What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust by Alan Bradley

 

 

What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust  (A Flavia de Luce novel) by Alan Bradley. Bantam Books, 2024. Adult/YA mystery.

This is number eleven in the Flavia series. I really thought as I waited TWO months and was even the first one on the library's hold list...will this be worth it? I mean, those of us who have followed the English girl sleuth through thick and thin know a lot. Her mother is dead and was acknowledged by Churchill himself. Now Father is dead. The war is over. Feely is married and away on honeymoon. Daffy has her head  in a book. And, little precocious Cousin Undine has moved in to cause trouble. Only Dogger is around for wit and conversation. What else can possibly happen?

And, then, move over Nancy Drew. Step aside, Sherlock. NOTHING is as it seems. Dear Mrs. Mullet is accused of murder! What? The very woman who makes the family's meals and runs a tight ship! Let's just say, I polished this off in a couple of days. The wait was worth it all. Dear Readers, the game is afoot! Bring on Number 12!

The Medicine Woman of Galveston by Amanda Skenandore

 

 

The Medicine Woman of Galveston by Amanda Skenandore. Kensington Books, 2024. Historical fiction.

Dr. Tucia Hatherley had a traumatic incident during an operation and has given up surgery and medicine. She scrapes by, working in a corset factory, and trying to raise her son who has special needs. When she is faced with an opportunity to travel with a rather unreliable "medicine" show, she takes a chance. Unexpected friendships develop with the other outcast show people including a female "giant" and a Native American man who both defy stereotypes. As the show moves from St. Louis and approaches a stay in Galveston, Texas, the Great Storm of 1900 also approaches. Can Tucia survive? Can she ever find love? 

Well developed characters make this novel a pleasure to read.  It is unusual for Down syndrome to pop up in a historical setting and this little boy Toby adds much to the story. Readers will find hope and much to admire in the story of a valiant mother and woman alone in the world at the turn of that century. 

What Have You Done? by Shari Lapena

 

 What Have You Done? by Shari Lapena. Pamela Dorman Books, Viking, 2024. Adult fiction. Mystery.

Set in Fairhill, Vermont, this thriller involves a small community and its school. When a teen is found dead in a field, everyone is a suspect. Students, parents, teachers, administration, neighbors, the people at the local Home Depot, and just about everyone are suspicious and suspect. Many help narrate the story, even the dead teen. 

Lapena has become a prolific author of "surburban paranoia" as Ruth Ware describes the writing style. She looks under the rocks of happy family life, picture perfect suburban neighbors, and award winning schools to find mystery and intrigue. Names of characters are right out of current baby naming books. Texts, phone calls, journal entries, and good old fashioned hearsay push the narrative. But, who is trust worthy and who is the culprit? It's hard to put down a Lapena novel as she weaves all the elements into her work and ties it up at the end. 

Murder on the Page by Daryl Wood Gerber

 

 Murder on the Page by Daryl Wood Gerber. Kensington Books, 2024. Mystery. Fiction.

In this first in the Literary Dining Mystery series, caterer Allie Catt bakes and reads and loves her cat, Darcy. Her friend's aunt who is owner of the local bookstore is found dead. Allie becomes involved in the investigation by the handsome local law enforcement. The dead woman's favorite book was Pride and Prejudice and each chapter begins with a Jane Austen quote. As Allie bakes her way through the book, the goodies sound delicious and the recipes are helpfully included at the end. The beautiful little fictional town near Asheville, North Carolina is its own character as the shops and citizens are set up amidst the plot's red herrings. Gerber paces things so that readers don't really guess the ending and will enjoy the virtual trip away from home. 

The Unwedding: A Novel by Ally Condie

 

 The Unwedding: A Novel by Ally Condie.  Grand Central (Hachette), 2024. Adult fiction.

When Ellery's twenty year marriage ends, she just doesn't want her former love and his new girlfriend to enjoy their prepaid trip to the Resort at Broken Point in Big Sur, California. So, she goes alone for some peace and solitude. But, another wedding ceremony there makes it hard to forget her broken heart. Ben and Olivia's family and friends have booked many of the cottages and rooms and among the group is a murderer. Ellery's own recent past includes a school bus accident and the sorrow triggers all her worst old memories and fears. Condie manages to weave together all of this with art, an elusive celebrity, and friendships, both new and old.

