The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2022 Edited by Jess Walter (Bibliolifestyle Book Tour)

 

Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @marinerbooks @williammorrowbooks for a review copy of The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2022.

What genre do you turn to when life gets stressful?  It varies for me, but lately it has been mystery, suspense, and/or romance.  I made an impromptu trip back to Michigan to see my Grandma who isn’t feeling well this past weekend and I’ve gotten behind on posts.  Please forgive me as I catch up!  I loved this explanation in the Foreword to this collection, “Whatever the mechanism, and whether or not we ask, fiction helps us make sense of life, the universe, everything.”

The Best American Mystery and Suspense is a fantastic collection of the top twenty mystery and suspense stories published in 2021.  I was intrigued by the Foreword by Steph Cha where she explained her process of combing through various publications and anthologies published in 2021 and selecting the top fifty stories.  These stories were then forwarded on to Jess Walter, the author of Beautiful Ruins.  I enjoyed Beautiful Ruins, but now realize I need to find Walter’s works of suspense and mystery.  Walter’s Introduction explained his process of further narrowing down the stories to the top twenty stories in a humorous way.  I loved his introduction and in fact think it’s one of the most entertaining introductions that I’ve ever read.  The foreword and introduction were a great set-up for the stories themselves. 

The collection included a lot of unique and intriguing stories.  I have to admit though that my favorite story was “Long Live the Girl Detective” by Megan Pillow.  The Girl Detective is not named, but it is Nancy Drew.  She is referred to as “The Girl Detective Who Is Dead but Not” as she investigates her own murder and decides to take back the narrative of her own story in the modern day.  Bess and George even make an appearance.  I’ve loved Nancy Drew since I was a child and this story surprised and delighted me.  I did enjoy so many of the other stories and they definitely have kept me thinking about them.  It’s also introduced me to a lot of new to me authors that I will definitely need to keep my eye out for.  I enjoy short stories.

This book was published on November 1, 2022 and is now available.

The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

 

Title: The Longest Ride

Author:  Nicholas Sparks

Narrated by:  Ron McLarty and January LaVoy

Publisher: Random House Audio

Length: Approximately 13 hours and 11 minutes

Source: Checked out from the Kewaunee Public Library through Overdrive.  Thank-you

 Audiobook or ebook?  Do you use your library to access ebooks or audiobooks?

 The Longest Ride was the November selection for the Page-turner’s Book Club at the Kewaunee Public Library.  I listened to this book via audiobook.  I like to check out audiobooks from the library.  I have been using the Overdrive App, but will be switching to Libby soon.

 The Longest Ride is a dual narrative story.  In one story, an elderly man, Ira Levinson has crashed his car.  As he waits for help to arrive, he thinks back over his life with his beloved wife Ruth.  To Ira, the longest ride was his life with Ruth.  In the other timeline, Sophia is a senior at Wake Forest College when she attends a rodeo with her friends.  There she meets handsome cowboy Luke.  Luke has a secret of his own as he tries to work his way back into being a rodeo winner.  Will Luke and Sophia find a way to be together? More importantly, will someone please rescue Ira from his crashed car?

 This was an engaging audiobook.  Ron McLarty was a great narrator, voicing the Ira chapters while January LaVoy narrated the Sophia/Luke timeline.  I enjoyed both stories, but I found myself more intrigued with the Ira and Ruth timeline.  I love stories that tell a love story through an entire lifetime and don’t just end at a wedding.  It was a good story that I think everyone in book club enjoyed, although I think we need all wanted more depth to the conclusion.  I also realized once I started listening that I had watched the movie awhile ago, but had never read the book. I couldn’t remember how it ended!  I also liked the look at how you impact others.  There was a touching story about Ruth and her special student Daniel that she helped out.  After he disappears one summer, I kept waiting to figure out what happened to him.  I’m glad that storyline was tied up and it really showed the impact that Ruth had on his life.

 Favorite Quote:  “If we'd never met, I think I would have known my life wasn't complete. And I would have wandered the world in search of you, even if I didn't know who I was looking for.”

Godmersham Park by Gill Hornby (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

 

What's your favorite fandom?  I definitely have a lot of favorite fandoms, but one of my top fandoms is Jane Austen.  I love all things Austen. 

