Lisa Kleypas is one of the queens of romance, so it’s exciting to read her first historical fiction novel, “Queen of Lombard Street,” which, not surprisingly has more than a touch of romance in its pages. What Kleypas has accomplished with her new novel is to present readers with a group of characters who represent real historical figures, all of whom changed — or helped to change — the pervasive prejudice of that time period. Unfortunately, more change is needed.
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Welcome back to Three Pines, that charming, peaceful (minus the occasional murder) village nestled in the mountains of Québec. Louise Penny’s prior two novels, “The Grey Wolf” and “The Black Wolf,” took us into a far-reaching conspiracy that spoke of world politics and evil intentions. While our beloved Armand Gamache was still intrepid is his determination to protect people from dastardly plots and despicable deeds, we didn’t get to spend much time in the lovely, fantastical village of Three Pines. But even though this novel returns us to that idyllic locale, there is still so much going on, so many threads to the plot, that trying to do justice to them all is a Sisyphean task.
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“I Never Knew You At All” is a poignant novel that includes complex themes including interracial marriage, the disappearance of a young Black teen in the 60s, missed possibilities, and justice denied. The main character, Simone, marries Alex Hartwell, the heir to the Hartwell grocery story chain, after being jilted by Kwame Walker, the man she thought she would spend her life with.
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Bonnie Garmus has graced us with another stunning novel. Her first novel, “Lessons in Chemistry,” is a bestselling favorite, beloved by book clubs and readers everywhere. Her sophomore novel, “Peck & Peck,” is a very different sort of story, but Garmus’ brilliant writing shines through as we read about Batter Gray, a young man whose only ambition in life is to read, discuss, and critique poetry.
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Picture books — quality picture books — send strong messages to children. Maybe even to the adults reading the books to children. Don’t get me wrong, picture books that are written purely for humor have their place, and kids adore them, but a picture book with a message can be essential when presenting ideas like kindness and compassion to young children and older children. These three recently published picture books are very different from each other, but all share that basic quality: they demonstrate kindness and compassion.
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Readers of murder mysteries expect twists and surprises, but “It’s Not What You Think” really surpasses the ordinary with its clever, clever premise. Which I can’t share here because it’s a spoiler. Sorry. But nonetheless, please be assured that Clare Mackintosh has written a mystery that is as thrilling as any you might read.
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What lengths will a mother go to in order to keep her child safe? In “Hollow Bones,” prolific author Jodi Picoult demonstrates both what a mother’s love can mean in terms of a loving parent and self-sacrifice, and the polar opposite, what happens when a mother abdicates all responsibility for a daughter’s welfare. And along the way in this emotionally fraught novel, we come to see different types of love and the life-changing results that emanate from flawed humans making mistakes.
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In her latest novel, “Under the Ghost Moon,” Lyn Liao Butler shares her cultural heritage with readers as we meet Joey, the daughter of two Taiwanese physicians. It’s through Joey’s narrative that we learn about Taiwan’s oft-violent history, and the sacrifices that many made to ensure a democratic government. Joey’s journey begins when her last living relative, her brother, dies.
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Author Karsten Dusse’s new novel, “My Inner Child Wants to Kill,” is a worthy successor — and sequel — to his previous, extremely successful work, “Murder Mindfully.” Both novels in the “Mindful Murder” series feature protagonist Bjorn Diemel, lawyer to several men of questionable honesty and character; his wise and clever therapist, Joschka Breitner; several of Bjorns gangster clients; and Bjorn’s estranged wife Katharina and their beloved child, Emily. Bjorn had committed two murders in the first novel, both victims murdered mindfully, mind you, and both necessarily eliminated because if he hadn’t murdered them, they would certainly have killed him. He has also managed to capture another killer and to keep that one in a cell in his basement. Better than killing a third person, we suppose. In any case, he has promised himself never to kill again.
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In the supremely clever, touching and very humorous “You’ll Love It Here,” author Natalie Sue brings us Mona Bucket, a marketing whiz who seems to be on the verge of achieving her goal of being promoted to director, only to have it all implode when a nightmare client pushes all the wrong buttons and Mona snaps. Mona is instructed to take six weeks belated leave after the death of her father, three months before. Mona has been an expert at keeping her eye on the ball (getting her promotion) and keeping everything else and everyone else — family, friends, neighbors, colleagues — at arm’s length. So when she’s forced into a situation where she must spend time with her neighbors, who knows what might happen.
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To really understand Paul Yoon’s new novel, “Etna,” I went back and read his tribute to his dog Oscar, which was one of the short pieces in the collection “The Best Dog in the World: Essays on Love.” And while I didn’t cry while reading “Etna,” I did cry when I reread the essay “Oscar,” substituting the fictional Etna for Yoon’s actual dog, Oscar.
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Historical fiction is a favorite for many readers and for many reasons. When the fiction part is gripping and engaging, we get to learn about history while enjoying a fabulous novel. And that’s what “The Windsor Affair” accomplishes in spades. It’s the fictional account of two real women who were married to British kings, and whose relationship could only be described as fraught with hostility and bitterness from both parties.
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