EVERY FRENCHMAN HAS ONE - Olivia de Havilland

Back in print again for the first time in decades, the 1962 memoir by Gone With the Wind star/Hollywood legend Olivia de Havilland - who turned 100 in 2016 - is a brief, lighthearted tale of how she fell in love with a Frenchman and came to relocate to Paris.  If you're looking for any recollections of her films, celebrity friends, or experiences making movies in Hollywood, you're going to be hugely disappointed; the book barely even touches on the movies she continued to make once living in France - otherwise the industry is barely even mentioned.  No, this book is more for pure de Havilland fans, or Francophiles who would enjoy reading about the various comparisons she makes between the U.S and France in terms of everything from men to fashion to raising kids, hiring servants, dealing with home remodeling crews ... even the way size and importance of a woman's bust are viewed between the two countries.  Never approaching anything controversial or political, the book reads very much like a Hollywood Movie Star having a sort of fireside chat with her fans, courtesy of an extra-long cover story in a favorite issue of Photoplay; nothing exciting or revealing or deep, the book has its charms but I was looking for something with a little more meat to it.  2.5/5 stars

Note: I received a free ARC of this title via NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

SILK STALKINGS - Diane Vallere

The third in Vallere's popular "Material Witness" series finds heroine Polyester Monroe finally feeling as if she's settling into her new home and business.  She's helped decorate her friend Genevieve's tea shop with a "Midnight in Paris" theme that catches up the entire town of San Ladron, California and helps to put Poly's store on the radar.  But later that night, on the luscious grounds of nearby Waverly House, Poly and her potential beau Vaughn spot local billionaire Harvey Halliwell - the man who put San Ladron on the map by bringing the tangorli fruit tree to the States, making him rich in the process - passed out in the grass soon after having what appeared to be an argument with a stranger.  Halliwell comes to and refuses to seek medical attention ... but when Poly finds the man dead on the same grounds the following day, she starts following a twisted thread that wraps itself tightly around the upcoming Miss Tangorli beauty pageant - and sees Poly's mechanic friend Charlie as a potential suspect.  This was my first time reading this author, let alone this series, and while I did find Poly charming in her way and the ending - the revelation of the murderer - pretty compelling, to me the book itself seemed to fall a bit short in both pacing and story.  A few stylistic errors in the book threw me out of being fully caught up in the novel as much as I would have liked, as well, though better editing would have caught those.  Overall, I do like Poly and world Diane Vallere has created here, even finding interest in the fabric store theme, and would like to know more about her and the characters around her by reading more in the series.  And as I did enjoy the resolution of the mystery, to me one of the biggest components of a cozy, I am sure Poly and I will be crossing paths again!  ***

Note: I received a free ARC of this title via author and publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

SHERLOCK SAM AND THE MISSING HEIRLOOM IN KATONG - A.J. Low

Straight up, I love Sherlock Sam.  Almost immediately, this book reminded me of the Encyclopedia Brown books I devoured as a kid (though this is a full-length book, as opposed to a collection of short mysteries) - and if this first-in-the-series is any indication, Sherlock Sam is just as deserving of as much fame and attention from fans around the world.  The story: Samuel Tan Cher Lock (aka Sherlock Sam), lover of maths and mysteries, is a stocky/slightly chunky young boy in Singapore who, along with his newly-created (and often sarcastic) robot named Watson, fancies himself a detective ... who soon gets his first case when Auntie Kim Lian's heirloom cookbook, in her family for generations, disappears.  Following clues and logic with equal measure, Sherlock Sam and Watson - along with Sam's sister Wendy and his schoolmate Jimmy - set out to find the precious heirloom so Auntie Kim Lian can keep making the delicious dishes Sam so loves to eat.  The mystery and Sam's detection are logical and easy for young readers to follow along with, and the book's cast of characters are easy to like.  The fact the books are to be set in Singapore, with an Asian lead/characters populating them, was a first for this reader and hugely appreciated; there's even an index in the back, complete with definitions, for words and phrases (English or not) used in the book, educating the reader about a different culture and customs, as well.  A warm, welcomed and lighthearted addition to the children's section of any bookstore.  ****1/2

Note: I received a free ARC of this title via NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

YARNED AND DANGEROUS - Sadie Hartwell

Josie Blair works as a low-level fashion designer in New York City, her dream job since childhood even though her current boss is a bit of a cad who's recently fired her ... just in time for Josie's mother to request a favor.  Back in Dorset Falls, Connecticut - where Josie lived for a number of years as a teen - her great uncle Eb has just lost his wife in a car accident that also left him laid up in a wheelchair.  As Josie's mom is heading off to a pre-planned cruise, it falls to Josie to return back to the town she was glad to leave, and not only help Eb but also aid in shutting down the downtown Dorset Falls yarn store she owned, Miss Marple Knits.  As suspected, her old hometown hasn't exactly prospered any more in recent years, leaving Josie anxious to just get the shop closed and get her uncle well so she can go home to the big city - but almost soon as she arrives, the dead body of a member of the local women's knitting group is found in the shop, pulling Josie into the local drama and mysteries both big and small.  It was tough for me to get into this first-in-a-series novel for about twenty pages, but once in and meeting more of the characters in the small town, I really grew to like Josie and company quite a bit, as well as find myself drawn into the mysterious goings on.  As is the case with me and many cozies lately, however, I found the ending very anticlimactic; the solution, I feel, was presented too early - or, at least, things should have been wound up faster once the murderer was revealed.  That said, I do look forward to giving Josie and Dorset Falls another try, because Hartwell does well in creating characters you care about.  ***1/2

