It’s Thursday! Time to talk books with a group of friends again. So, let’s talk about what we’re reading.
Winslow Homer: American Passage by William R. Cross is a dense book. It’s 560 pages, and I’m sure I’m not going to get through it. At least the last 100 pages or so are index. The book is heavy as heck, so when I say dense, I mean it. But, I do want a flavor of it, and I want to see the colored illustrations of some of Homer’s paintings. There’s a new exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, “Winslow Homer: Crosscurrents”. It runs through July 31, but I’ll be back in New York next week to receive the Raven Award from Mystery Writers of America, and I plan to take advantage of the trip. I hope to get to the Met next Friday to see the exhibit.
So, that’s what I’m reading at the moment. What about you? What are you reading this week?
Oh, and because there was a question, and I forgot to mention this, I have my comments about “Secrets of Dumbledore”. I loved it, but I’m not the most critical of moviegoers, especially since I hadn’t been to a movie in almost 2 1/2 years. It was dark, but not as dark as the second in the series. And, the Fantastic Beasts were wonderful! There was a new one, sort of a cross between a colt and a fawn. And, my favorite one, the little platypus-type thief was back. Eddie Redmayne is excellent, and I liked the actor who played his brother, Theseus. We had both been disappointed in the second movie because of the lack of cute beasts, and the dark, almost Nazi atmosphere to that one. Jude Law was terrific as Dumbledore. You really have to have seen the previous movies though to know what was going on.
I don’t read much this week.
A Margin For Murder by Lauren Elliot; A bookstore owner goes to a library clsing sale in a eighboring town. She gets talked into buying a bookmobile, and finds rare first editions inside. Then someone driving the bookmobile crashes it, but turns out to have been poisoned. Plus seeing a long lost boyfriend, while being disappointed in her current beaux makes for a buys novel.
Coilhunter by Dean F Wilson; Tough talking cowboy-ish bounty hunter in a postapocalyptic wasteland, shoots people, collects bounties, but never seems better off.
Scars and Stripes by
T
im Kennedy; Not one of THOSE Kennedys. This guy is one of those who got Al-Zarqawi, and was a top level MMA fighter to boot. Most of his life, he was a knot head, but he’s learned from his mistakes. Nice to see somebody does.
I have always wanted to own my own Bookmobile.
I can just see you driving that bookmobile around town, Kaye. (grin)
Funny, Glen – nice to see somebody learns from his mistakes.
I’m working on Claws for Suspicion by Deborah Blake. I’m enjoying it, although I’m ready for the body to drop, especially since the murder victim is rather obvious.
Some of those cozies make it very easy to see the murder victim, don’t they, Mark?
Someone we hate, and someone with a connection to a main character so they can be a suspect. Yep, very easy to figure it out.
Good morning Lesa, and many congratulations on your award!
Today I am yet again in edinburgh. We have to take my mother to an appointment, but tomorrow my elder daughter Anna and I will have a day together, which isn’t something we get often as she lives in London. She’s been up in Aberdeenshire with us since Monday so we’ve managed to fit in a few good walks already – one was eight miles long, which is a lot even by my standards, but it was a beautiful path beside the river, from Crathes to Banchory – and at the charity shop in Banchory I found a hardback copy of Nigel Slater’s latest cookbook for £3, so I was extra happy. Anna will be heading south again on Saturday.
I’ve been taking part in the #1954Club week, so I’ve submitted reviews of JILL ENJOYS HER PONIES by Ruby Ferguson, and THE ALICE B TOKLAS COOKBOOK.
When I marked the Cookbook as ‘read’ on Goodreads I realised I’d first started reading it in February 2021 – there was a big gap in the middle, but I’m so glad I picked it up again as I enjoyed it very much. It’s so much more than a collection of very extravagant recipes; it’s a record of the avant garde artistic community in Paris in the first part of the 20th century, seen from Alice’s very particular viewpoint, and the story of her relationship with Gertrude Stein, which lasted forty years.
