Thursday! I’m back in Indiana, back at work, and my next “planned” trip isn’t until the end of September. I stress that because I never know if something will come up.
It’s rainy here as I write, and we’re expecting several days of off-and-on rain before, hopefully, a nice holiday weekend. I have a little reading to do. I’ve just started Larry D. Sweazy’s Sonny Burton novel, Winter Seeks Out the Lonely. I’ve read the previous books in this series. Burton is definitely a lonely figure, a Texas Ranger until he lost an arm in a shoot-out with Bonnie and Clyde. Now, in 1935, he’s just living through the Great Depression until a broken down circus comes to town. There’s suspicion and rumors in the latest bleak novel by Sweazy – descriptive, dark, and bleak.
What about you? What are you doing or reading this week?
We’ve had heat the last couple of days, but it’s supposed to start cooling down on Thursdays through the weekend. I’d rather have a hot weekend, personally, although it is hard to complain about upper 70’s. Doing as much as I can at work to get ready for quarter end close starting on Friday. (We have a slightly off fiscal year.) Got a new paddle board today, but not sure if I will be able to take it out this weekend. Might be too windy.
On the reading front, I finished up MURDER ON UNION SQUARE by Victoria Thompson Wednesday. Good entry in the series, although not one of the strongest.
Thursday, I’ll be starting BAYOU BOOK THIEF by Ellen Byron, the first in her new series. I always enjoy her books, so I’m looking forward to it.
Hi Mark! Good luck with closing out the quarter. I know what a hassle you’ve gone through in the past.
I’ve already ready Bayou Book Thief. I love that Ellen Byron’s books have a list of characters in the front since she has so many of them! I have a review coming up next week, and an interview soon.
Good morning all from a very sunny Scotland!
I was thinking of going into town today to see an art exhibition and do some chores, but I’m not sure I want to waste this beautiful weather on that – maybe tomorrow. I have plants to plant, books to read, reviews to write, a river to visit, and a cat to take into the garden; at the moment all of those sound more appealing than trudging round the city streets.
Yesterday my friend Ann and I had a lovely walk beside the Loch of Skene on the Dunecht estate. It’s a man made loch that’s been there since long before my time, and it’s home to many species of waterbirds. It’s also a sailing club venue, and we saw some little boats out in the sunshine. As usual there was hardly anyone else around, so it was very peaceful.
And on Tuesday I walked with Nancy at the forestry tracks on Durris hill, from which the views are fabulous, right across Deeside. To the east you can see as far as Aberdeen beach and the offshore wind turbines that Mr Trump fought in vain. I always smile when I see them. And we heard a cuckoo.
Last weekend in Edinburgh was too hot and busy for me, but I did discover a new charity shop in the unlikely setting of the Ocean Terminal retail centre (it’s also where you can access the Royal Yacht Britannia, should that be your thing – it’s not mine, but my husband enjoyed visiting it years ago to admire the engineering…). The new shop had a huge number of books at 50p each. I sometimes find that the same books seem to circulate round and round the charity shops in a particular city or town, but this place had different stock. Thank goodness I had taken my wheely bag 🙂 One of the books I found was A TOMB WITH A VIEW – THE STORIES AND GLORIES OF GRAVEYARDS by Peter Ross. By coincidence Nancy has just finished this and loved it. My mother is also really interested in this sort of thing, so I snapped it up and took it over to her.
I also found A FEW RIGHT-THINKING MEN by Sulari Gentill, which is, I think, the first book in the series. I have been meaning to get this, it seems to have been well reviewed I also bought WILD LILY by KM Peyton (author of FLAMBARDS.)
And a book I had ordered and promptly forgotten about arrived: MEET ME AT LENNONS by Melanie Myers. It was recommended by an Australian contributor to Six Degrees of Separation, the book challenge I try to do each month. It’s apparently about a postgraduate student who comes across the details of the murder of a young woman in wartime Brisbane. She starts to investigate the dangers women faced at that time, and realises that little has changed. I feel I should read a few more books that aren’t set in the UK, and this one sounds interesting.
I finished reading THE FEAST by Margaret Kennedy; it was great. It is set in Cornwall in 1947 and opens with the local vicar having to take time out of the annual visit of a friend to try to write some sort of memorial to seven people killed when a cliff has collapsed. the hotel on top of it has come crashing to the ground, and been buried under the rocks.
