I have to admit I didn’t read as much as I should have over the long weekend. Too much college football. As much as I enjoy college games, I will have to say I can’t believe all the people in those stadiums, crowded together, without masks. I don’t care if they have all been vaccinated (and I know they haven’t). You wouldn’t catch me in such a crowd. I’m waiting to see if there’s a COVID outbreak in the next couple weeks. I’m as eager to see this pandemic over as anyone. I just don’t think we’re helping it any.
Anyways, I know I’m preaching to the choir here. So, let’s talk about what we’re reading instead. I can talk about this forthcoming book because the author and publisher know I’m reading it.
Nita Prose’s The Maid is a debut novel, a mystery I’m reading for Library Journal’s Day of Dialog. The author is one of four debut authors that I’ll interview on the panel.
Molly Gray is a maid who discovers a body when she’s cleaning rooms. But, Molly isn’t like most of us. She sees things in black and white, and has a hard time reading emotions. So, her reaction to the scene when she finds a body is to want to clean the room. And, her reaction to the police interview isn’t at all what the police expect. I’ve only read forty-five pages, but I’m finding Molly refreshing and delightful. The police might not agree with me. Release date is scheduled for Jan. 4, 2022.
What about you? Did you have extra reading time this past weekend? Or, did you spend time doing other things? What are you reading this week?
Good morning Lesa,
Of course (as you say!) I agree wholeheartedly about those maskless crowds. I just don’t get what the big deal is about wearing a small piece of cloth that may possibly save lives.
I had to go into the city yesterday (annoying on what was probably the hottest and sunniest day of the month, if not the year..) and took the bus. On the way in it was quiet, all the windows were open and everyone was well spaced apart and wearing a mask. On the way back it was much busier. Most people were at least masked, but there were two young women (together) not wearing them, and glaring defiantly at everyone. You can now get a lanyard and badge to tell people if you have a legitimate medical reason for not being able to wear one. Needless to say they did not have these. I have tried really hard throughout all of this to be more tolerant than comes naturally (!) but I am starting to lose patience.
Anyway, having completed the chores I went in for, I did have an enjoyable charity shop trawl, and found some great things – and funnily enough Lesa, the first two perhaps resonate with your current read:
Dara McAnulty’s DIARY OF A YOUNG NATURALIST – which I have had on my wish list for a while. It is by a young autistic man who was bullied terribly at school, and escaped this by studying nature. I heard him read part of the book on the radio, and loved it. He is so brave, and also so uncomplaining. He tells us about what happened to him at school (dreadful) but does so without any venom. His mother and sister are also autistic, his father is the only member of the family who is not – they are all very close and supportive, and it’s wonderful to hear about them. Since he started his blog, and then eventually wrote the book, he has become quite famous here, and has worked with Chris Packham, a very well known nature writer and broadcaster (he presents the BBC’s Naturewatch amongst other things) who is also autistic. I’m looking forward to reading this.
FALL DOWN 7 TIMES GET UP 8 by Naoki Higashida – coincidentally this is also about autism. I had heard a little about this one, probably also on Radio 4. It’s a collection of Higashida’s writings as young autistic man, in which – I think – he tries to explain what life is like from his perspective (I think he is non-verbal), and how things that seem simple to us can be very challenging to him. I opened the book in the shop, and read this:
‘It is often said that we people with autism lack empathy and any understanding of other people’s emotions. In my view, however, people with neurotypical brains aren’t so fantastic at getting to grips with *our* emotions either. Anyway, there are times when I can’t help but wonder if not being able to divine the inner feelings of the people around us is, in reality, the debiltating problem it’s cracked up to be. Shouldn’t how we feel inside of ourselves be at least as important?’
I thought this was very interesting, so again I am looking forward to reading the whole book.
MURDER OF A LADY by Anthony Wynne – a British Library Crime Classic which someone has now told me isn’t very good! As I’ve mentioned before, I have had very mixed experiences with these BL re-publications – but I’m always sucked in by the beautiful covers, and it was only £1, so we shall see.
EXCELLENT INTENTIONS by Richard Hull – another BL Crime Classic. I don’t know anything about this one. Good cover!
THE CANAL BOAT CHRISTMAS CAFE by Cressida McLaughlin. I read the first in this series ages ago – I think this is the fifth. I remember enjoying the first one well enough – though of course it follows that predictable line of miserable city exile returns to small town – this time to sort out deceased mother’s narrowboat cafe – and discovers – hey presto! – that she prefers canalside life, and oh look, there’s a drop dead handsome wildlfe photographer living on the next boat… But I seem to recall that the other characters were well drawn and interesting, and really, with these romances, it’s all in the telling.
MYSTICAL PATHS and ABSOLUTE TRUTHS both by Susan Howatch. I’m sure I have read at least one of these ages ago, but I tend to get all of her Starbridge book titles muddled up, and of course I didn’t have my reading record book with me. So at 50p each I decided to take a punt, and I’ll return anything I don’t need to the charity shop, so everyone’s a winner.
And my very best find of the day was not a book but a mug! Virago republished some classics a few years ago and gave them beautiful covers designed by celebrated artists. I didn’t buy their new edition of Barbara Pym’s Excellent Women because I already have at least three copies, one of which is a Folio edition, so I just could not justify any more. But there on the Red Cross shop shelf – for a mere £2 – was a brand new mug decorated exactly like the book cover. It seems Virago also sell mugs to go with some of these classics – and presumably somone didn’t want this one. Well I certainly did!
