Strange weather we’re having, isn’t it? I think it’s been strange all over the country. We have 70s one day, and 40s the next. But, we don’t have the snow and weird weather from California. If you’re having delightful weather in the 80s with sun (Jeff), enjoy every minute of it.
I’ve only read thirty-five pages in Oliver Darkshire’s Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller, but it’s funny and charming. It reminds me a little of the flavor of 84 Charing Cross Road, which I loved (both the book and the movie). Sotheran’s bookshop was established in 1761. When the author applied for a job there, he was told he was applying for a two-year apprenticeship because the staff was getting whiplash from having to learn a new person’s name every year. Here’s the summary, since I haven’t read enough yet to highlight points.
Welcome to Sotheran’s, one of the oldest bookshops in the world, with its weird and wonderful clientele, suspicious cupboards, unlabeled keys, poisoned books, and some things that aren’t even books, presided over by one deeply eccentric apprentice.
Some years ago, Oliver Darkshire stepped into the hushed interior of Henry Sotheran Ltd (est. 1761) to apply for a job. Allured by the smell of old books and the temptation of a management-approved afternoon nap, Darkshire was soon unteetering stacks of first editions and placating the store’s resident ghost (the late Mr. Sotheran, hit by a tram).
A novice in this ancient, potentially haunted establishment, Darkshire describes Sotheran’s brushes with history (Dickens, the Titanic), its joyous disorganization, and the unspoken rules of its gleefully old-fashioned staff, whose mere glance may cause the computer to burst into flames. As Darkshire gains confidence and experience, he shares trivia about ancient editions and explores the strange space that books occupy in our lives―where old books often have strong sentimental value, but rarely a commercial one.
By turns unhinged and earnest, Once Upon a Tome is the colorful story of life in one of the world’s oldest bookshops and a love letter to the benign, unruly world of antiquarian bookselling, where to be uncommon or strange is the best possible compliment.
As I said, so far, I’m finding it delightful.
What about you? What are you reading this week? I hope you’ve read at least one book that makes you feel good.
I’ve seen it snow outside my condo twice in the last week. Just flurries, not enough to stick and it hasn’t lasted longer than a few minutes. Friday, I got water in my garage from the 4.5 inches of rain, so I had to clean some stuff out from that. I think I’ve got it cleaned up finally. Fortunately, it’s supposed to warm up starting tomorrow and be in the 60’s over the weekend.
I’m currently reading ALL THAT IS HIDDEN, the new Molly Murphy Mystery from Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles. I hope I’ve reached the part in the book where the plot is going to really kick in. I enjoy her books, so she always has so much set up before the story really begins.
Mark! Last week’s message said you still live in California. Just weird weather.
I hope the plot kicks in soon in your book!
I thought I still lived in CA. Maybe my condo moved to a different state and didn’t tell me. 🙂
It’s been cold, snowy, rainy, and sunny…but always cold.
I met Margie Bunting over the weekend at a library book sale (where else?) A wonderful lady, and very nice meeting her.
This week I read:
Young Pillars by Charles Schulz; Non-Peanuts comic panels about church going teens. A slightly different side of ole Sparky.
Murder on the Edge by Bruce Beckham; Skelgill is on the case when corpses begin to turn up with climbing rope. Good thing he’s got a dog.
The Immunity Solution by Leo Nissola; About how to eat and act to keep your immunity system strong. Basically, a high school health class in prose.
The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood; Creepy Lovecraftian sasquatch tale that sounds almost exactly like something you’d see on Bigfoot Hunters, yet manages to scare. Written long before Bigfoot entered the public consciousness enough to name a Monster Truck.
Wider Than An Ocean by Beth Adams; Priscilla sees a plane crash, but no one believes her, but it’s organizing an Easter egg hunt that really taxes her abilities.
The Perfectly Paranormal Museum by Kristen Weiss; After the usual setbacks, a woman returns to her hometown and finds herself in charge of the local paranormal museum. She doesn’t believe in the paranormal, at least, until someone is murdered at the museum.
Garfield Slurps and Burps by Jim Davis; #67, Garfield is still putting away the lasagna and hating Mondays.
I love that you met Margie, Glen. And, of course. Where else but a library book sale?
Jim Davis and Charles Schulz. Two of my favorites.
Your weather just sounds weird.
On the other side of the Sierra we’re having a good dose of California’s “weird weather” here in Nevada. Snow again early in the week with more expected this weekend. Roads closed due to white-out conditions and avalanches. Perfect conditions to stay home and read. But I haven’t been to the library in several weeks, so mostly via the Libby app.
