The Bloodless Boy Hunt & Hooke #1

 

The Bloodless Boy is the first Hunt & Hooke historical mystery by Robert J. Lloyd. Originally published in 2013, this reformat and re-release by Melville House is 416 pages and is available in hardcover format. Other editions available in other formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. 

This is an exceptionally well written and researched thriller/mystery set in the latter part of the 17th century in and around London. The descriptions and dialogue are precisely rendered and believable. The story follows the renowned scientist Robert Hooke and his assistant Harry Hunt as they investigate the appalling exsanguination deaths in the area. 

The author does a good job bringing the simmering religious persecution of the era to life. The fictional narrative is skillfully woven around a framework of actual historical people and incidents and it's done so seamlessly that it's not always apparent where history shades into fiction. He does a great job with the characters and even the secondary characters are three dimensional and believable. 

Some parts of the book quite brutal and include descriptions of religious intolerance and the stark realities of life at a time when the average lifespan was only 35 years. I personally found it difficult to read in places due to the victim being a child of 2-3 years who had been completely exsanguinated (drained of blood), which gave me literal shudders of revulsion (which was clearly the author's intention).

Very well written and crafted. The pacing is not slow, but it's steady and worth the build-up. The denouement and resolution were satisfying. I am looking forward to the next book in the series, due out 25th Oct 2022 from the same publisher. 

Four and a half stars. Highly recommended for fans of cerebral mysteries in the style of The Name of the Rose and Father Cadfael. It's not derivative, but there's something about the descriptive prose and very clever construction which reminds me of both of them.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

The Archer

 

The Archer is a beautifully lyrical and gently written coming of age story set in the 1960s and '70s in Bombay/Mumbai. Originally released in 2021, this reformat which coincides with the paperback release, is 320 pages, and is also available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats from the Algonquin Press. 

The author, Shruti Swamy, is a gifted wordsmith. There's a precise and conscious use of language which sometimes felt a tiny bit overwrought. She also has something worthwhile to say, so the writing is absolutely not window dressing in this case; there's a substantial story conveyed in the prose. 

There was a pervasive sense of sadness and wistfulness about the limits imposed on the main character by her family situation and to a larger degree, her culture. The metaphor of a type of dance with a still center and wildly whirling and kinetic outside movement are aptly used to mirror the realities of Vidya's existence. 

I enjoyed the descriptions of the settings as well as the minutiae of the dance included in the story. Highly recommended for fans of slice-of-life stories and family sagas. Competently written.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Death on a Winter's Day A Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery #8

Death on a Winter's Day is the 8th Lady Eleanor Swift cozy mystery by pseudonymous writing duo Verity Bright. Released 24th Nov. 2021, it's 288 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book (and the rest of the series) are currently included in the KU library to borrow and read for free.

This is such a lightly humorous and honestly fun read. The entire series is just perfect for lifting the spirits and a reading escape to a simpler time. The style is reminiscent of earlier golden age inter-war mysteries. It's irreverent, with an appealing ensemble cast of amateur society sleuth Lady Eleanor and her butler/dogsbody Clifford whom she inherited along with her title from her late uncle as well as assorted society friends and servants. Gladstone the elderly bulldog also brings his unique support efforts to bear, helping untangle this holiday mystery set in Scotland.

It's a fast and undemanding cozy; the language is clean, the crimes are not written violently or explicitly and the denouement is satisfyingly twisty and well written. For readers looking for verisimilitude in dialogue and action, be warned, this series is full of modern vernacular and sensibilities. Eleanor fraternizes with the servants and has shockingly bohemian attitudes and fraternizes with the servants.

Four stars, a decidedly exuberant and whimsical romp. There are now 11 extant books in the series, with the 12th due out in Nov 2022. This series is a prime candidate for binge reading. Although each of the books is self contained, I recommend reading them in order (though it's not absolutely necessary).

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Pump A Natural History of the Heart

To coincide with the release of the paperback format, Algonquin is supporting a blog tour. Review to appear here in mid-September 2022.


 “Pump is an entertaining survey of the evolution of the circulatory system…this brisk and engaging history of hearts of all forms and sizes packs a punch.”
—Foreword Reviews, starred review

“This is an easy-to-read and fascinating look into the complexity and wonder of the heart in its many forms.”
—Booklist

“Fascinating… surprising entertainment combining deep learning with dad jokes… [Schutt] is a natural teacher with an easy way with metaphor.”
—The Wall Street Journal


