I have to say I’m really just writing this as fast as I can before the server crashes again. It has been down more than it’s been up since Sunday. One day, I couldn’t write my blog. Several days, I couldn’t read it until late in the day. I’m sorry if it’s been a mess for you as well. Keeping my fingers crossed today.
I’m reading for Library Journal because I’m going on vacation next week. That means there’s no giveaway this week, and Treasures in My Closet will appear on October 8 after I’m back rather than October 1. I am taking my laptop, so I should be able to drop in and out next Thursday for What Are You Reading? Don’t hesitate to talk amongst yourselves!
Saying that, I hope you can get into the blog today. I still hope to see how you’re doing, and what you’re reading. We’ve had two days in the high 90s, but our temperatures are supposed to be in the normal 70s and 80s again after Wednesday.
How about you? What are you doing? What are you reading?
We’ve had some rain for the past 3 days in Northern California, which we always need since it doesn’t rain all summer long. Temps have been mostly in the mid to low 70s, but they’ll be going up to the high 80s in a few days. At least I hope we’re done with the triple digits! Got my flu shot last week and will get my third Covid booster tomorrow. Here’s what books I’ve finished this week:
Jenny Colgan’s Little School by the Sea series is quite different from her other series, but everything she writes is a comfort read for me. Colgan wanted to replicate the feeling she got from reading boarding school novels as a child, but for an adult audience, and she has definitely succeeded. In the third in the series, LESSONS FROM THE SCHOOL BY THE SEA, she continues the stories of the faculty of posh Cornwall girls’ school Downey House and the girls who attend it, especially the 14-year-olds in their third year. English teacher Maggie’s growing relationship with nearby boys’ school teacher David has evolved, even though she plans to marry her fiancé over the summer break. Early scenes set the tone for the rest of the book with regard to this fraught love triangle. Head teacher Veronica is coming to terms with her new relationship with the son she gave up many years ago. Returning students–the overly emotive Alice, conflicted Fliss, and scholarship student Simone–each have their own coming of age stories, trials and tribulations, and they are joined by standoffish student Isme, who doesn’t appear to be a good fit as their new roommate. A holiday play in which all four participate and an online scandal are featured plot points, and I enjoyed the juxtaposition of these elite schools with a much different coed school where chaos rules. I find this series charming while also dealing with some difficult issues. The book ends with a bit of a cliffhanger, but rather than being annoying, it only motivated me to look forward to the next book in the series. (March)
Having read and enjoyed Amy Poeppel’s first three delightful novels–Small Admissions, Limelight, and Musical Chairs– I couldn’t wait to read the fourth, THE SWEET SPOT . . . and it is another winner. I love books where each of the primary characters is introduced individually, without knowing how their lives will ultimately intersect, and the author excels at making these intersections work seamlessly for the reader. Melinda, who has suffered both the loss of her high-level HR job and the infidelity of Russell, her husband of 30 years, is seized by a blazing fury that leads her to do everything in her power to ruin the lives of those she feel have wronged her. The main recipients of her rage are Felicity, the boutique owner and TV show host who snagged Russell and is pregnant with his first child and Lauren, a ceramics artist whose quirky pieces are sold at the boutique and who has encouraged Felicity to follow her happiness. Although Melinda is an over-the-top character, I found the various nefarious ways she wreaked revenge while working as a school receptionist to be super-creative and often hilarious.The characters I found most engaging were Lauren and her high-spirited family–Leo, her charming scientist/professor husband, three opinionated school-age children, and a rambunctious dog. They muddle through life as best they can, while maintaining a strong, loving family unit. Other standout characters include the daughter of the bartender at the bar below the family’s Greenwich Village brownstone, the flighty elder statesman of Leo’s family, Lauren’s initially distant mother, and a baby who “takes a village” to raise.. Any author who can make me feel the tension of each difficult moment, create characters who are real and ever-evolving, and make me care about even the most heinous characters is one I will continue to follow, anticipating each new book. (February)
I also re-read Nora Roberts’ The Awakening, which I reviewed a couple of years ago. Next up is her The Becoming, and in November The Choice will be released. I plan (hope?) to make it through all three.
Margie, i join you in your enjoyment of THE SWEET SPOT.
I’m always interested to see your reviews, Margie, but also to see which ones Kaye has read and enjoyed. You two have very similar reading tastes. I love that Nora Roberts series!