Speaking of the Sierra, Kim Stanley Robinson’s first nonfiction THE HIGH SIERRA : A LOVE STORY shares his passion for the Sierra mountains in this wonderful blend of memoir, history, and science. Divided into multiple short chapters it’s perfect to enjoy between other reading.
From Ausma Zehanat Khan, BLACKWATER FALLS is “the first in a timely and powerful crime series, introducing Detective Inaya Rahman”.
I enjoyed a couple books in her earlier series located in Toronto, but unfortunately this new series set in a fictional location near Denver carries too heavy a burden for me. The plot with the police investigating a murder was overwhelmed with all the “hot topics” – a meat packing plant, refugees, illegal immigrants, defense contractor, religion, politics…
LILY AND THE OCTOPUS Stephen Rowley’s debut novel from 2016 is heartwarming autobiographical fiction, originally written as self-therapy for the author’s own grief.
And I’m first on the list for “Once Upon A Tome”. It sounds quite interesting.
Thank you, MM, for the review of Blackwater Falls. Maybe I’ll just skip it now. It’s been moving around on TBR piles for months.
Robinson’s nonfiction book sounds perfect for someone living where you do.
I hope you enjoy “Once Upon a Tome”.
Good morning. We had about an inch of icy snow here in NJ but it’s melted already. Now we’re supposed to get to 60 this afternoon with a drop to freezing tonight.
This week I read Four Parties and a Funeral by Maria DiRico. It’s the latest in her catering hall series. I’ve enjoyed the previous books in the series but in this book the author threw in a reality tv show, a wedding and a trip to NOLA. There are way too many characters and the solution to themystery felt rushed.
I’m currently reading The Confidante by Christopher Gotham. Anna Rosenberg, a Jewish immigrant who never finished high school builds a business as a labor mediator, gets involved in NY politics and becomes part of FDR’s inner circle at a time when most women were housewives or secretaries. I’d never heard of her before and I’m finding the book interesting but it’s taking me a while to get through it.
More strange weather, no matter where you live, Sandy.
I prefer the books Maria DiRico writes as Ellen Byron. I read one of the catering hall mysteries, and it was okay, but I like the Louisiana ones better.
Once Upon a Tome definitely sounds like my kind of book. Of course, I loved 84, Charing Cross Road, and we’ve been to the bookshop at that location (not the same one as in Helene Hanff’s time) many times. Just checked, it is in Sackville Street, Piccadilly, London. I put it on hold.
Jackie read and really liked Darynda Jones’s third (and last, apparently) Sunshine Vicram book, A BAD DAY FOR A HANGOVER. I am halfway through it now. It’s fun but silly too. She is now reading Iris Johansen’s CAPTIVE, an Eve Duncan book. Johansen is in her mid-80s and still turning out multiple books a year, and Jackie says they are quite violent.
Besides Will Schwalbe’s THE END OF YOUR LIFE BOOK CLUB (which was well worth your time) and Claire Keegan’s ANTARCTICA (short stories), I am just about done with the huge volume of Edith Pearlman’s selected and new stories, BINOCULAR VISION, and halfway through (as I said) the Darynda Jones book.
In addition, I picked up Schwalbe’s new book, WE SHOULD NOT BE FRIENDS, as well as BLACK IS THE NIGHT: STORIES INSPIRED BY CORNELL WOOLRICH.
There are always new short story collections out there for me to read.
I definitely thought of you, Jeff, when I started Once Upon a Tome. As I said, I haven’t read much, and last night at my place was not conducive to reading – fire alarm, etc., but I’m enjoying it. You probably know just where the bookstore is.
We Should Not Be Friends is good, and I enjoyed it, but Schwalbe has some issues.
I’m reading JT Ellison’s newest, It’s One of Us, and loving it. A lot of reviewers are saying this is her best novel to date, and from what I’ve read so far I tend to agree. The prologue alone is a haunting piece of writing. The story: A wife longs for a child with her husband, but nothing has worked. One day the police appear at their door to inform them that the husband’s son is a murder suspect. The husband reveals that when he was younger he donated sperm and could be father to any number of children, including a murderer. Knowing JT’s plotting skills, I expect plenty of revelations and twists before the end. The quality of prose in a novel is as important to me as the plot, and JT writes beautifully, I got to know her years ago when we were both in the Sisters in Crime Guppies group for unpublished writers, and trying to find agents. I have watched with pleasure as she has soared onto bestseller lists. She’s now one of my favorite writers.
Sandra, I’ve met JT a couple times, but I don’t really “know” her. That’s so good to hear, though, that the story and the writing are both good.