When they’re not in Paris, they’re in their country home in the Jura, or staying with their numerous rich and arty friends all over the south of France. They return to the US when Gertrude undertakes a 7 month book tour, so we get to hear about all the people they meet, the places they stay and of course the meals they eat while they’re there. This is 1934/5 and Alice is bowled over by the abundance of the produce – she especially mentions the markets of New Orleans. Although she loves French food, she remarks on the innovation of American cooks compared to the conservative views of the French.
In the First World War she and Gertrude volunteer for the American Fund for Wounded French and drive all over France delivering supplies. In the Second they are in the south during the Occupation, so there are stories about rationing and how they got round it, and of the advent of ‘the blessed black market’.
I’ve now spent so long with Alice and Gertrude that I feel like I know them personally!
So now I’m turning to a bit of light relief in the form of DEATH AWAITS IN DURHAM (as my husband said – ‘maybe not a great catchphrase for the Durham Tourist Office’) by Helen Cross. A student has disappeared; the last time she was heard from was when she called a local night radio station to say she knew something explosive about her college. She sounded as though she was running from someone who presumably caught up with her. And that’s as far as I’ve got.
On the radio I listened to Meg Wolitzer’s THE FEMALE PERSUASION. I wasn’t sure if I’d like it but in fact I was so gripped I listened to all ten instalments in one day. Brilliant.
And on TV I started watching ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL, about a politician with the perfect wife, children, house, lifestyle, etc who is revealed by the media to be having an affair with an aide.
I’ve only seen the first two episodes so far, in which the fall out starts to affect more and more people, and secrets from his past – most especially from his association with an Oxford university drinking club with marked similarities to the Bullingdon (where our apology for a prime minister spent his time drinking gallons of Bolley with his wealthy old Etonian friends – now all men in positions of power) – are beginning to emerge.
We’ve also now started the third and final series of DERRY GIRLS. The first two episodes have been ecstatically received by reviewers and audiences alike, but I’m sorry to say we all feel it has rather lost its edge and is suffering from too much over-acting.
Have a good week all!
Rosemary
Interesting, Rosemary. We’ve had the same things here – series return after a several years’ hiatus (due at least in part to the pandemic) and the reviewers aren’t happy. But I am really looking forward to series 3 of DERRY GIRLS anyway. I’ve rewatched the Wedding Episode (2/4) several times – “It’s “Rock the Boat”! It’s “Rock the Boat”!” Love that one the best.
Speaking of Scotland, have you see TRACES, the Val McDermid-Amelia Bullmore series set in Dundee? We’re on series 2.
Jeff, We finished Season 2 of Traces last week. Hoping for Season 3.
I love Derry Girls, too. I hear season 3 is showing right now in the UK so I hope it will be here soon. Or maybe it’s on BritBox–I’ve asked for a subscription for my birthday.
Jeff, most people are thrilled with the new series of Derry Girls, it just we who don’t think it’s quite as good. It’s still definitely worth watching, and there is a brilliant surprise towards the end of the first episode.
I think we watched the first series of Traces (probably on your recommendation!) but I didn’t realise there was a second, so I will look for that when I am back in Aberdeenshire next week. Thank you for telling me.
Rosemary, i have always been fascinated by the whole “Lost Generation” of 1920s Paris, which includes, of course, Alice and Gertrude. I love THE ALICE B TOKLAS COOKBOOK and when i re-read it, it sends me down a long, long rabbit hole of additional books featuring Alice, Gertrude, and a long list of writers, artists, musicians, poets and muses from that period of time.
I’m glad it’s not just me Kaye! And it’s great to find someone else who has read the Cookbook – I can’t stop myself telling people about it, and most of them look at me with glazed eyes….
There are so many names dropped into the narrative, and each one, when investigated, leads to five more. I enjoyed all of that!
Oh, Rosemary. When Jeff remarked we had the same things here, I thought he was talking about politicians who drank too much and had secrets from their past. We definitely have that here.
I always enjoy your letters from Scotland. Thank you!