For centuries, humans have been fascinated by the heart. Aristotle believed it was the seat of consciousness; the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz mused about how his life would change if only he had one; and poets and musicians from Shakespeare to Tom Petty to Stevie Nicks have written countless words about hearts being cold, broken, and lonely. Now, the critically acclaimed author of Cannibalism and American Museum of Natural History zoologist Bill Schutt turns his attention to this vital organ in PUMP: A Natural History of the Heart (Publication Date: September 21, 2021; $26.95), which explores the mysteries and wonders of the literal heartbeat of life on earth. The first book to present in-depth natural histories of both the human heart and the hearts of dozens of diverse animal species ranging from worms to alligators to bats to sea squirts, PUMP is an illuminating journey that shows how the heart has become the core of not only the circulatory system, but also the natural world.
From a Canadian museum where Schutt examines a rare, preserved blue whale heart the size of a golf cart to New England beaches where horseshoe crabs are being harvested for their life-saving blood to labs where he encounters frozen hibernating wood frogs, PUMP takes readers on a fantastic trip around the world, telling an incredible story of evolution and scientific process. Readers journey with Schutt through human history, too, as philosophers and scientists hypothesize, often wrongly, about what makes our ticker tick. The book traces humanity’s cardiac fascination from the ancient Greeks and Egyptians, who believed that the heart contains the soul, all the way up to modern-day laboratories, where scientists use animal hearts and even plants as the basis for many of today’s cutting-edge therapies. Schutt interviews notable doctors, researchers, and animal experts, revealing unexpected anecdotes and studies including:   
⦁    the science behind the survival of the Antarctic icefish, whose blood contains a natural antifreeze;
⦁    the use of tropical Zebrafish, an organism that shares more than 70 percent of its genes with humans, to study the regrowth of functional heart muscle in humans;
⦁    the heart of the Burmese python, which can grow 40 percent after eating a meal, and how this invasive species can help researchers better understand physiological human heart growth;
⦁    the scientific background on why doctors made the switch from therapeutic bloodletting including the use of leeches to blood transfusions as a way to restore health;
⦁    the strange science behind the giraffe circulatory system – which includes a massive high-pressure heart that can pump blood to heights of eighteen feet and unique adaptations that prevent blood from rushing to their lowered heads when they drink;
⦁    the 150-year-old mystery behind the ailments that plagued Charles Darwin for the last forty years of his life, which may be traced to a rare bloodborne disease he contracted during his voyage on the H.M.S. Beagle; 
⦁    the experiments showing the direct relationship between bereavement and Takotsubo syndrome, better known as “broken heart syndrome”;
⦁    the brand-new technologies utilized by various labs to grow and regenerate the human heart from stem cells, animal hearts, and plants.

“Pump is a story about hearts – big hearts, small hearts, cold hearts and even nonexistent hearts,” Schutt, professor emeritus at Long Island University - Post, explains. “The history of our attempts to understand the function of the heart and circulatory system is long, and until relatively recently, riddled with errors. From a hollow cluster of cells with a unique ability to shorten its length to beliefs about the origin of love and the soul to early cardiac medicine, futuristic therapies, and beyond, my hope is that readers will gain appreciation for the degree to which the heart plays a vital role, and will never think about these topics in quite the same way again.” The author of five books of fiction and nonfiction, Schutt received his PhD in zoology from Cornell University and did his post-doctoral work at the American Museum of Natural History (where he was a recipient of a Theodore Roosevelt Grant). His most recent book, Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History, was named a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice and an Amazon Best Book of the Month as well as a Scientific American Recommended Read. He lives with his family on Long Island.

Written with verve and Schutt’s signature wit, weaving evolutionary perspectives with cultural history, Pump shows us this magical and mysterious organ in a completely new light.

Bill Schutt is a vertebrate zoologist and author of five nonfiction and fiction books, including the New York Times Editor’s Choice, Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History. Recently retired from his post as professor of biology at LIU Post, he is a research associate at the American Museum of Natural History, where he has studied bats all over the world. His research has been featured in Natural History magazine as well as in the New York Times, Newsday, the Economist, and Discover.


Pump: A Natural History of the Heart
By Bill Schutt
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
Publication Date: September 21, 2021
Paperback / 288 pages / $17.99
Instagram and Twitter: @algonquinbooks

Sourdough: How to Make Artisan Fermented Bread , Rustic Pizza Recipes and Homemade Yeast

Sourdough is a tutorial guide with recipes for fermented grain and homemade yeast products written by Mary Lo Caso. Released in 2021, it's 200 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats.

This is a well written and thorough guide to creating a starter, maintaining it, and utilizing it to create a surprising number of fermented bread foods. The book has a very spare layout with easy to read text and good formatting (bullet points, page design etc).The ARC provided for review doesn't contain any photography or diagrams, but the descriptions are comprehensive and easy to understand. The author writes clearly and encouragingly. 

The recipes are surprisingly varied. It naturally includes all the steps for creating and maintaining several different starter cultures, but in addition to the basic loaves, the author provides appealing recipes for pizzas and pie-crusts, breadsticks, buns, biscuits, crackers, and more. We've tried out the basic (no-frills) starter, which is bubbling away happily. There are numerous recipes included which we intend to try. I like the "no waste" philosophy and her recipes for discard dough which would otherwise go to waste. 