Good morning. Not much going on here this week. We had a return of several hot days but the temperature is supposed to drop tonight with highs in the 60s for the next few days.
I read RELUCTANT IMMORTALS by Gwendolyn Kristen. From the book description:For fans of Mexican Gothic, from three-time Bram Stoker Award–winning author Gwendolyn Kiste comes a novel inspired by the untold stories of forgotten women in classic literature–from Lucy Westenra, a victim of Stoker’s Dracula, and Bertha Mason, from Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre–as they band together to combat the toxic men bent on destroying their lives, set against the backdrop of the Summer of Love, Haight-Ashbury, 1967.
It was a strange book but I wound up liking it.
I also read an ARC of a young adult book – MISFIT’S MAGIC by Fred Gracely. The theme was fairly standard; a misfit and his friends have to save the world from an evil wizard. But I liked the characters and there were enough unique elements to make the book interesting
Sandy, Reluctant Immortals does sound like a strange book. I’m glad you liked it, though!
Mornin’ all! Another cool day in the NC mountains.
I discovered Pamela Terry through her internationally popular blog From the House of Edward, which was named one of the top ten home blogs of the year by London’s The Telegraph.
Sadly, she seems to have stopped writing her blog to concentrate wholly on her novels. I miss her passion and her insightful views relayed through her essays and her photography.
She does, however, bring her passion, her empathy and her optimism to her books through wonderfully entertaining characters first with her debut novel, THE SWEET TASTE OF MUSCADINES, and now with this newest which will be published in February, but is available through NetGalley.
I finished her WHEN THE MOON TURNS BLUE and wish i could personally place it in the hands of friends who i know will be as touched by it as i am.
From Netgalley:
“One woman fights to hold on to her friends, her family, and all that she holds dear as a brewing conflict divides her small-town Georgia community in this powerful novel from the author of The Sweet Taste of Muscadines.
On the morning after Harry Cline’s funeral, a rare ice storm hits the town of Wesleyan, Georgia. The community wakes up to find its controversial statue of Confederate d general Henry Benning destroyed—and not by the weather. Half the town had wanted to remove the statue; the other half had wanted to preserve it. Now that the matter has been taken out of their hands, the town’s long-simmering tensions are laid bare.
Without Harry beside her, Marietta is left to question many of her preconceived ideas about her friends and family. Her childhood friend, Butter, has come to her aid in ways Marietta never expected or asked for. Her sister-in-law, Glinda, is behaving completely out of character, and her brother, Macon, the top defense attorney in the Southeast, is determined to find those responsible for the damage to the statue and protect the legacy of Old Man Griffin, the owner of the park where it once stood. Marietta longs to salvage these connections, but the world is changing and the divides can no longer be ignored.
With a cast of compassionate, relatable characters, When the Moon Turns Blue is a poignant and timely novel about family, friendship, and what can happen when we discover that we don’t particularly like the people we love.”
Kaye, The Sweet Taste of Muscadines was one of my favorite reads last year, and I just started When the Moon Turns Blue from NetGalley. I can already tell it is going to be fantastic.
I love it when we love the same books, Margie! 😊. Can’t wait to hear what you think of When the Moon Turns Blue.
I’ve requested When the Moon Turns Blue, Kaye. Even if I don’t get it, I’ll be ordering it for the library. And, I’m sure Donna will love it as much as you did!
Good morning. Fingers are crossed here. We had a thunderstorm come through an hour ago, and supposedly the front will come through later and knock the temperatures down for good, I think. We got our boosters last week and will get the flu shots in a week or so.
Mostly still reading short stories – FIVE books at once, believe it or not. So typically I will go days without finishing a book and then finish two or three in a day or so.
I know I mentioned GOOD GIRL, BAD GIRL by Michael Robotham last time. I liked it and I’m waiting for the second in the series at the library. The third will be out next February.
John Creasey writing as J. J. Marric, GIDEON AND THE YOUNG TOUGHS and Other Stories is the latest original collection from Crippen & Landru. It is much shorter than most of their books, but that’s because there were only 13 stories published in EQMM. Nice pieces by Martin Edwards, Francis M. Nevins, Jr. and Richard Creasey bookend the stories.
Chris Offutt, OUT OF THE WOODS (1999) is his second collection of stories, and I liked it a lot more than the first one. In the seven years in between he made a lot of progress.