As for actual reading, this past week has not been terribly successful….(too busy buying more books…) but I am about to finish that Jacqueline Winspear Maisie Dobbs book, IN A DANGEROUS PLACE, which is OK but my goodness Maisie is a misery. I know she’s had a terrible life, etc etc, but a little bit of humour might improve things.
I’ve now watched both of the new VERA episodes on TV (seems the rest of the new series will not be screened here for some months, not sure why.) I felt the second episode was better than the first, so I’d be interested to hear what you all think once you’ve seen them. I also saw the first episode in the new series of GRANTCHESTER, which I enoyed very much. I got my husband to watch this for the first time ever. At the end he said ‘It’s really just like that Spanish thing isn’t it?’ – ie The Mallorca Files, a daytime TV series which is not only NOTHING like but also nowhere NEAR the class of Grantchester!! I think he’d better go back to watching Abandoned Engineering….
And on the radio I have just discovered that the brilliant actor Adrian Scarborough is reading THE FORTNIGHT IN SEPTEMBER, one of my favourite Persephone books, so I have downloaded that for my walks. I’m still plodding through Jane Eyre too, but there’s another misery guts for you. More enjoyably, BBC Sounds is airing another old Charles Paris mystery – this time it’s A DEADLY HABIT – with lovely Bill Nighy as Paris and Suzanne Burden as his long-suffering on/off wife Frances. In the first episode, Charles accepts a part in a ‘verbatim piece’ about monks – but it’s not long before he stumbles upon a corpse in a habit at the bottom of the dressing room steps.
On Saturday we are heading off on holiday – staying at Spean Bridge and Tarbert en route to Kennacraig and the ferry to Islay. This time we are also hoping to visit Jura, and possibly Colonsay – though the Colonsay ferry only runs on certain days, and leaves you with a minium of 5 hours on the very small island, so we’d better make sure there’s a good weather forecast first.
And Lesa I have some potentially exciting news about cats. The breeder with whom I have been in contact let me know that she is running down her business (she is Siamese Cat Society of Scotland registered, all very legit) and wishes to rehome two of her adult cats. They are one year old, half brother and sister, and she has recently had them neutered. They have all the paperwork, have had the vaccinations, etc, and she very much wants to keep them together as they are devoted to one another. She says she is prepared to wait for the right home – which is fortunate as we would not even be able to go to see them till the end of the month, and we had planned not to have new cats till November, as we have various things to do before that. So I don’t know if this will work out, but I am hopeful. I had actually looked at rehoming sites before (for all cats) but such was the rush to get pets at the start of the lockdown that even our local SSPCA, which covers the whole of Aberdeensire (it’s huge) had only three cats on its website, all of whom were already reserved.
I am off to the river with a book now. When I sit on my favourite bench I hear salmon jumping – or rather, flopping back into the water – every few minutes at the moment. It’s a good time of year.
Have a good week all !
Rosemary – Naoki Higashida has a previous book “The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism”. Both books are quite interesting.
Thank you – I saw that one mentioned on the dust jacket but I’d never previously heard of it. Like Dara (author of Diary of a Young Naturalist – Higashida clearly thought a lot more than many teenage boys. I suppose if you find communication difficult (though Dara is not at all non-verbal) you maybe spend more time in your head?
Rosemary, we got the same two VERA episodes here on Britbox. Watched the first and thought it was nothing special, so glad to hear the second is better. They did the same thing with series 22 of MIDSOMER MURDERS here – showed the first two episodes but not the rest of the series until later this year.
PANDEMIC. They has to shut down filing for weeks at a time and did so at least four times that I read about. They just wrapped filming on VERA about three weeks ago.
I thought it might be that – maybe especially as Brenda Blethyn is over 70? Though she certainly doesn’t look or act it in real life!
Hi Jeff – I was a bit mystified by the general reaction to the first episode – people on social media were raving about how fantastic it was, one person said it was the best episode he had ever seen, but I did not feel that way. It was by no means bad, it just wasn’t special. I also felt that the murderer almost appeared out of the blue at the end (thuogh I know that’s not strictly true – trying not to give anything away here!). The second episode seemed more satisfying to me, with more convincing characters. I’ll be interested to hear what you think.
Rosemary, You’re right. Those first two books sound as if they go hand-in-hand with The Maid. And, from your descriptions, I can see why you picked them up.
A perfect mug for you! I can see why that was a treasure. It came just to the right person.
You made me laugh with your description of your husband’s comments about Grantchester. I watched the first season, so I know what it was like then.
Enjoy your holiday. Now, I’m going to have to look up those places to see where they are.
Oh, I hope those cats work out for you! That would be perfect to get adult cats who are brother and sister. Just perfect.
Good luck, Rosemary, and enjoy your holiday!
Rosemary – thanks for mentioning Diary of a Young Naturalist. I had not heard of this and sounds like something I would enjoy. I have put it on hold at our library!
Oh I do hope you enjoy it Gretchen – Dara is such a wonderful person, so genuine and honest.
Hi again Gretchen – I found a link to an article about Dara McAnulty here if it might be of interest:
https://www.panmacmillan.com/blogs/books-for-children/who-is-dara-mcanulty-nature-writer
I always enjoy your comments, Rosemary, and so often agree with things you say. I do, indeed, agree with your thoughts about Maisie Dobbs who I gave up on sometime back.
I think two wonderful cats may have found a lovely new home! Keep us posted.
Thank you Kaye, that’s so kind.
