Book Review - The Secret Society of Librarians by Kate Thompson

My Review

The Secret Society of Librarians is a historical novel set during World War II.  In London, Joyce Kindred is a librarian who finds her library has been bombed.  It is during the Blitz, and she starts a mobile library with the help of a young Jewish refugee named Adela.  In Poland, Dorotha (older sister of Adela) can no longer work as a librarian in the Polish Ghetto due to the oppression of the Nazi party.  She creates a small secret library.  Dorotha and Joyce are part of a group of friends from library school, and the story involves their network of friends.

I wanted to read this book because I have enjoyed Kate Thompson's other WWII novels (especially The Little Wartime Library).  I read a lot of historical fiction, and am interested in the 1940's time period.

This novel is told in alternating viewpoints by Joyce and Dorotha.  They face struggles both personally and as librarians, but they were very committed to the motto of their group of librarian friends:

"And thanks to Virginia Woolf, it came to her. “What about ‘Libertatem per Lectio’?” Joyce asked, her eyes shining. “It stands for ‘freedom through reading.’”  (eBook location 191).

Joyce shelters in the London underground along with Adela and an older friend they look out for.  The book depicts the frightening bombing that happened during the Blitz.  In one dramatic scene, Joyce and her beau are visiting St. Paul's Cathedral with its huge and winding library passages and they leave just to find the city being bombed.

The hardships that Dorotha faces are unimaginable, and heartbreaking to read.  She loses family, work, and lives with hunger and deprivation beyond imagination.

These women hold on to their ideals - the importance of books and reading, kindness and compassion for others, and a long lasting friendship. They are truly heroic figures.

I recommend The Secret Society of Librarians for historical fiction readers, and especially for anyone with an interest in World War II fiction.

Thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book.

Book Review - Lost in the Summer of '69 by Eliza Knight

My Review

Lost in the Summer of '69 is the story of three women in one family -- Leanne Miller is the perfect wife and mother, living in Ossining, New York with her husband and teenage daughter Nora.  Nora is about to go to Yale as one of the first women accepted there.  When Leanne's mother, a thwarted musician, goes missing in this summer of music festivals, Leanne and Nora take off on a long road trip to find her, traveling to old fashioned motels and festivals in their search.

I wanted to read this book because I love 1960's settings and the music festivals and summer setting sounded like a fun read.  I absolutely loved Eliza Knight's book The Queen's Faithful Companion (about Queen Elizabeth and her favorite corgi dog), so that sparked my interest in this novel as well.

The book is told in the alternating viewpoints of the three characters.  They all evolve over the summer.  Leanne and Nora are not very close initially.  Leanne is very prim and proper, the perfect 1960's housewife.  She learns over the road trip summer to be more relaxed and take life a day at a time.  Nora grows closer to her mother as they search for Eleanor, stopping at diners and reading popular paperback novels out loud in the car.  Nora also experiences first love with a young man who is writing articles about the different music festivals they visit.  I have to add that I saw some similarities between Leanne and Nora and Betty and Sally Draper from Mad Men -- down to the Ossining suburbs.

Eleanor's story is a sadder one.  She takes off because she has a diagnosis of early onset dementia.  We see her having occasional memory lapses as she travels to festivals, becoming a sort of celebrity as a grandmother with a guitar - and the voice of an angel.  She performs on stage with one of the musicians she grows close to ... but she knows she will eventually have to go back home.

This is a well written novel.  The period details were exceptional.  I enjoyed the music festivals, and hearing about the singers and bands the women encounter or hear.  I especially loved the smaller moments with Leanne and Nora, the old fashioned motels, the road trip, the diners and truck stops, the books they read aloud together.

I recommend Lost in the Summer of '69 as a summer read for anyone who loves 1960's settings, classic rock, or Americana road trips ... and especially for anyone who enjoys a multi-generational family story.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley for an advanced reading copy of this book.

Book Review - The Queen's Coronation by Jennifer Ryan

My Review

The Queen's Coronation is a historical novel set in 1952 England, as Queen Elizabeth is preparing for her coronation.  The story is told from the viewpoint of three women:  Caroline Brimstone, a dresser to the queen, is unhappily married and the mother of a young daughter;   Miranda Miller is an American journalist who has taken an office job at the palace in order to covertly write articles "behind the scenes";  Lucy Jones is a young wardrobe assistant who wants to be a singer.

I wanted to read this novel because I love Jennifer Ryan's historical fiction.  Her book The Chilbury Ladies Choir is one of my all time favorite novels.  I love the fresh perspective she brings to life in England during World War II.

It took me a few chapters to get to know the three protagonists in this book.  I found Caroline immediately sympathetic, found Miranda's story interesting, and was often exasperated with Lucy's naivete and very poor decisions with men.  As the book went on, their stories became more entwined and I became fully engrossed in the storytelling.  