Haha Lesa – well yes, it could easily have been that couldn’t it? We are all now fervently hoping that the so called Prime Minister will at last now get what’s coming to him, but he is an absolute expert at one thing (only) – slithering out of trouble. But we live in hope.
I didn’t get much reading done this week. My mom had a stent put in a few days ago and they were supposed to release her from the hospital yesterday but pushed it back to today. They are supposed to set up a visiting nurse and at home physical therapy. I really wanted them to transfer her to a rehab facility for a week or two because her house has a lot of stairs and I’m not sure how well she’s going to be able to manage. I’ve just been too stressed to concentrate on a book much.
I’m most of the way through THREE SHEETS TO THE WIND by Sherry Harris. Set on the Florida coast, bar owner Chloe Jackson finds her ex-fiancé dead in the water.
Sending good thoughts to you and your mom, Sandy.
I’m sorry, Sandy. I hope things work out for you and your mother. And, I hope Sherry Harris’ book is providing some light relief from your troubles.
Sending you supportive thoughts Sandy. I totally understand and empathise with your stress, it is all so difficult. I hope the right care is put into place for your mother asap. Rehab facilities seem to be in shorter and shorter supply here, partly due to an ageing population, but also (and probably mainly) to numerous cuts in funding. Best of luck and I hope you’ll soon be able to relax a bit.
We have a framed Winslow Homer print from an exhibit at the Whitney Museum probably sometime in the ’70s. Enjoy.
As usual with me, I am reading multiple books at once, five to be exact. Three are collections of short stories:
Roddy Doyle, Bullfighting. So far, nothing to do with the title, but another Dublin collection. Good, but I’d recommend reading the new one (LIFE WITHOUT CHILDREN) instead. It is really excellent.
William Brittain, The Man WhoSOLVED MYSTERIES. This is the second long (320 pages) collection of Brittain stories (mostly from EQMM) published by Crippen & Landru, and there will be one more, of his non-series stories. These 25 are all about elderly high school science teacher Leonard Strang, whose mind helps him solve interesting mysteries, often school-related. Recommended.
This is Hank Davis, ed. In Space NO ONE CAN HEAR YOU SCREAM. As the title indicates, these can be classified as horror stories set in space. Some of the authors are Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Sheckley, Theodore Sturgeon and George R> R. Martin, whose “Sandkings” is pretty darn creepy.
We’re off to Costco so will do the novels when we get back.
I don’t do creepy, Jeff. Not at all.
Enjoying some much needed rain. Three wonderful stories to share this week, all mysteries of some type, all recent and popular too.
THE PARIS APARTMENT Lucy Foley
This clever whodunit finds Jess, always a risk-taker, arriving at her brother’s Paris apartment after upending her work situation in London. Although expecting her, he’s not there. Over the next few days, she searches the building in hopes of tracking him down, finding a suspect behind every door. Amid plenty of red herrings and distinctive characters, each shifty in their own way, the story builds to an uplifting twist ending.
A THOUSAND STEPS T. Jefferson Parker
Set in 1968 Laguna Beach, CA, amidst hippies and Timothy Leary preaching, 16-year-old Matt Anthony is mostly worried about his family. His sister, 18-year-old Jazz, is missing. The police don’t take her disappearance seriously and are busy trying to bust drug dealers. The hunt for his sister is a captivating story, but this is also a thoughtful coming-of-age novel and a portrait of a Southern California town a time of substantial societal change.
CARTOGRAPHERS Peng Shepherd
An imaginative thriller about a young woman who discovers an ordinary but valuable map. It leads her on a dangerous journey and the truth about her estranged family. With special appearances from the New York Public Library. “An ode to art and science, history and magic”.
But Lesa, what about the movie you saw? (Secrets of Dumbledore) I caught myself wondering…. was it terrible? didn’t she go?
Maureen, I’m so glad you asked about the movie. I went back and added it after reading your comment this morning. Thank you! And, thank you for your review of Cartographers!
Maureen, I like the sound of A Thousand Steps – but my library doesn’t have it and on Amazon and eBay it appears to be at least £18…so I have added it to my wish list, as you never know!
