Well, I had a post that was supposed to publish yesterday. And, if I didn’t have a review, Kevin Tipple has sent a couple for me to use, but it didn’t happen. And, I left the house at 5:30 yesterday morning. My sister, Christie, usually lets me know there’s a problem, but she knew she couldn’t reach me.
I drove three hours each way in pouring rain and wind to get to the State Capitol in Indianapolis to testify on behalf of libraries. I stayed for three hours of the testimony, but knowing I had that drive back, I finally had to leave. It was fascinating. Despite the weather, I’m glad I made the trip. Here’s a terrific news story that summarizes yesterday’s activity. https://www.wfyi.org/news/articles/indiana-bill-criminalize-school-public-librarians-objectionable-books
So rain, wind, spotty tornadoes. That’s been our weather. I know some of you have similar weather, or even worse. Take care of yourselves.
It’s finally out, the book I’ve been waiting to read, Timothy Egan’s nonfiction book, A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan’s Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped them. It takes place in Indiana. It won’t be easy to read, but I’ve been waiting. Egan is the author of The Worst Hard Time, an outstanding book about the Dust Bowl.
What about you? What are you reading this week?
Just glad all is well and you are back home safe.
Thank you, Kevin! I really appreciate your concern.
Glad all is well. I was a bit worried when I did not see a post yesterday. I’m so grateful that you braved such bad weather to support one of our country’s greatest treasures…it’s libraries.
Lesa, that sounds like an important trip to Indianapolis for you! I’d love to hear more about what you testified about. The highlight of my week is that I finally assembled all of my tax documents, filled out the “client organizer,” and scanned and uploaded it all to my tax preparer. That’s a load off my mind! I hate doing it each year, even though I’m pretty organized, because I always worry I won’t be able to find a document I need. I really wanted to add another review to the ones below but I haven’t had a chance to write it yet. It’s Angie Kim’s second book, Happiness Falls, and I was lucky enough to get an ARC. It is intense and mind-blowing, a worthy successor to her Miracle Creek (but not a sequel). More on it next week.
LYING BESIDE YOU, the third in Michael Robotham’s Cyrus Haven Novels, is an excellent example of a masterful mystery/thriller that combines both memorable characters and a suspenseful, propulsive plot. Both of the protagonists have troubled backgrounds they are trying to overcome. Forensic psychologist Cyrus is the more successful in this pursuit, although his older brother killed their parents and two sisters 20 years ago and may soon be released from the psychiatric hospital where he has been confined. Evie’s past is equally as traumatic and, at age 21, she now lives with Cyrus but still has trouble controlling what she says and to whom, as well as her tendency to put herself in danger when she tries to right what she perceives as wrongs. Her uncanny talent at knowing whether someone is lying often comes in handy when Cyrus is assisting the police in their investigations. Narrating alternate chapters, Cyrus and Evie reveal truths about their own character, their strong suits, and their flaws, allowing the reader to engage with them on a deeper level. The case in this book starts with a murdered father and his missing adult daughter and blows up into a far-reaching network of potential suspects and motives. The story keeps moving at a fast pace until the end, particularly in the final exciting chapters. Robotham’s Joe O’Loughlin series, numbering 10, is also excellent, and he has written four standalones as well. I’m not a big thriller fan, but I’m easily convinced to read a thriller when there are indelible characters such as these to root for.
In OFF THE MAP by Trish Doller, Carla did a lot of camping and traveling with her father when she was a child, but now that he has dementia (and a supportive wife), she can’t bear to watch his decline in person. What makes her feel closest to him is having solo travel adventures, working part of the year as a bartender to earn enough money for her travels. But when Eamon picks her up at the Dublin airport for a wedding in which they are both attendants–Eamon as his brother’s best man and Carla as her best friend’s maid of honor–there is an instant attraction. Their trip to the wedding site takes longer than expected, as Carla convinces Eamon to have some adventures he’s always longed for, and they also strike up an intimate relationship. Is it just a fling? They have different thoughts about that. The author has created a romance that is quite different from anything I have previously read, and I was happy to go along for the ride. Their adventures were sometimes funny and dangerous at the same time, and they treasured the moments they went “off the map” (hence the title). Thank you for the recommendation, Lesa! I learned that the bride and groom were the stars of a previous Doller book, although it didn’t have to be read to enjoy this one. However, it did make me want to check out Float Plan.
