It’s Thursday! Let’s talk books and life. I’d love to know what you’ve been reading or listening to, or where you’ve been in the last week. Let’s chat.
I’ve been spending time watching baby hippo videos from the Cincinnati Zoo. I’m captivated by Fiona’s new baby brother. He’s just as cute as she is. My other time has been spent reading.
I just finished Linda Holmes’ Flying Solo, and haven’t started anything else yet, so I’ll talk about that. I never read her debut novel Evvie Drake Starts Over, but Flying Solo also takes place in Maine. Laurie Sassalyn lives in Seattle, but she’s back in her Maine hometown because she’s the one in family who has the time and will take care in cleaning out her Great-Aunt Dot’s house. Dot was ninety-three, and her home was Laurie’s shelter from her raucous home life where she grew up with four brothers. Dot offered her quiet space. But, Dot was an adventurer herself who tried every craft and traveled the world. When Laurie finds a wooden duck, a decoy, in the bottom of a trunk, it sets her on a path of discovery. And, she wonders if she really knew her aunt as well as she thought. There’s so much more, but I’ll save it for my review on Saturday. Flying Solo is a quiet, but fun, book, well worth reading.
What about you? What’s going on in your life this week? And, of course, what are you reading?
Got some training this week in the new stuff I’m taking on at work. I’m trying not to have panic attacks, but I’m definitely feeling overwhelmed.
Reading wise, I’m working on Stardust Trail by J.R. Sanders. It’s a PI mystery set in 1938 Hollywood and parts north including the area where I live, which has added to the fun. And I’m enjoying the book.
I’ve also been listening to “V” is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton. I don’t know that we needed the scenes from other viewpoint characters, but I’ve been enjoying it overall.
How are you feeling, Mark? Over the COVID symptoms?
Oh, I love when I read about places I’m familiar with in a book.
Someone asked recently what author you read for years, and finally gave up on. Sue Grafton, as much as I liked her.
Lesa, agree on Sue Grafton. I really liked them early, but I think I gave up around M.
I’m slightly more congested than normal and have a bit of a cough occasionally, but I’m pretty much over my symptoms. I think I’d be doing even better now, but about every third night I can’t seem to sleep. New stress at work.
Sue Grafton definitely had some weak books, especially in the middle of the series, but I’ve basically been enjoying this one. In fact, I wish I could finish it today since I need to know how everything is going to end at this point.
Take care of yourself, Mark. I’m sorry about the stress. I understand.
Oh, good. I’m glad that Sue Grafton is a good one.
Good morning. The weather here is finally below 90 so last night was a perfect evening to head over to the park and listen to music. Our town has a band in the park every Wednesday through August. They get a pretty good turnout.
This week I read THE PAPER CAPER by Kate Carlisle. I’m still enjoying reading about Brooklyn and Derek’s adventures but I feel like Brooklyn has gotten less confident and a bit needy since she’s married Derek.
An ARC of DEWEY DECIMATED, the latest in Allison Brook’s haunted library series. I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the earlier books in the series. There were too many plot points which just didn’t work for me.
CRAZY RICH ALIENS by Fiona Roarke. A romance set around a truck stop which is actually cover for a spaceport. This is another book that wasn’t as good as the earlier books in the series. It’s been several years since the last book and this one was missing a lot of the humor that the earlier books had.
We might even start Saturday in the 50s, Sandy! Hard to believe after the summer we’ve had.
You hit it on the head. Those were exactly my feelings about Brooklyn in The Paper Caper. I thought that with the previous book. I’m going to give it one more try because that isn’t the Brooklyn I want to read about.
I remember Linda Holmes from her NPR culture blog—such a talented, funny writer.
I’m still making my way through The Science of Murder; it’s a good primer for Agatha Christie fans on the forensics used in her novels. I’ve started Renovated to Death even though I’m not a cozy reader. It’s creative and is based on a great idea, but I can tell it would’ve benefited from a more hands-on editor. But I’ll give it more time. I usually chunk pages before I decide to DNF—25, 50 then 100. I’m long passed the days where I force myself to finish a book if I’m just not feeling it. Everything is so subjective and sometimes you’re just not the best reader for a certain work. And perhaps you’ll come back to it later and be blown away—reading is tied to feeling and feelings are so fickle!