I’m glad it’s not just me re Maisie Dobbs – and I think Lesa said something along the same lines last week too.
I’m crossing my fingers about these cats. They are called Lily and Cairo. I’ll definitely be waxing on about them at length if they do come to live with us!
Rosemary, We are big fans of Grantchester as well. I miss James Norton as Sydney but Leonard steals the show.
Oh I agree, Leonard is the best! Though i do like Tom Brittney as Will too. The first episode last week was excellent (unless you’re my husband….!) And now I’ve just seen that Endeavour will also be back soon too.
Two appointments today, including a Covid test for surgery coming up. I am getting through The Fix by David Baldaccit on audio tapes. Not liking this book that much, I think he could have done more editing!
Also,struggling with Off the Furrow by Mark Lages. The main character had a nervous breakdown, and I am getting tired of the ways that he is going over and over things. I didn’t read much at all last night,,was tired of the book! Will to get it done soon because I want to read the large print version of The Personal Librarian. I keep glancing over at it in my stack!
Good luck with all your tests, Carolee! Not that you need my advice, but I’d quit reading Off the Furrow and move on to the book that’s calling to you!
I actually read quite a bit this week. No television distractions, just a large stack of books from a recent library outing. At least the library is still open for browsing although masks are required.
Sophia Bennett seemed like such a genuinely delightful person in your interview with her earlier this year, that when I saw The Windsor Knot on the library’s new arrival shelf I just had to pick it up. (Poisoned Pen, March). Great fun! Seeing Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle pulling the strings as an undercover sleuth attests to the author’s talent.
Next was Island Queen by Vanessa Riley. Historical fiction based on the real life of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas. The story takes place in the Caribbean in the late 1700’s. I had read a few reviews, but didn’t realize the author is best known for her romance novels. The ratio of romance to history made the book seem much too long.
I was able to read William Kent Krueger’s prequel to the Cork O’Connor series Lightning Strike sooner than I expected. And satisfying read it is.
I was deep in the wait list for this book, but my library has a “Lucky Day” program. These copies can’t be reserved and have other limits, but sometimes it just works out that you’re in the right branch at the right time.
The French Widow, the 9th entry in Mark Pryor’s Hugo Marston series finds the Head of Security for the American Embassy in Paris involved in two murder cases. In one he’s a suspect, the other is set in a historic Paris chateau. I enjoy the puzzle aspects of this series and the Paris setting.
And finally, A Share in Death, the first Kincaid and James mystery by Deborah Crombie. As there are now 18 books in this British police procedural series, it will take me some catching up to get current. I don’t know how I missed this author, the photo you posted with the announcement of Caroline Todd’s death made me curious.
And Lesa, I’m impressed! I knew you were an award winning reviewer, but I didn’t realize how long you’d been blogger. I recently saw a 2014 Blog Bytes recommendation for your blog. And you were well established then. Thanks for sharing your love of books.
MM, Your post just started my day off right. First, thank you for mentioning the Blog Bytes recommendation by the late Bill Crider. That piece came as a surprise to me. And, Bill was kind enough to comment here off and on. One of the kindest people in the mystery field, and so many of us miss him.
I’m pleased that you “met” S.J. Bennett and Deborah Crombie here on my blog. I love to introduce readers to books and authors, whether they’re debut authors like Bennett, or whether they’ve been around a while like Deborah. Thank you for taking a chance on them. Now, one series I know is a favorite of my friend Kaye’s is the Hugo Marston series. I even own 3 or 4 of the books, and have just not picked them up. I know I’ll like them when I do.
Thank you, again, MM.
Not much reading at my house this week either. This our moving to the Cincinnati area month. We close on our new house next week and will be leaving this one by the end of the month.
The mayor of Columbus and a few of the other neighboring suburbs issued an indoor mask mandate yesterday. It will not make much of a difference for my husband and me. We have pretty much been following the COVID protocols all along.
As far as reading I gave up on MUCH ADO ABOUT YOU by Samantha Young. Thirty three year old woman gets ghosted by a guy she snapchatted with for a week. She decides to quit her job and escape to England where she magically finds an ad for a job where you can live above a quaint bookstore and run it for weeks at a time. Um no……after page 61, I decided to cut my losses.
My next book was the winner. Like you, Lesa, I wasn’t in love with the last couple Christina Lauren books but THE SOUL MATE EQUATION was different and fun and I breezed through. Thank you for the recommendation.
Now I am in the middle of THE MAGIC OF FOUND OBJECTS by Maddie Dawson. Phronsie has given up on finding a husband after an 8 month marriage and a string of bad internet dates. Her best friend since kindergarten is also single and proposes they should get married despite not being in a romantic love relationship. I am curious how it will play out.
Happy Reading!
Good luck on your move, Sharon! We’ll all understand if you’re not around once in a while, but I hope you continue to find time for us most Thursdays. And, I hope you enjoy the Cincinnati-Hamilton County Library System. My niece was only in her new apartment for about a week and a half when she was off to get her new library card.
You’re welcome! I know The Soul Mate Equation isn’t for everyone, but, like you, I found it fun.
Good luck on everything!
Thank you, Lesa. We are looking forward to our new community and library. The three things I will miss the most about Columbus are the Franklin Park Conservatory, Huntington Park, and the library system it is the best I’ve ever used.
Here’s the good news, Sharon. Cincinnati’s library system is considered one of the best in the country as well. Ohio is very lucky. Good libraries, and good networks for libraries. Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Cuyahoga County libraries consistently rank in the top 10 in the country. So, you have discovery ahead of you!
