As I said, I haven’t read anything since I’m visiting with my Mom and sisters. I suspected I wouldn’t. Instead, we just enjoyed each others’ company and laughed a lot. I had the chance to see other family as well. We went to a small masked concert featuring an Irish singer we all love. We had seen Emmet Cahill before COVID shut everything down two years ago. We went to high tea at Mozart’s Cafe in Columbus, and then went to small shops in the area. We had two wonderful dinners prepared by my brother-in-law. Just a nice trip home.
What about you? Were you too busy to read this week, or will you share your reading with us? I’m going to be on the road in the morning today, so won’t catch up with you until afternoon. But, I’ll be here later.
And, I always want to catch up! Let us know what you’re reading, please!
It sounds like a lovely trip, Lesa. Glad you are having a good time. I wouldn’t say I’m ever too busy to read–I can always fit some in. Here’s what I finished this week:
I became more invested in Kate MacDougall’s memoir, LONDON’S NUMBER ONE DOG-WALKING AGENCY, the more I got into it, after a slow start. When dog-walking services were not yet common in London, Kate founded her own after becoming bored with her lowly admin job at Sotheby’s. As it grew, she was able to take on more dogs and make additions to her stable of dog walkers, who often had to deal with unreasonably picky owners, truculent dogs, and unusual behavior (from both dogs and humans).The author’s descriptions of each dog and owner are filled with wonderful details, and her insights into her own life and family–particularly her long-time partner, Finlay, who doesn’t like dogs–are just as fascinating. I enjoyed this low-key, lovely book.
I think I liked APPLES NEVER FALL by Liane Moriarty more than Glen did. The Delaneys were a tennis family. Stan and Joy recently sold their tennis academy, and their four children, who had been successful competition players in their youth, are all now pursuing other occupations. Stan and Joy have had a mostly happy marriage, although Stan deals with disagreements by disappearing for a while. One day, it is Joy who walks out, sending a garbled email and leaving the family to figure out why this has happened, and whether Joy will ever return. I enjoyed spending time with each of the Delaneys–their romantic relationships, career successes and failures, and outlook on life. It was also interesting to note how each coped with Savannah, a young stranger who turned up unannounced on their parents’ doorstep and became almost a member of the family. This is a long book (450+ pages), but it sped by for me. Sometimes the alternating timelines took a bit of adjustment, but I count it as one of Moriarty’s many successes.
Although I didn’t find A CUP OF SILVER LININGS, second in Karen Hawkins’ Dove Pond (NC) series quite as charming as the first, I enjoyed reading it. This time the spotlight is on Ava, one of a family of seven sisters, each of whom has her own extraordinary power. Ava is able to provide customized teas that help customers with their singular woes. She also has a landscaping business and is close to opening her own tea shop. But some of her teas have recently had unpleasant, if temporary, results, and she is plagued by a box under her bed that contains a secret she would rather not reveal. Ava’s younger sister, who was the protagonist in The Book Charmer, is featured in this story as well. The other plot concerns a 16-year-old Dove Pond resident, Kristen, whose rather eccentric mother has died and whose estranged grandmother is threatening to move her away from everything she holds dear. I was happy to find that the epilogue leads to Paris, where the next sister is beginning her own story.
The most relatable character in THE NIGHT SHE DISAPPEARED, the latest thriller by Lisa Jewell, is Kim, the mother of Tallulah and grandmother of Noah. Tallulah is just 19, as is Noah’s father, Zach. Initially, Zach was reluctant to claim his son, but eventually he moved in with Tallulah and her mother and started acting like a real father to Noah. But one night, Tallulah and Zach go out to enjoy a meal and don’t return. It’s evident that they met up with some of Tallulah’s fellow college students at the restaurant, including Scarlett, who seems to have a huge influence over her coterie of friends. As Kim works with the local detective to find her daughter, she enlists the help of the live-in girlfriend of a nearby school’s new head teacher, and secrets and lies begin to emerge. I can’t say most of the characters resonated with me in a positive way, but the plot kept me reading.
Margie, I felt the same way about A CUP OF SILVER LININGS. I would have been happier it there had been less of the Kristen storyline.
Thanks for your review of Liane Moriarity’s newest. I’ve enjoyed her books and have this one on hold.
Like Lesa, we took a trip this week so I haven’t read much. We stayed a few nights in our favorite B&B in Lititz, PA and today we’re going down to Gettysburg for one night. We decided not to go to any shows – instead we’ve been doing museums, a butterfly house, and a garden. None of them were very crowded since it’s off season.
Before we left, I read The Infinity Concerto by Greg Bear. A 16 year old follows the instructions on a note given to him by a family friend and winds up in Faerie. He can change the world – if he can learn to survive there.
