We’re having 90s and high humidity here in Indiana. I know it’s even hotter some places where you live. Or, maybe you’re someplace where it’s comfortable. I hope this week is going well for you, no matter where you are. I have a friend who asks us to check in on Fridays, no matter how our week went. I hope you do the same. Tell us how you’re doing. Then, tell us what you’re reading, please.
I’m reading an older book by a Canadian author, Thomas King. DreadfulWater was written in 2002 and reprinted in 2017. King wrote the first two books in the series under the name Hartley GoodWeather. DreadfulWater was originally called DreadfulWater Shows Up. It is a comic mystery, with this summary. “Thumps DreadfulWater is a Cherokee ex-cop trying to make a living as a photographer in the small town of Chinook, somewhere in the northwestern United States. But he doesn’t count on snapping shots of a dead body languishing in a newly completed luxury condo resort built by the local Indian band. It’s a mystery that Thumps can’t help getting involved in, especially when he realizes the number one suspect is Stick Merchant, anti-condo protester and wayward son of Claire Merchant, head of the tribal council and DreadfulWater’s sometimes lover. Smart and savvy, blessed with a killer dry wit and a penchant for self-deprecating humour, DreadfulWater just can’t manage to shed his California cop skin. Before long, he is deeply entangled in the mystery and has his work cut out for him.”
I’ve said before that I don’t always finish the books I mention on Thursdays. I’ll finish this one. I like DreadfulWater. I liked him as a character when I read King’s short story “Chinook” in an anthology that comes out in September. That’s called The Perfect Crime: A Diverse Collection of Gripping Crime Stories for 2022, edited by Vaseem Khan and Maxim Jakubowski. I’m reviewing that anthology in September, but I can say it’s an excellent collection. And, “Chinook” was one of my favorite stories. It led me to the first DreadfulWater mystery.
What about you? What are you reading this week?
Good morning. My boyfriend and I bit the bullet and saw our first live show since Covid began. A playhouse about an hour from us is doing La Cage aux Folles which I saw years ago on broadway but he’d never seen it. We both really enjoyed the show and went out to a nice restaurant for dinner afterwards.
This week I read BARNABAS, QUENTIN, AND THE MAGIC POTION by Marilyn Ross. It’s one of the series of books that were released back in the 1970s and very loosely based on the Dark Shadows TV show. This wasn’t one of the better ones.
THE VAMPIRE’S SUNNY SWEETHEART by Kristen Painter. A somewhat predictable paranormal romance but I liked the characters
Wasn’t it nice to see a live show, Sandy? Sorry about your books this week, but I’m glad you enjoyed the show and dinner!
Good morning Lesa,
Your temperatues sound absolutely unbearable to someone like me. Yesterday it was 71F, cloudy and very humid – I did not enjoy that one bit. Today however is bright sunshine and a high of 66F, which feels much better.
I was going to be down at the river early for my (as yet in vain) otter hunt, but the best laid plans….I discovered that I can actually let Charlie out onto our balcony (which is off the sitting room on the middle level of the house) and he doesn’t seem to want to jump straight off. I think he enjoyed it as he gets a good view of everything from up there, so I took a footstool out and sat and read my book with him for an hour, It was really lovely, so peaceful (till, inevitably, somebody started up their lawnmower) and quite cool.
I finished Mary Stewart’s NINE COACHES WAITING but found it disappointing in the end. The plot became more and more ridiculous and Linda Martin, the so-called heroine, just got wetter and wetter, I think it was supposed to be based on Jane Eyre, which is not my favourite book in the first place, though I know many people love it. Linda had the opportunity to stay with a lovely, kind, reliable man, and instead opted for a hot tempered, volatile, moody, dominating – but of course devilishly handsome – one. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I much prefer the heroines of some of Stewart’s other books.
So now I am reading THE SNOW AND THE WORKS ON THE NORTHERN LINE by Ruth Thomas. Ruth lives in Edinburgh but her book is set in south London, where I grew up, so I am quite familiar with many of the locations. I did hear this read on BBC Sounds last year, and enjoyed it then, but reading it on the page is proving so much more rewarding. There are, for example, quite a few subtle jokes that I completely missed first time round.
It’s about Sibyl, a young woman working in an obscure part of the (fictional) Prehistoric Institute and living with her chef boyfriend Simon. Everything is jogging along fine until who should turn up but the beautiful, smooth and successful Helen, one of Sibyl’s tutors from university – who had actually tried to downgrade Sibyl’s finals results but had been overruled by someone more senior . Helen has become an authority on a particular area of prehistory and is now in charge of a body that facilitates links between museums and corporate sponsors. She very soon becomes a board member of the Prehistoric Institute, and is then elected Chair of the Trustees. And while all this is going on she also steals Simon from Sibyl.