Mysteries where the sleuth is a real-life historical figure seem to be trending and, in that vein, prolific author Amanda Flower has taken on a new series starring American poet Emily Dickinson. First in the series is BECAUSE I COULD NOT STOP FOR DEATH. In 1855 Amherst, Massachusetts, the Dickinson family is wealthy and prominent, with the patriarch away working in Washington, DC for much of the year as a U.S. Congressman. Unlike her strait-laced younger sister, Emily is the black sheep of this proper family–24 years old, uninterested in ever tying herself down with a husband and children, shunning church services on a regular basis, and speaking her mind frequently about what matters to her, something almost unheard of for a woman of her means and age. When 20-year-old Willa comes to work for the family as a housemaid and shortly learns that her younger brother has been trampled to death by a horse in the stables where he works, Emily takes Willa under her wing. The two women start investigating whether Henry’s death could be a murder, in the process potentially putting themselves in danger. The lives of a lowly servant and a well-to-do self-declared writer and poet are beautifully juxtaposed, in an environment highlighting some of the historical and political events leading up to the American Civil War. And there is a suspenseful mystery to boot. The author’s style is very accessible, and while her portrayal of Emily Dickinson is fictionalized, the protagonist comes off as engaging, courageous, and relatable. I will definitely look for the next in the series.
Margie, One of the librarians shared a link to a news story that covered yesterday’s events in Indy, so I shared the link.
I like Trish Doller’s characters. I’m glad you enjoyed Off the Map!
I love that you made such an important trip for a cause so close to your heart, Lesa.
A Fever in the Heartland is on my Kindle; preordered as soon as I read about it.
The book I most recently finished was At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities by Heather Webber. I love Heather Webber’s work and was well-pleased with her most recent. Her books, for me, are worth waiting for.
Description from NetGalley
From the USA Today bestselling author of In the Middle of Hickory Lane comes Heather Webber’s next enchanting novel, At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities!
A mysterious letter. An offer taken. And the chance to move forward.
When Ava Harrison receives a letter containing an unusual job listing one month after the sudden death of her ex-boyfriend, she thinks she’s being haunted. The listing—a job as a live-in caretaker for a peculiar old man and his cranky cat in Driftwood, Alabama—is the perfect chance to start a new life. A normal life. Ava has always been too fearful to even travel, so no one’s more surprised than she is when she throws caution to the wind and drives to the distant beachside town.
On the surface, Maggie Mae Brightwell is a bundle of energy as she runs Magpie’s, Driftwood’s coffee and curiosity shop, where there’s magic to be found in pairing the old with the new. But lurking under her cheerful exterior is a painful truth—keeping busy is the best way to distract herself from the lingering loss of her mama and her worries about her aging father. No one knows better than she does that you can’t pour from an empty cup, but holding on to the past is the only thing keeping the hope alive that her mama will return home one day.
Ava and Maggie soon find they’re kindred spirits, as they’re both haunted—not by spirits, but by regret. Both must learn to let go of the past to move on—because sometimes the waves of change bring you to the place where you most belong.
Thank you, Kaye! I edited the post above to include a link to a newspaper article about yesterday.
First of all, I like the title – At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities. How do people come up with these titles?
Kaye, I’ve put this one on my list due to your enjoyment of it. And, like Lesa, I just love the title. Of course, having “coffee” in the title is always a good sign.
Yes! Thanks so much for being our voice for libraries!!