Good morning!
That Winslow Homer books does sound dense, Lesa. I love his paintings though, so I can see why you would want to read it.
This week I read:
The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim – Four very different woman agree to split the rent of an Italian castle for the month of April. Each of them wants to escape their life in London for just a little while. Mrs. Wilkins and Mrs. Arbuthnot feel unappreciated by their husbands. Lady Caroline wants to be in a place where she is unrecognized by anyone and can avoid being “grabbed at” for just a little while. Mrs. Fisher wants to be able to sit and remember undisturbed. Each of them has preconceived notions about how life should be lived. But before long, the beauty and serenity of the castle by the sea casts its spell on each of them. This was such a delightful read! I really enjoyed it.
Partners in Lime by Bree Baker – The 6th book in the Seaside Cafe Mysteries. Charm, North Carolina is the location of some fun summer events. Surf competitions are often held nearby and this summer Charm will be hosting the eighty-fourth season of The Lost Colony, a historical outdoor drama. Some of the local residents have secured positions in the play. As opening day draws nearer, tensions are running high.
Matt Darning, EMT and friend of Everly Swan, has a leading role in the play. It turns out he is excellent with the longbow. One evening after rehearsal, Everly notices Matt arguing with a surfer. The next morning the surfer is found dead, shot with an arrow. The evidence points to Matt. Everly is convinced Matt isn’t capable of murder. He is an EMT after all. He is in the busines of saving lives, not taking them. As the evidence continues to mount, Everly has to work fast to prove her friend’s innocence. I was a little annoyed by the main character’s behavior, but it turns out it was supposed to be annoying and was an important element in the plot.
Hope you all have a good week!
Gretchen, I don’t think I’ve ever read Enchanted April, but the movie is one of my all-time favorites.
Like Magie, I loved the movie of ENCHANTED APRIL, so I did read the book a few years later. Liked it too.
Oh, i agree! Enchanted April is SO lovely!
I have not seen the movie, but now want to. I have heard such good things about it!
Enchanted April sounds wonderful, Gretchen. And, I haven’t seen the movie as others have. But, I love the sound of the book!
Gretchen, The Enchanted April is wonderful, isn’t it? And as people have said, the film is also captivating.
I recently heard Von Arnim’s novella Into The Mountains read on the radio and loved that too. She is a quiet, gentle writer who always ends on an optimistic note without being sentimental, I enjoy that.
Good morning! I hope you have another wonderful trip to NYC, Lesa. Here’s what I’ve been reading:
THE SUMMER GETAWAY is the fourth book by the prolific Susan Mallery that I have read, and I have come to expect an engrossing read based on issues with family and friends, important decisions, and new directions, often set in a beachy community. The getaway referenced in the title is Robyn’s–her first thought when things go wrong with her current boyfriend, her ex-husband, her children, and her financial prospects is to flee from Florida to her great-aunt Lillian’s beautiful house in Santa Barbara, CA. She knows that she will inherit the contents of Lillian’s house when she dies, and that a relative of Lillian’s late husband will inherit the house itself, but she doesn’t expect to find the latter already living in the house. Nor does she expect a parade of people to eventually follow her there. They include her son, a recent high school graduate who is not ready for college but still uncertain how to go forward; her daughter, who is engaged and fixated on a wedding venue that Robyn won’t be able to provide; her married-with-children boss, in a dangerous relationship with the tennis pro; and many more. My only gripes are that her boss is one-dimensional and downright clueless, and that it’s a mystery why Robyn ever married her now-ex in the first place. Other than that, I enjoyed the story and the character development and will look for more by the author.