And we’re listening to an audio book of Skritch Scratch by Lindsay Currie in the car. It’s a young adult ghost story set in Chicago.
Sandy, you’re close to my alma mater, DIckinson College in Carlisle, PA. Just one exit on the turnpike from Gettysburg. I lived in Havertown, PA then (suburb of Philly) and now I live in Northern California.
Margie, we went to Carlisle a few years ago for Armed Forces Day.
I’ve always wanted to see the battlefield at Gettysburg but still haven’t got there. We had friends from Scotland who toured our Civil War battlefields before we did, which is embarrassing.
Glad you’re having a good visit with the family. Things have been quiet here, so yes I’ve gotten more reading done. The biggest news was getting our Pfizer booster shots last Thursday. Jackie finished the Margaret Mizushima and is reading the J. D. Robb book now. Her review so far: “It’s always good when Roarke is in it from page one.”
First I finished the two (straight fiction) short story collections I was reading: MARRIED LOVE by Tessa Hadley and DROWN by Junot Diaz. Both were good but neither was as good as the previous books I’d read by the same authors. The other short story collection I read was Martin Edwards ed. BEST EATEN COLD and Other Stories: A Murder Squad Anthology. The “Murder Squad” is a group of “Northern” authors (mostly Manchester and Liverpool) – Ann Cleeves, Martin Edwards, Cath Staincliffe, Margaret Murphy, and Stuart Pawson. The best story was probably Cleeves’s “The Habit of Silence,” which has a murder in the Silent Room of a library. (Sacrilege, right?) But Vera Stanhope is on the case, and solves it in short order.
Speaking of Cleeves, a read her second Insp. Matthew Venn book, THE HERON’S CRY, set again in North Devon. Frankly, my problem with it is that Venn is no Vera. He’s a bit of a cold fish, it seems to me, and I certainly have a hard time warming up to him. There is a sort of closed community there, and the murderer does not just stop at one. Once again, Matthew’s husband Jonathan is involved, though not to the extent of the first book. Nice setting and good, if not great, overall.
A friend mentioned a couple of weeks ago that she was reading MY READING LIFE by Pat Conroy, and as a fan of his books I had to check this one out (it was published in 2010). It’s kind of a mixed bag. Some of it I found a little off-putting, especially his defense of GONE WITH THE WIND, which seems misguided at best. The best parts were his pieces about people who meant a lot to him – a bookseller, a librarian, a beloved teacher, his mother. We may not have wholly shared the same taste in books and authors, but he was passionate about what he liked. There is a long chapter about his sojourn in Paris, where he finished THE LORDS OF DISCIPLINE. Definitely worth your time if you are a Conroy fan.
I read Stephen Graham Jones’s highly praised THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS about four Indian men and their families. I’m currently reading his new one, which in some ways I am finding more interesting, MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW. Jade is half white and half Blackfeet, living with her abusive father in eastern Idaho and just trying to hang on log enough to finish high school and get out, for good. She is also obsessed with ’80s slasher films like HALLOWEEN and FRIDAY the 13th, and she sees references to them everywhere. I am really interesting to see where Jones (and Jade) goes with this, as she almost wishes for a serial killer like the ones in her favorite films to cleanse Proofrock, Idaho. Good writer.
Jeff, I felt the same way about the Cleeves’ book. Good, and I reviewed it that way, but not great.
One more day of my visit, and I drive home tomorrow. It’s been a great visit.
Not much reading at my house. We are still busy unpacking from our move but the end is in sight. We ventured out to get our library cards yesterday so progress.
I am still trying to get through MEET ME IN PARADISE by Libby Hubscher. My daughter highly recommended it but I am not loving it. I want to finish it only to see why she thought it was so outstanding.
So glad you got to visit with your family, Lesa.
Happy Reading!
Thank you, Sharon! It’s been a great visit. And, that is progress that you got your library cards!
Good morning all. I have been MIA the last couple of weeks. As I mentioned in my last post, I took a trip to NH to visit my daughter. I had a lovely time and had the opportunity to meet her boyfriend’s parents for the first time. Traveled into VT, a place I have never been. A beautiful area. The foliage was just beginning to turn so I did not get to see it in is full glory but beautiful just the same.
Reading wise, I finished listening to Talk Bookish to Me. I really enjoyed it. I liked the humorous banter. I just started listening to A Mortal Terror by James R. Benn. I love mysteries set during WWII. This series always fills the bill. I ram currently eading Karen Cleveland’s You Can Run. The tension started right off and has continued. I recommend it.
I hope you all have a wonderful week.
Welcome back, Kathleen! Like you, I’ve been MIA this week visiting family. Sounds as if you had a great trip. I’m heading home tomorrow, so I’ll be back for What Are You Reading? on Thursday next week!
