Waiting for Snow by Marsha Diane Arnold

January 9, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Waiting for Snow by Marsha Diane Arnold
Publisher: Clarion Books
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Badger cannot wait one more minute for it to snow. When his friend Hedgehog explains that everything comes in its time, Badger is as unconvinced and impatient as ever. But Badger’s friends have a few tricks up their sleeve to try to get the snow’s attention and distract their pal in the meantime. In the end, Badger sees there’s no trick—only waiting—until at last, it’s time.

Wanting something doesn’t necessarily mean it will happen.

Remaining patient can be difficult for people of all ages, and it’s often even harder for kids (and hedgehogs) who haven’t had as many chances to practice it yet. There were some subtle and thought-provoking messages in this tale about how someone should act when they really want something but can’t have it. Ms. Arnold’s decision to trust her audience to understand what she was saying worked nicely for these characters and this setting. Not everything needs to be spelled out directly, and sometimes a message can be even stronger if it isn’t.

I would have liked to see more attention paid to why Hedgehog was yearning for snow so much. Other than the fact that he thought it was an essential part of winter, what did he hope to do with snow? There were so many fun answers he could have given to this question, and I would have gone with a higher rating if he’d explained his plans at some point.

Some of my favorite scenes were the ones that showed the zany things Hedgehog and his friends did to encourage a snowstorm to come their way. They had some pretty creative tricks up their sleeves, and I chuckled as they cycled through them in an attempt to find something that worked.

Waiting for Snow made me smile.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , ,

Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret by Craig Brown

January 6, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret by Craig Brown
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Genre: Historical, Non-Fiction, Fiction
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

A witty and profound portrait of the most talked-about English royal

She made John Lennon blush and Marlon Brando tongue-tied. She iced out Princess Diana and humiliated Elizabeth Taylor. Andy Warhol photographed her. Jack Nicholson offered her cocaine. Gore Vidal revered her. Francis Bacon heckled her. Peter Sellers was madly in love with her. For Pablo Picasso, she was the object of sexual fantasy.

Princess Margaret aroused passion and indignation in equal measures. To her friends, she was witty and regal. To her enemies, she was rude and demanding. In her 1950s heyday, she was seen as one of the most glamorous and desirable women in the world. By the time of her death in 2002, she had come to personify disappointment. One friend said he had never known an unhappier woman. The tale of Princess Margaret is Cinderella in reverse: hope dashed, happiness mislaid, life mishandled.

Such an enigmatic and divisive figure demands a reckoning that is far from the usual fare. Combining interviews, parodies, dreams, parallel lives, diaries, announcements, lists, catalogues, and essays, Craig Brown’s Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret is a kaleidoscopic experiment in biography and a witty meditation on fame and art, snobbery and deference, bohemia and high society.

Full of quips and whimsy.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book. I thought it would be more of a biography, but it’s a bit more like a love story written for the Princess. Really. There were moments of whimsy – fictitious spots where the author takes liberties about whom she’s married and quips – she could be quite funny, but at other times downright mean. This gave an interesting view into her life, but it’s not complete.

If one is wanting to read a proper biography on the Princess, then this isn’t it. Like I’ve mentioned, there are bits of fiction in there and some conversations recorded that probably didn’t happen that way. There are lots of bits and pieces of Margaret being quite rotten to people, too.

I liked that she could be quite snide and quick-witted. She knew how to take people down. But she also showed she wasn’t exactly a person of the people. She liked her lavish things and had little to do. She truly was the spare and she felt it. In that respect, I felt sorry for her. She had little to do and no one really gave her much direction.

If one goes into this book with the notion that it’s not all fact, then it’s a fun book. Why not give it a try? There truly are glimpses of the Princess, but it’s not always what you might think.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Moor by LJ Ross

January 6, 2023 By Leave a Comment


The Moor by LJ Ross
Publisher: Dark Skies Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

The circus is in town…

When a ten-year-old girl turns up on DCI Ryan’s doorstep to tell him she’s witnessed a murder, he has no idea he’s about to step into his most spellbinding case yet. The circus has rolled into Newcastle upon Tyne, bringing with it a troupe of daring acrobats, magicians, jugglers—and one of them is a killer.

Ryan and his team must break through their closed ranks to uncover a secret which has lain buried for eight years, before the killer strikes again – this time, to silence the only living witness…

Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape.