I love your comments about reading and feelings, Becky. I especially like “Feelings are so fickle!”
I only finish books that I’m reading for review. Other than that, I quit, too, knowing there are so many other books out there that I’ll never get to read.
And, Flying Solo was quiet with funny moments.
Lesa, I don’t think the baby hippo can be any cuter! Today they narrowed the name down to Fritz or Ferguson. I am anxiously awaiting when we will be able to go to the zoo to see him in person.
Today we are driving into the city to see the Jane Austen clothing exhibit at the Taft Art Museum. That ties into the book I read this week-The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray. I loved revisiting all of Jane Austen’s main characters visiting the Knightly’s house for a house party. Loathsome Mr. Wickham shows up uninvited and ends up murdered. It is up to the Darcy’s youngest son, Jonathan and Emma’s distant cousin, Julia, to solve the murder. I thought the solution to the murder was perfect. My daughter called this Agatha Christie gets invited to Jane Austen’s tea party. She was right.
Happy Reading!
I agree, Sharon, about the baby hippo. I was tempted to drive over this weekend, just to see Fiona and Tucker, because the weather should be perfect, but my mother convinced me I should wait until they’re all four out.
Oh, I like that Agatha Christie line. And, an exhibit to go with your book. Perfect! Have fun!
Well, at this point it doesn’t look well for us escaping Texas! Rent is soaring but in the meantime I am back to getting rid to the stuff that is too much for us to move. Back to the unread books!
Now reading The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield, one of my unread books, a hardback with very comfortable font size. I won it in contest 11 years ago and did not start because of the depressing cover, a small house and old truck. I finally started it and am loving it. It is a generational family story of a very poor family living in Arkansas. Very character developement, mean villians, a lot of humor.
I accidentally bought a book on MP3 and having it charged up to play The Mockingbird’s Song by Wanda Brunsetter. One of my favorite authors, she is of the founder’s of the Amish fiction genre and I have never been let down by her,
I have quite a variety of TBR books, a few with small print that I could not bear parting with because the authors have won my heart and a few weird ones too!
At least the thought of the move has you weeding out stuff, Carolee. Good for you!
Eleven years, and finally that book just met the proper time! I’m glad you’re loving it!
Mornin’, all! Chilly day here in the NC mountains and I’m loving it.
I also enjoyed Flying Solo, Lesa. “A quiet, fun read” – perfect.
I recently read Emma Cowell’s The Last Letter from Greece.”. Another “feel good” book from NetGalley.
Description:
‘A compelling and tender story, beautifully told by an exciting new voice’ Santa Montefiore
The breathtaking, escapist debut novel from Emma Cowell, perfect for fans of Victoria Hislop, Carol Kirkwood and Karen Swan.
Devastated by her mother’s death, Sophie longs to get away from an empty house full of memories and a life that hasn’t quite turned out as she had imagined.
So when a chance discovery among her mother’s belongings hints at a past Sophie knows nothing of, she jumps at the opportunity for escape and a chance to heal. The magical, idyllic Greek town of Methoni awaits…
But Sophie – determined to uncover her mother’s secrets – is about to discover so much more. Among the tranquil waters and cosy tavernas, Methoni’s locals offer Sophie the answers she craves, along with unexpected romance and, if she’ll take it, a chance at her own happiness…
Will walking in her mother’s footsteps help Sophie discover who she was meant to be all along…?
Praise for One Last Letter from Greece:
‘Emma Cowell tells an emotional, gripping tale about family secrets, love and loss’ Adriana Trigiani
‘Beautifully written. Emma Cowell writes with warm assurance and brings the Greek setting to life’ Sue Moorcroft
Oh, The Last Letter from Greece just sounds like you, Kaye.
I’m not at all surprised that you read and enjoyed Flying Solo. It read like something you would enjoy.
Sending hugs and thoughts of “Pennies for Paris”.
Currently reading The Mysterious Bookshop Presents the Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2022 thanks to a NetGalley ARC. Very up and down. Not impressed at all.
Ouch. Well, Kevin. That’s a review I appreciate since I won’t bother now. Thank you.
More of a comment at this point. Not a review. I am a little more than a third through it. Couple of the stores I have liked, but most were a bit meh. How much of it is me and how much of it is the book, I don’t know. I have very serious money issues and stress here so that does not help. It also remains too damn hot.
