Apr 23, 2017

Sunday Post: Spring Has Sprung, But Where Are the Bees?


Spring is definitely here to stay and my Mount McKinley cherry tree was in full bloom. However, heavy rains and lack of bees mean there will be no red cherries this year on my tree. Very discouraging. I have only seen one or two bumblebees so far but am hoping for more in the summer.

Title: Murder in the Bowery: Gaslight Mystery #20
Author: Victoria Thompson
Published May 2, 2017 by Berkley
Genre: historical mystery
"Sarah Brandt and Frank Malloy search for a connection between a murdered newsie and a high society woman with dangerous habits."


Title: The Widow of Wall Street
Author: Randy Susan Meyers
Published: April 11, 2017, Atria Books
Genre: contemporary fiction
"... a woman struggles to redefine her life and marriage as everything she thought she knew crumbles around her."


Title: The Murder of Mary Russell: Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes #14
Author: Laurie R. King
Publisher: April 5, 2017, Bantam
"Has Laurie King followed in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s footsteps and killed off her protagonist?"

These are the books most recent to my bookshelf. How about yours?

Last week, I finished several books:


Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty by Ramona Ausubel, June 2016.
Review: The author is an excellent storyteller and creator of interesting characters. The novel is about people seeking freedom - freedom from parents, families and social custom, from all that is expected of them. Edgar and Fern, born to wealthy parents, feel they have escaped all of the responsibility of their inherited wealth, and live in the freedom they want, until the day their fortunes change and Fern's parents lose all their money. The book is about how this couple look a harsher reality in the face and how they adjust to it, or not.
Recommendation: Five stars. 



The Girl from Yesterday by Kathryn Miller Haines, published April 17, 2017, Pocket Star
Comments: The thriller features complicated dysfunctional families and a convoluted plot. The situations some of the girls find themselves in are almost too hard to read about, but it's a good thriller nonetheless. Three and a half stars. 

The Day I Died: A Novel by Lori Rader-Day,

Comments: I enjoyed the detailed settings - two very different small towns in Indiana and Wisconsin; plus the interesting main character, a woman who escapes abuse at home and raises a son on her own, moving from town to town to escape being traced, while working for the FBI and police as a handwriting expert. She is believed dead by some, but when she settles in a town close to her original home, secrets and the past come to light as she works to help the police solve a local crime. A thriller with an excellent plot. Five stars. 

Baby Proof by Emily Giffin, published 2006.I was able to flip quickly through the novel and still get, I think, the gist of this novel of the marriage of a couple who agree from the beginning that they don't want children. But then, one of them changes their mind. An interesting though somewhat predictable read. Four stars.
 

What books are on your desk this week?
Visit The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also visit It's Monday, What Are You Reading? hosted by Book Date Also visit Mailbox Monday.

10 comments:

  1. Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty looks very tempting. I can't wait to read my copy of The Widow of Wall Street.

    Enjoy your week, and here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES

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  2. I've heard so many great things about Laurie King's books but have yet to read one. Enjoy your new books!

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  3. I hope you see more bees soon! Have a good week of reading. Your featured books sound interesting.

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  4. The Sons & Daughters of Ease & Plenty was a DNF for me last summer. I think I wasn't in the right mood and may need to give it another try.

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  5. I've seen a couple of bees too and like you, hope there are many more. I like the summary of The Day I Died. Have a great week.

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  6. We've been lucky to see several bees, but one of our neighbors has some bee hives. It's fun to watch her work with it. Hope you enjoy your books!

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  7. There are two local apiaries near us so we always have bees. This year the rains were good for our Japanese plum tree whose fruit is the size of a cherry. We should have a bumper crop come June.

    It was a busy week of reading, Girl Scouts, the Mandarin Showcase, and boxing up books. Come see what I'm reading.

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  8. All of these books look good.

    Great covers...love the one on Murder in the Bowery.

    Oooooo....you will LOVE The Widow of Wall Street.

    Have a wonderful week.

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My Mailbox Monday

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  9. I love the cover of Murder in the Bowery. I'm glad you liked The Day I Died - that one interested me.
    Hope the bees get back. It is cause for concern.
    Happy Reading!

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  10. I'm going to have check out The Widows of Wall Street!

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