It’s been a pretty good week here. I’m teaching the second of two Readers’ Advisory classes at work today, and I love to do that. I’ve watched a coupled webinars as publishers are talking about their winter releases. And, I went to a new doctor, who is terrific. I haven’t been happy with doctor visits in a few years. And, the weather has been good. I don’t even know what to expect to read from some of you. Monsoons? Floods? I guess it depends where you are in the country.
What about books? I’m reading Cora Harrison’s Murder in the Cathedral. It’s the ninth book in her Reverend Mother series set in Cork, Ireland in the 1920s. There’s so much about Cork social conditions and history, and I really appreciate that. The story opens on Christmas Day when Reverend Mother Aquinas is called to Cork’s Anglican Church of Ireland. The archdeacon died in the middle of the service. But, the body of one of the Reverend Mother’s pupils, a seven-year-old urchin, was also found, and the police suspect poison for both of them. What was the young scamp doing in the Anglican Church? Was he somehow involved in the poisoning, and someone wanted to silence him? The Reverend Mother will find answers, with the help of two of her former students, now adults, Inspector Patrick Cashman and Eileen MacSwiney, a former member of the IRA now studying to be a lawyer. I really like this series.
What about you? What are you reading this week?
Hello, everyone! It looks like it will be under 70 degrees at 8:00 Thursday morning (although back in the 90s later) so I will probably walk with my walking group. Today it was over 80 at 9:00 a.m., so no walking for me. My son has joined me on my walk the two previous days, which was a delight. Oh, and we had a 40-minute unexpected power outage this morning, just as Nick was preparing to connect online with two colleagues for a meeting. I’m so glad the outage didn’t last any longer–I worry about the food in the refrigerators and freezers, of course. My other son has a great generator, but I don’t think his family would have enough room in their (one) refrigerator for all of my stuff. As for reading, I just finished a book and wrote a review a few minutes ago, which allows me to share it with you along with the others I’ve finished. Have a great week!
I have long been impressed by Jodi Picoult’s ability to come up with a string of standalone books that are beautifully written, thought-provoking, and relevant to the world in which we live. In MAD HONEY she collaborates successfully with a co-author (Jennifer Finney Boylan) on the story of two teenagers who have tight bonds with their independent mothers and fraught relationships with their estranged, difficult fathers.
The story is narrated alternately by Asher’s mother, Olivia, and by Ava’s daughter, Lily, and the timing jumps back and forth but manages not to be too confusing. Lily and Asher meet in high school and are in love, but sometimes their relationship is bumpy. Then, one day, when Lily is found fatally injured and Asher is present, it is inevitable that Asher will be the prime suspect in her homicide. It’s impossible to give any more details without spoilers, and preferable to read the book with no preconceived ideas. There is so much to admire about this book. The authors’ writing can be quite lyrical at times, forcing me to slow down and savor every word. The characters are nuanced and believable. Interspersed with the action is abundant detail about beekeeping and bee culture, including parallels drawn between bees and humans, all of which I found fascinating. Highly recommended. (October)
The second in Veronica Bond’s (aka Julia Buckley) A Dinner and a Murder Mysteries series is a worthy successor to the first in the series. Nora continues to enjoy being a member of a murder mystery troupe that stages their productions in a castle, and she is branching out to act in the local community theater as well. She also loves living alongside some of her fellow troupe members in the castle. But a murder in the castle’s creepy catacombs saddens and baffles the cast because the victim is someone everyone loves, and no motive can be imagined. Nora is especially worried because the murderer remains at large, and she keeps hearing strange noises from the small library that is next door to her room. I am a theater lover, so I particularly enjoyed that aspect of the story, as well as the lovely small-town setting. I also found Nora’s younger twin brothers a hoot–their lively and irreverent charm helps to distract their sister and her friends from the somber atmosphere after the murder. Finally, I found Nora’s up-and-down relationship with her beau, detective Dash, interesting and realistic. This is a series I will continue to pursue.
Lesa, THE DEAD ROMANTICS by Ashley Poston is everything you said it was and it even exceeded my expectations. The author is somehow able to turn a story about a funeral home family, two members of which can see and talk to ghosts, into something truly memorable and not at all silly. It has elements of romance–and it’s a unique one–but it also manages to teach lessons about dealing with death, recovering from betrayal, and believing in one’s dreams. The characters of romance ghostwriter Florence Day, her unforgettable father, her (mostly) supportive siblings, her VERY supportive best friend, and her astonishing new book editor will stick with me for a long time. Balancing multiple elements and seeing them all through to an unexpectedly moving conclusion is not an easy task, and Poston accomplishes it beautifully. I hope she will continue to write adult fiction. Lesa’s review of this book has a lot more details, and I am so happy she recommended this book.