You are under a lot of stress, Kevin, but I think I’ll still skip that one.
I have always liked hippos, one of my favorite animals after penguins, so yes, Fiona and the baby are great.
Some really hot and very humid weather here the last couple of weeks, culminating in 97 (real feel 106) on Tuesday, the day we were out on Long Island at a Jimmy Buffett concert at Jones Beach. The good thing was, it didn’t rain. It was our seventh concert/hotel stay of the summer, with one more (Santana _ Earth, Wind & Fire) this Saturday.
I’ve been giving up on books that are either boring, I don’t like for other reasons, or that just don’t appeal to me at the current time (or, possibly, ever). First was Martin Edwards’ latest Lake District book after a 7 year hiatus, THE GIRL THEY FORGOT. I liked the earlier books in this series, sometimes very much, but this was boring. The characters were boring, the murder wasn’t interesting, the guy who got the most space was particularly uninteresting. Plus, while Hannah Scarlett and her Cold Case Squad were fine, her boyfriend Daniel Kind was barely in it. Maybe this all changed, but 25% was all I could take. Yawn.
I love Adrian McKinty’s Sean Duffy series (and I am thrilled there are at least two yet to come), and I even liked his THE CHAIN, but from the beginning I knew that THE ISLAND was probably not going to appeal to me. It’s well written and I lied the part I read, but it just isn’t my kind of book and I wasn’t really in the mood for it, so I returned it.
What did I read? Mostly short stories, as usual. GUILTY CREATURES (edited by the indefatigable Martin Edwards) is another British Library collection, raging from Sherlock Holmes forward, and all involve animals to a major extent. Good one. Now I’m reading yet another Edwards-edited anthology, this one MUSIC OF THE NIGHT, which is a Crimes Writers Association anthology with – surprise! – a music theme. Some well known authors, some not so well known.
I’m also reading Emma Straub’s very good collection of stories, OTHER PEOPLE WE MARRIED.
Another reason I returned the Edwards book was to get to the fourth Paula Munier K-9 book, THE WEDDING PLOT, set in Vermont, with the wedding in the title being that of Mercy Carr’s fesity veterinarian grandmother, Patience. Family is at the center of this one, and everything that can go wrong does for most of the way, but Mercy and her dog Elvis, along i\with her true love, game warden Troy, solves it all int heend. This is my favorite current K-9 series and this is probably the best of the lot so far. Definitely start with book one, though.
Two current choices for next book. One was highly recommended by a friend, though I know little about the book or the author, A SECRET ABOUT A SECRET by Peter Spiegelman. The other is a historical, Joyce St. Anthony’s FRONT PAGE MURDER (called a Homefront News Mystery), set during WWII.
Your weather sounds yucky, Jeff, but not much worse than ours. However, we’re heading into what is supposed to be a beautiful weekend.
No, The Girl They Forgot never got any better. You didn’t miss a thing by not finishing.
I’d go with A Secret about a Secret. I haven’t read it or even heard of it, but I read and reviewed Front Page Murder. It was okay, but it’s going to be hard to follow The Wedding Plot with that one. It’s not up to Munier’s writing.
This has been a very quiet week for us and Santa Barbara has been getting hotter weather, which I don’t like.
I have been reading a good bit. Right now I am reading DEATH AROUND THE BEND by T.E. Kinsey, FIFTH BUSINESS by Robertson Davies, and THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES by Arthur Conan Doyle.
But I have finished only one book and that is THE LONG WAY HOME by Louise Penny. I was recently reading your review of KINGDOM OF THE BLIND, and you said “It’s always difficult to review one of Louise Penny’s books. The plots are so entwined with the characters that it’s not easy to summarize the book without revealing too much.” That is so true for me and I am not even going to try to summarize this one. I did like it a lot though. I wasn’t entirely happy with the ending, but I could not think of an ending that would have pleased me, so….
It is always good to visit here on Thursdays.
Tracy, I’m so glad you visit on Thursdays. I always say Thursdays are my favorite day of the week, and the conversations here are exactly why. I enjoy seeing what you’ve all been reading and doing. Even our light chatter about the weather lets me know what’s going on around the country. I love Thursdays.
