It seems that every time I ask “What Are You Reading?”, I’m starting a new book so I don’t have much to say about it yet. That’s okay. If I finish it, you’ll read my review. If I don’t, at least you heard about the book. It’s actually more important that we all learn what you’re reading anyways. So what have you been reading this week? If you’re in one of those locations dealing with a heat wave, I hope you have a comfortable place to stay cool and read.
I’m actually reading a cozy mystery, a book about assassins, and Gary Phillips’ One-Shot Harry. That’s the only one of the three that’s already available, so I’ll share the blurb. I’ve only read two chapters in it.
Race and civil rights in 1963 Los Angeles provide a powerful backdrop in Gary Phillips’s riveting historical crime novel about an African American forensic photographer seeking justice for a friend—perfect for fans of Walter Mosley, James Ellroy, and George Pelecanos.
LOS ANGELES, 1963: African American Korean War veteran Harry Ingram earns a living as a news photographer and occasional process server: chasing police radio calls and dodging baseball bats. With racial tensions running high on the eve of Martin Luther King’s Freedom Rally, Ingram risks becoming a victim at every crime scene he photographs. When Ingram hears about a deadly automobile accident on his police scanner, he recognizes the vehicle described as belonging to his good friend and old army buddy, a white jazz trumpeter. The LAPD declares the car crash an accident, but when Ingram develops his photos, he sees signs of foul play. Ingram feels compelled to play detective, even if it means putting his own life on the line. Armed with his wits, his camera, and occasionally his Colt .45, “One-Shot” Harry plunges headfirst into the seamy underbelly of LA society, tangling with racists, leftists, gangsters, zealots, and lovers, all in the hope of finding something resembling justice for a friend.
As I said, I’m just starting this book. What about you? What’s going on? What are you reading this week?
Hello, all! And happy (almost ) summer. Here in Northern California, our temps have been up and down. Low nineties today, then in a couple of days highs will be in the high 60s! Then creeping up to the nineties again. Hard to know what to expect. The first power outage happened in my town last Saturday, but not at my house–fingers crossed! Here’s what I’ve been reading this week.
I’m often drawn to contemporary romances set in the world of show business, and MARLOWE BANKS, REDESIGNED by Jacqueline Firkins is a case in point. Marlowe doesn’t want to be in the limelight. Her dream is to be a costume designer, but she’s still paying her dues as a lowly assistant working on a long-running TV drama. She’s also reeling after breaking up with her cluelessly abusive fiancé, although she knows it was the right thing to do. Marlowe feels sure that Angus, the hunky male star of the TV show, shares all of the traits that soured her on her ex, but when a twist of fate has her subbing for a background actor, she finds herself exchanging glances with Angus that appear steamy when they turn up all over social media. All of a sudden, she is the subject of hatred from his fans and those of his actress girlfriend. I appreciate the fact that the story is more about Marlowe’s difficulty in going after the career that she deserves and standing up for herself where relationships are concerned than it is about romance. My favorite character, however, is Angus because there is so much more to him than his handsome exterior. I like the way we slowly uncover bits and pieces of the “real” Angus and how he feels about himself as the story progresses. Marlowe’s friend and coworker Cherry also provides some upbeat assistance and counsel that is frequently humorous but always supportive and insightful. I was not familiar with this author but, on the strength of this book, will look for more from her. (October)
As Lesa has written, BAYOU BOOK THIEF is the very entertaining first book in the new Vintage Cookbook Mystery series by Ellen Byron, an author who excels in writing light mysteries set in The Big Easy. Ricki was born there and adopted soon after her birth. Recently, she was living and working in LA until her husband perished trying a stupid stunt to please his online followers, and her boss was imprisoned for fraud. Returning to New Orleans, Ricki has opened a gift shop featuring her passion–vintage cookbooks and kitchenware (although she doesn’t cook)–ensconced in the beautiful Bon Vee Culinary House Museum. When Ricki stumbles upon a dead body when opening boxes of cookbooks, her imagination starts working overtime. While I’m usually impatient with characters who go overboard with their own murder investigations, I thought Ricki was charming in the way she came up with ideas and strategies and ultimately forced the police detective to take her seriously. I also enjoyed the subplot about steamy romance novels sold at the shop by an author writing under a pseudonym, and how it was woven into the main story. Many of the supporting characters are just as charming, and I look forward to getting to know them–and Ricki–as the series progresses.