The historical details in this book are lovely.  It was unique and interesting glimpsing the coronation from the viewpoint of everyday women working at the palace.  I especially loved the glimpses of excitement in the larger community about the coronation, like the big street festival in the neighborhood where the women lived, with Caroline's young daughter dressed up as queen.

I really enjoyed The Queen's Coronation and recommend this book for other historical fiction fans.  Readers who have an interest in Queen Elizabeth II and the British royal family will be particularly interesting.  (And yes, fellow dog lovers, there are several Corgi sightings in the book!)

Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for an advanced reading copy of this book.

Book Review - The Chateau on Sunset by Natasha Lester

My Review

In 1957, a young, recently orphaned girl named Aria Jones finds herself at the Chateau Marmont, moving in with her aunt, a former actress that she doesn't really know.  She makes friends with two young starlets living at the hotel and is shocked on a regular basis by how different life in 1950's Hollywood is from the quiet life she was used to in New York.  The book flashes between Aria as a young girl and later as a young woman in the 1960's.  It is loosely inspired by Jane Eyre.

I wanted to read The Chateau on Sunset because I love novels with a Mid-Century setting.  I'm interested in old time Hollywood, and Jane Eyre is one of my favorite books.

This novel has so many interesting things going on at once -- it is a coming of age novel, a love story, a mystery.  It deals with some darker aspects of life for young women in Hollywood long before the Me Too movement.

The historical details are vividly captured, and the writing is beautiful, verging on poetic, with passages like:

"But it’s raining as heavily as one of those Manhattan summer storms that would pour down from a sky that had been bright blue a moment before, magicking up puddles and umbrella hawkers where there’d once been dull concrete and souvenir stands" (eBook location 2482).

At the heart of the story there is Aria, who feels invisible as an ordinary girl in this star touched world.  There is also the story of Aria and Theo, a rock star living at the Marmont with his young daughter. 

I read this book late at night, staying up to read just another chapter, waiting for the next twist or surprise that was sure to come (and it did, it always did).

I recommend The Chateau on Sunset for readers who enjoy historical fiction, and especially old time Hollywood.  The Jane Eyre references (and divergences) are sure to interest fans of that classic book as well.

Thanks to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for an advanced reading copy of this book.

Book Review - Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews

My Review

After Maeve and Therese Dunigan's mother passes away, they meet at their childhood home in Savannah.  They could not be more different;  Maeve is a by the rules professor, while Therese is a rule breaking actress.  They are both single, out of work, and at odds with each other.  Three things happen that change everything:  they discover their mother had mortgaged their family home and they are in financial straits;  they find out that an old ancestral portrait hanging in their home may be worth a great deal of money;  they learn that their mother saved money for them to take a trip to Ireland together, as her last wish.  They go to Ireland to learn about their ancestry and the mysterious painting.  They discover more mysteries there, possible romance, and twists and turns that effect them both.

I wanted to read Road Trip because I love Mary Kay Andrews' books.  She is one of my favorite writers and I always enjoy her summer reads.

This was such a delightful, engrossing book!  I found myself going slowly because I wanted to savor the story.  I liked Maeve right away, and Therese grew on me as a character as the book went on.  I loved Liam, the Irish whiskey distiller, the gruff and quirky Esme, who is a previously unknown relative, and of course Esme's cocker spaniel, the memorably named Sinead O'Cocker.

I enjoyed the Irish inn, the countryside, and the mystery that unfolded there about their great-grandmother Kathleen.  Kathleen is at the center of their history.  She disappeared in the 1920's along with a family portrait and a mysterious murder, traveling to America and a new life there.  The glimpses of her life in Ireland, and later in America, are fascinating.

Road Trip is an absolutely perfect summer read, especially for anyone who enjoys some armchair travel and a mystery mixed in.  It is sure to be one of my top 10 books of 2026, and I highly recommend it.

PS - I have to add that I found Celtic Relaxation Music at Spotify a perfect soundtrack for reading this novel!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an advanced reading copy of this book.

Book Review - The Summer Share by Jenn McKinlay

My Review

Hannah Spencer has spent five years traveling in her bright yellow van with her Harlequin Great Dane named Dude.  When her beloved grandfather Pops passes away and leaves her his cottage in the Outer Banks, she travels to take care of the house and decide what to do next.  The only problem?  Someone else is already there - illustrator-turned-insurance-man Simon O’Malley, who has been told he inherited the cottage from his grandfather Gramps.  It turns out their grandfathers left them the cottage together, with the understanding that they will live there for two months and then work out a solution.

