We’ve had gorgeous weather here this week, low 60s to low 80s. I wish it would continue, but it is August. And, I’m having a great week at work. For three days, I’ve been spending my afternoons at a virtual conference. It’s a good one, one that I really enjoyed in person. For those of you who use OverDrive or Libby to read or listen to books or magazines, this conference is put on by OverDrive. So, that’s what I’ve been doing. What about reading?
I’m actually reading a crime novel for a journal and a novel in NetGalley. But, I have this book checked out from the library, and I’m slowly reading the stories. It’s Golden Age Detective Stories edited by Otto Penzler. There are fourteen stories by authors such as Ellery Queen, Mignon G. Eberhart, and Mary Roberts Rinehart. There is a very short introduction to each author before meeting their detective in the story. I’ve read two, one by Anthony Boucher, and Charlotte Armstrong’s fascinating story, “The Enemy”. If you’re a fan of Golden Age detective stories, you’ll want to pick it up. If you want to discover authors of that period, along with their detectives, this book is an excellent place to start.
What about you? How is your week going? And, for all of us, what are you reading?
A rarity, I’m an early arrival. I usually get wrapped up in the long list of comments, fascinated by what others are reading this week. I appreciate the Golden Age Detective Stories selection. For years I only had time for a few magazines, but always the Ellery Queen mystery magazine.
This week started with a reread of 2010s A Night Too Dark by Dana Stabenow. The Alaska setting and the characters are done quite well, but perhaps it’s the author’s love of reading makes it such an enjoyable series.
“…he’s the Meyer to my Travis, the Mouse to my Easy, the Hugh to my Cadfael.”
Thanks to Lesa’s for recommending last year’s The Mountains Wild, the first Maggie D’Arcy mystery by Sarah Stewart Taylor. Loved that one! The second in the series, A Distant Grave, finds Maggie investigating a death of an Irish national in a wealthy Long Island Beach community. She manages a few days of a long awaited vacation in Ireland before an unscheduled return to Long Island as the case unfolds.
Victoria Gilbert (aka Vicki Lemp Weavil) makes use of her dual career as author and librarian in her latest series. Booked for Death, reviewed here last year, sets the scene at a book-lovers B&B. Charlotte Reed, who inherited the business along with a full-time housekeeper/cook from a great aunt, has plenty of free time to investigate.
Just started The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave A NY Times Bestseller and recent Reese’s Book Club pick, the library wants this popular book back ASAP. Fortunately, it’s a “don’t want to put down” kind of read. A mystery, the main character is a woodturner (an artist with wood as medium) and it is set is Sausalito. So far, so good.
Hope everyone has a good week. One of California’s largest wildfires ever (Dixie) is still burning fiercely, but I got a break from the smoke today and actually saw some sunshine.
MM, it looks like you and I are reading a couple of the same books (see below)! And you beat me to the punch (it’s around 10:00 p.m. PDT and I’m commenting now so I don’t have to rush before my early-morning walk.
MM, I don’t care when books get read. I’m just happy to see that you loved The Mountains Wild and enjoyed Booked for Death. The Last Thing He Told Me even sounds like one I’d like.
This morning, I heard that the Dixie fire destroyed an entire town. I can’t even imagine. Stay safe!
Greenville, CA population 800, I hope no fatalities. They got the evacuation order on Monday. Several of these historic towns from the Gold Rush Era are in the path.
I caught it because the news they were playing kept saying the police station, “the Library”, etc. are all gone. I caught it with the library. That’s so sad that historic towns, although any towns, are in the path of the fire.
It’s been in the 90s–mostly low, some high, this week, which is normal for this time of year in beautiful El Dorado Hills, CA. On Thursday morning at 8:00 a.m. I’ll be walking with my walking group, and it will be 62 degrees–can’t wait! It was a pretty good reading week.
Those who have read and enjoyed C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe will find something to love in Patti Callahan’s ONCE UPON A WARDROBE. Megs, who is 17 and a mathematics student at Oxford University, has an 8-year-old brother, George, who is terminally ill with a weak heart. But when George reads the first in the Narnia series in 1950, his life is changed forever. He is enthralled by the magical adventure portrayed by the author and dreams of having adventures of his own, though none can be found in his own wardrobe. Learning that the author is the tutor of English literature at nearby Oxford, George begs his sister to ask Lewis a question: is Narnia real? Although Megs is loath to approach the celebrated author, she finally broaches his estate, is discovered by his brother Warnie and welcomed inside. She visits often, listening to stories about Jack (what C.S. Lewis preferred to be called) and Warnie and reciting them back to George at home. Jack never answers Megs’ questions directly, so she and George discuss the stories at length to try to discover how the the Lewis brothers’ experiences and passions led to the first in the Narnia series. I was expecting a depth of emotion that the author didn’t deliver to my satisfaction in the first part of the book. I found it more of a retelling of portions of Jack’s life than how they resulted in Narnia, the children who journeyed there, and the land’s inhabitants. But all that changes in the final 20 percent of the book. Fellow Oxford student Padraig proposes a solution that may allow his friend Megs to fulfill one of George’s biggest dreams, and the resulting story is beautifully told, magical, and heartfelt, with an enlightening epilogue. It was worth waiting for. (October)
Thankfully, Sarah Stewart Taylor doesn’t succumb to sophomore slump in the second book of the Maggie D’Arcy Mystery series, A DISTANT GRAVE. American detective lieutenant Maggie and her teenage daughter, Lilly, are about to return to Ireland to reconnect with her old/new love, Conor, and his son, when a man’s body is found on a Long Island beach with a gunshot wound and evidence of long-ago torture. Was it a gangland hit or something more personal with local connections? The victim is an Irish national, so Maggie finds opportunities in Ireland to seek out more information on him and why he might have been murdered in New York. As tension escalates and Maggie returns home, she discovers a wealth of surprising data concerning the investigation and fears for her own safety and that of her family. The intensity continues to the very end of the book, with some twists that I didn’t expect. I thoroughly enjoyed going along for the ride, as well as spending time with Maggie, the supporting characters, and the dual settings.