After that opening, the narrative returns to the week before the disaster, and tells the story of the various people involved – the owners, the staff, and the guests. It is in some ways a modern morality tale – apparently Kennedy had had the idea of writing a story based on the seven deadly sins, and the characters who die each represent one of these – but it is much more than that, and not at all preachy. All of the characters are really well developed and interesting, the plot is engaging (as, with one exception, we don’t know till the very end who dies and who doesn’t, and it’s fun to guess) and the whole thing whips along.
The only small section that dragged slightly for me was when several of the characters are assembled in the lounge discussing morality, the cult of the individual v collective responsiblity, etc. Fortunately that was only a couple of pages – the rest is all story, and much the better for it. The main focus is on two families who have come to stay at the hotel – one a widowed mother, Mrs Cove, with three oppressed and neglected daughters (the mother even gets them to hand over their sweet rations so she can sell them on at profit), the other, the Giffords, an affluent aristocratic family who have avoided the deprivations of the war (the mother and children have been sent to the US, and even now they have returned to the UK they can afford anything they want on the black market). In the latter family the mother is almost as bad as Mrs Cove in some ways – Lady Gifford is a self indulgent hypochondriac who thinks only of her own comfort. One of her children is headstrong and wayward, but it is not Hebe whom we come to despise but her awful parent.
Other characters include the wonderful cleaner Nancibel (I wish I’d heard of that name when my daughters were born!), the appalling bully Canon Wraxton and his terrified and cowed adult daughter, Evangeline, and the Paleys, who tragically lost their child many years previoulsy – Mrs Paley now wants to move on, but her husband cannot; he is consumed with bitterness and pride, and takes his misery out on his wife. The family who owns the hotel is also interesting. I’ve not read any other Margaret Kennedy books, but I think she is most famous for THE CONSTANT NYMPH, a novel that I believe was also made into a very successful play.
Now I am reading ABOARD THE BULGER by Ann Scott-Moncrieff, a children’s book from 1935 now republished by Scotland Street Press. It’s about five children who escape from an orphanage and have adventures in their quest to find nice families. So far they have just arrived at a port and decided to stow away on a boat. Not sure what to make of this really, so I’ll hold off until I’ve finished it.
On the radio I am working my way through THE RAJ QUARTET. Yesterday we arrived at the awful night on which, during a time of political unrest and riots against English colonial rule, Daphne Manners is raped in the Bibighar Gardens and her lover Hari Kumar is unjustly arrested, imprisoned and tortured by Ronald Merrick. On the same night the Indian schoolmaster accompanying the English missionary teacher Edwina Crane on an trip he warned her not to take is attacked and killed by the mob while trying to protect her. I found these scenes even more harrowing on the radio than I did in the TV series, even though this adaptation moves from Daphne and Hari meeting in the gardens to Daphne arriving back at the MacGregor house and spares us the details of what happens in between (though Daphne later recounts it in a letter.) Maybe it’s because this time I know what’s coming, or maybe after all these years I am more aware of the terrible things that English colonial policies caused, and of the seemingly insatiable need of some countries to own and dominate others, and to be so convinced that they are right in doing so.
On television we have started watching the second series of THE BRIDGE. I was reluctant to do so after the unrelenting gloom of the first series – even though I acknowledge that the plot was clever and the acting excellent – but I have to say I really enjoyed the first episode last night. I think I am more attuned to Saga (the autistic Swedish detective) this time. So I will keep on watching.
Jeff, I looked for WHITSTABLE PEARL but over here it is only avaliable as pay-to-view, and I feel we already pay enough for Netflix and Amazon Prime. So I will wait until it (hopefully) becomes free.
The sun is still shining so I will get on now.
Have a great week everyone. We are off to Dundee on Saturday to see our youngest daughter Madeleine’s exhibition. Apart from that I am just appreciating being at home. I bought Charlie a cat tree with lots of viewing platforms and a little ‘snug’. My husband was not keen (takes up too much room in his opinion), but thank goodness Charlie really seems to like it and this has won David round (I think…)
Rosemary
Rosemary, It sounds as if you’re having glorious weather to be out in the garden with Charlie! Enjoy that.
I love to hear about the bargains you pick up on your wanderings. I have to say, though, that The Feast sounds as if it has some very dislikable parents in it.
Enjoy Madeleine’s exhibition! And, thank you, as always, for sharing a little bit of your life and reading.