I wanted to read The Summer Share because it sounded like a great beach read.  The Outer Banks setting and the Great Dane were added pluses!

This is such a lovely book, full of some unexpected but sweet twists and turns as Hannah and Simon research their family history ... and also get acquainted.  The little beachside town of Cape Split is charmingly depicted - with old cottages, a beachfront ice cream parlor, and the quirkiest, most charming small town south of the Gilmore Girls' Stars Hollow.

I loved the leads: Hannah - a kind hearted reporter turned vlogger, and Simon, an artist at heart, someone who has been taking care of his siblings for years.  Their connection is instantaneous, sweet, and natural.  Unfortunately the obstacles they face are also real.

I read The Summer Share slowly because I wanted to enjoy my time in Cape Split with this lovable cast of characters.  It would be a perfect beach read.   This is a five star book for me, and I recommend it for other readers who enjoy southern beach settings, small town reads, quirky communities, and gentle, heartwarming love stories.


Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an advanced reading copy of this book.

Book Review and Giveaway - Masher of Ceremonies: A Vintage Kitchen Mystery by Victoria Hamilton

My Review

Jaymie Müller is planning a big fundraiser in her Queensland, Michigan hometown called Tea with the Queen.  It is a week long event, even including townspeople dressed up as Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.  In the midst of this festival, her friend's assistant is found murdered.  Jaymie works - on her own and with the police's blessings - to find the killer and solve the mystery.  

I wanted to read Masher of Ceremonies because of the Vintage Kitchen Mystery theme.  I love all things vintage, and especially kitchenware, cookbooks, etc., so I was intrigued.  

This is my first read in this series, but there is a wonderful, descriptive Cast of Characters list included.  This helped me to jump right in and enjoy Masher of Ceremonies as a standalone read.  I wish more cozy mysteries would include a character listing - it is always so helpful!

This is a fun, leisurely paced read.  (The murder occurred almost half way through the book.)  

I really like Jaymie.  We see her home life with her husband, daughter, cat, and little Yorkie Hopalong (Hoppy).   We see her doing event planning, working with vintage kitchenware, and also as an amateur detective.   The author did a wonderful job at creating a fully rounded character with a lot of nuance.  

Jaymie has a gift of detecting, following her hunches, and having great intuition.  I really enjoyed solving the mystery along with her.

I found the details of the weeklong Tea With the Queen festival interesting as well!

I look forward to reading more books in the Vintage Kitchen Mystery series.  I recommend Masher of Ceremonies to other cozy mystery fans.  It's an engrossing, well written mystery.

Book Synopsis

A fundraiser for the local historical society nearly goes bust when someone fills the coffers with blackmail and murder . . .

The annual Tea With the Queen fundraiser always makes for a festive weekend in Queensville, drawing visitors from far and wide and giving local shops a welcome boost. This year, vintage kitchenware collector Jaymie Müller is running the event, and she’s got her hands full organizing old and new volunteers along with a surly catering crew. Then her master of ceremonies tells her he’s being blackmailed but can’t go to the police, and before Jaymie can sort that out she stumbles over a dead body at the tea.

Despite the demands of keeping the event up and running, Jaymie can’t help puzzling over the murder. There’s no concrete evidence linking the cretin behind the blackmail scheme to the dead body, so she begins questioning everyone connected to the blackmail, hoping to expose the killer. And just as she discovers a web of relationships that leads her to the culprit, she realizes that the Tea With the Queen may have been a royal pain, but outwitting a blackmailer and catching a killer may be the death of her . . .

Includes a vintage recipe!

Author Bio

Victoria Hamilton is the pseudonym of nationally bestselling romance author Donna Lea Simpson. Victoria is the bestselling author of three mystery series, the Lady Anne Addison Mysteries, the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries, and the Merry Muffin Mysteries. She also writes a Regency-set historical mystery series, starting with A Gentlewoman’s Guide to Murder. Visit her website at victoriahamiltonmysteries.com.

Social Details:

Website: http://www.VictoriaHamiltonMysteries.com (Sign up for her newsletter for all the latest!)

On Substack (Sign up for newsletter… always FREE!): Go to: https://substack.com/@victoriahamiltonmysteries and ‘Subscribe’ for the FREE Victoria Hamilton Mysteries newsletter!

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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/598635.Victoria_Hamilton

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Purchase Links

Ebooks:

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Giveaway

Book Review - Summer State of Mind by Kristy Woodson Harvey

My Review

NICU nurse Daisy Stevens moves to Cape Carolina to start a new life.  On her first day at the hospital, she meets Mason Thaysden, who brings in a newborn baby found in a dumpster.  They both grow attached to the baby and Daisy works to foster (and possibly adopt her).  She grows close to Mason, and his family, especially his eccentric Aunt Tilly.  Then something happens that threatens everything . . . 