Recipes include a description, prep and baking times, ingredients in a bullet list, and step by step directions. Ingredient measurements are provided in imperial (American) standard measurements only. Optional ingredients and alternate preps are listed in parentheses in each recipe. 

Four stars. This would make a good beginning guide for folks who want to make high quality grain based fermented breads from scratch. I would also recommend it as an instruction text for workshops, activity groups, library acquisition, and similar uses. It would have been enhanced if it included photos, but even without, it's a solidly useful basic manual for sourdough.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

Plant-Based Ketogenic Diet Cookbook: 14-Day Meal Plan & 75 Recipes for Optimal Health

Plant-Based Ketogenic Diet Cookbook is a recipe and meal plan collection by Amber St. Peter. Released 2nd Aug 2022 by Callisto, it's 248 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

This is a well written and organized collection of recipes for keto adherents who also wish to incorporate more plant based foods in their diets. 

The introduction covers the basics of the foods, cooking and essential accessories as well as an intro to the keto lifestyle/diet, including a basic primer on ketosis, nutrients, tips, ingredients, tools, supplies, and how-to. 

The following chapters include the 14 day meal plan and preparations, followed by the recipes arranged thematically: breakfasts, snacks & sides, salads & handhelds, soups & stews, hearty meals, and desserts & staples.  I found the recipes inclusive and varied. It's important to note that many of the recipes use keto non-compliant ingredients (orange juice, agave nectar!, maple syrup, etc), although (presumably) the end results are keto-friendly.
 
Ingredient measurements are supplied in imperial (American) standard measurements only.  There's a conversion chart for metric measures included in the appendix. The nutritional information:  fat, carbs, protein, fiber content, macronutrients, etc are listed for the recipes as well as serving sizes.  Each recipe has a header with special labels such as one-pot, worth the wait (takes a bit longer to prepare), 30 minute meal, etc; with a short description of the recipe and approximate prep-times. Extra tips or recipe alternatives are listed in text boxes in the recipes. The recipes themselves are fairly straightforward and are made for the most part with easily sourced ingredients (not all though, sweeteners for example, will likely need to be sourced from specialists). Many are very simple, none of them are overly complex.

The photography is not abundant; only about 10% of the dishes are accompanied by a photo, but the photographs which are included are clear and well done.  I wish there had been more photographs and serving suggestions, but I do understand that extra photography increases the price of book projects very quickly and the lack is not crippling because this is a fairly simple recipe collection. The resource list includes interactive links to a number of relevant online resources about keto and the health benefits.

Three and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

Shady Hollow (Shady Hollow #1)

Shady Hollow is the first book in the Shady Hollow cozy mystery series by Juneau Black. Released 25th Jan 2022 by Penguin Random House on their Black Lizard Vintage Crime imprint, it's 240 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately

This is a whimsical and offbeat cozy with the unusual twist that all the characters are highly anthropomorphic animals who talk, have jobs, and occasionally commit crimes. The story is set in a village (Shady Hollow) and the book is replete with those oddball/eccentric small-town cozy characters. Main protagonist Vera Vixen is the local beat reporter who is investigating events after the death of a locally unloved curmudgeon (who's an actual, literal toad) . 

All the standard cozy tropes are front and center: plucky reporter who can't let a mystery go uninvestigated, handsome lawman potential love interest (he's a bear), and lots and lots of village secrets. There are several disparate plot threads which are skillfully woven together into a mostly satisfying denouement and resolution.

Despite being full of talking animals with "schtick-y" alliterative names, it's definitely not a children's or juvenile book and wouldn't be appropriate for small kids. It's also not animals as characters (à la Rita Mae Brown, Lillian Jackson Braun, & co.), but more like Mandy Morton's trippy Hettie Bagshot mysteries. The characters - are - animals. They speak and go about their business like humans in animal form. They do seem to refrain from eating one another for the most part and rabbits and mice coexist mostly peacefully with foxes, mink, and bears. 

The mystery was straightforward. The dialogue was a bit choppy, but not egregiously so, especially considering that this is a collaborative writing effort. There is a weird atmospheric vibe throughout, but that could just be the surreal effect of the characters being talking animals which is never addressed in any way. I had some issues engaging with the main protagonist. She strikes me as an appalling combination of gullible and obnoxious, but she is undoubtedly plucky. It's not stated explicitly, but there is also a retro vibe to the whole story. It's a short and fast read and includes a standalone plot and story.

Odd mystery. Well constructed, but off-kilter in some way which is difficult to define. It has definite shadings of noir, but is, at the heart of it, a village cozy. 

Three and a half stars. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

The Archer - Shruti Swamy

Debut novel by Shruti Swamy, The Archer, will be reviewed here. on Monday 29th Aug 2022. This is such a gently and beautifully written coming of age novel without much of the stridency and anger pervasive in much of the genre. It's set in the 60s and 70s (my own formative years), and so much of the narrative really resonates. 