Hope you had a great time with your family, Lesa. I’m reading Brownies & Broomsticks, a cozy by Bailey Cates. The story features charming witches and a magical bakery…and murder, of course.
It’s been wonderful, Patricia. The concert was so good it felt as if it was over in no time. And, the tea was wonderful. My family really enjoys playing games, and we had quite a rowdy time. Good visit.
Good morning all. Lesa I’m glad you had an enjoyable visit with your family. You even managed to check in with us while you were away.
As to my reading week, I finished up the book of Rick Bragg’s columns, Where I Come From: Stories from the Deep South. I enjoy his folksy humor and love of home.
Then on to the third Van Shaw novel by Glen Erik Hamilton, Every Day Above Ground (2017). The story seemed disappointingly predictable to start with, but then it changed. Great second half, possibly adding a new recurring character and a new mission.
Next Her Perfect Life, new release from Hank Phillipi Ryan. I haven’t read this author before although she has a number of titles. The story features a TV celebrity with her perfect life, a missing sister and layers of secrets. The characters seem to bumble from one bad decision to the next, but pull it all together to save the day.
Troubled Daughters – Twisted Wives (Stories from the Trailblazers of Domestic Fiction) Circa late 1940s to early 1970s
I found this absorbing collection of short stories after reading Aubrey Hamilton’s Forgotten Books blog a few week ago when she featured author Celia Fremlin. One of those “I’ve never heard of that author” moments. It features fourteen female authors, a few familiar, but others lost as tastes changed.
I’ll be traveling next week. A one year Covid-delayed memorial service for my mother. A happy/sad occasion as all my siblings will be there, two I haven’t seen since September 2019.
Oh, MM. I understand why it will be a happy sad trip. Hug all those siblings. It’s so good to be with family. I hugged my sisters so much this week. Safe travels!
I always enjoy reading about your family trips, Lesa and this one sounds lovely as usual.
I haven’t read much this week as I’m dealing with after effects of some oral surgery. Pain meds aren’t really conducive to reading, plus the books I’ve chosen have been okay but not really anything to squeal about.
Although, I just started an ARC I was granted through NetGalley that I think I’m going to enjoy. So far, so good anyway! Lost and Found in Paris by Lian Dolan.
Jeff, being a die-hard Conroy fan I have at least one edition of everything he’s ever written. What I’m anxiously awaiting is the biography Catherine Seltzer is writing, MAN ON FIRE. She wrote UNDERSTANDING PAT CONROY and I was able to attend an event the two of them did together for that. MAN ON FIRE publication has been scheduled and rescheduled a couple of times and right now it’s scheduled for release in 2022. Fingers crossed!
Safe travels, Lesa!
xxoo
Thank you, Kaye. Darn. I’m so sorry about your dental nightmares in the last week. Sending lots of love! Take care of yourself!
I’ve been plodding through The Plot by Korelitz – a story about a writer who steals another writers plot -kind of slow but I never give up and will finish it. Glad to get some other suggestions from the postings -always like recommendations. Happy Weekend to everyone!
Happy weekend, Donna! I’m so sorry about The Plot. I am the type to give up on a book I don’t like.
Me, too.
My most recent must-read recommendation is The Reading List by Sarah Nisha Adams. A wonderful story about the power of books to connect people and to change lives.
Nann, That was a wonderful book, wasn’t it?
I agree. One of my favorite books of the year. It made me want to read the mammoth A SUITABLE BOY, though I think the Kindle edition would be easier.
Jeff, We watched the miniseries of A Suitable Boy on Acorn TV. We enjoyed it very muchm
I’m currently reading The Bookshop of Second Chances” by Jackie Fraser. On audiobook I am listening to Stanley Tucci narrate his book “Taste”.
I loved The Bookshop of Second Chances! And, I have a copy of Taste to pick up when I get back to work, Katherine. I hope it’s good!
I’m delighted your trip has been so pleasant, Lesa. It’s good to enjoy time with family.
My reading has felt like one of those dreams in which you try to run but can barely move. I’m working my way through the same book I was reading last week, The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril, by Paul Malmont. It’s about the rivalry between pulp writers Walter Gibson (who wrote The Shadow pulps) and Lester Dent (who wrote Doc Savage) in the Thirties. Pulp publishing was a tough business, and cranking out a short novel a month for the character pulp mags demanding, hard work. Writers were always looking for story ideas, and when one comes up, it can get competitive. Malmont’s writing is good, in the pulp style, and I’m enjoying the book, but I’m going slowly for lack of energy, not the book’s fault. I have six books from the library sitting here and have no idea how I’ll get through them. Meanwhile Barbara is racing through the newest Longmire, Daughter of the Morning Star, and loving it. I’m about five books behind on that series. Sigh.