I was excited to be on the book tour for the new novel Godmersham Park by Gill Hornby.  I enjoyed Gill Hornby’s previous book Miss Austen about Jane’s sister, Cassandra.  Godmersham Park is set at the estate of Jane’s older brother, Edward, and is focused on his family’s governess Anne Sharp.  Edward was adopted by the Knight family and inherited a great estate.  He also married Elizabeth Bridges and ultimately had eleven children, so a governess was well needed.  Who was Anne Sharpe?  That is the mystery of this novel.  The novel starts with Anne being told that her father has cut her off after her mother’s death and that she has to move out of her house.  Her father’s attorney has recommended her as a governess to the Austen family. Anne starts in her new position at the estate and gets to know its workings and the family.  Through flash backs, the reader learns of the life she lived before, which seems to be of a lady with means. What happened that set her on the path to becoming a governess?  Will she find success and happiness at her new position?

I enjoyed reading Godmersham Park.  I love reading about governesses and find them intriguing.  They are educated women of some standing that are neither servant nor part of the family. They have to find a way to find that fine line within their household.  I loved how the story of this novel slowly unraveled showing how Anne Sharpe ended up in the position that she was in and who exactly she was before she was a governess.  The callous way that her father abandoned her after her mother’s death was distressful.  Anne didn’t want to marry, but I think her mother was just trying to project her by pushing suitors her way.  I also loved seeing members of Austen’s family such as her beloved niece Fanny and brother Henry.  Henry is everyone’s favorite and is charming.  Jane Austen is first introduced via letters until the reader finally meets her when she visits.  She is delightful and becomes fast friends with Anne.  Anne unfortunately does not have the best of times at her position.

Anne suffered from debilitation headaches, and I wasn’t sure how to feel about the “help” that she received from Elizabeth.  She pushed cures on her until she has a horrific surgery.  Was she just helping her because she cared or was, she just helping her to keep a good governess?  Regency era medicine was not the best.

There is an excellent author’s note at the end of the novel that explains what happened to Anne Sharpe after her two years at Godmersham Park.  Jane Austen and Anne Sharpe remained friends until Jane’s passing.  I loved the detail that an original copy of Emma was recently auctioned that was dedicated by Jane to Anne Sharpe.  Anne Sharpe was able to have a successful life after her time with the Austen-Knight family.

Overall, Godmersham Park is a great portrait of the Austen family and the life of a governess during the Regency era.  Both Anne Sharpe and Jane Austen found themselves in positions that they couldn’t control due to being poor single women of the era.

Review Copy from author Pegasus Books as part of the Austenprose Book Tour.  Thank-you! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

QUICK FACTS

·       Title: Godmersham Park: A Novel of the Austen Family

·       Author: Gill Hornby

·       Genre: Historical Fiction, Biographical Historical Fiction, Austenesque

·       Publisher: ‎Pegasus Books (November 1, 2022)

·       Length: (416) pages

·       Format: Hardcover, eBook, & audiobook 

·       ISBN: 978-1639362585

·       Tour Dates: October 24 – November 13, 2022

 

BOOK DESCRIPTION

A richly imagined novel inspired by the true story of Anne Sharp, a governess who became very close with Jane Austen and her family by the #1 International bestselling-author of Miss Austen.

On January 21, 1804, Anne Sharpe arrives at Godmersham Park in Kent to take up the position of governess. At thirty-one years old, she has no previous experience of either teaching or fine country houses. Her mother has died, and she has nowhere else to go. Anne is left with no choice. For her new charge—twelve-year-old Fanny Austen—Anne's arrival is all novelty and excitement.

The governess role is a uniquely awkward one. Anne is neither one of the servants, nor one of the family, and to balance a position between the "upstairs" and "downstairs" members of the household is a diplomatic chess game. One wrong move may result in instant dismissal. Anne knows that she must never let down her guard.

When Mr. Edward Austen's family comes to stay, Anne forms an immediate attachment to Jane. They write plays together and enjoy long discussions. However, in the process, Anne reveals herself as not merely pretty, charming, and competent; she is clever too. Even her sleepy, complacent, mistress can hardly fail to notice.

Meanwhile Jane's brother, Henry, begins to take an unusually strong interest in the lovely young governess. And from now on, Anne's days at Godmersham Park are numbered.