When a ten-year-old girl turns up on DCI Ryan’s doorstep to get his help investigating a murder she witnessed Ryan and his team have no idea just how much all their lives are about to change. With the circus having returned to Tyne for the first time in almost a decade Ryan and his colleagues need to tread carefully and find which of the travelers are responsible for the dangers that begin once again.

I have been quite enjoying this series and found that the additional element this time of a precocious and inquisitive young girl really added a fresh element to the storyline. I feel readers can probably pick this book up without having read many (if any) of the previous stories, though the team have quite a bit of history together at this point and it make take a short time for readers to pick up on all those different threads. The two different plots in this story moved forward at a decent pace and I really enjoyed how they circled each other but remained realistic as two separate plots and didn’t dovetail together.

Readers who avoid cliffhanger endings should be aware that one part of these two plotlines wasn’t resolved – though very clearly that was set up to be completed in the next book. This was just one short piece of the plot that was left dangling – the vast majority of the secondary plot and the entirety of the little girl’s plotline were all very neatly and completely finished, so the book didn’t feel too much like a cliffhanger, though I won’t be waiting long to move onto the next book and discover what happened to the dangling thread.

I also was pleased that most of the characters had some fairly important personal progression in this book. Jack and Mel in particular made some important steps (both forward and – in my opinion – backward) and Mac and Frank also made some significant changes that will affect them in the coming books too, I expect. So, readers looking for some strong character developments should be very pleased with the movement in this story.

With a strong mystery and interesting characters this series continues to draw me along. I’m very eager for the next book.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Little Princesses: The Story of the Queen’s Childhood by Her Nanny, Marion Crawford by Marion Crawford

January 4, 2023 By Leave a Comment


The Little Princesses: The Story of the Queen’s Childhood by Her Nanny, Marion Crawford by Marion Crawford
Publisher: St Martin’s Press
Genre: Historical, Non-Fiction
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Once upon a time, in 1930s England, there were two little princesses named Elizabeth and Margaret Rose. Their father was the Duke of York, the second son of King George V, and their Uncle David was the future King of England.

We all know how the fairy tale ended: When King George died, “Uncle David” became King Edward VIII—who abdicated less than a year later to marry the scandalous Wallis Simpson. Suddenly the little princesses’ father was King. The family moved to Buckingham Palace, and ten-year-old Princess Elizabeth became the heir to the crown she would ultimately wear for over fifty years.

The Little Princesses shows us how it all began. In the early thirties, the Duke and Duchess of York were looking for someone to educate their daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret, then five- and two-years-old. They already had a nanny—a family retainer who had looked after their mother when she was a child—but it was time to add someone younger and livelier to the household.

Enter Marion Crawford, a twenty-four-year-old from Scotland who was promptly dubbed “Crawfie” by the young Elizabeth and who would stay with the family for sixteen years. Beginning at the quiet family home in Piccadilly and ending with the birth of Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace in 1948, Crawfie tells how she brought the princesses up to be “Royal,” while attempting to show them a bit of the ordinary world of underground trains, Girl Guides, and swimming lessons.

The Little Princesses was first published in 1950 to a furor we cannot imagine today. It has been called the original “nanny diaries” because it was the first account of life with the Royals ever published. Although hers was a touching account of the childhood of the Queen and Princess Margaret, Crawfie was demonized by the press. The Queen Mother, who had been a great friend and who had, Crawfie maintained, given her permission to write the account, never spoke to her again.

Two little princesses and their life with their nanny – what could be sweeter?

I picked this up because it was recommended to me and I’m glad I did. It’s an original look at the princesses, one who would become queen, when they were small, through the eyes of their nanny.

I have to admit the writing is good, but it’s not as flowing as it could be. It comes off a bit pretentious at times because of the circumstances – these girls are the princesses, and the nanny is in a place she never expected to be. I did like that there were glimpses into who the girls were as individuals. There are some nuggets of info, like how the future queen really got into organization and her ponies, then her dogs. Princess Margaret, to my dismay, is labeled as plump rather often and I know I’m looking at this through the lens of current times, but it seems like it wasn’t a kind thing to say or think about the little girl. Still, I liked seeing how the girls handled the War, handled growing up in the spotlight, dating, and one marrying before the other. It was interesting.

