Thursday! I’m looking forward to finding out about your reading choices this week. What have you been reading? Catching up on your TBR pile, or trying something new?
I should have finished Josh Dygert’s The Story Traveler several days ago. After I lent my copy of Dygert’s Stella to my friend, Donna, she ordered a copy of The Story Traveler. It’s a juvenile book, only 129 pages, but I found myself doing other things in the evenings. Declan Donovan Dorman III was left at a New York City orphanage when he was just a baby. It’s a brutal place to grow up, but he doesn’t know anything different until his seventh birthday when he’s given an old beat up pair of tennis shoes. And, those shoes send him into the story of a bratty princess, a baseball team that has no confidence in itself, and into a murder mystery. But, along the way, Declan learns about himself as well. Dygert is an Indiana author, and Donna and I both appreciate his style of writing.
What about you? What are you reading this week?
Note: According to Rosemary, her post appeared AFTER she refreshed. If you’re having problems with posting here, you might want to try that. I’m sorry. My webmaster checked, and she can’t find anything wrong with the site.
I’m going to sneak this in early, the state nursery opens for the season tomorrow morning and I hope to add to my native plant collection.
I’m about halfway in to UNDER LOCK AND SKELETON KEY, the first in a new series by Gigi Pandian. I couldn’t pass by “a secret staircase mystery”. Perfect for those who enjoy a cast of well-developed characters.
FAKE by Erica Katz 2022 explores the glamorous, high-end art world from Manhattan galleries to Hong Kong art fair via a young artist who spends her days providing exact copies for owners. Somewhat predictable, but entertaining.
I’ve read the other two books in the Caz Frear’s series, but went back to read the second, STONE COLD HEART. Detective Constable Cat Kinsella returns to the London Metropolitan Police with a murder investigation. Good police procedural with a strong cast of supporting characters. I was drawn back to the series after reading Micheal Robotham’s 2022 WHEN YOU ARE MINE. Although it was marketed as a stand-alone, the main character seemed too familiar; female, elite London Metropolitan Police, growing up in a criminal family. That pestering thought that I’d come across this character before had me searching, thinking maybe a short story? No, totally different author. Just one of those odd coincidences that happen in current fiction.
The winner of the 2022 Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel is Ellen Byron’s CAJUN KISS OF DEATH. Number seven in the “A Cajun Country Mystery” series. Lesa reviewed this book earlier.
Crozat Plantation B&B in Pelican, Louisiana, is the setting, but the focus is actually small town with lots of recurring characters. Crimes abound, but gently, in this cozy. This is probably the last in the series as the final chapter is set twenty years later and the author is introducing a new series.
Bit of trivia, there is a Voodoo Donut…in Portland, OR.
I like the sound of Cajun Kiss of Death MMJones, *and* that it has six predecessors to read too! I will look it up.
That Caz Frear series you mention sounds familar too – is it like Lynda La Plante (whose books I haven’t read, but I’ve read about them.)
I hope you have a great time at the nursery – plant buying comes second only to book buying as one of life’s great pleasures for me, and I also try to buy native plants whenever possible. Are you looking for particular things, or browsing to see what they have?
Rosemary – We’re much more likely to share book interests than native plants. Other than Northern hemisphere, the places we live couldn’t be more different plant‐wise. Nevada is the driest state in the US and I live in the northern part at around 4000 ft (1200 meters) with a soil of mostly decomposed granite. Mountain Mahagony is at the top of my wish list – leafed evergreen with low susceptibility to wildfire.
I’ve not read (or watched) La Plante either, so not able to compare. Caz Frear was published after winning the Richard & Judy “Search for a Bestseller” competition in 2017 and the contest must have helped with publicity.
Oh yes, it does sound like we are living with very different gardening conditions! The east side of Scotland is in fact quite dry, but nothing like Nevada. (The west – Glasgow, etc – is notoriously wet.)
Anything that Richard & Judy have on that show is instantly boosted, a bit like anything Oprah pushes. But well done to the author for winning, it must be hugely competitive.
I have an interview coming up in a few weeks with Ellen Byron. Yes, Cajun Kiss of Death was the last in that series, but Ellen has hopes. You’ll have to read the interview when it’s posted, MM.
At the start of the week, I finished THE LESSONS WE LEARN, the third Homefront Mystery by Liz Milliron. Completely absorbing. I didn’t want to put it down.
Now, I’m a third of the way through BURIED IN A GOOD BOOK by Tamara Berry. I’m completely enjoying this first in a new series for a very different reason. Funny and engaging.