Here are some teaser/praise excerpts. Book is already available, and is newly released in paperback format from Algonquin. 

Praise for The Archer

MOST ANTICIPATED / BEST OF LISTS:

San Francisco Chronicle: “The Chronicle’s 15 best books of 2021”

BuzzFeed: “The Best Books of 2021”

The Millions: “Most Anticipated: The Great Second-Half 2021 Book Preview”

BookRiot: “The Best Books to Give As Gifts in 2021”

Literary Hub / BookMarks: “The Best Reviewed Books of the Week”

Ms. Magazine: “September 2021 Reads for the Rest of Us”

The Millions: “September Preview: The Millions Most Anticipated (This Month)”

BuzzFeed: “All The Must-Read Books Being Released This September”

BuzzFeed: “25 New And Upcoming Books You Won’t Be Able To Put Down”

Bookish: “Debuts to Read in the Second Half of 2021”

Goodreads: “69 New and Upcoming Debut Novels to Discover”

Library Journal: “Best Debuts: 37 Key Summer & Fall 2021 Titles”

BLURBS:

“This is a singular work, a story of a dancer, and of a hungry self seated at the table of womanness and desire and art, told with unparalleled originality and elegance. Swamy writes with a thrilling clarity of vision that wakes the sleepwalker right into joyful consciousness. Every word is intimate, honest, ecstatic—utterly alive. I will hold this novel close, and return to it for companionship, for instruction, and for pure pleasure. I love and treasure this book.”

—Meng Jin, author of Little Gods

“This novel swallowed me whole: lush and sensual, tasted and felt, with striking images that play out like film behind the eyes. I was reminded of Satyajit Ray's cinematic classic, Pather Panchali; like Ray, Swamy evokes an India that resists flat stereotype and teems with exuberance, beauty, and life. The Archer is timeless yet utterly modern as it asks what it means for a woman to make a life of art.”

—C Pam Zhang, author of How Much of These Hills Is Gold

“Shruti Swamy is a writer to celebrate. Her fiction is provocative, precise, and gorgeously inventive.”

—Megha Majumdar, New York Times bestselling author of A Burning

“[Swamy’s] prose is so assured ... like a dancer staring directly at the audience for an infinitesimal pause. The Archer dazzles as it asks: How does a woman remain an artist?”

—New York Times Book Review

“Mesmerizingly poetic . . . The Archer’s beauty resides in Swamy's sequential narrative form, which reads like music—at times almost exactly like reading a musical score—but with something more; her words carry the visceral power of a dancer's intersection with air . . . [A] sublime, boundary-pushing exploration of sexuality, creativity, and love . . . A sensual, artful dance, powerfully told.”

—NPR

“With its coiled energy and feverish imagery, The Archer often reads more like a lucid dream than a novel, oceans of wild feeling roiling just below the surface . . . Swamy writes about the imperatives of an artist’s life with bright, furious poetry: the singular will of a body that burns to be in motion, and a mind set free.”

—Entertainment Weekly

“This is a singular work, a story of a dancer and of a hungry self seated at the table of womanness and desire and art, told with unparalleled originality and elegance. Swamy writes with a thrilling clarity of vision that wakes the sleepwalker right into joyful consciousness. Every word is intimate, honest, ecstatic — utterly alive.”

—San Francisco Chronicle, The Chronicle’s 15 Best Books of 2021

“Reading The Archer, I often felt the shocking pleasure of watching an artist pull off the unexpected, and like Vidya with the dancers, I did not want to look away… Swamy has the uncanny ability to render a reader more alive to the depth of meaning within the smallest of details. There is much to love and admire in this book.”

—Alexandra Chang in Electric Lit

“[An] intimate portrait about being an artist and a woman in Bombay during the 1960s and ’70s… Swamy brings Bombay to life with her rich descriptions of food and setting, and the richness of her prose continues with its portrayal of Vidya’s inner life. Despite the historical setting, Vidya’s struggles with how to be a wife, mother, and artist are equally relevant today. It’s a gorgeous, sumptuous novel.”

—BuzzFeed

 

 

Let's Draw Wild Animals: Learn to draw a variety of wild animals step by step!

 

Let's Draw Wild Animals is a fun collection of drawing tutorials by How2DrawAnimals. Due out 16th Aug 2022 from Quarto on their Walter Foster Jr. imprint, it's 48 pages and will be available in paperback format.

For all the readers who grew up with the spin racks of technique booklets from Foster at their local stationery/art store, the format in this new series of books will be comfortingly familiar. The books begin with very basic overviews over tools and supplies and pencil techniques for light and shadow, shading, texture, and form.

There are 10 tutorials included in the book for a varied selection of animals such as a jaguar, kangaroo, wolf, chimpanzee, alligator, and 5 more. Tutorials are easy to follow and show step by step refinements with new lines and shading included. The tutorials cover two pages each with 10 steps from simple shapes to finished, shaded drawing.