Sibyl is a quiet, reserved person, but as she struggles with the break up, and various other things going on in her life, she resolves not to weep and wail but to exact some sort of revenge on ghastly, patronising, Helen. At first she can’t see a way to do this – then she begins to realise that Helen’s latest academic work has in fact been plagiarised from Sibyl’s own Finals dissertation. And that’s as far as i’ve got.
There are so many wonderful little scenes in this book – many of them just Sibyl thinking her rather weird thoughts as she plods through her days. There’s also the poetry group someone urges her to join, which is full of characters that, as one reviewer put it, are just desperate for someone to hear them. Then there is a visit to her retired parents in Norfolk, and some excellent observation of the things people sometimes get obsessed with at that stage in life. And there is also Sibyl’s very bouncy and tactless new flatmate, Esther, who at one point texts her asking if she wants to go to see a film called Get Over It….
I was suprised to see that there are several quite negative reviews of this book on Goodreads. Some of them said ‘nothing happens’ or ‘the characters are not developed’. I don’t agree at all, but it is definitely a ‘quiet’ book. Lots happens, but much of that is contained in small, mudane interactions in the office, or even the thoughts in Sibyl’s head. So far I am loving it.
And I am also still reading Christopher Fowler’s THE BOOK OF FORGOTTEN AUTHORS and still enjoying it very much. my list of names to look for is growing ever longer. And I do enjoy Fowler’s wit.
On the radio I listened to an old comedy/drama UNOFFICIAL ROSIE, based on the novel by Alan McDonald. It’s about Liverpudlian single mother Rosie, who is made redundant from her typing job (this is 1994, when places still had ‘typing pools’) and decides to become a private eye. As such she becomes drawn into a scandal involving local government corruption. Rosie, her friend Marge, Rosie’s children Carol and Bob, her boyfriend Gerry and her lawyer friend Martin, are all good characters and were well acted, but the plot itself was just ridiculous. I’m not sure we were even meant to believe it. Local government corruption – bribery for contracts, etc – is of course a very real thing, and was rife in the 1980s/90s (as the brilliant Our Friends in the North TV series showed all too well), but the chances of someone like Rosie having any means of investigating it are less than nil. However, Paula Wilcox, who played Rosie, is a good comedy actress (most famous for a long running role in Man About the House), so it was worth a listen.
I’m also working my way through an adaptation of NORTHANGER ABBEY, but I must say it’s irritating me. We studied this novel for O-Level English when i was at school, and I had no patience with it then. I know Jane Austen was attempting to send up all the over-the-top Gothic novels that proliferated at the time (The Mysteries of Udolpho, etc) but Catherine Moreland, the main character, is just so silly and predictable that you want to shake her.
On TV I am enjoying SHERWOOD, which has two episodes left to go. It really does depict the situation in the mining areas in Thatcher’s era, and how much this still affects communities today, but it is also a solid thriller. It has become clear that one of the undercover police detectives sent into the village all those years ago is still there, living under an assumed identity. Has the killer worked out who he/she is, and is that the motive for the killings? I’m looking forward to finding out.
On Tuesday I went into the Aberdeen Art Gallery. The exhibition I especially wanted to see was about the Cabrach, a remote and sparsely populated part of Morayshire, just over the border from Aberdeenshire. It was a really wonderful little show; an artist and a sculptor had spent a year exploring the area and talking to the residents, holding workshops for them in things like jewellery making and photography, and offering guided walks. They had dug into the memories of people who had been there for generations, and talked with them about the many families that had left – there are a lot of abandoned farms and cottages. One of the exhibits was a scale model of the area with tiny houses; the black ones are still inhabited, the white ones have been abandoned. It made you think about the history of the land and of the people. Wind farms are now coming to the Cabrach, so this is a time of change.
We have major train strikes throughout the UK this week. I am lucky in that they don’t affect me at all – we don’t even have a local train line any more, and I don’t need or especially want to go anywhere. The industrial action is of course causing huge disruption, especially in London, where the tubes have also been on strike. My daughter Anna is working from her home, and said that she felt it was all pointless and that nothing would change. I feel like a bit of a dinosaur when i say that I think someone has got to tell this government that its actions are unacceptable, and only those few trades unions who still have some clout have the power to do so. I was saddened by her resigned attitude, though i can see where it comes from – her generation have never known any government other than a Tory one. I am so glad I live in Scotland.