There were times when the writing did get bogged down in details of furnishings and food eaten, but it wasn’t as much of a distraction as it could be. Others might love the descriptions.

If you’re looking for another perspective into the little princesses, then this might be exactly what you’re looking for.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

That Morning by Toño Malpica

January 4, 2023 By Leave a Comment


That Morning by Toño Malpica
Publisher: Windmill Books
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Mangrufo and Leuklaya don’t feel like themselves. Mangrufo can’t enjoy playing with toys or reading, like he usually does. Neither can Leuklaya. They hurt each other the day before, and both feel ashamed and lonely. However, neither one of them knows what to do with their feelings. It’s not until they come together once again that all feels right with the world. This book boasts a subtle monster theme within a real-world, relatable situation. Through powerful language and fantastical illustrations, That Morning is a guidebook through the difficult feelings of conflict and the power of forgiveness.

Everyone has conflicts with the people they love sometimes, but figuring out how to behave after a fight takes a completely different set of skills.

I was intrigued by how little time was spent on the only grown-up in this story. Mangrufo and Leuklaya’s relationship took center stage, and their frustration with each other was shared in ways that felt completely appropriate for their young ages. Normally, I’d expect their mother to swoop in and make things right between them fairly early on. The fact that she didn’t show up until much later gave these two characters all of the space they needed to explore their feelings and try to figure out what to do with them.

It would have been helpful to have more plot development. As important as the message was, the little ones in my life would struggle to understand it without a discussion about what happened afterwards because of how both of the monsters changed abruptly at such a late point in the storyline. I’m saying this as someone who loved the creativity of it and wished I could justify choosing a higher rating.

Some of the most interesting scenes were the ones that compared Mangrufo and Leuklaya’s feelings. We weren’t told who started the quarrel between them the day before or what they argued about, but it was clear that they both felt guilty for their behavior and weren’t exactly sure how to talk to each other after what appeared to be a pretty big fight. There is definitely something to be said for encouraging this sort of reflective thinking in this age group. Empathy is something that can take years to fully develop, but the faintest glimmers of it could be found here.

That Morning was a creative tale.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , ,

The Duchess by Bertrice Small

January 3, 2023 By Leave a Comment


The Duchess by Bertrice Small
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Genre: Historical, Romance
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

In this lush new novel, Bertrice Small has created a moving story of consuming passion and undeniable love set against the noble splendor of Georgian England. . . .

As the daughter of the richest man in England, Allegra Morgan attracts a number of fortune hunters willing to overlook her flawed pedigree to gain her enormous wealth. Her most ardent suitor is the arrogant but impoverished Quinton Hunter, duke of Sedgwick, who has little to offer a prospective wife except his grand title. Allegra decides that if she must marry, she might as well be a duchess. So she agrees to the match with one condition: her husband must never ask for her love. She has seen the misery love can cause and has vowed to give her heart to no man–especially a dangerously alluring duke.

Quinton is dazzled by his new wife’s grace and fortitude, as well as the fierce desire that rages between them. Despite his best intentions, he finds himself falling in love with her. Then the terrors of the French Revolution hit close to home, and the two of them set off on a treacherous adventure that could cost them everything . . . including their final chance at happiness.

She’s a spitfire and he’s penniless, but he’s got a title…it shouldn’t work, but it does.

I’ve not read any other works by Bertrice Small, so this was a new one for me. I’m glad I took the recommendation and chose this book. Allegra is full of fire and Quinton is hot. I liked the pairing between them because she’s not holding punches and he’s not about to fall in love. It’s a good stab at the ‘we won’t fall in love’ trope. The writing wasn’t as flowing as I’d have liked, but once I got into the story, I was hooked.

There were a few times when I had to put this one down. There are some vivid descriptions which are fantastic – the fabrics, the furnishings…wonderful. Then there were some that were a tad odd – her thick black eyebrows. It took me out of the story. I could see the characters but would’ve liked to have left that bit to the imagination, especially since it was something he thought was so attractive. Maybe it was me looking at the story through twenty-first century eyes, but it was odd.

Still, this was a good book and one I’d recommend if you’re wanting to get into the meatier books from the romance genre. This is one to learn from in terms of descriptions, pacing and unfolding of the story. There were times I didn’t like Allegra, but I respected her. That’s huge.