We did get our Pfizer booster shots last week, and our high-dose flu shots the week before, so on that front we’re good. The weather has been nice, some rain (not enough), some sun, temps in the mid-60s to low 70s. On politics, we’re disgusted with the games Congress is playing. Bah!
We usually don’t watch baseball, but tuned in to the Dodger-Cardinals wild card game last night. Perhaps there have been rules changes, and TV announcers are different than radio ones, but it seemed the games was different than we expected. I grew up listening to Dodgers games on the radio with Vinn Sculley announcing. Those days, and perhaps my enjoyment of the game, are long gone.
Enjoy the rest of your time off, Lesa. May your days be pleasant and you content.
I read three books, all cozies, this week.
Grace Under Pressure by Julie Hyzy; Not too bad, but when a story for adults ends up with someone being secret royalty, I roll my eyes.
One of Us by Lori Lewis Ham; I won this in a facebook contest. The usual big city girl moves back to her home town in disgrace, only to become a detective. In this case, the town is Fresno, CA. At least she’s not stuck in Lodi again, I guess.
Murder Gets A Makeover by Laura Levine; Good to see Jaine Austen back, still keeping her head above water. Her stupid cat get internet famous…twice!
Back from the hospital, had two more blood transfusion. Read 5 books! I always take a book with me wherever I go but too tired to list. Typing blood, getting transfusion and getting a CBC after that. equals 400 pages! Hope to have more energy next time. Lying in bed reading=good, having your arm pin cushioned not OK. Afraid to go in for more lab tests for fear that I will wind up in the hospital again!
I tried to comment here before twice. Maybe related to my changing my “name” on my WordPress account that I used for commenting.
I am not going to include all the comment because this may not go through either…
It sounds like you had a lovely visit with your mother and sisters and more family. My husband was born and grew up in Dayton, and I wish we had visited there. We did go back to my home in Alabama but his family was mostly in California by the time we met.
My husband had his second cataract surgery on Tuesday morning and we had a bumpy two days afterwards because his vision was so blurry. Today some of his vision has improved but he is still adjusting to the changes. So a lot of angst and mood changes.
Two books this week. Finished Something Wicked This Way Comes. Started reading The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.
Lesa, I have had problems commenting today, so now I am just trying a brief comment to see if it works now.
It sounds like you had a lovely visit with your mother and sisters and more family. My husband was born and grew up in Dayton, and I wish we had visited there. We did go back to my home in Alabama but his family was mostly in California by the time we met.
Hurray, this comment worked. I had messed with my WordPress account that I used for commenting because my blog is a blogger blog, and that was a mistake.
So here is the rest of my comment…
My husband had his second cataract surgery on Tuesday morning and we had a bumpy two days afterwards because his vision was so blurry. Today his vision has improved a lot but he is still adjusting to the changes. So a lot of angst and mood changes.
We still have work going on in our driveway to change to pavers rather than asphalt (a long condominium complex driveway) and our ability to get out to the street is hampered and that was not a good thing while getting to and from surgery and to post op visits. So more angst.
In the last week I read SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES by Ray Bradbury, which is a perfect read for this time of year. Set in October, a Fall carnival in town, However, I did not enjoy it as much as I expected to. I had a hard time with the first half, which is very descriptive and poetic and sets up the situation. Then I liked the 2nd half much better, which helped. More action, I got more involved in the story. But it still wasn’t really my type of book. Maybe I wasn’t in the right frame of mind. My husband loves it. It was his copy I was reading.
I am now reading THE THIRTEENTH TALE by Diane Setterfield and enjoying it a lot. Only about one quarter of the way through, so we shall see how I like it overall. I have had it on my shelf a long time (15 years?).
That was Diane Setterfield’s first and she has only written three books. I’ve enjoyed all three tremendously. She’s quoted as saying she’s a reader first, a writer second.
Thanks, MM. I will definitely check out Setterfield’s next two books.
Tracy, I hope your husbands vision continues to improve, I’m sure it will. My cataract surgeries were a breeze. I’d have thought, re: your comment on Bradbury and this time of year, that you would have read his The October Country.
That driveway project is sure taking a long time!
Rick, I have faith that his vision will continue to improve. He will definitely not be able to do much reading until he gets examined for glasses in November. In this case, his cataract was large and thus needs more time for healing. And he has a history of retinal tears and laser surgery to fix those over the last two decades and that has affected his vision also.
The October Country sounds like a good choice but Something Wicked was what we had on hand that fit the season.
I know, they used our driveway as the guinea pig and I think they ran into unanticipated difficulties. It is a bad situation anytime but especially right now. Oh, well.
MM Thanks for the recommendation for Troubled Daughters – Twisted Wives..I looked and my library has it..It shows how old I am as I recognized every author.
Lesa Happy your trip has been so good.