I wanted to read Summer State of Mind because I love Southern fiction and Summer reads.  I had not read Kristy Woodson Harvey before, but have heard how good her books are.  

This was such a lovely read!  It wasn't the light Summer beach read I expected.  There are a lot of layers to the story.  The main characters - Daisy, Mason, and Tilly - all have losses in their past that have shaped their present:  a tragic loss at the hospital, the loss of a longed-for career, the loss of a much-loved partner.  As they go forward, they occasionally slide back a bit as well.  But they do go forward, and I found their stories compelling and ultimately uplifting as well.

The book is told in alternating viewpoints, so readers get to know all three characters through the novel.  The author does a wonderful job at voice and characterization.

I really loved Summer State of Mind and will look for more books by Kristy Woodson Harvey.  I recommend this novel for fans of Southern fiction, Summer settings, and women's fiction.  Five stars!


Thanks to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for an advanced reading copy of this book.

Book Review - The Parisian Chapter by Janet Skeslien Charles

My Review

In 1995, Lily Jacobsen is living in Paris.   She was inspired to leave her Froid, Minnesota home by her neighbor Odile, who told Lily inspiring stories about her life at the American Library in Paris (ALP) during World War II.  Lily wants to be a writer.  Her best friend, who has traveled with her, wants to be an artist.  They find Paris to be enchanting ... but different than expected in terms of their dreams.  Lily chances upon a part-time job as Programs Manager at ALP, the same library that Odile once worked at.  She finds a mysterious manuscript in the archives that relates to Odile's life long ago in Paris.  As Lily finds a community at the library, she continues to work on her writing.  She finds love.  She feels she has lost her best friend ... and works to patch up that relationship, and perhaps (through time and distance) also patch up Odile's broken friendship from the 1940's.

I wanted to read this book because I absolutely loved the author's book The Paris Library, about Odile's life at the ALP during World War II.  It was one of my favorite books the year I read it.  

The Parisian Chapter has so many things I love:

• Paris setting
• Library lore!
• Perfect evocation of another time and place
• People-centric storytelling (friends and love)
• Found family
• A mysterious throwback to years ago

The storytelling is lovely!  I really cared about Lily, her friend Mary Louise, Odile, and her lost friend Margaret.  And Paris!  And of course the library itself, with passages like:

"Continuing past the nonfiction stacks, I searched for my favorite numbers— 001.9 (the unexplained, like UFOs or Bigfoot) and 808 (writing and getting published). The greeter boasted about the library’s treasures: a pair of Hemingway’s tortoiseshell spectacles; a letter from Henry Miller; and books that had once belonged to the Left Bank bookseller Sylvia Beach (the patron saint of impoverished writers) as well as Marlene Dietrich, who scrawled opinions in the margins (“ This is without a doubt the worst writing I have ever laid eyes on.”)." (eBook location 312)

I enthusiastically recommend this lovely book to other readers who love historical fiction, Paris, libraries, and life affirming stories of friendship and found dreams.  Five stars from me!

Thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for an advanced reading copy of this book.  The ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review - Happiness Included: Jan Brady and Beyond by Eve Plumb

 

My Review

Growing up, Friday night was my favorite TV night, with a lineup that included The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family.  I was the same age as the youngest Brady kids, so of course I found that show particularly interesting.  The Brady Bunch was an elementary school water cooler show -- we liked Jan and Marcia's groovy outfits, and debated whether Peter or Greg was cuter.

I love retro nostalgia, and have enjoyed reading previous Brady biographies by Barry Williams and Maureen McCormick, so of course I looked forward to Eve Plumb's book too.

This is a wonderful biography - a bit quieter and more introspective, but so thoughtful and well written.  I particularly enjoyed reading Eve's memories of The Brady Bunch.  They included passages like:

"In season 3 we were granted the go-ahead to increase the miles between the Stage 5 set and a remote location. The show was going to the Grand Canyon as the Brady family vacation. We were thrilled at the chance for a real adventure! It was my first time at the Grand Canyon. We arrived the evening before the first day of filming, and the dark abyss of the canyon at night, and the splay of brilliant stars like a dome from horizon to horizon, was both scary and breathtaking." (ebook location 1383).

Eve has a lifelong close friendship with Christopher Knight ("Peter"), the other Brady middle child.  She shares sweet memories of Florence Henderson (kind, bubbly, warm), Ann B. Davis (a consummate professional), and Robert Reed (who was like a second father to the Brady kids - even taking them all on a trip to London).

I didn't know much about Eve's personal background and found the stories about her parents interesting - especially her father's work in the music industry.  (He signed The Monkees as a recording act!)