If you enjoyed Kim Michele Robinson’s The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, you will want to read THE BOOK WOMAN’S DAUGHTER, what the author calls both a standalone and a sequel (I would recommend reading them in order). Honey’s mother was one of the original packhorse librarians of Kentucky in the 1930s, and Honey shares her genetic trait of blue skin, though hers is only on her hands and feet. Her biological parents are gone, and her adoptive parents are in prison for the crime of miscegenation, marrying outside of their color. When the elderly woman who takes Honey in soon dies, 16-year-old Honey must survive on her own and avoid being sentenced to an unthinkable youth work farm. The story follows Honey through a few months in 1953, through both brutal and heartwarming events as she makes new friends and is supported by old acquaintances, experiences violent prejudice and many scary moments, and somehow finds the strength to express herself as a young woman to be reckoned with. I especially enjoyed the courtroom scene near the end of the book. It’s a quick read, though not always an easy one, as the reader experiences the highs and lows along with Honey.
Matt Cain’s THE SECRET LIFE OF ALBERT ENTWISTLE, the story of a closeted man in Northern England whose romantic life ended after a disastrous relationship decades earlier has some heart-warming and inspiring moments. On the brink of mandatory retirement from the Royal Mail (he is a postman), Albert doesn’t know what he will do with his life. He has always shied away from social interactions with coworkers and those on his postal delivery route, but he feels himself suddenly starting to change. In so doing, he positively affects the lives of new friends and acquaintances and allows himself to pursue the life he now knows he deserves. It is a positive story, very simplistically and straightforwardly told. I would have liked more nuance in the plot and the writing, and I felt the story sometimes veered off-course.
I also like the hints the author leaves of stories to come in Ellen Byron’s series, Margie. I’m afraid I did get a little impatient with Ricki, although I liked the book.
Thank you for those reviews!
I only finished one book this week since the weather has been nice and we’ve been spending time working in the yard. I’m transitioning my garden from cool weather vegetables to summer ones and my boyfriend wanted to totally redo one of the flower beds by the house.
I read an ARC of Strangled Skein by ACF Bookens. When salvager Paisley Sutton is hired by the new owners of an old estate to help them sort through the centuries of belongings that were left in the house she discovers several possible murders dating between 150 and 50 years ago. But her attempts to dig up information is upsetting someone in the present day.
I’m about halfway through THE PROOF IS IN THE POISON by Diane Kelly. Moonshine shop owner Hattie Hayes gets involved in solving the death of an unpopular exhibitor at a train convention when he dies after drinking a jar of her moonshine.
Sandy, I’m so glad you had nice weather and could get out. I’m also glad you had the chance to finish one book, and start another. Keeps you out of trouble when you can’t get out in the garden.
This week I gave up on The Messy Lives of Book People by Phaedra Patrick. I didn’t care for the main character. Liv was a cleaner who was tromped over by her family and clients. She is a fan of a long running book series. When the author (who is one of her cleaning clients) dies, she stipulates Liv must finish her 20th final book. This may have been the case of not the right time to read it as I enjoyed all this author’s previous books.
I loved Adult Assembly Required by Abbi Waxman. A group of somewhat misfits renting rooms in 60 year old Maggie’s house. They discover much about themselves, friendships, and love. Bonus that Nina Hill is once again a character. I found this so much better than her previous book about the mother and daughter visiting colleges.
Halfway through The Vanishing Type by Ellery Adams. This series just keeps getting better.
On Acorn TV we discovered London Kills and are working our way to the third season. It is very good.
Really hot in Cincinnati where I live with heat indices over 100°. So grateful we did not lose power after Tuesday night’s big storm. Lots of trees down in my township of West Chester. A local Kroger and Jungle Jim’s (a fairly well known tourist stop grocery) were without power until yesterday afternoon. Parts of Columbus (where I used to live) are also without power.
Off to Indianapolis to see our grandson play The Baseball. Lots of sunscreen and water in the car.
