Have you had reading time this week? I hope you weren’t caught up in snow or tornadoes or the remnants of a tsunami. I hope you had time just to relax and enjoy a good book or two.
At the time I’m writing this, I have one more mystery, and forty pages in another, to finish for reviews for Library Journal. So, instead of talking about them, I’m going to mention Sosuke Natsukawa’s book that I’m going to start on Friday evening. It’s The Cat Who Saved Books, a translation from the Japanese by Louise Heal Kawai. A friend recommended it. She said it’s for anyone who loves books and bookstores.
Here’s the summary. “Bookish high school student Rintaro Natsuki is about to close the secondhand bookstore he inherited from his beloved bookworm grandfather. Then, a talking cat appears with an unusual request. The feline asks for—or rather, demands—the teenager’s help in saving books with him. The world is full of lonely books left unread and unloved, and the cat and Rintaro must liberate them from their neglectful owners.
Their mission sends this odd couple on an amazing journey, where they enter different mazes to set books free. Through their travels, the cat and Rintaro meet a man who leaves his books to perish on a bookshelf, an unwitting book torturer who cuts the pages of books into snippets to help people speed read, and a publishing drone who only wants to create bestsellers. Their adventures culminate in one final, unforgettable challenge—the last maze that awaits leads Rintaro down a realm only the bravest dare enter . . .
An enthralling tale of books, first love, fantasy, and an unusual friendship with a talking cat, The Cat Who Saved Books is a story for those for whom books are so much more than words on paper. “
So, that’s what I’ll be starting soon. Before we talk about your books, I just want to mention that Rosemary Kaye’s Favorite Books of 2021 will be posted here next Wednesday. I hope you make time to come back and check her list.
So, what about you? What have you been reading this week?
Have just finished “The Basel Killings” by Hansjörg Schneider for a book discussion (Zoom) Friday. This group reads & discusses mysteries that were originally published in another language & translated into English. In this mystery, translated from the German, murders appear to involve the Yenish community.
I had seen “The Basel Killings” somewhere, Linda. That would be an interesting discussion.
It rained some on Monday, but that’s been it for our bad weather here.
Yesterday, I finished A Quiet Undertaking by Penny Warner, the fourth in her series featuring a deaf newspaper reporter in a small town in CA’s Gold Country. The plot was very inventive and I enjoyed it, although the main character definitely had some too stupid to live moments.
Now, I’m working on Crimes and Covers, the newest Magical Bookshop Mystery from Amanda Flower. So far, I’m enjoying it, although I hope the plot picks up a bit more soon.
And, you probably needed the rain, Mark.
I just hate those Too Stupid To Live moments in books. I have enough of my own in real life.
Good morning. Right now it’s raining here but it’s supposed to switch to snow for a few hours and then drop down into the twenties for the next few days.
I read MURDER SET IN STONE by Tracy Donley, a short cozy set in a small town in CT.
THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY by Douglas Adams. I read this back in the 70s when it first came out and decided to reread it after starting and putting down several library books.
A YA book set around a school for children who’ve gone through doorways into other worlds, returned and don’t fit into this one anymore, WHERE THE DROWNED GIRLS GO by Seanan McGuire.
An ARC of BUTTING HEADS IN SPAIN by Diane Elliot. She and her husband move from England to Spain to retire and when they end up needing money a neighboring farmer decides they should raise goats. Of course they know nothing about goats.
Sandy, Sounds like you have the weather we had yesterday.
Your summary of Butting Heads in Spain just made me laugh.
Like you, I read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy years ago. My reading was in the 80s when a friend recommended it. You have to have those comfort reads when nothing else works!
We’ve had some relatively “cool” weather in Florida this past week (60s rather than 70s or the 81 we had when we first got here), and several days with rain (though most was the way I like it, overnight). So no complaints about missing storms.
I can’t believe we’ve been here two weeks already. Every day seems a flow of internet (online newspapers take up a couple of hours, and then there are the blogs), eating, shopping (I feel like we’ve been to at least two stores a day every day), reading (still mostly short stories) and television, and then it starts again.
But anyway, I read MARKED MAN by Archer Mayor, the 34th (?) Joe Gunther book set in Vermont. I’ve read them all. This one was quite confusing with all the family relationships involved when a very nasty man is discovered to have been murdered nearly a year earlier rather than dying of natural causes as thought. It all comes together in a somewhat satisfying end, but it was not near a favorite for me.
A SURPRISE FOR CHRISTMAS was the latest theme anthology edited by Martin Edwards for the British Library series, and worth your time as always. I appreciated that there was a different dynamic of authors rather than the same ones as usual. There was a long story by Anthony Gilbert (Lucy Malleson) about Arthur Crook, set around Christmas, that I had read in a previous collection, but I read it again, along with tales by Ngaio Marsh (Roderick Alleyn), Julian Symons (another reread), Barry Perowne, , Margery Allingham, Cyril Hare, Ernest Dudley and others.
GATED PREY was the third about LA Sheriff’s Detective Eve Ronin by Lee Goldberg, and I think it was my favorite. These are short (about 250 pages each), fast reads, maybe not the most plausible (though this is the best in that regard, which may be why I liked it better), and fun, especially Eve’s soon-to-be-retiring partner Duncan. If he ever does retire, the series will lose its best character. This starts with a series of home invasion robberies and ends with a very nasty killing, but despite the latter (not for the squeamish, perhaps) it is definitely recommended by me.