Although this is Condie's debut adult novel, she has written several children's and young adult books. Her writing builds the tensions, plots the action, and describes the characters as 

readers would expect from a seasoned writer. And, it does not come across as an Agatha Christie copycat when storms trap everyone at the resort. 

Husbands and Lovers: A Novel by Beatriz Williams

 

 Husbands and Lovers: A Novel by Beatriz Williams. Ballantine Books, 2024. Adult fiction.

Single woman Mallory's life has complications. Her young teen son needs kidney dialysis. Her old flame has become a rock star. Her mother apparently was adopted from a Catholic convent in Ireland. Williams begins all of these together in several captivating New England summers circa 2022. The chapters alternate between Mallory's story and that of her mother and grandmother in the 1950's and before. Strong women, family ties, espionage, beach love, privilege and class; all are tied up with ribbons. Just keep reading as the trip is well worth the journey!  

My one quibble in the book is that the Gardner Museum in Boston is misspelled on page 120 and FOUR times on page 204. The editors are listed by name in the author notes at the end. You know who you are!

The Cliffs: A Novel by J. Courtney Sullivan

 

 The Cliffs: A Novel by J. Courtney Sullivan. Alfred A. Knopf, 2024. Adult fiction. 

    Jane has grown up in Maine and had a turbulent childhood. Now, as an adult, she returns home. The little town is much the same, but Jane has changed. High up on a hill was a lavender house that had been abandoned and in which Jane liked to explore as a girl. Now it is the rather palatial estate of Genevieve and her family. Jane has pursued a career in which the past and relics from other times are important. 

Sullivan has done a masterful job of melding the present and the past in this novel. Jane's mother and grandmother are presented as well as their neighbors over the years. None of the women know the whole story of the house on the hill, but Sullivan puts all the clues together for us as readers to understand. If you like Maine, you will definitely want to put this novel in your stack to read this summer!

The Glass Maker: A Novel by Tracy Chevalier

 

  

 The Glass Maker: A Novel by Tracy Chevalier. Viking, 2024. Adult Fiction. Historical Fiction.

This creative novel begins in 1486 and ends in 2019 with the same characters who have aged a little, but not a lot. Its interesting to see how the characters have adapted to the different time periods and Chevalier does a great job of telling how the world itself has changed each time the time changes for the characters..

The Rosso family are glass makers in Murano near Venice. The brothers make the glass while the eldest sister, Orsola Rosso, works on beads, considered lesser work by the men. But, it is Orsola who is able to feed the family in hard times.  Loves, deaths, plagues, the enticements of Venice all crowd the narrative. It is a fascinating look at glass over the ages and the long tradition of glass making on the island of Murano.

The Story of Charlotte's Web by Michael Sims

 

 The Story of Charlotte's Web: E.B.White's Eccentric Life in Nature and the Birth of an American Classic. Walker and Company, 2011. Adult nonfiction.

In this novel, author Michael Sims does a masterful job of telling about the life of author E.B. White and what led him to life in New York City, to his wife, and always back to his farm in Maine. Sims writes in an eloquent manner and his descriptions are apt and  lush. Readers can almost hear the traffic sounds in the city and the silence in the country. The interviews, manuscripts, newspaper accounts, magazine articles, and other resource materials are carefully documented at the end. A bibliography for further reading is provided. His work showing how White worked and lived adds much for readers to pore over and enjoy.

E.B. White grew up on a farm. He knew the animals and the daily routine. He felt more at ease with animals than with people. His glorious book, Charlotte's Web, tells of life on a farm and the animals and people who live there. Often noted as a tale for all ages, the novel is one of friendship, greed, family, and great wisdom. If you have never read it, do it now.

 

 The Mona Lisa Vanishes by Nicolas Day. Illustrated by Brett Helquist. Random House Studio, 2023. All ages, but published as a children's chapter book.

You're heard this before, but this is probably the best book I have read all year. I do love a good art heist book as readers of this blog are aware. But, Nicholas Day has created a fascinating look at da Vinci era Florence, the early 1900's in Paris, the connection Pablo Picasso had to a theft of the Mona Lisa from The Louvre, and the creation of police work involving finger printing. And, he does it with humor and complete bibliography and references! The only thing missing is an actual photograph of the painting herself...and photos of the Gainsborough stolen portrait and the statues Picasso used to paint ears! The book may finally receive the readership due it since it has been placed on the Texas Lone Star book list for middle grades. 