I wish David Rosenfelt would stick to his long-running Andy Carpenter legal mysteries, as his K-Team spinoff is missing some of the things that make the Carpenter books fun for me–including Andy’s snarkiness, his three very different (and often hilarious) dogs, and the legal component of the mystery. The K-team is comprised of three private investigators that Andy uses (one of them is his wife), and in CITIZEN K-9. Andy is a minor character at most. Narrator Corey does have a dog, his sidekick while in the military, but although Simon Garfunkel (yes, that’s the dog’s name) is part of the team, there’s not much focus on him in this third book in the series. I found both Corey’s character and the cold-case investigation in this book rather uninteresting, and although there are a couple of twists at the end, they are (to me) unconvincing and over the top. There is one unexpected change in the team’s third member, hulking PI/bodyguard Marcus, but I felt it took something away from his “mystique.” So this was a disappointment for me, but I’m looking forward to the next in the Andy Carpenter series.
The title of Anne Tyler’s FRENCH BRAID refers to one’s hair after being unbraided–“still in ripples, leftover squiggles, for hours and hours afterward.” A member of the family portrayed in the book likens it to how families work–“you’re never really free; the ripples are crimped in forever.” It’s the story of several generations of the Garrett family, with the narration wandering back and forth over time. It’s not an exciting story, but it is a fascinating one, with plenty of details and nuances to make it seem authentic. I’ve seen it described as a peaceful book, and I agree. It’s not going to keep you up at night wondering what will happen, but it is nevertheless memorable. The initial chapter sets the tone, but it is easily forgotten as the book progresses. It’s worth reading it again after finishing the book, as it will make you say, “Ah, I see.”
You might expect a book about triplets to be a heartwarming in-depth portrait of their family dynamics. But you would only be partially correct. In author Jean Hanff Korelitz’s hands, THE LATECOMER is an in-depth portrait of three siblings who happen to be born at the same time to a family that is seriously dysfunctional. Two brothers and one sister seem to have nothing in common, nor do they care about each other. One boy and one girl end up at the same Ivy League university and never tell anyone at the university that they have a sibling there, nor do they purposely interact with each other. The other boy, brilliant and haughty, is focused on his own life and his own career, making unusual and often unpopular choices. And then there are the parents. Their father has been forever tainted by a tragic accident he caused in his youth. And their mother is disappointed that, after a dangerous birth, she has never had the mother/child relationships she so desired. Although it was difficult to relate to, much less like, any of these characters, and although I found myself frequently skimming paragraphs of dense prose, I was still propelled from chapter to chapter. I had to know what happens to each of them. And to know who exactly is narrating the story in the first person. And then there’s the latecomer of the title . . . I admire the author’s accomplishment, especially because there really is some redemption at the end of the story, which I hardly dared hope would happen. (May)
What a perfect way of describing French Braid. Peaceful. Yes. I always enjoy Anne Tyler’s work, and especially this one.
I have The Summer Getaway at home, Margie. I need to get to that one. So many books on my TBR pile! Not enough time in my evenings!
Congratuations on the Raven Award, Lesa. With the surgery over and only one appoinment next week, I am excited to get some reading time. I finished Amanda Flower’s A Plain Disappearance. Amanda Flower left two strings dangling, so I will have to wait until I buy the last book in the series to find out if she and her father are able to mend theri relationship and if the romance with her boyfriend will fall apart.
I have finally started an audiobook, anxious people by Frederick Backman, and it is my cup of tea,pondering life’s challenges while relating a botched robbery/hostage situtation.
Have been reading Maus by Art Spiegmean and beginning to understand why the Nazi are cats and Jews are mice in the graphic. It is a classic and I have already re-read parts of it.
Got two children’s books for a dollar each, one on Shirley Chishom. Also I want to start the Watergate Grl by Jill Wine-Banks.
Thank you, Carolee!
I’m so glad you found an audiobook that was your cup of tea. It sounds, though, as if you had a good reading week.
Gee, wrote a long entry and it didn’t post. Will have to try again next week. Maybe my eyes were too blurry from eyedrops and I hit the wrong button.
Good morning Thursday people!
Lesa, it his sounds like my kind of book. Thank you!
And i cannot wait to follow you around NYC and hear all about your evening at the awards when you receive your well deserved Raven. Mwah!
Two books to recommend!