There is no nightmare descent in this celebrity bio -- except for some typical teenage rebellion, Eve seems centered and happy ... especially focusing on her art.

I enjoyed Happiness Included and recommend this book to other readers who grew up with The Brady Bunch.  There were no photos included in the advanced reading copy, but I am assuming there must be pictures in the finished print/Kindle editions.

Book Review - Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews

My Review

Kerry Tolliver travels from her family's Christmas tree farm in North Carolina to New York, along with her brother Murphy and his dog Queenie - all to sell trees in a holiday tree lot.  Kerry, Murphy, and Queenie stay in a vintage camper they have nicknamed Spammy.  Murphy, who does this each year, knows many people in the tree lot neighborhood.  Kerry gets to know them too, and is especially drawn to single dad Patrick and his son Austin. She also meets an older man with a mysterious past, an artist, and when he goes missing, the search for him changes lives.

I wanted to read Bright Lights, Big Christmas because I love Mary Kay Andrews' books.  Mentions of Christmas in New York City, a vintage travel trailer, and a dog all sweetened the read!

This is a delightful holiday read, with a heartwarming community in the big city, a sweet love story, and a light mystery as well.  There is even a brief mention of characters from Mary Kay Andrews' The Santa Suit.

I really enjoyed this read, and recommend Bright Lights, Big Christmas for fans of women's fiction, Christmas in New York, and heartwarming holiday stories.  Five enthusiastic stars for this novel!

Book Synopsis

When fall rolls around, it’s time for Kerry Tolliver to leave her family’s Christmas tree farm in the mountains of North Carolina for the wilds of New York City to help her gruff older brother & his dog, Queenie, sell the trees at the family stand on a corner in Greenwich Village. Sharing a tiny vintage camper and experiencing Manhattan for the first time, Kerry’s ready to try to carve out a new corner for herself.

In the weeks leading into Christmas, Kerry quickly becomes close with the charming neighbors who live near their stand. When an elderly neighbor goes missing, Kerry will need to combine her country know-how with her newly acquired New York knowledge to protect the new friends she’s come to think of as family,

And complicating everything is Patrick, a single dad raising his adorable, dragon-loving son Austin on this quirky block. Kerry and Patrick’s chemistry is undeniable, but what chance does this holiday romance really have?

Filled with family ties, both rekindled and new, and sparkling with Christmas magic, Bright Lights, Big Christmas delivers everything Mary Kay Andrews fans adore, all tied up in a hilarious, romantic gem of a novel.

Author Bio

MARY KAY ANDREWS is the New York Times bestselling author of 30 novels (including The Homewreckers, The Santa Suit, The Newcomer; Hello, Summer; Sunset Beach; The High Tide Club; The Weekenders; Beach Town; Save the Date; Ladies’ Night; Christmas Bliss; Spring Fever; Summer Rental; The Fixer Upper; Deep Dish; Blue Christmas; Savannah Breeze; Hissy Fit; Little Bitty Lies; and Savannah Blues), and one cookbook, The Beach House Cookbook.

A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, she earned a B.A. in journalism from The University of Georgia. After a 14-year career working as a reporter at newspapers including The Savannah Morning News, The Marietta Journal, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where she spent the final ten years of her career, she left journalism in 1991 to write fiction.

Her first novel, Every Crooked Nanny, was published in 1992 by HarperCollins. She went on to write ten critically acclaimed mysteries under her real name, Kathy Hogan Trocheck. In 2002, she assumed the pen name Mary Kay Andrews with the publication of Savannah Blues. In 2006, Hissy Fit became her first New York Times bestseller, followed by twelve more New York Times, USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestsellers. To date, her novels have been published in German, Italian, Polish, Slovenian, Hungarian, Dutch, Czech and Japanese.

She and her family divide their time between Atlanta and Tybee Island, GA, where they cook up new recipes in two restored beach homes, The Breeze Inn and Ebbtide—both named after fictional places in Mary Kay’s novels, and both available to rent through Tybee Vacation Rentals. In between cooking, spoiling her grandkids, and plotting her next novel, Mary Kay is an intrepid treasure hunter whose favorite pastime is junking and fixing up old houses.

Book Review - An Appalachian Summer by Ann H.Gabhart

My Review

An Appalachian Summer is a historical novel set in 1933.  Piper Danson has returned home from college to find her father has informally arranged her marriage to a prominent young businessman, Braxton Crandall. However, Piper's heart is still with her childhood sweetheart, Jamie Russell.  After she goes to a presentation on the Frontier Nursing Service, she volunteers to be a courier for the group in the Appalachian Mountains for the summer.  The summer working in Appalachia, away from her family, changes her life.  When both Jamie and Braxton follow her to the mountains, things really get interesting!