It is warming up here in Arizona. The last two days were chilly but we will be in the low 90s by Easter Sunday. We try not to complain about the chilly days as we dread the hot ones more, but such is spring!! The wildflowers have been outstanding. We just can’t get enough of the purples, oranges, reds and yellows in our deserts.
I just finished Switchboard Soldiers by Jennifer Chiaverini this week. The audio was narrated by Saskia Maarleveld and she was fantastic with the French words. The story features the women who manned the switchboard in France for General Pershing and had such an impact on communication for the troops during WW1.
I also finished Dorothy L Sayers’ first Lord Peter Whimsy book, Whose Body? for book group. We enjoyed celebrating it’s 100th birthday and the discussion was great. How far women in the mystery genre have come.
Finally, I enjoyed the audio, Mary Jane byJessica Anya Blau. A rather nostalgic book for the time period but the experiences were a lot more notable (!) than my boring early teenage years!!
I look forward to seeing what everyone else has on their plates this week!
Stay safe, Lesa and remember that Arizona springs are calling you!!
Gaye, You’re right! I’ve seen some pictures shared by a friend in Arizona, and the desert looks stunning this year. When we first moved there, people said, “Aren’t you going to miss Florida’s colors?”, and we said, you haven’t seen Arizona showing off. I love Arizona.
I remember when I ordered Switchboard Soldiers that I thought it looked good, but I haven’t had a chance to read it. I’ve even quit saying, “Someday.” I don’t know if it will happen.
If it’s Wednesday night, I must be between books. It seems to happen this night quite a bit for me, doesn’t it?
I just finished up KNOT ON HER LIFE by Mary Marks. This is the seventh in her Quilting series. I enjoyed it, although there were a few things that didn’t quite work and the thing that kicked off the story was never really explained to my satisfaction.
Next, I’m going from Southern California (location of the last book) to Vermont for CHEDDAR LATE THAN DEAD, the third Grilled Cheese Mystery by Linda Reilly. I enjoyed the first two, so I’m looking forward to diving into this one.
For the record, my book after that will take me back to California, but the northern part of the state for CURDS OF PREY, the third cheese shop mystery by Korina Moss. Yes, I saved these two books to read back to back on purpose.
A cheese fan, Mark? I haven’t read this series by Linda Reilly, but I liked her Deep Fried Mysteries.
Good morning, Lesa. Sounds like you had an interesting day.
I read THE LAST BEEKEPER by Julie Carrick Dalton. A look at the world after we have poisoned all of the pollinators.
An ARC of SPINES AND SLAUGHTER by A.C.F. Bookens. A murder mystery mostly set in a small village in the mountains of Peru.
An ARC of SUMMER READING by Jenn McKinlay. An entertaining rom-com set on Martha’s Vineyard
HEAR AND THEREAFTER by Nicholas Whitcomb. A farm boy gets more than he bargained for when a traveling wizard offers to train him.
Should be Here and Thereafter. Autocorrect
Oh, you already read Summer Reading, Sandy! I’m looking forward to it!
Thank you so much for going to testify, dear Lesa, from all of us!
New experience for me, Wendall, but I enjoyed the day. The drive was actually the hard part.
It’s wonderful that you had the opportunity to participate in such an important event yesterday Lesa. Even if it meant driving in weather better avoided.
I placed a hold on Timothy Egan’s book when you mentioned earlier, seems very interesting.
I finally read THE LOST APOTHECARY (Sarah Penner). Lesa you reviewed early in 2021. I gifted it to my MIL and she passed it back when she was done. It’s been waiting patiently ever since. I did enjoy the cover art in the interim. Entertaining historical fiction appropriately placed in late 18th century England.
GIRL, FORGOTTEN (2022) Karin Slaughter
The main character, Andrea Oliver, is a brand new US Marshall. Her intelligence and decision making are evident during her first case. On the surface, guard detail for a Federal Judge, but underneath lurks a cold case with a personal connection to her and the Witness Protection Program.
The character had a previous appearance in Pieces of Her, but I read this as a free-standing novel.