Hi, I agree with mask wearing in crowds even if outside. What’s the big deal about putting on a mask? So glad I live in Los Angeles County. Mask wearing is mandatory inside and outside if more than 10,000 in attendance, regardless of vaccination status. We are waiting for booster shots due in October.
Read The Madness of Crowds. Loved, as usual Louise Penny makes you think. I agree with you Lesa could have been edited. Also loved And Now She is Gone by Rachel Howzell Hall. Such a fresh voice and so humorous. Didn’t care for The Good Sister. It was ok, but predictable. Just started Heron’s Cry. Love Matthew’s quirks.
Stay well.
I agree, Doreen. I taught a 2 hour workshop today. I did most of the talking. I wore my mask the entire time, and so did the people in the workshop. I just picked the mask that was easiest to talk through.
Oh, yes. Louise Penny really makes you think with The Madness of Crowds.
I need to get to Now She is Gone when I have a chance. I’ve heard nothing but good things about that book.
Stay safe, Doreen!
Lesa, I thought the same thing when I saw those packed stadiums of football fans, none of them masked and – Im sure – many not vaccinated. What is wrong with these people? Is it magical thinking, that it won’t affect me? I don’t get it. We’ve even noticed around here, where it used to be so good, that more and more people (including wait staff inside restaurants) are going without masks. As you said, I don’t care if you’re vaccinated (and I bet a lot of you aren’t), put a damn mask on!
Anyway, let’s get to something more pleasant, books. Jackie read and really liked CLAIMED, first in a new spinoff series by J. R. Ward. I can always tell when she really likes a book because she keeps telling me plot elements, even though it is not a book I would ever read. I think she is reading one of her books on the Kindle while waiting for the next library book to come in.
I rad THE RUSSIAN CAGE by Charlaine Harris, third in her Gunnie (Lizbeth) Rose series, this one taking her to San Diego and the Holy Russian Empire (the time period is probably the Great Depression) to get her beloved Prince Eli out of jail. This could be the final book as there is definitely closure (a wedding is closure, right?) at the end, though she could continue it if she so desired. I prefer the Shakespeare series but enjoyed the books.
I read Tessa Hadley’s SUNSTROKE and Other Stories. I like her style and will read her other collections. Hadley is English. Also reading the collection of 1948-49 radio plays (they ran half an hour each) by John Dickson Carr, THE ISLAND OF COFFINS and Other Mysteries From the Casebook of Cabin B-13. Ship’s doctor Fabian narrates the tales, as the ocean liner travels the Mediterranean.
I’m also reading the second of Jenny (The Bloggess) Lawson’s three memoirs, FURIOUSLY HAPPY.
The highlight of the week, however was Sara Nisha Adams’s THE READING LIST, a lovely book. Even if it seems at first glance that it isn’t your usual reading, I recommend you try it. I mean, you can’t go wrong with reading lists, reading, libraries, book discussions and Indian food, can you? Well, I certainly couldn’t. I knew from the description it would appeal to me, and it did, getting better as it went along. I admit that I was much more interested in the Mukesh chapters than Aleisha’s, as watching him blossom after his wife’s death was heartwarming. Highly recommended.
Not sure what I will read next. I have a library book and two more waiting th be picked up, so it might be one of those.
Stay safe and watch out for the morons out there!
I knew I wasn’t the only one who thought that about the stadiums, Jeff. Thank you!
I agree with you about THE READING LIST. The Mukesh chapters were more interesting than Aleisha’s. I wasn’t even sure if this book was for me when I first started it, but I loved it. As you said, watching the changes in Mukesh and his relationships felt so good.
I love it that Jackie wants to share her books, even though you both know they’re not for you.
It’s sad to see that people won’t take responsibility. Stay safe!
Good morning and greetings from NJ. I had a very good book week. I read Broken Places by Tracy Clark (a book I learned of through this blog) and I really enjoyed it. I am looking forward to the next in the series. I am still listening to The Guncle. I highly recommend it, expecially the audio version. It is about a family navigating grief. It is funny, emotional and sad. I have to admit, it is not a book I would have read if it were not for the rave reviews it was receiving on a Facebook group that I follow Friends and Fiction. I am so glad I did!
I am now reading Sandra Brown’s newest book Blind Tiger.
Oh, Friends and Fiction, Kathleen. My mother and I both follow that group, although I have to admit I don’t always have time to read everything.
I’m glad you enjoyed Broken Places. And, I’m always happy to hear someone has a good book week!
Did you know that Kristen Harmel and Karen Cleveland are sisters? Talented family!
I had no idea that Kristen Harmel and Karen Cleveland are sisters!
Good morning!
Over the long holiday weekend, my husband and I visited Dunnville State Wildlife Area. This is a small wildlife area at the confluence of two rivers near our home. The Red Cedar Trail makes it way through the area with an old railroad trestle bridge crossing the confluence. There is also sandy beach along the river. The day was beautiful. There was only one couple sitting in chairs on the beach and a few walking or biking on the path. We were able to walk along the beach picking up interesting river rocks and felt like we were the last people on earth! As we stood on the bridge we were able to watch a turtle swim up to a sandbar and then bury himself under the sand. That was something we had never seen before.
As far as reading goes:
I finished The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams. It was a heart-warming, unique story full of deep, interesting characters.