JT is a delightful person. You probably know that she’s they force behind the Killer Nashville conference.
I didn’t know that. I actually ran into her a couple times at a book festival in Kentucky.
It’s always been true that i lo e a great ol’ big thick epic saga. Not every writer is capable of writing one, for sure, but when written by a master, there’s nothing more satisfying, in my opinion.
Many years ago i fell in love with “Sarum, a historical novel with a ten-thousand year story, set in the area around the ancient monument of Stonehenge and Salisbury.
Sarum was published in 1987 and became an instant international best-seller, remaining for 23 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List.”
Over the years since then I have read all of Edward Rutherfurd’s novels; Russka, London, The Forest, The Princes of Ireland, Rebels of Ireland, New York, and Paris.
This past week I read his most recent – China.
This from Amazon:
“The “unparalleled master of the historical saga” (Newsweek) and internationally bestselling author of Paris and New York takes on an exhilarating new world with his trademark epic style in China: The Novel
Edward Rutherfurd has enthralled millions of readers with his grand, sweeping historical sagas that tell the history of a famous place over multiple generations. Now, in China: The Novel, Rutherfurd takes readers into the rich and fascinating milieu of the Middle Kingdom.
The story begins in 1839, at the dawn of the First Opium War, and follows Chinese history through Mao’s Cultural Revolution and up to the present day. Rutherfurd chronicles the rising and falling fortunes of members of Chinese, British, and American families, as they negotiate the tides of history. Along the way, in his signature style, Rutherfurd provides a deeply researched portrait of Chinese history and society, its ancient traditions and great upheavals, and China’s emergence as a rising global power. As always, we are treated to romance and adventure, heroines and scoundrels, grinding struggle and incredible fortunes.
China: The Novel brings to life the rich terrain of this vast and constantly evolving country. From Shanghai to Nanking to the Great Wall, Rutherfurd chronicles the turbulent rise and fall of empires as the colonial West meets the opulent and complex East in a dramatic struggle between cultures and people.
Extraordinarily researched and majestically told, Edward Rutherfurd paints a thrilling portrait of one of the most singular and remarkable countries in the world.”
Kaye! I didn’t even realize Rutherfurd’s latest book was about China. It doesn’t surprise me, though, that you read and loved it. I know how much you appreciate his writing.
Weather. Just noticed your comment to me. Well, they’re predicting 90 the next two days down here! That’s a little warm even for Florida in early March. It should be a little more moderate next week or so.
Three weeks from now we will be on our way home. I keep telling Jackie that she is not going to have to worry about cold weather when we get there, what with the way this winter has gone.
Hard to believe you’re heading home already in three weeks, Jeff! And, you’re right about those 90s being a little high for early March!
Kaye, we’ve been to Old Sarum when we visted Stonehenge in the early 1970s, in the days before the monument was roped off and we could still walk among the stones, which was amazing. Old Sarum was high on a hill, as I remember, though it has been a long time and I do not have the clear memory I do of Stonehenge.
Oh, i would have loved walking among the stones of Stonehenge, Jeff, and seeing Old Sarum.
I also remember walking around the stones at Stonehenge as a child. I’ve never been there since, but I gathered that it is now roped off. My late mother-in-law was very interested in stone circles, so we were always having to find them around here when she visited – then she would get cross because they are now often in the middle of forestry land, and she said it was really important to have a clear view, as she was sure the circles were some early form of clock or calendar.
We went to the Calanais Standing Stones when we were on Lewis last year, but I have to say that we ended up having to leave – there were a lot of very New Age women (mostly of my age or older) there, either touching/leaning on the stones in a Very Meaningful Way, doing yoga in the middle of the circle, or just looking very serious, and I’m afraid David and I got such an attack of the giggles that we felt we should move away and leave them to it. Very childish, I know, but we just could not help ourselves.
Those women would not have at all been happy with my brother-in-law who draped himself over one of the stones as if he were a human sacrifice. I would have been giggling along with you and David.
Hello! I recently joined a book group at my library and the reading is taking me to titles I never encountered. February’s read was Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia, a 2021 debut. Set in 1920s Harlem, the main character is a 26 year old black woman who is in love with another woman and dealing with a traumatic childhood. The NY Times liked it, I found the historical inaccuracies too much. Loose threads in the plot left the book group wondering what had happened here and there. There’s a second one but I don’t know if I will pursue it.
Last week I read The Saint Maker by Leonard Holton, the first of 11 mysteries about a priest in southern California. Published in 1959, it holds up well to the passage of time.
