Sometimes it is a nice change of pace to read a novel set in a by-gone era.

I have been reading Rhys Bowen’s Molly Murphy Mystery series since they were released in the early 2000s.  The latest, released in Nov 2015 , Away in a Manger, is Book 15.

Molly is a woman ahead of her time.   She’s an Irish immigrant in New York City with no family ties but determined to support herself by solving problems.   Now married to a police detective she finds herself struggling to be the respectful dutiful wife and mother to a baby boy.

This is a cozy mystery with a social conscience.
Molly finds herself compelled to rescue two young children from the cold streets of NYC as Christmas approaches.
Megan & Tig are British, well-spoken, living in a boarding house waiting for their mother to return. They find Sid & Gus taking them in and helping Molly find their mother and possibly other family in America.
Daniel is shot trying to stop a young policeman attempting to arrest the Italian crime boss.
Daniel’s mother holds the household together & prepares for Christmas while Molly heads out of Manhattan to the estates in Long Island in search of family for the abandoned children.
Typical Molly getting in over her head but solving two homicides & preventing another.

My newest series is a Net Galley find from Bethany House Publishers.  A company that publishes Christian reading material.

I am impressed with the way living a Christian life is handled by this writer.

Playing The Part, book 3 in the series “A Class of their Own” by Jen Turano. The release date for this book is March 1, 2106.

A delightful reading experience.
Luceetta Plum’s past in the Old South, a decade after the end of the civil war, has her determined to look after herself, even if it means she is a stage actress, and a very in-demand actress at that.
When her stepfather arrives to inform her that he has lost her in a card game to Silas Ruff, a man Lucetta detests, she flees the city with her elderly friend and landlady, Abigail Hart.
Abigail’s grandson, Bram Haverstein, lives in a castle in upstate New York, complete with a rag tag collection of animals and misfit staff.
The humor in this novel is heartwarming. The descriptions are so funny. When Lucetta faints on the lawn, after two dips in the moat, being set upon by dogs, having a canon fired at her, and then coming face to face with his mother, Bram struggles to carry Miss Plum to the castle and up three flights of stairs.
There are no preachy messages here, just life examples on being the best person you can be by allowing God to temper your responses and reactions to those he sends across your path. Instead of firing disagreeable staff, Bram prays for them. A good reminder, and encouraging life lesson.
Secondary characters are lovable and provide more humor in their quirkiness.
Lucetta’s former rescued roommates, Millie and Harriet, from the first two books in this series, make an appearance near the end of this book.

I have purchased book 1 – After a Fashion and saving for Book 2 – In Good Company

 

Rhys Bowen authors another series set in the 1930s – Her Royal Spyness featuring Lady Georginia of Rannock.   This is a lighthearted look at being a Royal so far down the lineage line that it is more a hindrance than a help.   If you are looking for a quick fun read, this is the series to find.

Please be encouraged to read, and write about what you read.

Until next time: Happy Reading!

Being associated with Net Galley I get the opportunity to read books before they are published.  All the publisher requests in return  is that I write an honest review of the book on a few websites and hopefully on a blog that someone actually reads.

I do post to Good Reads after sending the review to the publisher through Net Galley.  I have to wait until the book is published to be able to post to Amazon.ca   Kobo lets me post a few weeks before the book is released and I make an effort to do that in the hopes my review will provide another perspective from that of the publisher for those who are looking for a book to consider purchasing.

I get free and discount books through BookBub.  A service that offers a variety of books from genres you specify.  Most of these books have been released a few years ago and are often book 1 of a series that is now in book 2 – 5 stage.   So far I’ve only had a few duds from Bub.   BookBub sends an email list I can click on ordering from whatever e-book site I use.   Since I mainly use my old Sony Readers, now Kobo owned, I download or purchase through Kobo.   I do have an old Kindle that Amazon downloads to and occasionally a book is just too interesting not to drag out the Kindle and get a freebee on it.   A few times I’ve gone back and ordered the rest of the series on the Kindle because book 1 was so good.