I wanted to read this novel because the setting and subject matter were intriguing.  I rarely encounter historical novels set during the Depression years, and the Appalachian Mountains setting was especially appealing.

This is a lovely read about another time and place!  The historical details are lovingly rendered;  the author does such a good job of capturing mountain life in the 1930's.  Piper works closely with nurse midwives and watches (and helps with) some childbirths.  She encounters sweet children from hardscrabble backgrounds.  She also experiences life on a farm for the first time - milking cows, taking care of horses, tending to chickens.  There are a few instances of the treatment of animals in this mountain community that were hard to read, although they seem realistic for the time and place. 

Piper is a brave, daring young woman who is willing to step out of her comfort zone to learn how other people live;  she truly is motivated by helping them and making a difference in their lives.  I loved her sweet lifelong love of Jamie, and also liked that her other suitor, Braxton, is a decent person and likable in his own right.

There is an enjoyable secondary storyline about Piper's aunt Truda, who is in her 40's and never married.  She lost touch with her first love, Jack, years ago, but he surprisingly crosses paths with the family in this novel.  I enjoyed reading their story as well.

An Appalachian Summer is an engrossing historical novel that gives a unique glimpse at another time and place.  I had not heard of the Frontier Nursing Service before, and learned it was a real organization, founded by Mary Breckenridge - just like in the novel.  Fans of historical fiction will enjoy this summer story.

Book Review - The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop by Fannie Flagg

My Review
The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop is a sequel to Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe.  The Wonder Boy is Bud (Buddy) Threadgoode. He is the son of Ruth Jamison, and is later adopted by Idgie Threadgoode and her family. After losing his arm in an accident as a young boy, he grew up in Whistle Stop, Alabama with Ruth, Idgie, and their extended family and friends. The novel goes back and forth in time, and much of the plot centers on Bud's daughter, Ruthie, a widow who is living in Atlanta and looking for her next chapter in life.  Bud impulsively travels to Whistle Stop, an abandoned town at this point, and that trip leads Ruthie to join him in Alabama, where they meet and befriend Evelyn Couch.

I wanted to read The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop because I love Fannie Flagg's books! She is one of my favorite authors and I absolutely love Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe.  

This is the most delightful book.  It moves back and forth in time, like memory, from the 1930's to the 1960's, the 1980's, and into the present day.  The chapters are short, punctuated with humor, occasional poignancy, and Dot Weems' little newsletter about the town of Whistle Stop.

It felt like visiting with old friends again seeing what happened next to the characters I loved in Fried Green Tomatoes.  I really enjoyed the continuation of Ruth and Idgie's story in the lives of  Bud and Ruthie.

The storytelling is fun and lively, with passages like this (about Bud):

"One afternoon, when Ninny was over at the cafe visiting with Ruth, she said, 'That boy of yours is a real wonder boy.' 

Ruth smiled. 'Why do you say that?' 

Ninny laughed . “Because he’s always a wonderin’ about somethin’ or another. Why do kittens purr, or why do rabbits have long ears? This morning, when he was over at my house, he says to me, “Aunt Ninny, I wonder why chickens have feathers and wings , but they don’t fly off anywhere?” So I said, “That’s a good question, honey. If I was a chicken and I saw Sipsey headed toward me with her five-pound skillet, I’d sure fly away if I could.” (Kindle location 235).

I enjoyed getting to know Bud and Ruthie in this book. Bud is an especially likable character, with his lifelong love of animals (he is a retired veterinarian in present day) and his abiding love for all things Whistle Stop. Ruthie is also an interesting character, with many parallels to Evelyn's storyline from Fried Green Tomatoes.  The scenes with Ruthie and Evelyn together are pure gold.

I cannot recommend The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop highly enough for anyone who enjoys historical fiction, southern fiction, and especially the novels of Fannie Flagg.  Settle in with a glass of iced tea and a long afternoon of good reading.  You will not be disappointed!

Book Review - The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis

My Review

The Lions of Fifth Avenue is a historical novel set at the New York Public Library.  It tells the story of two women whose lives are changed by their time at the library.  In 1913, Laura Lyons lives in a mezzanine apartment at the library with her family.  Her husband works as the library's superintendent and she is pursuing a career in journalism, unusual for a woman in her time. When a rare copy of Edgar Allen Poe's Tamerlane goes missing, their lives are changed.  In 1992 Laura's granddaughter, Sadie Donovan, is working as curator at the library. Once again, several rare books go missing, and the search is on for the thief.

I wanted to read The Lions of Fifth Avenue because I enjoy Fiona Davis's writing and I absolutely adore books with a library setting.  I sell vintage books, so the antiquarian book storyline was especially appealing to me.