Sally Hepworth once more demonstrates her masterful storytelling skills in THE SOULMATE, a gripping psychological thriller. It’s the tale of two women, one living and one recently deceased, who narrate their experiences in alternate chapters. It’s also the story of two marriages, from the wives’ perspectives. Pippa and her husband, Gabe, live in an Australian coastal town, where Gabe has gained renown as a “suicide whisperer,” responsible for saving the lives of several people who had planned to jump off a nearby cliff to their death. The couple has two adorable young daughters, and Pippa’s parents and sister live nearby. Then there’s Amanda, the woman who fell from the cliff before Gabe could save her, the wife of an ultra-wealthy businessman, Max. They have no children, but together they enjoy all of the privileges that money can provide. Of course, there are connections between the two couples that are revealed slowly throughout the book, and that’s where the author really excels. She knows how to ratchet up the tension, piece by piece, to the point where I felt I had to finish the book in a day because I couldn’t guess how the ending would occur, or suspect how it would affect me. Along the way we discover details about each of the four nuanced characters’ lives–what motivates them and how they are called upon to support their spouse over the years and to honor their marriage vows, no matter what. And while thrillers often suffer from a lack of likeable characters, there is enough character development in this book to keep the reader mesmerized. (April)
Margie, i always look forward yo your reviews. We usually read and enjoy the same books and authors and your insight is always a treat for me. I too enjoyed MAD HONEY and THE DEAD ROMANTICS quite a bit. I have THE SOULMATE on my Kindle but was feeling a little ambivalent about it. You helped me decide to give it a go.
Kaye, I would say that this Sally Hepworth book is a bit more bleak than the previous two that I’ve read, but she tells a good story.
Margie, like you I didn’t expect to like The Dead Romantics as much as I did. Thanks for the review of the new Sally Hepworth. I am looking forward to it.
I’m so glad I read The Dead Romantics. First, I enjoyed it so much, but it also makes me happy to see how much some of you are enjoying this book when you didn’t expect to like it so much. That’s just great!
Wow, Margie, sign me up for reading all the books you just reviewed! Great job of hooking me.
Thank you, Gaye! Looks like we have similar tastes in books, which is always fun to hear.
Margie, I really enjoyed the first Dinner and a Murder Mystery book, so I am glad to hear the second is just as good.
I just finished the Metropolitan Opera House Murder and really enjoyed it—I liked the Library of Congress footnotes, I never would’ve known any of the opera history without them.
Sometimes, footnotes are so important to books, Becky. You just don’t expect them in a mystery.
Good morning. Our good news this week is that we finally got some rain. Not enough but still better than nothing which is what we’ve been getting.
This week I read a couple of ARCs. BOUND BY MURDER by Laura Gail Black, the third in her antiquarian bookshop series, was hard to put down. Everything is going great for Jenna Quinn until her ex and his new fiancé show up in town for their wedding. But her ex seems more interested in getting Jenna back than in getting married. Jenna just wants him to go away. And then his fiancé turns up dead.
I also read MURDER AND AN IRISH CURSE by Melissa Bourbon. The Lane family has been cursed for 2000 years – the men all die at sea and the women die in childbirth. Every generation tries to break the curse but no one has succeeded. I didn’t enjoy this as much as I did the earlier books. There was too much researching and not enough action in the first half of the book.
So glad to hear you had some needed rain, Sandy. Not so happy to hear about Murder and an Irish Curse. I think I’ll skip that one. Thank you!
Mornin’ Thursday peeps! Rainy and chilly here. Quiltie weather in August! I love it.
My one and only book for the week was TWENTY-ONE DAYS IN PARIS by Leonie Mack. Loved it.
I’m not sure when i started reading, and enjoying, these like lighter sorts of books. Something for me to ponder.
From NetGalley:
“Irena and Sacha come from two very different worlds.
An heiress to a fortune, Ren’s home-from-home is the Ritz, while the handsome and brooding Sacha has grown up in Paris’s less salubrious suburbs. So when an accident brings them together, romance seems an unlikely outcome.
When Ren’s society engagement reaches a very public end, Irena’s over-protective grandmother wants her home in London. Ren needs an excuse to stay in Paris, and so after some persuasion, Sacha agrees to pose as her new boyfriend. But only for the twenty-one days Ren’s grandmother has allowed her to nurse her broken heart before heading home to face the music.
Over the course of three weeks, Ren realises the world outside her exclusive bubble is more beautiful than she could have imagined. While Sacha reluctantly begins to see the goodness of the woman behind the wealth. When their time is up, will Ren want to return to her gilded cage, and will Sacha be able to let go of the woman he’s been ‘pretending’ to fall in love with…
Let Leonie Mack whisk you off the City of Lights for a tale of love against the odds, and of following your dreams. Perfect for fans of Mandy Baggot, Jo Thomas and Sarah Morgan.