Happy Reading!
I’d never even heard of Jungle Jim’s, Sharon, until one of my staff members mentioned it recently. I’ll have to look it up to see what makes it a tourist attraction. I have the feeling power outages due to rolling blackouts may become a thing here in the Midwest this summer. Blah. My mom’s power was out for an hour and a half last night – northern Ohio.
I have another friend who says that series by Ellery Adams just continues to get better.
I like the sound of Adult Assembly Required.
Safe travels!
I think LONDON KILLS is on our list, but we haven’t watched it so far.
New York weather has been pretty good this month. Not too hot or cold, some rain (mostly overnight).
I finished a bunch of stuff this week. I talked about LET ME FINISH by Roger Angell last time. Good book.
I really liked Ann Hood’s FLY GIRL: A Memoir. She wanted to be a writer (even though her guidance counselor told her that all writers were dead!) and see the world, and she did both, first as a flight attendant for TWA. It really made me want to read more of her books, which for me is a high compliment. Very good.
Edward D. Hoch, CONSTANT HEARSES is the latest collection of the late author’s mysteries, these mostly about Revolutionary War spy Alexander Swift, who is often on assignment from George Washington. You get an enjoyable mystery story and learn American history at the same time, so what could go wrong? Good stuff.
I really liked Chris Hauty’s first book about White House intern Hayley Chill, DEEP STATE, a lot. You really don’t know where he is going with this one most of the way through. The second book was good too, but I found the third unbelievable and perfunctory in its plotting. Wherever she needs to be to stop the white supremacist plot to secede and form a new country (centered on Texas), she is. Whoever she needs to see to threaten to get more information, it just happens easily. It’s a fast read but DEEP STATE is so much better. I got the feeling this would be the last in the series. Disappointing.
Amy Bloom, A BLIND MAN CAN SEE HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU. Short story collection.
I read Delia Ephron’s harrowing LEFT ON TENTH: A Second Chance at Life. Her tale of losing her husband to cancer three years after her sister Nora’s death, then a year later finding an unxpected second love at age 72, followed almost immediately by discovering that she too has a form of leukemia, will keep you turning the pages, even though the fact that she wrote the book assures you that she does come through it. But there was something that bothered me throughout the book which lessened my rating a bit, but as it is probably just me personally, I wont say any more here.
Lastly, I finally finished Bill Pronzini’s SMALL FELONIES 2, his second collection of 50 short short stories.
What’s next? Dervla McTiernan’s THE MURDER RULE is very different from her Cormac Reilly series. Instead of Ireland, it is set in Virginia. More next time.
Non fiction: the latest David Sedaris collection, HAPPY-GO-LUCKY.
Short stories: GOLDEN AGE DETECTIVE STORIES, edited by Otto Penzler.
Why do so many incompetent people become guidance counselors, Jeff? It wasn’t just Ann Hood’s. She manages to make her own story & that of the airlines all interesting without bogging down in the airline part of it. Excellent memoir. I’m glad you liked it!
I have Dervla McTiernan’s Corman Reilly series at home. I just need to find time to read it. The first book is even signed. Did you meet her in Dallas at Bouchercon?
Hey there, Lesa, and others too – Always nice to read what everyone has been reading and doing. Lesa, wanted to tell you that I recently got back from a trip to Asheville, NC, and we had a lot of fun. Saw the Biltmore Estate and stayed there for a couple of nights and then moved over to the Grove Park Inn and more historical stuff and a golf course (necessary for my husband – Ha!). Anyway, I’ll have some pictures and several posts to report on the trip in the next couple of weeks. Stop by if you get a chance. Oh, I’ve also recently finished Sulari Gentill’s new book, THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY – loved it! I listened to the PP podcast and heard Patrick say you had said ‘hello’. Have you read Sulari’s series books – 1930’s Australia? I have not, but plan to check them out soon. Plus I had not realized that Mark de Castrique’s series, published by the PP Press, was set in Asheville. I saw one of his books on a display at Malaprop’s Bookstore in Asheville in the ‘local authors’ section. I want to try that series as well.