I think that’s the reason they offer me deals.  LOL

Keeping track of what I’ve read, what can be posted to various sites and when, takes some organizing and commitment on my part.   Not being as computer savvy as I should be, I tend to print and file my reviews, though copy pasting from Good Reads is sometimes the best solution once I figure out when I need to post a review to other sites.  I think I’ve developed a better system this past month in how I file and track.   I am getting more familiar with this ‘new to me’ laptop and more modern software but there is only so many hours in a day for personal learning and blogging.

Always use your local public library’s e-book collection if you can.  It encourages them to commit dollars to this resource over print copies.  In Ontario, the provincial government sponsors Overdrive.  The source of e-books through our libraries.   Your local library purchases their own copies especially for use by their patrons, but the province also has copies for smaller communities and the cities have access to these books too.

With all the new electronic devices in our hands you can read an e-book on just about anything:  Smart Phone, Tablet, E-Reader, Computer.    Be sure if you buy an e-reader that you can read E-Pub and Adobe pdf files on it. Otherwise you may find yourself stuck with purchasing books that can only be read on that specific device, like my old Kindle and Amazon’s format.   I believe Nook is similarly limited.  Of course new modern ones may no longer have that problem and accessing library books on them is standard.  At one time only Sony had library access built in to their readers software.

Well, hope this was educational.

Happy Reading!

Brenda

 

 

 

 

It seems like I’ve been out of touch for awhile. Checking my site my last post was Oct 13, 2015 – almost 4 months ago! Thank you for checking back in. 2015 went by in a blur. So many personal things happened last year. My health struggles last year. having Mom move into a nursing home then finding she had colon cancer, her passing on Nov 22 and interment of ashes on Dec 19 ended a very stress filled year. My husband’s business was impacted by government mandated changes in his industry causing us to seek new markets and develop new products. He did more trade shows last year.  Not fun for either of us having him gone. Reading was such a big part of keeping me alive.

January of 2016 began with a huge business opportunity that has seen me working every day from home as my health has taken a sudden upswing in energy levels. I must be careful not to over do things. I am finding less time to read but more interesting books keep coming my way.

I must share a book I couldn’t put down. I will also share another I read a few years back written about the same time in history but from a very different place.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah was published in Feb 2015 and has been on the top 10 lists ever since. I can understand why. In fact, I read an e copy from Hamilton Public Library then promptly went online and purchased a hard cover copy to share with my family. I give it a 6 out of 5. I couldn’t put it down.

Two sisters find themselves abandoned by their broken father when their mother dies shortly after his return from the Great War.
Vianne and Isabelle are worlds apart in age and temperament. With the outbreak of Germany invading France in WW 2, Isabelle is sent fleeing Paris to join her sister in their family home in Carriveau. With Vianne’s husband off to war, their home becomes a billet for a Nazi captain. Isabelle’s outrage threatens their lives.
Isabelle’s freedom fighting actions have her returning to Paris and working in the underground movement.
What the women of France did to protect their families, stay alive and aid in the fight for freedom in the midst of escalating horror, starvation, danger and atrocities makes this an amazing story that takes us from France to Spain and to Germany.
The Nightingale is Isabelle’s plan to smuggle allied airmen out of France into Spain walking over the Pyrenees Mountains as Juliette Gervais.
This is based on a true story.

The other book is The All Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion by Fanny Flagg.
Published in Nov 2013, it tells the story of a town of women in the mid-western US who find themselves doing the work of the men who have left town to go to war. The book is full of humorous stories and shows the capability and strength of women who had previously been denied access to jobs they enjoyed and were good at. I learned about women pilots who had been crop-dusters and were now testing planes and delivering them to military bases across the US. Women who became auto mechanics and gas station jockeys.  Some carried the load making munitions and being butchers. A very light hearted story but equally enlightening in respect to women’s roles and actions during the 1940 on this side of the continent.

I do hope you can get copies of both books, and read them. I’d love to hear your reaction to either or both of these books.

Next post I will share some other books I’ve read recently.

Until then: Happy reading.