The Mona Lisa Vanishes: a Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity by Nicholas Day and Brett Helquist

20 Wednesday Mar 2024

Posted by in detective, History, mystery, Non-fiction, True crime

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

“A propulsive work of narrative nonfiction about how the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre, how the robbery made the portrait the most famous artwork in the world—and how the painting by Leonardo da Vinci should never have existed at all.  NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF 2023 by Publishers Weekly • School Library Journal • Booklist • Kirkus Reviews • NPR • The New York Public Library • The Chicago Public Library.” – Amazon.  Easy reading full of very interesting facts and amusing detective errors of the times.

“The playful prose in direct address charmingly invites readers into a story that details everything from the stuffy gender roles of fifteenth-century Florence to a wildly inept police investigation to a rather deceitful and not at all admirable Pablo Picasso.” —The Bulletin

 “A multistranded yarn skillfully laid out in broad, light brush strokes with some cogent themes mixed in.” Kirkus Reviews, starred review

 “A completely engaging book.” Booklist, starred review

 “A wildly entertaining, thoroughly contextualized look at art, history, and fame.” Publishers Weekly, starred review

Find this book           playaway

The Wildest Sun by Asha Lemmie

13 Wednesday Mar 2024

Posted by in Fiction, Historical Fiction

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

Author of Fifty Words for Rain, Lemmie takes us from Paris, to NYC, Cuba, and Key West in the footsteps of one sassy, spirited protagonist who is convinced her father is the famous Ernest Hemingway.

“The Wildest Sun is an emotional, hypnotizing, and powerful ride.”—Shondaland, “The Best Books for December 2023”

“From France to Cuba, from war to revolution, The Wildest Sun is a moving meditation on the stories we tell others, the stories we tell ourselves, and how we break free of the past in order to write a brighter future. Simply marvelous!” —Janet Skeslien Charles, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Library

“The Wildest Sun is an epic quest for identity and a tender search for selfhood as a woman and a writer. Asha Lemmie is a master of the heart and with her we meet the vulnerable Delphine as she searches for the larger-than-life man who might be her father. Through decades and across continents, The Wildest Sun is an inspiring and compelling novel. Lemmie’s insightful observations into the writers life with its hopes, fears, and creativity is the lifeblood of this courageous journey for the truth.” —Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times Bestselling author of The Secret Book of Flora Lea

Find this book

North Woods by Daniel Mason 

06 Wednesday Mar 2024

Posted by in Fiction, Historical Fiction, History, United States

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

Follow the history of a New England house from early colonial days to the present. Each chapter focuses on the house’s different inhabitants, including lots of colorful characters. This is a strange, intriguing story with beautiful writing.

“Readers, too, will find themselves in an entrancing fictional realm . . . Like the house at its center, a book that is multitudinous and magical.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“A time-spanning, genre-blurring work of storytelling magic . . . Each chapter germinates its own form while sending out tendrils that entwine beneath the surface of the novel . . . As [Mason] floats through thrillers, a bit of comic noir, erotic paranormal fiction and other genres, it’s hard to imagine there is anything he can’t do . . .”—The Washington Post

“Each arc is beautifully, heartbreakingly conveyed, stitching together subtle connections across time. This astonishes.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“North Woods is the most original and spellbinding novel I’ve read in ages. Mason makes bramble, brush, and orchard come alive with the spirits of their unforgettable former inhabitants. Their lives . . . had me glued to my seat.”—Abraham Verghese, New York Times bestselling author of The Covenant of Water

Find this book                  large print

This Other Eden by Paul Harding

28 Wednesday Feb 2024

Posted by in crimes against, Fiction, Historical Fiction, United States

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

The book is a mere 221 pages but the exquisite sentences can be very long, some almost a paragraph.  An unusual book about a little known island off the coast of Maine that became one of the first racially integrated towns in the Northeast.