Beneath a Crescent Shadow by A.L. Sowards

 

 Beneath a Crescent Shadow by A.L. Sowards. Shadow Mountain Publishing, 2024. Adult historical fiction.

I like historical fiction and picked up this ARC at a recent Texas Library Association conference. Have you ever read anything about the history of the Balkans?? This well written, fast paced novel tells the story of Konstantin and Suzana who have an arranged marriage. The classic story: her dowry for his royal treasury. Under the Ottoman oppression, the little area for which Konstantin is responsible is subject to the whims of the ruling sultan. Brigands, traitors, war, and danger lurk everywhere. But, the two newlyweds manage to learn about each other in good old fashioned love story fashion. With a sprinkling of Christianity, the two main characters manage to find love, hope, and family. Out in 2024, this is the first in THE BALKAN LEGENDS series. Beneath the Crescent Sky is due out in 2025. 

The Princess of Las Vegas by Chris Bohjalian

 

 The Princess of Las Vegas by Chris Bohjalian. Random House, Quaker Village Books, Large Print Edition, 2024. Adult fiction.

Crissy has parlayed her looks as a look-alike for Princess Diana into a stage show at the Buckingham Palace, a rather seedy venue that is definitely not on The Strip in Las Vegas. When her sister, Betsy, who also looks a lot like the other two women, and her newly adopted daughter, Marisa, move to Las Vegas, Crissy finds herself with old resentments and new problems. Not to mention that the book starts out with the murder of one of the owners of Buckingham Palace and is soon followed by another murder! It is great fun to read about the city and the novel includes some tidbits about its past. Marisa is a former foster child with computer smarts and sometimes knows more than the adults about reading people. Bohjalian has taken a unique concept and fleshed it out beautifully. Take a chance on this story!

Enchantee by Gita Trelease

 

 

 Enchantee, by Gita Trelease. Flatiron Books, 2019.

                                           All That Glitters, reissued 2021 as first in a series. 

                                          YA fiction. Fantasy. Historical Fiction. 

Set in the heady days of the French Revolution, this novel has history, magic, and memorable characters. Camille and her sister, Sophie, have struggled since the deaths of their parents. Camille uses the dark magic that her mother taught her, but warned her against using, to transform herself into a baroness. She plays cards at Versailles and meets some of history's greatest characters. But, when Sophie is in danger, she risks everything to save them both. With a love interest who flies the new balloons as a aeronaut and a dastardly marquis both wanting her, Camille must also make tough decisions about her future in a time when women had few choices. 

The Wildes: A Novel in Five Acts by Louis Bayard

 

 The Wildes: A Novel in Five Acts by Louis Bayard. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2024. Adult fiction. 

     Most readers know of playwright Oscar Wilde's rather flamboyant life and difficulties that resulted in imprisonment. But, who knew he actually had a wife and two sons?  In this creative novel, the author begins in 1892 in a Norfolk house with the family, including his mother, Lady Wilde, and continues into later life. Lord Alfred Douglas shows up and family life falls apart.  Bayard fictionalizes  Wilde's court case and Constance's striving to make a somewhat normal life for her boys. The boys grow into men who serve England in WWI. Finally, there is a return to the Norfolk house and an imaginative look at what-might-have-been. The novel will certainly have readers who are interested in Wilde running for nonfiction information about these characters! 

The Forever Witness by Edward Humes

 

 

 The Forever Witness:  How DNA and Genealogy Soled a Cold Case Double Murder by Edward Humes. Dutton, 2022. Nonfiction.

When a young couple disappeared in the Pacific Northwest in 1987, their case became a cold case. Their families thought no one would ever solve the murders. Years later, the case was even featured on tv's UNSOLVED MYSTERIES. This is the tale of how a dedicated detective and a forensic genealogist, among others over the years, worked together to piece together clues and DNA to find their man.

This is such complicated book! If you read true  crime, read it. If you are into genealogy, read it. If you are on a police force, read it. If you have already sent your DNA into one of the leading genealogy companies online, read it. It is hard to read in places: gruesome murders, almost forty years worth of DNA researching, and long courtroom testimonies. But, there is something here for anyone. The author is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and his meticulous research and gripping narrative are worth your time.