Two very different books with very different tones, and both very much recommended.
Mark, I had to look up Liz Milliron’s Homefront mysteries because I recently reviewed one with the same subtitle. But, it’s an entirely different series. Buried in a Good Book is funny.
If you are thinking of Joyce St. Anthony’s series, that’s the Homefront News Mysteries. 🙂 Yes, very similar series names and easy to confuse them.
There was an Homefront Mysteries series, but it only lasted three books and came out over 20 years ago. I’m probably the only person who remembers it. 🙂
It’s like the old Cheese Shop series from Avery Aames (aka Daryl Wood Gerber) and the new Cheese Shop series from Korina Moss. I get that you can’t copyright titles or series titles, but it gets very confusing, doesn’t it?
Good morning all,
The sun is shining on Deeside, and soon I will be off down to the river. I hope I will find my favourite seat vacant, as I read far more down there without any domestic distractions.
I know what you mean about ‘other things’ Lesa; this week i am still reading DATE WITH MALICE by Julia Chapman – goodness knows why it is taking me so long, it’s an easy read and quite good so far. Samson O’Brien, a policeman turned private investigator has returned to his home town in the Yorkshire Dales after getting into trouble with his previous job. He shares an office building with Delilah Metcalfe, who runs a dating agency and a website design company. She is local to the area. has a Weimeraner called Tolpuddle and no patience with Samson.
Samson is visited by an old lady who is convinced someone in her care home is trying to kill her. She is vague and confused and Samson is not keen to take her case. At the same time he is asked by a local farmer to find his prize ram, who is missing, believed stolen, from the field he inhabited with his harem.
And I’m afraid that’s as far as I have got. Must do better.
On the radio I listened to EVIL UNDER THE SUN by Agatha Christie, which was not her best. A group of rich people stay at a seaside hotel on an island off the cost of Devon. One of them is a wealthy film star whom nobody likes, and who attracts men like wasps round a jam jar. She is soon murdered. I feel Christie used the same plot so many times, and that the denoument always relies on the revealing of things we could not possibly know, which i thought was one of the absolute no-nos of the Detection Club. But many very clever people think Christie was brilliant, so what do I know?
I do, however, prefer John Moffat to David Suchet in the role of Poirot. I think Suchet makes it too silly. Moffat can be entertaining without losing a certain gravitas.
I am also listening to Dorothy Sayers’ UNNATURAL DEATH. Thank goodness this one does not feature Harriet Vane. I’m pretty sure I’ve both read and listened to it before, but I enjoy Ian Carmichael and Peter Jones in the roles of Wimsey and Bunter. Bunter is so funny when advising his employer on what to wear to visit a nurse while posing as the husband of a pregnant woman – one needs to look nervous but also affluent and able to pay. The other thing that made me laugh out loud as I was walking along the old railway line yesterday was someone saying that the victim’s death was hardly suspicious ‘as she was very old, SEVENTY TWO’ – how times change, I now know plenty of 80 year olds who are still running around the place, playing golf, doing yoga, etc. But this book was written in 1927.
This reminds me that I recently listened to an episode of the excellent podcast BACKLISTED in which Sayers’ GAUDY NIGHT was discussed. It ‘s many years since I read this book, and I now want to read it again, as the concensus was that it was far far better than any of her other Wimsey books, with far more depth, and was the book she always wanted to write, but could not until the Peter Wimsey series was so successful that she could do whatever she liked with it. Our library does not have a copy, so I am hoping there is one on my shelves in Edinburgh – I will have a look when I am there next week.
And speaking of shelves – yesterday I decided to take all of my books off the shelves – and off the floor – here and try to create some sort of order out of chaos. I am now reshelving the fiction – I have only done A, B & C and I have two and a half shelves left in my main bookcase. I will make stacks on the floor again – at least they will be alphabetical! – and when my husband returns tonight from his various trips the sight of them might even goad him into buying some more bookcases….
On television I am still watching the new series of GRACE but I must say the plots seem confusing, maybe I am just too tired when i sit down to watch after dinner. Last night was all about valuable postage stamps that people were prepared to murder for. I know stamps can be worth thousands but it all seemed a bit unlikely. I do like John Simm and Craig Parkinson as Roy Grace and Norman Potting though.