“Stunning…You could imagine lots of ways a historical novel about this horror might be written, but none of them would give you a sense of the strange spell of This Other Eden―its dynamism, bravado and melancholy. Harding’s style has been called ‘Faulknerian’ and maybe that’s apt, given his penchant for sometimes paragraph-long sentences that collapse past and present…[An] intense wonder of a historical novel.”― Maureen Corrigan, NPR

“Harding’s third novel revisits an appalling moment in Maine history…[A] brief book that carries the weight of history. A moving account of community and displacement.”― Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Pulitzer winner Harding (Tinkers) suffuses deep feeling into this understated yet wrenching story…It’s a remarkable achievement.”― Publishers Weekly (starred review)

[T]his gorgeously limned portrait about family bonds, the loss of innocence, the insidious effects of racism, and the innate worthiness of individual lives will resonate long afterward.”― Booklist (starred review)

Find this book                playaway

House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng 

21 Wednesday Feb 2024

Posted by in Fiction, Historical Fiction, murder and investigation

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

Tan Twan Eng has been one of my top historical fiction writers forever. His new book is exquisitely written based on historical events in 1921 and the Havelin couple are living in the Cassowary House in the Straits Settlement of Penang.  Old friend, Somerset Maugham comes to stay with them for an extended visit looking for new material for his next book – I was immersed in the setting, the times, and the book’s upheaval of events for several blissful days.

“Exquisite . . . Tan takes on a behemoth task here: combining sensational fact and intimate fiction in a British colonial Asian setting complicated by white privilege, politics, social hypocrisy, gender inequity, racism, homophobia, and more . . . [He] succeeds in delivering another intricate literary gift.” ―Booklist, Starred Review

“The House of Doors is brilliantly observed and full of memorable characters. It is so well-written, everything so effortlessly dramatized, the narrative so well structured and paced, that this is a book that will mesmerize readers far into the future.” ―Colm Tóibín, author of THE MAGICIAN

“In this bold historical fiction, he courageously exposes his motherland’s flaws, exploring thorny issues of race, racism, gender and gender preference, bigotry, infidelity, and colonial power in richly mannered, atmospheric, and expressive prose, which is simply beautiful . . . no one can argue with the ambition, ardency, and achievement of Eng’s complex latest. “- Air Mail

Find this book

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

14 Wednesday Feb 2024

Posted by in detective, Fiction, murder, murder and investigation, mystery

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

Vera Wong’s quiet life running a tea shop in San Francisco is abruptly changed when she discovers a dead body in her store. As the victim’s friends and family try to solve his murder, Vera grows close to each one of them. This is a charming mystery led by Vera, a bossy, funny, and lovable character.

“Vera Wong is my new favorite sleuth! This book is comfort food for the soul. Every chapter is bursting with wisdom and heart.”—Elle Cosimano, USA Today bestselling author of Finlay Donovan Is Killing It

“Following the success of Dial A for Aunties, Sutanto is back with another charmer, this time following the exploits of orthopedic-sneaker-wearing Vera Wong Zhuzhu, who finds a dead body in her Chinatown tea shop. When the police investigation isn’t thorough enough for her liking, she concocts a plan to find the murderer, aided by a locked flash drive she found on the body and stashed away for safekeeping. Sutanto excels at skewering with affection, and an earnest hilarity shines through in this entertaining whodunit.”—The Washington Post

“A mystery with warmth, humor, and many descriptions of delicious teas and foods. Recommended for fans of Sutanto and of character-driven cozy mysteries.”—Library Journal, starred review

Find this book large print playaway

The Postcard by Anne Berest; translated from the French by Tina Kover   

06 Tuesday Feb 2024

Posted by in Biographical fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

“January, 2003. Together with the usual holiday cards, an anonymous postcard is delivered to the Berest family home. On the front, a photo of the Opéra Garnier in Paris. On the back, the names of Anne Berest’s maternal great-grandparents, Ephraïm and Emma, and their children, Noémie and Jacques—all killed at Auschwitz.” (amazon)  Who sent the postcard and why? This was an illuminating read  – the best book I have read this year.

