I’m going to start today’s book chat with a quote from author Lisa Gardner. She was recently interviewed for “By the Book” in The New York Times Book Review. This comment is perfect for Thursdays. “The next best thing to reading a novel is getting to talk about it with a fellow book lover. I think of it as the literary life cycle. Read a book. Share a book. Get a recommendation for a new book. And all is well with the universe.”
I love that quote from Lisa Gardner.
I’m currently reading Strip for Murder by Dolores Hitchens, and I’m hoping Jeff will chime in with some background about Hitchens or her writing. I always appreciate it Jeff!
Mark Bellew supplies strippers for parties. But, years ago, one of his strippers was beaten, raped, and then committed suicide. After all these years, he’s now receiving threatening letters. He turns to an insurance adjuster, Ed Warne, who works in the same building. Bellew doesn’t trust anyone with his story. “Warne agrees to do some checking but gets more than he bargains for—because whoever is writing the letters has now committed murder. And who knows how far they’ll go to settle this old score.”
Before I ask for your reading, I want to let you know I’m going to be in New York City most of next week. My sister and I will be flying back on Thursday, so I won’t be around much for What Are You Reading? I’ll try to catch up in the evening. I know I can rely on all of you to keep it going, though.
Saying that, let’s get started with this week. What have you been reading or listening to? We’d all love to know!
I’m going to sneak in early to share my stellar reading week. Every book I read was fun and interesting, time well spent.
Miss Moriarty, I Presume (2021), the sixth in the Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas. Light, fun series although a bit too much “romance” weakens this plot.
Love and Saffron (2022) A gentle ode to food and friendship. Kim Fay wrote this enjoyable short book during the pandemic intending it to be read in one sitting.
2022 brings another satisfying entry by Preston & Child. Diablo Mesa centers around Roswell, New Mexico and features Nora Kelly, archeologist and Corrie Swanson, FBI Special Agent.
And a colorful reinvention of the LA detective in The Goodbye Coast: A Philip Marlowe novel by Joe Ide. I watched the Poisoned Pen interview and it is, truly, all about the characters.
I reread an oldie in recognition of the 50th annual running of The Iditarod this week. 1999’s Deadfall by Sue Henry, an Alaskan suspense featuring Jessie Arnold, sled dog trainer and racer.
And finished up with SJ Bennett’s All The Queen’s Men. Jolly good fun with Queen Elizabeth as the unrecognized sleuth. My favorite parts are Rosie/Captain O and Buckingham Palace. The nicknames “Crabmeat, Bogroll” and the local lingo “so he stood like a lemon” give the appeal of the author being an insider.
Safe travels Lesa!
MM, I’m glad you dropped in early with a stellar list of books. I was wondering about the Joe Ide & Marlowe book, so I’m happy to see you enjoyed it. I haven’t read several on your list, but I recognize all the authors – Preston & Child, Sue Henry, Sherry Thomas. I’m really happy, though, that you enjoyed All the Queen’s Men!
Even with my son newly out of the hospital and getting adjusted to living together (thanks to all of you who sent me good wishes), I got more reading done this week than last week. That’s probably because I recently got 6 holds out of the library on the same day, and I now have 6 NetGalley approvals waiting for me to read and review. And then there are book club books I have to slot in when I can. I’m doing my best!
I love the way Deanna Raybourn’s Veronica Speedwell Mysteries take me to another place and time–London in 1889. But it is the characters of lepidopterist and adventurer Veronica and her dashing partner, Stoker, that make the series unique and surprising. Their latest assignment in THE IMPOSSIBLE IMPOSTOR takes them to Hathaway Hall, where the oldest son, Jonathan, who was thought to be a victim of the Krakatoa volcano eruption, has recently returned home. Besides being problematic for his younger brother and his ambitious wife, his arrival is also met with uncertainty–is the prodigal son really who he says he is? No one but his grandmother is convinced. Veronica and Stoker investigate, while under cover as experts on a collection of taxidermy mounts. Veronica knew Jonathan years ago, and this assignment forces her to deal with a secret from her past. I found this entry in the series to be one of my favorites.
I read the classic Agatha Christie novel MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, an excellent example of a locked room mystery, for a book club. It takes place on a train where someone has been found murdered, and because the train is stuck in the snow, the murderer has no opportunity to leave the scene of the crime. The remarkable Hercule Poirot is on the job, using his signature deductive reasoning to solve the crime, and solve it he does–explaining his process in excruciating detail. Suspects abound, but if you’re looking for action, you won’t find it here. It’s worth reading just to witness the way Poirot’s mind operates and to enjoy the setting on a train in Europe.