And I am so enjoying HEARTSTOPPER. Our TV seems to have fallen out with Netflix so I am having to watch this on my ipad, which is not my favourite thing – especially as Charlie keeps trying to get between me and the screen and manages to change channels, shut the whole thing down, etc… but it is worth it to watch these exceptional young actors. Kit Conner, Joe Locke, William Gao and Yasmin Fiiney in particular are just wonderful.
I have had some nice walks with friends and by myself, it is so much easier when the days are long and you don’t have to worry about being out in the dark with no streetlights. I’ve also been gardening away; it is lovely to spend a few hours outside, with only the river and the birds for company. I’ve been taking Charlie out there on his new harness to get him used to the idea. The first time as soon as he saw the flowing water he was terrified (it’s only a small burn, not the Mississippi…) but he is getting used to it all now. He has also been to the vet’s to get his claws clipped – and the vet nurse informed me that he is borderline overweight and asked if I was following the feeding guidelines on the food packet. Needless to say I was not – so now it is strict portion control, and Charlie is one outraged feline. And if you have ever had an oriental cat, you will know what that means….
And last Friday Nancy and I did our road trip up to Strichen to visit the antiques place we had heard about. It turned out to be huge and stuffed with all manner of things, from furniture to stuffed birds. I myself am not interested in buying these things, and nancy probably shouldn’t be either as her house and garage are already overflowing, but it is still fun to look around and to chat to the owners. We also visited another antiques barn en route. I find it quite amazing how much some people will pay for what our parents probably threw out!
Nancy is also researching her husband’s family tree, and many of his ancestors lived and died in this very rural area, so we stopped off at some churches and graveyards to see if we could find any of their names. They were all poor farm labourers so records are scarce – many would probably have been buried in unmarked graves as their families could not afford anything else. It was so interesting to look at the old tombstones and read the descriptions, though of course it is always very sad to see the graves of young children.
And of course we needed coffee! One of the antiques shop ladies told us about a nearby garden centre – we thought, given the size of the town, it would be tiny, but were we wrong, it was huge. The plants were excellent, and much cheaper than in similar places on Deeside (no surprise there) and the cafe was lovely, very spacious, with good food and such friendly staff.
So it was a fun day all round.
Is anyone else going to attempt the annual TWENTY BOOKS OF SUMMER challenge? the idea is that you choose any 20 books from your shelves (you are not supposed to buy any for this) and both read and review them between 1 June and 31 August. This will be the third year I have taken part. The first year I almost succeeded, last year was not quite so good. So this year I have made a conscious effort to select books that shouldn’t take too long or be too challenging, as I think that was my mistake last time. It did get me through some books that I probably would never otherwise have attempted, and I enjoyed them so i am grateful for that, but I would really like to get to the magic number for once. Next week I will tell you which books as I have chosen, as now I really must get out there and do some reading!
I hope everyone has a great week. I will be in Edinburgh again next Thursday but I will hope to get something written here before I go.
I should join that Twenty Books Of Summer challenge. I have so many books I haven’t read because once I own, I can read “later”. And so they pile up.
MM, I do the same thing, buying books, putting them aside, and planning to read them later. I am currently overwhelmed with my piles and can’t find anything I feel like reading!
MM Jones, if you are interested, here is the link – Cathy is very accommodating and flexible about the whole thing:
https://746books.com/2022/05/04/announcing-20-books-of-summer-22/
Thanks. Be interesting to check out.
Poor Charlie! Scared outside, and starving inside. He’s going to ask to be adopted by someone else soon!
Rosemary, I always find your posts entertaining, whether it’s walks, antiquing, stops at a garden centre, the books you’re reading and listening to. Thank you for taking the time to post here!
Thansk Lesa, and yes he’s not happy either way just now. When i went out for my walk today I actually saw an SSPCA (Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) van parked across the road and wondered if he had called them!
But he is rapidly getting used to the Outside – though unfortunately not so used to the small portions….
Rosemary, I will be doing the TWENTY BOOKS OF SUMMER challenge too, although I have been wavering between doing 10 or 15 instead. I can read 20 books in three months but I can’t review them all, so I was thinking about limiting it to the amount I was committed to reviewing on my blog.
Well I’ve picked out 20 Tracey, but I have to agree, the chances of me getting 20 reviews done are pretty slim.
Looking forward to hearing about your choices.
Rosemary, we have GRACE on the list but haven’t watched it yet. Current Brit watches include ANNIKA, WHITSTABLE PEARL, DEATH IN PARADISE. We’re also watching several French shows – TANDEM, DEADLY TROPICS, CHERIF. We finished the second series of TRACES and the latest CALL THE MIDWIFE series.