Other collections in progress:
Sholem Aleichem, TEVYE THE DAIRYMAN. If you’ve ever seen FIDDLER ON THE ROOF you will recognize how closely the show and movie followed the stories of Tevye ‘s daughters.
Emma Cline, DADDY: Stories.
Michael Chabon, ed. McSWEENEY’S MAMMOTH TREASURY OF THRILLING STORIES.
Most of my non-story time has been spent reading Martin Edwards’ informative THE LIFE OF CRIME: DETECTING THE HISTORY OF MYSTERIES AND THEIR CREATORS. It’s over 700 pages, true, but if you read a couple of ten page chapters a day, it goes quickly. I know a lot about the genre but there are things I’m learning.
I do have another library book that came in, the new Longmire by Craig Johnson, and I have four more books waiting to be picked up.
Jackie read SUsan Kearney’s LUNA HEAT and is now reading the next Kelley Armstrong Rockton book.
I brought home The Life of Crime, Jeff, from the library. But, since I’m going on vacation, I brought it back. I know I wouldn’t have had time to read it, even at a few chapters a day. I’ll get it later. It looks fantastic!
I took the Longmire book back to the library, too. People waiting on it, and I know I won’t read much in the next week.
I hope those lower temperatures are here for all of us. Just not too much lower! That’s far enough.
Lesa, somehow I ordered myself two copies of The Life of Crime. I put one copy in the current Mystery Loves Democracy auction, with three other books. The other books I had two copies of and are in the package are Martin’s Murder by the Book, The Companion by Lesley Thomson (British author, friend of Elly G’s), and The Island by Adrian McKinty. I listed the items as only $30, and what a bargain that is for these 2022 books, especially since it includes Martin’s tome. The current bid is just $41. I think Aubrey might be bidding on it. If she’s not, you might want to check it out. (Or even if she is bidding on it, if she doesn’t mind.) The title of the item is “2022 Best Sellers.” Here’s the link: https://www.32auctions.com/organizations/101022/auctions/130145?r=1&t=all
It is not supposed to turn 70 today after a 93-degree day yesterday. I am more than ready for the cooler weather.
This week I finished JUST THE WAY YOU ARE by Beth Moran from Kindle Unlimited. I wanted something a little quicker and feel good after FELLOWSHIP POINT. This fit the bill. Ollie wrote her dream list when she was 16 that she was supposed to complete when she was married. Now turning thirty, it is still unfinished due to her overbearing mother. She finally decides to claim her life by moving out and finishing the list as a single woman. Lots of great secondary characters including Irene, the librarian who thinks libraries should only hold books and not tolerate patrons, a curmudgeon next door neighbor they call Ebeneezer, and of course, Sam the park ranger. I laughed at times with Ollie’s Read Up students (adults learning to read) and loved her friendship over books with her neighbor.
I tried my best but could not keep my eyes open long enough to finish DARLING GIRL: A NOVEL OF PETER PAN by Liz Michalski. Thanks so much Kaye for putting this on my radar. It is just terrific! My daughter read it in one day and loved it too. It isn’t the Peter Pan we grew up reading and very dark but a really great read. I can’t wait to find out what happens at the end.
And thanks also Jeff, for recommending Outlaws on Amazon Prime. We are enjoying it very much.
Enjoy your upcoming vacation, Lesa. Happy Reading!
Sharon, i get so happy when someone loves a book i recommended. Yay for DARLING GIRL! I also loved JUST THE WAY YOU ARE.
Yes, Kaye was the one who originally recommended Just the Way You Are. Just a wonderful feel good book, wasn’t it, Sharon.
Thank you, Sharon!
Good afternoon everyone.
The sun has just come out over Deeside after a morning of pouring rain. I went for a walk earlier and even the heron was sheltering under the trees on the far side of the river. I still found some blackberries though.
I’ve just finished reading Richard Coles’ DEATH BEFORE EVENSONG, which I enjoyed very much. It’s set in Champton, a fictional English village where Daniel Clements is the rector. He lives with his bossy mother Audrey, who is quite a character in herself. The village is dominated by the ‘Big House’ – the seat of the De Floures family – who all have plenty of skeletons in their respective closets. In the war the house was used as a base for the Free French.
When a wayward cousin of the family is stabbed to death in the church, Daniel and the detective assigned to the case must try to find the murderer, whom Daniel is convinced must be a local. As they begin to uncover the secrets of the past, more murders follow.