THE CROSSING PLACES by Elly Griffiths (2009)
The first Ruth Galloway novel. The police find bones in the saltmarshes of Norfolk and ask the forensic archaeologist to assist with dating.
REMAINDER OF THE DAY: A Bookshop Diary by Shaun Bythell 2022
I happened upon this book in the library’s new nonfiction book selection.
The third book in a series of daily entries the author has written about twenty years in The Bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland buying and selling books. He allows occasional volunteers to experience a week or a summer helping.
The Bookshop is the largest second-hand bookshop in Scotland, with over a mile of shelving supporting roughly 100,000 books. Wigtown is Scotland’s National Booktown.
I’m leaving early tomorrow morning to drive to Eugene, Oregon to meet up with family driving from Vancouver, BC. We have a niece that lives in Eugene and it’s about halfway. Canada has a four day weekend scheduled in each month and this one coincides with Easter.
Safe travels, MM! Enjoy the family time.
I have a friend who loves all the books by Shaun Bythell. Now those are books I really should read.
It was an interesting day, MM, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to participate.
Lesa can probably attest to the fact that I’m a major Elly Griffiths fan. I’ve read all her mystery/crime books, and the Ruth Galloway series is the dearest to my heart.
Be careful out there! Your weather has been scary lately. It’s been crazy up and down here. From 73 and sunny on Tuesday to 48 and a cold drizzle yesterday, to – depending on who you believe – 65 to 78 today, then colder again the next couple of days. You never know how to dress when you leave the house.
Jackie is a big fan of Christine Feehan, reading all of her series (how many? 7? 8?). Her least favorite is about the Torpedo Ink motorcycle club, as she says some of the books have had distasteful kinky sex scenes. But she loved book 8, RECOVERY ROAD, which she said was the best in the series by far. She is now reading Aussie author Keri Arthur’s Lizzie Grace book (a witch and a werewolf), WRAITH’S REVENGE (book 10). She is another author with multiple series, at least 10! The two main ones are Riley Jensen and Lizzie Grace.
/end paranormal romance update
I did finish the Fredric Brown collection, MOSTLY MURDER, and I will finish Art Taylor’s second collection, THE ADVENTURE OF THE CASTLE THIEF, probably tomorrow. I liked his first collection, but overall I’d say the second one is even better. Good writer, nice mix of different kinds of short stories. Since my library doesn’t have it, I bought a copy of his ON THE ROAD WITH DEL & LOUISE, especially as it is “A Novel in Stories.”
I did read the third Lillian Pentecost and Willowjean (Will) Parker book by Stephen Spotswood, SECRETS TYPED IN BLOOD, and enjoyed it as much or more than the first two. Pentecost is supposed to be the best PI in New York, post-WWII (this is set in 1947), and Will is her Archie Goodwin (of sorts). This one involves pulp magazines and someone who seems to be using the stories by one particular pulp writer as a basis for copycat serial killings. They have to protect the author, find out why she is a target, and find the killer. Good series.
I picked up Janse Harper’s latest, EXILES, at the library and hope to start it today,
You’re right, Jeff. Our weather has just been strange lately. I think it’s been weird all over the country.
I know I’d like the Pentecost and Parker books if I ever find the time. I have the first one in my place somewhere. I also know I’d like Gigi Pandian’s locked room mysteries. I have both the first and second. Time! I need more time.
Tell Jackie I’m glad you let us know what she’s reading, too.
Thank you for standing up for libraries. Yours is an important and eloquent voice.
Reading A Woman of Influence — the Spectacular Rise of Alice Spencer in Tudor England by Vanessa Wilkie. This is the nonfiction story of the woman who went from being a sheepherder’s daughter to founder of the Spencer dynasty that produced Princess Diana. Perfectly serves my love of English history.
You’re welcome, Sandra. I’m going to have to look for A Woman of Influence. I share that interest in English history, and it sounds fascinating.
It comes out April 18.