One Perfect Couple: A Novel by Ruth Ware

 

 One Perfect Couple: A Novel by Ruth Ware. Scout Press, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, 2024. Thriller, mystery. 

Told in Lyla's first person voice, this is the story of Lyla and her boyfriend Nico who are chosen to be one of the couples on a proposed new tv show that will choose one perfect couple. All the couples will face challenges, but not the ones they expected on the pristine blue waters of the brand new resort in the Thailand area. They have had to turn in all electronics and the one radio on the island doesn't seem to work. The boat that brought them is gone. When a major storm hits, some villas are destroyed, others flooded. With no clear idea where they really are, no medical supplies, and little food and water, the group begins to suspect that one of their own is plotting against their rapidly diminishing little group.

Here I am with another Ruth Ware book after all. This one reads like the pattern in Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. Thankfully, Ware is making the genre her own with fully developed characters, new setting, and up-to-date problems. If only multiple characters didn't all use the F word all the time! Maybe they should have brought a dictionary to the island with them to expand their vocabularies! 

Force of Nature: A Novel of Rachel Carson by Ann E. Burg

 

 

 Force of Nature: A Novel of Rachel Carson by Ann E. Burg.  Art by Sophie Blackall. Scholastic Press, 2024. All ages.

In the 1950's, Rachel Carson became one of the most famous voices in the fight for clean air and water. A scientist and writer, Carson moved many to form groups of like minded people to help save the world from pollution, too many chemicals, and other practices that would shorten the lives of people, animals, and sea creatures.

This charming novel in free verse tells of the life of Rachel Carson. Small black and white illustrations show many of the insects, fish, birds, and plants she explored and researched. Her family and friends supported her work and encouraged Rachel to speak out. She died April 14, 1964. Her work continues.

While this book is perfect for children and young adults, it is also a good introduction for adults to the life and work of Rachel Carson.

The Titanic Survivors Book Club: A Novel by Timothy Schaffert

 

 The Titanic Survivors Book Club: A Novel by Timothy Schaffert.

Doubleday, 2024. Adult fiction.

Who would you call a survivor of the HMS Titanic which sank in April, 1912? Someone who had a ticket but never sailed? Someone who was on the ship and was rescued? Someone who gave their ticket to someone else? Someone whose lover convinced him not to go? Someone who would rather have been on the Olympic and traded tickets? Someone who donated the price of their ticket to charity?

Come along on this ride with author Timothy Schaffert to a fading Paris where Yorick, a second class steward who chose books for the ship's second class library but never boarded for sailing, has opened a bookstore. He was listed as going down on the ship originally. When a group of people receive invitations addressed to Titanic Survivors, Yorick meets people who will influence the rest of his life.

With small connections to the ship, the handful of characters include the beautiful Zinnia whose Japanese-American family makes glorious candies; Haze, the handsome but decadent young man who charms both Yorick and Zinnia; an aging actress, a gambler, and others. who form a book club.

Schaffert writes gorgeous, lyrical descriptions of people and places. Divided into several parts, the narrative continues past 1915 and WWI years. It is a tribute to love, friendship, chance, and books.

The Frozen River: A Novel by Ariel Lawhon

 

 

 The Frozen River: A Novel by Ariel Lawhon. Random House, 2023. Adult Historical fiction.

It is 1789 and Martha Ballard is the midwife and healer for her community of Hallowell, Maine. Martha keeps a journal of her days and bears witness to the births and deaths in the area. When two men are accused of rape, one is found dead in the Kennebec River. The other is a prominent judge. With a new doctor in town, there is a dispute about the death and Martha's whole family becomes involved. Martha and her journal are called to testify on the matter.

I know I may sound like the woman who claims every year is THE best Christmas tree, but this is THE best historical fiction I have read this year. Martha and her husband are loving and practical. Life in the early colonies is hard, made even harder with a long winter. The babies Martha delivers form a bond with their mothers and the midwife. Based on a nonfiction biography's information (Pulitzer Prize winner L.T. Ulrich's A Midwife's Tale) about the real Martha Ballard, the story is gripping. End notes tell what compromises Lawhon has made in this fictional story in order to make this novel read more smoothly. Grab a pen and start your own journal!