I hope everyone has a great week.
Rosemary, I was right. Margie had reviewed Search here on a Thursday quite a while ago. It just felt like that to me, but I couldn’t find her post.
Otters! I hope you get to see the otters some morning. And, I love that Charlie can sit out on the balcony with you. I’m not sure my Josh would make it there. He likes to climb screens and he loves the outdoors, so he probably would have flown off the balcony the first time he was even out there.
What a mess with the strikes. And, they want people to use mass transportation, but with strikes and the messes at airlines, who can get anyplace if you don’t drive? Yesterday, on Facebook, I posted a piece reportedly from an airline attendant saying if it’s within 7 hours, drive because the airports are such a mess right now. Stay home! Enjoy your walks and Charlie.
PS Lesa, I forgot to say, I did like the sound of the book you reveiwed yesterday, Search. I looked it up but no luck in our library system, and it’s quite expensive on amazon so far, so I will make a note of it and wait.
Woke up to cloudy skies this morning in Northern Nevada from the leading edges of the monsoon centered in Southern CA and AZ. Hoping there won’t be much lighting as we’re not expected to get any rain.
Just finished Madeline Miller’s much lauded 2012 debut THE SONG OF ACHILLES. The book reimagines Homer’s The Iliad from the perspective of Patroclus. A well-told tale of gods and kings, immortal fame and the human heart.
Also read DARK NIGHT, my second attempt at one of Paige Shelton’s series and a much better fit for me. This is the third entry in her Alaska Wild series, but the first I’ve read (reviewed here December 2020). The plot synopsis had me a bit skeptical, but quite the entertaining story. The setting of small town Alaska and the characters are great.
MM, I like that Paige Shelton series, but have to admit the plots get a little bit odder as the series goes on. The fourth book, Winter’s End, is due out in December.
Had two very enjoyable reads -Give Unto Others by Donna Leon – I read all of her books which are set in Venice – I think the descriptions etc are almost as good as the actual mystery. This one wasn’t her best but still good. I also read The Harbor by Katrine Engberg – I love Scandinavian mysteries and this one was excellent. I read some of her earlier ones and they are all good. We had a lot of rain here in CT yesterday but so far today it seems to have ended and we have sun. We are expecting a nice weekend in the 80’s. Feel very sorry for the places in the country with 100’s – not easy to deal with temps that high. Hope everyone has a nice weekend.
Last weekend was in the 80s here, Donna. Those are my perfect temperatures. These 90s and humidity just give everyone headaches. And, it’s even hotter in Texas. Enjoy your weather!
I just haven’t read too many Scandinavian mysteries. I tend to read more Australian ones. So many books, so many interesting settings, not enough time.
Good Morning! Yesterday was unbearable with a heat index of 105 degrees in Cincinnati. Parts of the city (not mine) got rain but it cooled things off considerably today.
I read three books this week. Laundry Love by Patric Richardson and Karin B. Miller. I did not find it as life changing as many of Mrs. Darcy’s book club readers, but it was interesting. I already do several suggestions like using wool balls and no fabric softener. I learned things I did not know about fabrics, and I enjoyed his breezy writing voice as well as his anecdotes about growing up. I did take notes on his stain removal methods and plan on trying his recipe for country-style ribs from the appendix. However, there will be no disco ball hanging in my laundry room to make it more fun 🙂
Several readers here already discussed Ann Hood’s Fly Girls. I found it extremely interesting. I can’t imagine being a flight attendant at that time with the all the rigid rules about weight, being unmarried, etc.
My favorite book of the week was a cozy mystery your recommended, Lesa. Buried in a Good Book by Tamara Berry. She had me hooked with body parts flying from dynamite fishing. I loved Tess, Gertrude and Sheriff Boyd. I read this with a big smile on my face throughout. It was just delightful despite being about murder.
Lesa, perhaps you were looking for my comments around the beginning of June about Search? I still think about how multilayered it was and recommended to my family and friends.
Happy Reading!
Yes, Sharon! And Margie reviewed Search even before that. I couldn’t find your comments or hers. They’re here, but I just didn’t know which Thursday they appeared. Wasn’t Search excellent? I just recommended it to a friend, and I think one of my sisters will like it.
I just read Tamara Berry’s second book in that series, and the opening chapter of it will hook you, too. On Spine of Death is released Nov. 29.
Thank you, Lesa. I will look out for it!