Not much time for reading. Upset about the latest Texas shooting, two hours tweeting, another signing and spreading petitions, e-mailed our governor. Worn out. This issue is very important to me.. The laws have become much more lenient in Texas. We are planning to move out of state if possible.
Carolee, we have of course seen this on our news. Just terrible. To us here in the UK it seems almost unbelievable that people can buy guns in stores in the US. And I saw that Ted Cruz (I think it was him) thinks the answer is to fill schools with guns too. It is a mindset so far removed from just about anyone’s here (even the very right wing) that we find it hard to understand. Gun ownership here is very strictly controlled.
I would be with you on moving out if you can. In the meantime, take care.
I don’t blame you one bit, Carolee, for hoping to move out of state. Good luck!
It’s rainy in Cincinnati too, Lesa.
This week I gave up on Something Wilder by Christina Lauren. After The Unhoneymooners thie books have been hit or miss for me. This one was a miss.
I enjoyed The Beach Club Book Club by Kathryn Freeman. I liked Lottie a lot and I laughed out loud at points. Not a great book one that put a smile on my face.
Next I finished Strawberried Alive by Jenn McKinlay. I have to admit I read these for the characters. Angie played a very small role in this one. But all the DeLaura brothers are out in full force when Mel is shot at which made this a better than usual read.
My heart hurts for the families in Texas and for all of America. Thank goodness for good books.
Well, darn, Sharon. I just took Something Wilder home the other day. We’ll see. As you said, the books have been hit or miss for me, too. I loved The Unhoneymooners, though.
You’re right. Thank goodness for good books.
Good morning. I didn’t get much reading done this week between taking my mom to appointments and trying to get a new mattress delivered. After waiting three hours for the delivery they had the wrong mattress. Then it took almost two hours on a chat to get it straightened out and schedule a new delivery for this morning. Hopefully they’ll come early and it won’t be another three hour wait.
On the bright side the weather we’ve had is really making our garden grow. Unfortunately the weeds too but we’ve picked our first batch of spinach, the snow peas are blooming, and our ground cherries are already forming fruit.
I read FATAL REUNION by Annette Dashofy. During Zoe’s 20th high school reunion, a murder victim turns up with eerie similarities to a series of murders that occurred 20 years ago. I had a hard time putting this one down.
I’m also reading parts of HEROIC HEARTS, an anthology of short stories featuring heroes. Unfortunately most of the stories are based around book series that the various authors have written so after trying a few based on series I haven’t read and feeling very lost, I’ve decided to just read the ones I’m familiar with.
Sandy, Your results of gardening sound really good, but I’ll never be a gardener. My father absolutely loved his garden, and put a lot of time into it. I’m just not willing to give up reading time. We know where my priorities lie!
Isn’t it great to have a book now and then that’s hard to put down?
Welcome back Lesa!
We’re at the end of May and all my reads this week were books published this year.
Starting off with Erica Ferencik’s GIRL IN ICE. I was willing to go along with the unlikely premise of the book – a young girl frozen in the ice for centuries who thaws out alive – so that Val, a language specialist, can go to a remote island off Greenland’s barren coast to decipher the girl’s unknown language. Then I almost gave up on the first page with a throwaway line, a llama as a pack animal in the Himalayas. That dividing line between what advances the story and carelessness. Deciphering an unknown language portion of the story was interesting, the science and characters, not so much.
Jacqueline Winspears A SUNLIT WEAPON
It’s the summer of 1942 and Eleanor Roosevelt is scheduled to visit England. There’s a lot going on in the 17th Maisie Dobbs mystery featuring the British psychologist/investigator. Along with her husband Mark Scott, an American diplomat, Maisie lands in the middle of several overlapping cases. This book also brings the series back to the beginning with many references to Maisie’s mentor Maurice Blanche. I know some have given up on this long-running series, but there is quite the wait list at the local library!
And Amy Bloom’s IN LOVE: A MEMOIR OF LOVE AND LOSS. An excellent review was featured here last month, so I’ll just add that it wasn’t nearly as sad as I anticipated. Primarily, I think, because the author wrote herself as a real person with joy and anger and frustrations.
Thank you, MM! And, I’m so glad you didn’t find IN LOVE to be sad. You’re right. Amy Bloom did an excellent job in writing about her own feelings.
Good morning!