And now I am reading London Interrupted by J. A. Marley. First published by Bloodhound Books in 2017 and reprinted by Spellbound in 2023. A professional thief gets corralled by a corrupt police detective to steal a huge sum of money for him. Halfway through, it’s holding my interest. Not sure how the thief will get out of this but I am sure he will.
Aubrey, I hope the thief gets out of his arrangement in London Interrupted. I hate corrupt cops in books.
What’s the overall subject of your library book group? I’ll have to call on Sunday and ask about it.
Aubrey, for you and anyone else who might not know it, “Leonard Holton” was a pseudonym of Leonard Wibberley, an Irish author who spent most of his adult life in the U.S. and was most well known for writing THE MOUSE THAT ROARED (made into a successful movie) and several sequels. He wrote more than 100 books, over 50 of them juveniles.
Yes I knew Holton had another name and another life. That’s one reason I picked up the book, as I hadn’t know about this side of his writing. It was surprisingly serious in places.
Oh, I remember reading The Mouse that Roared and the sequels!
Good morning! As Glen mentioned, he and I got to meet in person on Saturday and had a great conversation at Starbucks after Glen picked up some used books at my local library. What a treat!
Reading this week was a mixed bag, but interesting . . .
In THE SECRET BOOK OF FLORA LA by Patti Callahan Henry, Hazel can’t believe it when a package she opens at the rare book store where she works tells almost the exact story about a magical land that she created to soothe her younger sister, Flora, when they were evacuated to the countryside from the London bombings in 1939. While puzzled and outraged, Hazel also feels a spark of hope that the book may lead her to find Flora, who at age 6 had vanished by a river while teenaged Hazel and her friend Harry left her alone briefly. Hazel pushes aside everything in her life to pursue the book’s author and other clues in hopes of resolving the mystery and finding her sister. The mystical land of Whisperwood is described in a bit of detail but is mostly presented as an escape and respite for the girls who sorely miss their mother. I enjoyed the story but never really engaged with Hazel, now in her late twenties. She virtually abandoned both current and past suitors, boss and coworkers, and others who had given her comfort when she needed it. I also found the book to be longer than it needed to be, with too much repetition and melodrama, but I was definitely surprised by the final twist. (May)
Kate Clayborn’s third contemporary romance, GEORGIE, ALL ALONG, was a joy to read. From the beginning, I took a shine to Georgie, the title character, who returns to her Virginia hometown after her most recent job as personal assistant to a Hollywood celebrity ends. She’s there to help her very pregnant friend, Bel, get her new house ready for the baby, and to figure out what’s next in her own life. Planning to spend some time at her parents’ home while they are on a trip, she unexpectedly runs into Levi, whose temporary stay at the same house had been approved by her forgetful parents. A former bad boy who is alienated from his parents and siblings but has created a lucrative business for himself, Levi just hasn’t gotten his personal life in order. Georgie is also trying to compensate for all of her high school plans that never became reality, since her successful career has been all about making life easier for others–her clients–rather than deciding what she herself really wants to do. Sparks fly between the two quickly, but there are roadblocks that may be impossible to overcome. I loved the vibe between Georgie and Levi, even when their relationship seemed ready to implode, but especially in the final scenes, which were deeply emotional and deeply satisfying. One of the discussion questions in the back of the book asks which of the characters should get a spinoff, and there are too many from which to choose! I’d trust this author with anything she wants to do in her future books.
In Kate Myers’ EXCAVATIONS, four women of different levels of experience, age, motivation, personality, and needs come together for an archaeological dig in beautiful Greece one summer. They hope to find hard evidence that the Olympics we still enjoy were preceded in history by a similar set of games with only women competing, while their male leader resists this perceived threat to his masculinity. An interesting premise to be sure, but the author’s writing style just didn’t work for me. It is so fragmented, so dense, that I didn’t find myself engaged with any of the characters, and I labored to finish. Others will most likely appreciate her style more than I did, but I was unable to enjoy this book. (May)
Debut author Michelle Hoffman entertained me from the first word of THE SECOND ENDING to the end of the last chapter. The plot focuses on two remarkable pianists–48-year-old Prudence and 22-year-old Alexei. Prudence was a true child prodigy, learning piano at age 3, playing Carnegie Hall at a very young age, and winning a Grammy at age 16. But she rankled at her grandmother’s harsh control and lack of affection, which led to her abandoning her performing career and writing commercial jingles for a living. Now she is a happily married empty nester who wonders what she will do for the rest of her life. Alexei was controlled in every way by his parents, who insisted he learn the piano at age 6 and thereafter depended on his professional success to keep them from returning to Russia from the United States. Now a handsome and charismatic young man, he is the host of a reality TV competition show that pits pianists against each other for the public’s votes. How they come together is the crux of the story, enhanced by a number of seemingly coincidental events involving Prudence’s loser-ex husband, a bitter woman who blames her loss of a career as a ballerina on a long-ago event with Prudence, a wonderful 80-year-old piano teacher, and a lovable dog, to mention just a few. Although there were time shifts, backward and forward, I found it easy to keep track of what was happening. I was particularly thrilled by an exciting episode of the TV piano competition. And the author, a pianist herself, was able to describe all of the musical scenes convincingly and passionately, including the emotions invoked by the music in a wide variety of listeners. I can’t wait to see what she does next. (May)
That should be The Secret Book of Flora LEA (not LA).