Sharon, I am interested in your comments about Laundry Love, as I have heard it praised to the skies on one podcast (as well as the Mrs Darcy one) in particular. But disco balls in a laundry room?! (Not that I have a laundry room…our houses are, I think, much smaller than many US ones.) Maybe this is not the book for me…
Rosemary, I checked it out from the library. I would not buy it. I have my tried and true laundry methods that work for me. The stain removal techniques were what I was interested in. He is a big of hanging clothes up to dry which I cannot do outside because of my homeowners association. He also has a degree in textiles so I learned a lot about that. Perhaps you would enjoy a library copy like me to see what the fuss was about.
Good morning! It’s been a hot week in Northern California as well–nineties or more every day, with no relief in sight for another week. The A/C has been a godsend for sure, and last weekend we went to a movie for the first time in quite a while. We saw the new Lightyear (Pixar), which was delightful, and it even kept my 3- and 5-year-old grandchildren well behaved and enjoying themselves. As for reading, it’s been a mostly delightful week. I somehow finished 6 books!
FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK by Elissa Sussman is set in two discrete time periods, ten years apart, with chapters shifting back and forth. Chani has an MFA and dreams of becoming a novelist, but she experiences more success for her essays and especially for her celebrity interviews. Her interview of heartthrob movie star Gabe, based on three days she spent with him, rockets her into the public eye but leaves her with some personal regrets. Ten years later she is asked to interview him once again, now that he has been the latest James Bond and has come back from a stint in rehab, and she reluctantly agrees. This is more of a two-person character study than a romance. Chani has had her own issues with an unsupportive husband who feels her success somehow negates his own, and with her lack of confidence in her own worth as a writer. Gabe struggles to figure out how to defeat his demons and become the person he really is. I enjoyed the two protagonists, especially Gabe, and particularly the chapters about their shaky reunion, as well as the author’s sure-handed writing style. It’s mostly a serious story, well told and absorbing, and well worth the time spent reading it.
Normally, I don’t have much patience for books where a major character has done something in the past that was wrong, regrets it, then stupidly does it AGAIN! But because I loved Kathleen West’s first two books (all three are standalones) and know she is a consummate storyteller, I took a chance on HOME OR AWAY. . . and I’m not sorry I did. The story centers around youth hockey (9-year-olds) in Minnesota, “The State of Hockey.” Gus’s mother, Leigh, was a star player on Team USA back in the day but gave it all up when she failed to make the Olympics team, even after a male coach promised her she would, in return for sexual favors. She married her boyfriend, moved to Florida, and became an investment broker. Now the family is moving to Minnesota to give Gus a chance to sharpen his ice hockey skills and to make an elite team. I’m not really a hockey fan, but it was interesting to read about the intensity of training, even for youngsters, the shenanigans of parents who maneuver to get the best teams for their kids, and how it all affects everyone that’s part of the process. I also enjoyed the family dynamics (Leigh, her writer/stay-at-home-dad husband, and Leigh’s parents) and the interactions of Leigh and her husband with their friends and supporters. Emotions ran so high that they brought me to tears near the end–in a good way. Yes, there is redemption, and yes, there are people deciding to change their lives for the better, and yes, the bad guy–well, you’ll just have to read it. It was a surprising hit for me.
A Christmas romance can be a fun read any time of the year. Unfortunately, ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS by Maggie Knox fell flat for me. Despite the cute cover, the book isn’t really about Christmas. More importantly, I didn’t engage enough with the protagonists to understand what they saw in each other until very late in the book. The premise of their meeting on a TV reality singing competition was promising, but it wasn’t fleshed out and almost disappeared from the narrative. Also, there were too many tropes and stereotypes in the plot and the dialogue. The author duo does, however, demonstrate their talent in the family dynamics sections and in the last chapter and epilogue. Sadly, it wasn’t enough for me. (October)
Thanks to Kaye and Lesa for recommending SECRET LIVES by Mark de Castrique. At age 75, Ethel Crestwater is truly a character to admire, respect, and root for. She runs a boarding house close to Washington, DC which several government agents call home. Her own impressive work experience is revealed slowly, but it is evident from the beginning that Ethel is so much more than she appears to be. The story starts with a bang, literally, as one of her boarders, a Secret Service agent, is killed right outside of the house. Ethel knows just what to do, and she is not above concealing evidence from the authorities until she has a chance to do some investigating herself. That’s when Ethel begins to demonstrate her special talents, most remarkably her keen instincts and analytical skills, not to mention fearlessness. It doesn’t hurt that she has maintained important contacts and already has the sometimes-grudging respect of those who are familiar with her former career. The plot moves quickly, making this a fast and absorbing read. It’s a complex story, involving not just the Secret Service but the FBI and the police. The focus is on cryptocurrency, and I wished more than once as I was reading that I had a better understanding of how it works. Ethel involves her grad student cousin (an engaging supporting character) in the action, and the pace is almost unbearably intense as the plot advances. Kudos to the author, who has written a propulsive story worthy of a (hopefully) new series to join his other successful series. (October)