Note: I received a free ARC of this title via NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

TACO EL GATO #1 - Candy Briones

Those old enough to remember films like Fritz the Cat or the animation of Ralph Bakshi might find issue one of the comic Taco El Gato almost nostalgic.  Set in the tough, rundown Ditz City, where animals rule but cats and dogs are practically warring gang factions, Taco Fluffy - adopted as a youth - is an equally run-down, streetwise, sharp-tongued cat with the soul of a dog and the slickness of a Siamese.  Issue one sets up the characters and Taco's backstory, including a biological father who sets out to look for him, as well as Taco's run-in with a tough dog gang determined to take him out.  Not much of a story to start, but there are hints of much more, the artwork is 1970's crazy and I liked Taco's niece and the bad dog posse.  Worth seeking out future issues, and worth a read.  ***

Note: I received a free ARC of this title via NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

TO LOVE A TRAITOR - JL Merrow

It's winter in England, WWI barely over, and a young law clerk named George has just taken a room in a private boarding house as he starts his new job.  Only George's real name isn't George, and he's not living there by chance; he's there to gain the trust and confidence of the other lodger of the home, war veteran Matthew Connaught.  George, a conscientious observer who - after a stint in prison for refusing to fight - went to work at a desk job for his government, is there to learn what really happened on the day his older brother died ... and whether Matthew Connaught, who served in his brother's company, was the traitor responsible.  But as George grows closer to Matthew in his search for the truth, he also finds himself physically and romantically drawn to the exuberant, life-loving man he is growing to call a friend ... who may also be his brother's (and England's) betrayer.  I've never read what could be deemed a full "romance" novel - much less a male/male one - but was really impressed with author JL Merrow's use of words to create a genuine sense of place and time; am no expert, but while reading To Love a Traitor I really felt transported back to post-WWI England; everything from George's complex emotions to the characters' dialogue and actions and manner of living feeling very, very genuine.  Also pleasing was to find what felt like a genuine romance growing in the novel, as opposed to coarsely-described sex scenes filled with passion over emotion, the book relying more on shock value than characters and story.  A couple surprises along the way, otherwise a straightforward and well-told love story that happens to be between two men - one of whom deeply conflicted between what his mind wants to believe, over what his heart is telling him must be true.  ****

Note: I received a free ARC of this title via NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

PURE DEAD MAGIC - Debi Gliori

It's hard to really describe the events of this children's book for ages ten and up ... mainly because so, so much is going on throughout it.  The residents of the Strega-Borgia mansion are not having much good luck lately; mom and dad had a fight, leading to dad's storming out of the house - and then getting summarily kidnapped by some thugs working for his evil brother, as Signora Strega-Borgia wigs out and tries to pretend things are business as usual, including going off to her witchcraft classes.  Older children Titus and Pandora both enjoy torturing each other, even as both also join forces in resenting the new nanny recently come to the home.  Baby Damp, in fact, seems to be the only one happy - that is until, following a hoard of rats, she's shrunk and sucked up into her brother's computer.  Oh yeah, and a dragon, Bigfoot-like monster, and griffin live downstairs, not to mention the crocodile in the moat who hasn't had a good meal since the previous nanny.  Add a talking spider, a thug in a bunny suit, and a rescue mission conducted on the lanes of the superhighway of the worldwide web, and it all makes for a (needless to say) busy novel that isn't necessarily badly-written, but just has too much going on to really be able to focus on anything.  Sadly, that extends to the characters, who never come off fully real or sympathetic.  Well-written and kids might like the comic book-like events throughout, but I could never find myself buying into the story (storIES) or characters.  **

GOTHAM ACADEMY VOL. 2: CALAMITY - Becky Cloonan & Brenden Fletcher (illustrated by Karl Kerschl & Mingjue Helen Chen)

