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A Notable Omission by Isabella Muir
Stepping Back In Time A Notable Omission by Isabella Muir is an historical novel set in 1970. It is the fourth book in the Janie Juke Mystery series but can be read as a stand-alone. The novel was very atmospheric. Comprehensive descriptions of the décor really evoked memories of the early seventies. It was brash. […]
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Mrs Bambi Knows by Chris Mason
Small Town Life Mrs Bambi Knows by Chris Mason is a delightful contemporary novel about life in small town America. The town comes to life under Chris Mason’s pen. I could ‘see’ the main street, A.M’s dress shop and Clarence’s farm to name but a few. Chris Mason’s words really evoke small town life – […]
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A Love To Last A Lifetime by Clare Swatman
Serenely Beautiful A Love To Last A Lifetime by Clare Swatman is a serenely beautiful contemporary novel about love. Love comes in many forms – the love of parents and children, between friends, husbands and wives, and an all-consuming love. This all-consuming love happens once in a lifetime to two characters in different generations. Both […]
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Gladys Hunt on Enduring Value
Editor’s Note: The “something new” Gladys Hunt notes below has been around awhile now and changes have occurred which she would probably have deplored. Something New I Recently Learned Originally published on the Tumblon site on September 4, 2009. James Marshall created some wonderful books. The George and Martha series are great hits with children. He also did The Cut-Ups and Space Case, the first of the Fox easy readers. His editor said about him, “Almost all of his books had some spectacularly dim-witted characters and he seemed to have a particular affection for them and gave them the best lines.” Winnie, in Wings: A Tale of Two Chickens, is…
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One Day With You by Shari Low
Of Love & Tears One Day With You by Shari Low is a beautiful, heartbreaking contemporary read that will tug at your heartstrings. My emotions were all over the place as I read. It is a book that celebrates friendship, family and new life whilst mourning endings with regrets for what might have been. Life […]
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Look Both Ways by Linwood Barclay
Coming 2nd Feb 2023 Another thrilling tale from Linwood Barclay and HQ Stories #LookBothWays. You do not want to miss this. To pre-order amzn.to/3WlmZ8L
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The Paris Sister by Adrienne Chinn
The Roaring Twenties The Paris Sister by Adrienne Chinn is a marvelous historical novel following the lives of three sisters through the roaring twenties. The world is in a time of immense change after World War I. The role of women is a complex one. World War I gave women many freedoms but as the […]
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2023 Newbery Buzz #5: I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
I Must Betray You is one of those novels that straddles the line between Newbery age ranges and Printz age ranges. Will it get some love from either award committee? Or both? We’re back with Newbery Buzz Discussion #5 for 2023. To read the rest in the series or previous years’ discussions, check out the Newbery Buzz Page. I Must Betray You: Background Betsy: Megan, I think this is the first book by Ruta Sepetys that you’ve read; you don’t tend to read as many gritty YA novels as I do. But it’s my fourth Sepetys novel, and, I think, her most well-written (Between Shades of Gray is still my…
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My Sister’s Secret by Diane Saxon
Not A Book To Miss My Sister’s Secret by Diane Saxon is a marvelous contemporary psychological suspense that gripped me from the start. Four sisters bonded closely by a childhood secret. They live very different lives but are always there for each other. A day in the past unites them, but about which they do […]
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Newbery Buzz Roundup #2: Frizzy, How to Build a Human, and Attack of the Black Rectangles
The American Library Association will announce the winners of its very influential Youth Media Awards, headed by the Newbery and Caldecott. Since we can’t help projecting, here are three more titles that appeared in Mock Newbery and “best of” lists last year. Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega, art by Rose Bousamra. First Second, 2023, 213 pages. Marlene’s least favorite day of the week is Sunday, where she spends hours at the salon getting her hair straightened. The Saturday before her cousin Diana’s quinceañera is especially grueling, because Marlene will suffer by comparison with Diana’s “good hair,” whatever she does. “Bad hair” is the legacy of her late father, but it’s…