“ON THE MARCH by Trudy Krisher is about three women, all strangers, who meet on the bus journeying from Kansas to Washington, D.C., to participate in the 2017 Women’s March on Washington. Henrietta Oldham is an elderly woman who runs a failing antique store; Birdie Jackson is a shy African-American teenager who is marching at the insistence of her feminist aunt; Emily Messer is a recent college graduate who needs more in her life than her job as a barista. All three women have secret, undisclosed reasons for attending the march, and in the course of the novel, as the women begin to know and trust each other, these secrets are revealed.
Although Henrietta, Birdie, and Emily appear to have little in common as they begin their ride, ON THE MARCH confirms that classic women’s issues – sexual harassment, pay inequity, self-sabotage, even bra-stuffing – serve as common intersectional bonds among women across the generations. Even more, sharing their stories on the 34-hour trip together as well as participating in the march itself becomes the catalyst for changing each of their lives for the better.
ON THE MARCH is about the revived feminist spirit of our times, an intellectual, cultural, and often hilarious novel of the zeitgeist. It will appeal to millions of women who are now culturally and politically engaged, whether they marched or not. The idea behind the novel was to watch the way the events of the march helped women of different ages, races, and backgrounds come together to create positive change in the world and in each of their lives.”
I love this book. Trudy Krisher did a fantastic job with this. It brought back some special memories for me. I did as on a similar bus from Boone, NC to Washington, DC for this event and it’s one of the things i am most proud of doing during my life.
The Paris Showroom by Juliet Blackwell –
Based on the Nazi prison camps i had not heard of until very recently. Department stores selling items stolen from the homes of Jewish citizens. Juliet Blackwell does her usual excellent job giving us a moving piece of historical fiction.
“in Nazi-occupied Paris, a talented artisan must fight for her life by designing for her enemies. From New York Times bestselling author Juliet Blackwell comes an extraordinary story about holding on to hope when all seems lost.
Capucine Benoit works alongside her father to produce fans of rare feathers, beads, and intricate pleating for the haute couture fashion houses. But after the Germans invade Paris in June 1940, Capucine and her father must focus on mere survival—until they are betrayed to the secret police and arrested for his political beliefs. When Capucine saves herself from deportation to Auschwitz by highlighting her connections to Parisian design houses, she is sent to a little-known prison camp located in the heart of Paris, within the Lévitan department store.
There, hundreds of prisoners work to sort through, repair, and put on display the massive quantities of art, furniture, and household goods looted from Jewish homes and businesses. Forced to wait on German officials and their wives and mistresses, Capucine struggles to hold her tongue in order to survive, remembering happier days spent in the art salons, ateliers, and jazz clubs of Montmartre in the 1920s.
Capucine’s estranged daughter, Mathilde, remains in the care of her conservative paternal grandparents, who are prospering under the Nazi occupation. But after her mother is arrested and then a childhood friend goes missing, the usually obedient Mathilde finds herself drawn into the shadowy world of Paris’s Résistance fighters. As her mind opens to new ways of looking at the world, Mathilde also begins to see her unconventional mother in a different light.
When an old acquaintance arrives to go “shopping” at the Lévitan department store on the arm of a Nazi officer and secretly offers to help Capucine get in touch with Mathilde, this seeming act of kindness could have dangerous consequences.”
You’re welcome, Kaye. And, thank you for stepping in with all those wonderful comments when I was in meetings all morning at work. No time!
I wondered about the Juliet Blackwell books. Thank you for your comments.
And, you should be proud of your participation in the women’s march!
Hugs, my friend!
Kaye, I love the sound of On The March, I will see if I can find it here.
I remember participating in women’s marches when I was a student. I am also proud of that, as I am proud of my youngest for joining me on the march through Edinburgh the night that Donald Trump was elected. Tourists – no doubt some of them American – were waving and cheering from their hotel rooms as we walked through Edinburgh’s Old Town to Holyrood (site of the Scottish Parliament buildings as well as Holyrood Palace). It was a night we won’t forget.