Abbi Waxman writes the kind of book I want to read–comfort food for the soul. ADULT ASSEMBLY REQUIRED is a story about family–difficulties dealing with one’s own family members and finding a more comfortable home with found family. I wouldn’t call this a romance, although there is at least one very delightful romance simmering (a VERY slow, sweet burn). It’s more about the whole cast of characters, living in the same boarding house and pursuing meaningful jobs or education, tolerating each other’s foibles, and supporting each other as they overcome past traumatic events and unsatisfactory relationships. Along the way, we experience pub trivia, one-on-one coed basketball, gardening, a bookshop, long-distance running, and much more. I loved every one of the boarding house inhabitants, including the owner. There are no two alike, and each is lovingly and realistically portrayed, to the point where I hope there is a sequel. After all, one of the boarders was the protagonist in a previous book, The Bookish Life of Nina Hill. Sharon, you and I think alike. You recommended this one last week, and I had received it in the mail a few weeks back after preordering it. I made it a priority, and I am now enjoying the afterglow. Thanks!
The Cape Cod Foodie Mystery series by Amy Pershing delivers everything I want from a cozy mystery. In the third entry, MURDER IS NO PICNIC, Samantha (Sam) Barnes, a former chef in NYC, now works as a food reporter and restaurant reviewer for her hometown “Cape Cod Clarion,” so there is a lot of food talk (at one point forcing me to hungrily research “lobster rolls near me” on Google) and the leadup to a sumptuous July 4 clambake. I enjoy spending time with Sam–she seems down-to-earth, intelligent and fun, and each of her friends is interesting, distinctive, and not silly (as they can be in some cozies). Of course, there’s her penchant for participating in police investigations, currently regarding the death of a prominent local cookbook author, but she doesn’t rise to the TSTL (Too Stupid to Live) level. The female detective is a member of the local Wampanoag tribe, used to date Sam’s harbormaster boyfriend Jason, and is a well-developed character herself. Boyfriend Jason is out of town filling a temporary position on the opposite coast for most of the book, but I admire his warm relationship with Sam. The mystery is well thought out and resolved. I found myself enveloped–in a good way–in the beachfront setting , with a level of detail that is satisfying and not overwhelming. Honestly, I think this is the best in the series so far, and because there is a big question unanswered at the end, I am happily expecting the next in the series.
Well, mostly good books this week, Margie! I’m glad you all enjoyed Lightyear. Bless that air conditioning, even though I like heat. I just don’t like high temperatures plus humidity. There’s a reason I preferred Arizona over Florida. Now, though, I think I’m going to be happy I live in the Midwest where we have water.
You and Sharon do seem to like the same sort of books. I may have to pick up Some Assembly Required. I won’t remember, though, who recommended it. (grin)
Secret Lives was just fun. You’re right about the cryptocurrency angle, though. Most of that went over my head.
Hi Lesa! I just started The Secret Gift of Lucia Lemon by Celia Anderson. I can only say the beginning of the novel is intriguing. By the way, Scarlet in Blue met all my expectations. I loved the multiple POV characters and found the ending so satisfyingly ambiguous that I almost want to read the story again.
Arghhhh! Ambiguous endings are not my favorites, Patricia. I’m glad you were content with it, though. I hope you enjoy The Secret Gift of Lucia Lemon.
Mornin’, all!
I have been watching more TV than usual for me, being the political junkie i am, so not a lot of reading.
I did read two books I enjoyed. A biography of Josephine Baker and a children’s book, Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell.
From Amazon:
“The beauty of sky, music, and the belief in ‘extraordinary things’ triumph in this whimsical and magical tale” (Publishers Weekly) about a girl in search of her past who discovers a secret rooftop world in Paris.
Everyone thinks that Sophie is an orphan. True, there were no other recorded female survivors from the shipwreck that left baby Sophie floating in the English Channel in a cello case, but Sophie remembers seeing her mother wave for help. Her guardian tells her it is almost impossible that her mother is still alive—but “almost impossible” means “still possible.” And you should never ignore a possible.
So when the Welfare Agency writes to her guardian, threatening to send Sophie to an orphanage, they takes matters into their own hands and flee to Paris to look for Sophie’s mother, starting with the only clue they have—the address of the cello maker.