The first adult novel written jointly by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemond-Broka, THE ROUGHEST DRAFT, is an unusual romance–slow burn doesn’t begin to describe it. Katrina and Nathan scored a huge hit with their last book but haven’t seen each other since. Nathan just released a solo book, but it isn’t garnering the attention his agent had hoped for. He only feels alive when he writes, so he is worried about his future as a novelist. Katrina has simply stopped writing and is focusing on her life as the fiancee of Chris, who is also her agent. Chris’s finances are problematic–he has overspent and is now feeling the pinch. The writing duo still has a contract for one more novel, so Chris convinces them to work together once again, living together in a house in Florida to crank out the book in just two months. We learn about what occurred during the writing of their successful book and what split them up, as well as their feelings about each other, mainly through the pages they write and edit, separately and together. A very interesting premise, which can be frustrating as they are both reluctant to build a new relationship or even explore what went wrong the first time around. I enjoyed the way the flashbacks increased in number and intensified as the story progressed.
Having loved Katy Birchall’s second book, The Wedding Season, I looked for her first, THE SECRET BRIDESMAID, and found it just as enjoyable. Londoner Sophie has invented her own job–bridesmaid for hire. Not a wedding planner, she acts as the bride’s close friend–running interference when there’s a problem with a vendor, helping her pick out the perfect wedding gown, taking care of any problems on the wedding day itself, dealing with difficult relatives, and much more. She often uses an assumed name and is introduced as a friend or distant family member. Sometimes she is asked to do outrageous things–wearing a Chewbacca costume at a Star Wars wedding, for example–and she readily agrees. But when a Marchioness engages her to help control her daughter in the leadup to the wedding of the season, she hits a snag. It seems the daughter doesn’t want any help and tries to discourage and discredit Sophie with ridiculous requests, vicious rumors and total unruliness. It’s a fun story, and there’s a romantic subplot that will please romance readers.
I imagine there is some adjusting to do with you and your son sharing a house. It’s probably been years!
I love Murder on the Orient Express, Margie. I’ve led book discussions on it, and it’s just a fun book to talk about. I agree, though. Don’t plan on an action novel.
I’m looking forward to Katy Birchall’s The Wedding Season.
Today, I read DEAD IN THE WATER by S. C. Merritt. No, it’s not because I had nothing else going on, but because it is one of the shorter ebook cozies being published today. This one came in around 160 pages. I enjoyed it for what it was, but it just felt a little short. I am thinking I will continue this series.
Yesterday, I finished AN ETERNAL LEI, the new mystery from Naomi Hirahara. Really enjoyed it.
That means on Thursday, I will be starting DANGER ON THE ATLANTIC, the third Jane Wunderly Mystery by Erica Ruth Neubauer. I’m looking forward to it.
I have An Eternal Lei on a TBR list, Mark, so I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it.
This week I read THE LOST TRAVELLER by Sheila Connolly, the last book in her Irish pub series.
WOLF HOLLOW by Victoria Houston. This is listed as the start of a new series but it feels just like the Loon Lake series except the story is focused more on Lew than Doc. I’ve never been to Wisconsin or gone fly fishing but I still enjoyed the book.
AN EMBARRASSMENT OF ITCHES by M.K. Dean. When a house all vet goes to treat a friend’s pampered house cat she finds the cat outside and her friend dead in her swimming pool. I found this hard to put down. Hopefully book two will be coming out next month.
I have Wolf Hollow, Sandy, but haven’t read it yet. I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it. I don’t do fly fishing, either, but I like these books.
I miss Sheila Connolly’s Irish pub books.
Lesa, I’ve always meant to read more of Hitchens. She and her husband Bert did a series of 5 books about railroad detectives. I used to pick them up in England, where they were published by T> V> Boardman as Bloodhound Mysteries (their mystery series). As by D. B. Olsen she wrote a series of books with “Cat” in the title (CAT SAW MURDER was the first) about Rachel Murdock, and a second (shorter) series about Prof. Pennyfeather. But of course, it’s the “suspense” titles by Hitchens that are getting the attention – and reprints – these days. She wrote over 40 books.