I know that when I read a Ruth Hogan novel (THE MOON, THE STARS, and MADAME BUROVA is her fourth), I will be entranced, surprised, and uplifted by her singular cast of characters and her luminous writing style. Imelda Burova takes over her Romany mother’s booth at the Brighton pier in the early 1970s, having inherited the family talent for palm and tarot card reading and clairvoyance. She’s no con artist, and she guards her customers’ secrets as if her booth were a confessional. When Imelda does double duty at a nearby “holiday park,” she becomes a member of a close-knit community of entertainers that include a contortionist, a fledgling singer and her accompanist, “mermaid” triplets, and a daredevil stunt driver. Years later, she feels ready to retire, but she knows she must first fulfill the long-ago request of one of her customers. In the present day, Billie is recently divorced and gave up her job as a university lecturer to care for her now-deceased father. As a newly minted “orphan” with an uncertain future, she wonders what’s next for her. Then, the contents of two mysterious envelopes let her know that her beloved parents had adopted her when she was a baby, and she is given some tantalizing but cryptic photos that may or may not lead her to her biological parents. The envelopes are delivered by Madame Burova. This is a charming story that kept me wanting more and feeling both satisfied and enriched at the end. I am especially impressed by the author’s research, which included becoming a trained tarot card reader herself! (September)
Laura Dave’s latest, THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME, is a fast-moving mystery/thriller with an ending that I didn’t expect. Sixteen-year-old Bailey isn’t exactly enamored of her stepmother, Hannah, but they are thrown into turmoil together when husband and father Owen suddenly disappears, leaving a short message for Hannah: “Protect her.” It’s all over the news that The Shop, the tech company where Owen is an executive, has been raided and the CEO taken away in handcuffs. Where Owen has gone and why is a mystery to everyone, including his family. Hannah has been married to Owen for only one year, but she knows that protecting Bailey, whose mother died years ago, is her first priority. However, after she is approached by both a Texas Marshal (suspicious, because her family lives in Northern California), and by FBI agents, she can’t help getting involved in her own investigation, traveling to Texas with Bailey when it appears that her husband may have a past there. I barreled through this absorbing story quickly, rooting for Hannah and Bailey to come out of it on top and devoutly wishing for a (seemingly unlikely) satisfactory ending.
I wouldn’t say anything in Kate Bromley’s contemporary romance, TALK BOOKISH TO ME, is terribly original, but reading it was a pleasant experience. Kara, a resident of New York, is a successful writer of romance novels whose next deadline is looming and she is stuck for an idea (Beach Read, anyone?). When she attends a party the week before her best friend’s wedding, she is stunned (and chagrined) to run into her college boyfriend, with whom she had a traumatic breakup 10 years ago that left both of them reeling. It seems that Ryan, who lives in North Carolina, is the long-time friend of the groom. This is a romance, so their relationship is rekindled, but both have withheld information from each other that could derail it in an instant. I think some of my author friends would have something to say about the speed with which Kara finally writes her next book, but overall I appreciated this palate cleanser after reading a tense thriller.
Margie, Two of your books, the Henry and the Hogan, are on my holds lists at the library. I just skimmed to the end of your reviews to see if you liked them because I don’t want to spoil them. OK, Margie liked them. I’ll leave them on my list. I’m glad you enjoyed A Distant Grave and Talk Bookish to Me!
I’ve seen two mentions of A DISTANT GRAVE by Sarah Stewart Taylor. I found it stronger than the first in the series. Very well done.
It’s been in triple digits here in So Cal this week, but it is supposed to start cooling down a little tomorrow and only be 91 over the weekend.
I started out the week with DIET OF DEATH by Ang Pompano. It made a couple of leaps – logical leaps by the time we finished the book, but it could have been a little better. Still, I enjoyed it and plan to read more in the series if they are published.
Now I’m working on WITH VICS YOU GET EGGROLL, the third Madison Night Mystery from Diane Vallere. I’m really enjoying it.
Well, there’s an interesting comment, Mark. It’s going to ONLY be 91, so cooler. I think I’m going to skip Diet of Death.
Mark, I agree that A Distant Grave was even better than The Mountains Wild, although I enjoyed both. I keep hearing about Diet of Death and I had actually bought it for Kindle since Ang Pompano is a Facebook friends, so I guess the time is right to read it!
Good morning all,
I hope everyone is having a good week. I have my elder daughter Anna staying, which is lovely but means my reading has been even slower than usual.
Lesa, I’m so glad you’re having such a nice week. I have to admit that the only author I have even heard of that you mention in connection with your current book is Ellery Queen. I still have Martin Edwards’ ‘The Golden Age of Murder’ out from the library, but I’ve been distracted recently by reading about school stories from the 1930s-50s, and the book I wish the library had is ‘You’re A Brick, Angela’, which is a study of that genre. I might have to buy it. Some of the stories from that time are very traditional, but some give the girls really quite groundbreaking roles – one is even a pilot.
I am reading ‘One Man’s Meat’ by Colin Watson, which I don’t especially like. It’s written in a style that reminds me of the Inspector Morse books, and I don’t like those either (though I love the TV series). I can’t quite put my finger on it; it’s obtuse in a very particular way, which makes it hard to follow even though the basic plot is pretty straightforward – a young man from a local family of petty criminals falls off a fairground ride and dies. He was an employee of the local dog food factory. The wife of the owner of the factory despises her husband, who is having an affair; the husband loathes the wife and wants a divorce, but the wife won’t give him one until she is sure she will receive a good pay-off. Is there something untoward going on at the factory, and was Digger Tring’s death an accident or not?