‘I love her beautiful settings and brooding heroes!’ Sarah Bennett
What readers are saying about Leonie Mack:
‘This is one of those books where you want to get to the end but you also don’t want it to end because you know you’re going to miss it when it’s done. A great read.’
‘Ah the romance – I really loved every moment, as the two main characters I’d really taken to my heart fought that magnetic pull between them when you really, really wanted them to have their happy ending. This was one of those perfect summer reads, but with a depth and emotion that was particularly satisfying – most definitely one I’d recommend to others.’
‘A burst of pure joy… It has all the feel good elements needed for an irresistible romance you can’t help but root for, even though you know the odds aren’t in their favour!
‘Beautifully written, this is a great take on the opposites attract theme.’ “
Kaye, on your recommendation I just requested this book on NetGalley. By the way, it’s titled Twenty-One NIGHTS in Paris–I found it by entering the author’s name. 🙂
Oops! Thank you, Margie!!!
I don’t know either, Kaye. Some of these books are much lighter than your previous reading. I think we all need a light escape sometime. I’m glad you found some books to enjoy while snuggled under that quilt! Hugs, my friend!
I totally agree, Lesa. That light escape, especially in recent days, eases my heart. Hugs flying back your way. 😘
Good morning!
Isn’t it nice to find a doctor you like Lesa? We are on the fence about the one we chose when we moved here last year.
Only one book this week. The Secret Gift of Lucia Lemon by Celia Anderson. Celia and Des are given significant money from Des’ godfather to enjoy life now that they are retired. Celia immediately purchases a van to travel which Des wants no part of. The rest of the book is Celia, her son, her lodger and others traveling around England and France in order to get closure from events, from their pasts. I loved the very beginning of it but by the end it was only okay.
I have the latest Felicity Hayes McCoy on my nightstand for today. And if you are on Instagram Sophie Cousins did a reel of her watching her new book being printed. It was quite interesting.
Thanks to Rosemary and Jeff for talking about Shetland. We found it on Britbox and are loving it.
Yes, Sharon. I’ve switched doctors several time while I’ve been here, and it’s great to find one that I like.
I agree with you. The Secret Gift of Lucia Lemon gets a little bogged down by the end.
Sorry. I made a typo on the Instagram reel. The author’s account is sophie_cousens
Good morning, all. Usually by late August we are starting to cool down, but not this year. Still 90 yesterday and today will be the same. And we aren’t getting much rain here either, though areas around us (like the Jersey Shore) have occasionally had torrential downpours. Good thing there’s no such thing as climate change, right?
Good to see what everyone is reading and read your reviews.
I mentined A SECRET ABOUT A SECRET by Peter Spiegelman. It wasn’t bad, in fact it kept my attention all the way through, but it was pretty slow going at times. It was more methodical than a thriller you zip through quickly. A woman is killed at an isolated research facility and the dreaded Standard Division is sent to investigate, in the person of Myles. This seems to be slightly in the future. Eventually Myles does get the job done, but it takes a couple of weeks and might be closer to a real investigation than we are used to reading in most mysteries. A mild recommendation.
I bought a used paperback of John Varley’s 1976 collection of SF stories, THE PERSISTENCE OF VISION, as several friends had recommended it, and even though it is not my usual fare, I did enjoy it. The one story I’d read before was the time travel tale “Air Raid,” which was turned into a not very good movie (MILLENIUM). Overall, pretty good.
Currently reading two other collections. One is a noirish collection of dark tales from Manhunt in the ’50s, Gil Brewer’s DEATH COMES LAST: THE REST OF THE 1950s. I’d previously read another collection of his stories and was taken with how dark they were. I also like it that they are mostly a lot shorter than Varley’s stories. The second is a fun collection, ANOTHER ROUND AT THE SPACEPORT BAR, a 1989 paperback original edited by George H. Scithers and Darrell Schweitzer. This is an anthology of tall tales sitting around the bar, though with a science fiction bent, with authors including Larry Niven, Fritz Leiber, C. M. Kornbluth, Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein and others. It’s the sequel to TALES FROM THE SPACEPORT BAR, which is also recommended. There are similar collections by Niven, Lord Dunsany, Arthur C. Clarke, and Spider Robinson you might look for if you like these.
Currently reading and very much enjoying Stanley Tucci’s memoir, TASTE: MY LIFE THROUGH FOOD.
Also started Erica Ferencik’s GIRL IN CE, though I haven’t gotten far enough yet to tell if I will recommend it. Val Chesterfield is a linguist who specializes in rare, dead languages. She is also a mass of anxieties. Her twin brother died – apparently by suicide (which he had sworn he would never even consider) in northern Greenland. Now her brother’s colleague wants her to come there too. It seems they discovered a young girl frozen in the ice, and when they thawed her out, she was alive (as improbable as that seems). Not only alive but speaking a language no one knows or can figure out. How can Val, even though she never leaves her comfort zone, resist? If she did, there would be no book. I’ve always found Greenland fascinating, and have recently seen a movie and read a book (THE KAIJU PRESERVATION SOCIETY) set there, so this was a must read for me.