We have also been having rain – all day yesterday. Today is forecast to be cool and cloudy. Things are looking up for the weekend though with highs in the 70’s and some sun.
This week I read:
The Sweet Life by Suzanne Woods Fisher – This is the first in a new series. Dawn Dixon never expected to spend her honeymoon without her groom and with her mother. But that is exactly what she finds herself doing. After breaking their engagement just two months before the wedding, Kevin offered their hotel reservations to Dawn saying they were already paid for and no refund was possible. So, Dawn took him up on the offer and decided to invite her mom, Marnie Dixon, to come along. Dawn’s father passed away less than a year ago, so she figures her mom could use some time away.
The two of them are doing their best to rest and heal. But when Marnie buys an old, run-down ice cream shop, Dawn thinks her mom is crazy. Or maybe in denial. After the initial shock and frustration wear off, Dawn agrees to stay just for the summer and help her mom get the shop cleaned up. In order to do that though, Dawn will need to take a leave of absence from her job in Boston. Dawn has been working her way up the ladder of an accounting firm and is poised to make partner. Staying in Cape Cod will most likely mean giving up the partnership. Will spending the summer helping her mom be worth the loss of the partnership? Dawn can’t imagine it will, but it feels like the right thing to do. As the two of them begin working on the overwhelming clean up and restoration, Dawn learns that there is more to life than climbing ladders. I really enjoyed this one. The relationship between Dawn and Marnie is great. I loved how they learned to respect each other and work together.
Emma by Jane Austen – This was my first time reading Emma. I didn’t like her very much in the beginning. But, when she began to see the error of her ways she grew in my estimation and I ended up liking the book very much.
Lesa – I’m glad you made it back safely from New York and had a great time.
Hope you all have a great weekend!
Gretchen, I always love to see reviews of books I’ve purchased for the library, and haven’t read. The Sweet Life is one of those. I always buy Fisher’s books for the library, but I haven’t read them. I’m glad the book worked for you.
Thank you! I hope you have a great weekend, too!
Welcome back (again) and thanks to everyone for their updates. It is sunny (if a little cool) here, so pretty nice. Crazy how it was 90 on Saturday and only 67 on Tuesday.
Jackie had her first cataract surgery on Tuesday (the second is in two weeks) and it went fine. She is reading a Keri Arthur book, I think, after reading THE FINDERS by Jeffrey B. Burton.
I suddenly noticed I hadn’t read any non fiction since January, so rectified that. First was A WRITER PREPARES by Lawrence Block, the latest in his “how I became a writer” and “what I wrote next” group of books. Block is always readable and it is fascinating to me to see how he got started as a teenager while still in college. The weird part is, he started writing this in 1994 when a visiting Professor in South Carolina, then just put it aside when his term ended, and didn’t pick it up again until 2020, just before the pandemic hit. Easily available as an e-book.
Next was TALKING MYSTERIES: A CONVERSATION WITH TONY HILLERMAN by Ernie Bulow, a slender volume. Besides Bulow’s piece and the interview, there is a 25 page Jim Chee short story included. The reason I read this was that I am reading Anne Hillerman’s latest in the continuation of her father’s series, THE SACRED BRIDGE. I should finish it today or tomorrow. I’ve noticed that in most of her books, the central character is Bernie Manuelito, but in this one it is definitely Bernie’s husband, Jim Chee. Chee is off for a few days, in Utah to see the title Rainbow Bridge when, of course, he finds a dead body nearby. He stays to help the locals with the case. Bernie witnesses a deliberate hit & run that killed a man, and she cannot let go of it either. So far, retired Lt. Joe Leaphorn is not it it.
Like MM, I read Amy Bloom’s IN LOVE: A MEMOIR OF LOVE AND LOSS, about her husband’s Alzheimers’ diagnosis, and his determination to end his life on his terms. Well written without being too horrible to read.
Currently reading short stories by Bill Pronzini (SMALL FELONIES 2) and the great Joe R. Lansdale, in DRIVING TO GERONIMO’S GRAVE and Other Stories. The title story in the latter collection, set in Depression-era Texas and Oklahoma, is a gem.
I was going to read the third Chris Hauty thriller about Hayley Chill (great name for a great character), but before I started STORM RISING I discovered there was a novella about the character called INSURRECTION DAY, set on January 6, 2021, so I downloaded that to read first. I also have two more library books ready to be picked up (by Dan Chaon and Jeffrey Siger), so I better pick up the pace.