There are simply no likeable characters in this book, they are all selfish, unpleasant types. There is far too much description of women’s bodies (which seems to happen with many older detective stories – eg the Morse books and also some of the British Library Crime Classics such as Gil North’s Sergeant Cluff books; in the first one of those a woman simply cannot be introduced without mention of her breasts – and this even includes the dead woman….) The police detective is OK, but we don’t really learn much about him. The rest, criminals, factory owners, even grandmothers, are just awful. Of course most of the BL Crime Classics books were written some time ago, but ‘One Man’s Meat’ was first published in 1977, when feminism was very much to the fore here.
Anna borrowed ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ from my bookcase but has given up on it – I haven’t read it yet, but she says she found the accents particularly annoying and just could not get into the story.
On BBC Sounds I have been listening to Agatha Christie’s ‘The Mystery of the Blue Train’, which I’ve never read – I doubt it’s her best work, but it’s good enough to entertain me on my walks.
I have been preparing my contribution to this month’s Six Degrees of Separation, for which the starter book is Carrie Fisher’s ‘Postcards from the Edge’, which I have not read. I didn’t want to attempt to write a chain about addictions, so I decided to go off on a tangent and link books about holidays and seaside resorts. This turned out to be really enjoyable; I found myself writing about my own childhood holidays, and I was amazed by how many little details came back to me.
On Tuesday Anna and I had a long walk at the forestry commission lands high up above Deeside. The views from there are spectacular, and the rosebay willowherb and foxgloves along the verges are starting to give way to purple heather, which will soon cover the hillsides. Yesterday our walk was at Castle Fraser, where the wild raspberries are starting to ripen, and the lake was busy with blue dragonfies and damselflies (and despite the informative noticeboard I’m afraid I still don’t know one from another.)
I find myself dashing out to the garden several times a day at the moment to top up the bird feeders. I thought the little birds had probably finished raising their chicks by now, but nevertheless they are hungry! I suppose they have to build up reserves for the winter to come. Someone mentioned that she though the swallows had already left for their long journey south. Only early August, but already the air here feels deliciously autumnal.
Have a great week everyone!
Hi, Rosemary! I’m glad you still stopped in, even with your daughter visiting. And, I have to say I haven’t read Crawdads, either. I love the direction you went with the Six Degrees of Separation. Your direction is much less depressing that linking books about addictions.
That paragraph about your walk above Deeside! What a gorgeous description of the scenery. Thank you for sharing that!
Enjoy your visit with Anna. Have a wonderful time with her!
Good Morning!
Glad you are enjoying your conference, Lesa. The Golden Age Detectives book sounds interesting.
Our weather has been cooler and very dry. The grass is getting crunchy. We also have had some really bad air quality caused by the wildfires in Canada (I am in Wisconsin). Today things look good and we may have some rain.
This week I read:
Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon – The first in the Inspector Guido Brunnetti series. When Maestro Helmut Wellauer fails to return to his position in front of the orchestra for the second half of the opera, someone is sent to retrieve him from his dressing room. Maestro Wellauer is found slumped in his easy chair. Nearby on the floor is the coffee cup that he had been drinking out of. It is apparent that he has been poisoned. Commissario Guido Brunetti is assigned to the case. In the absence of any evidence, he begins to question everyone who knew the man in order to get a better understanding of his life. The more questions he asks, the darker and more complicated the picture becomes. I liked Brunnetti. I especially liked the scenes with his family and the descriptions of Venice.
Love People, Use Things: Because the Opposite Never Works by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus – A book about simplifying your life by looking at seven important relationships – our relationship with stuff, truth, self, values, money, creativity and people. The book is well written, but just didn’t resonate with me.
Hope you all have a good, safe weekend!
Gretchen, Thank you for your comments about Death at La Fenice. I’ve never gotten around to reading Donna Leon, although I know I have a copy of that book somewhere. I bought it so I could start the series, and just haven’t yet. I’m happy to hear you liked him and the book.
Stay safe! I hope you get rain so the grass isn’t quite so crunchy.
I love the Donna Leon series. It is another series that gets better and better. They are “quiet” mysteries. There is always a crime, but it is the everyday interactions and discussions which lead to the solving of the crime. Guido Brunetti, his family and the supporting characters are wonderful and I enjoy learning more about Venice and Italy.
I second that, though I’ve only read the first three.
Jennifer, I like how you describe the Donna Leon mysteries as “quiet”. I would agree and I loved that about the first book.
I’m another fan of Brunetti, and I also find the descriptions of daily life in Venice really interesting. I like the fact that Brunetti is a good, honest man who loves his family (and his food/drink…) and does not have all the issues from which so many fictional detectives seem to suffer. And I love his very independent wife Paola, who is a lecturer in English Literature.
Good morning! I hope it has been a good week for everyone. I’ve read four books this week, three of which I really enjoyed.
I read The Marble Mask by Archer Mayor. This is the latest in the Joe Gunther series. Joe is working his first case as a member of the newly created Vermont Bureau of Investigation. The body of a man, with ties to a crime family in Canada, has been discovered. Turns out the man was killed 50 years ago and his body has been placed so that it will be found. Another great entry in a wonderful series.
I devoured the newest entry in Tracy Clark’s Cass Raines series, Runner. What a good addition to a terrific series. Set in Chicago, Cass is a former police officer, current private investigator who is tasked with finding a girl who has run away from her foster home. Turns out she has good reason to have run. Really enjoyed this book.
I read Eleanor Kuhn’s book, A Simple Murder. Set in Colonial Maine, Will Rees searches for his young son, tracing him to a Shaker community. Will finds his son and is asked to solve the murder of a community member. This he does, while trying to reconnect with his young son. Really enjoyed the setting in this book. It was an ok historical mystery and I will read the next entry in the series to see how things progress.