This would make a great gift for would-be artists of all ages. The included tutorials are varied and eclectic. There is a complete table of contents, so locating individual ones shouldn't be problematic. They're slanted toward pencil sketches, though colored pens, crayons, and watercolors could certainly be used to enhance the drawings.

Nice booklet, accessible for everyone.

Five stars. This would be a nice choice, bundled with some drawing supples, for a young artist. It would also do well for school or public library acquisition, home library, and even for adults/childminders/caregivers/teachers who want to up their "draw with me" game with their young charges.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Let's Draw Dogs: Learn to draw a variety of dogs and puppies step by step!

Let's Draw Dogs is a fun collection of drawing tutorials by How2DrawAnimals. Due out 16th Aug 2022 from Quarto on their Walter Foster Jr. imprint, it's 48 pages and will be available in paperback format. 

For all the readers who grew up with the spin racks of technique booklets from Foster at their local stationery/art store, the format in this new series of books will be comfortingly familiar. The books begin with very basic overviews over tools and supplies and pencil techniques for light and shadow, shading, texture, and form. 

There are 10 tutorials included in the book for a varied selection of dogs such as a German Shepherd, Corgi, Golden Retriever, poodle, an adorable Husky puppy and 5 more. Tutorials are easy to follow and show step by step refinements with new lines and shading included. The tutorials cover two pages each with 10 steps from simple shapes to finished, shaded drawing. 

This would make a great gift for would-be artists of all ages. The included tutorials are varied and eclectic. There is a complete table of contents, so locating individual ones shouldn't be problematic. They're slanted toward pencil sketches, though colored pens, crayons, and watercolors could certainly be used to enhance the drawings. 

Nice booklet, accessible for everyone.

Five stars. This would be a nice choice, bundled with some drawing supples, for a young artist. It would also do well for school or public library acquisition, home library, and even for adults/childminders/caregivers/teachers who want to up their "draw with me" game with their young charges.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

From the Depths of Hellas

From the Depths of Hellas is a new collection of vignettes and short fiction written and curated by Bruce Taylor. Released 10th April 2022 from ReAnimus Press, it's 216 pages (e-format) and is available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

To call these short stories is inaccurate; most are fragments, short narrative word studies without a discernible specific beginning-middle-end format. There are some more story-ish entries, but they're not the majority of the content. What they do have in common is more than competent writing. "Wordsmith" is bandied around casually, but in this case it's apropos. The author is a very capable writer. 

Most of these have elements of speculative fiction/fantasy and nearly all have strong elements of magical realism, scenes from our world, but with magic and aspects which defy "our" consensual reality. 

This would not only be a good choice for fans of SF/fantasy, but would also be appropriate as a support text for writing instruction - the nuts and bolts of the craft are especially well delineated here. The author states in the preface that he's written over 1000 stories, the ones I've read seem to be constructed to an above average standard. I dislike literary comparisons, but these stories go to almost the same place in my reader's brain as Ray Bradbury and very few others. I can't think of another author who is producing this type of writing.

Four and a half stars. Light on actual start-to-finish plot narrative, but very very well written.

Slay Bells: A Vintage Mystery

Slay Bells is a newly released vintage murder mystery novella from the previously unpublished literary inheritance left by Eunice Mays Boyd. Released 7th Dec 2021, it's 95 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. 

This is a well written holiday cozy mystery featuring a closed group of high school friends and their mentor and teacher. They plan to have a reunion after 10 years to see how they're all getting along in life. It turns out that despite their early promise, they're divorced, neurotic, angry, or even in prison. One by one they begin to die violently after a malevolent visit from Santa Claus. 

It is a product of the time it was written, although there are some pithy observations about the unfair nature of business opportunities for women at the time and general attitudes about gender roles and rigid class differences between the "haves" and the "have nots" which will resonate with modern readers. 

The manuscript has not been edited for modern audiences, so much of the dialogue seems somewhat stilted and retro. It fits very well with the story, but readers should remember that it's a vintage work approaching 70ish years of age. 

The denouement and resolution were unexpected but not unsatisfying. 

Three and a half stars. This is a previously unknown-to-me author and several other books from her oeuvre are slated to be released in new editions or are already extant. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

The Book of Delights

 

The Book of Delights is a well curated short essay collection on the nature of delight/joy by Ross Gay. Released in Feb 2019 by Algonquin, it's 288 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats, with a paperback due out 16th Aug. 2022. 

The author began and ended the year's ruminations on life, joy, the realities of daily life, patterns in our daily routines (and the immediate joy of occasionally breaking them) on his birthday. It became a habit, an exercising, he says in the preface of a delight radar, a muscle and it's a treat. Much of the prose is luminous and on dreary days, gave me a small boost. It was a joy to read. I would recommend sampling essays rather than a cover to cover binge, but I admittedly did just that, thinking "just one more" until I had read it all. I've revisited the collection several times since that initial read, however, and the re-readability is very high. 

