April 17, 2015
Carol's Latest Picks
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New Hardcover Fiction
 The Witch of Painted Sorrows by M. J. Rose
The author, a skillful storyteller, has a way of captivating her readers with history, mystery, and a sense of romance in each fascinating tale she writes. In this latest magical spellbinder, a gothic novel set against the lavish backdrop of 1890s Paris, a young wife flees New York to escape her dangerous husband; bringing her to her grandmother's mansion in the City of Light and the darkness surrounding it. Although her grandmother insists it's dangerous to visit, Sandrine defies her and soon meets Julien Duplessi, a young architect hired to renovate the mansion in order to turn it into a museum of collected art. Together, Sandrine and Julien begin exploring the night world of Paris and its hidden occult underground taking them on an odyssey into the magnificent city, a city of art, love, and witchery. Can the darker influences threaten Sandrine? Can her cruel husband track her down? And what of La Lune: a witch, a legend, and a 16th century courtesan? This first book in a promised trilogy will cast a spell over you, plunging you into a world of mystery and magic. Highly recommended. You may also want to check out some of the author's previous novels which I have read and also recommend. (Atria Books, $25.00). Reviewed by Carol
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New Hardcover Non-Fiction
17 Carnations 
by Andrew Morton
Morton's well researched account tells of Edward VIII, his short reign as King of England, only to abdicate in order to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee, and his taking the royal title of Duke of Windsor. In this historical tour de force, the author recounts secret ties between FDR, Winston Churchill, and the Duke, as well as Adolf Hitler, before, during, and after World War II. A Nazi plot to make Edward a puppet king; an attempted cover-up of his relation's with Hitler; the alleged affair between Simpson and the German foreign minister; discovery of top secret correspondence about the "traitor king" and the Nazi high command: this is a saga of intrigue, betrayal, and deception. Research gathered from FBI documents, exclusive photographs, material acquired from American, Russian, and British royal archives and personal correspondence makes this an engaging account written by a master of historical genre. (Grand Central, $28.00). Reviewed and recommended by Carol
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New Paperback Fiction
 The Fires of Autumnby Irene Nemirovsky
The Fires of Autumn works as a prequel to the author's bestselling novel Suite Francaise exploring French life between 1913 and 1942, giving a sensitive picture of both the best and the worst of human emotions. In July 1914, 17-year-old Bernard Jacquelain, son of a Parisian middle-class family, enlists in the French army to fight against Germany in a war his country thought would be over in a matter of months. Bernard's young idealism dashed him into the war with the feeling that, dead or alive, he would return a hero. Then witnessing unspeakable carnage on the battlefield and suffering two injuries during the prolonged years of the war that continued until late 1918, his outlook on war and his part in it took on a change. At the end of the war he returns from the trenches a different man, allowing himself to be sucked into an easy but corrupt life of wealth and success and taking advantage of it. For ten years he lives the good life, until things around him begin to crumble. Now a new war is threatening and the future of Bernard's marriage and his country suddenly becomes uncertain. The Fires of Autumn is a novel of war and its aftermath and how it can turn a man's soul. This is a new translation of the French author's novel which was written after she fled from Paris in 1940, only to die at Auschwitz in 1942 and was first published in France in 1957. Nemirovsky was a Russian-born Jew and escaped with her family during the Russian Revolution. Highly recommended. (Vintage Books, $15.00). Reviewed by Carol
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New Young Reader Hardcover
The Penderwicks in Spring
by Jeanne Birdsall
Spring is finally arriving and along with it the chaos of the Penderwick brood which has now grown to six with the addition of Lydia, now two years old and the youngest sibling. There are surprises in store for all! Some surprises are wonderful: Nick Geiger, the Penderwicks' neighbor is coming home from war. Then Batty's ridiculous "enterprise" to open a dog-walking business as a special surprise for her family. Can she pull it off or will her plan fall apart? Birdsall fills young readers' hearts with wit and charm as she has so well come to define in this modern classic of a beloved clan which makes everyday unexpected and exciting. Ages 8 to 12. (Alfred A. Knopf, $16.99). Reviewed by Carol
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New Children's Hardcover
 Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh by Sally M. Walker
Harry Colbourn was a veterinarian and a Canadian soldier during World War I. When his train made a short stop he saw a bear cub for sale on the station platform. As a vet, he knew he could care for her, so he bought the cub for twenty dollars and his purchase became the beginning of events that led to a story that has become a classic for children: Winnie-the-Pooh. Harry named his cub Winnipeg, but was soon shortened to Winnie. Walker's heartwarming story tells you what happened to Winnie; how a boy named Christopher Robin met Winnie which led the boy's father, A. A. Milne, to write his first book about Winnie, then a sequel and two books of poetry in which the bear appears. Photographs provided from the author's research and delightful illustrations by Jonathan Voss add to Walker's tale of the real bear and the soldier who cared for her. A keeper for ages 3 to 7. (Henry Holt and Company, $17.99) Reviewed by Carol
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