I know this probably sounds like Sidney Chambers (James Runcie) or Max Tudor (GM Malliet), but it’s quite different. Richard Coles is a recently retired Anglican priest, and I think Daniel is in some ways based on him (eg they both have dachshunds, who feature in the story) – Coles does, of course, have a very detailed knowledge of the Anglican liturgy – and also of the ways in which the clergy operate (ie not always as honourably as they might), and he brings this all together in a cosy mystery that features lots of villagers, all with their own quirks and problems. There’s plenty of humour too, especially as the story begins with an argument between various self-important parishioners as to whether or not a lavatory should be installed in the ancient church.
The book was only published here this year, so I don’t know if it’s yet available in the US.
I’m now moving on to Lynn Barber’s A CURIOUS CAREER. Barber is one of the most successful and acclaimed interviewers in the UK – she has written about everyone from pop stars to actors, clergymen, sports stars, etc. This book takes us from her early career at Penthouse magazine to her later work for The Sunday Times, The Observer, and several other august newspapers.
I’ve seen a documentary about Barber and how she works (she does meticulous research and demands [and gets] two weeks to write up her copy). The film An Education is about her own early life (she was a wild child).
Tonight I am going to hear Jenny Colgan speak at the university about why women’s romantic fiction is not taken seriously by the Literary Establishment. I’m looking forward to this, Colgan is a well informed and entertaining speaker and I’m sure she’ll have plenty to say on the subject.
This talk is part of the university’s WayWord festival. On Wednesday I joined an online session in which Douglas Stuart talked to Alan Warner about his Booker prizewinning novel SHUGGIE BAIN and his new book YOUNG MUNGO. Stuart is a good speaker but unfortunately the sound kept cutting out every few minutes, which did make it all a bit hard to follow.
Last weekend I continued to visit North East Open Studios venues, and was especially excited to see the studio of AJ, who won the most recent series of The Great Pottery Throwdown. She works at Deemouth Studios, an old industrial building in Torry which has now been converted into workspaces for over forty artists. Torry is the old fishing village of Aberdeen (fishing boats no longer dock in the city) – it has had terrible problems with crime, especially drug-related, but it is now beginning to rise from the ashes, and is popular with young people and a slightly alternative crowd.
My great excitement of the weekend was to book tickets for The Proclaimers, a Scottish duo (they are in fact twins) who are immensely popular – you may have heard some of their songs if you have seen the film SUNSHINE ON LEITH. Their hits include 500 Miles, the Kilmarnock Blues, Letter from America and, of course, Sunshine on Leith. Their Aberdeen concert in December has been sold out for ages, with ticket touts reselling tickets for unbelievable amounts. On Sunday I noticed that the venue has released a few more seats, so we were able to leap in and book them at cost price, hoorah. I do think this racket of buying up tickets just to resell them at hugely inflated prices is really terrible.
Which reminds me – Jeff, New Order and Pet Shop Boys are performing in Brooklyn this week (might even be tonight, I’m not sure) – I hope you’re going! 🙂 (Though I’ve read that tickets for some of the concerts in this tour are being resold for $4,500, which is outrageous, even for them – my daughter said ‘I could buy a car for that!’)
I am away down to Edinburgh again tomorrow, visiting our daughter Anna and going with her to see BOOK OF MORMON. I’ll be away until next Thursday, so I don’t know if I’ll manage to post here next week – Anna’s been having a lot of internet problems, so I’m not sure how that will go.
Have a wonderful week all, and have a great holiday Lesa!
Rosemary
What a delightful post, Rosemary, filled with books and author talks (I’m jealous that you’re hearing Jenny Colgan tonight), pottery and music. Thank you! Enjoy your visit with your daughter.
I’m looking forward to the trip. My mother and one of my sisters and I are heading to Colonial Williamsburg.
Lesa, I live in Williamsburg. I hope you have a wonderful visit. One thing I recommend are the free candlelight music concerts at my church. Historic Bruton Parish Episcopal, right in the historic area. 8:00 Thursday and Saturday. You can park on Duke of Gloucester St right in front of the church.
Rosemary, it’s frustrating to us because they are just dropping (as they say) one new episode of SHETLAND every Tuesday, so we have to wait a full week for the next one. I still can’t imagine how it will be next time without Jimmy Perez.
We only got one episode per week too Jeff. Whenever our tv stations feel they have a very popular series they drag it out – the less prestigious ones are all available on iplayer as soon as the first episode has been shown.