Yes. Louise Penny’s books are so hard to talk about without spoilers. Now, I had to look up The Long Way Home to see the summary. I had guessed right as to which one it was. Not one of my favorites in the series, but I spent a lot of time looking up the Canadian artist that’s discussed in the book. And, I was tired of that character, so I didn’t mind the ending at all.
Thank you.
Good morning everyone,
It is sunny and hot in Aberdeenshire – far too hot for me, but most of you would just find it balmy (about 77F). Today I will walk to Mains of Drum to meet my friend Heather for coffee – and for once I have remembered to put out a Tupperware to take with me, as all the blackberries (brambles) are starting to ripen on the bushes now, and there are masses of them. Usually I just eat them as I walk along, but it would be nice to put a few into the freezer.
Our weekend in Edinburgh went fine, and I think my mother enjoyed her birthday. We took her out for lunch – we had booked at just about the only place that would take lunch bookings in East Lothian, and although it is massively popular and has a lot of 5* reviews, I was not that impressed with it. They had squeezed far too many tables into far too small a space, and the whole place was chaotic. But the thing that really put us off was that the ?owner/manager lady came to our table as soon as we had (belatedly) been seated, and started criticising her staff, blaming them for all the disorder, and generally being what we felt was very unprofessional. We did not know her, we had never been there before, and it really was most odd. Most of the waiting staff looked like older school pupils, they were all doing their best, and quite honestly they looked scared. It was not a good atmosphere.
Fortunately I don’t think my mother noticed. After lunch the only thing she wanted to do was go to the huge shopping centre at Fort Kinnaird. It is not what I would choose for my birthday on a hot Saturday in August, but it made her happy! Thank goodness our elder daughter Anna was able to come with us, as she jollies grandma along much more skilfully than I can.
When we were coming back up the road on Sunday we diverted to Falkirk as David had seen that a dealership there had cars he was interested in (mine is on its last legs). As well as the jeeps, etc on the forecourt there was a Wrangler. Maybe these are commonplace in the US, but here they are not – they are enormous compared to our normal cars, and I could not believe anyone would buy one (especially considering the price). The salesman told us, however, that the previous one had been sold (for £60,000 – over $73,000) to a 17 year old who had not, at that point, even passed her driving test.
Of course we assumed that the funds had come from the bank of mum and dad, but no – it seems that the dad is a local taxi driver (and Falkirk is a very run down place), the mum is a retired school dinner lady – but the 17 year old is an Influencer, who makes an absolute fortune promoting merchandise on social media platforms.
We are/were clearly in the wrong jobs!
It’s easy to dismiss this as vacuous nonsense, but when I thought about it, this teenager would probably have few prospects in Falkirk, and yet she has made a success of her ‘job’, and can presumably do this for a few years then give it up and do whatever she wants to. She has paid off her parents’ mortgage too. It is so interesting to learn about these worlds that are completely different from our own.
Books:
I finished THE SHAPE OF WATER by Andrea Camilleri but I didn’t enjoy it much. Maybe I need to read more in this series to see the development of Inspector Montalbano and his colleagues and friends, but I found this first book confusing, especially when the author threw in other random cases that the inspector came across while pursuing the main death. I was also quite shocked when a female character informed him that she was being repeatedly raped by her father-in-law, and Montalbano just sent her back home and showed no further interest once she had helped him with his investigation.
I am now reading GILEAD by Marilynn Robinson. It is, coincidentally, the second Pulitzer Prize winner I have read this summer (the first being OLIVE KITTERIDGE, which I did not enjoy.) I’m about half way through Gilead and I have to say I am not that impressed. I can see that Robinson’s actual writing is good, but this – the letter written by an aging, dying minister to his young son – just seems to ramble all over the place. There are some interesting stories about what happened in their small community in ‘the war’, but I don’t know nearly enough about American history to know which war. That is a failing in me, and I should read up on it – it’s all to do with slavery and abolitionists, so would that make it the Civil War? Sorry to be so uninformed – our history syllabus at school is appallingly narrow,
When I was at the Central Library I picked up a free magazine that has been published in connection with ‘Scotland’s Year of Stories’ – it is an absolute treasure chest of titles I have mostly not read, nor even heard of, so I have been marking off so many books to look for. Some of the ones I would like to read are;
JOSEPHINE TEY: A LIFE by Jennifer Morag
A FRIENDSHIP IN LETTERS the correspondence between JM Barrie and Robert Louis Stevenson
MISS BLAINE’S PREFECT AND THE WEIRD SISTERS by Olga Wojtas (this is the third Shona McMonagie time travel book, and I really enjoyed the first two by this Edinburgh author)
BECOMING MILA by Estelle Maskame ‘shimmering with love, friendship, family frictions, music and romance’
FAKE FLOWERS by Graham Lironi – ‘Edinburgh faces a terrorist threat during the festival. A fast-paced caper with a surreal slant pausing only to blur the boundaries between forgery and faithfulness.’ (When I was a venue manager during the festivals we were regularly updated about such things, so it will be interesting to read a fictional take on it.)