Lesa, how exciting to be going back to New York so soon. I am sure it will be a great trip.
I only finished one book last week, but it was a special one: REBECCA by Daphne du Maurier. I read it for my Classics Club list and for the Back to the Classics Challenge and it was a great read. I can’t decide if I had read it before, years ago. Maybe I had just watched the Hitchcock film. Either way, we will be watching the Hitchcock film again soon.
Right now I am reading two books: BANGKOK 8 by John Burdett (originally published 2003) and BECAUSE OF SAM by Molly Clavering (originally published 1954). I am only a few chapters into BANGKOK 8 and all I really know is that it is set in Thailand and the main character is a Thai policeman, Sonchai Jitpleecheep. His partner (and life-long friend) is killed on the job and Sonchai has vowed revenge. The story is told from Sonchai’s point of view and I really like the voice it is told in.
I began reading BECAUSE OF SAM after reading another blogger’s review for the 1954 Club. It is about a woman living in a village in Scotland, eking out a living with little money, and her daughter who is 29 and not married yet. That is not a very good description but I am only one chapter in. I am not trying to finish it in time to review it this week. But I am glad that the review encouraged me to try out Molly Clavering’s books. Now I have several on the Kindle.
I am trying to discipline myself and be actively at least one short story book at all times, like Jeff does, but I am not there yet.
Other than reading I have been weeding in the front and back and thinking about what else I need to do in the yard. When we go to the plant nursery I tend to buy too many plants and overtax myself trying to do too much, so I am trying to plan ahead more.
Tracy, I have to admit I’ve never read Rebecca and I haven’t seen the movie. It’s one of those cases of knowing too much of the plot, and deciding not to read or see it because of that.
I think Rosemary was the first one to mention the 1954 Club.
I enjoyed reading Rebecca and had some surprises at the end, but I did feel like I was not enjoying reading the middle because I was anticipating things as they happened.
Yes, I think both Rosemary and I did reviews for the last Club also… I think that was the 1976 Club.
Tracy, I’d never heard of Molly Clavering and I live in Scotland! I have just looked her up and see her books have been republished by the wonderful Dean Street Press – I’m getting a lot of recommendations this week!
I also buy far too many plants at the garden centres and then get them home and think ‘Oh’. I managed to get a hibiscus and a hypericum planted just before we left for edinburgh – I felt too guilty to leave them lying in their packaging for another 3 days. But I wish I was more organised – my planting is far too haphazard.
I’ve read Rebecca but not seen the film. I know it is seen as a classic but to be honest I just thought it was good, not brilliant. I’ve also read My Cousin Rachel and felt much the same about that. Maybe Du Maurier just isn’t for me.
We’re back. Costco has ended Senior Hours (8-9 on Tuesdays and Thursdays for those 60 and Over), so we’re just ging about 9:15, which is more crowded but still fine.
Back to books. Of the two books I’m reading, the one I think will appeal most to readers of this blog is Fortune Favors the Dead by Stephen Spotswood. It starts in 1943 New York City, where 20 year old tomboy and circus girl Willowjean (Will) Parker saves the life of PI Lillian Pentecost, and gets a job as her assistant cum secretary (cum Archie Goodwin, the obvious inspiration, at least to me). Pentecost has MS and uses a cane to get around occasionally, and needs a legman (leg woman, in this case), and Will – the narrator – clearly fits the bill. I’ve only read about 20% of the book so far, but it has great atmosphere and attitude and I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve read. The second in the series is out (always a good thing) and the third is due later this year,
I put the book aside to first finish Stephen King’s Billy Summers, another doostop from King. I started reading this last year but returned it as I thought, do I really want to read a 525 pages book about a sniper turned hitman, especially when the hit in question was months in the future. But I went back to it recently, and as with other long King books – 11.22.63 and The Institute come to mind – if you trust the author and let him do his job, you will eventually get caught up and start flipping the pages faster. Summers establishes himself in a neighborhood, makes friends, gets a fifth floor office (from where to take the shot, eventually), and settles in. He even starts writing his life story, leading up to an ambush in Iraq. But then the book takes a turn after (SPOILER ALERT, I guess) the hit (END SPOILER) with the introduction of another character. I still have about a qurter of the book to go, but it won’t take long. I may not like it as much as the previously mentioned books, but I like it more and more as it goes on and I’m glad I read it.