★ “Electrifying…Berest is aware that she’s relating a tragedy, but her narration rejects the impulse to let her family members’ stories rest at that…Acknowledging both the horrors of the Holocaust and the humanity of those it targeted, The Postcard is a commanding family memoir.”—Foreword reviews (starred review)

“Moving…Ms. Berest has done her research, artfully weaving grim facts and figures into her family history…Let’s hope that a book like this, which encompasses both the monstrosities of the past and the dangers of the present, will guard us from complacency.”—Heller McAlpin, The Wall Street Journal

“Powerful, meticulously imagined… The Postcard (translated into a lucid and precise English by Tina Kover) takes its readers on a deep dive into one Jewish family’s history, and, inextricably, into the devastating history of the Holocaust in France… [A] powerful literary work… that contains a single grand-scale act of self-discovery and many moments of historical illumination.”—Julie Orringer, The New York Times Book Review 

Find this book

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

27 Saturday Jan 2024

Posted by in detective, Fiction, Historical Fiction, mystery, United States

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

“The thing about picking a handful of berries is that each one is different—some are sweet, some sour, some extra juicy. The Berry Pickers is just like a handful of berries. It’s an unassuming novel filled with so much sweet, so much sour, so much juice. Reading this book, I was only ever hungry when it ended.” —Morgan Talty, author of Night of the Living Rez

“The strength of Amanda Peters’s novel lies in its understanding of how trauma spreads through a life and a family, and its depiction of the challenges facing Indigenous people . . . [A] powerful message about truth, forgiveness and healing.” —Marion Winik, The Washington Post

“A harrowing tale of Indigenous family separation . . . [Peters] excels in writing characters for whom we can’t help rooting . . . With The Berry Pickers, Peters takes on the monumental task of giving witness to people who suffered through racist attempts of erasure like her Mi’kmaw ancestors.—Eric Nguyen, The New York Times Book Review

“Peters beautifully explores loss, grief, hope, and the invisible tether that keeps families intact even when they are ripped apart. A poignant debut from a writer to watch.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“A marvelous debut. The Berry Pickers has all the passion of a first book but also the finely developed skill of a well-practiced storyteller. …The Berry Pickers is a triumph.” —Katherena Vermette, author of The Strangers

Find this book      large print

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman; translated by Neil Smith.

19 Friday Jan 2024

Posted by in Fiction, Humor

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

This funny, thoughtful novel follows a group of people thrown together during an attempted crime, and the police trying to figure it all out. I loved all the characters in this unusual story.

“Wry, wise and often laugh-out-loud funny, it’s a wholly original story that delivers pure pleasure.” —People

“A deeply funny and warm examination of how individual experiences can bring a random group of people together. Backman reveals each character’s many imperfections with tremendous empathy, reminding us that people are always more than the sum of their flaws.” —BookPage

“[A] tight-knit, surprise-filled narrative… the brisk, absorbing action prompts meditation on marriage, parenting, responsibility, and global economic pressures. Comedy, drama, mystery, and social study, this novel is undefinable except for the sheer reading pleasure it delivers. Highly recommended.”—Library Journal (starred review) 

Find this book large print audio cd’s playaway

Salt Path: a Memoir by Raynor Winn

12 Friday Jan 2024

Posted by in Biography, England, memoir, nature, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

The true story of a couple (married 32 years) who lost everything (literally – lost their family farm, all their assets, plus one gets a terrible diagnosis) and embarked on a transformative journey walking the South West Coast Path in England. Uplifting and inspiring.

“Raynor Winn is a master of writing about nature and grief. The coast is the backbone of her memoir … a gripping story about a search for home, resilience and emotion, all the while in conversation with the sea.”—Guardian

“An astonishing narrative of two people dragging themselves from the depths of despair along some of the most dramatic landscapes in the country, looking for a solution to their problems and ultimately finding themselves.”—Independent (UK)

“Winn’s chronicle is filled with beauty, humor and surprises. Glorious landscape a given, the loveliest scenery is the pair themselves, their affection and easy camaraderie treasures to behold. Facing grief, harsh elements, starvation and judgment about being homeless, they relish growing feelings of achievement and purpose. When, miraculously, Moth starts to feel better, their future grows more unclear. The Salt Path is a great travelogue of surroundings, passersby and local merchants, but its heart is in Winn and Moth finding meaning in the chaos.”—Shelf Awareness

Find this book