THE PROJECTIONIST by Kirsti Wishart – ‘ Seacrest is a seaside town lost in a perpetual film festival. But as it prepares to celebrate a famous film star, its quiet harmony is shattered.’
And there are lots more.
On TV we have just started a new series of SHETLAND. The first episode was last night and it was excellent.
I also started watching the recent (ish) update on TALES OF THE CITY, in which Mary Anne returns to Barbary Lane for Mrs Madrigal’s 90th birthday. I had either forgotten a lot, or they had introduced many new characters, so it was a bit hard to keep up, but I will stick with it for now. This was Olympia Dukakis’ last role before her death, and I have to say she does not look well (but maybe she wasn’t supposed to.)
My friend has just been to see the film of WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING. She had read and loved the book, but wasn’t that taken with the film. I haven’t read it, but she said the central character is a little girl who has lived rough in the Carolina marshes, and the actor who played her looked far too manicured and cared for to fit her description in the book.
I hope everyone has a good week,
Rosemary
Rosemary, it always sounds so picturesque up there. We never got any more north than Perth and St. Andrews in Scotland, I’m afraid.
We finished IT’S A SIN. Definitely the best television we’ve seen in a while. Really good. Looking forward to SHETLAND whenever it gets here. We finished REDEMPTION (set mostly in Dublin).
Yes, 77 sounds delightful after the heat we’ve been having lately.
Well Perth is lovely, Jeff! St Andrew’s is always just so busy – but maybe it wasn’t back then? The East Neuk villages are very pretty.
I am so thrilled that you enjoyed It’s a Sin. I would not have known about it if my daughter hadn’t mentioned it, but it was very popular indeed with her age group. Olly Alexander is a real star (though he looks rather different now!) but all of the cast were just perfect, weren’t they? Are you able to get Heartstopper? (Sorry if you’ve already answered that.) It’s not nearly so graphic as It’s A Sin (it’s YA and it’s not about AIDs) but it’s also outstanding in its own way, I’d recommend it.
The first episode of he new series of Shetland was very promising – it picks up some time after the end of the last one, so there have been some interesting developments in some of the characters’ lives. I think you’ll enjoy it.
Yes, St. Andrews was busy back then too – this was 1980 and 1982.. I remember our English friends taking us to a pancake place. (Note: just checked. It was called…Pancake Place. Really.) We did not play golf (yawn) but we did see the “Old Course” though our main reason to go was to looks for books. (Same in Perth, by the way.)
Rosemary, I looked up Gilead for you since I hadn’t read it. It sounds much too literary for my taste. Yes, it was the American Civil War. I’m afraid the more literary awards a book receives, the more I suspect I’ll be bored with it.
As Jeff said, it always sounds so picturesque where you are. And, those 77 degrees sound wonderful. My favorite temperature is 80. Just 80.
Well, that’s interesting about the teenage influencer. I can’t wait to tell one of my staff members at work. She has two teens.
I heard some people liked the movie of Where the Crawdads Sing more than the book. I didn’t read the book, and I won’t be going to the movie. Interesting to hear your friends take on it.
Thank you for writing!
Grrr . . . I posted my reviews more than 3 hours ago, and they are nowhere to be found. I’ve had this problem before, and I learned to make a copy of what I posted, just in case. But not this time, unfortunately. Anyway, I think I’ll post in two pieces, to see if that helps. Last weekend was fun (and tiring). I had the grandkids for 24 hours, mostly at my place and sleeping overnight at theirs. Then on Tuesday, I had my granddaughter for a couple of hours while her mother took her brother to kindergarten orientation (he got the best teacher!). Of course, I still had time to read.