I could wait find out what what happening in Indiana and it makes me furious. I thank you from the deepest part of my heart for your taking stand for library and librarians despite terrible weather. I posted the testimony given by ACLU https://www.aclu-in.org/en/news/aclu-testimony-hb-1134 on FB and followed it up with https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2023/03/27/librarians-condemn-book-crackdown/ This is outrageous!
Growing up in Indianapolis, I first became aware at the age of 14 or 15, of the KKK in Indiana when I found a flyer for on our front porch. I immediately ran to my mother and she gasped. I know about about Martinsvile, south of the capital. That was memory of women in beehive hairstyles in the grocery and loads of tales when I was growing up about never going to that town. The town at the time, I don’t know about now but it was then and in the 1970’s when I was there a “sundown town”. If you are black, you cannot be in that town when it reaches sundown or you will not be alive by morning. I also read an earlier book about the KKK in Indiana and it shocked me that in Marion, IN, there was a lynching of a black man and a crowd standing around enjoying it like a celebration. The print of A Fever in the Heartland is tiny. I requested that a sample on Kindle be sent to me. If I can get it big enough, I will buy. There is an Audible sample on Amazon that you can hear but I don’t want join Audible, not affordable. This book will soon be banned!
Earlier I did a review of We Are Too Many by Hannah Pittard. I did not like the book about her divorce. It was very superficial and a waste of time, I could not finish. I hate when books like that get a lot of hype. But it was a free ARC, not out of any money.
I started Dead Man’s Island by Carolyn Hart and am loving it. Can’t wait for the hurricane to hit!
Carolee, Your post showed up!
Thank you for all the background you provide, and your links to the testimony. I appreciate it!
I hope you’re able to read A Fever in the Heartland. It won’t be an easy read, but it will be worthwhile. And, I know you read books that are not always easy reads.
Oh no, my post, a long one did not post, it is somewhere out there in a black hole! I will repeat part of my post, I am proud to have known you, Lesa! Thank you for your testimony. I checked the Internet and I posted on FB about the horrible bill!
Love,
Caro;
I’m sorry your long post didn’t post, Carolee.
Thank you for posting about the bill!
Just received my sample and it is readable on desktop Kindle. Yay
Thank you for speaking up for libraries and readers, Lesa. I am glad you are safe after yesterday’s weather. It rained buckets and buckets at my Cincinnati home.
Two books this week. Community Board by Tara Conklin. Darcy is nearly 30 and her husband announces it doesn’t want to be with her anymore. She flees to childhood home in small town Massachusetts to discover her parents have moved to Arizona to try out retirement living. She spends her days feeling sorry for herself, eating canned food, reading old National Geographic magazines and notices on the community board. Eventually she finds herself becoming part of the community and going against a developer trying to stop a playground for children. I enjoyed this funny quick read.
Next, I read A Side of Murder by Amy Pershing. I think it was Margie’s recommendation. I enjoyed this one as well. Samantha Barnes becomes a YouTube sensation in a not good way in New York and returns home to Cape Cod. She discovers a dead body that the police chief considers an accident. I liked the setting and characters and am looking forward to reading book 2.
On another note, I have been obsessed with watching the eaglets that hatched at our local conservatory. If anyone is interested in watching the live camera here is the link
https://www.cardinallandconservancy.org/eagle-camera/
Happy Reading!
Oh, I love live cameras of birds and animals! Thank you, Sharon.
And, you’re welcome. Our weather has been horrid, hasn’t it?
I am so glad you testified for libraries and appreciate you letting us know. I am also glad I could jump in the conversation today! Recently I really enjoyed The Last Chance Library (recommended by a commenter here) and a couple of Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse books. After liking The Last Apothecary I tried to read the author’s latest, The London Seance Society, but I just couldn’t get into it. There were too many details, backstories, and narrators for me to keep track of right from the start.