Evading the French authorities, she meets Matteo and his network of rooftoppers—urchins who live in the hidden spaces above the city. Together they scour the city in a search for Sophie’s mother—but can they find her before Sophie is caught and sent back to London? Or, more importantly, before she loses hope?
Phillip Pullman, author of the His Dark Materials series, calls Rooftoppers “the work of a writer with an utterly distinctive voice and a wild imagination.”
Oh, Kaye. I love the description of this story. And, I like that the guardian says it means “still possible”. I like the hope here.
And, in the case of politics, I still have hope – not a lot, but I do have hope.
“Possibility” is a lovely thing. A theme throughout Rooftoppers, and it reminds me of one of my favorite lines, ‘I dwell in Possibility’ by Emily Dickinson.
Oh, I love that, Kaye. Thank you.
My library has it–huzzah! Just put it on hold. Thanks for the recommendation, Kaye.
I’m hoping to finish up A TEST OF WILLS by Charles Todd today. I’m enjoying it, although it is significantly darker than what I normally read.
I’m wondering, Mark, if that’s one they wrote together before Caroline died, or if he wrote or finished it afterwards.
A Test of Wills is an oldie, 1996.
A Game of Fear, published this year, was the last Ian Rutledge they wrote together. It included a nice mention of Caroline Todd and what brought her joy.
As MM Jones said, this is an oldie. In fact, it was the first in the series.
Good afternoon. Sorry I’m late but we’ve been busy. We’ve been away from home three days in the last six. Saturday my cousin and her husband made themselves a 55th Anniversary Party (at a really nice Greek restaurant in Midtown) and we had a good time. Not too many people (22). The only bad part was, we stayed over at the Sheraton on Seventh Avenue and 53rd Street and it was not up to our usual Marriott standards, plus our complaints (no lounge, no free breakfast for Titanium members, $15 for a SMALL box of Kellogg’s Raising Bran and FOUR pieces of fruit!) were unheeded.
Tuesday we went to our first live concert of the year – it was postponed from 2020 to 2021 to this week, the Doobie Brothers’s 50th Anniversary Tour (with Michael McDonald), at Jones Beach. The forecast was bad but we only had occasional drizzle and got through it fine. We stayed at the nice Long Island Marriott,
By coincidence, we had another concert last night – Bonnie Raitt (with opening act Lucinda Williams) at the Beacon on Broadway & 74th Street. Good show, and we stayed at the (even nicer) Marriott Marquis in Times Square. Since we aren’t planning much out of town travel (except next month with my cousins in Connecticut and Rhode Island), why not treat ourselves well?
Our weather has been a lot more temperate than many of you (a friend had 101 in Milwaukee!). Yesterday the high was only 67, though this weekend could be twenty degrees warmer.
So did I have any time to read, I bet you’re thinking. Well, yes. First, I finally finished Bill Pronzini’s collection of short short stories, SMALL FELONIES 2. A few Nameless Detective stories, and several others written with Barry Malzberg.
Next was HAPPY-GO-LUCKY, the latest by David Sedaris, which I raced through quickly. As usual, the highlights for me were about his family, and here that was most of the book. His father did finally die at 98, by the way.
I really liked Dervla McTiernan’s three Irish books about Sgt. Cormac Reilly, so was surprised to find THE MURDER RULE was a stand alone set in the U.S. and the kind of book I generally don’t like. But, as always with McTiernan, I raced through the 300 pages quickly and really did enjoy it. Hannah is a law student who cons her way onto an Innocence Project team, hoping to undermine their work and prove the client is indeed guilty, because she believes he murdered someone else over 20 years ago. But of course, things are never what they seem. Not totally believable – I found the courtroom scene towards the end hard to accept – but well worth reading.
WHERE THE GOD OF LOVE HANGS OUT is the third short story collection by Amy Bloom that I’ve read lately, and I liked it, particularly the title story.
WHat am I reading now? Dan CHaon’s SLEEPWALK is a crazy tale that you’ll have to decide for yourself whether you want to read it or not. I loved his AWAITING YOUR REPLY and his short stories, so this was a no-brainer for me. I also have the new Eve Ronin book by Lee Goldberg, MOVIELAND, and Sulari Gentill’s THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY. I’ve wanted to read one of her books ever since seeing her talk at Bouchercon 2019, and this mystery within a mystery is it. Very well written, very clever so far, can’t wait to see where she goes with it.