Hope you are doing well and everyone else here too. I don’t comment much usually, but I’m always around reading the posts, etc. 🙂
Kay! I’m so glad you stopped in after your Asheville trip. I love that area – Biltmore, Malaprop’s, the shops in Asheville. I wish we’d been there longer. Our friend, Kaye Barley, lives close enough to go occasionally, and she was there for the Monet exhibit and the spring gardens. She loves Biltmore. She also loves Mark de Castrique’s Asheville series. I like his Burying Barry one, and I just read a new book (new series or standalone, I’m not sure) by him that I liked. That one comes out in September.
No, Sulari’s other series is one I need to read as well. So many series I want to jump into!
I’ll stop by your site to see those photos!
We went to Asheville and the Biltmore after the Raleigh Bouchercon. It was great. It’s a beautiful area.
Lesa, Secret Lives? On.my Kindle via NetGalley!
Lesa and Kaye, thanks for the tip. Just requested Secret Lives on NetGalley (fingers crossed). I’ve had a couple of approvals from Poisoned Pen Press, so I’m hoping for the best. Never read anything by this author, but this one sounds good.
I’m looking forward to reading this new Gary Phillips book, Lesa.
I just finished a book that i’ll be heartily recommending. I’m a big Valérie Perrin fan.
From NetGalley:
“A June 2022 Indie Next List Pick
From the international bestselling author of Fresh Water for Flowers, Valérie Perrin, a beautifully told and suspenseful story about the ties that bind us and the choices that make us who we are.
1986: Adrien, Etienne and Nina are 10 years old when they meet at school and quickly become inseparable. They promise each other they will one day leave their provincial backwater, move to Paris, and never part.
2017: A car is pulled up from the bottom of the lake, a body inside. Virginie, a local journalist with an enigmatic past reports on the case while also reflecting on the relationship between the three friends, who were unusually close when younger but now no longer speak. . As Virginie moves closer to the surprising truth, relationships fray and others are formed.
Valérie Perrin has an unerring gift for delving into life. In Three, she brings readers along with her through a sequence of heart-wrenching events and revelations that span three decades. Three tells a moving story of love and loss, hope and grief, friendship and adversity, and of time as an ineluctable agent of change.”
THREE is a riveting novel.
And now I’m off to fix a fresh cup of coffee and settle back into my nest in front of the TV to watch today’s January 6 Panel Hearings.
Just starting it, Kaye. I’m reading Deanna Raybourn’s forthcoming book, and LOVING it.
I’m so glad you found a book you enjoyed during June despite the ‘must-see TV”!
I recently started Scarlet in Blue by Jennifer Murphy. It has mysterious beginning with multiple points of view and seems to be heading toward a murder. I’m definitely hooked.
Oh, good, Patricia. Don’ you love it when you come across a book that hooks you?
Another fan of LONDON KILLS. Have seen all three seasons and like it. At the end of the five episode Season Three there is a twenty minute behind the scenes deal that includes references to the next season and plans.
Book wise— Finished THE DAY HE LEFT by Frederick Weisel. Enjoyed it, but liked the first book better.
Started and quit a number of books. Some of that was the books. Most of it was me and my mood this week, I think.
The Texas heat is well underway and local weather readers are sharing government long range forecasts that indicate we are going to go through the hell of 1980 again when we broke records for heat and drought. Also saw a thing this morning that the LA NINA which has been in place for over two years now and was already one of the longest running ones had record shattering strength for the month of May. Not good at all.
KRT in the Big D
Hang in there, Kevin. And, I agree with you. I think we’re in for a heck of a summer.
I agree about The Day He Left, too. I liked the first one better, although the second was good.
Thanks Kevin. We will check it out.
I also like LONDON KILLS. It was originally shown as a daytime series here, so not that many people watched it – luckily it was then repeated. However I had no idea another series was planned, so i will look out for that , thank Kevin.
I love the cover of the book that you are reading, Lesa. I went to Amzon and they have an Audible sample by a deep bass voice that is very expensive. Then I went to the paperback of a book that he wrote before and the print was microscopic! Oh well/
Almost to the end of Jodi Picoult audio book, A Spark of Light. I really am interested in the father, daughter and aunt characters and wish they could live further in a sequel or another book. Not going to happen.