If you’re looking for a story that’s meaty, sweeping and old-school, then this might be the one for you.

Filed Under: Other, Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , ,

To Die For by JM Dalgliesh

January 2, 2023 By Leave a Comment


To Die For by JM Dalgliesh
Publisher: Hamilton Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

What line would you cross for the one you love?
When the body of a man is found in his remote, isolated home, DI Tom Janssen and his team struggle to understand what motive there could be to murder such an inoffensive, seemingly placid local character.

The man lived alone, was well known in the community but kept his distance from others leading a haphazard way of life. What secrets did he hide in his private life that might be worth killing for?

As the team are about to understand, even the most nondescript of people can exist in a world darker than most of us will ever see…

Set within the mysterious beauty of coastal Norfolk, this fast-paced British detective novel is a dark murder mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end when the final shocking twist is revealed.

DI Tom Janssen and his team try to unravel the apparent murder of a quiet, solitary local man. He – and his parents before him – have lived on their small farm for decades and while many of the locals know him and are superficially friendly, no one really seems to be close to him at all. And when a second – seemingly unrelated – body gets washed up on the tide can the team discover to motive and reasons behind both cases?

I found this to be a really enjoyable, slower paced, British police procedural mystery/suspense novel. While the book is part of a larger series – the “Hidden Norfolk” series – I strongly feel this can be picked up and read by itself and thoroughly enjoyed. Tom’s team works very well together – but with a new officer starting her way and the other’s meshing together into a tight knit group I don’t feel readers new to this series and missing much of the previous cases and background will really feel the lack of that. The few tidbits (like Eric’s wedding and such) are very well detailed and explained and I feel should be easy for a new reader to slide right in.

Most importantly of all – the two main cases in this story are very well plotted and are very self-contained within this story. I found the pace of the story was good enough for me to be reading along quite enthusiastically and eager to know more – but it wasn’t an action orientated or breakneck pace, I didn’t have to go back and re-check things I might have missed the first go around which I thought was great.

Readers looking for a solid, well woven and smaller town feel to their mysteries should find this book exactly fits that purpose. I also enjoyed the fact the police team was somewhat smaller than you often find – around five primary characters – so I didn’t have any problems juggling around the main characters or trying to keep everything clear in my head. I found this a comfortable, smooth and engrossing read with a solid mystery, two plots that were both equally intriguing and enough questions that it took me a while to sort out what I thought was going on under the surface.

A strongly written mystery with good characters and an interesting outline – this was a great book and a series I can heartily recommend.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Storm Warning by Alex Winters

December 23, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Storm Warning by Alex Winters
Publisher: Luminosity Publishing
Genre: LGBTQ, Erotic Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

The only force stronger than the approaching hurricane was their hidden desire for one another…

Beck Carlson is prepping for the approaching storm when a random voice offers to help. Beck is more than surprised. After all, he thought he was alone in the Purple Pelican condos, everyone else having evacuated in the advance of Hurricane Ellen. Instead, a handsome ginger waif, Ford Wilson, pokes his head out of his front door, limping along in a big plastic boot after a recent skateboard accident. Bruised and battered, he’s been unable to prep for the hurricane.

A native Floridian who’s seen his share of storms, Beck takes pity on the sexy skater boy, sharing his own hurricane supplies and showing him the ropes as Ford hunkers down for his first Category 3 storm. After the two part ways for the duration, Beck feels bad, returning with fresh supplies and offering to weather the storm in Ford’s condo. A nervous Ford gratefully accepts, locking them both inside for a whirlwind romance as intense as the approaching storm, and just as dangerous…

A storm? Nothing outruns a storm, except maybe love.

I’ve never read anything by Alex Winters and I’m glad I rectified that. This was a cute story with plenty of sizzle. I got right into the story and couldn’t put it down. I felt like I was right there with the characters while they dealt with the storm and the oncoming desire.

This is told from the first-person perspective, via Ford and Beck. It was nice to be in their POVs and know what they were thinking as they got to know each other. I’m not wild about first person, but in this story, it worked. They’re relatable characters–Ford being a bit of a klutz on his skateboard and green at riding out storms and Beck being the epitome of don’t-judge-a-book-by-it’s-cover. They’re book likable and fun. Plus, the steam between them is great.