I absolutely loved this book and have been telling friends about it since I first started reading. The history of the New York Public Library is fascinating, from the early apartment cloistered in the building, to the methods of handling and cataloging books (and other historic, book related artifacts), to the curators' daily work. The details of antiquarian books at the library and their special markings and attributes was especially fascinating to me.

There are intriguing passages about the library like this:

"Sadie led the trio through the halls, pointing out all her favorite spots: the painted ceiling of a cloudy sky above the back stairwell, the Edward Laning murals depicting the history of the written word in the rotunda, and the view of the foyer from the second-floor balcony. Then down to the stacks where the library’s millions of volumes were housed. 

'If the shelves were laid end to end, they would measure over eighty miles,' she said.

Mrs. Smith let out a small 'Oh, my.'

'This particular branch of the New York Public Library is a research library, not a circulating one,' said Sadie. 'That means we don’t lend the books out, they must be consulted on-site. Furthermore, the stacks are not for browsing, they are closed off to the general public. Instead, a patron consults the card catalog and puts in a request, and then the book or books are sent to the Reading Room. The retrieval process hasn’t changed much in all the time the library has been open to the public, since 1911.' The stacks consisted of seven tiers that rose from the basement level to just below the Reading Room. They reminded Sadie of an ant colony, with library pages dashing up stairs and down the narrow aisles, locating one book among millions within minutes along the steel shelves. She pointed out the conveyer system that carried books up to the patrons waiting in the Reading Room, as well as the dumbwaiter used for oversized works." (Kindle location 337).

I found the lives of Laura, in 1913, and Sadie, in 1992, very compelling. They both struggle with pursuing work that they are passionate about. Laura wants to be a journalist and essayist at the point that few women pursue this career.  When she runs into an old college friend and attends the Heterodoxy Club in Greenwich Village (a group for women to express opinions on the vote, birth control, etc.), her conviction about her future changes.

Sadie longs to be curator of the library, but she has to fight for the position and really struggles in her early days on the interim job.

Both women also try to sort out their personal lives. Laura is married with two young children, but she wants more than the conventional life of wife to a powerful man.  Sadie is divorced and intends to stay single, until she meets the investigator working on the case of missing books at the library. I found Nick, the investigator, very intriguing -- he was much more complex and sophisticated than expected.  I loved the slow building romance between Sadie and Nick.

The two parallel cases of missing antiquarian books were utterly fascinating, and the mystery from 1913 wound into the 1992 timeline as well.  I found the search for the books, through old bookstores and covert dealers and collectors, so interesting to read about.

The Lions of Fifth Avenue is one of my favorite reads from recent years, and will certainly be high on my book list for this year. I cannot recommend it highly enough for fans of historical fiction, libraries, antiquarian books, literary history, New York history, or just fans of a beautifully told, compelling story.

Book Review and Giveaway - Buried in the Stacks: A Haunted Library Mystery by Allison Brook

Book Synopsis
Librarian Carrie Singleton is building a haven, but one of her neighbors is misbehavin’. Can resident spirit Evelyn help Carrie catch the culprit who made her a ghost?
 
In winter, the Haunted Library is a refuge for homeless townspeople. When a group purchases a vacant house to establish a daytime haven for the homeless, Carrie offers the library as a meeting place for the Haven House committee, but quickly learns that it may be used for illegal activities.

As the new Sunshine Delegate, Carrie heads to the hospital to visit her cantankerous colleague, Dorothy, who had fallen outside the local supermarket. She tells Carrie that her husband tried to kill her–and that he murdered her Aunt Evelyn, the library’s resident ghost, six years earlier.

And then Dorothy is murdered–run off the road as soon as she returns to work. Evelyn implores Carrie to find her niece’s killer, but that’s no easy task: Dorothy had made a hobby of blackmailing her neighbors and colleagues. Carrie, Evelyn, and Smoky Joe the cat are on the case, but are the library cards stacked against them?
 
My Review
Buried in the Stacks is set in small town Connecticut. Carrie Singleton works at a library haunted by a kindly librarian ghost, Evelyn, whom she has befriended.  In this cozy mystery, Carrie faces several issues at once.  The library suddenly has become a daytime refuge for homeless people in the community.  Several library patrons are upset about this and Carrie steps in to find a way to help the homeless people.  In the meantime, her longtime antagonist, Dorothy, the library's reference librarian, dies under mysterious circumstances.  Dorothy was the niece of Carrie's ghostly friend, Evelyn, and Carrie begins to investigate both their deaths -- Dorothy's recent passing and Evelyn's from some years ago.

This book is the third in the Haunted Library Mystery series.  I absolutely love this series of mysteries, and the third volume did not disappoint!