Continuing to read Metropolis abour an old storage facility with windows, lights, bathrooms on some floors and shower for a janitor on the top floor. Four units have people living in them illegally, courtesy for a fee by the manager. Weird, I drag through the chapters with some of the characters and stop to savor others. I am getting a window into the lives of peopl who are all involved in different crimes.
I’m guessing, Carolee, that the Audible sample is the author himself. Gary Phillips has a beautiful deep voice. I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you.
Too much going on here but all of it routine, stuff to do around the house, etc. I did get new glasses (both progressive lens and computer glasses), which helped in a lot of areas, although I haven’t found any way to be able to see comfortably while using the computer for any length of time.
Last week I was in the middle of A PITYING OF DOVES by Steve, the second book in the Birder Murder Mystery Series. The protagonist is DCI Domenic Jejeune and the setting is the Norfolk town of Saltmarsh. At that point I was bothered by his continual angst over preferring to do research on bird habitats than doing his job as a detective. Not that he shouldn’t have those feelings, but he should make up his mind. But the ending was very good, and I will be seeking more of that series.
I finished SOME DIE ELOQUENT by Catherine Aird, #8 in the Inspector Sloan series. This one is about a chemistry teacher who has died at 59 of complications from diabetes. The police get involved when they realize she has just come into a lot of money. Of course there are plenty of suspects. I always like the books in this series and this was no different. I like Inspector Sloan and I like the philosophical tidbits that the author throws in here and there, inconspicuously. There are 25 in the series and I hope I get to read them all eventually.
Before SOME DIE ELOQUENT, I read LINCOLN AT THE BARDO by George Sanders. I did enjoy that book, but it mystified me, and there was a lot I did not understand.
Thank you, Tracy. I think I need to try the Inspector Sloan series sometime. I’ll skip the Jejeune series. I’m not too interested in birding.
I’m so glad you’re reading some series so I can look at your suggestions. Thank you!
Tracy, I looked up Catherine Aird (whose real name is apparently Kinn Hamilton McIntosh!) but even second hand copies of the first book in this series are expensive on UK Amazon – however, there are some of the later ones in the series in our library catalogue – would you say they could be read out of order?
The weather here is yo-yo-ing, so we can’t really get used to anything. A lot more humidity than usual.
Last summer, there were free concerts practically every day. (Mondays were a little light) Now, there are hardly any. The Palldio which used to have one every Wednesday, now only has them on the second Saturday of the month. I heard they lost their sponsors. I hope this isn’t some kind of economic indicator.
This week I read:
Light, Dark and the Electromagnetic Spectrum by Scott Benjamin Gracie; Everything you could possibly want to know about light. Even goes into the history of indoor lighting back to ancient times. You get science and history in one book!
A Patriot’s Betrayal by Andrew Clawson; A National Treasure rip off that all goes back to a conspiracy involving Salmon P. Chase.
Fallen Out by Wayne Stinnett; A Flroida novel as a guy retires from the Marines and gets a boat in Florida. However, the author forgot a novel is supposed to have a climax.
Nothing Personal by Larry Temple; A serial killer abducts six Sex and the City type women. The parts without the serial killer were the most interesting, which is more than a bit counter intuitive.
Murder on the Menu by Zanna Mackenzie; A former London-er is not tring to farm in Cumbria, and waits tables for a hand-sy celebrity chef to help make ends meet. When the chef is offed, she is the last one to see him alive, and is the primary suspect. Luckily, her neighbor is a policeman who works for the Celebtiry Crimes unit. Amazingly, his job isn’t keeping celebrities out of jail, the way it would be here.
Scorpion Strike by John Gilstrap; Die Hard on Epstein’s Island. Surprisingly toothless. More like a prick than a sting.
Mysteries by Grham Wilson; A guy tries to do some home improvement in Australia, and finds a floor underneath the floor. This leads to finding his long lost daughter, and the rest of the book has almost nothing to do with that.
Neptune’s Window by LL Lewin; A tall high school girl can communicate with spirits. She starts a new school, and we get the usual soap opera. I kept wondering why she wasn’t on the volleyball and basket ball teams.