Currently reading two collections of stories: DOLPHIN JUNCTION by Mick Herron and (just started) SEASONAL WORK by Laura Lippman. Herron’s series characters Joe Silvermann and Zoe Boehm (husband & wife Oxford PIs) are in four of the stories; the rest are stand alones.
I enjoyed the six part Netflix series ANXIOUS PEOPLE, so now I’m going to read the Fredrik Backman novel it was based on. (Backman wrote the series too.) If you have Netflix, I recommend this tale of a bank robbery turned into a hostage situation, and the well meaning but semi-competent father & son cops who are on the case. Charming and delightful.
Hi Jeff, glad to hear you liked Anxious People. I haven’t watched the series, but read the book a couple of months ago. At one point I found myself laughing so hard I couldn’t continue reading. Hope you enjoy it.
This is why I love talking about books. Jeff, I felt just the opposite about Gated Prey. It dragged for me. I was interested in the home invasion case, and not the storyline about the dead baby. But, you’re right about Duncan. He’s my favorite character. I was worried he’d get killed before he retired.
I liked A Surprise for Christmas.
Good morning all. A nice stretch of pleasant weather here. Typically below freezing at night with sunny days. Been able to get a nice walk in most days and a bit of yard work.
Lesa now that I’ve read the sequel in Oliver Clements’ Agents of the Crown series, I definitely agree that reading the series in order is well worth it; THE EYES OF THE QUEEN prior to THE QUEEN’S MEN. The main characters and the idea of queen having secret agents are developed in the first book. Both are wonderfully complex stories where the historical information is essential to the story rather than gloss. I confess I got distracted early on looking up that rare substance “naft”.
A good portion of my reading week was spent with the excellent fictional biography by Colm Toibin of the literary Nobel laureate Thomas Mann, THE MAGICIAN. Tóibín portrays Mann in all his complexity–his brilliance as a writer, his rich interior life, and his measured courage.
Heading to the library today, a batch of holds to pick up and a full bag to return.
Oh, MM. I went down so many rabbit holes while reading The Queen’s Men. I thought he did an excellent job incorporating the history.
Jackie is reading what she characterizes as science fiction, futuristic mystery romance, Jayne Castle (Jayne Ann Krentz)’s GUILD BOSS, the latest in her Harmony series,
One of the best, Jayne Castle.
Good morning!
Our weather has been typical for January – very cold, sunny days. The temperature was -9 this morning with a high expected of 3. Fortunately we haven’t had much snow and we seem to have a pattern going of two very cold days followed by two warmer days.
Lesa, I like the sound of The Cat Who Saved Books and put a hold on it at my library.
Most of my week was taken up with reading All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. A beautifully written book about the days leading up to WWII. The story follows Marie-Laure, a young, blind girl who lives with her father. She accompanies him to his job at the National Museum of Natural History where he is a locksmith. When war is imminent, they must flee Paris to stay with an eccentric uncle in Saint Malo. The second story line follows Werner, a young boy living in a mining town in Germany. He has taught himself radio technology. He enters a Nazi grooming school and eventually becomes a soldier for the army using his radio skills. The ending left me unsatisfied, but the characters and story will stick with me for a while.
I also read Woman in Shadow by Carrie Stuart Parks. Darby Graham is given her first assignment after going through a PTSD program for law enforcement. Darby is a forensic linguist. She is sent to a ranch in Idaho where some strange things have been going on. She is told to keep a low profile and she what she can find out. There are definitely some strange things going on – accidents, thefts and eventually murder. This was a quick read with a cast of interesting characters and a good mystery.
Have a great weekend!
You’re right, Gretchen. That’s our typical January weather, too, but I still hate it. 80s! Give me 80s!
Woman in Shadow does sound interesting. A forensic linguist is a little different for a main character.
Lesa, we’re expecting 79 today in Palm Beach County!
Darn, Jeff. We have 17 right now.
Good morning to all my reading buddies.
I don’t have much to report this week. I am finishing up the two books that I mentioned last week, Leaving Everything Most Loved (Maize Dobbs series) by Jacqueline Winspear and The Bombay Prince (Perveen Mistry #3) by Sujata Massey. Both have been wonderful reads. Next up will be Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger. I am looking forward to starting this series. I really enjoyed Lightning Strike and This Tender Land, both among my favorites for 2021.
On TV, I have been watching All Creatures Great and Small and thoroughly enjoying it. I love the characters (especially Tristan)! A nice, wholesome story. I am trying not to watch it all at once (I am streaming it on PBS Passport) so I can savor it. Thanks Jeff, for the recommendation of Anxious People. I did read the book and look forward to watching the series.
Wishing you all a week of 5 star reads.
Kathleen, We are trying not to watch all the episodes of All Creatures Great and Small too! Sunday has become our favorite TV night again with Around the World in 80 Days, All Creatures Great and Small, and Vienna Blood.
I will have to check out Vienna Blood and Around the World in 80 days. It is good to have recommendations for TV viewing. My husband seems to spend alot of time searching Netflix for something to watch and then complains that there is nothing worth watching. Having recommendations at least narrows it down!