The Lantern's Dance by Laurie R. King

 

 The Lantern's Dance: A Novel of Suspense Featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes by Laurie R. King. Bantam, 2024. Mystery. 

   When Sherlock Holmes and his wife, Mary Russell, go to France to visit with Holmes grown son, Damian Adler and his wife and young daughter, they land in a spot of trouble involving shady characters who seem to be after Damian. While Holmes spirits the little family into safety, Russell nurses her hurt ankle and translates a journal found in crates sent from the esteemed art institute to Damian's home. Chapters of the translated journal provide clues about the Holmes family, their link to a famous artist, and why Damian may be in danger. Of course, all is resolved in a glorious way, thanks to the capable hands of Laurie R. King. 

  I highly recommend starting with The Language of Bees for some background on Russell and Holmes. Those of us who have followed the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes novels over the years celebrate any new title. King continues to expand Holmes' family and provide background on his past. 

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A Piece of the World: A Novel by Christina Baker Kline

 

A Piece of the World: A Novel by Christina Baker Kline. William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins, 2017. Adult fiction.

This is the fictional story of Christina Olson of Cushing, Maine and her family. Christina is the inspiration for the woman in Andrew Wyeth's famous painting, Christina's World. Kline has done a masterful job of imagining her life. Disabled for most of her life, Christina and her brother were hosts to Wyeth many summers. Well researched and documented in notes at the end of the book, this tale provides inner imaginings based on what is known about Christina. More information has been published about Wyeth and Christina's relationship since the publication of this title and readers will want to find out what happened to them all. An illustration shows the famous painting at the very end of the book. Overall, a haunting, evocative, lovely story well told.

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

 

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. HarperCollins, 2023. Adult fiction.

As the pandemic rages in 2020, Lara and her husband cocoon as their three adult daughters return home to wait it out and help harvest cherries on their farm in Michigan. The girls beg their mother to tell them of her brush with fame in Hollywood and with actor Peter Duke before she was married. Lara's starring role was always as Emily in Thornton Wilder's Our Town and that role has captured the magic of her whole life.  

The story unspools quietly and there is none better than Ann Patchett at telling a tale. Each of the daughters is distinct and well drawn. The alternate chapters of past and present are well presented and easy to follow. Settle back and enjoy this one!

The Exchange by John Grisham

 

 The Exchange: A Novel by John Grisham. Doubleday, 2023.                                                 Adult fiction.

    Mitch McDeere and his wife Abby are back! In The Firm, the young couple started out with a Memphis law firm that almost derailed both Mitch's career and their lives.  Now, it's fifteen years later, and Mitch is still a high powered lawyer, but with an international firm in New York City. His friend and colleague, Luca, has a grown daughter, also a lawyer with connections to Mitch's firm, who has been kidnapped and is in danger. From Rome to Tripoli to Istanbul to Marrakech and Maine and New York, the action involves the McDeeres and their young twin sons. Time is running out for Giovanna. Can the McDeeres help?

The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress: A Novel by Ariel Lawhon

 

The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress: A Novel by Ariel Lawhon. Doubleday, a division of Random House, 2014. Adult fiction.

  When Judge Crater disappears in 1930, no one seems to know what happened to him. His wife is in Maine at the summer house. The maid, Maria, and her Detective husband, Jude, want a child, but she works as a maid in the mornings and a seamtress later and cannot seem to conceive. The showgirl, his mistress Ritzi, knows a lot more about the judge and the underbelly of old New York than would be good for anybody. The twisty action follows what the author imagines might really have happened. It begins and ends in 1969 with an ailing Mrs. Crater. The novel has a noir feel and a helpful list of real and imagined characters at the end tells who is who and what happened to them.

Chenneville by Paulette Jiles

 

 Chenneville, A Novel of Murder, Loss, and Vengeance  by Paulette Jiles. William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins, 2023. Adult fiction. Western.

John Chenneville has fought valiantly in the American Civil War and been injured. When he wakes up after months in a field hospital, the war is over, the President is dead, and he must make his way home to Missouri. He finds that his beloved sister, her husband, and their baby have been killed. He determines to find their killer.