The best thing about David Rosenfelt’s über-long-running Andy Carpenter series is defense attorney Andy’s first-person narration of his convoluted cases, tempered with just the right amount of his signature wisecracks and irreverent asides. I never tire of this series, as the author has somehow kept the quality high in each of the 26 books. In SANTA’S LITTLE YELPERS, Andy says he’s decided to stop saying he’s retiring because, although he doesn’t need the money, he can’t help getting involved when it’s a friend’s request or a case he cares about. Former attorney Chris is a standout volunteer at Andy’s golden retriever rescue foundation. He spent a year in prison doing time for manslaughter and was disbarred, and now he’s learned that the “eyewitness” whose testimony put him behind bars lied in exchange for a payoff. Chris is determined to see his conviction overturned, but then the eyewitness is murdered, and guess who is the prime suspect? The case against Chris seems overwhelming, but Andy and his team doggedly uncover evidence from three of the cases handled by Chris’s former law firm that might be connected to his own case. Besides Andy, I always get a kick out of assorted members of his legal team, especially: Sam the hacker, who would like to see more real action; bodyguard and PI Marcus, who looks like a linebacker but whose enemies always underestimate him; Andy’s wife, Laurie, another PI, who is the real “muscle” in the Carpenter family; and administrator Edna, who’s affronted at the suggestion she might have to actually work. The dogs–Andy has three–are always a wonderful diversion, although often not really part of the plot. The “yelpers” referred to in the title are a new litter of puppies being fostered by Chris during the Christmas holidays (until he lands in jail). And the book covers are always fantastic. But I particularly admire the way Rosenfelt puts together an exciting, credible mystery, and the courtroom scenes are very satisfying. Please keep ’em coming! (October)
Author/audiobook narrator Julia Whelan recommended STAY by Allie Larkin (a 2010 book) on the What Should I Read Next podcast, and since I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s more recent The People We Keep (now writing as Allison Larkin), I gave it a try. And I’m so glad I did. I whisked through this engaging tale of a young, self-employed grant writer named Van (Savannah) who’s been in love with her friend Peter since her early college days, even though Peter has ended up marrying Van’s best friend Janie. Van can hardly function after the newlyweds leave on their honeymoon, although the groom seems to wonder exactly what he’s gotten himself into. She is also still grieving the death of her mother, who worked as the housekeeper for Janie’s wealthy family. So she impulsively buys herself a companion on the Internet–a German Shepherd puppy who costs a lot more than Van bargained for (she didn’t calculate the US dollar equivalent to the price quoted in Slovakian currency), is much larger than she expected, and understands commands in Slovakian only. She falls in love with “Joe” as soon as she sees him, but she ends up taking him to the vet when he appears to be having some medical problems. That’s how Van meets Alex, a cute veterinarian, and the story develops from there. I wouldn’t call it a romance, although there is a bit of romance in the story, but more of a delayed coming-of-age story as Van learns to stand up for herself, to understand who her friends really are, and to figure out how she wants to live her life. I loved it.
Stay tuned for Part 2!
Part 2: OK, it looks like Part 1 posted, so let’s continue:
Someone fell down the elevator shaft in METROPOLIS by B.A. Shapiro. Metropolis is a classic old building housing hundreds of storage units and a few people (although it’s illegal to live there). Zachary owns the building and has a shady past, but he is intrigued when he finds thousands of undeveloped photos when the unit is abandoned by Serge, a shadowy figure–and one of them is a picture of Zachary himself from years ago. Rose is the general manager, making it her business to know what’s going on at the Metropolis while lining her her own pockets to support her family. Marta from Venezuela didn’t realize until recently that she has become an undocumented alien and needs to hide out somewhere to avoid ICE while she pursues her dissertation. Trophy wife Liddy has recreated her beloved twins’ childhood room in her storage unit, since her ultra-controlling, wealthy husband has insisted on sending the twins out of the country to boarding school. And Jason, who had to quit his old law firm, has set up shop in his storage unit and takes on the cases of several of the others when no one else will help them. It’s fun to see how these people’s lives and stories interact, while the issue of the faulty elevator is investigated. I enjoyed each of the stories, although the shifting timeline was sometimes a bit confusing. There were many twists and turns, keeping me interested throughout the book.