Kathleen, Both Around the World in 80 Days and Vienna Blood are available on Passport. We are loving David Tennant as Phileas Fogg.
Kathleen, how does he (and you) feel about foreign language shows? Because we watch and lot of Scandinavian shows on Netflix, as well as others from Britain, Spain, Israel, South Korea, etc. Lot of good stuff out there if it doesnt have to be in English. Subtitles don’t bother me,
Good morning, Kathleen! That’s a great wish, “a week of 5 star reads”. I’ll take it!
I agree. Lightning Strike was one of my favorites for the year, too. I hope you enjoy the series!
I’m sure you’ll enjoy Iron Lake. Kent Krueger is one of my favorite authors. Since you’ve read Lighning Strike, you’ve already got some background for the series. Enjoy!
We got a teeny tiny bit of snow last week that is all gone but today it is 19 degrees as I type.
I read three books this week. Christmas by the Book by Anne Marie Ryan was just as enjoyable as Lesa and Margie said in their reviews.
Next I read These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant. I learned about it through Instagram. It is the story of Cooper and his 8 year old daughter Finch who are living in a cabin in the Appalachian Mountains off the grid. Their only contact with anyone else is their neighbor mysterious neighbor Scotland who seems to be aware of everything about them and Cooper’s friend Jake who brings them supplies once a year. When Jake doesn’t show up one year, things start snowballing. Finch is starting to have growing pains with their lifestyle and then they are spotted in the woods. The backstory of how Cooper and Finch ended up living that way is given in bits and pieces. I loved this so much I almost read it one sitting. To me, it really was that good. The writing reminding me of Marisa de Los Santos.
Yesterday I finished a Kindle Unlimited book, The Library by Bella Osbourne. It deals with a community library on the verge of closing in a small English village. While that was the main theme, it was so much more. Teenaged Tom feels invisible. He mother died when he was young and he lives with his father who works night at the dog food factory and spends his waking hours drinking in front of the TV. One day after a row with his dad, Tom finds himself at the library as an excuse to get out of the rain. The librarian immediately pounces onto him as a new patron. Tom tells her he is there to pick up romance books for his mother which raises the eyebrows of the senior ladies book club. Subsequent trips to the library and an unfortunate incident create an unlikely friendship with 72 year old Maggie, one of the book club members. Maggie and Tom become a family of sorts with Maggie helping Tom navigate his rough homelife and Tom filling the void of Maggie’s lost son. It all culminates nicely at the very end with requisite bow. I enjoyed it very much especially the effect books had on Tom’s life and Maggie’s feistiness.
Have a great week and Happy Reading!
Sharon, your comments about These Silent Woods intrigued me so much (partly because of your Marisa de los Santos comment) intrigued me, so I just put it on hold at the library. Thank you!
I hope you enjoy it, Margie. I am still thinking about it.
I don’t know that I’m going to get around to The Library, Sharon, but I’m glad it had a good ending. It sounds like something I’d like if I had so much more time!
It was a good reading week for me, I’m happy to report!
The stellar memoir THE BOYS was in my library queue for a couple of months, but it was definitely worth the wait. Child stars Ron and Clint Howard write about their childhood in Los Angeles in a lovely, down-to-earth way. Both of their parents were actors, but they focused more on their sons’ careers in show business than their own. Their dad, especially (Rance Howard), is largely responsible for keeping them grounded, showing them what to expect and how to behave on a TV or movie set, and not allowing them to become too full of themselves, thereby helping them avoid the pitfalls of other child stars. I particularly enjoyed the behind-the-scenes glimpses into The Andy Griffith Show, Happy Days, American Graffiti, and Gentle Ben, to name a few. It was also fascinating to read about Ron’s early interest in directing, and of his first professional directing job working for Roger Corman. The book doesn’t delve much into Ron’s long and highly successful directing career–dare we hope for a follow-on memoir? (By the way, can you believe Ron is in his late sixties now?) Those who enjoy show business autobiographies should be thrilled with this one.
Belinda Bauer certainly knows how to come up with original plots. In EXIT, Felix Pink is a quiet, 75-year-old widower who does volunteer work with the Exiteers, keeping terminally ill strangers company as they commit suicide. The Exiteers do not, of course, assist in the suicide, because that would be illegal. But at one client’s house, everything goes wrong. Calvin is a young police officer who, with his female partner, is charged with investigating what was reported as a murder at that address. That’s really all I can say about the plot without giving spoilers. But I must say that Bauer is a masterful writer. Nearly all of these characters are complex and flawed–neither all good nor all bad. We can’t help but empathize with both of the protagonists, who experience self-examination and character development over the course of the novel. There are flashes of humor and whimsy throughout, as well as moments when I almost shed a tear. There is a whodunit element, but little violence, and the conclusion is unexpected and fulfilling. What more could you want from crime fiction?