I finally gave up on two library ebooks that just weren’t moving along fast enough for me. I read about 35-40% of each, but finally gave up. The Megan O’Keefe space book was interesting and kept me wondering how she was going to relate the two periods, 230 years apart, but it was too long, plus I’d read that the book – first of a trilogy – just ends without any warning, apparently leading into book two. The Winters BEDBUGS book was devolving into “woman’s mind disintegrating and no one notices” and I didn’t care enough to find out where it went.
I finished the Stuart Palmer collection. I liked the Hildegarde Withers stories. In the past, I’ve occasionally found her to be too annoying but one of us may have mellowed. I didn’t care as much for the Howie Rook story, but I did enjoy his two Sherlock Holmes tales.
Currently reading Bill Pronzini’s collection DAGO RED, which has one “Nameless” story (so far, at least), but is mostly non-series, often hardboiled tales. Somehow I missed this when it came out in 2015.
One book which sounded more to my liking was the new Dean Koontz, QUICKSILVER. Quinn Quicksilver was found abandoned on an Arizona highway aged three days old by three
wisemen named Kaspar, Belshazzer and Melchizadek (though I am the only one who seems to have noticed the significance of the names). He was raised by nuns and now, at 19, finds himself on the run by an all-powerful, incredibly dangerous government agency (who else?) with his newly discovered fiancee and her grandfather. Seems he drew attention to himself (as did the girl) by sending to one of those DNA places (dont do it!) and there could be an extraterrestrial connection. It reminds me a little of his Odd Thomas books, but despitee the nasty followers, it is somewhat lighter. Plus, it’s a relatively short, fast read and I should finish it today.Jackie is reading the J. D. Robb book ABANDONED IN DEATH.
Thank you, Jeff. I appreciate the information about Dolores Hitchens.
I noticed those names when I started Quicksilver. I say started, because, for some reason, I was distracted, put it down, and then had to take it back to the library to fill holds.
I loved Abandoned in Death!
Funny that you mentioned a quote by Lisa Gardner as that is one of the books I read this week – One Step Too Far – I read all of her books and usually like them but this one which involves hiking in the woods devoted too much space to describing how hard it was – since I’ve never hiked and don’t care to – I get it that it’s difficult – don’t need 100 pages devoted to it before anything happens. I also read The Husbands by C. Baker – don’t ask why I got this one out of the Library – I thought it was more of a mystery and it really seemed like a take on the Stepford Wives with men instead. Anyway, I wouldn’t recommend it. Hope you have a great trip to New York next week and the weather outlook looks fine – no weird weather.
I totally agree with you, Donna. I wouldn’t care about a book that describes hiking as difficult for 100 pages either. Sorry you didn’t have a good reading week.
Thank you! I’m looking forward to this trip!
Lesa, first of all, I hope your trip to New York goes well. Nice to be able to travel again. I’m really planning on making it to Tucson next year for Left Coast Crime. Hope you’ll be there as well.
OK, I’m in the middle of Janice Hallett’s THE APPEAL and it is quite interesting and not exactly what I was expecting. I do love a good epistolary book – this is definitely that, but….weird, compelling, some quite annoying characters, and I’m not sure where it’s taking me…enjoying the ride. Will try to finish it today or tomorrow.
Otherwise, there are 4 book groups at my new library here in Kerrville and I’m attempting to be engaged with all of them. Not really attempting to read all the books, but several of the ones selected are ones I’ve already read. Right now, I’m listening to THE STRANGER DIARIES by Elly Griffiths (read and discussed this one with a group a while back). Enjoying the reread. I’m mostly going to the discussions even if I decide not to read or reread the books. One can always learn something from the conversation I’ve found. Take care!
Thank you, Kay! If this trip goes well, I’ll look forward to a few more this year. And, as you said, hopefully Tucson next year!
You described The Appeal perfectly. Not sure where it’s taking you, but enjoying the ride.
Best of all, I’m happy to hear you’re enjoying book groups at your new library!
Good morning all.
This week I read Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby. I enjoyed the writing, however, I was turned off by all the violence. Excessive violence, in a book or movie, is not my cup of tea. I did love Buddy Lee’s one liners. I wished I wrote some of them down.
On audio I am listening to Homicide Halo-Halo by Mia Manansala. Some books work well on audio, and in some cases, may be even better. Other books do not. For me, books that center around food do not work as well on audio. That is the case with this book. I find that I am bored and zone out. I am at the half way point and another audio book has come in. I am going to switch over to The Violin Conspiracy. If I go back to Homicide Halo-Halo, it will be in book format.
I am about to begin reading the Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain. I have been looking forward to reading this book.