This book is what the "Chicken Soup" books would've been in a much better, more intellectual world. There aren't any platitudes, no saccharine falseness, just an intelligent man's observations about the nature of the universe and our zany unpredictable place in it. It both is, and isn't, poetry. I've heard that authors expose their inner selves in their creative works, and if that's true - what a lovely person Dr. Gay must be.

This would make a superlative choice for public library acquisition, for gifting to discerning friends, and for the home library. There are books in most bibliophiles' libraries which come and go. I believe this one will be sticking around. 

Five stars. Profound and intimately kind, philosophical and generous.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Christmas Past: A Ghostly Winter Tale

Christmas Past: A Ghostly Winter Tale is a romantic holiday novella by John Adcox. Released 9th Nov 2021 by The Story Plant, it's 169 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a sweetly romantic story featuring a cultural anthropologist trying to finish her doctoral dissertation whilst battling deep grief from a bereavement and the isolation which comes from living as an expat in another country. She begins following an unusually specific urban legend back to its source and her experiences unraveling the mystery has parallels to her own story.

Despite the heavy themes of grief, loss, and isolation, this is a surprisingly sweet and uplifting story. It's admittedly a bit sweet and sappy in places and there aren't a whole lot of surprise twists; but it's nevertheless satisfying and well written.

The book is capably and beautifully illustrated by Carol Bales (the wife of the author), and the collaboration between the art and text is lovely, with a synergy which lifts the whole to another level.

Four stars. Definitely one for romantics. Paranormal elements and magical realism are central plot points, so readers should bring the requisite suspension of disbelief.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Let's Draw Dinosaurs: Learn to draw a variety of dinosaurs step by step!

Let's Draw Dinosaurs is a fun collection of drawing tutorials by How2DrawAnimals. Due out 16th Aug 2022 from Quarto on their Walter Foster Jr. imprint, it's 48 pages and will be available in paperback format. 

For all the readers who grew up with the spin racks of technique booklets from Foster at their local stationery/art store, the format in this new series of books will be comfortingly familiar. The books begin with very basic overviews over tools and supplies and pencil techniques for light and shadow, shading, texture, and form. 

There are 10 tutorials included in the book for a varied selection of dinosaurs (including a couple of new-to-me) such as a stegosaurus, triceratops, pteranodon, t-rex, and velociraptor (and 5 more). Tutorials are easy to follow and show step by step refinements with new lines and shading included. The tutorials cover two pages each with 10 steps from simple shapes to finished, shaded drawing. 

This would make a great gift for would-be artists of all ages. The included tutorials are varied and eclectic. There is a complete table of contents, so locating individual ones shouldn't be problematic. They're slanted toward line drawings, though colored pens, crayons, and watercolors could certainly be used to enhance the drawings. 

Nice booklet, accessible for everyone.

Five stars. This would be a nice choice, bundled with some drawing supples, for a young artist. It would also do well for school or public library acquisition, home library, and even for adults/childminders/caregivers/teachers who want to up their "draw with me" game with their young charges.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Bruno, Chief of Police #15 To Kill a Troubadour

To Kill a Troubadour is the 15th Bruno pastoral mystery by Martin Walker. Released 9th June 2022 by Knopf, it's 320 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately; it makes it so easy to find information with the search function. 

These books are such enjoyable reads. They're full of quirky characters who are intelligent and cultured and lots of good food perfectly described. I always learn lots about food and French cuisine and the region when I read one of these books..

This author is on my auto-read list and this particular book was lovely. I love that the book is redolent with Gallic sensibilities regarding work, food, culture, life, and love. There's always a fair bit of background info and I -always- learn something about paleontology, or food, or wine, or (in this case) cultural politics and language.

The denouement and resolution are satisfying and Bruno once again ties up the loose threads (except possibly of his love life), and he and Balzac and Hector can once again concentrate on the important non-violent aspects of life, love, and wine. 

This was such a fun read and I loved it to bits. Long live Bruno!

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

A Tea Shop Mystery #24 A Dark and Stormy Tea

A Dark and Stormy Tea is the 24th Tea Shop shopfront cozy mystery by Laura Childs. Released 9th Aug 2022 by Penguin Random House on their Berkley imprint, it's 320 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. 

The author is experienced and prolific, with several ongoing cozy series, this one set in a tea shop. There's a Victorian London vibe about the modern version of long ago serial killers, attributed to a shadowy Springheel Jack copycat the media are calling Fogheel Jack. The premise is fairly outrageous from the start, and readers shouldn't expect realism in this read. The secondary characters also felt a bit two dimensional at times and I felt that some were simply written in to provide plot points and move the scenes along.