The product of immigrant Italian parents, actor/writer/director Stanley Tucci is obsessed with food and had already written two books about cooking and hosted a food and travel series, “Searching for Italy.” TASTE: MY LIFE THROUGH FOOD, written in his elegant prose, touches on what makes food memorable, his experiences in two food-related movies, the wonderful lunches his mother packed for him when he was in elementary school, what cast and crew can expect of the catering on a movie set (hint: it’s one area in which Italy unexpectedly falls way behind the US and France), and a bit about a medical challenge that removed his ability to eat and enjoy food for a 2-year period. And this is just a small sampling of what the reader will find in this lovely book (no photos, unfortunately). Of course, there are a number of detailed recipes for those brave enough to attempt them. This is a book to savor, either in small bites or huge helpings, whatever you need to distract and delight you during these trying days.
In GRAVE RESERVATIONS by Cherie Priest, Grady is upset when his travel agent, Leda, changes his airplane reservation at the last minute on what seems like a whim, but he changes his tune when he sees his originally scheduled plane involved in a deadly accident. Leda considers herself an “inconsistent psychic.” She hasn’t learned much about how to control her gift, while struggling to keep her fledgling travel agency alive. But she is skillful enough to moonlight doing “Klairvoyant Karaoke” at a local club, choosing a song that means something to an audience member after holding something from that person’s life. When she learns that Grady is actually a Seattle detective, she worries that he will think she was somehow involved in the airport tragedy, but Grady is actually more interested in using Leda’s skills to help solve a difficult case. Leda is somewhat reluctant until she realizes that helping Grady might bring her some closure about her fiance, who was killed by gunshot for reasons unknown. Although I enjoyed the entertaining story, I found it difficult to swallow that Grady would allow a wise-cracking stranger–and her equally unprofessional best friend–to accompany him on interviews, and even at crime scenes, risking humiliation and endangering his job security.
In THE MAID by Nita Prose, 25-year-old Molly Gray tells us in her own words about one intense week in her life, plus a bit more in the final chapters of the book. Molly genuinely loves being a maid in a luxury hotel because it fits well with the lessons her recently deceased grandmother taught her, and because she enjoys returning each hotel room “to perfection.” Molly is never happier than when she has a set of rules to govern each aspect of her life. But she knows she is different–she misses social cues and can no longer rely on her beloved Gran to help her navigate them. When Molly finds a dead body in a hotel room one day, she follows the hotel rules to the letter but soon finds herself the prime suspect in what turns out to be the murder of a wealthy businessman. And in so doing, she finds out who her real friends are and who she should never have trusted. I found this to be a delightful, fast-reading book, and rooted for Molly every step of the way. This is the author’s debut novel, and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.
Margie, You had some of the same reactions I did. I really enjoyed Grave Reservations, but the interview aspect seemed strange.
I’m so happy, though, that you enjoyed The Maid! Like you, I rooted for Molly. I thought this mystery was original and fresh.
Last night, I started HONOR by Thrity Umrigar, which is not really a mystery but a literary page-turner that telescopes many complex issues of modern India into the story of a small village where a horrific crime provides a focus for Umrigar’s exploration of justice, family betrayal, women’s issues, and religion. So far, an excellent read.
And, I continue reading THE DYING GRASS by William T. Vollmann.
I’ve heard very good things about Honor, David. You will probably continue to read THE DYING GRASS for quite some time. It’s nice to have a book to pick up and enjoy.
Honor sounds very interesting, I had not heard of it so I will look it up. I know so little about modern India, all my ideas come from A Jewel In the Crown, and I really need to update them a bit! Thanks for this recommendation.
That’s funny. My cousin just emailed us that we HAD to read it too.
Hey there, Lesa! Well, it’s spitting a little sleet at my house this morning in Central Texas. That being said, it was in the upper 70’s yesterday. Welcome to Texas, guys! Ha! I recently read A Flicker In The Dark by Stacy Willingham and liked it quite a bit. A good debut and I’ll be watching for what she writes next. I will say that it might be a little dark for some. Oh, one more thing – I saw your name mentioned on the Edgar’s Special Awards list – congrats to you! A Raven Award! I’m not surprised and it’s well deserved. Wish I was going to Left Coast Crime this year, but I’m determined to make it to Tucson for 2023!
Kay! It’s good to hear from you. Sleet sounds awful, unless you don’t have to go out in it.
Thank you for the comment about A Flicker in the Dark. It’s on the current bestseller’s list, and it’s hot here at the library right now, too.
Thank you for the congratulations! I hope we’re going to be able to hold Left Coast Crime this year! I want to go to Albuquerque. And, then I hope we both make it to Tucson!
Lots of snow here in the North Carolina mountains. 12 – 14 inches but the wind caused some mighty impressive drifts!
I love stories with talking cats! Remember the sassy cat in Charlaine Harris’ trilogy? I’m looking forward to this one thanks, Lesa!
The book I’m recommending loudly with passion is Diane Chamberlain as newest.
“A community’s past sins rise to the surface in New York Times bestselling author Diane Chamberlain’s The Last House on the Street when two women, a generation apart, find themselves bound by tragedy and an unsolved, decades-old mystery.
1965
Growing up in the well-to-do town of Round Hill, North Carolina, Ellie Hockley was raised to be a certain type of proper Southern lady. Enrolled in college and all but engaged to a bank manager, Ellie isn’t as committed to her expected future as her family believes. She’s chosen to spend her summer break as a volunteer helping to register black voters. But as Ellie follows her ideals fighting for the civil rights of the marginalized, her scandalized parents scorn her efforts, and her neighbors reveal their prejudices. And when she loses her heart to a fellow volunteer, Ellie discovers the frightening true nature of the people living in Round Hill.