Latest television recommendation: FRACTURES, set in Iceland. Kristin, a 45 year old ER doctor, takes her 15 year old diabetic daughter and moves back to her parents’ house in her home village after she catcher her surgeon husband having an affair. The villagers rely on herbal medicine (her receptionist sells remedies from her desk) and her mother is psychic, talking to dead people. Kristin knows everyone and they know her, as in some ways the village is as it was 30 years earlier. It’s quirky and entertaining.
Oh, I read some of Spider Robinson’s Callahan books including Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon, so I’m glad you mentioned him, Jeff. That’s where my mind went immediately when you said tales around a bar.
And, I was talking about The Kaiju Preservation Society on Tuesday. Loved that book.
I believe FRACTURES is on Acorn, by the way.
Hi Lesa — Finding a great doctor is a challenge sometimes. And when you do find one you like, they most likely will be so popular that it will be difficult getting appointments. Anyway…I’m reading Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough, a suspenseful novel about a woman fearing she’ll suffer her mother’s mental illness at the same age, the upcoming 40th birthday. Events are pointing toward a disastrous result…maybe. It’s a tense read (and I like it).
Yes, it took me almost 10 years to find this one, Patricia. And, I really like her.
I think Sarah Pinborough’s books are a little tense for my taste.
Good morning! I like the sound of that series you are reading Lesa. I will look for it. Our weather has been humid, but not too hot. Otherwise pretty quiet.
I recently read Pagan Spring by G.M. Malliet. This is the third book in the Max Tudor series. With Easter approaching, Reverend Max Tudor has begun working on his Easter sermon. His relationship with Awena Owen is flourishing. He can’t imagine being happier in life than he is now. Awena is out of town, but Max is looking forward to a dinner party hosted by some good friends that will include some newcomers to town. In the early morning hours after the party, one of the guests is found dead. He appears to have almost made it to bed before he collapsed. There are no immediate signs of foul play, but as the body is examined closer something seems amiss. Once again Max is called upon to use his MI-5 training to help discover a murderer. I want to like this series more than I do. I am not sure I will continue.
I just finished Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne DuMaurier. Dona St. Columb is tired of the constraints of society life in London. So she takes her children and their maid to Navron, the family’s country house in Cornwall. Upon arrival she meets a impertinent servant who seems to have made himself at home while the family has been away. When he mentions to her that there are rumors of pirates in the area, Dona finds herself intrigued. She begins to take long walks in the nearby woods. She soon discovers a creek she was unaware of and in the creek is a pirate’s ship. Against better judgement, she arranges to meet the pirate. What follows is the adventure she didn’t know she needed. This was a lot of fun!
Have a good week everyone!
Gretchen, I think Pagan Spring was the last Max Tudor before giving up on the series. Like you, I wanted to like it more than I did.
Right there with you and Sharon. I read more of the books in the series, but finally tired of them. And, I didn’t care for her new book, Augusta Hawke, at all. That’s the first in a new series, but I won’t be reading anymore of them.
Totally agree with you Lesa on the Max Tudor books. I wanted to like them but…. Also did not care for the Augusta Hawks book and won’t read the next on out
Just read Insomnia a few days ago. It’s a challenge to try and figure out what’s going on which is what I like. I also read Girl in the Ice so looking forward to what Jeff thinks of that one. It wasn’t my usual taste as I like realistic things and a girl frozen who comes back to life isn’t possible (yet)! Yes, still hot and humid in CT and every day they say possibility of thunder showers and nothing happens!
And, Donna? If I had to figure out what was going on, I probably would have already quit reading that book. Good for you! It’s my favorite part of the blog – finding out all the different choices we make, and what we like to read.
Ah, the monsoon season in Arizona! It’s been a fairly good one and temperatures have been the most moderate of any summer I can remember in recent years. We have loved the thunder and lightning storms on a daily basis. All that is due to change though – the next 10 days look like 107+ days are back. Drats.
This week I have finished 3 good books worth sharing:
Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Mayhem and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard – Millard has written an engrossing human tragedy of an obscure 19th century president. I listened to this on audio and the narrative drive had me caught up in the story immediately. I admit openly that my knowledge of James Garfield and his term in office was minimal at best but I have come away with a fully fleshed look at his life, his entrance into politics and his “accidental nomination” as the Republican party’s candidate for the office of president. The crux of this book however lies at the damage done by those ‘in the know’, the doctors of the time. Oh my goodness. I love narrative nonfiction and the author does this so well.
Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting by Calre Pooley – In London no one talks to one another on the trains. It’s a rule of commuting. Iona Iverson holds court on Carriage 3 of the 8:05 from Hampton Court to Waterloo and when a fellow passenger chokes on a grape she calls out for help to rescue the Smart-But-Sexist-Manspreader. She has changed her ‘rules for commuting’. Brit-lit. Eclectic characters. Six characters with alternating chapters and a central character who is opinionated, stylish and saucy – and considered ‘over-the-hill’ at 57! I really enjoyed this one and stayed up far too late finishing. (But can we talk about being over’the-hill at 57?!?! Ack!)
The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton – This is my Book Club’s pick for the month and it’s shocking, tragic and in the end encouraging. Accused of two murders, Ray Hinton spent nearly 30 years on death row in an Alabama prison, 30 feet from the Death Chamber. Not only did he never give up hope but he found a way to live, he discovered friendship and eventually release due to the help of Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative. Hard story, sad story, but most of all an important story.
Wow, my August has been full of good reads. Here’s to hoping for more and reading more of your reviews and suggestions. Happy Thursday!
I loved Destiny of the Republic. I didn’t know much about James Garfield prior to reading this. What an interesting and talented man. The book was also very well written.
Gaye, I’ve been following your weather in Arizona, just a little. Unbelievable with as much rain as you’ve had. As you said, climate change.
I was talking today with another librarian. She was a history major, and I took a lot of history classes. I’m even from Ohio, but most of those 19th century presidents just blend together. We both agreed on that.
Yes, let’s talk about 57 being over-the-hill. Heck, no. My 50s were my favorite decade. Unfortunately, COVID came along and ruined plans in my early 60s. But, 50s are not over-the-hill.
Last week I tried to comment but the comment would not go through. I kept getting an error message. The message was “Error: please fill the required fields.” A few days ago I saw that other WordPress blogs were experiencing the same problem. So here I am to try again.
And I am including some of what I was trying to post last week.
Last week I finished one book, THE BURGLAR IN THE CLOSET by Lawrence Block. This book stars Bernie Rhodenbarr, a burglar who lives in New York City. This is the second book in a series, and I enjoyed the first book when I read it 5 years ago. Bernie supports himself by burgling apartments. In this book Bernie does some burgling for his dentist, who wants to get back at his ex-wife. While burgling the apartment, Bernie has to duck into the closet when the dentist’s ex-wife’s comes home earlier than expected. And then she is murdered. Out of desperation, to save his own neck, Bernie ends up solving the case. I like Lawrence Block’s writing and Bernie is a likable character. Each story is told in first person narration which is a style I like. I want to read the next book soon because Bernie is a used book store owner in that book.
Since last week I read VANISH by Tess Gerritsen. It is number 5 in the Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles series; I had read the first four books back in 2011. I don’t know why I did not get to this one for so long; exploring so many other books and series maybe. I still have the next four in the series. I did enjoy the book, although the subject matter (sex trafficking and political corruption) was not pleasant.
I am reading three other books right now: WHY DO BIRDS SUDDENLY DISAPPEAR by Lev Parikian, plus DEATH AROUND THE BEND by T.E. Kinsey, and FIFTH BUSINESS by Robertson Davies. All of those I have been enjoying but reading slowly.
And, of course Tess Gerritsen just wrote another adventure for Rizzoli and Isles, so that gives you another book in the series. I agree. I don’t care about books dealing with sex trafficking, but cartels are the subject I really dislike. If that’s the main subject, cartels, I just won’t read the book.
I’m sorry, Tracy, that you had problems last week. Rosemary had the same problem this week.
Jackie used to read a lot of Tess Gerritsen, but quit the Rizzoli and Isles when she got involved with the priest…. She said, “It gave me the creeps.”
I’m with Jackie.
Rosemary was having problems with posting today, so she emailed me her post, and asked me to put it up. Here we go.
Hi Lesa and everyone,
Apologies for my absence last week – I did write a post but my computer seems to have swallowed it, and I simply ran out of time to do another one. Today I am taking the precaution of writing this in Word first…
This week the house has been very quiet, as Mr Charlie Parker is down in Edinburgh with our daughter, who is looking after him while we go away on holiday. He’s been to our house there many times, so it’s not too much of a disruption for him, though I’m sure he’ll be happier when her temp job at the Fringe ends next week and he has her undivided attention all day! She won’t start her Masters course until later in September, so he is in luck.
David has been away in Harrogate playing golf, and now he is working from Edinburgh too, so I am completely free for a few days – it’s quite weird.
I have had great walks lately on the Dunecht estate with Nancy and at the Blackhall Fisheries with another friend. Tomorrow I am hoping to do the cliff top walk from Stonehaven to Dunottar Castle, which has spectacular views and is absolutely beautiful if the weather is good. Thankfully our very hot spell has passed, and it is now a balmy 66F.