The way this series ends does give you some hints for how the next one might pan out. See what you think.
Hello to all my fellow book lovers at Lesa’s Critiques.
I was out of commission last week. I caught that pesky little virus called Covid. My husband and I both had it and we have no idea how we caught it. I think our booster was waning and we must have been around someone in a restaurant or grocery store who had it. We had every intention of getting the new booster but just did not get to it in time. Overall, we did okay and are feeling pretty close to our normal selves.
When I started to feel better, I was able to get some reading done. I thoroughly enjoyed Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourne. I am listening to Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan. I recommend listening to the audio. The author narrates it and she does a fantastic job.
I am currently reading The Codebreaker’s Secret by Sara Ackerman.
Wishing you all a wonderful week.
Oh, Kathleen. I’m sorry. Five members of my sister’s family had COVID in the last few weeks. She was hit particularly hard. I’m happy to hear you two are feeling better.
I’m glad you enjoyed Killers of a Certain Age!
Got some rain this week, but the timing was not great for orchardists, or rice farmers. Such is life. The temps went way down for a while, but now seem to be stabilizing in the 80s.
Went to a concert on Saturday. Billed as a Garth Brooks “Tribute” it was not. It was a guy singing a bunch of Garth Brooks songs, some of his own songs, Merle Haggard, Chris LeDoux, and his fiddler sang something from the Judds. He didn’t even imitate Brooks’s voice. I think someone was confused as to what a tribute act is supposed to be, and it isn’t me..
You’re right, Glen. That doesn’t sound at all like what I think of as a tribute act either.
Glad you got rain, but sorry the timing was off.
Sorry, I was called away unexpectedly.
This week I read:
Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard: A biography of Benjamin Garfield, a president who went through a flap of interest a couple of years ago. This happens every so often. I remember in 1992, when all the POTUS candidates were claiming to be like Truman. I’m waiting for Zachary Taylor’s turn.
Anyway, what the book is really about is the reform to from the spoils system of old to the civil service of today..Garfield was besieged by office holders, one of whom killed him. Whaile the murder was tragic, I couldn’t help but think maybe it was better when ordinary folks could just visit the President, unlike today, where he is completely walled off from practically everyone. I also couldn’t help but think the spoils system didn’t seem so bad. It did prevent the un-elected, unaccountable bureaucrats we have today. The part where Garfield was basically killed by his own doctors was especially poignant in these times.
Fallen Angel by Wayne Stinnett; Jesse McDermott rescues some women from Jamaican kidnappers, and finds they related to an evil congressman, who wanted them dead so he could get control of their money and win the election on the sympathy vote. That part is maybe too realistic.
Cathedral by Nelson DeMille; IRA terrorists seize ST Patrick’s Cathedral in NYC on St. Patrick’s Day. From there, it’s a lot of talk about The Troubles.
Who Let The Dog Out? By David Rosenfelt; Andy Carpenter takes in a homeless veteran, and winds up on a murder case that is attached to conspiracy. The conspiracy is pretty interesting this time. Andy Carpenter is so self-effacing, I kept thinking of the Golda Mier quote, “Don’t be so modest, you’re not that great.”
I knew you’d be back, Glen.
You’re right. The popularity of presidential biographies does seem to ebb and flow. That is sad about Garfield’s death.
You seem to be reading some timely books. Just shows you history repeats itself, doesn’t it?
Yes, had Garfield had even the competent medical treatment of his own age, he’d probably have survived. Instead of which…well, you can’t change the past.
Some historians like to say that history doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme.
I’m a regular Bartlett’s today for some reason.
One of my favorite books right there, Glen – Bartlett’s.
Hey Lesa, It’s in the 90’s today but should be in the 70’s tomorrow (woohoo!). Can’t wait. I am currently listening to the audiobook of Lucy By the Sea by Elizabeth Strout and in print, I am reading the The Blame Game by Sandy Jones and The War Librarian by Addison Armstrong
Katherine, It sounds as if most people are experiencing or about to experience a “fall” in temperatures. Enjoy! I’d like to hear about The War Librarian when you finish, at least whether you liked it or not.
Hi Lesa — As expected, I’m reading Room by Emma Donoghue. It’s odd and imaginative and unique and hard to put down. Approaching a tragic story from a five-year-old’s POV was brilliant. I’ll be reading more of her work, that’s for sure.
Aren’t you please, Patricia, when you find a new author whose work is a little different?