2010
Architect Kayla Carter and her husband designed a beautiful house for themselves in Round Hill’s new development, Shadow Ridge Estates. It was supposed to be a home where they could raise their three-year-old daughter and grow old together. Instead, it’s the place where Kayla’s husband died in an accident―a fact known to a mysterious woman who warns Kayla against moving in. The woods and lake behind the property are reputed to be haunted, and the new home has been targeted by vandals leaving threatening notes. And Kayla’s neighbor Ellie Hockley is harboring long buried secrets about the dark history of the land where her house was built.
Two women. Two stories. Both on a collision course with the truth–no matter what that truth may bring to light–in Diane Chamberlain’s riveting, powerful novel about the search for justice.”
Kaye, I have the feeling Donna will appreciate The Last House on the Street more than I will. I’ll have to suggest it to her!
Oh, yes! I loved that cat in Charlaine Harris’ books! I had forgotten about it until you mentioned it. You’re welcome! I’m going to start it tomorrow when I finish John Sandford for LJ.
I haven’t been on Facebook today to see if Annabelle is still enjoying the snow!
Kaye, if you enjoy books with talking cats, have you read Shirley Rousseau Murphy’s series about Joe Grey and the colony of talking cats? The series has 20 books and is terrific, in my opinion! The series builds nicely and ultimately features each community member and cat in some way or another. Best read in order just to follow that development tho not crucial.
Sandie, oh yes. Read them as quickly as she wrote them! 😊
Cats and books, who can beat that. I found the paperback ecition and put on my list to age and reduce in price.
I finished The Cooper Beech by Maeve Binchley, LibraryThing’ s little meter said I would hate the book but I love it.
Won a book from Library Thing, The Spark of Love by Amanda Cabot. The story, a woman sets from the East to see her father in Mesquite Springs, Texas and meets a handsome man who is investigating her father who seems to swindle people out of their money with fraud. My only complaint is that I did not have time to screen it for small print and it is hurting my eyes.
The other one is The Burning House by Bonnie Kisler (an audiobook) I listened to the first disc this morning and it may be a winner.
Update on my eyes, I have been referred to a glaucoma specialist for a possible operation. My appointment on March 17th and will take three hours. Will need energy for that one!
Good luck, Carolee, with your eyes. I know you’d feel better if you can get them taken care of properly.
You’re right. Can’t beat cats and books.
Carole, I love Maeve Binchy – have you read Light A Penny Candle, which I think was her first full length novel? It’s still my favourite.
And the very best of luck with your eyes – it must be so hard to cope with these issues, and I do hope you get them resolved soon.
Hi Lesa,
It’s been cold here the past few days, but we’ve had some amazing sunrises and sunsets, and today Nancy and I had a great walk to Drumoak on the old railway line path. My husband is recovering very well from the hip surgery he had 10 days ago, so this aftenon he and I did an extra little walk aroud the village too.
This week I read a wonderful book, BOOKWORM: A MEMOIR OF CHILDHOOD READING by Lucy Mangan. She is a reviewer and regular contributor to The Guardian and other publications, and although she is considerabably younger than I am, she seems to have read (or had read to her) so many of the same books that I remember from my own childhood.
These include Teddy Robinson, Tottie: The Story of a Dolls’ House, What Katy Did, The Family From One End Street, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Tiger Who Came to Tea, My Naughty Little Sister, Milly Molly Mandy, The Famous Five, The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe, numerous pony and school stories, The Treasure Seekers, The Railway Children, and so many more. She also gives a bit of background about some of the authors. It’s a very easy read and I loved every word of it.
And I couldn’t help wishing that such a book had been around when i was a child, as Lucy Mangan was, like me, a child who just wanted to be left alone to read, but was constantly being nagged to be more sociable, active, etc. Luckily her father was also a quiet reader (unlike her mother and her sister) so he took her regularly to the local library (she grew up in Catford, a London borough adjacent to Bromley, where we lived) and also bought her paperbacks when he could afford to. If only I had known there were other children like me when I was constantly being ordered to Go Out and Get Some Fresh Air! Instead, although both of my parents were readers and library fans, my wider family (aunts,uncles, cousins, etc) never read, and thought I was a complete weirdo.
This reminded me that when i was a child, there were no charity book shops, no Amazon, AbeBooks, etc – the only places we could get books were from bookshops and the library. Like Lucy I too remember saving up my pocket money to buy the next Ruby Ferguson pony book or St Clare’s school story from WH Smiths. And like me, Lucy had access to a wonderful public library. Now so many public libraries in England have been closed. At least in Scotland most of them are surviving so far; and I am still rarely happier than when I’m browsing the shelves.