I admire Carrie's sensitivity and compassion as she works to not just solve mysteries but also help others.  Her friendship with the ghostly Evelyn continues to be a strong point in the books.

I also enjoy the small town setting and especially the library locale.  I like Carrie's friends, her boyfriend Dylan, and her cat Smoky Joe.

The mystery was well written and it kept me guessing.  The character development in this series is especially strong, and that makes the mysteries a bit more substantive to me.  The social issue of homelessness was handled with sensitivity in this novel.

I enthusiastically recommend Buried in the Stacks - and the Haunted Library Mystery series - to other cozy fans.  I am already looking forward to reading the next book in the series!

Author Bio
Allison Brook is the pseudonym for Marilyn Levinson, who writes mysteries, romantic suspense, and novels for kids. She lives on Long Island and enjoys traveling, reading, watching foreign films, doing Sudoku and dining out. She especially loves to visit with her grandchildren on FaceTime.

Author Links
Website: http://www.marilynlevinson.com
My Amazon page: http://amzn.to/K6Md1O
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marilyn.levinson.10?ref=ts&fref=ts
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/161602.Marilyn_Levinson
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarilynLevinson
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/marilev/
Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – IndieBound


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Book Review and Giveaway - A Curio Killing (A Keepsake Cove Mystery) by Mary Ellen Hughes

Book Synopsis
Callie finds treble in Keepsake Cove when her ex-boyfriend is framed for murder . . .  

Callie Reed is looking forward to her first Keepsake Cove spring festival. But her excitement dims considerably when she learns that her ex-boyfriend, Hank, will be performing with one of the hired country-western bands. Callie vows to keep her distance, but that changes when the band’s manager, Bobby Linville, is found dead, killed with the music box Hank bought at Callie’s shop.

Hank is soon singing a sad tune in a detention center with Callie his only lifeline. Though thoroughly aware of his many faults, she knows violence and murder aren’t in his blood. But that means one of her fellow Keepsake Cove residents must be hiding a dark secret—something Callie desperately needs to uncover. 

My Review
Callie Reed lives in the small town of Keepsake Cove, where she owns a music box shop and sometimes helps solve mysteries!  When her musician ex-boyfriend Hank comes to town, Callie is not glad to see him reappear.  She is even more upset, though, when he is wrongly accused of killing the band's manager.  She decides to help clear Hank's name, even though doing so puts her in jeopardy.

A Curio Killing is book 3 of the Keepsake Cove mystery series.  I really enjoy this series.  I especially love the setting.  As described in the book:

"But she still had plenty to do just readying her music box shop for the influx of new customers expected to flood the streets of the Cove during the spring festival. But that, of course, was the whole point of it— bringing people to the area, some of whom might not yet have discovered Keepsake Cove and its bevy of specialty shops, each featuring a unique type of collectible item. Delia’s Shake It Up! offered a huge variety of collectible salt and pepper shakers. On the other side of Callie’s shop, Karl Eggers’s Carlectibles carried classic and collectible model cars. Then there were Bill and Laurie Hart’s Kids at Heart vintage toy shop, Orlena Martin’s Treasured Boxes, and many, many more. The Cove was a section of the town of Mapleton, which featured the more routine though essential kind of places, such as grocery stores and banks. But Keepsake Cove was a collector’s dream, and more than one shopper had been hooked after a single visit to the area." (Kindle location 67)

The mystery in this novel was interesting.  I liked the glimpses it gave us into Callie's life before Keepsake Cove, and I appreciated her loyalty to her ex-boyfriend Hank, and her determination to clear his name.  There were a number of plausible suspects and the mystery kept me guessing until the end.

Callie took a couple of big risks that had me saying "no!!!" to the book, but I think it is part of her character to leap before thinking at times.

I liked Callie's relationship with Brian (would actually like to read more about their romance) and her friendships with Delia and Lyssa and the other shop owners.

This novel has a leisurely pace that suits the charming small town setting.  It was not a fast read but it is one that I really enjoyed.  I look forward to reading the next book in this series and recommend A Curio Killing (and this entire series) to cozy mystery readers, and especially to anyone who enjoys picturesque small town settings.

Author Bio
Mary Ellen Hughes is the bestselling author of the Pickled and Preserved Mysteries, the Craft Corner Mysteries, and the Maggie Olenski Mysteries, along with several short stories. The Keepsake Cove series begins with A Fatal Collection and continues with A VINTAGE DEATH and A CURIO KILLING.  

Author Links
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MaryEllenHughesauthor
Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/mehughes13/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/mehughesauthor
GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/402922.Mary_Ellen_Hughes
Purchase Links – Amazon    B&N  Midnight Ink     Mystery Love Company Booksellers    BAM    IndieBound

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