The plot resolution was a little heavily foreshadowed, but all in all the denouement was well constructed and written. The language is fairly clean (PG rated) and there's no on-page blood or gore. I would recommend it to fans of amateur sleuth small town cozies. There were a few plot twists which challenged my suspension of disbelief, but all in all, it's an engaging and fun book. The next (25th!) book in the series is due out first quarter 2023. 

This would make a good choice for a vacation binge read, especially for fans of shopfront cozies with a surprising number of recipes in the back. The author has also included a generous resources and links list of tea suppliers and informational pages as well as a teaser for the next book in the series, Lemon Curd Killer.

Three and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Let's Draw Favorite Animals: Learn to draw a variety of your favorite animals step by step!

Let's Draw Favorite Animals is a collection of drawing tutorials by How2DrawAnimals. Due out 16th Aug 2022 from Quarto on their Walter Foster Jr. imprint, it's 48 pages and will be available in paperback format. 

For all the readers who grew up with the spin racks of technique booklets from Foster at their local stationery/art store, the format in this new series of books will be comfortingly familiar. The books begin with very basic overviews over tools and supplies and pencil techniques for light and shadow, shading, texture, and form. 

There are 10 tutorials included in the book for a varied selection of familiar animals such as a fox, cow, hamster, turtle, and deer (and 5 more). Tutorials are easy to follow and show step by step refinements with new lines and shading included. The tutorials cover two pages each with 10 steps from simple shapes to finished, shaded drawing. 

This would make a great gift for would-be artists of all ages. The included tutorials are varied and eclectic. There is a complete table of contents, so locating individual ones shouldn't be problematic. They're slanted toward line drawings, though colored pens, crayons, and watercolors could certainly be used to enhance the drawings. 

Nice booklet, accessible for everyone.

Five stars. This would be a nice choice, bundled with some drawing supples, for a young artist. It would also do well for school or public library acquisition, home library, and even for adults/childminders/caregivers/teachers who want to up their "draw with me" game with their young charges.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

 

 

Let's Draw Cats: Learn to draw a variety of cats and kittens step by step!

Let's Draw Cats is a collection of drawing tutorials by How2DrawAnimals. Due out 16th Aug 2022 from Quarto on their Walter Foster Jr. imprint, it's 48 pages and will be available in paperback format. 

For all the readers who grew up with the spin racks of technique booklets from Foster at their local stationery/art store, the format in this new series of books will be comfortingly familiar. The books begin with very basic overviews over tools and supplies and pencil techniques for light and shadow, shading, texture, and form. 

There are 10 tutorials included in the book for a varied selection of cats and kittens such as a head study, sleeping cat, ragdoll, siamese, and persian (and 5 more). Tutorials are easy to follow and show step by step refinements with new lines and shading included. The tutorials cover two pages each with 10 steps from simple shapes to finished, shaded drawing. 

This would make a great gift for would-be artists of all ages. The included tutorials are varied and eclectic. There is a complete table of contents, so locating individual ones shouldn't be problematic. They're slanted toward line drawings, though colored pens, crayons, and watercolors could certainly be used to enhance the drawings. 

Nice booklet, accessible for everyone.

Five stars. This would be a nice choice, bundled with some drawing supples, for a young artist. It would also do well for school or public library acquisition, home library, and even for adults/childminders/caregivers/teachers who want to up their "draw with me" game with their young charges.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Let's Draw Birds Butterflies: Learn to draw a variety of birds and butterflies step by step!

Let's Draw Birds and Butterflies is a collection of drawing tutorials by How2DrawAnimals. Due out 16th Aug 2022 from Quarto on their Walter Foster Jr. imprint, it's 48 pages and will be available in paperback format. 

For all the readers who grew up with the spin racks of technique booklets from Foster at their local stationery/art store, the format in this new series of books will be comfortingly familiar. The books begin with very basic overviews over tools and supplies and pencil techniques for light and shadow, shading, texture, and form. 

There are 10 tutorials included in the book for a varied selection of flying creatures such as a hummingbird, mallard, tiger swallowtail butterfly, dove, and barn owl (and 5 more). Tutorials are easy to follow and show step by step refinements with new lines and shading included. The tutorials cover two pages each with 10 steps from simple shapes to finished, shaded drawing. 

This would make a great gift for would-be artists of all ages. The included tutorials are varied and eclectic. There is a complete table of contents, so locating individual ones shouldn't be problematic. They're slanted toward line drawings, though colored pens, crayons, and watercolors could certainly be used to enhance the drawings. 

Nice booklet, accessible for everyone.

Five stars. This would be a nice choice, bundled with some drawing supples, for a young artist. It would also do well for school or public library acquisition, home library, and even for adults/childminders/caregivers/teachers who want to up their "draw with me" game with their young charges.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Let's Draw Sea Creatures: Learn to draw a variety of sea creatures step by step!