Not surprisingly, I felt exactly the same way you did, Margie, about the Patti Callahan Henry book. So disappointing. And, i second the applause for The Second Ending. Loved it!
Kaye, I remembered that you didn’t like Flora Lea, but I don’t believe you ever explained why. As I read it, I liked it at first, but then . . . I understood what put you off. I got it from NetGalley right before you talked about it so I waited a while to read it, but at least it wasn’t a total loss.
I’m glad you liked The Second Ending, too. It was difficult to write about it because there was so much going on, but I didn’t want to give anything away. It was a fun read.
I’m so disappointed in reading your review of Patti Callahan Henry’s book, Margie. It’s such a gorgeous book, and I was looking forward to reading it. Now, not so much.
My favorite part of your comments, though, is that you and Glen had the chance to meet and then had a conversation at Starbuck’s! I love that.
Lesa, don’t let my review (and Kaye’s agreement) keep you from reading Flora Lea. Some of it is quite enjoyable. And as for Glen, ask him about his impressive success in winning Goodreads giveaways!
Me, again!
I just couldn’t wait until next Thursday to squeal about the book I just finished!
I loved Leslie Karst’s Justice is Served.
If, like me, you admired Ruth Bader Ginsburg, you might enjoy it as well. Especially, if you’re a bit of “foodie.”
From NetGalley:
“The book is a romp from cover to cover—and, just like a great meal, left me ready for more.”
—Karen Shimizu, Executive Editor, Food & Wine
When Leslie Karst learned that her offer to cook dinner for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her renowned tax law professor husband, Marty, had been accepted, she was thrilled—and terrified. A small-town lawyer who hated her job and had taken up cooking as a way to add a bit of spice to the daily grind of pumping out billable hours, Karst had never before thrown such a high-stakes dinner party. Could she really pull this off?
Justice Is Served is Karst’s light-hearted, earnest account of the journey this unexpected challenge launched her on—starting with a trip to Paris for culinary inspiration, and ending with the dinner itself. Along the way, she imparts details of Ginsburg’s transformation from a young Jewish girl from Flatbush, Brooklyn, to one of the most celebrated Supreme Court justices in our nation’s history, and shares recipes for the mouthwatering dishes she came up with as she prepared for the big night. But this memoir isn’t simply a tale of prepping for and cooking dinner for the famous RBG; it’s also about how this event, and all the planning and preparation that went into it, created a new sort of connection between Karst, her partner, and her parents, and also inspired Karst to make life changes that would reverberate far beyond one dinner party.
A heartfelt story of simultaneously searching for delicious recipes and purpose in life, Justice Is Served is an inspiring reminder that it’s never too late to discover—and follow—your deepest passion.”
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Kaye. I was the first to review it on NetGalley because I’d been waiting for it to be offered. Leslie is a fellow Sisters in Crime NorCal member, and I’d heard her talk about this event before. They’ve now been featuring it somewhat in NetGalley and I am pleased to see it is getting more reviews.
Kaye, you and Margie have such similar taste in books at times. I can just see you reading this and dreaming of Paris.
Work is absolutely crazy but I wanted to tell everyone about a book that I loved – you’ve probably already know about it as it was on the bestseller list but I just picked it off the shelf at the Library without any prior knowledge and it was great – Wrong Place Wrong Time by G. Mcallister – what would you do to prevent a murder from happening – I think you would say it was the “butterfly effect” – where the main character keeps going back in time before the murder happens. It totally consumed me this past weekend.
Actually, Donna, I’m not sure I remember hearing about this book. Thank you for mentioning it since you enjoyed it so much!
Good morning, Lesa. I just finished At First Light by Barbara Nickless and thought it one of the best mysteries I’ve read in years. It’s the beginning of a new series which I will definitely be following. Next up on my list is Night Wherever We Go by Tracey Rose Peyton.