Lesa, have a wonderful time in NYC. The St. Patrick’s Day parade will be on Thursday, so be mindful of it when scheduling your trip to the airport.
Thanks for the reminder, Kathleen, about the St. Patrick’s Day parade. Hope we’re at the airport before all the festivities!
I don’t listen to audiobooks, but I really appreciate your comment that some books work better on audio than others do.
Sun is shining and they are starting the landscaping on my courtyard so life is good!
Thanks to Margie’s review posted a while back, I read The Season of Second Chances by Jenny Bayliss. I loved it. Annie Sharpe becomes the guardian of Willow Bay after her 20+ year marriage ends. While trying to put the pieces of her life back together, she becomes part of a community. I loved everything about this one-the setting, the secondary characters, even her hapless soon to be ex-husband, Max, who is trying to save the marriage. This was just the read I was looking for. Thanks, Margie.
I read my second book after a recommendation from an author I follow on Goodreads. In Lucky Leap Day by Ann Marie Walker, Cara is dumped by her boyfriend of several months but decides to take the trip to Ireland they had been planning on going together. She meets Uber driver Finn and has an immediate attraction. He takes her on a tour of Dublin and steers her away from all the tourist-y places to visit and instead sends her where the locals go. Her trip to Ireland ends with Cara at the local pub where Finn is playing on Leap Day. The whiskey gets the better of her and she ends up proposing to Finn. The next morning, she wakes up in his bed with a tin foil wedding band on her finger and Finn telling her the pub’s busboy with an internet license married them. Because she has to get to California that day, she decides to bring Finn with her to sort out the marriage situation. At that point, it just got plain out dumb. So.Many.Plot.Holes. And the epilogue is written by the dog. Needless to say, not my favorite read.
But I am ending out the week on with a good read. I should finish The Mystery of The Sorrowful Maiden by Kate Saunders this afternoon. Laetitia Rodd tries to broker a settlement between an actor and his wife who are living apart. Lots of behind the scenes about acting during Victorian times and a good story to boot.
Safe travels, Lesa. I am sure you will enjoy your trip with your sister.
Happy Reading!
You saved me, Sharon! I was going to read Lucky Leap Day, but I’ll skip it now. I’m not interested in “plain out dumb”. The first part of the plot sounded interested. Not now.
Thank you! I’m sure it will be fun.
Good morning everyone!
Lesa, I hope you have a wonderful time on your trip! My husband and I are getting ready to take a trip of our own. We will be going to Phoenix to visit my mom. She has a place there that she stays for several months in the winter. This year she had her car transported there and we will be helping her drive it back to Minnesota. On the way we are going through Utah to see our son. I won’t be around much for the next couple of weeks.
I read Acceptable Risk by Lynette Eason – this is the second book in the Danger Never Sleeps series. Sarah Denning is an investigative journalist with the Army stationed in Afghanistan. Her unit is taken hostage and kept in a rough jail. Sarah smuggled a satellite phone in the folds of her burqa and is able to send an SOS. Sarah’s father, a US Army General, sends Gavin Black and his team to perform the rescue operation.
Sarah’s difficulties are only beginning. Shot in the rescue process, she has many weeks of recovery ahead of her. When she is finally able to be discharged, she discovers that a false psychiatric evaluation will prevent her from returning to her job. While she is working to get the evaluation overturned, she learns of her brother’s suicide. Finding it hard to believe that he would do such a thing, she enlists Gavin to help her discover the truth. As they begin investigating, their lives are in danger. But Sarah can’t find peace until they uncover the truth. Lynette Eason is a favorite author of mine and this book didn’t disappoint. It is fast paced with lots of twists and turns.
I am currently reading For Such a Time as This by Kayleigh McEnany. This is a memoir about her time leading up to and then serving as President Trump’s Press Secretary. It is fascinating to see the inner workings of the White House. I am enjoying it so far.
Spring seems to be on its way. Today is very cold, but warmer temperatures are on the way the first part of next week.
Hope you are all well and have a good week!
Gretchen, I hope you have a little time to enjoy Phoenix before you drive the car back to Minneapolis. I love Arizona. I know, though, that you’ll enjoy seeing your son and mother. Safe travels!
I order Lynette Eason’s books for the library, so I appreciate the review. Thank you!
I have just an audiobook, All The :Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr,about a blind girl in Paris and orphan boy in a mining town of Germany. Time jumps from pre WWI and during .