Last night I started Ann Napolitano’s Hello, Beautiful, and it is stunning. No problem tracking the characters here, they are all exquisitely drawn. I also think the author shows some sensitivity to the dynamics of families with an alcoholic parent.
I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned this already, but I am also reading “Real Self-Care: A Transformative Program for Redefining Wellness” by Pooja Lakshmin. As someone conditioned to always put myself last I find the insights, examples, questions, and scripts really helpful. I hope that isn’t too personal for a Thursday book chat!
Trisha, That is not too personal for a Thursday book chat. Sometimes, a book suggestion might help someone else, and that’s great. Thank you for sharing it, and that you’re finding the book helpful!
Wow – I just read the article – no wonder you were compelled to drive 6 hours and thank you for doing so. I don’t understand where this country is going. I am also shocked by wanting to change language in books written a while ago as things are now considered offensive -instead of teaching people that is how things were at a certain time. Anyway I just finished Under Pressure by Robert Pobi which is the third book that I read with the same character – this one I felt was quite “muddled” that’s the only way to describe it- I like a challenge of trying to figure out what’s happening but this one was a bit much. Happy Easter and Passover to all.
Thank you, Donna! I agree with you about changing language in books written in the past. Readers should know that’s how Agatha Christie or Ian Fleming or Roald Dahl thought or wrote at the time, even if we don’t agree. It should lead to discussion, rather than changing it. You’re so right.
Happy Easter and Passover.
I hope your testimony makes a difference, Lesa!
Watched John Wick: Chapter 4 on Tuesday. The last movie in the series, there’s a boatload of violence, while everybody except Keanu Reeves speaks portentously. Keanu mostly says “Yeah” with different inflections, often making it a three syllable word.
This week I read:
What Was Bugging Ol Pharoah? by Charles Schultz: A bunch of teen panels of church going youth. Interesting seeing non-Peanuts work from him.
You Can’t Choose Your Family by Julian Rapp; NYPD detective Dreadlow is settling into his new job in Hawaii, when a poor little rich girl goes missing. His cohorts have family problems. Not bad, but certainly no Magnum PI (The first series)
Moose Island by William Graham; Moose Island is off the coast of Maine. Even though only a couple hundred people live there, murders keep happening. Most of them aren’t really resolved. They didn’t even defund the police, because they don’t have any to defund.
Murder At The Super Bowl by Fran Tarkenton; The title says it all, as Fran attempts to cash in on his fame. Unfortunately, the murder mystery just isn’t up to snuff. Focuses on sprots writing instead of football. I’ve never paid money to watch somebody type.
The Lost Adventure of James Bond by Mark Edlitz; An exploration of James Bond projects that didn’t get the green light, including versions of Timothy Dalton’s third and fourth movies. Very interesting, as they all seemed like they’d be good movies.
Small Town Sins by Ken Jaworoski; A volunteer fireman in a dying Pennsylvania town finds a stash of drug money. Then a serial killer comes to town. I think I’ve read 100 different versions of this same book.
You actually had some good books on the list, Glen!
But, you saved the best summary for last with “I think I’ve read 100 different versions of this same book.”
Thank you!
My current read is Code of the Hills by Chris Offutt via NetGalley.
I like those books by Chris Offutt, Kevin.
That does not sound like a fun trip at all, but it is good that you went to testify on behalf of libraries. The weather has been very challenging in your area. We went to Lake Los Carneros today, a small lake in Goleta, which had overflowed for the first time in many years due to the rains this year. The paths near to the lake are still underwater and ducks are swimming in them. We wanted to see the lake with so much water in it.
My husband is planning to read A FEVER IN THE HEARTLAND by Egan, although he does not have a copy yet.
I finished reading BAD FAITH by Aimée and David Thurlo, published in 2002. It is the first book in a series about a nun who solves mysteries. The setting is in New Mexico. Sister Agatha is an extern nun who deals with the outside world for her order. I liked the mystery but the really interesting part was reading about the cloistered nuns and their daily life. There are only six in the series and I would definitely read more of them if I have the time.