Next I read Death in Castle Dark by Veronica Bond – Nora Blake takes a position with an acting troupe that performs at a castle. Things are going smoothly until one of the cast members winds up dead. Every member of the cast is a suspect, along with the guests attending the performance. Suddenly, Nora’s decision to accept the position doesn’t seem so wonderful after all. She feels unsafe in her own home. So, she sets out to discover who might have wanted the actor dead. This was a fun read! I enjoyed the unique setting and the characters. It had a gothic feel and plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing.
Hope you all have a good weekend!
Hi Gretchen
What a great outing. That turtle watching was especially appealing. I’ve never seen that either. I’m glad you had a special day.
Two good books! Such a contrast, but I enjoyed both of them. My sister messaged me yesterday about Death in Castle Dark. She enjoyed it as much as you and I did.
Thank you! I hope you have another good weekend!
Good morning! Checking in quickly to see what everyone has been reading. I managed to get quite a bit read over the long weekend, which makes me happy.
Blood Moon by Garry Disher, one of his Hal Challis books. I had to go to the library in the county next to mine to get it as my local library does not carry his books.
Harriet Rutland’s last mystery Blue Murder. The intro written by crime historian Curtis Evans warned the book was especially dark but I was not prepared for the ending.
Uncle Paul by Celia Fremlin was wonderfully written and scary. I feel no need to read any more of her books though. Incredibly creepy.
Bull Mountain by Brian Panowich was fantastic. A crime family in northern Georgia. The disrupted chronology threw me off several times though. The story crosses three generations, and the chapters move back and forth across some 60 years. I had to stop and check the chapter heading periodically to figure out where the story was.
I read Lineage Most Lethal by SC Perkins. It was so-so. Some of her research information is wrong and I find myself wanting to yell at the book.
And now I am racing through a political thriller by Mike Lawson.
It’s been a good few days for reading.
Aubrey, I have also had problems getting books by Garry Disher from the library. Ours has a bumber of the Challis and Wyatt books, but not all, and don’t have many of his stand alones either. I really liked his UNDER THE COLD BRIGHT LIGHTS and hope he does a sequel. I also liked the first of his Outback series with Paul Hirschhausen, BITTER WASH ROAD, but the library doesn’t have the sequels (PEACE and CONSOLATION), at least not yet.
Yes I’ve bought a couple of his Wyatt books as I cannot find them in the county library. The county over has a much larger mystery collection and I find myself making the trip more and more often. I acquired a collection of crime fiction by New Zealand authors at a Bouchercon awhile back because they are so hard to find.
I recently bought 4 New Zealand-set books by Vanda Symon (without reading any, which I rarely do), because they were so cheap (99 cents each on the Kindle, though one is now more expensive) and because they sounded interesting – a young policewoman, Sam Shephard, in a :”sleepy town” in New Zealand.
I really do need to try one of these.
I reviewed one of Vanda Symon’s books for Kevin’s Corner awhile back. https://kevintipplescorner.blogspot.com/2020/12/aubrey-hamilton-reviews-ringmaster-by.html
I bought all three of Disher’s Outback books. Unfortunately, I know it’s going to be at least a couple weeks until I get a chance to read them. I’m backed up right now, between the LJ Day of Dialog and my monthly reading for them. But, I really like Disher’s writing.
It’s been an interesting week. I gave a speech (with Power Point) on my 30+-year sweepstaking hobby and what I’ve won at Toastmasters yesterday. Today I’ll be Chief Judge for my other Toastmasters club’s humorous speech contest. And I’m looking forward to some babysitting tomorrow night. But I really miss my daily walks–either the air quality is poor (smoky) or it’s too hot. This morning I would normally walk with my group, but it will be almost 80 at 8:00. No, thanks! My reading life continues to be excellent, though, and there’s a lot of intriguing TV coming up. Right now I’ve started bingeing Community, which I have never watched before, and really liking it.
I enjoyed WAIT FOR IT by Jenn McKinlay, a mostly breezy, undemanding novel, although I think the cover is misleading in that it isn’t about a summer romp by the pool. The title, however, is appropriate, as I felt the story didn’t really take off until the second half of the book. Annabelle has her own graphic design business in Boston, but she is lured by her college roommate to move to Phoenix to accept a creative director position at Sophie and her husband’s thriving firm. Annabelle is reluctant to move, but an unwanted marriage proposal from one of her two ex-husbands makes her decision easy. In Phoenix she finds herself taking on a job that had been coveted by one of her new coworkers and dealing with Nick, a hermit of a landlord with a long list of tenant rules and some serious life issues. The last half of the book was worth waiting for, with the satisfying conclusion we expect of a contemporary romantic novel.