Last book was David McCullough’s nonfiction book The Pioneers. This book follows some of the earliest people to settle the American Northwest Territory, which at that point in time included Ohio. The book was both very readable and very interesting.
Going to visit my son this weekend. Will be hiking and kayaking, keeping outdoors as much as possible. My granddaughter will be here for two weeks after that, so that will be a fun ending to our summer. Trying to find some outdoor things that she will enjoy as she is too young to be vaccinated. We are starting to see a few more people masking up here in Michigan, but it is alarming seeing the crowds and so many children indoors without masks. Hope everyone will have a good weekend, and a belated congratulations to you Lesa, on your Library Journal cover!
Thank you, Jennifer! I totally agree with you that it is alarming to see so many crowds unmasked. I’m not in those crowds, and I wear my mask any time I’m away from home even though I am vaccinated. Enjoy your family time. I think we’re all appreciating it more this year after the long stretches of not seeing or hugging family members.
I almost put The Pioneers on hold, but I knew I wasn’t going to have time to read it. I still want to read it because I’m sure I’ll appreciate the section about Ohio. Thanks for reminding me of the book!
Again, enjoy the time with your family, Jennifer.
I read The Pioneers when it came out a couple years ago, fascinating to see the changes as the Erie Canal progressed. McCullough is quite an engaging writer.
Good morning. We’ve been enjoying a few days of cooler less humid weather although that’s supposed to end by this weekend and we’ll be back up in the 90s and humid. Our town had an outdoor oldies concert last night. The band was good and we were able to visit with several people we know but haven’t seen in a long time while staying socially distanced.
This week I read two cozy mysteries, both of which I liked.
PROOF OF DEATH by ACF Bookens. A dead librarian is discovered under a table at the library’s book sale.
An ARC of MURDER AT THE LOBSTAH SHACK by Maddie Day. A body is found in a Cape Cod restaurant’s walk in fridge.
I’m currently reading a teen book, A WIZARDS GUIDE TO DEFENSIVE BAKING by T. Kingfisher. An assassin is targeting magic users and the heroine, who’s only magical talent is working with dough, is next on his list.
I’ve enjoyed this slightly cooler weather without humidity, Sandy. Sounds as if you took advantage of it, too.
Oh, I want to hear about Kingfisher’s book next week. I saw that, and it sounded fun.
Sandy, I’m not usually much of a fantasy reader (with some exceptions), but “defensive baking” is just too intriguing a concept to ignore. Much to my HUGE surprise, my library has it available for instant download on Kindle, so I downloaded it. Thank you so much for the recommendation!
Mornin’, all – Happy Thursday at Lesa’s!
I’ve had a very good reading week and recommend each of these books.
These Toxic Things by Rachel Howzell Hall – dead woman’s cherished trinkets become pieces to a terrifying puzzle.
Mickie Lambert creates “digital scrapbooks” for clients, ensuring that precious souvenirs aren’t forgotten or lost. When her latest client, Nadia Denham, a curio shop owner, dies from an apparent suicide, Mickie honors the old woman’s last wish and begins curating her peculiar objets d’art. A music box, a hair clip, a key chain—twelve mementos in all that must have meant so much to Nadia, who collected them on her flea market scavenges across the country.
The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell – On a beautiful summer night in a charming English suburb, a young woman and her boyfriend disappear after partying at the massive country estate of a new college friend.
One year later, a writer moves into a cottage on the edge of the woods that border the same estate. Known locally as the Dark Place, the dense forest is the writer’s favorite area for long walks and it’s on one such walk that she stumbles upon a mysterious note that simply reads, “DIG HERE.”
Hemingway’s Daughter by Christine M. Whitehead – Finn Hemingway knows for a fact that she’s been born at the wrong time into the wrong family with the wrong talents, making her three dreams for the future almost impossible to attain. She burns to be a trial lawyer in an era when Ruth Bader Ginsburg is being told to type and when a man who is 500th in his law school class is hired over a woman who is first in hers. She yearns to find true love when the family curse dictates that love always ends for the Hemingways, and usually, it ends badly. And finally, she’d give up the first two dreams if she were able to triumph on the third. She longs to have an impact on the only thing that matters to her father: his writing. To accomplish that would require a miracle.All three dreams are almost impossible, but it’s the “almost” that keeps Finn going.Ernest Hemingway had three sons but ached to have a daughter.
This is her story.
The Moon, the Stars, and Madame Burova by Ruth Hogan – Madame Burova—beloved Tarot reader, palmist, and clairvoyant—is retiring and leaving her booth on the Brighton seafront.
After inheriting her mother’s fortune-telling business as a young woman, Imelda Burova has spent her life on the Brighton pier practicing her trade. She and her trusty pack of Tarot cards have seen the lovers and the liars, the angels and the devils, the dreamers and the fools. Now, after a lifetime of keeping other people’s secrets, Madam Burova is ready to have a little piece of life for herself. But she still has one last thing to do—to fulfill a promise made in the 1970s, when she and her girlfriends were carefree, with their whole lives still before them.
Kaye – I am so sorry that i haven’t previously thanked you for your explanation of Southern literary tropes a few weeks ago. I did read your reply at the time, then I must have been distracted by various things going on here. It was really interesting to learn about the cliches some writers apply to their characters.
And as I said, too many authors do the same when writing about Scotland – one thing I did especially like about Ian Stephen’s A Book of Death & Fish was that he was so truthful about people on Lewis, when so many books glorify anyone who comes from the islands as The Salt of the Earth, beyond reproach, etc. They are just the same as the rest of us. There are lots of drug and alcohol problems in these small communities – which is not to say they affect everyone, of course they don’t, but it’s not all weaving tweed and baking shortbread while playing the Skye Boat Song on your bagpipes.