Just what I need, Patricia – another book for my TBR pile. Thank you!
It was a record breaking 78 degrees in Cincinnati yesterday. I guess as far as Ohio goes the groundhog was wrong about winter.
Sarah Addison Allen recommended The Baker’s Man by Jennifer Moorman on one of her social media accounts. It was a fluffy fun quick read.
Next, I read Write My Name Across the Sky by Barbara O’Neal from Kindle Unlimited. I think it was her book from 2021 but I loved it. It told the story of two sisters whose mother was a rock star and their aunt who raised them after their mother’s overdose. Sam owns a video game company that is floundering and comes down with a serious illness, Willow is the younger and musical prodigy whose album tanks, and Gloria Rose is a retired stewardess and Instagramer whose long ago lover has been arrested for art forgery. The story is told in alternating chapters that covers each character back story and how their lives intersect in present time. I couldn’t put it down and just loved this one. I think Kay might have recommended it a while back.
I put your book on reserve at the library, Lesa. I am looking forward to when it becomes available.
Happy Reading!
Sharon, You’re right. Kaye probably recommended Write My Name Across the Sky. She and I are both big fans of Barbara O’Neal, but I think Kaye is caught up, and I’m not. I love her stories of women.
My mother says The Farmer’s Almanac has been totally wrong about the entire winter where she lives. I’m always happy when the groundhog is wrong.
This book looks good. I’ve added it to my want to read list. I’m not too far from the foothills. They’re suffering much with much snow and power outage. Delivery is delayed. There were some days of blizzards and freeway closings. We’re having extreme low temperatures for our area along with winds and rain. I’m happy having the rain. A few minutes from here, there were some snow. Not usual. I think the last time it snowed this close was in 1985. It wasn’t as much snow as then though.
That’s what’s often so bad about weather issues, Bonnie, the power outages. I’m glad you’re okay!
I hope you enjoy the book!
Good evening everyone. It’s been very cold in Scotland, but no snow yet – we have that delight coming along next week….
I was in Edinburgh yet again from Monday to Wednesday, but for once this was not to deal with family issues but to attend the funeral of a friend who died very suddenly in January. John was the photographer for the site for which I review, The Edinburgh Reporter (and he also took photos for a lot of sports clubs), so he and I had attended many exhibitions and events together, especially in the festivals, but also for things like Christmas at Holyrood Palace. He was a great guy and will be very much missed.
I travelled back into town from the crematorium with a man who runs a PR company in Edinburgh. Martin is a real character, he knows just about everyone in Edinburgh society circles (his family owns huge estates in Aberdeenshire and Wester Ross) and loves nothing better than a good chat, so it was a fun end to a sad day.
I finished reading Catherine Simpson’s ONE BODY (I wrote about it last week) and I think it is definitely going to be one of my top reads this year. So readable, and so spot on about women’s struggles with their bodies, and with society’s attitudes to them. It’s quick to read, very well written, and is ultimately uplifting and inspiring. Simpson is the main speaker at LitFest 2023, a book festival taking place in Lancaster next week, so I am hoping to watch her session online. All events are free to join if anyone else is interested: https://litfest.org/.
I also finished Linda Castillo’s PRAY FOR SILENCE which, again as I said last week, I absolutely loved. I’m now waiting for someone to return the first book in the series to our local library.
I’m half way through one of Jill Paton Walsh’s Imogen Quy mysteries, THE BAD QUARTO. Imogen is a college nurse in Cambridge, and all of these books are set in St Agatha’s, the fictional college at which she works. They’re quite cosy mysteries, but well written and enjoyable. This one is about a student production of ‘The Bad Quarto’ version of Hamlet, and the strictly unauthorised hobby, beloved of some students and staff, of climbing onto the roofs, towers, etc of the older colleges at night. A radical lecturer in English has fallen to his death while attempting one such climb. Or was he pushed? I’ve heard other books in this series dramatised on Radio 4 but this is the first one I’ve read. It’s an easy read but a good one, especially as I recognise the locations around the city.
I’ve also just started a Len Deighton spy thriller FUNERAL IN BERLIN. Deighton was of course immensely popular in the 1960s and 70s, but although I have seen (and very much enjoyed) the newer TV adaptation of THE IPCRESS FILE, I have never read any of his books. I’ve not got very far into this one yet, but I ‘m liking it so far – fast paced, dry, and in some ways reminiscent of John Le Carre.