The Accidental Alchemist novels by Gigi Pandian are a unique mystery series. They are anything but traditional, simply by virtue of their main characters. Zoe is an alchemist who has lived for 300+ years but stopped aging at 28. Her husband-and-wife mentors, Nicolas and Perenelle, were born in the 1300s and are recuperating from a recent imprisonment for their “crimes.” Dorian is a gargoyle who was carved of stone, gifted to a magician when it was decided he was too small for Notre Dame cathedral, and given life through the dangerous reverse-alchemy procedure. He lives with Zoe and is a talented (and egotistical) French chef who also “fancies himself a modern-day Poirot.” What mystery lover can resist a premise like that? It is the characters who make the books irresistible, and THE ALCHEMIST OF FIRE AND FORTUNE, the fifth in the series, is no exception. But the mystery plot is also engaging. Perinelle is being blackmailed, and the blackmailer has demanded pieces of gold–has someone seen her performing alchemy at the artists’ studio where she rents space? At the same time, Dorian’s teenage friend Brixton and his buddies have found what they believe to be a pirate’s treasure map and have enlisted Dorian’s help in finding the treasure. What I particularly appreciate about the book is that Zoe describes alchemy as more than creating gold, which makes it easier for readers to accept. It can also involve transforming plants, cooking, art, and inventions into something magical. (October)
A solid police procedural in the 30+-book Alex Delaware series, ,CITY OF THE DEAD by Jonathan Kellerman is narrated by Alex from Chapter 4 onward. Alex Delaware is a psychologist who is often called upon by the LAPD to consult with Lt. Milo Sturgis on difficult homicide cases. It is the relationship between Milo and Alex that is the heart of the series. They have worked together for so long that they are able to complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses to form a powerful investigation team. The step-by-step, detailed account of how the mystery is resolved makes the reader feel almost a part of the process. Dr. Delaware’s involvement in child custody cases is also demonstrated, and it is fascinating to watch how he is able to successfully analyze all of the parties involved, including the vulnerable child. In this series entry, Alex recognizes the murder victim instantly as a woman he met in an earlier case who was working as a psychologist without a license or education. An unidentified male body is also found at the murder site. It becomes a story of dangerous, dysfunctional relationships for Milo and Alex to entangle, and it is a pleasure to follow them to a satisfying conclusion, with no grisly violence shown. (February)
YOURS CHEERFULLY by AJ Pearce is a sequel to Dear Mrs. Bird, which I read in 2018. In London during the WWII years at Woman’s Friend magazine, the intolerant Mrs. Bird has left and Emmy Lake has thankfully taken over much of the advice column. But when the Ministry of Information asks women’s magazines to help recruit more women to the war effort, Emmy has an idea. Having met a young mother on her way to her new job in a munitions factory, she proposes that she interview her after a month on the job and acquaint the magazine’s readers with real stories about these women’s experiences. In the process, she becomes involved with the women’s issues and problems. At the same time, Emmy has become closer to her boyfriend, a military man stationed in the UK, and tries to balance her work with the very little time he has to share with her. It is an interesting story, quietly told, but I enjoyed the humor of the previous book more.
You’re not the only one, Margie, who enjoyed Dear Mrs. Bird more than Yours Cheerfully. Other readers have said the same thing. I haven’t read Gigi Pandian’s books for a while. She has a new book coming out (probably a new series) in March. The first book is called Under Lock & Skeleton Key. Here’s the summary. “Known for her wonderfully addictive characters, multiple award-winning author Gigi Pandian introduces her newest heroine in this heartfelt series debut. Under Lock & Skeleton Key layers stunning architecture with mouthwatering food in an ode to classic locked-room mysteries that will leave readers enchanted.
An impossible crime. A family legacy. The intrigue of hidden rooms and secret staircases.
After a disastrous accident derails Tempest Raj’s career, and life, she heads back to her childhood home in California to comfort herself with her grandfather’s Indian home-cooked meals. Though she resists, every day brings her closer to the inevitable: working for her father’s company. Secret Staircase Construction specializes in bringing the magic of childhood to all by transforming clients’ homes with sliding bookcases, intricate locks, backyard treehouses, and hidden reading nooks.
When Tempest visits her dad’s latest renovation project, her former stage double is discovered dead inside a wall that’s supposedly been sealed for more than a century. Fearing she was the intended victim, it’s up to Tempest to solve this seemingly impossible crime. But as she delves further into the mystery, Tempest can’t help but wonder if the Raj family curse that’s plagued her family for generations—something she used to swear didn’t exist—has finally come for her.”
I enjoyed Wait for It. It was jut what I needed right then.
Yes, I’m really looking forward to Gigi’s first locked room mystery. I requested it on NetGalley but the request has been pending for a while so I’m not optimistic. I’ll get it from the library.
The crowded stadiums were the first thing I noticed about the college football games. We have a double-A Yankees affiliated baseball stadium nearby which we used to go to all the time. We haven’t gone in two years because we feel there’s too many people.
I didn’t get much reading done this week. A combination of tiredness from being a full time caregiver for my mom and starting several books that I couldn’t get into.
I finished A REIGN INTERRUPTED by Scarlett Moss. A retired police dog helps capture the person who murdered the town bully.
I’m about halfway through DUST TO DUST by Audrey Keown. It’s the second book in her Hotel 1911 series.
Oh, Sandy. I’m sorry. It’s not easy, and I understand the constant tiredness. We went through that when my father-in-law was bedridden.
Like you, that’s what I noticed first, too. The crowded stadiums.
You take care of yourself. It’s so easy to wear yourself out being the full time caregiver.
I seem to read the same amount each day regardless of holidays and weekends. A creature of habit, I guess. At the moment, I’m reading Peter Heller’s The Guide which is a sequel to his literary thriller, The River. I do love our Colorado authors! Heller’s style may not be for everyone, but I like it. In this book, the young man who survived The River is working as a fishing guide at a resort, hoping to get past/through his PTSD so he can live a better life. Things are not quite as they should be at this resort, however, so he starts snooping. The tension level stays high, so it’s hard for me to put the book down and tend to other tasks.
A creature of habit, Patricia, or someone who knows how to balance life? I have a friend who loves Peter Heller’s writing as well.
Take care.
Lesa. Oh my. You know I agree with you about people not wearing masks. What is wrong with these people?!?!? Argh.