And the endless cosy mysteries in which a girl either inherits a cafe/bookshop/bakery on some picturesque island or in a coastal village, and somehow makes a perfect life from the amazing (& amazingly unlikely) profts she makes from all the scones she bakes (usually having never baked a single thing before this…), or returns from the Big City because her Heart is Broken, and instantly meets up with either her long lost school sweetheart, OR the man she hated the most in her past life, but who now turns out to have hankered after her All These Years – so together they start some cafe/bakery/bookshop/gallery and…..
Such sloppy writing, when stories set in these locations could be so good.
Rosemary, I have to laugh at your summary of cosy mysteries because you are so right!
Oh yes! SO spot on!
Hugs from Lesa’s, Kaye! Ruth Hogan’s Madame Burova. That’s the one I want to read. You and Margie both make that one enticing, and I liked her first book.
Just want to send hugs to everyone in your household!
Kaye, I was absolutely shocked to be approved by NetGalley to read The Moon, The Stars, and Madame Burova after being “pending” since May! It was worth the wait (see my review above)–I love Ruth Hogan.
So do i, Margie.
Hey, Kaye! I have both the Rachel Howzell Hall and the Lisa Jewel book waiting for me, and I’m looking forward to them.
Oooooh, I loved them both! Can’t wait to hear what you think, Kathy.
I’m just finishing Lisa Unger’s A Stranger Inside — outstanding story structure, characters, and tension. But…instead of binging on Unger novels next, I’m going to work my way through Scott Graham’s National Park mystery series. Does that make me fickle? 😀
It does not make you fickle, Patricia! It makes you ready for a change. Enjoy them!
Good morning.
I finished Plantation by Doreatha Benton Frank. I liked the story but I found it to be far too long, which I felt took away from my overall enjoyment of the book.
I started reading This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger. This book has received fabulous reviews, which some times does not work for me. Although I am only about 17% into the story, I can see why. I have already become so attached to the characters and the writing is so well done. I look forward to continuing this book journey.
I too have read The Last Thing He Told Me and highly recommend it. I also look forward to reading A Distant Grave having enjoyed The Mountains Wild.
Have a wonderful week!
I think that’s funny, Kathleen. This Tender Land did not work for me as well as Ordinary Grace or Krueger’s forthcoming book, Lightning Strike. I ended up skimming because I just bogged down in it.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed The Last Thing He Told Me. Highly recommend. And what an ending!
Thank you, Kaye!
I am currently reading THE SILENCED WOMEN by Frederick Weisel. Am enjoying this police procedural.
My reviews of DEAD BY DAWN by Paul Doiron and BLACK CAT MYSTERY MAGAZINE: ISSUE #9 ran earlier this week on my blog and are joined today by my review of FALLEN: A KATE BURKHOLDER NOVEL by Linda Castillo.
Gave up on NetGalley years ago. They agreed with me that something was not working right. They never could fix it on their end and I could not fix it here. One of those— We see it, but that has never happened before—kind of deals. I never ever even got a book. Oh, well.
The wildfire smoke has been heavy here in Dallas again the last few days as have the ozone, pollen counts, etc. Hiding inside from that and temps that are again approaching 100 and up territory. I hate summer.
I know you hate summer. And, it takes away all of your enjoyment of the outside world, Kevin. I’m sorry about the smoke and heat. I’m looking forward to reading your review of Fallen, though. And, I’m glad you’re enjoying The Silenced Women!
Stay home. Stay safe and comfortable.
As long as the power and the AC hold up, that is the plan. I am hiding from the world. lol
Just went and looked at my system is getting TEN copies of the Golden Age Detective Stories book. I am now number one on the hold list.
I’ve only read the first 2 stories, Kevin, but, I’m willing to bet you’ll enjoy the book.
Finished THE SILENCED WOMEN this afternoon. Very much enjoyed it. Will say that, using many more words, on the 19th on the old blog. Would not have read it without your review here months ago.
Sorry I’m late. We went to Costco early for Senior Hour today, then Jackie had to go to City MD because she pulled a back muscle again. This is a recurring problem she has had for decades, but it doesn’t seem as bad as usual this time. Otherwise, it’s been a pretty good week. The weather has been mostly in the upper 70s (usual high is 85) and not so humid, though hot and sticky is the weekend forecast. We were even able to eat out (mostly outside) several days this week.
Reading? I’m glad you asked. (I will read the 20 previous comments as soon as I finish this.) First, though, an aside. I did want to mention that Bouchercon has been canceled again this year, this only three weeks or so before the New Orleans conference was scheduled. I’m even more glad we decided not to go, but I have a number of friends who already had their plane tickets. That’s too bad. It is being rescheduled for 2025, following Minneapolis, San Diego and Nashville.
Jackie is read Iris Johnansen’s Eve Duncan and Catherine Ling book, THE BULLET.
Since last week I finished THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE THUNDERBOLT KID, Bill Bryson’s entertaining memoir. Then THE FINDERS, Jeffrey B. Burton’s first Mace Reid K-9 book. Jackie will read it next and I will read book two, Then it was I AM CRYING ALL INSIDE, the first volume of Clifford D. Simak’s collected stories, mostly science fiction.
Current read (besides the previously mentioned Robert Edward Eckel’s collection of can men stories, NEVER TRUST A PARTNER) include Christopher Fowler’s THE BOOK OF FORGOTTEN AUTHORS. This covers 99 authors (some of which I would not include on a “forgotten” list) with short essays about their writing and how they were forgotten, as well as short group essays. Some of the authors covered include Margery Allingham, Charlotte Armstrong, John Dickson Carr, Patricia Carlon, Jack Finney, Georgette Heyer, Ronald Knox, Lucille Fletcher, Margaret Millar and Gladys Mitchell. It does give you ideas of authors and books to try. I am also reading Fowler’s collection of horror stories, RED GLOVES.