Let's Draw Sea Creatures is a collection of drawing tutorials by How2DrawAnimals. Due out 16th Aug 2022 from Quarto on their Walter Foster Jr. imprint, it's 48 pages and will be available in paperback format. 

For all the readers who grew up with the spin racks of technique booklets from Foster at their local stationery/art store, the format in this new series of books will be comfortingly familiar. The books begin with very basic overviews over tools and supplies and pencil techniques for light and shadow, shading, texture, and form. 

There are 10 tutorials included in the book for a varied selection of sea animals such as dolphin, clownfish, great white shark, sea turtle, and octopus (and 5 more). Tutorials are easy to follow and show step by step refinements with new lines and shading included. The tutorials cover two pages each with 10 steps from simple shapes to finished, shaded drawing. 

This would make a great gift for would-be artists of all ages. The included tutorials are varied and eclectic. There is a complete table of contents, so locating individual ones shouldn't be problematic. They're slanted toward line drawings, though colored pens, crayons, and watercolors could certainly be used to enhance the drawings.

 Nice booklet, accessible for everyone.

Five stars. This would be a nice choice, bundled with some drawing supples, for a young artist. It would also do well for school or public library acquisition, home library, and even for adults/childminders/caregivers/teachers who want to up their "draw with me" game with their young charges.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Quick & Easy Recipes with Help...From My Instant Pot, Air Fryer, Slow Cooker, Waffle Iron & More

Quick & Easy Recipes with Help is a well curated collection of recipes utilizing small kitchen appliances. Due out 15th Aug 2022 from Gooseberry Patch, it's 288 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats. Recipes are credited for each contributor with general location.

This is a solid, down to earth, well organized cookbook full of everyday recipes which each use "kitchen helper" small appliances such as the air fryer, sheet pan preparation, slow cookers, waffle irons, instant pot type pressure cookers, etc. The recipes are arranged in chapters by which helper appliance is utilized in the recipe: air fryer, instant pot, slow cooker, blender, waffle iron, sheet pan, skillet, and muffin tin. 

Recipes include an introduction description, yields, and a bullet list of ingredients in a sidebar, followed by step by step preparation directions. Ingredient measures are given in imperial (American) units. There is no included nutritional information. Each recipe includes a color picture. Serving suggestions are appetizing and appropriate. Graphically, it's a very appealing book with a very "Heartland Americana" vibe. The recipes include a lot of comfort foods and also food which would be good for potlucks and buffet dinners. The dishes pictured are professionally styled and attractive.

The book includes an index with recipes listed by category, so they're easy to find. The editors have also included a metric conversion chart in the back of the book. 

Five stars. There are lots of family and crowd favorites included here. This would be a good choice for public library acquisition, for church kitchen libraries, and for folks involved with other "group gathering" activities. You could hit the family reunion for the next 20 years with the recipes in this book and never repeat a dish.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

High Times in the Low Parliament

High Times in the Low Parliament is a strange queer stoner historical fantasy novella by Kelly Robson. Released 9th Aug 2022 by Tor, it's 160 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats.

This is such an odd little book. It's undeniably well written, with distinct characters (human and fairy) and well rendered settings based on an alternate Earth in what seems to be the late Victorian era. The world building, magic systems, and pretty much everything else is barely sketched in or totally missing. Most of the characters are remarkably unlovable, although they grew on me over the course of the book. There are only female characters in the book, and, apparently, the world. There are only the briefest mentions of *why* that is, or the mechanics of how it works (apparently babies are gifted to humans by the fairies but no mention of why). 

The titular political organ is filled to the brim with horribly stubborn, smug, acerbic, self-satisfied, and not terribly intelligent politicians. There's a *huge* amount of the content taken up with political protocol and posturing. The main protagonist is an eye-rollingly flirty "lad" whose raison d'etre seems to be an attempt to pull any girl with a pulse in a 50 kilometer radius. The pickup lines are atrocious. 

The book is stuffed with drug use from cover to cover, mostly hallucinogenic. I don't mind personally, but it's definitely something of which to be aware if gifting this book. Especially given the current political climate with regard to public and school library acquisitions, I would strongly suggest caution in regard to adding it to any collection. Additionally, there are scenes of graphic violence which occur on-page. 

It seems to be aimed at a YA/NA audience, but the drug use and deep sarcasm seem to make it moderately inappropriate for those readers. 

The audiobook version has a run time of 4 hours and 36 minutes and is read by Amy Scanlon. For a short book, there were long stretches of dialogue which were nearly impossible to listen to without turning the sound way down to nearly a whisper. She narrates one of the main characters, Bugbite, in an ear-shattering screech that is literally painful to listen to, even after the character grows into a more sympathetic version of her earlier self. The sound and production quality are high throughout the recording.

Three and a half stars. It's well written. The author is certainly adept at her craft. It's also disjointed and just *weird*. I'm not sure for whom I would recommend it. The audiobook version is a no-go. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.