The blackberry crop in the hedgerows is magnificent this year – I’m surprised, as I thought the lack of rain might affect them, but if anything they are even more delicious than last autumn. I have picked two big boxfuls and frozen them, so now I am limiting myself to what I can eat while walking (which is far too much…) There is definitely an autumnal feel to the air in the morning now, and it is dark by 9pm. I have noticed the birds singing more heartily again in the mornings – they seem to go almost silent in the hottest months, but they are back in full throttle.
Yesterday I went to my first meeting of the committee of the Friends of Aberdeen Art Gallery. I was asked to join by Madeleine’s old art teacher, so even though I have now eased my way out of many committees I have been on in the past, I thought this might be an interesting one (it also doesn’t meet too often, always a bonus.)
There is so much potential in not only the gallery but also the Maritime Museum and Provost Skene’s House (the oldest surviving townhouse in the city, dating from 1544), all of which are managed by a branch of the city council. I was really encouraged by the enthusiasm and energy of some of the people on the committee, and I hope to get more involved in their work.
One of the things that a staff member suggested was that we start a ‘book of the month’ feature in the proposed new newsletter. This is one thing I CAN do so I am going to offer. The gallery was done up a couple of years ago, with an enormous amount of funding from Creative Scotland (for once the money managing to escape the clutches of the Central Belt), and one of the things they now have is a dedicated bookshop. I love gallery bookshops – the one in the Fruitmarket in Edinburgh always leaves me with another 10 books added to my wish list – so I am going to go and have a look at the stock, and see what I can do.
The excitement of today has been a visit to the hairdresser, where I persuaded the colourist to let me have a more permanent colour – so now half (the lower half) of my hair is purple. I am really pleased with it. You only live once! But I was saddened when talking to my lovely stylist, who is a young man in his 20s. His financial situation is such that he has had to give up his flat and move to a steading on his sister’s property in the countryside. Of course he is lucky to have that, but he feels like his life is going backwards, and is not sure he will even be able to pay his utilities bills (which are rocketing for us all in this awful post-Brexit economy.) He said he feels he is ‘just working to exist’. It is sad to see a young person feeling like that, and I am sure he is not alone. In our own 20s we certainly didn’t have much money, but we were in a much better position than many today.
Books:
I finished GILEAD, thank goodness. It was so not my thing. I know that Marilynn Robinson is revered for her writing, and that all of the books in this trilogy are given 5* reviews, but really, did this one ever go on and on. It is supposed to be a letter written by a dying Congregationalist minister in a small community (Gilead) in Iowa in the 1950s. He is writing it as a kind of history for his 7 year old son, – the writer, John Ames, lost his first wife and child, and married a much younger woman, mother of the 7 year old, late in life. He tells the child about his life – which includes stuff about abolition and the Free Staters (?) but unfortunately those were the only interesting parts for me. There is a huge amount about religion – I believe Robinson herself is a Congregationalist – and I just got bored. I felt like I was not intellectual enough for this book.
So now I am reading SALLY ON THE ROCKS by Winifred Boggs. It was written in 1915 and is the story of Sally Lupton, an orphan who has been leading a fairly rackety life in Paris. When the war leaves her with no money or means of making any, and her lover deserts her, she decides to return to the English village of Little Crampton, where her guardian, the Rev Adam Loveday, lives, and to find a suitable husband. On arrival she hits upon the awful Alfred Bingley, bank manager and eligible bachelor – but she also meets Robert Kantyre, a traumatised soldier who has had a terrible experience at the Front. Sally (real name Salome) always tries to look on the bright side of things, but Boggs does not shy away from the realities of life at that time for women with no personal income and little chance of finding a husband, so very many men having been killed in France and Belgium. She also gives an insight into village life, which is certainly not all sweetness and light, but often a hotbed of gossip, malice and bigotry.
On the radio I’m just about to finish NEMESIS – Agatha Christie’s last Miss Marple story, in which Miss M receives a letter from a wealthy businessman, Mr Raphael. She had met him a year before in the Caribbean, where they had together solved three connected murders. Now Mr Raphael himself is dead (of natural causes!) but has left posthumous instructions asking her to solve a mystery – did his black sheep of a son really commit a murder for which he was convicted, or was he framed? So he sends Miss Marple on a coach tour of English stately homes to find out. The late June Whitfield plays Miss Marple and I think she is very good in the part.
And on television we are up to the third part of SHETLAND, which was aired last night. I didn’t see it and am going to watch it tonight. Nancy messaged me to inform me that it is a real shocker, with lots of new suspects, plot twists, and a terrifying cliff-hanger at the end. I will not be answering my phone this evening!