Plenty there I haven’t seen Jeff, I will look them up tonight – thanks for the heads up.
And I look forward to your views on GRACE when you do watch it.
Good morning. I haven’t had much time to read this week because the weather has finally been nice enough to get out and work in the garden. Between weeding, putting in the 5+ flats of flowers my boyfriend bought, mulching, and clearing a new area along the fence for vegetables we’ve been busy.
I finished An ARC of PEANUT BUTTER PANIC by Amanda Flower. A man keels over into his mashed potatoes during a town Thanksgiving celebration. Overall I enjoyed the story but the ongoing on again off again romance between Bailey and Aiden is getting old.
I’m currently reading Jenn McKinlay’s latest cupcake shop mystery, STRAWBERRIED ALIVE and a nonfiction book about southwest Indian animal carvings, SPIRIT IN THE STONE.
I understand, Sandy. Once the weather gets nice, it’s hard to stay inside and read.
I get so tired of mysteries that think there has to be an on again, off again, romance.
Have my fingers crossed that this will post this time!
Will be starting Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake by Mazey Eddings. It is a rom com that won from GoodReads. What made me enter the contest is that the main character has ADHD which I have too. I am eager to read about fictional character who experiences what I do!
Finished The Zee Files by Tina Wells which I won from LibraryThing. This book is written for girls in the 8th, 9th, and 10 grade range. Her family is well off and her father moves to London for a new job. Her mother also has TV profuction activities, Zwe has a muchyounger brother and siser who are barely in the story. I do not know if I ever adjusted to the family’s income level. Her family is interested in a mostly vegan lifestyle and are into recycling, When they move to London, Zee goes to a private school that promotes that kind of living. There is alot of emphasis on brand names which really ittitated me. It does give insight on rich kid probleks, divorce of parents, parents pitting a lot of pressure on their career development,and some rich kid being emotionally neglected. One boy’t parents took off for another county and rately touch bases with them! The main charactter is engaging, creative and struggling.
I’m not into brand names, either, Carolee. They irritate me in books as well.
I’m sorry about the posting problems.
Oh yes, I hate it when they keep dropping brand names in – that’s one o the things that made me give up on Patricia Scanlan’s Orange Blossom Days.
Good Morning! It is hot and muggy in Cincinnati. We went from running our heat to turning on our air conditioning almost over night. It will be 87° here today.
This week I gave up on The Patron Saint of Second Chances by Christine Simon. It was fun for a while. But I lost interest in all the lies the self-appointed mayor of a small Italian village told to procure funds to keep the water from getting turned off. I thought how he kept turning to his compendium of saints to figure out which Saint he had to pray to for help was a cute storyline.
Next I started the Bree Baker sweet tea shop mysteries. I thoroughly enjoyed Live and Let Chai and am looking forward to reading the whole series. Another good recommendation from Thursdays with Lesa.
I am halfway through A Perfect Equation by Elizabeth Everett. The second in her secret science society series. So far it is just as good the first book.
Happy Reading!
Sharon, I really enjoy the Bree Baker series. There hasn’t been a bad book in the series.
I know, Sharon. Temperatures and humidity are up here as well. When I get home in the evening, I am able to open up the place, but I shut it up, and turn on the air for sleeping.
Good morning, Lesa and all. I think I forgot Jackie last week, so let me start there. She finished BEGUILED, the third in Darynda Jones’s witch trilogy.
This week I read: Lily King, FIVE TUESDAYS IN WINTER, a collection of short stories (straight fiction). Pretty good.
William Brittain, THE MAN WHO SOLVED MYSTERIES. Brittain’s main series character (in all of these stories, plus a few others) was elderly high school science teacher Mr. Leonard Strang, who solves a clever series of (non-murder) cases, some involving current or former high school students. These are quite clever and fun, reading one a day.
Bill Geist, LAKE OF THE OZARKS: MY SURREAL SUMMERS IN A VANISHING AMERICA. I’ve always liked Bill Geiist, and this memoir is fun. It’s about his summers in the early-to-mid ’60s, when he worked at his uncle’s “resort” (such as it was in the 1960s) in central Missouri, as a bellhop or waiter or otherwise. It’s not hilarious, but it is nostalgic and fun. And it really shows what a different world we live in today.