 

ADVANCE PRAISE

"This is a deeply imagined and deeply moving novel. Reading it made me happy and weepy in equally copious amounts…I read it straight through without looking up.”— Karen Joy Fowler, author of The Jane Austen Bookclub

· Hornby’s skillful mix of fact and fiction captures the complexities of the Austens and their era, and her crisp, nimble prose sparkles throughout. Best of all, Hornby genuinely channels the sentiment of 19th-century English literature. Janeites aren’t the only readers who will relish this smart, tender tale."— Publishers Weekly, starred review

· “…a well-written and delightfully observant novel…an excellent read.”— The Historical Novel Society

 

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY | BOOKSHOP | GOODREADS

 

AUTHOR BIO

Gill Hornby is the author of the novels Miss Austen, The Hive, and All Together Now, as well as The Story of Jane Austen, a biography of Austen for young readers. She lives in Kintbury, England, with her husband and their four children.

 

TWITTER | FACEBOOK | BOOKBUB | GOODREADS

Fashionable Goodness: Christianity in Jane Austen’s England by Brenda S. Cox (Book Tour)

 

Who is your favorite fictional religious figure?  I’ll admit that my favorites are all Jane Austen creations – Mr. Collins, Henry Tilney, Mr. Elton, etc.

Fashionable Goodness by Brenda S. Cox is a fascinating look into how Christianity influenced Jane Austen’s works.  Cox takes a deep dive into researching and explaining how the Church of England was set up at the time of Austen, Austen’s history with the church and religion, and how it was reflected in her writings.  As the daughter and sister of clergymen, Cox estimated that Austen knew 100 clergymen.  I thought it was very interesting and enjoyed reading this book.

I liked that the title “fashionable goodness” refers to people and characters such as Mary Crawford in Mansfield Park who attend church to appear fashionable, and not because they have a deep faith.  Cox explores that Austen has more than a fashionable goodness – she had a deep and abiding faith.  That did not stop her at poking fun at the foibles of the clergy, but some of her best characters were also clergymen, such as Henry Tilney.

Fashionable Goodness will be a resource that I will be using again in the future.  It has extensive notes to explain the details of research and the meanings behind items.  It has great pictures.  My favorite were fascinating tables that the author put together to explain things such as the church of England hierarchy, the difference between rectors, vicars and curates in Austen’s England, incomes in Austen’s England, etc.  I love data and tables and I’ve already read these multiple times.  Also included in the appendices is George Austen’s letter to Frank Austen when he went to sea in 1788 at age 14.  It is a great letter of fatherly advice, and he especially tells him, “The first & most important of all considerations to a human being is religion or a belief of a God & our consequent duty to him, our Neighbour, & ourselves.” It’s a great letter and also wonderful that Frank held onto it and passed it down his family tree.  Also in the appendices are Jane Austen’s prayers, a timeline, places to find further information, and more.

I found Fashionable Goodness to be an absorbing book that gave me a lot of great details to further understand Austen’s novels.  I highly recommend it to any fan of Jane Austen’s works.

Favorite Quotes:

“While we may interpret Austen’s timeless novels according to our own experiences and values, we can enjoy them more deeply as we get to know Austen’s world.”

“Jane Austen’s novels reflect her deep religious faith.  Her best characters live according to religious values and principles, or learn to, while her worst characters do not.”

Review Copy from author Brenda S. Cox as part of the Book Tour.  Thank-you! I received a
complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price

 

What’s your favorite retelling?

I love retellings, but I especially love Pride and Prejudice retellings.  Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price is a November JASNA Northwoods Book Club selection.  I went into this book thinking it was a retelling, but by the end, I realized this is more of a murder mystery that uses the characters names from Pride and Prejudice, and it also fits in some tidbits from the classic novel, but it is not a retelling.  Thinking of this book in this manner made me enjoy it more.

Lizzie Bennet wants to be a barrister, but in Regency England, women working in the law is not done.  Her father owns a successful firm, Longbourn and Sons, but with no sons, it looks like the odious Mr. Collins will be taking it over.  Mr. Bennet tells Lizzie to solve a case on her own to prove she can do the job.  When she learns of the murder of Mr. Hurst, she is determined to solve the case to prove herself to her father.  When she runs into Mr. Darcy who is also working on the case, how will Lizzie show her true mettle?  Will she be able to solve the crime before Mr. Darcy?

I will be honest here, I didn’t like the book at first, but it grew on me.  I was expecting a lighthearted young adult, Pride and Prejudice retelling.  This is more a “murder mystery makeover” as the back cover states.  What I didn’t like at first is that I had to check to see if it was set in the Regency era.  Lizzy was always walking around alone in London, which she would not have done in the Regency era.  I also didn’t really feel the chemistry between Darcy and Lizzy. The characters were not well developed.  I think if this book would have been set one hundred years later, I would have liked it better.  Then Lizzie being a lawyer and walking around town would have been okay.  Set in the Regency era, it just didn’t work for me.  I did like the mystery and the final conclusion.  I loved how Lizzy got her day at court and the credit for solving the crime.  I liked this as a murder mystery.