Jackie is reading the first in Kelley Armstrong’s Rockton series, CITY OF THE LOST, and she likes it a lot so far.
I agree, Jeff. Why not treat yourself if you’re not traveling this year? And, the Times Square Marriott is very nice, as I discovered when I was there for the Raven Award. I’m glad the shows were good, even though the one hotel left something to be desired. Well, at least breakfast.
I’m giving away a copy of the Pronzini starting tomorrow. So, if any of you are hoping to read it, you can enter the contest.
Wow! 101 in Milwaukee is a surprise. And, I’m sure some people there don’t have air conditioning. Yes, our weather isn’t wonderful. The stupid thing is, though, that the air conditioning in our offices gets so cold in the afternoon that I have to use a space heater. And, it’s 95 outside.
It’s been really hot here. Went to a free concert. Turned out the act was a cover band of The Scorpions, whom I do not especially like. At least it was free.
This week I read:
Groomed for Marriage by R Shannon; It’s got a PI but it isn’t a mystery, but it isn’t a romance either. It’s a lot of Catholic dogma, I found my Protestant arguing. Maybe not for everybody.
A History of Fear by Luke Dumas; A book that seems like it came from the 70’s, right around the time of The Exocist and the Omen. A guy is hired as a ghost writer…for The Devil! A modern guy can’t quite grasp a Medieval (or older) framework of thought and deed, and learns the limits of science the hard way.
The Mad Hatter’s Son by Helen Starbuck; A nurse is so busy whining about her profession that she completely misses the obvious signs of poisoning in her best friend and charge, and almost gets killed herself. TSTL.If those are the nurses they have in Denver, I’m staying here!
The Novels of Solar Pons by August Derleth; Includes the first Pons novel, written before the pulp stories, but not published till long after Derleth’s death. The foremost Holmes pastiche,if you ask me!
I’m glad you read the Derleth collection, Glen. At least you had one good book. I’ll have to look for that one.
Why is it that it’s usually women who are TSTL?
Sorry about the concert.
Glen, something you wrote last week made me wonder whether you live in the El Dorado Hills area (where I live). If you’d rather not say, that’s fine. You mentioned concerts at the Palladio (which I assume is the one in Folsom).
I’m so glad I remembered to stop by here today, Lesa. I enjoy reading about what everyone is reading or has read. I am still recovering from my knee surgery a week ago, but I’m progressing nicely. Last week was not good because of the two days of intense pain and taking the pain meds and then dealing with the bad effects of the pain meds. Of course, one of the really awful parts was not feeling like reading. They should list that as a side effect. Hahaha! Anyway, I am back to a saner mind and enjoying my reading, and the best way to get back into my reading was with my favorite author, Elly Griffiths. Most people I know are well aware of Elly Griffiths’ Ruth Galloway series and her Brighton series and her standalones, which can also be categorized as the Harbinder Kaur books. But, the series of Elly’s that I am hoping becomes as widespread in popularity as these other series is here children’s series, the Justice Jones series. To give an accurate description of the Justice Jones books, here are the first two paragraphs from my review of the 4th and latest Justice Jones books, The Spy at the Window, which takes place at the beginning of WWII.
“I know I have started the reviews for the first three Justice Jones mysteries by Elly Griffiths with a gushing statement of affection, and I’m about to go full-on gush for number four, The Spy at the Window. This children’s series is every bit as thrilling for adults as it is for the younger audience, with its engaging characters and immersing plots. We started out with Justice at age twelve, entering Highbury House Boarding School for the Daughters of Gentlefolk late in the first semester. Her mother, who was an author of mysteries, had died, and her barrister father thought Highbury was the solution for Justice’s care and education, as his work kept him so busy. Herbert Jones also knows the head mistress of the school, Miss Delores de Vere, a friendship Justice is still trying to figure out, so there’s a ready connection for Herbert to keep apprised of how Justice is doing.
Over her last few years at the school, Justice had made some great friends of her own and solved some tricky mysteries, where even murder was involved. Highbury is located on the edges of the Romney March area of southeast England, a remote, isolated setting that’s conducive to the unusual and spooky. The architecture of the school itself seems made for mystery, with its turrets and tunnels and cellars and priests’ holes. It’s the perfect setting for Justice and the rest of her mystery-loving group of friends. And, I’m especially taken with the time setting of the late 30s and early 40s, as solving a case is all down to leg work, careful observation, and note taking. No cell phones or Internet exists, it’s putting clues and evidence together at its basic best. Justice is a list maker, and as she explores the mysteries that pop up, she keeps a journal of clues and suspects and observations. A passed note or found letter is far more thrilling than a text message, any day or creepy night of the week.”