I’ll add my review of THE PAPER CAPER to the other reviews here. I always enjoy Kate Carlisle’s Bibliophile Mysteries, starring book restorer Brooklyn Wainwright and her now-husband, the dashing Derek. Set in San Francisco, this installment features a Mark Twain festival sponsored by media mogul Joseph Cabot, to include a number of themed events including the requisite jumping frog contest. But the star attraction is a Joseph Cabot look-alike contest, inspired by Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper. The winner will receive the princely sum of $100K and will switch places with billionaire Joseph for a few days. The murder of a member of Cabot’s household puts a damper on the festival, but the show must go on. My favorite parts of the book are those where Brooklyn demonstrates her restoration skills on a damaged copy of the aforementioned book, in front of an enthusiastic audience of book lovers. I am fascinated by the methods she employs and the depth of her expertise. As for the mystery, I felt the look-alike competition strained credulity–there wasn’t enough about how the finalists and winner were chosen and why Joseph was willing to undergo the temporary switch. There were also several major players who could have used a bit more nuance to keep them from being over the top. But this series is still a must-read for me, even after 16 books! I’ll spend time with Brooklyn and Derek any day.
Another Julia Whelan recommendation is THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson, an expressive debut YA novel from 2010. High school junior Lennie’s world exploded when her best friend/older sister died suddenly and unexpectedly. The girls’ mother (they had different–and unknown–fathers) had left them with their Gran when they were just one and three years old and hadn’t been heard of since. Gran is eccentric: she believes in spells and the healing power of her rose garden, and she can’t seem to stop painting pictures that are predominantly green. Uncle Big, who also lives with them, is the town lothario, with five marriages behind him and working up to another. He’s as eccentric as Gran, but it’s a happy family unit nevertheless. Now, however, Lennie returns to school from a month-long bereavement leave and doesn’t know how to relate to her friends and classes anymore. An accomplished clarinet player, she can’t seem to care about playing anymore, even when she meets an outgoing and handsome student who has transferred into her school, and into honor band, in her absence. And it doesn’t help that there are two young men who are interested in Lennie, who has never had a boyfriend. One is her sister’s boyfriend, and he is the only person with whom she can grieve. The other is the new guy at school, and Lennie feels guilty when she develops an unforeseen joy of living after they begin a relationship. The book is sprinkled with Lennie’s musings and poetry that she never intends to be read, and the author’s unique voice perfectly captures the turbulent emotions of her transition from girlhood to womanhood in the face of tragedy and loss.
Oh, Margie. I’m so sorry that you had to rewrite your entire post. I’m glad it went through the second time. I’ve never read one of David Rosenfelt’s mysteries, but I do like the sound of the cast. Maybe someday. I’d enjoy the investigative part. I always said when it came to Law & Order, I liked the first part, and could skip the Order part. I wasn’t interested in the courtroom scenes.
I haven’t posted lately since I’ve been ill. First I weaned off a medication giving me nasty side effects but then we thought I might have COVID, which I did not. Unfortunately I did go on to develop a bout with cellulitis in my leg. To keep me out of the hospital, my doc had me come into the office daily for injections of antibiotics for two weeks. That meant I had to keep my leg up to keep it from swelling. I slept more than anything so did not get any reading done at all. The medication messed with my eyesight plus I need to get to the eye doctor once I’m well enough to go out, so reading is difficult. I purchased a new book just out on audio called SHUTTER about a forensic phootographer who sees ghosts. It sounds intriguing – just enough to catch my interest – so I think I’ll give that a try.
I confess to watching a lot of TV, especially all the Spider Man movies with the new one out on premium channels. The newest really was a good movie. There have been three actors playing Spider Man, the first one in three movies, the second in two, and the third, current one in three. In this new movie they incorporated all three actors plus all the villains they faced in the various movies in very creative ways. Definitely two thumbs up.
Sandie, I’m glad you could at least watch movies even if you didn’t feel up to reading. I hope Shutter catches your attention.
Sending healing hugs!
Been mostly lower 90’s here, a little warm, but much better than the triple digit heat we’ve been getting.