Book Source: Purchased from Amazon.com.

To Love and Be Loved: A Personal Portrait of Mother Teresa by Jim Towey

 

Title:  To Love and Be Loved:  A Personal Portrait of Mother Teresa

Author:  Jim Towey

Narrated by:  Jim Towey

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 7 hours and 5 minutes

Source: Review Copy from Simon & Schuster.  Thank-you!

 Who is an inspiration in your life?  I thought it was fitting for All Saints Day to post my review of To Love and Be Loved:  A Personal Portrait of Mother Teresa by Jim Towey.  Mother Teresa is an inspirational figure in my life.   I grew up watching her inspirational work with the poor through the Missionaries of Charity, which she founded in 1948.  In 2016 she became St. Teresa of Calcutta.

 Author Jim Towey was a lawyer and a Congressional staffer until a meeting with Mother Teresa in the 1980s changed his life forever.  He began volunteering in one of her soup kitchens and helping her with legal matters.  Soon he gave up his job and his possessions to become a full-time volunteer helping Mother Teresa navigate legal problems and set up meetings with world leaders.  He met his wife through her ministries.  Mother Teresa helped Towey to see Jesus through the poor.

 I thought this was an interesting look at Mother Teresa’s works through Towey’s eyes.  He gave a brief biography of her and how she set up her ministry, but most of the book were his personal experiences with her the last two decades of her life.  I never thought about how Mother Theresa would need a lawyer because both people within and outside of the church sadly tried to take advantage of her. 

 Mother Teresa had a difficult life in trying environments, but she gave her all working to fulfill God’s purpose.  I was surprised to learn that she had dark times and doubts earlier in her life.  She didn’t want this to be hidden as she wanted everyone to know that you can struggle in your faith and still find your way to God.  She always saw the best in people and could work with everyone.  Friends included both the Reagans and Hillary Clinton, Princess Diana, etc.  Mother Theresa and Pope John Paul II were also good friends. 

 Author Jim Towey was the narrator of this audiobook and I thought he did an excellent job.  I always love when an author reads their own work, in particular when it is about their own life experiences.  I liked learning more about Mother Teresa and about the impact she had on the author and others.

Reluctant Immortals by Gwendolyn Kiste

 

Are you a fan of Jane Eyre and/or Dracula?  Have you ever wondered if Bertha Mason or Lucy Westenra could have had a different fate?  If so, Reluctant Immortals is the book for you.

Lucy and Bee (Bertha) are immortal and have survived and are currently living in 1960s Hollywood. They have their daily routines living their undead lives, but when Dracula and Mr. Rochester appear back on the scene, how will Lucy and Bee deal with these terrible men from their past who just won’t leave them alone?

Reluctant Immortals is a hard book to characterize.  I don’t want to give too much away as I thought it was a crazy, fun, and unique ride for a book.  I loved Lucy and her strength. She was a great narrator for this book. I also loved how the ladies took control of their own narratives.  It all perfectly seemed to fit into the psychedelic world of the 1960s and the summer of love in particular.  This book had a one-of-a-kind story line and fantastic characters.  I enjoyed it.

Review Copy from Simon and Schuster.  Thank you @BookClubFavorites #BookClubFavorites for the free book. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

When Life Gives You Vampires by Gloria Duke

 

Title:  When Life Gives You Vampires

Author:  Gloria Duke

Narrated by: Meg Sylvan

Publisher: Dreamscape Media

Length: Approximately 9 hours and 54 minutes

Source: Review Copy from Netgalley and Dreamscape Media.  Thank-you!

 What is your favorite vampire story, book, or movie?

 Lily Baines wakes up one morning feeling off.  She soon discovers she has fangs and a craving for blood.  When she talks through things with her best friend, she regains her memories and realizes that after she left with a hot stranger, Tristan, that he accidentally turned her into a vampire.  She is not happy with the situation, but after he turns up and tells her that they broke vampire law, they team up to stay safe.  As their feelings for each other grow, will they find romance, and will they be able to beat Tristan’s mortal enemy?