Also. will be starting the Frederick Sisters Are Living The Dream by Jeannie Zusy.
Finished All Boys Are Blue by George M. Johson, it was on the list banned books here in Texas.
It is a memoir a black queer man from his childhood up to today, I say queer because he prefers that to gay. He know he was different very early, just the toys that he liked to play with.
He tells his story honestly and I grew to feel a lot of affection for his grand mother, parents and siblings. His is a very loving family that accepts what is and goes on loving. He had to deal with his blackness and that became easier when his community encourged pride in being black. The other part is more difficult because he says the main stream orientation for black men is masculine heterosexual men. But he finds a solution to that.
I noticed that there are quite a few negative reviews that diminish his message of find out who you are and be yourself. He had a very loving family, he was fortunate, those withiut a supportive family would feel very alone and most likely desperate and might try to numb themselves with drugs or alcohol. I am sure that the negative reviews refer to his telling of his experience of childhold molestation. I believe that instead of banning this book, it would be preferred to plan a discussion of feelings before and after the chapter on molestation. The author decries the lack of sex education in the schools that he attended. One way of preventing this abuse by teaching children to recognize when they are being lured into a dangerous situation and help the child have a plan on how to halt it.
Say I’m Dead: A Family Memoir of Race, Secrets, and Love by E. Dolores
Johnson – Gee I wrote a lot about this and the computer took it away!!
Oh, I’m sorry, Carolee, that you lost what you wrote about Say I’m Dead.
Thank you for such a thoughtful review of All Boys Are blue.
Not a whole lot going on, but not as much reading as some weeks.
Quest for The Kingdom Part One:The Legend of the Great Pearl by LM Roth; A stick in the mud rich guy is enslaved, then sent on a quest to a foreign land to find a pearl that may or may not exist…The we get a retelling of Genesis for the last section. I’m not sure if this turned into an Inspirational novel or not.
This is Life by Seth Harwood: A former NFL’er, former movie star, is now on the dark side of the tracks flailing about trying not to get killed by the usual Russian kingpin.
Long Train Runnin’ by The Doobie Brothers; A rock and roll biogrpahy of the group, going from the days before they ever met. Interesting, for sure. How did Michael Macdonald become a cariacture of himself? The punchline of an unfunny joke? Even discusses their appearance on the TV show What’s Happening?
Well, Quest for the Kingdom certainly didn’t inspire you, and I doubt if you’ll read Part Two, Glen.
That’s okay. I sometimes have weeks when I just sort of stare, and don’t read for a couple nights. Sometimes, I just need a break, even if it’s for no reason.
I love that quote!
And I know you’re excited about your trip!!!!!! I’ll be following your every step.
Books read. Two ARCs I loved. Two current current books I liked okay.
The ARCs I recommend are:
Lucy Checks In by Dee Ernst (ARC) –
Dee Ernst’s Lucy Checks In is a delightful work of romantic comedy about a disgraced hotel manager who travels to Rennes to rebuild a hotel and her own life in the process.
Lucia Giannetti needs a fresh start. Once the hotel manager of a glamorous NYC hotel and intimately involved with the hotel’s owner, Lucy had her entire future planned out. But when the owner disappears, taking millions of dollars with him, Lucy’s life as she knows it falls apart.
Two years later, forty-nine years old and unemployed, Lucy takes a job in Rennes, France to manage the Hotel Paradis. She pictures fur quilts and extravagant chandeliers, but what she finds is wildly different. Lucy is now in charge of turning the run-down, but charming hotel into a bustling tourist attraction. Between painting rooms, building a website, and getting to know Bing, the irritatingly attractive artist, Lucy finds an unexpected home. But can she succeed in bringing the Hotel Paradis to its former glory?
Witty and heartfelt, Lucy Checks In is an inspiring and feel-good novel about reclaiming your life, finding love, and creating a home in places you never thought possible.
The Homewreckers by Mary Kay Andrews (ARC) –
Summer begins with MKA, in this delightful summer read about flipping houses, and finding true love.
Hattie Kavanaugh went to work restoring homes for Kavanaugh & Son Restorations at eighteen, married the boss’s son at twenty, and became a widow at twenty-five. Now, she’s passionate about her work, but that’s the only passion in her life. “Never love something that can’t love you back,” is advice her father-in-law gives her, but Hattie doesn’t follow it and falls head-over-heels for a money pit of a house. She’s determined to make it work, but disaster after disaster occurs, and Hattie’s dream might cost Kavanaugh & Son their livelihood. Hattie needs money, and fast.