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, KILL MY DARLING. I am about 10 years behind on the Bill Slider series, but I have a few on the shelf. IN this one, a young paleontologist at the Natural History Museum in London, who seemed well liked by all, is found dead in the woods. There are few suspects, but all seem to be cleared. There isn’t as much humor, perhaps, as in some of the series (though the chapter headings are punny as always). Clever if sad solution. Good series.
Kevn Goetz, ADIENCE-OLOGY: HOW MOVIEGOERS SHAPE THE FILMS WE LOVE. For over 20 years Goetz has been doing viewer testing and surveys at movie screenings, to help the companies determine if their films work and what can be done to improve them – change the ending, don’t kill a beloved character (and definitely not a dog!), etc. There is no doubt that this has helped turn some movies in to hits, but my main problem is, a lot of the success stories he touts here are with still crappy movies. Just because something makes a lot of money, doesn’t mean it is a good movie (or at least something I would want to watch(). I mean, MONSTER-IN-LAW with Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez? So, interesting in a mild way, especially if you like behind the scenes looks into Hollywood, but nothing to get excited about.
Jeff, I added the Bill Geist book to my list. That just sounds so good and so nostalgic. I guess I’m getting old when I remember “the good old days” with nostalgia.
My sister and I are coming to NY next Thursday. Keep some good weather for us!
It has definitely been warmer lately (low 70s, with wind). It’s long term, but currently the forecast is 69 next Thursday and Friday, going up to the mid-70s over the weekend, then the low 70s. Looks perfect.
Good morning!
As others have said, the weather has finally warmed up for us. We went from winter to summer in the same week. Between yard work, gardening, company, bridal showers, weddings, a bathroom remodel and our son unexpectedly moving home the month of May is flying by! Needless to say, my reading and blogging has suffered.
Here’s what I have read in the last few weeks:
The Summer of the Great-Grandmother by Madeleine L’Engle – This is the second in the series of memoirs written by L’Engle called The Crosswicks Journals. This one covers the summer she noticed drastic changes in her mother due to senility. When I first read the description of this book, I thought it would be terribly sad. While there is some sadness, there is also quite a bit of beauty and joy. The reader is immersed in the family life of the author with all of its ups and downs. There are long walks, family dinners and weddings. This is what I love most about The Crosswicks Journals – the immersion into the daily details of the author’s life.
The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie – The daughter of an American millionaire is robbed and murdered on a luxurious train. I will admit I had a hard time keeping people straight in the first part of the book. There is a lot of set up before the crime is committed and Hercule Poirot comes on the scene. It is fascinating how Agatha Christie can take so many characters and weave their stories together. I really enjoyed this mystery. I wish I could say I solved the mystery before Poirot, but that would not be true. It was Poirot who had to explain it to me.
Lesa – I have just now had a chance to look at your pictures from New York. What a great trip you had! Thanks for sharing them.
I hope you all have a good week!
Thank you, Gretchen. It was a good trip, and I’m going back with my sister next week. Probably my last trip there this year, and I know we’ll have a good time.
Mornin’, Thursday Peeps!
I got nuthin’.
I just have not found much that has held my interest, and i’m a reader who can walk away from an uninteresting book quite easily.
Getting ready to dive into an ARC that holds promise –
Agent Josephine by Damien Lewis
“Singer. Actress. Beauty. Spy. During WW2, Josephine Baker, the world’s richest and most glamorous entertainer, was an Allied spy in Occupied France. This is the story of her heroic personal resistance to Nazi Germany.
Prior to World War II, Josephine Baker was a music hall diva renowned for her singing and dancing, her beauty and sexuality; she was the most highly-paid female performer in Europe. When the Nazis seized her adopted city, Paris, she was banned from the stage, along with all ‘negroes and Jews’. Yet, instead of returning to America, she vowed to stay and to fight the Nazi evil. Overnight she went from performer to Resistance spy.
In Agent Josephine best-selling author Damien Lewis uncovers this little known history of the famous singer’s life. During the years of the war, as a member of the French Nurse paratroopers—a cover for her spying work—she participated in numerous clandestine activities and emerged as formidable spy. In turn, she was a hero of the three countries in whose name she served: the US, the nation of her birth; France, the land that embraced her during her adult career; and Britain, the country from which she took her orders, as one of London’s most closely-guarded special agents. Baker’s secret war embodies a tale of unbounded courage, passion, devotion and sacrifice, and of deep and bitter tragedy, fueled by her own desire to combat the rise of Nazism, and to fight for all that is good and right in the world.
Drawing on a plethora of new historical material and rigorous research, including previously undisclosed letters and journals, Lewis upends the conventional story of Josephine Baker, revealing that her mark on history went far beyond the confines of the stage.”