On looking Deighton up on Wikipedia I was surprised to learn that he also at one time wrote cookery books that began as ‘cookery strips’ for The Observer newspaper – he said he didn’t like to make a mess of his own cookery books, so when he was cooking he copied the recipes out onto paper, and because he was originally an illustrator, he found it easier to draw four eggs or a banana than to write out all the words. He was born in Marylebone, central London, and has had a very varied and interesting life – and he’s still alive (though no longer writing) at the age of 94. I also saw that there’s a film version of Funeral In Berlin, so I must try to track that down.
And I’m still working my way through James Robertson’s 365 STORIES, each one of which is 365 words long. Some are better than others, but on the whole they are all worth reading – and they don’t take long!
When I was in Edinburgh Anna found UNFORGOTTEN on catch-up. I’d been meaning to watch this for ages, but I had only been able to find it on pay-to-view. So many people have recommended it, and they weren’t wrong – it’s brilliant. Nicola Walker plays DCI Cassie Stuart, and Sanjeev Bhaskar her assistant, DI Sunny Khan; they investigate cold cases. It is so refreshing to find a police series in which the detectives are not always shouting! Stuart and Khan go methodically about their business, but that’s not to say they lack empathy – Walker in particular brings real emotional depth to her character, and the two of them also have a nice line in subtle wit.
And David and I are watching HAPPY VALLEY, which I’d avoided for ages but am now quite enjoying.
Last Friday was Freddie Mercury night on BBC4. I enjoyed the two documentaries they showed, one about Freddie himself and one about the making of the 1992 tribute concert held at Wembley after his death. George Michael’s performance of ‘Somebody to Love’ at that concert was stunningly good. It is so sad that Mercury died so young. – and indeed George himself died far too soon, in 2016.
Tonight we are going to a local venue, The Lemon Tree, to see a jazz/electronica band called The Comet is Coming. I think this will involve standing throughout, but fortunately the only thing I have on tomorrow is an artist’s talk at the gallery.
Walks have been rather limited this past week as I was so busy going up and down to Edinburgh, but my friend Sue and I did walk at Crathes Castle last Friday, and I have been down to the river most days. There were some beautiful sunsets at the end of last week, but although everyone else seems to have seen the Northern Lights, I’m afraid I missed them completely. We also did a walk at Aberdeen Beach, which was absolutely freezing – never so glad to turn round so that the wind was behind us instead of in our faces.
So now I’d better go and get ready. I hope everyone has a good week and not too much awful weather.
Rosemary
Rosemary, I’m sorry you had to make another trip to Edinburgh, especially for the funeral of a friend.
I love your information about Len Deighton. I didn’t know any of that about his cookery books and illustrations. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed Linda Castillo!
I hope you don’t have awful weather ahead of you this next week.
You would enjoy Florida, Rosemary. It was a warm 82 today and will be up to 90 on Saturday! That is way too warm for early March.
Yes, UNFORGOTTEN is terrific. I see the 5th series is coming on (or already on) in Britain already, so hope we get it soon, though it was unfortunate that Nicola Walker left. We liked HAPPY VALLEY too. I just checked and it looks like the long-promised third series just ran there in January, so we should get it here too. But Sarah Lancashire was also busy with LAST TANGO IN HALIFAX and JULIA.
Oh Jeff, you’re making me jealous!
Yes I think the third series of Happy Valley has just aired, but we are still on series 1. Sarah Lancashire is always so busy, and deservedly so. I also think Siobhan Finneran is a wonderful actor – from Downton Abbey to Happy Valley via Benidorm, nothing if not versatile.
Rosemary, Len Deighton is one of my favorite authors of spy fiction. I have read FUNERAL IN BERLIN but my favorite series by him is the Bernard Samson series. I have read all nine books in that series, plus Winter, a historical novel which features characters from the Samson series. I have read 16 of his books.
Thanks Tracy, I had no idea he had written so much – he was just one of those authors whose books were on my parents’ shelf, and I only thought of him again when I saw this copy of Funeral in Berlin in a charity shop. I will look out for more now!
Topsy turvey weather in North Texas. I moved a bunch of cozies to a different shelf, and found Shunned And Dangerous by Laura Bradford with a blurb from you on the front cover. Excellent cozy, of course, almost finished
Won a graphic from GoodReads, By Water, The Felix Manz Story by three authors! The main author is Jason Landsell. About an Antabaptist Reformer in Zurich. The panes are large and great artwork. Felix Manz has a frown on his face most of the time. Learning a little Latin! Ad fontes means back to the sources. I have only read the first chapter but I really appreciate the large finished copy.