I did have a few quibbles beyond this being in first person. With a little more editing, this could be a great story. There were a couple editing issues that took me out of the story but might not bother other readers.

All in all, this is a hot short story about two unlikely characters finding each other in the midst of a crazy situation and realizing they have a lot more in common than every believed. If you’re in the mood for something hot and short, then this is the book you’re looking for.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Mystery Hat by Rune Brandt Bennicke and Jakob Hjort Jensen

December 21, 2022 By Leave a Comment


The Mystery Hat by Rune Brandt Bennicke and Jakob Hjort Jensen
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Crow, Pig, and Beaver are taking a nice stroll in the woods when they come across a red hat sitting in a puddle. Whose hat is it? What mysterious circumstances could have brought it to this very puddle? Crow thinks that Bear lost the hat when he fell into a giant hole. Perhaps Bear is holding his breath underground, waiting to be saved! Beaver thinks he’s got a better idea. Maybe Turtle, who was wearing the hat, was snatched up and made into yummy turtle soup by a crazed snowman! Can Pig come up with a logical explanation so that the friends can be rid of all these hogwash ideas?

Imaginations run wild in this hilarious picture book from Rune Brandt Bennicke and Jakob Hjort Jensen. The Mystery Hat is sure to get a chuckle from all during the cold winter months.

Who wouldn’t want to solve a mystery in a peaceful winter forest?

It was amusing to see how Pig’s calm and rational personality reacted to the creative and sometimes dramatic things his friends said. He was nothing like them in many ways, and yet their friendships were strong and kind ones. This was one of the things that first drew me into the storyline given how warmly the narrator described every character no matter who they were or how they behaved. I was curious to see how characters with such wildly different personalities would get along.

There was a scene involving a snowman who wanted to add one of these characters’ friends to a pot of soup he was making that I thought was a little too scary for the younger portion of this audience. Some kids might find it amusing, but I would have been frightened by that idea as a preschooler. This is one of those situations where grown-ups should know their audience well and be prepared to tailor that plot twist to something gentler if needed. As much as I liked the storyline in general, I would need to think carefully before reading this to younger kids who are sensitive to things like mistreating animals.

I enjoyed seeing how Pig used logic and reason to figure out what really happened to the missing hat. He was a smart animal who clearly took his time to consider all of the explanations before offering his own opinion about what happened. Critical thinking also isn’t something I’ve seen addressed in many picture books, but it’s an important skill for everyone to learn.

The Mystery Hat made me smile.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

A Loud Winter’s Nap by Katy Hudson

December 21, 2022 By Leave a Comment


A Loud Winter’s Nap by Katy Hudson
Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Every year Tortoise sleeps through winter. He assumes he isn’t missing much. However, his friends are determined to prove otherwise! Will Tortoise sleep through another winter, or will his friends convince him to stay awake and experience the frosty fun of winter? Best-selling author Katy Hudson’s charming picture book, now in a board book format, will convince even the biggest winter grouch that winter can be magical if you have friends by your side.

Hibernation isn’t supposed to be this difficult.

Tortoise was such a patient little guy. No matter how many times he was woken up or prevented from falling asleep, he calmly explained his needs yet again to the friends who were being noisy. That can be a tricky thing for people of all ages to master, so it was nice to see such a good example of how to do it here.

While many of the interruptions were creative and adorable, I found myself wishing that this picture book would have included a discussion about the importance of respecting other people’s boundaries even if you don’t necessarily understand them. Tortoise made it clear that he needed to sleep through the winter and didn’t want to be disturbed, but his friends refused to listen to him. It’s one thing when this occasionally happens between friends or relatives who feel guilty and learn from their mistakes. Deliberate and repetitive refusals to respect boundaries are quite another. This was something I’d read to the little ones in my life after discussing what healthy relationships look like and why it’s wrong to try to push past people’s limits. If not for that caveat, I would have loved to go for a higher rating as the plot itself was a great deal of fun to read.

I did enjoy all of the sound effects included in this story. They made the dialogue come alive in my imagination and were a great deal of fun to say out loud. It was also interesting to see how including words like tap or thud added a layer of humor to something that was otherwise pretty serious.

A Loud Winter’s Nap was a humorous look at winter life in the forest.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , ,
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