I gotcha, Kaye. I’m part-way through 3 books, which is why I didn’t really have much for today. All good books, but nothing that kept me reading. I hope Agent Josephine works!
Right before COVID shut down the stores in our area I rushed to B & N and quickly grabbed some discounted books. Among them was a book by Sara Blaedel and I loved it and her characters. Read all of her others and was anxiously awaiting a new one which I finally got from the library – A Harmless Lie – well we all know there never is a “harmless lie” – anyway loved it and is one of the good things that came from the lockdown.
There isn’t much good that came from COVID, Donna, but at least those books did. And, I’m afraid we’re looking at another problem this summer or fall. Take care of yourself!
Good morning. The spacing of the blog looks a bit weird to me today–the Reply boxes don’t have a space before them as usual. Well, let’s see if my post works today.
I read THE KEEPER OF HAPPY ENDINGS by Barbara Davis for a book club. Alternating between two timelines, it is the story of two women who have suffered similar losses. In 1980s Boston, Rory resists her controlling mother’s manipulations by planning to open up a small art gallery showcasing the work of lesser known artists, rather than returning to return to college and a subsequent Paris internship. Rory’s fiance, who originally encouraged her dream, has been missing for months after a Doctors Without Borders mission went awry in South Sudan. In Paris in the 1940s, Soline follows her mother’s footsteps to design one-of-a-kind wedding gowns that are rumored to magically ensure happiness to the bride and her family. But she abandons that career during World War II to work for the French Resistance, which leads to a serious romance with an American ambulance driver from a prominent family. Forced to escape the country, Soline loses the love of her life and eventually her will to continue on with her design career. In the 1980s, the two protagonists meet by chance, and they find they have more in common than they ever dreamed. I enjoyed the story–emotional and pragmatic by turns–even though I found it quite predictable. There was one surprising twist near the end that is just a bit too far-fetched.
For some reason, I am always attracted by stories about twins (or triplets). In this book, In I’LL BE YOU by Janelle Brown, Sam and Elli are identical twins who are discovered by a talent agent when they are 9 years old and go on to have B-level careers as TV child stars during their formative years. They look enough alike to switch identities temporarily, mostly for fun at first, but their temperaments are totally different. Sam is the outgoing one who loves everything about acting. Elli doesn’t really like being in the spotlight and agrees only for Sam’s sake. After their career ends, Sam goes off the deep end into drug and alcohol addiction and Elli opts for a job as a florist, a husband, and a home. Just one thing is missing for Elli–a child–and her obsession puts her marriage in jeopardy. The story is narrated first by Sam, as she details the joys of their show business career and her depths of despair through several stabs at rehab. More than halfway through the book, Elli takes over the narration from her own perspective, telling how she has ended up joining what (she claims) she didn’t know was a cult and being encouraged to perform an illegal act that she immediately regrets. I found this part of the book especially distasteful and not particularly original. Sam returns to narrate the latter part of the book, and there is some redemption. The book is an interesting look at the dynamics of this particular pair of twins, and despite being disappointed by the plot surrounding the cult, I read to the last page.
BOOK LOVERS is another fantastic contemporary mystery by the reliable Emily Henry. Nora doesn’t appreciate her reputation as a hardnosed (and sometimes scary) literary agent, but she is proud of her ability to find talented new writers and attract editors who can make these writers into stars. Executive editor Charlie also has a reputation, and he isn’t interested in the book Nora is sponsoring, even though it’s from an author with a successful backlist. Never mind–the book becomes a wild success with the help of another editor. Months later, Nora spots Charlie in the most unexpected of locations, the small town in NC where the aforementioned book was set. Nora is there on an extended trip with her younger sister, who needs some time away from her husband and daughters before she delivers her third child, and Charlie is managing the family bookshop (along with his usual editing assignments) while his father recuperates from a medical ailment. I was on board with this book from the first few pages, where the author describes to perfection (and hilariously) the typical plot of a small-town love story (or Hallmark movie) and expresses her belief that she is not the heroine of her own life, but rather the big-city character that loses her significant other to the lure of the small-town charm. The repartee between Nora and Charlie sparkles with clever snarkiness and is often laugh-out-loud funny. But the underlying theme of the story is about making a sincere commitment to family one’s primary priority rather than pursuing long-held career and life plans, and whether that really makes sense in the long run. I finished it in a day–loved it.