Good afternoon from NE DALLAS where we are once again hitting almost 100 across the area. Allegedly, we might cool off early next week as we watch the Gulf of Mexico where a hurricane may lurk.
Still reading FUNERAL TRAIN.
Oh, Kevin. I’m sorry about the nasty temperatures.
Hello Lesa and everyone! I am thrilled with the 71 degree temperature after yesterday’s 95. Doesn’t it feel good, Lesa? I should be getting outside in the lovely weather, but I’ve had so much to do on the computer today. Before I talk about books, I wanted to say that I’ve been watching Ken Burns’ new documentary, The U.S. and the Holocaust, and even though I read much and know much about that history, I am leaning all sorts of things. Unfortunately, the ugliness and cruelty of people to other people is a constant in it, but there are also people who worked relentlessly in the U.S. to try and get our government to help the Jews. There’s lots about immigration and how closed our borders became. It’s all heartbreaking, but I think it’s also a documentary everyone should see.
Reading, well, it’s been somewhat slower this week. Of course, I blame it on the weeks going faster and faster. Hahaha! I think I was finishing or had just finished The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian last week. Well, I still love it now as much as when I’d just finished it. It’s started me off on more African setting books in mystery and crime. (Lesa, I’m trying to get some more in for Janet’s upcoming theme.) With The Lioness set in 1964 in Tanzania, it was such an interesting time in Africa’s history and geographical restructuring. Tanzania had just been formed from Tanganyika and Zanzibar in East Africa. The Hollywood group on their photo safari were exploring the Serengeti there, and the borders, especially the Congo were very volatile. Anyway, I finally finished my review and will post today on The Reading Room, my blog.
I received a free copy of Zac Bissonnette’s debut cozy, A Killing in Costumes, in August, and I was able to fit it in to my reading schedule. Well, that’s not entirely true, but I fit it in anyway. A couple who have been divorced for some twenty years have gotten back together in business, not romantically, to open a Hollywood memorabilia store called Hooray for Hollywood. (I seem to have a Hollywood theme going here, which will continue when I tell you what one of my next reads will be.) The woman, Cindy Cooper, has put quite a bit of money into the start-up, but it’s a struggle to make things profitable. Her partner, Jay Allan, is at first unaware of the financial problems. A ninety-year-old star of the silver screen, Yana Tosh, is ready to sell her huge collection of Hollywood costumes and memorabilia, and Cindy and Jay are desperately trying to get consignment contract for it. They have a rival company, a bigger company than theirs, vying for it, too. When the competition has one of its team murdered, it doesn’t look good for Cindy and Jay. There are lots of red herrings and lots of twists before arriving at who the villain is, but the pages are full of great Hollywood stories about the vintage wear and lots of music from the golden days. It was a fun read, and I will probably read the next one in this new series just for the Hollywood stories.
So, I’m now reading Terry Shames’ new (finally) Samuel Craddock mystery, and I’m so happy that there is a new one. Terry actually explained on the Jungle Reds blog the other day that she had written another one during the worst of the pandemic and thrown it out. Thus, the reason we had to wait so long for a new one became clear. This is #9 in the Samuel Craddock series, and I have been a huge fan of the series since it began. Samuel is a great character, the police chief in the small town of Jarrett Creek, Texas. He is a widower who has a small herd of cows he loves to see to first thing in the mornings, and he has a valuable art collection, which is something rather unusual for a small-town police chief. I’m only just beginning Murder at the Jubilee Rally, but I can tell it’s going to be another winner.
Kathy, I thought Murder at the Jubilee Rally was terrific, and it’s so good to have Samuel Craddock back.
I’m sure I won’t have anything for Janet’s Africa issue. I just don’t read books set there. There’s always a new book in a series I love, or set in Paris or Ireland, or someplace that I want to travel.
I enjoyed A Killing in Costumes, too.
And, just so you know, I’m reading Deborah Crombie’s forthcoming A Killing of Innocents, and loving it!
I’m sure I’ll post pictures from Colonial Williamsburg. And, Aubrey is supposed to meet us for lunch one day.
Lesa, you probably won’t see this, but I just did see your above reply. I am so jealous that you’re reading Debs’ new book. I hope I’ll be getting it. And how wonderful that Aubrey will be meeting you all for lunch. That’s about a three hour trip for her. I do want to have dinner when you return.
Oh, and Lesa, enjoy your vacation! I hope you post some pics on FB.