I hope everything continues to go well for Jackie and her surgeries, Jeff. For readers, that’s vital.
I haven’t read the latest Anne Hillerman book, but you’re right. Bernie usually is the central character.
Another one who appreciated IN Love! Excellent book.
Read “the guilt Trip” – which I thought was going to be more of a mystery than it turned out to be. It was more who is having an affair with who – so I wouldn’t recommend it. I’m taking vacation time next week and planning on relaxing, gardening, and reading on the patio, reading in the house and reading as late as I want to! Went to the Library yesterday to stock up so that I don’t run out. Hope everyone has a lovely holiday!
Oh, good, Donna! We’ll look forward to your reading bine. Enjoy your vacation!
Good morning! Getting ready to go out walking with the Walkie Talkies this morning, which I haven’t done in a while. It’s supposed to be in the mid to high 60s at 8:00 so it should be perfect. Here’s what I’ve been reading this week.
I would call the over-arching trope of THE MAN I NEVER MET by Elle Cook, the author’s first (British) contemporary romance (she has written historical novels under another name)” thwarted romance.” Hannah and Davey “meet cute.” He mistakenly calls her number (twice!) when trying to connect with a prospective employer for an interview. Something in their voices connects, leading to an extended relationship that progresses from phone calls to videochats and planning sessions for architect Davey’s move from the US to London for his new job. They can’t wait to meet in person, but fate intervenes to prevent Davey from relocating after all. The rest of the book details what happens to both as they move forward without each other. I feel the author demonstrates her literary talent best in the light-hearted flirtations and the deeply romantic scenes. Some sections of the book are very dark and may trigger unwelcome emotions in some readers. I look forward to more romances from Elle Cook. (November)
The timeline of seasoned author Laurie K. King’s latest absorbing standalone BACK TO THE GARDEN, alternates between the late 1970s and the present day. SFPD Homicide Inspector Raquel Laing has been transferred to the Cold Case Unit as she recuperates from an on-the-job injury. Elderly Michael Johnston has been identified as the Highwayman, responsible for at least four homicides in the seventies and now chained to a hospital bed as his terminal cancer progresses. Laing’s goal is to get Johnston to reveal more of his victims, and to determine whether the skeletal remains just discovered at a sprawling Central Coast (CA) estate might be one of them. In the historical timeline, we learn about the Gardener Estate, which functioned for four years as an organic farming commune–not a cult–and is now owned by a trust run by Gardener relatives and associates. There is much to appreciate in this low-key but fascinating novel: the interesting dynamics (Gardener family and otherwise) of those who ran the commune and those who run the estate trust today; the interactions between a dying serial killer and a police inspector who has a reputation as an intellectually gifted mind reader but decidedly not as a people person; and the references to a now-deceased feminist shock-artist who fashioned the huge statues under one of which the remains were found. The commune/estate’s daily workings are not the focus of the book, but rather the characters who drive the story. There is not a lot of action, as much of the story is told through dialogue, but the well-designed mystery unfolds gradually and is resolved in a satisfying conclusion. (September)
What makes THIS TIME TOMORROW by Emma Straub different from other time travel novels I have read is that the protagonist, Alice, tells her father and her best friend that she is from the future, and both believe her! At age 40, Alice is unmarried and has a job she enjoys but doesn’t reflect her privileged education and her earlier artistic aspirations. Her beloved single father, a science fiction novelist, lies in the hospital in the final stages of a terminal illness, unable to communicate. When Alice wakes up the day after her birthday celebration, she finds herself at age 16, in her childhood bed, but with a 40-year-old’s memories and perspective. Is this an opportunity for her to change things–somehow prevent her father from becoming ill, forge a lasting relationship with a boy she longs for, set her life on a different trajectory? It took a quarter of the book to set the stage, and I would have liked the time travel to start earlier, but I found Alice’s journey fascinating, if sometimes confusing. I rooted for her to find a way to go forward with what she learned from her past.