LONG GONE, the second in Joanna Schaffhausen’s Detective Annalisa Vega series, is equally as engrossing as the first, and this series is a worthy follow-on to the author’s outstanding 5-book Ellery Hathaway mystery series. Annalisa is a fascinating character–tough, troubled, and relentless in pursuing justice for crime victims while often putting herself in jeopardy. Ostracized by her fellow officers for turning in both her brother and her ex-cop father on a murder charge, she can count on only her ex-husband, also a cop, and on her commander for support. Her current case involves the murder of a detective who, with his three detective buddies, has built a reputation for going outside of the law to corral perpetrators and pursue their own personal gains. And then there’s the cold case murder that Annalisa is determined to crack, focusing on finding evidence against a suspect who has never been indicted. In this book, we also gain more details on the case that put her brother in jail and her father in house arrest. The plot is convoluted and the action exciting. I enjoyed reading about Annalisa’s family and friends, as well as the relationship of Annalisa and her ex, and look forward to how it will develop (or not) in upcoming series entries. The next book cannot come quickly enough! (August)
Margie, I’m enjoying the Emily Henry, but I’m as stuck in that book as I am in some others. Just not really in the mood to read.
That’s so weird about the blog format. I thought it looked weird yesterday with the reply buttons. It looks fine today to me. I’m glad you all continue to read and reply even when it looks odd.
Lesa, the format looks normal now. For me earlier in the day, the Reply block was on the left side with no space dividing it from the previous text.
Margie, you must read three or four books a week! Wow.
Rick, I am definitely a fast reader, but I think I’m reading even more right now because my son is living with me and we have to share one TV!
II just started The Secrets We Share by Edwin Hill. It has several POV characters so I’m having a little trouble keeping things straight at the beginning, but I think I’m going to like it.
Patricia, I think it was Kaye who mentioned last week that she really likes Edwin Hill’s books. I read his first one featuring librarian Hester Thursday, Little Comfort, and I found it just okay.
Good morning fellow readers.
I am reading Still Life by Sarah Winman (not to be confused by other books of the same name). When I started this book, I was not sure I wanted to continue. I thought “I will give it 50 pages before I decide”. At the 50 page mark I said “I will give it until 100 pages”. By that point I was so attached to the characters, I did not want to leave them. For me, this book is all about the characters (and of course, Florence, Italy).
On audio, I am listening to Murder at the Capitol (Lincoln’s White House Mystery) by C.M. Gleason. This is a series I learned about here. I have really enjoyed it. I love the setting of Washington D. C. in 1861 at the start of the Civil War. This is the 3rd book in the series and I don’t see anything about the next book. I really hope it is not ending with #3.
Have a wonderful week.
I heard Still Life read on BBC Sounds, Kathleen, and I loved it so much. I do want to read the book itself now. Such great characters, and all of them so well written – none is a cliche.
Kathleen, I haven’t seen anything about C.M. Gleason’s next book either. That setting was so interesting!
I don’t know if you’re interested, but Gleason also writes as Colleen Gleason, Colleen Cambridge, and Alex Mandon.
Inspired by your review of Clare Pooley’s latest, Lesa, over the weekend I read and enjoyed The Authenticity Project. I really enjoyed it and like the way she showed the way the characters’ emotional reactions to each other were often about themselves.
I also picked up A Study in Murder by Callie Hutton from the digital library. It was fun, and now I am trying to track down the sequels.
It makes me feel so good that you, Trisha, and others have tried some of the books that have been mentioned here. Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed Clare Pooley and Callie Hutton!
I’ll miss my visit to the blog of the current Raven Award holder, as I’ve not read anything. It’s breezy, raining and 46 degrees, so I like that. We’ve voted, but with a week to go the political ads seem unceasing. Bah. Have a great week, everyone.
Thanks for stopping by, Rick, even if you haven’t read anything. You’re always welcome!
Lesa, I have always had to refresh after entering my comments here. Sometimes three or four times. But it always shows up eventually. I am getting a slow start this morning and have lots to do today, but I will be back with a comment later.
Thanks for that information, Tracy. I’m sorry about that, but at least you know it will show up.
Just finished Book Lovers by Emily Henry on audio and now listening to the Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain. Currently reading in print True Crime Story by Joseph Knox
I’ll have a review of Book Lovers coming up on my blog, Katherine. I haven’t finished it, but Sandie Herron has, and I’ll probably use her review when I’m on vacation next week.