This weekend I am hoping to visit the Gray’s School of Art Masters’ Show, and also an event being staged at the old Bon Accord Baths. This is an iconic building, and one where I used to swim myself when my children were small, as it opened at 6am so I could get a swim in before they had to get ready for school. I remember trudging through the snow to those baths on many a winter’s morning. Because the pool – huge as it was, with very high diving platforms – did not meet the size for Olympic events, the council decided to build a new one to the north of the city, and the poor Bon Accord was closed and has been left to decay. It really is a criminal waste of an amazing building. On Sunday lots of artists will be exhibiting in the buildings, and there will also be a film about the history of the baths, with people talking about their memories of them. There is a big campaign to get them re-opened, and I do hope it succeeds.
And now I must take myself down to the river.
Have a good week all!
Rosemary, You’re the perfect one to write a book of the month feature in the newsletter! I know how much you enjoy bookshops, and to be able to feature one of those books every month! If you’re going to serve on a board, that’s the perfect task for you.
I’m sorry to hear about your stylist. My mother and I, and then a librarian friend and I were talking in the last couple days about college students since President Biden just forgave up to $10,000 in college loans. No, it doesn’t affect me personally, but when my mother started to say she didn’t know what to think, I said, yes you do. You have a grandson who will be paying loans forever. Two of her grandson’s wives. I think of that poor stylist. If people in their 20s, and even older, no longer have to pay $10,000 or interest, or however it works out for them, they might have a little bit more money to put towards a life. I told her I was lucky. I came out of college & grad school with no debt. School was so much cheaper then. And, within four or five years, I was able to make a trip to Europe. These poor kids don’t even have money for a few nights out. I just feel for the young people. Wages here have not caught up with the cost of living at all, and add in expensive rent, the cost of gas (fortunately going down), and they’re in a mess.
Off my soapbox, but I feel for them. And, it doesn’t matter to me if I’m not getting anything. We bailed out enough churches and millionaires who didn’t need it. It’s time to bail out some people in our lower and middle classes.
Ok. I’ll shut up.
I’m always so happy when I remember to stop in here on Thursdays. I hear about so many interesting things and some books I somehow haven’t heard of. As I sat in bed reading last night (early this morning), I had to laugh at myself. I am literally surrounded in bed by books I’ll be reading next or soon. When I change the bed, I have to move the books off the bed. And, yes, I have other places where books are waiting for me–a round book table in my bedroom, book baskets all over, shelves, and wherever a book will fit. Hahaha! But, the books on the bed are “for sure going to read soon” books, and what a lot of great reads to look forward to.
Oh, I have to put in here about my hoot owl this morning around 4:00 a.m. Apparently, we have a Great Horned Owl living around here, and it was outside my window this morning. The Great Horned Owl is also called a hoot owl, as it is the only owl that actually hoots like owls are always portrayed. Anyway, I guess I’m easily entertained because I listened to that owl hoot for around half an hour. I was like a little kid experiencing a magical time.
Reading. I can’t exactly remember what my last post here included, but I’ll begin today with Lucy Burdette’s 12th entry in her Key West Food Critic mysteries, A Dish to Die For. I’ve enjoyed this series since its beginning, as I love Key West and feel like each book is a visit back there. This book went off island a bit to the next Keys up, Stock Island and Geiger Key. Although the murder takes place in Geiger Key, it all comes back to secrets that began in Key West, so Key West is still at the forefront of the story. The next book was unplanned (oh, if I had a nickel for every unplanned read). I finally read The Handmaid’s Tale. I kept telling myself that I wouldn’t watch the Hulu series until I’d read the book, but I cheated and started watching the streaming show. However, I had watched about four episodes of the first season when I shook myself and demanded that I read the book. So, I read the book, and I was surprised how very closely the show stuck to the book. The next two reads are by favorite authors Lisa Jewell and Jennifer Hillier. Lisa Jewell’s The Family Remains is a sequel to The Family Upstairs from three years ago. Lisa Jewell didn’t plan to do a sequel, but she listened to her readers clamoring for one and decided she would grant their wishes. I’m so glad she did because The Family Remains picks up the cliff hanger from the book before and lets us know how the characters go forward. A couple of new characters are added to the story and have a connection and impact on the main story. The author does an excellent job. Jennifer Hillier’s book Things We Do in the Dark has been getting a lot of attention in the mystery/crime world, and I had been excited to see what it was about. It was pretty dark, and that didn’t really bother me, but it might some people, especially with the triggers of child abuse and male violence on women. Don’t misunderstand, I certainly didn’t enjoy reading about those two things, but they weren’t triggers for me like they might be for others. It was a good story with some predictable twists and I’m glad I read it. Hillier is great at showing the combination of good and bad in people. But, I still liked her Jar of Hearts better. My reviews for The Family Remains is on my book blog, The Reading Room, at https://www.readingroom-readmore.com/ I’ll have the review up for Things We Do in the Dark in a few days.