Thus, the novel is a journey, a quest, for Chenneville. It takes him through big cities and uninhabited regions into Texas. Jiles is a master at writing the thoughts of characters and the places they go. The book does not plog, but makes readers feel as if they are right there along side Chenneville. Of course, Texas was Confederate and the Union greatcoat Chenneville wears marks him as Union in a place where resentments run high. He meets a telegraph operator who tells him of a woman telegraph operator whose messages help in his search. Will he find the killer? Keep reading!

Arsenic and Old Silk by Mary Blount Christian

 

 Arsenic and Old Silk by Mary Blount Christian. Series: Secrets of the Quilt. Historical fiction. Annie's  2016, 2019. Children's chapter book. 

    A mom in Vermont has inherited a diary and a quilt that lead her to believe that her ancestor, Maddalena Vitari, worked as a seamstress in the 1532 court of King Henry VIII in England. But, Sofia Parker knows that her family came from Venice, Italy. Can she make any connections and solve the mystery? In the meantime, someone seems to be stalking the Parker family. Are these things related and is the family really in danger? Alternating stories are well done and build suspense. 

Sargent's Women by Donna M. Lucey

 

 Sargent's Women: Four Lives Behind the Canvas by Donna M. Lucey. Nonfiction, biographical, 2017.

The author examines the lives of four women who are painted by John Singer Sargent: Elsie Palmer, Sally Fairchild, Elizabeth Chanler, and Isabella Stewart Gardiner. While Sargent is well known for his paintings of society women in the late 1800's, this exploration is fascinating and follows the women through their lives. The interactions of Sargent and the people in his world and these four women form a spider's web of connections. Reading the book will definitely make you want to look up more about all of them!

Yours from the Tower by Sally Nicholls

 

 Yours from the Tower by Sally Nicholls. Walker Books, 2023. Young Adult fiction.

Told in the form of letters, this novel follows the lives of three school friends who are searching for their next steps in life. It's the late 1890's in Great Britain. Sophia is doing "the season" in London and looking for a wealthy husband to secure her future. Polly is working in an orphanage in Liverpool. Tirzah is, unhappily, the companion to her remote grandmother in Scotland. The three pour out their hearts in letters to each other and others. Like in Jane Austen and the Bridgerton tv series, all does not go smoothly as they dream about adult life. 

The Radcliffe Ladies' Reading Club: A Novel by Julia Bryan Thomas

 

 The Radcliffe Ladies' Reading Club: A Novel by Julia Bryan Thomas. Sourcebooks Landmark, 2023. Adult fiction. 

    Four freshman year students at Radcliffe are brought together for monthly book groups at a newly founded local bookshop. It's the 1950's and women are often overlooked for careers except as wives, teachers, or nurses. Tess, strong willed and smart, and her roommate the beautiful and wealthy Caroline, as well as Evie who grew up on a farm, and Merritt from California whose mother is dead and whose artist father is remote, all live in the same dorm, but are very different. The young woman who owns The Cambridge Bookshop, Alice, provides a safe haven during rocky times for those who need it.  Friendship, books, jealousy, and trauma blend in this well written novel of their first year away from home and in college.

Bernie's Mitten Maker by Jen Ellis

 

 

 

 Bernie's Mitten Maker: A Memoir by Jen Ellis. Green Writers Press, Brattleboro, Vermont, 2023. Adult memoir.

At Inauguration Day, 2021, the world watched as Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont wrapped his coat firmly around himself. On his hands were striped mittens and he wore a mask. The image went viral on the Internet and memes appeared of Bernie in grocery stores, parks, and just everywhere.

This book is the story of the school teacher who made the mittens. Jen Ellis is incredibly honest about her childhood, her marriage to Liz Fenton, and her quest to make a meaningful life. The two go to extraordinary lengths to have a child. All the while, Jen is doing crafts and making things to sell while she is making her friends and building a community. The parts about teaching during the pandemic are especially true to life. This is a memoir from a woman who loves her family and her life. 

The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines

 

 The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines with Mark Dagostino. W Publishing, an imprint of Thomas Nelson, 2016. Memoir.

  Millions of people recognize this married couple from Waco who have turned rehabbing houses into careers. In alternating narratives, sort of like having a conversation with them, each tells how they met, about their own families, and about starting their businesses. Now known for The Silos and its home living shops, bakery, restaurant, and hotel in Waco, Texas, their tv show has spawned an entire network and a magazine and several cookbooks.