This week I read:
Levon’s Range by Chuck Dixon; The Cade’s leave Alabama, to settle in Idaho, and the first thing that happens is somebody steal their horses. That used to be a death sentence, and for the Cade’s it still is…
Sumikowa: The Haunting of Higibana Heights by Tara Meyer; A haunted apartment building in Tokyo’s only permanent residents seem to be ghosts, but people keep trying to live there, and come to bad ends.
Flying Blind by Max Allan Collins; Heller is hired as a bodyguard for Amerlia Earhart, and you know what that means…I tend to like these most when my own views match up with the book’s. In this case, we all sort of know what happened, but Eahart had a ton of enemies, too.
The Scorned by David Putnam; I won an entry in this series in a goodreads drawing a while ago. I gave it what I thought was a tepid review, but the author liked it enough that he keeps sending me books. In this one, Bruno Johnson goes back to LA from his hideout in Costa Rica to help the daughter of some friends. Unfortunately, she is lying to everybody all of the time. Then they run into human traffickers. Busily violent.
The Lost City of Z by David Grann; As usual reading this 5 years after everone else. An exploratoin of Percy Fawcett, and his doomed expedition to find a lost city in the Amazon. One of them sort of gets found.
Glen, I get really tired of characters who lie all the time in the books.
I liked Max Allan Collins’ book about the Lindbergh kidnapping. As you said, we all sort of know what happened, but the books are interesting anyways.
You’re right. 90s are a break!
Sorry I am posting so late but my daughter had a baby Tuesday and I, for the best of reasons, have lost track of time. I am listening to Julia Whelan’s book “Thank You for Listening” and wanted to say that it is a wonderful listen. She is a terrific narrator and with this book she is both narrator and author. The book’s protagonist is an audio book narrator and I am learning so much about the industry and what makes a good v just OK narrator.
Congratulations, Susan! That’s the best reason for losing track of time and not getting around to my blog. I don’t blame you one bit.
I wondered how listening to that book would be since Whelan is an audio book narrator. Good to know it works!
I read The London House by Katherine Reay this week. The book has two storylines, a present day one and WW2. To me the story centered on the war years was much more interesting. I have read this author before and enjoyed her, but this one was not quite hitting it for me.
I find that, too, Eileen, when I read a book with several storylines. One will appeal to me much more than the other, and I’ll want to skip ahead to get to my favorite storyline.
I am currently reading By the Book by Jasmine Guillory. It is a Beauty and the Beast retelling with “Belle” as an editor’s assistant at a publishing company and “Beast” as a temperamental author. My audiobook on my commute is Girl, Forgotten by Karin Slaughter.
I don’t know why, Katherine, that I haven’t read By the Book yet. I even own a copy. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite trope, so I need to get to it soon.
Lesa, I knew I’d be posting late today. I had a hair appointment and then went to my daughter’s in Mt. Vernon, down the road from you. Yesterday I made two three-pound meatloaves, and I took them one today. I’ve bee catching up on things tonight and remembered I wanted to stop in here. There is always such interesting discussion on books and other things, too.
Since the last time I stopped in, a couple of weeks ago, I finished Death in a Blackout by Jessica Ellicott. It was an excellent WWII novel set in Hull, England. I also have read Catriona McPherson’s new stand-alone, In Place of Fear. I liked it because it had lots of history and it took place just after WWII, in 1948, in Edinburgh. It starts out the day before the NSA was implemented in the UK, and the main character is a woman who works with the doctors and gets the patients signed up for their free healthcare. (I may have already talked about Catriona’s book.) At the urging of a friend, I read The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb and thought it was a great read. I fit in YA book A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson, and in spite of a pet being killed, I really liked the book. I just finished Lucy Burdette’s new Hayley Snow, Key West Food Critic book (#12), and it might just be the best one yet.
Tuesday night our Spectrum stations were out, so I clicked on Hulu to watch something. I decided to try The Handmaid’s Tale, which I have been putting off because I haven’t read the book yet (I know, hard to believe). Well, I watched several episodes, and I’ve now pulled out my copy of The Handmaid’s Tale book to read before going further in the TV series. What I’ve watched in the TV series so far has stayed very true to the book. And, now, of course, I’m even further behind in my reading books for review.
Kathy, I haven’t read The Handmaid’s Tale, and I have no intention of reading it. I never feel bad when someone tells me they haven’t read a book years after it was published. It’s highly likely I didn’t either.
Thanks for catching up with us! Hugs!