I now need to reread THE QUEEN’S LENDER by Jean Findlay, so that I can review it. It’s a fictional version of the life of court jeweller George Heriot, and King James VI & I, and his consort Queen Anna (Anne in England). Heriot was jeweller to the royal household in Edinburgh, and moved with them to London when James succeeded to the English throne. It’s a very interesting and well written story, easy to read and quite short (thank goodness…)
On Sounds I have been listening to A ROOM WITH A VIEW by EM Forster. Forster is one of those authors that I always think I have read, then realise that I actually haven’t – I’ve seen the films and that’s all. There was a stage at which Helena Bonham Carter was in all of them. I quite enjoyed A Room with a View, but I got irritated by Lucy Honeychurch, who couldn’t decide whom to marry, couldn’t work out her own mind, and was generally a bit silly. I did, however, like the characters of Mrs Honeychurch (played by the excellent Julia McKenzie) and the unconventional Mr Emerson (John Moffatt), and Nathaniel Parker was very good as the dreadful Cecil Vyse.
I also listened to A POCKETFUL OF RYE by Agatha Christie. It was well acted, with June Whitfield as Miss Marple, but I have to say it seemed to me to be one of the weakest of Christie’s plots. Has anyone else read it?
On TV we are FINALLY about to watch the last episode of first series of THE BRIDGE. I know this was extremely well received when it first aired, and was one of the first Scandi Noir series. Although I have enjoyed it more as the plot thiickens, and I do love the character of Saga, the Swedish detective, I still struggle with subtitles – which I think just underlines my terrible lack of concentration sometimes. Nancy watches so many of these Danish/Norwegian/Swedish etc series, but I don’t know that i will rush to see another one right away.
Last night we watched the first of a two part series in which Sue Perkins (one of the former hosts of Bake Off, and a very good travel documentary maker) investigates the people who give up their houses and decide to live permanently in their camper vans, or even their cars. This is far more of a thing in the US than in in the UK, so in the first programme she talked to people in Californa, and the second will be in Colorado.
I think she had as many doubts about what she would find as I did, but in fact it turned out to be fascinating. The people she spent time with were all ages from early 20s to 60+, and the younger people in particular were often doing it because they simply could not afford to pay rent on a flat. One of them said she had been working two jobs and studying, and realised she was only at home from 11pm to 6am, so she decided there was no point in paying high rent for a property she was hardly using. She was very down to earth about the hardships, as well as the pleasures, of full time camper van living. I have often wanted to go on a camper van holiday (my husband refuses point blank) but I defintely would not be up for living that way all year!
My big achievement this week was to get our holiday organised. This will not be till early September, but so many more people are coming to Scotland because they have been unable to go abroad that places are being booked up extremely quickly. We are going to go to Lewis and Harris (which are two parts of the same Hebridean island, but very different) and also spend a night at Ullapool, which is a lovely village and port on the west coast, from which the ferry leaves. I had also to make cat arrangements, and Charlie is booked into what looks like (and is said by many people to be) the most luxurious cattery I’ve ever seen. Thankfully it is only a few minutes’ drive away. They are very experienced with Siamese cats, so I just hope he will be OK!
I hope everyone is having a good week,
Rosemary
Rosemary, I was so lucky. I can’t even remember my parents saying quit reading and go out and play. On the other hand, I did enjoy being outside at times with my sisters, but I could also spend entire days on my bed reading 3 Wizard of Oz books. Bookworm sounds wonderful.
I know of an author who retired, and moved into a camper van and lives in it, moving from place to place. She planned it for quite some time, and she sounds happy with it. My family camped when I was a kid, but we traveled around the country for sometimes a month at a time, but never planning to live that way. I’m glad I did it. Now, I hope never to camp again.
I’m glad you got your holiday organized, even happier that Charlie is booked into his cat hotel. Frankly, I was more worried about him than about all of you!
Enjoy your week, Rosemary!
Lesa, when we moved to Brooklyn when I was 9, I discovered that our landlady’s daughter had the ENTIRE Oz series in beautiful hardbacks in the basement storeroom, and I read them all back to back.
Lesa, believe me Mr C was my first priority! My husband always thinks ‘something will come along, just leave it till nearer the time’ to sort things like this out, but as that someone would undoubtedly have been me, I decided to get it all cut and dried now. I didn’t have to pay a deposit at the cattery, so if for any reason we had to change our plans, I would just notify the owner as soon as possible. I am glad to have his booking at such a reputable establishment. And our vet nurse has confirmed that reminders for vaccinations are sent out well in advance, so as I think his are due in early summer, that should all be right up to date when he goes on his ‘holiday’.
I remember when my son was a toddler, I had to take our golden retriever to the borading kennels while we went on holiday. She absolutely loved the place, but I took her in, turned back to the car and saw tears pouring down my 2 year old’s face – he thought his best friend had gone forever. I did feel bad.
That would be me, with tears running down my face, Rosemary. I’m so lucky to have a reliable cat sitter! I hope Mr C loves the cattery!
It’s sunny but cool, here. I’d rather have rain right now. They say we’re going to get some, but we’ll see.
This week I read:
Deaht at the Summit by Nikki Haverstock; The archery range is having a convention, which is poulated by a lot of obnoxious people. Oneof them is murdered, then they get snowed in. Everyone but the main cast are jerks, and that makes this one a little harder to solve. I wished they were all guilty.
The Runaway by Nick Petrie; Peter Ash stops to see if a stranded motorist needs help, only to find himself hunting and being hunted by a psychopath. Pete’s not exactly what you might call mentally stable himself.
The Boatman by Dustin Stevens; A cop with PTSD from losing his partner, and got back on the job by joining the K-9 Corps investigates a mutliation murder. It’s at least 50 pages too long, and is missing something. Margaret Mizushima has nothing to worry about.
