Lonely Place. Highly recommend’ Karin Slaughter, creator of Will Trent
‘An immersive, intelligent delight with huge atmosphere and heart. My favourite new crime series’ Lucy Foley, author of The Paris Apartment
‘Utterly beautiful descriptive prose that brings Jake Jackson’s world to life’ Jane Casey, author of the Maeve Kerrigan series
‘A darkly elegant, thrilling, escapist slice of countryside crime’ Chris Whitaker, author of We Begin at the End
I have read and enjoyed novels by Barbara Kingsolver and so was both excited and intrigued to see that she was publishing a book of poems. I read about this volume in an interview with the author that said her poetry was personal and could not have been put out into the world earlier in her life.
The poems themselves cover many topics. The first section, aptly in view of the title of this collection, is all about how to…how to Have a Child, Cure Sweet Potatoes, Survive This and more. There are a number of other sections as well.
The poems can, of course, be read in any order. I loved many of them. There is a life wisdom that Ms. Kingsolver has acquired and shares; take part in it. Read this title.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
Shannon Reed offers readers her idiosyncratic answers (and they are many) as to why we read and why she does. Early on Reed shares that, as someone with a hearing impairment, reading books was a comfortable place to be as there was no need to struggle or answer based on imperfect understanding of what was being said. Reed read everywhere and everything, even a car manual when she forgot (never again!) to have a book with her. Bibliophiles will relate to not ever leaving home without something to read; I know that I did.
This is not an academic treatise but more a series of wide ranging personal thoughts and reflections. Throughout it is clear that Reed loves reading and wants her students and everyone, really, to find joy in a book.
Reed begins by talking about getting her first library card and the many libraries that have played a role in her life. I know two of these personally which made the pages come to life for me.
Whether it is about reading (or not reading) series, signs you may be a character in a popular children’s book, reading to see ourselves across time, for comfort, fun or shock, or more, it is intriguing to see what the author has to say on a variety of topics.
This book would make a fun gift for a reader…even if that reader means giving a gift to one’s self. Take a look at the back of the book for an exhaustive reading list based on the books mentioned in the text. This will give a bibliophile many ideas for what to try next or to fondly remember books that they have read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 