When a slick Hollywood producer shows up in her hometown of Savannah, Georgia, she gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: star in a beach house renovation reality show called “The Homewreckers,” cast against a male lead who may be a love interest, or may be the ultimate antagonist. Soon, there’s more at stake than bad pipes and dry rot: during the demolition, evidence comes to light that points to the mysterious disappearance of a young wife and mother years before.
With a burned out detective investigating the case, an arsonist on the loose, two men playing with her emotions, and layers upon layers of vintage wallpaper causing havoc, it’s a question of who will flip, who will flop, and if Hattie will ever get her happily-ever-after.
I have to read Lucy Checks In, Kaye. That one sounds right up my alley. I think I’d love it. And, I always enjoy a mature character. 49 works.
Here’s one I want to read. It comes out in August. The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie by Rachel Linden. That’s another one that sounds terrific. I hope it lives up to the summary.
Hi Lesa – I hope you both had a lovely time in New York City and an easy journey back.
My reading has been minimal this week – we came back up the road from Edinburgh on Sunday afternoon in beautiful weather, having decided to take the coast road instead of the motorway. It was uplifting to pass through all the small places along the way, and to see the sea so blue and glittering. We stopped briefly in Johnshaven, a traditional fishing village with a pretty harbour, then we drove across the hills to Deeside.
Since then I’ve been out on two walks with friends – the latest, today, was over on the coast, around the old village of Portlethen. Most people today, on hearing that name, would think of the vast housing developments and shopping centre that started to spring up at the beginning of the oil boom and have been growing ever since, but there is still a little fishing village at the edge of the cliffs. Today the wind was again fierce, so the sea was wild and the birds were screaming around the rocks. We saw an old fishing station, and a ‘haul in’ where the boats were pulled up onto the shore.
On Monday Nancy and I had a lovely walk along the Dee from Crathes towards Banchory. It was a much nicer day – blue skies and sunshine. We saw the little railway that is being restored on what is left of the old Deeside line (most of it was dug up and turned into a footpath many years ago). There were lots of fishermen standing in the river; the salmon season is open, and ‘rods’ can cost thousands of pounds on some estates (though the stretch where I live is run by a local club, so residents only pay a few hundred pounds a year for unlimited access to this and some other rivers). The Leys Estate, where we were walking, is very smart and has fishing ‘huts’ to match – some of these look more like pavilions. They are catering for visitors from London and overseas, not locals – but they bring in a lot of income, and the estates employ a lot of people, so it’s not all bad.
I’m still working my way through Timothy Ashby’s ELIZABETHAN SECRET AGENT: The Untold Story of William Ashby 1536-1593. We’re now in Scotland and Ashby is desperately trying to keep James VI on side to avoid him welcoming the advances of the Spanish and French. As usual, Elizabeth I is throwing a tantrum and refusing to send money or forces to the Scottish court, so Ashby is left in a very difficult position. It’s fascinating to see so many similarities between the situation then and ours today – Westminster still wants to hang on to Scotland without giving anything back! Tim Ashby is a very good writer, and really gives a feel for the constant dangers of the time, one when ‘men wore treachery like a second skin.’ Nothing much has changed!
I’m also still reading Molly Keane’s wonderful novel GOOD BEHAVIOUR, about the strange, dysfunctional life of an Anglo-Irish aristocratic family in pre-independence Ireland. It’s both funny and bizarre.
Today I paid a visit to my library – I’m still trying to borrow the maximum on both of our cards, to improve the library’s statistics, so my latest books are:
Adele Geras: COVER YOUR EYES
Julia Chapman; DATE WITH MALICE
Linda Castillo: THE DEAD WILL TELL
Helen Cox: DEATH AWAITS IN DURHAM
Caro Fraser: A TOUCH OF SILK
Andrea Camilleri: THE COOK OF THE HALCYON
Miranda Emmerson: MISS TREADWAY AND THE FIELD OF STARS
Julia Kelly: THE WHISPERS OF WAR
Dr Juliet McGrattan: SORTED: THE ACTIVE WOMAN’S GUIDE TO HEALTH (though I thought this would be more general – on flipping through it there seems to be an *awful* lot about running and workouts, neither of which interest me in any way whatsoever…….)
The fiction books are largely by authors from the first part of the alphabet as i was consulting my Amazon wish list when I was in there! I think some of them may well have been recommended on here, so if anyone has read any of them, I’d be interested to hear what they thought.