Lots of fun discussion today about some very interesting books.
I’m only going to mention one of the books I read this past week.
I love Nora Roberts, I think she’s a queen. I don’t see it too much any more, but there was a time when her work was spoken of with a bit of disdain and disrespect in certain quarters. While I completely understand that a book, or a series, isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea, the denigration of the author is unnecessary and tacky.
Ms. Roberts’ writing persona under the name of J.D. Robb is popular because it’s good.
Robb’s Eve and Roarke series is the perfect series for any writer to study for learning the craft of writing pitch perfect characters and character development.
In the beginning there was only Eve. A solitary, damaged cop. Against her own will, there was a best friend. A best friend who could not be any different. Eve felt protective of Mavis, and Mavis brought out a softness in Eve that Eve would prefer not to even acknowledge.
53 books later, Eve still has her best pal, Mavis. She has also, to her own bewilderment, collected a group of friends who have become a close knit extended family. Friends who, on the surface, could not be any different. Rock stars, doctors, bar owners, attorneys, fashion designers, cops, journalists, and one very very rich very very handsome very very sexy tycoon/cyber geek named Roarke.
Eve’s job, along with her delightful partner Peabody, as a homicide cop means taking down the bad guys and standing for the victims. And, man, are they good at it. they
And we get to go along for the ride.
There’s much more to these books than just another futuristic cop series. They make you laugh, cry, and think.
As Lesa said in her review of the latest in the series, Forgotten in Death, the theme is “home.”. As a nester at heart, it resonated with me and I was sorry to come to that last page. I ‘m already looking forward to the next one.
Kaye, I just loved Forgotten in Death. And, if your ears are ringing today, it’s because I mentioned you in my Reader’s Advisory workshop saying that you and I love those books because of the characters. I said it was obvious in our emails as we talked about Eve and Roarke and the other characters in the books. Just a wonderful book.
Hugs, Kaye! Thanks for being my good example today.
A good example! Me! Yay!!!!! Wait til I tell Don . . .
Hugs back, Lesa!
Xxoo
Is Donald going to laugh, Kaye? Hugs!
Kaye, I showed this to Jackie, who has read every one of the books and agrees with you. She also likes the way she has dealt with the trauma of Dallas’s and Roarke’s childhoods as the series has gone on. And she gets a kick out of Peabody.
Jeff, I so agree with Jackie about how Robb writes the childhood trauma scenes. It could have easily been gotten so badly wrong and turned the characters into objects of pity, or nasty and unlikeable. Instead the subject was dealt with in a compassionate manner, but straight on and honestly. That takes a very good writer.
I’m actually okay with people not wearing masks outside. (See, you aren’t preaching to the choir.) I’ve come to that conclusion by following the science about how hard it is to catch it while outdoors. (Not impossible, but very hard). Remember how little it was spread at all the protests last year, after all.
I feel like I have a minute to catch my breath at work finally today. But only a moment. Got to dig in hard on the reconciliations. Haven’t started on any yet, but I’ve finally got the time, which is a good thing since I have my first review meeting on them on Monday.
It’s hot here, and my power is going to be off tomorrow night. If I didn’t have so much I needed to get done over the weekend, I’d consider getting out of town on Friday night. As it is, I’m still thinking about it. It’s only supposed to cool down to 77 here, which is unusually warm for us. We’ll see what I finally decide to do.
On the reading front, I’m diving into Mrs. Claus and the Halloween Homicide by Liz Ireland today. The first in the series was one of my favorite books from last year. I’m only 30 pages in, and I’m enjoying this one so far.
Beyond the fact that the BLM protestors wore masks, DELTA is not anything like the version of last year. Outdoors is dangerous as has been documented scientifically. Look at the research on the soccer games and music festivals in England in recent weeks.
I’m waiting to see what happens here in a week or two, Kevin, after the games. Shoulder to shoulder like that just makes me shudder.
My husband was at one of the festivals earlier in the summer – (I know….I wasn’t) – fortunately he didn’t catch anything (he and his friends are hardly mosh pit material at their age) but I think he found it a sobering experience. There was much less rigorous checking of vaccine status/test results than he’d been led to anticipate, and of course no social distancing. I’m not sure he’d go again (& he’s a festival regular.)
Glad he is okay. Scary times. I have some serious medical stuff which means I am still high risk even with the vaccines. So, I am plenty scared and doing everything I can to stay safe.
I wondered about that series by Liz Ireland. It’s good to know, Mark, that the first one was one of your favorites.
Breathe, Mark. And, I hope you get the chance to escape over the weekend.
Mark, thanks for the reminder about The Santaland Diaries, which I never found at the library. Fortunately, I just found it for $1.99 on Kindle!
It is great to read about so many people reading so many books here.
I finished THE LADY VANISHES by Ethel Lina White (originally published as THE WHEEL SPINS) last week. i enjoyed it. My first time reading it. I haven’t watched the film version by Alfred Hitchcock yet so not sure how much the two differ. Actually I have seen that film multiple times but don’t remember much beyond the older woman going missing.
The second book I read in September was MURDER by Parnell Hall. This was the 2nd book in the Stanley Hastings series. My husband is a big fan of that series and I am slowly catching up. Stanley is a bumbling private detective (sort of). His primary work is following up on accident reports where people want to sue for damages, to supply evidence for the lawyer that he works for. It sounds like a terrible job. But inevitably he gets involved in a read murder that he has to solve. A humorous series and I enjoyed this entry in the series a lot.