Laslty is the very entertaining first novel SUBURBAN DICKS by Fabian Nicieza. Andrea (Andie) Stern is a former profiler about to have her fifth child in ten years. Kenneth Lee is a former Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, since disgraced. Stern accidentally comes upon a crime scene at a gas station in the pricy New Jersey suburb of West Windsor (near Princeton), and determines to solve the case, helped by Kenny, her childhood friend (he had a crush on her), despite her obnoxious husband’s objections. (There is definitely a COMPROMISING POSITIONS feel here.) Andrea is clearly brilliant and makes lightning connections. But she also has four young kids to deal with. Very fun book and I’m really enjoying it.
Jeff, I agree with you and Rosemary. Some of those authors on the list are definitely not forgotten, beginning with Georgette Heyer. Maybe she’s forgotten in the mystery field, but definitely not in the historical romance genre. I’ll admit I’m not familiar with Patricia Carlon, Ronald Know and Lucille Fletcher. But, I love John Dickson Carr. I’ve read books by the others. And, Jack Finney! Jack Finney is one of my passions. I LOVE his books, and I’ve read most of them.
I’m glad you and Jackie are reading Jeffrey B. Burton’s two books. And, the Bill Bryson was fun.
That is sad about Bouchercon. I wasn’t going either. I just felt it was too soon.
Stupid WiFi went off when I was commenting, so… I was saying that Jack Finney is one of my favorites too, especially TIME AND AGAIN and his other time travel books, though I also like THE BODY SNATCHERS. And how Georgette Heyer or John Dickson Carr or Margery Allingham could be considered “forgotten” is something I don’t understand.
Anyone who likes time travel books and hasn’t read the Finney should do so immediately. The main character finds a way to time travel to 1882 New York. It is a romance as well as time travel story.
Will check out the Jack Finney books,Jeff. Time and Again has been on my to read list for quite a while, so I will move it up in the stack. And I thought Georgette Heyer only wrote Regency Romances,so will have to look for one of her mysteries to try.
Yes, I love his time travel books, and a number of his short stories. I really liked The Night People, too. I just counted. I read six o his novels, and several of his collections. I agree. People should read him. Totally agree with you about Heyer, Carr, and Allingham.
I had the same reaction when I read THE BOOK OF FORGOTTEN AUTHORS. Margaret Millar? Margery Allingham? and of course, Heyer. But I enjoyed the essays anyway.
I have only read two of Jack Finney’s books, TIME AND AGAIN, and I LOVE GALESBURG IN THE SPRINGTIME, but Glen has four more of them, so I will be reading more of his stories.
I’ll have to look for the essays, even though I’m as appalled as you, Tracy, and Jeff as to some of the authors included.
Monsignor Ronald Knox was an Anglican-turned-Catholic priest who was a member of the Detection Club and wrote a number of mysteries about an amateur sleuth cum insurance adjuster. He was known for his “rules” – the Ten Commandments of Crime Fiction in which he tried to set out rules for “fair play” detection, as in No Twins unless they have been introduced in the story earlier – a “rule” that Ed McBain later broke in what I consider his worst book. A limit of one secret passage was another, as was “No Chinaman” (these were written nearly 100 years ago).
I kind of like Knox’ rules, Jeff.
Me too. Here they are:
Knox’s “Ten Commandments” (or “Decalogue”) are as follows:
The criminal must be mentioned in the early part of the story, but must not be anyone whose thoughts the reader has been allowed to know.
All supernatural or preternatural agencies are ruled out as a matter of course.
Not more than one secret room or passage is allowable.
No hitherto undiscovered poisons may be used, nor any appliance which will need a long scientific explanation at the end.
No Chinaman must figure in the story. (Note: This is a reference to common use of heavily stereotyped Asian characters in detective fiction of the time)[24]
No accident must ever help the detective, nor must he ever have an unaccountable intuition which proves to be right.
The detective himself must not commit the crime.
The detective is bound to declare any clues which he may discover.
The “sidekick” of the detective, the Watson, must not conceal from the reader any thoughts which pass through his mind: his intelligence must be slightly, but very slightly, below that of the average reader.
Twin brothers, and doubles generally, must not appear unless we have been duly prepared for them.
Of course, this was written during the Golden Age (1920-40) of Detective Fiction.
I wonder if those rules were written before or after The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.
Simak’s birthday was August 4. It’s taking forever for THE KEEPERS to come from the library…
Well, darn, Rick.
Rick, the weird thing here is, they seem to have bought more copies of the second book in Burton’s series than the first one. Maybe the first was more popular than they expected? Anyway, when I went on the library site, I found there were four ebook copies and two were currently available.. I took one out.
Well, I think the first was a debut, so it might have been more popular than expected. And, it is a K-9 mystery. Those are hot right now.
Jeff, I’m going to look for that Christopher Fowler book – I didn’t even know that Georgette Heyer was ‘forgotten’, though I doubt she’s as well known as she was during her lifetime. I’ve heard of some of those other authors (Margery Allingham, John Dickson Carr, Gladys Mitchell), but certainly not all.
I wanted to say also that I forgot to reply to your comment a couple of weeks ago about Charley in A Breath of French Air (HE Bates) – I too was taken aback at his behaviour when he drags Marietta off the beach, it seemed so out of character (though Pop and Ma Larkin’s reaction didn’t). he was supposed to be drunk, but the scene still jarred.
. I haven’t read beyond this book so I don’t know what happens next. The Christmas episodes are included in my box set so I will watch them once Anna has gone back to London.