Glen, do you live in El Dorado Hills? The Palladio in Folsom is near me–is that the one you are talking about? I see they have concerts on Saturdays, but I’ve never been. I’m assuming they are outdoors?
Hi Glen+Davis,
Thank You for reading Light, Dark and the Electromagnetic Spectrum. I hope you enjoyed the content!
Regards,
Scott Gracie
Our weather has just been hot, Glen, no yo-yoing here. Hmm. I wonder if the lack of sponsors for concerts does indicate something about the economy as we all watch what’s happening.
My favorite comment this week is in your review of Murder on the Menu. It’s that last sentence that his job isn’t keeping celebrities out of jail, the way it would be here. (grin)
Hey Lesa, I am currently reading Shadow in the Glass by M.E. Hilliard and listening to Death Long Overdue by Eva Gates
I need to get to Shadow in the Glass, Katherine. I have it, and liked the first book, but haven’t read the second yet.
Good evening everyone – I’m late coming in today as I just had to do grocery shopping. The weather today is horribly close and humid, and I was not in the best frame of mind to trail round places like Tesco and Aldi, but my husband is kindly going to visit my mother at the weekend, and she called me with a list of requirements – plus we were running out of stuff ourselves, so I decided to get it over with. I know we don’t have anything like the extreme weather that some of you do, but I still find this kind of thing very draining.And of course while I was there it chose to pour with rain too…
Earlier this week our youngest daughter Madeleine came for a brief visit. It was so lovely to see her, and she and I had a great day at the Gray’s School of Art graduate show in Aberdeen. Charlie also loved seeing her, and spent a lot of the time draped around her shoulders, which is his top compliment, offered only to the favoured few. He was sad when she left.
This week I have been reading Mary Stewart’s NINE COACHES WAITING, which I am about to finish. As I probably already said, it’s about Linda Martin, a 23 year old girl who spent the later years of her childhood in an orphanage in England, as her parents had died in an accident, but has now return to France to be the governess to nine year old Philippe, the Comte de Valmy. He has inherited the title as his parents have also died in tragic circumstances. Philippe is living in the ancestral mansion with his mysterious crippled uncle Leon and his aunt Heloise. Needless to say, there are lots of strange goings-on at Valmy – and as the weeks pass Linda becomes convinced that someone is trying to kill Philippe – but who? and why?
Mary Stewart was a very good writer. The remote house, the beautiful gardens, the forested hills that surround Valmy, and the little town at the foot of the moutain road all come alive – she knows how to give enough detail to make her descriptions vivid, but she is never boring and long winded.
I’m at the point at which Linda and Philippe are on the run from the murderer. Linda can’t bring herself to believe that Leon’s glamorous son Raoul is involved in the plot against Philippe, but at the moment all the evidence points one way. Though as she is madly in love with Raoul, I somehow think that evidence will soon have a change of heart….
The only issue I have with this book is the way Raoul treats Linda. The first time he kisses her he is so violent that he actually draws blood. Further embraces are equally forceful. She apparently takes this as a sign of his passion. Hmm. Also she has decided she can’t live without him after one brief meeting. When she tells him she is in love with him, he replies that he doesn’t know if her can return her love, and instead of dumping him there and then she assures him she’s willing to accept anything he might be able to offer. Hmm again. The plot involving the (possible) murder and the identification of who might be behind it is far more exciting, and Stewart brings a real sense of urgency to Linda and Philippe’s flight from Valmy.
I am also really enjoying THE BOOK OF FORGOTTEN AUTHORS by Christopher Fowler, which is another of my ’20 Books of Summer’, and which I first heard about when Jeff mentioned it on here.
It is an easy book to read, with just 2 or 3 short pages on each author, but Fowler still manages to include some fascinating snippets about his subjects. An author called Fredric Brown, for example. wrote books with titles such as THE CHEESE ON STILTS and THIRTY CORPSES EVERY THURSDAY. Discussing the success of RM Ballantyne’s book THE CORAL ISLAND, Fowler wonders whether its popularity with Scots (Ballantyne came from Edinburgh) stemmed from their enjoyment of books in which no-one had to wear a jumper.