I am 2/3 of the way through a Miss Silver mystery by Patricia Wentworth. The title is The Chinese Shawl, it is the 5th book in the series, and it was published in 1943. I love the Miss Silver series, my cup of tea. Most of them were published in the 1940s and 1950s, so pre-war or during World War II or the post war years, which I like to read about.
We just found out yesterday that my husband will be having his 2nd cataract surgery in early October. We are a bit anxious because his first one, on the other eye, which he had 2 and a half years ago, did not go as well as expected and led to retina surgery on that eye. This one should go fine, his vision will be much improved, but we are still anxious.
Oh, I can understand, Tracy, why you’re anxious with trouble with the first surgery. I hope everything goes well for your husband this time.
Isn’t it great to see so many books? I like the variety of them. I know most of us tend to read mysteries because that’s the tone of my blog, but I think we all throw in a little variety.
I know Aubrey Hamilton read a number of the Miss Silver books. She and I have had some phone conversations that included them.
Lesa, thanks for that information. I visited Aubrey’s blog today, and saw reviews for a couple of books I have read and some that I have not read yet. I will check the reviews and the books out. Also, one of them was a non-Miss Silver book, DEAD OR ALIVE, which I have but haven’t read.
I wouldn’t be a part of the crowd at a football (or other) stadium, but in fairness, I would point out that at the U of Oregon and I think all of our other state universities, “fans will be required to show proof of full vaccination or results from a negative test taken within three days of the game, along with a piece of photo ID.” In addition, masks are required except when actively eating or drinking.
I just finished Newcomer, by Keigo Higashino, an interesting look at a Colombo-esque detective solving a murder in a Tokyo neighborhood. I’m rereading Miss Silver Deals With Death, and like tracybham have an enduring fondness for the Patricia Wentworth series.
The University of Oregon must be doing a much better job than other stadiums as to encouraging people to wear masks, Jane. Most of the people I saw who were yelling were not eating or drinking. They were yelling during the game. Oh, well. I won’t complain. I wasn’t there, so I won’t have to deal with the aftereffects, at least from the games themselves.
It seems Patricia Wentworth is quite popular here. Interesting that her books only started popping up in conversation recently. Enjoy it!
I said I’d not be here, as I have no glasses yet. Just got a call from eye office: positive Covid at lense place (not optometrist office), so they are closed, thus my new glasses are delayed until AT LEAST next Tuesday. Color me disgruntled and unhappy. (He said, calmly grinding his teeth). I have been trying to read the ebook of THE CROW NEST by Ann Cleeves, text blown up to about 8 words per line, but the plot and characters have yet to grab me and Vera has yet to appear. Maybe it’s a mistake to want to read the books just because I liked the first season of the TV series, which is all I’ve been able to get from the library?
Meanwhile I did read William Kent Krueger’s latest, LIGHTNING STRIKE which was excellent. He is a superb writer and his Cork O’Connor series is my absolute favorite. Since the book is a prequel to the series beginning, IRON LAKE, it’s the perfect place for anyone new to the series.
Oh, Rick! I didn’t expect to see you here today. What a challenge to have to go without your new glasses until sometime next week. That’s awful.
Maybe you should ask your wife to read these posts to you, and you can introduce her to each of us. Just kidding!
Thank you for taking the time, and making the effort to join us.
I’m sorry about the glasses.
Thank you, Lesa.
As for masks, crowds, &ct, fools will be fools. I’ve always pretty much been a hermit, so Covid has just reinforced that, but it’s WRONG for others to jeopardize the health of others because of their own selfish, misguided ideas. I mourn the apparent loss of Common Sense.
I know, Rick. Stay safe!
People will only live in fear for so long before they start to rebel. Especially when they see pictures of those making the rules breaking them.
This week I read:
Adventures of the Moment: Collector’s Edition by Golden November; A story told completely by dialogue, too bad it isn’t very scintillating.
The Island by Ben Coes; Terrorists occupy Manhattan in order to kill the POTUS at the UN building. It seems very outdated after the Afghanistan debacle, even though it’s a new book.
The Sinister by David Putnam; Bruno Johnson goes on the hunt for the daughter of an FBI agent, even though he’s wanted by the law, and deeply in debt. This series keeps going, and I’m not sure why.
Mind Bender; Super space spy Clifford Croft goes against a guy with the power of mind control. Occasionally, the villain does something rational, like stealing oodles of money, but mostly he plays pranks. Not the way I’d use that particular power, but to each his own, I guess.
Curse of the Wendigo by DA Roberts; A paramilitary organization tries to kill a bunch of cannibalistic bigfoot type creatures. Isn’t it illegal to kill bigfoot in some states?
The King of Horror by Stephen Mertz; Anthology of shorts by Mertz. I like the married couple solving murders in Vietnam the best. It’s so different than most anything else.
Midnight in Palmyra by Deborah L. Cannon; A woman in a love triangle with a billionarie and his bodyguard goes to Syria and finds it really isn’t a good place for a woman to go with all the radical Muslims and such.
Outland by Alan Dean Foster; Movie adaptation of the mediocre Sean Connery Sci-Fi movie. People say it’s “High Noon in Space,” but I’ve seen High Noon and know better.
Well, darn. Glen. Now, you’ve changed what I’m going to give away tomorrow. I’m going to have to look for something else because I was going to give away Coes’ The Island. Maybe some other time. Thank you for the comment. I appreciate it!