Reading The Ballad of Laurel Springs by Janet Beard. It is set in an area not far from the Smoky Mountains National Park and covers a family from 1907 to 2019. There are ballads sung in that area but a special one about Pretty Polly, and it is a “murder ballad. It jumps around in time and is in small print. The author lets you figure who was the murdered and why, not far into the book but the ballads are interesting and the way of thinking is different.
Oh, ballads are so interesting, Carolee. I’m glad you’re finding the book interesting.
The weather has been lovely here. We often get some of our hottest weather in September, October, and November, though.
I am currently reading THE ART OF VIOLENCE by S.J. Rozan, the thirteenth book in the Lydia Chin and Bill Smith series. Lydia Chin is an American Born Chinese private investigator who lives with her mother in New York’s Chinatown. Bill Smith is an older white PI, and they sometimes team up on investigations. I am not too far into this book, so I cannot say much about it. It is related to serial killings and that is not a topic I usually like in mysteries. But I love this series, have read every book in it and was thrilled when it started back up with PAPER MOON in 2019. So I am excited to be reading it.
In the last week I finished two books. One was WOMAN WITH A BLUE PENCIL by Gordon McAlpine. That was a fantastic book, my husband recommended it. It is a historical novel set in 1941, at the time when the attack on Pearl Harbor takes place. A Japanese-American man has written a novel with a Japanese-American protagonist, but after the attack, his editor can’t publish it and asks him to change the story. The novel has three threads: (1) excerpts from a rewritten version of the original novel; (2) excerpts from the new version of the novel that about Korean-American spy; and (3) the letters from the editor, spanning the years from late 1941 through 1944. The novel provides commentary on the treatment of Japanese-Americans after the war against Japan is declared, the internment camps that many Japanese-Americans were moved to, and more. And it was under 200 pages.
Most recently I finished LOCKDOWN by Peter May. I had mixed feelings about that novel. It is crime fiction set during a bird flu pandemic, set in London. May wrote the book about 15 years ago but it was rejected by publishers at the time because the portrayal of the pandemic was unrealistic (in their opinion). Thus it was published later in 2020. I was more impressed with the crime fiction plot than the portrayal of the pandemic. Which is the opposite of my usual reaction to Peter May’s books. I usually prefers the settings and historic background over the mystery plot.
I will be getting Golden Age Detective Stories edited by Otto Penzler sometime soonish, although I have many unread short story books buried somewhere around here. I discovered Charlotte Armstrong’s short stories in the last year or so and bought a collection of them earlier this year. Still have lots of those to read.
There’s another series, besides the Donna Leon one, Tracy, that I need to try. I haven’t read the Chin/Smith series.
Woman with a Blue Pencil sounds fascinating. And, I love that it’s under 200 pages. I had that discussion with friends on Facebook recently. I’m showing my age when I say I remember when mysteries were 192 pages. That was the perfect length for me.
Let me second Tracy’s recommendation of the McAlpine book. Terrific (as well as short!) fast read. I also highly recommend his HAMMETT UNWRITTEN (published as by Owen Fitzstephen), in which the great author Dashiell Hammett is the main character. This one is 176 pages,
The Chin/Smith mysteries are very good. Still have to read the newest two, but glad the series is back. There is another book coming out in December-yeah!
Lesa, I enjoy shorter books more too. I am beginning to consider anything over 300 pages too long, and 250 or less is even better.
Jennifer, I did not know about the next Lydia Chin / Bill Smith book coming in December, I will get it as soon as it is out.
Jeff, my husband also has HAMMETT UNWRITTEN, so I will be reading that later.
I agree about the short novels…I am rereading all of Elizabeth Linington’s novels under all of her names and love them and the lengh…
Perfect length, aren’t they, Gram?
Hi, Lesa. The weather here has truly been wonderful, hasn’t it. I’ve sat out on the back screened-in porch almost every afternoon and read and worked on the computer. We are headed over to Mt. Vernon later today to eat at my daughter’s.
I have the Otto Penzler Golden Age book, too, but I haven’t started it. I like that there are short introductions. Thanks for letting me know that. I seem to be developing quite an interest in Golden Age and Classic crime/mystery stories and novels. I think part of it is due to Aubrey’s Golden Age reading and Martin Edward’s wonderful British classics he edits. Also, the Library of Congress Classic Crime publications are great.
I just finished and reviewed Catriona McPherson’s A Gingerbread House, her stand-alone this year. Her stand-alones are always dark and twisted, and I love them. This novel is certainly one of my favorites of hers. Two storylines starting out, and you have to wonder if they are ever going to converge. Boy, do they ever!
I’m reading a lighter read now, Lucy Burdette’s A Scone of Contention. This time Hayley and her new husband Nathan, along with Miss Gloria and Nathan’s mother, leave Key West to visit Nathan’s sister in Scotland. I am so enjoying the scones and teas and Scottish landmarks mentioned. Just what I needed after a dark read.
Coming up next are Louise Penny’s Madness of Crowds, Jen Danna’s Shot Caller, Rachel Howzell Hall’s These Toxic Things, Lisa Jewell’s The Night She Disappeared, and Ann Cleeves’ The Heron’s Cry.
The weather has been gorgeous, Kathy! I go home every evening, and open up the house. I know it’s going to change this weekend, though.
Aubrey’s Golden Age reading, and the Library of Congress Classic Crime books work for me. I know, though, that I’ve already read a number of the American Golden Age authors. It’s always fun to discover more.
I’m reading Madness of Crowds just before it comes out. The weekend of the 21-22 is my weekend for it. The Heron’s Cry is excellent – typical of Ann Cleeves.
Lesa, I got lucky and am #3 on the hold list for the new Louise Penny. I don’t know how many copies they have, but I’m glad I am pretty high on he list.