And of course I now have even more authors to investigate – I’m only a third of the way through and I’ve already listed nine names of particuar interest. Thanks Jeff for telling us about this book, it’s great fun.
My walking friend Nancy has family staying just now, and many of my other friends are away on holiday, so most of my walks have been solitary ones beside the river. This has, I must say, greatly increased my reading speed. But on Saturday David perusuaded me to do the walk from Aboyne (a village further up Deeside) to Ballater (the nearest large village to the Queen’s estate at Balmoral – you never saw so many shops with royal warrants displayed. Every shop supplies something to HRH, and indeed to Prince Charles too – from bread to haggis, pheasants, venison, wine, whisky, fishing supplies and goodness knows what else. It’s a charming little place, though like so many similar villages it is unfortunately being overrun with holiday homes and Air B & Bs these days.)
This walk was very long, and Saturday turned out to be ferociously windy – I had to hang on to David at one point to avoid being knocked over, and I began to eye the thrashing trees with trepidation. He had promised that we would stop off at Coorie Coorie, a wonderful cafe about half way along, for tea and cake. I’m sure you know what’s coming next…by the time we got there David said that if we stopped we would miss the bus back (they are only hourly on Saturdays). I pointed out that as the bus comes along the very road (there’s really only one) that leads from Ballater to Aboyne, we could simply pick it up at the cafe on its return journey. You will no doubt not be surprised to hear that I had to be satisfied with a banana eaten in the windswept churchyard at Tullich before we pressed on to our goal.
Fortunately Nancy will be available again soon!
On television this week we have a new series called SHERWOOD. I had heard people mention it but I imagined it was something about Robin Hood, so I wasn’t that bothered. However, on Tuesday I decided to give it a try, and I could not have been more wrong.
It is set in the present day in a run down former pit village in Nottinghamshire. These areas were at the epicentre of the miners’ strikes in the 1980s, when Margaret Thatcher decided to close down the coal industry. There followed a protracted strike right across many of the mining areas of England, Wales and Scotland. The NUM (miners’ union) was at that time very powerful and militant, and it fought the closures as hard as it could. Thatcher’s policy was to starve the miners out – some continued to work as they simply could not afford to feed their families otherwise. But many more were strongly behind the NUM. Picket lines were set up at all the collieries, and men who crossed those lines were labelled ‘scabs’. The police were brought in to try to manage the situation, but their tactics are now seen as highly questionable, and there is little doubt that violence was used. The whole thing divided these small communities and led to so much bitterness and hatred on both sides, and even 40 years later much has not been forgotten. Thatcher did of course win, the pits were closed, and many villages have never recovered; unemployment and the effects of unemployment are longlasting. If anyone has seen PRIDE, that film – which is based on real events – shows the suffering that went on in one small Welsh village
In SHERWOOD an ex miner and solid union man is murdered on his way home from the miners’ club. He is found in the middle of the road with an arrow through his heart. Many people in the village had issues with him, but who had enough motive for murder? As the local police detective DC Ian St Clair (David Morrissey, wonderful as ever) starts to investigate, all sorts of secrets come to the surface. The police request the victim’s records from the time when he was arrested during violence on the picket line, but when the file arrives huge chunks of it have been redacted (covered up). St Clair queries this with the Metropolitan Police in London,who had the records; in response they send him DI Kevin Salisbury (Robert Glenister, also excellent), who is currently suspended from his job. He was one of hundreds of policemen drafted in from London to provide back up to the local force during the strike, and it’s clear he has history in the area, and knows more than he is allowed to say about why the file has been altered. In the meantime, other local people are being targetted – stones thrown, arrows fired…
So far it’s great, with some fantastic actors in the cast. Lesley Manville, who is one of my favourites, plays the deceased’s wife. Joanne Froggatt (of Downtown Abbey fame) plays the unpleasant adult daughter of the man who owned the local bus company at the time of the strikes, and who incurred lots of wrath by providing the transport to take the non-striking miners across the picket lines. She is therefore strongly against Labour politics and is standing as a Conservative councillor in the local elections. Clare Holman (LEWIS) plays St Clair’s wife.
