Library Finds: March 2019

My new library books

Our new library has bright indoor lights and windows from floor to ceiling. It's wide, long, and spacious, and there are comfortable sofas and chairs with a living room setting in this corner and that. When I go there to just browse, or so I think, I often come away with not one or two, but three and four books I never intended to borrow. 

But a favorite author's new book grabbed my attention, then another, then a book that I saw on social media being touted by the publisher, then a book suggested by a friend I met in the stacks. Here are three of the books I got.  

The Golden Tresses of the Dead is the latest in the Flavia de Luce mystery series

The Sun is Also a Star is a teen romance that will be released as a movie this May. I am enjoying its dissection of love into the scientific and romantic.

I have also borrowed:

The Plotters by Un-Su Kim is described as a crime novel set in an alternate Seoul, Korea. I am not normally a fantasy or sci-fi fan, but we'll see....

Did you find anything you liked at the library recently?

Sunday Salon: New and Recent Books

New and recent books:

The Paris Diversion

The Paris Diversion by Chris Pavone, May 7, 2019, Crown Publishing Group
Genre: political thriller, suspense
About: terror attack across Paris affects expat Kate Moore and her family

Map of the Heart

Map of the Heart by Susan Wiggs, February 12, 2019, William Morrow
Genre: historical drama
About: Set in WWII France, Provence, and Delaware, a family discovers family surprises when they return to France. 

All the Beautiful Lies

All the Beautiful Lies by Peter Swanson, published February 5, 2019, William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: suspense, psychological thriller
About: Set in Maine. Harry Ackerson returns home after the death of his father and tangles with his step-mother and a myserious woman.

The ABC Murders

The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie, paperback, TV Tie- in published January 8, 2019, William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: mystery, Hercule Poirot #13
About: tie-in to a limited streaming series starring John Malkovich, Rupert Grint, and Tara Fitzgerald.

Currently re-reading:

Maman a Tort

Maman a Tort by Michel Bussi, Kindle edition, June 15, 2017, Presses de la Cite
Genre: suspense, thriller set in the Havre, France
About: A three-and-a-half year-old boy, Malone, tells his school psychologist that his parents are not his real parents, and sets off a series of events.

Finished reading:

We Were the Lucky Ones

We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter, published February 14, 2017, Viking
Genre: historical novel based on true stories of a Jewish family in Poland
About: the author discovers her family are WWII survivors and decided to tell the story in novel form of their experiences living in and escaping Poland during WWII, 
Comments: The author does meticulous historical and family research to outline the political events in Poland during 1939 through the end of the war, events that shaped their family history of survival and flight that left their family luckily intact. I learned a lot of history from reading this book, which was a pick for our library book club. 

What books are you reading this week?

The Sunday Post  hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer,  Stacking the Shelves, and It's Monday, What Are You Reading? by Book Date., and Mailbox Monday.What books are you reading this week?

Currently Reading: Don 't Let Go by Michel Bussi

French novel: Don't Let Go by Michel Bussi

Don't Let Go

Don't Let Go by Michel Bussi is a book I read in the original French, but decided to re-read the English version to see the details I might have missed. My reading French is okay but far from perfect.

The translation as far as I can tell sticks closely to the original and I have picked up lots of small nuances and descriptive information the author wanted the reader to see. The setting is spectacular, the small French island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean, visited by lots of French tourists because of its dramatic geography - volcanoes, beautiful beaches, rocky and mountainous terrain, etc.

The story involves the disappearance of a French woman from her Reunion hotel. She leaves her husband and six-year-old daughter behind. The police are suspecting foul play though it seemed at the beginning she might have packed a suitcase and run away.

The plot is not straightforward or predictable and things are not what they seem. I am learning a lot about the island geography, people, and culture, while enjoying a suspenseful mystery.

Here is the cover of the original book in French:

Ne Lache Pas Ma Main

French version: Ne Lache Pas Ma Main

Have you read books in another language?

Recent Books: The Book of Night Women by Marlon James; and others

The Book of Night Women by Marlon James

Published February 19th 2009 by Riverhead (first published January 17th 2009)
Genre: historical fiction set in 18th century Jamaica
About: women coping with slavery on a plantation

Horrendous reading so far. The novel uses Jamaican colonial history as a background 

Death in Provence

Death in Provence by Serena Kent

Publication: February 19, 2019, Harper
Genre: new mystery set in France

American Duchess by Karen Harper

Publication: February 26th 2019 by William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: historical fiction
Consuelo Vanderbilt and her “The Wedding of the Century” to the Duke of Marlborough

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? by Book Date.
What books are you reading this week?

Book Reviews: Before She Knew Him; and Madam, Will You Talk?

Review: Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson

Publication: March 5, 2019, William Morrow
Genre: psychological thriller
About: an unstable young woman worries about her new neighbor

Before She Knew Him

Henrietta has bipolar disorder but takes medication to control her up and down moods. She is happily married to Lloyd who understands and cares for her, watches out for her. When new neighbors Matthew and Mira move in next door, Hen begins to notice things that unsettle her. For one, she sees a fencing trophy on Matt's office shelf that she thinks belonged to a student who had been murdered years ago, case unsolved. That student went to the same school at which Matt teaches. Coincidence?

Hen develops a strange relationship with Matt, who begins to confide in her, knowing her own history of violence and mental health issues. Things begin to escalate out of proportion and the emphasis of the plot focuses on these two individuals.

A story with several interesting plot twists, unexpected and therefore intriguing. The psychological profiles fuel the story and propel the reader to keep turning pages to the end.

My rating: 4.5/5
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC copy for review.

Review: Madam, Will You Talk? by Mary Stewart  

Madam, Will You Talk?

Published June 28th 1956 by William Morrow
Genre: mystery set in Provence, France
Source: library book

I read this many years ago and enjoyed re-reading it, especially to get more information about cities and towns in Provence and the main city of Marseilles, both described so well by Mary Stewart. Both a romance and a novel of suspense, Madam, Will You Talk? was entertaining and delightful  I thought the ending or wrap-up of the story was a chapter too long, but nevertheless, four stars! 

Meme: Visit Books You Loved at Carole's Chatter

In the Mailbox: Contemporary Fiction

Contemporary novels and a thriller:

99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne,
Published January 29th 2019 by William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: contemporary fiction, romance

The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswal
Expected publication: April 30th 2019 by William Morrow
Genre: family drama, travel

The DNA of You and Me by Andrea Rothman
Expected publication: March 12th 2019 by William Morrow
Genre: contemporary fiction 

What's in your mailbox this week?

Visit Mailbox Monday to see what books others have on their reading list.

Sunday Salon: Mixed Genres in February

Spy thrillers in my TBR list:

Mission Critical, Expected publication: February 19th 2019 by Berkley

The Moroccan Girl, Published February 12th 2019 by St. Martin's Press

The American Agent, Expected publication: March 26th 2019 by Harper

Add a foodie memoir and a book of poetry: 

Savage Feast, Expected publication: February 26th 2019 by Harper

Oculus: Poems, Published January 15th 2019 by Graywolf Press

And historical and contemporary novels:

Learning to See, Published January 22nd 2019 by William Morrow Paperbacks

My Coney Island Baby, Published January 17th 2019 by Jonathan Cape

What books are you reading this week? Do you have or have you read any of these?

The Sunday Post  hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer.What books are you reading this week?