In their second adventure, MURDER UNDER HER SKIN by Stephen Spotswood, WillowJean (Will) Parker is now a trained gumshoe, assisting the prominent detective Lillian Pentecost. Their current case takes them back to the circus where Will worked for several years after leaving a dismal childhood home behind. Ruby, the Tattooed Lady, has been murdered just days after returning to the circus after years away. The prime suspect is the Russian knife thrower, but he was a former mentor of Will’s, and she feels strongly that he couldn’t be the murderer. Wise-cracking, street-smart Will and brilliant Lillian, who walks with a cane because of MS and has a glass eye, are unique creations and easy to root for. I also reveled in the wonderful, in-depth descriptions of the operation of a small-time traveling circus in 1946, its star performers, and those who make a meager living in the side show tents. The local inhabitants of the town in which the circus is currently playing–the church people and the police–add interest to the plot and complexity to the mystery. I’m happy to hear the third installment will be released in December.
Terrific reviews, Margie. They’re always tantalizing. Thank you!
Enjoy the walk, the weather, and the upcoming week of reading. Hugs!
Thanks, Margie. I really liked Spotswood’s first book and I’m looking forward to the second. And I like Emma Straub’s writing, and time travel, so will check that one out too.
The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution needs to be – MUST BE – revised to remove the individual’s right to bear arms outside the personal residence!
I agree, Rick.
Hear, hear!
Our hearts ache for the families of the victims of gun violence. This is a problem that needs to be fixed, and the members of congress who aren’t willing to do the work necessary need to be replaced.
We took a day trip to Asheville to see the Monet and Friends immersive exhibit which was magical, and The Three Generations of Wyeth exhibit which was just wonderful.
Some rainy days here in these mountains. Perfect for snuggling up with a book, but i seem to be on a needlepoint kick instead.
I did read an ARC of Barbara Linn Probst’s The Color of Ice.
“Set in Iceland—with its volcanoes, glaciers, and thermal pools—and framed by the magical art of glassblowing, The Color of Ice is the breath-taking, unforgettable story of a woman’s awakening to passion, beauty, and unconditional love.
Cathryn McAllister’s carefully-ordered life is upended when she travels to Iceland to interview a charismatic but reclusive glass artist who wants to capture the country’s iconic blue icebergs in blown glass. Little by little, she abandons her itinerary to spend time with him, and finds herself torn between the life—and self—she knows and a new world of risk, revelation, and passion.
Just when she thinks her path is clear, Cathryn is tested in a way she never could have imagined—and brought to a stunning act of love that she never thought she was capable of.”
Oh, Kaye. Every bit of your response brought tears to my eyes, from the opening about victims of gun violence, to art in Asheville, to The Color of Ice. That sounds beautiful. Sending you love, sister of my heart.
Sending love right back your way sister mine. ❤
Barbara Linn Probst writes very powerful women and i recommend her work.
Thanks for reading my books, Lesa.
A pleasure, Larry!
Tuesday was just brutal and watching the elected leadership–all Republican— spin their response to a denial of common sense gun control is disgusting. Just horrible.
And in an unrelated note but yet another example of our failed leadership, ERCOT is warning that conservation is needed today and through next Wednesday as the power grid is tight with a number of plants offline.
Reading wise, thanks to NetGalley, I am reading FALL GUY by Archer Mayor.
I think I have the book by Mr. Sweazy mentioned today as well as the one last week. Keeping track of things in the eBook TBR pile is so very hard.
Unfortunately, the failed leadership isn’t only in Texas, Kevin, although that state is led by a pile of it. You can add whatever two letters you chose to the front of “it”.
I totally agree with you. Books get lost on my Kindle, when I’m sure I would have read them already in paper form.
I was doing something the other night and saw a title that shall not be named and my thought was –Holy Hell! I have that???— and then realized it had been out several years. Sigh.
We’ve been getting temps of over 100 degrees already. Going to be a long, hot, summer.
This week I read:
The Case of the Roving Rolls by George Wyatt; A Brains Benton mystery. This series is one of the best teen mystery series to be almost completely forgotten.
Crush Medial Debt by Virgie Bright Ellington; The title says it all.
Jimmy Cartron and the Lost Keystone by JT Michaels; Why do so many writers go by “JT?” is it some sort of code? A secret society? It just seems weird to me. The usual Harry Potter type school boy is posessed by the spirit of a female war hero from a century ago, and fights super intelligent rats.
They Came From The Sea: The New People; An adaptation of a TV I didn’t know even existed. Apparently, a bunch of hippies on a State Department mission are in a plane crash. On the island where they land is a fake town, built for a nuclear test that didn’t happen. Some poisonous crabs start to appear, and everybody whines and complains until they go away.