On the radio I listened to A MAN LAY DEAD – an Inspector Alleyn mystery by Ngaio Marsh. The story is set in the usual big country house, where the weekend guests include a wealthy writer, his journalist cousin and heir, a suspicious foreigner (of course), a married couple, and a glamourous woman. Added to these are the rich owner of the house and his daughter. I’ve never read any of Marsh’s books – this one seemed less than impressive to me, especially the method by which the murderer achieved his/her end, but I understand that this is one that the author wrote very early in her career, so perhaps she improved?
I’ve also just started watching COLLATERAL, a 2018 thriller written by David Hare. It’s in 4 parts, and opens with the shooting of a pizza delivery man outside the smart London flat of the ex-wife of a shadow government minister. Carey Mulligan, who is always excellent, plays the detective inspector in charge of the investigation, Billy Piper plays the ex wife, and Nicola Morgan an as yet unexplained troubled vicar at the local church. I’m pretty sure that, as David Hare wrote it, this will be more than a standard thriller, and will have something to say about the politics of the time.
I was at the hairdresser’s yesterday (that’s where some more of my time disappeared…) and the guy who cuts my hair was shocked that I had never seen THE LAST SHOWMAN – he says it’s brilliant. Has anyone seen it? We also had a fun time critiquing QUEER EYE. I love having a morning at the hairdresser every so often. The girl who does my colours is also very chatty and entertaining, so I always come out feeling energised and cheerful.
I am hoping to have a clear day tomorrow, so I should – at last – say goodbye to William Ashby, though I may well have to speed read the whole book again before I write a review. There are so many names to remember, and so many plots and sub-plots. And it’s all true.
Have a good week everyone.
Rosemary, youe right. A MAN LAY DEAD was the first Alleyn book by Ngaio Marsh, and she did get better.
Thanks Jeff! I think I have another book of hers somewhere, so I will give that a try (when I find it.) Also BBC Sounds are replaying three other Inspector Alleyn mysteries to mark the 40th anniversary of the author’s death, so I will try to listen to them before they get taken off again – they are only available for 8 days. The others are A Surfeit of Lampreys, When in Rome, and Opening Night. They do have a stellar cast – actors like Donald Sinden, Dorothy Tutin, John Moffat, Thelma Barlow and Derek Waring.
Actually, Rosemary, we leave for NY on Monday, but that’s okay. I appreciate the thought, and I know we’ll have a great time.
You and I have different ideas of enjoyment, though. I’m a city person for vacation, not someone who likes to walk. To be honest, my favorite parts of your walking trips are the places you eat, and the charity shops. (smile)
Oh, yes. I’ve read several of Julia Chapman’s mysteries set in the Dales. I enjoy them, but they’re not easy to come by here. They’re light and humorous. They might be a little too fluffy for your taste. Linda Castillo! I have read all of her books, and I love them. The books are set in Amish country in Ohio, and I’m familiar with that area of the state. I’m originally from Ohio.
I can’t wait to see if you love or hate the books. I read Ngaio Marsh years ago, and liked the series, but I don’t know now which books I read. I think I was in high school when I read them. Those were my Sayers, Marsh, Christie years.
Oops, sorry Lesa – but as you say, have a good time whenever you go!
In furure I will write more about my cafes and my charity shops! – I didn’t realise they were of interest. Do you have charity shops in the US? Most towns, even small ones, have plenty of them here now, and I enjoy the way they all have such different characters. And although I am happy to pick up a few contemporary books when I visit, I am always over the moon if I find some long lost gem. I know I could find whatever it is online, but finding it on a shelf is so much fun – and often I don’t know a book exists till I come across it, I just think ‘oh that looks interesting’ – and quite often it turns out to be just that.
And I’m dleighted that some of the books I borrowed are known to you. It was the mention of Amish country on the back of the book that drew me to the Linda Castillo novel.
I also had Sayers and Christie years. Nowadays, as I’ve said before, I can only take so much of Christie, and I have to be in the right mood for Sayers – some are definitely better than others. On the whole I still think a good modern writer can do a lot better than the ‘Golden Age’ writers, but I know many people would disagree!
Rosemary, I don’t think our charity shops are the same as yours. We do have some, run by St. Vincent de Paul and the Salvation Army, and a couple other organizations, but they tend to be massive store-like places, and most of us don’t go there looking for books. I haven’t been in one for about 6 or 7 years. My Mom & I went looking for an old suitcase she could use just to take home with stuff in it I was passing on to my nephew. We do have used bookstores, and library book sales for the book part, though.