This second collection from DC Comics (following Gotham Academy Vol. 1: Welcome to Gotham Academy) begins with student Olive Silverlock attending the funeral of her mother.  Once back at school and with her Scooby-Doo-like gang of friends, the group finds a ready-made mystery not only in the form of not only a magic quill and seemingly possessed ravens ... but soon Olive finds herself seeing what appears to be the ghost of her mother on campus - a ghost who reveals its true nature, and Olive's true heritage, to the frightened young girl.  For the most part this graphic novel collection was a hit with me; even though I hadn't read the previous volume, I kind of like the old-school Scooby-Doo vibe of the friends (even though I think Olive herself was shunted too much to a background player, and while I love Maps I would have liked to delve more into the other characters, too).  There are a whole lot of subplots going on here, surrounding the main plot, but even an appearance by Damian Wayne (son of Bruce!) keeps your interest peaked.  While I found the first story, about the magic quill, a bit confusing in relation to the rest of Olive's tale, Gotham Academy Vol. 2: Calamity is beautiful to read in its artwork, and fun enough to read if you don't take it all too seriously, when the villain by the end practically needs to stand up and say "And I would have gotten away with too, if it hadn't been for you meddling kids!"  Gotta go back and pick up volume one, now.  ****

Note: I received a free ARC of this title via NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

THE LISZTS - Kyo Maclear (illustrated by Julia Sarda)

Admittedly, it's been decades since I read a picture book geared for kids of kindergarten age to age four, but as a compulsive list maker myself the description of Kyo Maclear's latest, The Liszts, was intriguing.  Wonderfully (and perfectly) illustrated by Julia Sarda, Maclear depicts the Liszt family - mother, father, their three kids and a grandfather - who spend all their days and nights making lists of everything from their favorite sports figures to ranking their favorite musical artists and even those they admire or who admire them.  Lists, lists, the house is filling up with lists to the point of overflowing ... and when a stranger arrives on their doorstep he finds himself hopelessly rejected because - what else - he's not on the lists!  A story of getting so caught up in keeping your life organized, you leave no room for spontaneity, The Liszts is a lyrical, whimsical and wonderfully-written tale featuring beautiful artwork that will keep kids turning the pages, if not turn them back again for the almost gothic look of the Liszts's colorful world.  ****1/2

Note: I received a free ARC of this title via NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

BOB'S BURGERS: WELL DONE - "Various"

Containing art, writing, and even illustrations from some of the writers, artists and more creative fans of the hit FOX animated series "Bob's Burgers", this funny and well-done compendium of issues 5-8 of the popular comic book series will please any fan of the show (including me).  Between artists renderings of various covers from the different comics, as well as of the family, the ongoing stories include "Gene's Rhymey Rhymes That Could One Day Be Songs" (the Peter Pan tribute is the best), "Louise's Unsolved Mysteries and Curious Curiosities" (even though this collection only contains part one of the wonderful "X-Files" riff, leaving readers hanging!), and - by far the best - "Tina's Erotic Friend Fiction" which features Tina finally going after Jimmy Jr. in a "Romeo & Juliet" motif, as well as a wonderfully silly Casablanca parody that opens the book (if you're a big Tina fan, these will probably be your favorite parts, as well).  A quick, fun read to keep you going in between episodes, Bob's Burgers: Well Done is a very tasty collection featuring the Emmy-winning Belchers from one of the best (and funniest) animated series to ever hit the air.  ****

Note: I received a free ARC of this title via NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

DEATH CRASHES THE PARTY - Vickie Fee

The first in the "Liv and Di in Dixie" cozy mystery series opens with Dixie, Tennessee party planner Liv McKay, inspecting an upscale Victorian home where she is planning an anniversary party for the snooty Erdmans, when she discovers the bodies of two brothers who've been shot to death - one of them dressed in the uniform of a Civil War soldier.  Things get even hotter when the investigation of the deceased siblings - both of whom worked as mechanics for the trucking company co-owned by Liv's husband and father-in-law - uncovers a drug smuggling ring apparently going on at McKay Trucking, right under the owners's noses.  Determined to help, Liv - with the aid of her best friend Di - gets herself into all kinds of trouble with the police, the FBI, and several of the more shady characters who live in Dixie, in this nicely-plotted first novel by author Fee - who even reserves a very nice little plot twist/surprise for the end.  Liv and Di are both likable, very real women who have their flaws, but are at heart there for each other and their town; the contrast between Liv's strong marriage to devoted husband Larry Joe and single Di's blooming romance with the sheriff, Dave, gives the friends even more depth and authenticity.  Very often you have to leave a little leeway when it comes to reviewing the first of a mystery series; more often than not, the first book suffers from "growing pains" as the author tries to find both his or her voice with the characters, as well as the fleshing out of the characters themselves.  Here, you can feel those vibes but - for me, anyway - not as obviously as many first novels; Vickie Fee seems to not only know but like her characters very much, and it shows.  I would liked to have seen more of the party planning aspect of Liv's life, in direct relation to the mystery especially (though it sounds like that's coming in book two - and I thought the touches of humor in this book, particularly with how the Erdman party turned out, were terrific), and I did struggle with what I call the breaking of one of the "writer's commandments" - of not giving a number of characters similar names, to the point your readers may confuse them (Rudy? Ray? Ralph? I found myself going back, at first, to remind myself who was who a few too many times).  But those are minor tweaks; I really enjoyed Liv and Di, hoping for more Di in future volumes to share the spotlight (this one was focused more on Liv as the central character), but either way heartily do look forward to delving more into these characters and this series.  ****

Note: I received a free ARC of this title via NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.