The History of Cinema in 3,000Quiz Questions by Benjamin C.; A very long quiz book about the history of movies, from the days of the magic lantern, to relatively recent times. You can’t help but learn something, but I could only read about 500 questions without a break.
Murder Lo Mein by Vivien Chien; The Asian Plaza is having a noodle cooking contest to drum up publicity. They get more than they bargained for when one of the judeges gets strangled. Lana Lee investigates, and drives her new boyfriend crazy.
Glen, I read The Runaway,and I totally agree with you. It’s been compared to the Jack Reacher books. I haven’t read many Reacher novels, but I prefer him over Ash.
I haven’t read the Vivien Chien series although I know it’s popular. Your reading week sounds just so-so.
Reading and blogging time have suffered lately because of getting ready for my husband’s surgery, but now everything is ready, he tested negative for Covid, and we will have a busy day tomorrow with the surgery and then a post op appointment in the afternoon. Yesterday, on the day Glen had his Covid test, was our 42nd anniversary. And we have lived in Santa Barbara 42 years.
Glen ordered The Cat Who Saved Books and it is on its way, so we should have his copy soon.
Last night I finished reading OLIVE KITTERIDGE by Elizabeth Strout. I had been reading only one story a night because each one is pretty depressing. I did like the book very much, but I don’t know how to explain what I like about it.
Now reading THE MYSTERIOUS MR. QUIN by Agatha Christie, another book of short stories. I read one of these a night too, and those are lighter, more fun. A good balance.
I recently started a mystery novel set in Norway by Jo Nesbo, NEMESIS. It is the second one I have read by that author. A police procedural, the protagonist is an alcoholic, and I don’t really like flawed policemen that much. It has been on my shelves since 2012.
Oh, I liked Mr. Quin, Tracy. Probably my favorite of Agatha Christie’s characters.
Good luck to Glen with his surgery tomorrow. I hope everything goes the way it’s supposed to do.
I’m thoroughly enjoying Linda Castillo’s Kate Burkholder series. Lisa ran my review of the first here, and it was certainly powerful. Since then I’ve read the second and third in the series and started #4 last night. I’m reading on the Kindle app on my iPad which is working nicely. It seems there are quite a number of novellas in the series as well with the next being #4.5, so I’ll be sure to include them as I go thru the series.
Oh, and I love the cover of the book you’re showing. I’m definitely curious what you think of the book and will look for your review!
I’ll let you know, Sandie. I hope Donna didn’t steer me wrong.
In reading the Kate Burkholder series, I really appreciate the way her team comes together. It might not be obvious in the earlier books, but they are a great small town police force.
Her short story collections and even the short stories individually are listed by the point numbers at Amazon. Great reads.
This looks really good. I will be starting Elizabeth George’s latest book tonight: Something to Hide. I’ve been a fan of her Inspector Lynley series.
I’ll let everyone know what happens with this book. I hope I love it, and can tell you all that.
Enjoy the Elizabeth George book!
I put my last Christmas anthology aside to pick up again and finish at the end of this year. Enough was enough, I guess. The downpours and flooding of earlier this month have let up, but it remains in the 40s here.
Since I first read All Creatures Great and Small written by James Alfred Wight under the pen name James Herriot In 1972, I’ve loved the stories, and bought and read each of the hardcover books as they were published in the U.S. I read each of them more than once, and also watched and enjoyed (and taped on VHS) the series of shows on PBS from 1978-1986 or so. I still have those tapes, but they’re so old as to be pretty much unwatchable. So I was pleased to see the series revived in a new iteration in 2021 on Masterpiece. I like the new cast and story, but watching it, wondered that I didn’t remember the story quite as the book told it. Thus I reread All Creatures Great and Small before the second season of the new series began. I was right; the screenwriters for the new series took huge liberties with the book, creating a major plot element not in the original, and changing characters around a good bit. I loved rereading the book, and recommend it, but don’t expect it to match the current series, which is excellent, if you do.
I’m a huge fan of James Gurney’s Dinotopia books, so when I came across mention of a Dinotopia pop-up book, I found a copy online. The description was used – very good condition. When it arrived Monday it was anything but; it was trash. The spine cracked open top to bottom, the cover was badly bent and torn, the pages, those not entirely missing (!!) had missing parts of the pop ups, text torn out, the whole thing a real mess. I’m outraged. I complained and was told they would give me a refund if I paid postage to send it back. I won’t, they’d try to fob it off on another unsuspecting customer. I’ll NEVER buy from THRIFT BOOKS again! Fortunately, I bought the book via Amazon, who agreed to issue me a refund.
I read Observations By Gaslight by Lyndsay Faye, 6 short stories about Sherlock Holmes, told as by other characters in Holmes’ panoply. I really liked two of the stories, the other four were just fine, but not worthy of my admittedly very picky applause. Note that I’ve read a lot of Sherlock Holmes pastiches, and the closer to the canon, in character, setting and style, the better I like them. I’m going to try another of the author’s books before I decide.