Oh, everything is interesting, including your walks. My comment was really to say, I’m not an outdoors person, but I love to read about your adventures.
My first book in March was THE SPIES OF SHILLING LANGE by Jennifer Ryan. This was historical fiction set during World War II. The main character is a middle aged woman divorced by her husband, who goes looking for her daughter living in London, and gets mixed up with Fascist spies. Although a lot of the story is about spies, British agents, enemy agents, it was a much lighter read than most spy fiction I read. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it a lot.
Also finished WATERMELON by Marian Keyes recently. The top genre description this book gets on Goodreads is Chick Lit but it wasn’t what I expected Chick Lit to be like. I have never read a Chick Lit novel, so I would not be a good judge. Anyway, it is the first of seven novels about the Walsh family, each one focusing on a daughter of the family, I think. The main character is Claire, she is 29 and has just had a baby, and then her husband announces he is leaving her for another woman. I enjoyed it; it was a good change from my normal reading. Main complaint: it was too long (440 pages). I read it for Reading Ireland at 746 Books.
Right now I am reading THE WRONG KIND OF BLOOD by Declan Hughes. This is the kind of book I read, but I am not getting along with it. Haven’t decided whether to give up on it or not… which would be unusual for me. It is very Irish. The main character is a private detective with a tragic background; not my favorite premise. The people he is dealing with are all slimy in one way or another; also not a favorite story line. But the writing is good.
I have two books by Dolores Hitchens, but have read neither of them. They are: STAIRWAY TO AN EMPTY ROOM and FOOL’S GOLD. FOOL’S GOLD is part of a Library of America volume I have of suspense novels by women writers from the 1950s. I had no idea that she had written so many books.
I hadn’t read any books by Dolores Hitchens, either, Tracy. It’s okay. But, I probably won’t look for other ones by her. And, I don’t think I’ll read the Wrong Kind of Blood, either. I have to have at least one character to cheer for, and it sounds like there are too many slimy ones there.
On my blog today, I review NOTHING TO LOSE by J. A. Jance.
Currently reading SHADOWS REEL by C. J. Box.
I haven’t read C.J. Box, Kevin, but I love to listen to his book events. And, I love that Joe is married to a librarian.
Box wrote a collection of short stories which is a good place to start, Lesa.
Thank you, Jeff! I appreciate it!
SHOTS FIRED: STORIES FROM JOE PICKETT COUNTRY is the name of the collection. I reviewed it here: https://kevintipplescorner.blogspot.com/2018/06/ffb-review-shots-fired-stories-from-joe.html
Joe’s wife, MaryBeth, is the Library Director and has a major role in the new book.
I’m still reading the Kate Burkholder series by Linda Castillo. I’m on book #12 now with just one more to go until the new release during the summer. The series has been well written, suspenseful, with interesting characters I care about. Plus there always seems to be a twist at the end that changes things. I’m thoroughly enjoying the entire series. Plus she’s written a 60 or so page short story between each book starting at 4.5 and then 6.5, 7.5, and so on. Each story has been interesting and while not at all crucial to follow the series, has filled in some interesting gaps. Even with my vision at a really bad point, I”m still reading on my Kindle, which surprises the heck out of me since I was so addicted to audiobooks. I still enjoy them but find I need to do something else mindless while listening, or I am too easily distracted out of the book. I enjoy doing jigsaw puzzles on my iPad while listening, or crafting in my studio if listening during the day. So both have their places.
Nothing makes me feel better than knowing I introduced you to a series you’re loving, Sandie. I’m so glad you like Linda Castillo’s books!
Hey Lesa, Hope you have a great time in New York and the weather is fine. I am currently listening to the 4th book in the Lighthouse Library series by Eva Gates “Reading up a Storm”. In print, I am reading Run, Rose, Run by James Patterson and Dolly Parton and Beach House by Michael Ledwidge.
Thank you, Katherine. I’m looking forward to the trip.
Run, Rose, Run cost the library a fortune today, more so than James Patterson’s books usually do. The big draw here was Dolly Parton. You’ll have to let us know what you think.
I will, Lesa. It’s okay so far. It is not the best I have read, but not the worst either. I was hoping for a little more “thrills” and to be sucked in.
“The epilogue was written by the dog”. Hahaha! Unbelievable.
Good line, wasn’t it, Ada?