Oh, I’m sure they’ll have enough copies that you’ll get it soon, Margie!
Glad you had/are having a wonderful week, Lesa!
It’s still hot, and after a couple of cooler days we’re headed back to triple digits for the weekend. I didn’t sign up for this when I moved to Portland 11 years ago.
We’ve been watching the Olympics, but Monday I counted the commercials: 72 in an hour. Bah. Barbara fainted and in the heat after giving blood and fell face-first onto the asphalt. She had to go to hospital to be checked out. Then the car battery died and AAA had to be called, but the battery was so dead they couldn’t jump it. So while an ambulance drove off with my wife I was trying to find a way to buy a battery and get it into the car. It all worked out but what a mess. Barbara is fine now, just scraped up and we’re waiting for new lenses for her badly scratched glasses.
Read a few short stories, but was bored with them. Got from library Killing Trail by Margaret Mizushima, the 1st Timber Creek mystery, but due to hecticness here have only read a dozen pages.
Rick, I hope Barbara is OK. Give her our best. Scary.
Thanks, Jeff, will do. She’s okay today, but trying to read or watch TV through scratched up glasses is a hassle.
having gone through a couple fainting episodes similar to Barbara’s, I am sending good thoughts! It’s scary. One was in the produce department in the grocery store and boy was I confused when I opened my eyes.
Rick, I am glad to hear that Barbara is OK now. How scary, to send her off in an ambulance and have to get your car working.
Oh, Rick! I can see why you haven’t had much time to read. Please let Barbara know we’re all thinking of her, and hoping she feels better.
72 commercials in one hour is ridiculous.
Forgot to say I posted on the Golden Age collection a week or more ago, not a review, just a mention and TOC.
Also, earlier today, Rosemarykaye commented on descriptions of women in the Morse books and also some of the British Library Crime Classics such as Gil North’s Sergeant Cluff books. I like both those series, and didn’t notice the descriptions she has problems with. Not allowing for the reality of when things were written seems to be a very 2020s thing.
But I did notice in the first chapter of Killing Trail (see my comment, above) that the author had the female protagonist go into great detail in physically describing each male character: hair, eye color, head shape, broad shoulders, muscular chest, strong, muscular arms and legs. For each of the three other male characters, all policemen. I just scanned over it, but…why? I’ve seen the same in some cozies I’ve read.
And, I’ll be honest, Rick. I usually don’t notice. But, I was sitting in my doctor’s office one day, and they had “Leave It to Beaver” on the TV. I looked up when I heard Wally say, “You play (tennis) really good for a girl”. I guess I caught it when I heard it, but I tend to skim and not catch those comments when I read.
A beautiful week at my house as well but the heat is settling back in.
A slower reading week for me.
I finished THE LOST AND FOUND NECKLACE by Louisa Leaman. It was a pleasant but not memorable read for me. I enjoyed reading Jess’ family’s history of the necklace and learning about how the piece was made. I felt the love triangle was actually necessary to the plot in this one but I am just not really a fan of that plotline. I am glad I finished it.
Next I finished THE LIGHTS OF SUGARBERRY COVE by Heather Webber. This was a sweet story that I enjoyed very much. Sadie Way returns home to the B&B home of her youth after her mother’s heart attack. She reconnects with her mother and sister with some Lady of the Lake magic thrown. There was lot to like in this one and I would watch Sadie’s You Tube videos of people across the south preparing family recipes with the stories behind them.
Happy Reading!
Those beautiful days are distractions from reading, aren’t they, Sharon? I’m glad I took The Lost and Found Necklace back to the library.
Love Heather Webber!
I love Overdrive/Libby. My current print read is The Broken Spine by Dorothy St James. My audiobook is Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena.
Hot book! Not a Happy Family is hot at our library, Katherine. I’ll be curious to see your reaction.
It’s not as hot as it has been, but with the Delta Fire, and the new Colfax fire, I’m not sure I’ll be able to go outside next week. I knew a lot of people who lost everything in the Paradise fire, and now it looks like more people will lose everything.
This week I read:
The Shadow by James Patterson; Simply deplorable. Patterson should be ashamed of himself.
Black Ice by Brad Thor; Scot Harvath is bopping around Norway when he sees a man he killed years ago. Time to go to work!
Island of Thieves by Glen Erik Hamilton; Van Shaw is hired to steal an objet d’art. When he succeeds he is hired to stop the theft of…something. This turns into a cross country chase over…a chemical that helps recycle plastic. I can remember when the MacGuffin would at least be nuclear codes or a death ray or The Philosophers Stone. We live in a dismal age.
Once Upon A Time in Hollywood; B&N can’t keep these in stock. Tarantino isn’t for everybody, but this almost a modern day Dumas novel.
Fatal Fried Rice by Vivien Chien; Lena Lee is in a Chinese cooking class when the teacher is murdered, and she is the primary suspect. The Mah Jongg Matrons don’t much figure into this one.
Four Lost Cities by AnnaLee Newitz; a study and history of 4 cities that are now deserted and lost to time. Interesting, Ironically, the author lectures us on not judging ancient peoples by today’s standards, then proceeding to judge ancient peoples by today’s standards.
Prince of Lies by AW Hart; 1980’s style series western, about bounty hunting fraternal twins going after an outlaw gang teamed up with a con man. Lots of shooting and riding, but not much else.
Glen, is the newest Brad Thor worth reading? Used to really enjoy it, but after reading the latest books, it seemed like the series was losing its punch.
It was okay. The books seem a bit hollowed out compared to the earlier books in the series. I felt the last novel, where he had to escape from Russia was better.
I just feel so bad about everyone dealing and suffering from those fires.
Interesting comment about The Shadow, Glen. You still make me laugh.
Seven books in a week! How on earth can you do it? You must be a Very Fast reader!