I have the new Steven F. Havill Posadas County book waiting to be picked up in the library.
Jeff, I have a copy of Fortune Favors the Dead someplace, and I need to read it. I think I’d enjoy it.
I guess you do need to trust Stephen King will get around to an exciting story.
Jeff, I read Fortune Favors the Dead last December and I enjoyed the read enough to purchase the second one. I haven’t read that one yet.
I finished A TOWN CALLED SOLACE by Mary Lawson. It takes place in Northern Ontario, Canada in the 1970’s. Seven-year-old Clara’s sister has gone missing. She spends her days at the window watching for her sister to come home. She also takes care of Moses, her next-door neighbor’s cat. Her neighbor, retired Elizabeth Orchard has gone into the hospital. Soon afterwards, 30-something year old Liam moves into Mrs. Orchard’s house. The story is told from Clara, Mrs. Orchard and Liam’s point of view and how they all intersected. It ended up a little darker than I expected-especially Mrs. Orchard’s back story but I really enjoyed this. I think I read somewhere it was up for the Booker Prize but didn’t win.
Next I finished THE NO-SHOW by Beth O’Leary. The story of three women each stood up on Valentine’s Day by Joseph Carter. Like Lesa, I didn’t particularly like any of the characters but I was curious to see how it ended up. I felt a little hoodwinked at the end but it was very cleverly done.
Last night I finished IN THE WEEDS by B.K. Borison. I just loved this sweet romance. It is the second in the series about the owners of LOVELIGHT FARMS. Beckett Porter has a second chance with Evelyn who stole his heart one weekend in May. I am looking forward to book three coming out this fall.
Congratulations on your award, Lesa.
It is a chilly rainy Wednesday in Cincinnati but 80’s by the weekend. We are looking forward to uncovering our patio furniture and spending time outdoors.
Happy Reading!
We’re supposed to have 80’s tomorrow and this weekend, too, Sharon, but more rain on Sunday. I don’t mind that I didn’t finish The No-Show after your comments about it.
And, thank you!
I am listening to the Wedding Veil by Kristy Woodson Harvey on audio. I am reading Veiled in Smoke by Jocelyn Green for book club and See How Small by Scott Blackwood
Katherine, The Wedding Veil is another book I’ll get around to eventually. It’s on a pile. Have a good weekend!
Enjoy NYC.
I read two short stories: “The Mystery of the Green Room” by Robert Stapleton, and “The Shackled Man” by Andrew Bryant.
It’s been rainy in Portland OR, which is good, with lots of snow in the mountains to build the snow pack, from which our water comes.
Though I’m not eating much, exercise restrictions result in little or no weight loss. Very discouraging.
Daffodils are still blooming.
I love daffodils, Rick. Yes, I hope the West gets all of the rain and melting snow that it needs! No one needs those wildfires!
Rick, I wanted to let you know that we finally did buy a copy of the Wingspan game. It just recently came in the mail. I will let you know how it goes when we try it out… soon I hope.
Also I ordered a copy of Justine by Lawrence Durrell, which you recommended. It should be arriving today or tomorrow. Not sure when I will read it, but sometime soon.
Good afternoon, Lesa. I haven’t been to a movie since well before COVID dropped in. I’m even starting to crave movie popcorn! Anyway, I’m still doing lots of reading. I’m now into another book I picked up from Net Galley. This one is Magpie by Elizabeth Day. It’s suspenseful and a little creepy, especially now that I’m at the point where I can’t figure out who’s telling the truth and who is not. Very nicely done.
Oh, good, Patricia. I’ve seen Magpie, but I’m not really into suspenseful and creepy. Enjoy it!
It was good to be back to the movies!