The Memoirs of Solar Pons by Ausust Derleth; A reprint of the Sherlock Holmes impersonator. Pretty good for the most part.
Oh, Glen! Over 100, and it’s only May. You’re right. It sounds as if you’re in for a brutal summer
I’m one of those people who never heard of the Brains Benton mystery or George Wyatt. Now, I’m going to have to check it out.
It doesn’t sound as if you missed much by not knowing about the TV show “They Came From the Sea”.
I finished the advance copy of Linda Castillo’s 14th Kate Burkholder book – The Hidden One. It took place in Pennsylvania, away from her beloved Painters Mill, Ohio, and her team there. It did focus on someone she grew up with accused of murder. A good story but the ending twist, which I expect in her books, was from the cornfields, for sure. A good book nonetheless. I’m hoping the next book focuses a little more on wedding plans.
I’m just starting Kent Krueger’s Fox Creek due out on my birthday 8/23. I’m looking forward to the story centered around Henry Meloux.
I already read Kent Krueger’s Fox Creek, Sandie. OK, but I didn’t find it exceptional as some of his are. And, I’m not excited about The Hidden One because I don’t like it when the main characters are away from home. I like Tomasetti & Kate’s team in Painters Mill, and I haven’t enjoyed the others that much when she was away from them. I have that some issue with other series, so it isn’t just this one.
I thought coming here this afternoon would give me some peace, and it has helped me calm down. I’m so upset about the school shooting in Texas, and now one of the teacher’s husbands has had a heart attack and died. And, the refusal of lawmakers to do the right thing and pass gun restriction legislation is so hard to deal with. Vote, vote, vote for those who believe in keeping our children and rest of our citizens safe from the threat of dying from a lunatic with an assault weapon. I so needed to come here and read about reading.
Sandy G mentioned Annette Dashofy’s new Zoe Chambers book, Fatal Reunion. I finished it this week, too, and I also loved it. I almost have my review ready to put up on my Reading Room Blog. I’ve had quite a few books come in this week, some of which I have on NetGalley but wanted a printed copy. Last night I started a book that I will probably be recommending with great enthusiasm. I’ve seen great praise for it so far. It’s not a mystery/crime book, although I contend that it could be labeled mystery in a way. The title is Remarkably Bright Creatures and is written by Shelby Van Pelt. In short, it’s about a 70-year-old woman and an octopus, but, of course, it’s much more than someone admiring an octopus. Next week I can report back on it. I’d love to know if anyone else has it in their TBR pile.
Kathy, You make me feel so good that you came here to find some peace.Yes, I know the shootings are on our minds, but books are a refuge at times, and I know we all use them that way.
I should read Remarkably Bright Creatures. Great comments in the library field. I just haven’t had time. Yes, please. Report back as to your thoughts on the book.
Sending hugs, Kathy, because we all need them right now.
Sorry to be so late. We were out in the morning, and I had lots to do when I got home.
I am reading very slowly lately. I am not even sure what the reason is. I have only finished 3 books so far this month, and the books I am reading are not that long.
Last week I completed JUSTINE by Lawrence Durrell. It is the first book in the Alexandria Quartet, centering around a group of people living in Alexandria, Egypt in the years before World War II. I was eager to see what the next novel was like, and not forget the events of JUSTINE, so this week I finished the second book, BALTHAZAR. That book expands on the events in JUSTINE. I enjoyed it even more than JUSTINE, but really the two books feel like one long story to me (in a way). Again, eager to continue with the Quartet, I ordered a copy of MOUNTOLIVE. I am about 1/3 of the way into that book; David Mountolive is a diplomat and this book starts when he is first sent to Egypt to live with an Egyptian family and improve his Arabic. This third volume takes on the story from a different perspective from the others, and I have found it to be the most enjoyable read of the three. All three of the books focus on the same time (roughly) prior to World War II.
In Santa Barbara, California, we have had cooler weather and a good bit of overcast. It was overcast all day today, so far. I love this weather so no complaints, except I would rather be having the rain that others are having.
I have read some books by Larry Sweazy, two in the Marjorie Trumaine series, and I have the third in the series on my TBR. I also have A THOUSAND FALLING CROWS but have not read it yet.
Larry Sweazy’s books are always gritty and dark. The third Marjorie Trumaine is so atmospheric! You’ll get to it eventually.
Nice weather, and books you’re enjoying. Very nice, Tracy!