From my TBR shelf came The Rubber Band by Rex Stout. I love the Nero Wolfe books, both the novels and those with two or three novelettes in them. This novel has two intertwined plots, one in which a secretary is accused of stealing thirty thousand dollars in cash from a company vice president’s desk, the other involving an incident which occurred decades before in Silver City, Nevada in which a horse was sold and a jail escaped from. Typically complex Stout plotting is complicated by two murders and the necessity of hiding a suspect in Wolfe’s brownstone. This one is good, but not the strongest of the series. Of note here is that my paperback has 185 pages, but the print is small and the margins are 1/16”, both outer and gutter. In a current-day hardcover that would likely convert into at least 300 pages, probably more like 350! It wasn’t a problem to read, once I adjusted to it, but strong light was necessary.
Then I got to Lindsay Faye’s Dust and Shadow. It’s subtitled “An Account of the Ripper Killings”, and I believe it’s Faye’s first novel. In 1888, Jack the Ripper began his spree, murdering prostitutes in London’s Whitechapel district, eventually killing at least five, probably seven, possibly more, in horrifying ways. In Faye’s book, Holmes and Watson are drawn into the hunt for the killer, so we see events through Watson’s eyes. It’s a well-told story and I like and approve of the author’s conclusions and ending of the book. We’ll done. I’ve now moved on to The Whole Art of Detection, also by Faye, which is subtitled Lost Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes. It contains 15 stories set throughout Holmes career. I’m about 70 pages in.
When finished with that, just from the library, requested by me after my reading of comments here, I’ll read Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher. It’s been decades since I read her The Shell Seekers, in hardcover which was my Mother’s copy. She loved the book and read and reread it, so I gave it a try when going through her books after her passing.
I’m not sure how much reading I’ll do today, I’m that furious about the blocking of the Voting Rights Act. May those responsible (you know who) writhe in agony. Grrr.
Beautiful, sunny 48, dry through Monday. I need to try to get some walking in.
Oooh, I would be furious about the trashed book too, Rick! And would not hesitate I leaving a scathing review regarding their service. People can say what they want about Amazon, but in my experience, their customer service can’t be beat. (I LOVE pop-up books!)
Can’t wait to hear what you think of Winter Solstice. I think if you loved The Shell Seekers, you will enjoy it. It and September, and Coming Home. All lovely.
Blocking the Voting Rights Act. Yes, may they writhe in agony – and worse.
Right there with you and Kaye, Rick about the Voting Rights Act. I could go on, but I won’t. We feel the same way.
Did I tell you I saw an off-Broadway production of “Dust and Shadow”? Lyndsay Faye directed, and it was a staged reading with Bryce Pinkham as Sherlock Holmes. I’m a fan of Bryce Pinkham, and thought it was well-done.
It’s been a long time since I read Rex Stout, but I always enjoyed them.
That must have been fascinating, Lesa! I’m sure they glossed over the brutality of the killings, which would be easy enough in a staged reading.
You’re right, Rick. They did gloss over those parts.
Rick, I did not know what the Voting Rights Act was, so I have just looked it up.
I am truly shocked that people are still having to fight (and be opposed in fighting for) what should surely be their constitutional rights. I had no idea. I know that the former incumbent of the White House did all he and his colleagues could to make sure certain sectors of society could not vote, but I suppose I naively thought that was all history now.
Things are of course not perfect here, but so far as I know there is nothing like this level of disenfranchisement. I understand now why you are furious.
Meanwhile, in England, they have partygate, and many of us are questioning why it has taken an illegal party to show any signs of bringing the current PM down, when in our opinion he should never in a million years have been allowed anywhere near government in the first place.
O tempes, O mores, as I believe Cicero once prophetically declaimed.
Rosemary, It’s terrible here. If you’re not a white, Republican male, you’re not supposed to vote. Rick’s right for being so angry.
Oh, I put todays featured book on hold at ‘ta library.
Sorry to be late to the party! I always get such good recommendations here and appreciate that everyone here reads as much as I do. (In regular life I get a lot of “How do you find the time?” I always want to ask how the questioner can survive without reading.)
Anyway, some highlights of recent reading are Ninth House and Portrait of a Scotsman. Ninth House is a fun mix of different genres set in one of my favorite places, New Haven, Connecticut. The idea is that Yale’s secret societies are involved with magic that can (and does) go wrong, possibly leading to murder. Leigh Bardugo (of Shadow and Bone fame) is the author.
I also enjoyed Portrait of a Scotsman, third in Evie Dunsmore’s League of Extraordinary Women. The characters and setting are well-done, as is the romance part, and the political discussions cover important ideas in a nuanced way. The writings of Marx aren’t stereotyped, for instance.
Trisha, I’m right there with you. I was off for quite a while over Christmas, and I always say to family, “What do people DO who don’t read?” I just don’t understand.
I liked Evie Dunsmore’s first League of Extraordinary Women novel, but just didn’t go on to the next one. Some day. And, Trisha? You’re welcome at any time of day!
I am very late in checking in from my little place in NE Dallas which is in severe drought or exceptional drought depending on which map one looks at. We even had a wildfire the other evening about six blocks away that local firefighters fought for an hour before they got it stopped. Way too close for comfort.
I have not been reading much this past week. I still have three reviews to write for stuff before this week. Got back to reading a bit yesterday afternoon and am currently reading the short story anthology, CRIMEUCOPIA: TALES FROM THE BACK PORCH.