Liesl, Children's and Teen Buyer
Favorite Genres: Books about pandemics, mysteries set in England past and present or with intrepid teens in boarding schools, mysteries set in interesting locales, fantasy (but without Orcs- EW!), history (fiction and non), mythology re-told, teel lit but not the sad real life ones, middle grade fiction of all sorts, cookbooks and books about food, funny books, and kids picture books
Favorite Authors: Kate Atkinson, Elizabeth George, Anthony Horowitz, Minette Walters, Colin Cotterill, Mary Beard, Kelly Barnhill, William Ritter, Kevin Sands, Neil Schusterman, Tamora Pierce, Megan Whalen Turner, Jasper Fforde
Everything that I have tried in this cookbook has been a family pleaser. I am a big recipe user so when I find a cookbook that has simple but tasty recipes that my family enjoys, I use it over and over again. The Modern Proper fits this bill nicely. I get to relax about the cooking and enjoy the process, because someone else has done the thinking for me. Happy sigh :)
This is the PERFECT summer read. Light, funny and absurd in a good way. Jameela makes a deal with God to help turn her into an NYT bestselling author, but things do not go as planned. Everything goes awry and Jameela ends up in a Middle Eastern terrorist compound. People say it's not the destination, but the journey that counts. But in this case it was both the journey and the destination that made it such a fun read.
I am constantly amazed by Kelly Barnhill's writing. She manages to capture so much in her sentences. Atmosphere and oddness, or ordinary sights and sounds all come through clearly with no wasted words. The Crane Husband mesmerized me, I couldn't turn away, even though it was disturbing. Abuse and neglect, but also art and survival weave through this re-telling of "The Crane Wife".
The Golden Age of Mysteries is having a well deserved come back. Mysteries that are like the game CLUE, everything is there you just have to solve the crime (or let the fictional detective do it). Benjamin Stevenson's entry into the field is a turducken of a story. It's complicated, it's got a lot of ingredients, and it leaves the reader happy and smiling at having experienced it.
The Thursday Murder Club has been a cheerful, delightful discovery. When I first picked it up I was worried about an "old folk's home" murder, but I was soon cheering and smiling at the surprisingly playful way Osman uses the tropes of the English Detective. I beam after finishing each book.
I've just discovered this series and now I can't stop reading them (there are 10, YAY!) A delightful cross between The Canterbury Tales (sly, witty) and Law & Order (murder! courtroom drama!) Ralph Delchard and Gervase Bret are land surveyors and census takers for the Domesday Book in England,1085. Normans, Saxons & the Church all vying for the same land? You can see where murder might come into play.
Using the mystery of Agatha Christie's famous 11 day disappearance the author explores the experiences of other women who faded away unnoticed. Since no one actually knows what happened we are free to imagine that anything could have happened and de Gramont uses her time with us to envision something captivating while also providing a mystery worthy of Agatha herself.
I really enjoyed this charming little mystery. Maren doesn't see herself as a theater camp type person. She's not an attention seeker like her sister and not artsy like her film obsessed non-binary bunk mate Theo. But she is good at noticing things and solving riddles, so when clues to a missing diamond ring start turning up, Maren and her friends are keen to solve it. Of course someone else is too! A fun summer read with history, mystery and discovery.
Tracy Chee's Japanese inspired fantasy is such a treat! It's got chatty spirits, tough girls and an evil vengeful spirit. Miuko doesn't want adventure, but she runs smack into a curse that is turning her into a blue demon whose touch is deadly. In order to break the curse she must go on a quest. Tracy Chee has a light and spritely writing style that ushers the reader to the very satisfying conclusion. Loved it!
Kelly Barnhill has an urgent and important story to tell you. It's about good neighbors, listening to each other, and not being swindled by shiny promises and hollow sentences. Looks can be deceiving and it's important to think about things, and share ideas and stories. All of Kelly's books have a strong element of the importance of stories as a way of holding a truth, and it's only by sharing all of the stories that you can find the truth. Magnificent as always.
Margaret Rogerson has a great way of taking tropes and slanting them sideways for a whole new vibe. Smart, awkward Artimisa prefers the dead and as a novice nun it is her duty to perform the rites that keep the dead, well dead. Naturally, her destiny lies elsewhere, more out in the open, with live people. This is Rogerson's third stand alone book and I have deeply enjoyed each one for it's fresh take fantasy heroines.