Currently reading THE ECHOING STRANGERS by Gladys Mitchell, published in 1954. That is for a group read and I will be reading it for another three weeks. Also reading THE SO BLUE MARBLE by Dorothy B. Hughes, published in 1940. The other books I have read by her have been on the noirish side, this one seems a bit different, and I was expecting that.
My copy is from the library, Trisha. I’ve been on the waiting list.
Sounds as if you had an interesting trip today. And, it’s nice to know you had some good books this week.
Good for you, Lesa, for speaking up. I wonder how many people who object to these books have actually read them??
Jennifer, I have the feeling a couple people that talked yesterday had read passages, but not the entire book, so they were reading out of context.
Lesa, thank you so much for driving in that awful weather to Indianapolis. Your dedication to reading, to books, to libraries is second to none. Book banning makes me sick to my stomach, as I’m sure it does you. The language in these laws, in the one just passed by my state of Kentucky and the one pending in Indiana and others, is deliberately vague to allow a widespread application. “Harmful, inappropriate, pornographic” are all subjective terms. And, to criminalize librarians and teachers is on a level of insanity unfathomable. Our governor did veto our bill, but the legislature overrode the veto. Oh, I thought it interesting that the authors of the Indiana bill couldn’t name a specific title of a “pornographic” book that was found in the schools. Oh, the lessons of the past so soon forgotten. Intellects and books attacked first. Books burned.
Well, on to my reading this past week. I did read and thoroughly enjoy Edith Maxwell’s A Questionable Death and Other Quaker Midwife Stories. Based on Edith’s Quaker Midwife series of books, of which there are seven and will be no more, the main character is Rose Carroll, a midwife in Amesbury, Massachusetts during the 1880s. Rose is also a fair hand at solving murders, and as an exception to how most men viewed women taking part in what was considered a “man’s work,” the local policeman Kevin is actually glad to get Rose’s help. The stories range from the very first short story Edith Maxwell wrote about her idea to explore Amesbury at this point in history as a setting to the first month in the first year of a new century, or January 1900. That first story, “A Fire in Carriagetown,” features Rose’s niece Faith, as the author hadn’t decided on the main character for her book series until after that story. “In Pursuit of Justice” begins the story collection, and it’s a new story by Maxwell, telling the story of Rose’s first detection case. The book ends with “The Management of Secrets,” which takes place ten years after the last Quaker Midwife book. Reading these stories was a great way to start getting my reading mojo back.
I’m now reading Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister, and it’s one of those books I want to sit and read until I’m finished. Silly sleep and eating and laundry and getting house ready for Easter dinner. They really interfere with my reading. Wrong Place Wrong Time is a time travel book, but not like any I’ve ever read before. You know right away that there’s a murder and that Jen Brotherhood’s son has committed it. Then things get strange. Jen starts going back in time, at first one day at a time, and she’s trying desperately what led her son to stab a man right in front of their house, and she’s trying to find what it is she needs to fix to keep it from happening. There were two other commenters here who said they’d read this book and enjoyed it, one of the reasons I didn’t wait to start it. Can you remind me who you are? I might have questions.
Lesa, I’ll be ordering A Fever in the Heartland right away. I’m sure, like you said, it won’t be an easy read, but it’s an important one. I want to go back and pick up Eagan’s The Worst Hard Time, too.
There’s so much that makes me sick right now, Kathy. The legislation about books and school and public libraries. Then, the expulsion of the three Democrats in Tennessee today. Those representatives were elected by their constituents, not be the Republican leadership. I’m just heartsick.
And, I’m sure A Fever in the Heartland won’t make me feel better, but I”m going to read it.
Lesa, the news of that expulsion hit me hard, too. Philip has been reading news on the Internet today and telling me what he’s read. Tonight I told him he couldn’t tell me one more thing, that I needed tonight off from the bad news.
Off The Map. The Hidden Palace. Both are sequels to books I read last year. Very good.