 

 The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel. Random House in association with Alfred A. Knopf, 2023. Adult nonfiction.

    Most of us who admire paintings go to museums to enjoy and study them. Master thief Stephane Breitwieser stole over two hundred works of art over ten years and displayed them in secret rooms where he could admire them. With his girl friend as a lookout, he took more and more chances until he was finally caught. 

     The author cultivated a long relationship with Breitwieser in order to learn first hand just how the thefts took place and more about the motivation of the man. He had grown up with money, but by 1997, he and his mother were living on government aid.  Finkel has put together a fascinating book not only about this one thief, but that also touches on other art crimes.  There are no color photographs of the art, but some black-and-white ones are included. A timeline would have been helpful, but it is probably impossible to have a list of all the items he stole. Between his former girl friend, his mother, and other people, many stories about Breitwieser, arrested in 2019, have yet to be told. 

 

 The Heiress: A Novel by Rachel Hawkins. St. Martin's Press, 2023. Adult fiction. Mystery.

     Camden and his wife, Jules, live and work in Colorado until they must go to North Carolina to face Cam's family and the mysteries of his family. Cam was adopted by Ruby McTavish, a four times married heiress who is notorious for her wealth, her mansion, Ashby House, and for the time she disappeared for a year when she was four years old. The child was found living with the Darnell family, assumed to be Ruby, and returned to the McTavishes. 

      Fast forward again, Ruby has been dead for ten years. Cam has inherited everything, but wants nothing to do with it. His aunt and cousins are living in Ashby House. In letters from Ruby, fake articles from Southern Living, newspapers, hiking guides, and such, readers learn more about the history of the family and the area near Biltmore. Nothing is as it seems and the author manages to put together a twisty tale of people who really do not know each other. Questions abound. Who really is Cam? Why does Jules know so much? Are the cousins for them or against them? Did Ruby actually earn the nickname "Mrs. Killmore?"  Why does everyone in this book swear so much? Hollywood will certainly come calling to make a movie! 

The Berry Pickers: A Novel by Amanda Peters

 

 The Berry Pickers: A Novel by Amanda Peters. Catapult, 2023.

   In 1962, a Mi'kmaq family arrives in Maine on their annual stay to pick blueberries. Ruthie, age four, and her brother, Joe, age six, spend days in the sun. When Ruthie disappears, no one can find her and the family never gets over the tragedy. Joe, especially, misses his sister and, as an old man, still thinks of her.

   Alternating chapters tell of a brown skinned little girl named Norma who grows up an only child in a wealthy family. She has disturbing dreams and knows there is a mystery in her family. As the narrative continues, Norma is grown and the pieces of the puzzle are finally put into place.

   Beautifully written, this debut novel unspools slowly and with care. The descriptions of the places are lovely. While readers may suspect what happened, the way the story is written is realistic and the characters move forward in their lives, always remembering the past, and searching for answers. 

Hello, Beautiful: A Novel by Ann Napolitano

 

 Beautiful: A Novel by Ann Napolitano. The Dial Press, 2023. Adult fiction.

   The four Padavano sisters often compare themselves to the sisters in Little Women. Their lives in America are very different from those of the book characters though. Julia, the oldest, could run an army and finds her husband, William, at college. Sylvie is quieter and a reader. Twins Cecelia, an artist, and Emeline, a caretaker of both young and old, are very different, too. The  novel is so well written that it is a pleasure to follow the girls and they grow up. Just as you think you know where the author is going, unexpected detours find the characters. Sit back and enjoy this journey! 

The Madstone: A Novel by Elizabeth Crook

The Madstone: A Novel by Elizabeth Crook. Little, Brown and Company, 2023. 279 pages. Historical fiction. Adult.

   Told in the form of a letter written by Benjamin Shreve in November, 1868, in Comfort, Texas, this historical fiction will delight readers of Lonesome Dove and other Western fans. Benjamin, a wood worker, becomes involved with passengers on a stranded stagecoach after it is robbed by bandits. Dickie, or Richard Dean Bell, has a purse with a treasure. Pregnant Bell Banes and her four-year-old son, Tot, are trying to get to New Orleans. Benjamin goes on a harrowing journey to help these people and finds himself. Boerne and Comfort are the main settings, but join these travelers as they embark on an epic adventure and face danger.