And on the radio I have finally finished THE RAJ QUARTET, which I enjoyed so much. I think listening to an audio version was quite a different experience from watching the TV adaptation, and both were wonderful.
It’s almost 7pm here so I had better think about dinner. I hope everyone has a good week ahead.
Rosemary, I didn’t know the background of Sherwood. Of course, I haven’t seen it, but I appreciate all the background you provided. I can see why it’s fantastic so far.
I can also see why you like walking with Nancy and other friends. No tea after a rigorous walk, just a banana! Blah.
Oh, Charlie. I’m so glad he had time to spend with your daughter.
Nine Coaches Waiting sounds as if it’s quality Mary Stewart.
As I’ve said before, I love your notes to us. Enjoy your week as well!
I had things to get done, so I am late in checking in today. We have not had the best weather this week. We had heat on Tuesday, rain all day yesterday and high winds today.
This week I read:
Murder with Darjeeling Tea by Karen Rose Smith – this is the 8th book in the Daisy’s Tea Garden series. Daisy is on the hunt for the perfect birthday present for her boyfriend, Jonas. She is visiting Rumple’s Statuary Shop with hopes of finding a Golden Retriever statue. While there Mr. Rumple suggests that Daisy might want something more special and insists on showing her some expensive miniatures that he keeps in a safe. That is not exactly what Daisy has in mind, so they head back outside to look at the stone statues. While Daisy is browsing, she hears an angry yell from the front gate. After a heated argument, the customer tears off in his car.
A few days later Mr. Rumple is found dead at the Four Paws Animal Shelter where he volunteers. He appears to have been hit over the head, but the murder weapon is missing. Since Daisy has helped the police solve a few murders, the residents of the town seem to come to her with information. When she becomes a target, the race is on to discover who wanted Mr. Rumple dead. This is a favorite series of mine.
The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis – Shasta lives with a fisherman in Calormen, a country south of Narnia. He calls him Father as he is the only father he has ever known. When he overhears the fisherman making arrangements to sell him to a stranger, he determines to run away. He soon discovers the horse he is fleeing on is a talking horse, named Bree. The two of them begin a journey to Narnia. Along the way they meet Aravis and her talking horse, Hwin. As they travel through the desert to the north, they encounter lions, suffer hunger and become separated. When they learn of the Calormenes’ plot to invade Narnia, they are in a race to reach the king before it is too late. The story is good, but I didn’t connect with the characters. This is not my favorite in the series.
Hope you all have a good weekend!
It’s been over forty years since I read the Narnia series, Gretchen, and I didn’t remember any of those details about The Horse and His Boy!
Just getting home from a day full of errands (more plants & library books!!). The weather has been changing almost daily, freezing and near triple digits in the same week, a bit of rain and lots of wind.
Just dropping in to read everyone’s recommendations and to thank you for leading me to the author Sarah Stewart Taylor. While waiting for the latest one, I decided to check out her debut novel from 2003. O’ ARTFUL DEATH. A delightfully convoluted mystery featuring art historian Sweeney St. George. It takes place in an artist colony in Byzantium, VT; provides a good bit of local history and great characters.
Purchased a wonderful book THE LAND OF LITTLE RAIN. A reissue of Mary Austin’s classic tale of the west with photographs by Walter Feller.
Sarah Stewart Taylor sounds interesting MM – I have added O Artful Death to my list (sadly no sign of her in our library catalogue, but her (second hand) books are quite well priced on Amazon.) Thanks for the recommendation.
Lesa is a fan of Sarah Stewart Taylor’s newer series where quite a bit of the story takes place in Ireland (Maggie D’Arcy series). The copy of O’ Artful Death I read has the author listed as Sarah Taylor.
It’s so interesting to see what the weather has been – so different for everyone.
I’ve never read that series by Sarah Stewart Taylor, although I hear good things about it, MM.
I had a friend in town last night, and an 8 AM meeting, and I completely forgot to stop by. I’m currently working on Charlie Thorne and the Curse of Cleopatra, a middle grade book by Stuart Gibbs. Quite fun.
Well, life just sometimes gets in the way, Mark. I’m glad you stopped by when you got a chance. Enjoy your book!