I finally found something that caught my interest. I had been reading UNDER SKELETON LOCK AND KEY and enjoying it but somehow was distracted and just stopped reading it. I will go back to it in the future. In the meantime, I was crafting and looking for a book to listen to when BOOK LOVERS by Emily Henry was published last week. I bought that and thoroughly enjoyed it! It starts funny and ends tender and has just about everything in between. I guess family would be the theme below the romance and book biz. I gave it 5 stars on Goodreads. Now I’m on to an ARC of Linda Castillo’s book THE HIDDEN ONE which takes her to Pennsylvania.
Well, darn, Sandie. I’m not as fond of the mysteries when the sleuth leaves their home territory. In Kate Burkholder’s case, I like the interaction with her team. We’ll see.
I’m not either, so we’ll see where this goes. Three elders actually come to Painters Mill and ask for Kate’s help with a man she was dear friends with in her early teens who has been arrested for murder on pretty circumstantial evidence and the murder was 18 years ago.
We got some unseasonable rain, which we desperately need.
This week I read:
The Patient by Jane Shemilt; A bored middle aged psychiatrist meets a handsome French artist at the asylum, and falls in love. I rolled my eyes so much I still see spots.
How to Tell A Story by Meg Bowles; Apparently, along with poetry slams, there are story slams. This book tells you how to craft 5 minute true stories…as long as you learned the right lesson.
Dark Poeta by Vega Starlight; Dark poems. It’s all very 1990’s. I almost put on a flannel overshirt.
Clouds In My Coffee by Julie Mulhern; It’s 1974, and the 60’s are quickly disintegrating under reality. Someone seems to be trying to kill the sleuth or her sister, or maybe her Aunt. Detective Anarchy Jones is on the case, and completely ineffectual as in most of these books.
The Menace: A Thriller by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins; Something different from these guys, as this was originally supposed to be an episode in a Twilight Zone or Night Gallery type TV show in the 1970’s, hosted by Spillane. Great stuff. You can see Mike Lookinland, or Danny Bonnaducce, or the creep who played Cousin Oliver in your mind’s eye.
This week, Glen, it was your review of Clouds in My Coffee that made me laugh. Hard to decide who is the target, and the detective is completely ineffectual. Love it! I’m glad you got rain!
I tried that Spillane/Collins, but quit at under 40 pages. I’m sure it will make money for Collins, but I wish he’d get back to Heller.
I only finished one book since last week. I am still reading JUSTINE by Laurence Durell, and it is going slowly because it demands more attention and I have had less time to read. I am now done with jury duty; it would have been an interesting trial, but I am just as glad I did not get picked to serve on the jury.
I read UNRULY SON by Robert Barnard (in the US, it was given the title DEATH OF A MYSTERY WRITER). I read most of the book while I was on jury duty, and I chose it to read because I thought it would be a light easy read for that type of situation. I was right, and luckily it was also a very good read, which I expected because Robert Barnard is one of my favorite authors. He rarely disappoints me.
This was a book about an obnoxious and overbearing author who has made many enemies and insulted just about everyone he encountered. His wife and daughter love him, or at least tolerate him, but his two sons don’t have much good to say about him. Of course, all of his children would like to inherit his money. So when he dies by poisoning they are the first persons the police consider as suspects.
Since the victim was an author of mysteries, other mysteries are mentioned, and especially Agatha Christie’s. Robert Barnard is a fan of that author. Barnard wrote a mystery reference book about her mystery novels, titled A Talent to Deceive: An Appreciation of Agatha Christie.
The book has a fantastic ending, as usual in Barnard’s books. A total surprise, and very fitting.
Thank heavens you had a good book to read for jury duty, Tracy! I can see why the Durell is taking a while, though. Some of those older books are so descriptive!
JUSTINE by Laurence Durell isn’t a quickie, it’s a beautifully written insightful historical novel of the time with deeply created characters and a wonderful long story arc. A personal favorite, as is the entire Quartet, and we’ll worth the effort.
You are correct, Rick. I am about 3/4 of the way through JUSTINE, and taking my time. I am going to a bookstore tomorrow and will be looking for a copy of the 2nd book in the quartet.
Lawrence Durrell also wrote some non fiction books – I enjoyed Esprit du Corps, about his time in the diplomatic service, and Bitter lemons – stories from his time in 1950s Cyprus with his first wife. They are very funny at times and much easier reads than the Alexandria Quartet, of which i have only read Justine, and that many years ago. I think I should go back and read all four books, of which I have the lovely old Faber paperback copies.