I should note that the 4th book is not available in the U.S. yet, but it can be bought through Book Depository for just $6.73 and free shipping. I often use Book Depository for copies of UK books before they are available here. However, there are independent booksellers here that I always support otherwise.
In keeping with my love of reading British mystery/crime and also Elly Griffiths, I’m currently reading The Companion by British author Lesley Thomson. Lesley is a close friend of Elly Griffiths (Domenica de Rosa) and is known for her Detective Daughter’s series and recently two standalones which are sequeing into a police procedural series with DI Toni Kemp in Sussex. There’s a cast of characters and a country house that’s been divided into apartments for elderly. It’s proving to be a thrilling read.
Kathy, I’m so glad you’re not in pain as you were last week. Good luck with your therapy and the aftermath. Sending hugs.
Romney Marsh! Smuggling area in England. I “think” one of Jacqueline Winspear’s books was set in Romney Marsh. And, there was a wonderful Disney movie called “The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh”. It is an ideal location and time period for a mystery series.
Romney Marsh is, as you say, a wonderful setting. I think I’m right in saying that Great Expectations opens with little Pip wandering alone through the mist on the marsh, and there being surprised by Magwitch, who has just escaped from one of the convict ships that were, in those days, moored off that coast.
David Lean’s black and white film of the book remains the classic, and the opening scene is both atmospheric and terrifying.
The film maker, artist and writer Derek Jarman bought a cottage on the marsh, and lived there till his untimely death. He created a very unusual garden there, and it is, I believe, open to the public on certain days.
Rosemary, I never read Great Expectations, but that description sounds like the Romney Marsh of my imagination.
99 here with heat index of 104. Had an eye appointnent then we both got out 2nd Co-vid boosters. Already 2:35 p.m. I love, love The Luster of Lost Things by Sophe Chen Keller and recommend to every. The author is a master of words. Unusual story. Too tired to telll about it.
A Honest Living by Dwyer Murphy is a big disappointment, I have read 39 pages and cannot
stand to read anymore. The book starts off with a lawyer in Brooklyn and is supposed written in “noir style” It is only style and nothing more. The lawyer speaks in first person and we never learn his name. He does not notice that being paid in cash by his client who is pretending to be someone else could be a red flag that the deal is not legit. A woman starts living with him in his apartment and I have no clue why. He talks of obsure pamplets and books
The lawyer discusses a film noir, A Touch of Evil, making fun of the casting of Charlton Heston as a Mexican. I looked up the film and found thqt Orson Wells had one of the actressess darken her hair and eyebrows with black shoe polish. The movie seems more interesting to me than this book. The book was irritatingly tangential. Not a book for me.
I think it’s funny, Carolee, that you think the movie sounds more interesting than A Honest Living.
I’m sure running around plus the heat took a lot out of you. Rest up!
Ha Ha! 100 F now!
In general my reading is going better than last month, getting more read. The book by Thomas King sounds interesting and I am always looking for Canadian authors to read but somehow I missed him. I will look into this series and the other books he has written.
The only book I finished recently was ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE. It wasn’t what I expected but I liked it a lot. Most reviews talked about how funny it was and I found it much more serious. Yes, there was humor, but you can tell that there are extremely traumatic events in Eleanor’s past that are causing her socially awkwardness, so I could not see much humor in it. Regardless, it was a very good book, especially for a debut novel. The setting was good, the city of Glasgow and a lot about her job in an office.
I am currently reading AGATHA CHRISTIE, A MYSTERIOUS LIFE by Laura Thompson and A QUIET LIFE IN THE COUNTRY (a Lady Hardcastle mystery) by T. E. Kinsey.
That is about it. The temperature is pleasant here in Santa Barbara but still hotter than I like. Especially if you spend much time in the sun.
Tracy, You’ll find a number of books by Thomas King. In this country, we just don’t pay enough attention to Canadian authors.
I never read Eleanor Oliphant, but my impression was that it wasn’t as funny as others said. Thank you for your comments about it.
I love your column. So informative. Thanks so much. Joan Ramirez, historical suspense author
Thank you, Joan.
To be honest, the guy in History of Fear is TSTLas well.
Margie, I do NOT live in El Dorado Hills, but I am often in the area. The Palladio is the one in Folsom.
Thanks, Glen. The Palladio is close to me and I’m there for shopping, haircuts, restaurants, etc. Never been to one of the concerts. And you’re right–the weather is too hot right now!
The next concert is on the 9. They’re usually pretty good,and the price is right!