I’m now reading a favorite of yours, Lesa, The Killing Hills by Chris Offutt. I love how he is describing the eastern hills of Kentucky, as I grew up not far from that area. I wasn’t in Appalachia, but we had some tiny hills in our area. Close-by towns/cities are mentioned, like Flemingsburg and Lexington. Offutt’s writing is exceptionally beautiful. I hope to be finishing it later today. Once again, I’m nearing the end of a month where I had hoped to catch up on my reading and reviewing more. I think that’s called my life.
Kathy, I’m so glad you stopped by to talk about books, but I really enjoyed your account of your Great Horned Owl. I didn’t know that was the owl called the hoot owl.
You’re right. I loved The Killing Hills. I’m sure you appreciated it even more than I did, though, since you know the area. Yes, his writing is beautiful, isn’t it?
Thanks for stopping by to share your reading life!
I tihink part of Harvard’s $40 Billion and Yale and Princeton’s $20 Billion should go toward this debt forgiveness before they come to tax payers.
I went to an Indonesian Independence Day celebration. I’m not Indonesian, so I mostly didn’t know what was going on, and the food was too spicy for mue, but it was fun.
This week I read:
The Snowdonia Killings by Simon McCleave; A London detective goes from the big city to North Wales to reduce tension. Just about the time she arrives, there’s a murder of an obnoxious teacher, and everybody hates the big city detective. This book made me glad my people left Wales in the 1700’s.
A Fearsome Moonlight Black by David Putnam. A book of two parts. The first part is about a rookie offier getting into trouble, but solving a case. The second is 8 years later, where the guy is still getting into trouble, demoted to Cold cases, and still solves a case. Consciously Wambaugh-easque.
Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake off by Darci Hannah; The title says it all, but there’s so many obnoxious people here, it’s too bad there weren’t more corpses.
Million Dollar Staircase by David Crosby; The city is trying to use eminent domain to force out some small businesses in favor of rich developers. Eventually, this leads to murder. Not very exciting. Not nearly crazy enough for a Florida novel.
Ok, Glen. I pick Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake off this week because I love that comment – so many obnoxious people that it’s too bad there weren’t more corpses. That’s a good one.
Very happy that you have found a doctor that you like! They are hard to find! I hope that you can go to her for a long time. Next week, I have an annual cardiologist appointment, I have only seen him once last year but he seems fine. On Friday, I am set to see a pyschiatric nurse for the first time. I need something to help me sleep, each night is hit or miss! I am hoping that she will help me with ADHD. She looks friendly in her picture, so I am hoping. Long ago, I saw a gerontologist who told me on the first appointment that she did not want to see anyone who is Medicare That was a total waste of my time and did not like her. She wanted big $$$$$!
I finished the scrabble audio book and was surprised by who was murderer. Not on the next audio book yet.
I have been reading, Thirty Umbrigan’s If Tommorrow Be Sweet. It is in very small print but I am on page 99 already. I identify with the Indian woman who is my age. Tedmina has to make a big decision. Her husband passed away from a heart attack, Living in Bombay, she has lots of different interests but her son has asked them to decide on whether to live with his. He is Indian American and his wife is white with strong OCD and they have a little boy. But they live in the suburbs, where everyone is white, all the house look alike. Tedmina has a great friend Eva, who is a very tall and wide person and Jewish and their thoughts always harmonize. I am hoping that Tedmina will stay in Ohio and develop many of the interests like caring for poor children in Ohio. I bought this book long ago. I have read one other book by the author, also in very small print. Would to find more written by her on audio or large print. If the character that the author created was a real person, I would have loved to be her friend. I have know a few people from Bombay and loved them!
Thanks, Carolee. Unfortunately, I’ll only have her for about a year or so, and then I’m moving to Ohio when I retire. I’ll have to get all new doctors – doctor, dentist, eye doctor. Darn.
I hope you can find some more books in large print or audio that you like.
Glad that you are moving when you retire, be closer to relatives.
Well I went to one of my favorite doctors this morning. Had a good visit, and we decided to go out to brunch. Walking around the car on my newly healed leg following a 3 week bout of cellulitis, I managed to walk into the front license plate with the previously healed leg. I tore open a large gash that bled everywhere. My shoe was drenched along with my sock and capris. It looked so bad someone from inside the restaurant came out and suggested he call 911, which he did. As I bled we waited for the ambulance. Rode to the hospital with them so I could elevate the leg. After all that they just steri-stripped it closed since the skin was too thin to stitch.
I share all this to say my reading plans for this afternoon were destroyed. Now that I cleared up a bunch of chores to do crafting, now I’ll be sitting with my leg up. Guess I can read tomorrow!
Wow, I have never been out to brunch with one of my doctors. Hope that your leg improves quickly and happy crafting!
Oh, Sandie. I’m so sorry that your plans for the day were ruined and you injured your leg again. I’m sorry.