 I enjoyed this novel, but it’s hard to describe.  It’s a fun and humorous paranormal romance with some steamy parts.  It’s also an adventure at the end as well.   I found myself laughing a lot during this book.  Lily has problems with body positivity as she is overweight, and her mother makes sure she doesn’t forget it.  When she realizes that she will always now remain overweight for eternity it crushes her.  In the book she has to learn about feeling positive about herself and also realizing that she herself has also shamed someone else for their body.  I thought it was an interesting angle.  I also just liked the silly parts such as Lily being glad that she shaved her legs so that her legs will remain hairless for all time.  Her thoughts as she navigates now being a vampire seemed real for how someone would think about such things.  I thought it was entertaining.  I also loved the pop culture references.  Lily does swear quite a bit in this book.

 Meg Sylvan had a fun voice for Lily in the book and I thought of her as the character. 

 

The Postmistress of Paris by Meg Waite Clayton

 

Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @harperperennial for the review copy of The Postmistress of Paris by Meg Waite Clayton.

How many books are on your nightstand right now?  I have a lot – probably thirty books on my nightstand right now!

Nanee is an American who has moved to France in the 1930s.  She is wealthy and adventuress, flying airplanes and hanging out with artists.  After World War II starts, she tries to flee and ultimately joins the resistance.  She becomes known as the “postmistress” as she delivers secret information to those in hiding.  She also helps them to flee to safety.

Edouard Moss is a Jewish photographer who has fled Germany with his young daughter. Unfortunately after France falls to the Germans, he is captured and put into a concentration camp.  He met Nanee before the war and was struck by her beauty which reminded him of his late wife.  When their path collides again, Edouard has a chance for freedom, but what about his missing daughter?

I loved the characters in this book, especially Nanee.  She was such a strong and inspirational character.  She used her own wealth to rent a villa in Marseille and filled it full of artists and members of the resistance.  I loved learning at the end at this was inspired by a real-life Chicago heiress Mary Jayne Gold.  She helped thousands escape the Nazi regime.  I thought it interesting that both the real-life heiress and the fictional one grew up with a summer home on Lake Michigan.  I looked it up and it is south of Holland and became a part of Hope College.  I would love to see it!

This novel has a great setting, great characters, suspense, light romance, a cute dog, and an adorable little girl.  It was a great World War II historical fiction book with a unique story.  I enjoyed it.

Review Copy from Harper Books as part of the Bibliolifestyle Book Tour.  Thank-you! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Spells for Lost Things by Jenna Evans Welch

 

Title:  Spells for Lost Things

Author:  Jenna Evans Welch

Narrated by:  Renee Dorian, Ali Andre Ali

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 12 hours and 15 minutes

Source: Review Copy from Simon & Schuster.  Thank you @BookClubFavorites #BookClubFavorites for the free book.

 If you had a spell that could do anything you wish, what would that spell be for?  I think my spell would be for an automatically clean house.  No more laundry or cleaning for me! 

 Willow and Mason are two teenagers who find each other and themselves in this compelling young adult novel.  Willow’s mother is always busy with her business.  After her parents’ divorce, Willow has felt disconnected with her mother.  She dreams of traveling the world.  She is surprised one day when her mother announces that her twin sister had died and they are going on a trip.  Willow had never heard of this aunt.  When they travel back to Salem to finish up her Aunt’s affairs, Willow finds even more secrets about her family.  Why has her mother never told her that their family is from Salem and that they are a family of witches?

 Mason is in foster care and all he wants is to find his mother and be a family again.  When his mother’s high school friend Emma and her family agree to become his foster parents in Salem, Mason has a new opportunity.  He learns more about his mother from Emma.  He starts to become fond of his foster family, but he yearns to reunite with his mother.  When he meets Willow, he gets caught up in helping her figure out her family secrets through a series of secret letters that they find.  But will a spell for lost things bring back the thing he wants most of all? 

 Spells for Lost Things was ultimately about relationships.  As a mother, this audiobook brought tears to my eyes.  Mason’s search for his mother, and her inability to give up drugs to be his mother, was heartbreaking.  I love Mason’s relationship with Emma and her family and with Willow.  I also liked the exploration of Willow’s relationship with her Mom.  She learned a lot about her, and they worked to mend their own relationship. I enjoyed the sweet romance between Willow and Mason as well.

 A secondary star to this novel was the setting of Salem.  It made me want to visit and go on some of the tours.  I also liked Willow’s eccentric Aunts.  There is brief magic in the book as Willow learns the history of her family. 

 The chapters were narrated by either Willow or Mason.  I liked that there were two narrators so that each was the voice of one of the characters.  They did a great job narrating.