Oh, I loved that series by Laura Bradford, Carolee. I was sorry to see it end.
They are a treasure!
Yes, we continue to have strange weather in Santa Barbara / Goleta. Much colder than usual for the time of year. We live between the two cities and close enough to the coast so that the temperatures are usually at least 5 degrees cooler than Santa Barbara. Which makes for some cold nights recently. Friday and Saturday we had rain and stayed in all day, and more rain on Monday and Tuesday.
Last night I finished MRS. PALFREY AT THE CLAREMONT by Elizabeth Taylor. This is a new author to me, although I was aware of her. I just recently started reading much non-genre fiction recently and the ones I enjoy most are from the 1930s through the 1970s or 80s. At least so far. This one was published in 1971. Mrs. Palfrey is a widow one a fixed income and has just moved into an extended residence hotel in London. There are a small number of older residents who are living there permanently. She is proud and trying to fit in, and ashamed that she has no one to visit her. It explores the time in life when people are alone and moving toward a time when they need more care, so it is not very upbeat but also not a complete downer. It was a very good book and I will be looking for more by her.
I also finished FENDER BENDERS by Bill Fitzhugh this week. It is a humorous mystery about the county music business in Nashville which has been on my TBR a long time and I decided it was time to read it. There were many things I liked about it, including reading about the country music business, but almost all of the characters are very unlikable. Sometimes I am OK with that, but this time it did not work well for me. Humor is very personal and I did not find much of it funny. I would say it is well written but just not my type of mystery. I do have another mystery by him, RADIO ACTIVITY, and Jeff had positive things to say about PEST CONTROL last week. On Goodreads, I see that Sandie Herron liked this book. I will try RADIO ACTIVITY someday and PEST CONTROL if I run into a copy at the book sale.
I am now reading another mystery with a country music theme, BABY, WOULD I LIE? by Donald Westlake. This is a sequel to TRUST ME ON THIS, which I loved, against all expectations. Both feature Sara Joslyn and Jack Ingersoll, journalists who used to work for a notorious tabloid but now are working for a serious weekly magazine. These were published in the late 80s, early 90s. I am enjoying it so far. The setting of BABY, WOULD I LIE? is Branson, Missouri.
Tracy, I enjoyed Mrs Palfrey, and I also remember seeing the excellent 1973 TV adaptation, in which Celia Johnson played Mrs P.
I more recently read and liked Taylor’s At Mrs Lippincote’s. I have several more of her novels on my tottering TBR stacks – one day!
That’s how our weather in North Carolina has been for the last month, back and forth. can’t wait to read Once Upon a Tome. A co-worker received a galley and is loving it. I am participating in middle grade march. My current read is The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis. I just finished listening to Enchantment by Katherine May on audio. I am also still reading Death in the Margins by Victoria Gilbert (love her Blue Ridge mystery series).
Victoria Gilbert has a new series coming out as well, Katherine! I hope we like it as much as her Blue Ridge mysteries.
Lesa, I missed last week and almost missed this week. 53 minutes left in the day. I can’t remember where I left off two weeks ago about my reading, but I just finished Exiles by Jane Harper. It took me far too long to read it. I have loved all of Jane Harper’s previous books, with The Lost Man being my favorite. So, I was excited to get to her new one. It was a slow moving book, which doesn’t always bother me, but it seemed the same ground was being covered over and over again. It was 350 pages and it was not until the last 75 or so that any progress was made or anything different was done. I keep wondering if it was just me, that I’ve been in a slump of sorts, but I don’t often complain about a book moving too slow, and it was my big complaint here. The resolutions to the missing person and the death of another person were to my satisfaction, kind of, but I don’t think I’m going to review Exiles.
My sister-in-law said she read Booth (yes, that Booth) by Karen Joy Fowler and loved it. I’ve had it waiting on me for a while, but it’s a long read, and I think I need something shorter and lighter right now. Oh, I just remembered I wanted to fit in Lessons in Chemistry. The book club my daughter is in Mt. Vernon, Indiana library, and they are reading Lessons in Chemistry to discuss this month. I may even try to drive over and go to the meeting. It’s at a restaurant that I like, so that’s an added incentive, plus I like to read the same book she’s reading every once in a while.
Lesa, be careful of the weather tomorrow, as we get the same weather and it’s supposed to be rocky.
You’re right about the weather, Kathy. Thank you!
I hope you get to read Lessons in Chemistry, and join the book club for the discussion. My sister loved it. I just haven’t read it yet.
Well, knock Exiles off my TBR list if you say it’s slow-moving for 350 pages. Forget that.
Sending hugs!