Time! I need more time to read. That’s what seems to be lacking right now, as I fill out application forms for apartments, and all kinds of things prior to retirement. I do hope you all saw my post the other day in which I said I will be continuing the blog. I’d miss all of you on Thursdays!
We’ve had a couple beautiful days here, sunny and in the 70s. Makes me think about those 40s in Ohio just last week. I hope you had the kind of weather you enjoy.
I’m reading the fourth Mrs. Claus mystery by Liz Ireland, Mrs. Claus and the Trouble with Turkeys. Santaland is preparing for the first ever Thanksgiving when Gobbles, the live turkey, disappears. Then, there’s murder at a pre-Thanksgiving feast. I always start these books thinking they’re a little cheezy, but by the end, I’m totally caught up in story of Santaland, the Clauses, the elves and reindeer. Release date is Sept. 26.
What about you? What are you reading this week?
Hello, everyone! Things are starting to heat up a bit here in Northern California and should reach 90 by Saturday (sigh). I read and finished three books this week.
I am charmed by each new entry in the Book Retreat Mysteries series by Ellery Adams because I like spending time with Jane, manager of the Storyton Hall literary-themed resort in Virginia, her beau Edwin, and her fun-loving twins. And I love exploring Storyton Hall’s many delights, not to mention its stalwart employees who are like family to Jane. In MURDER IN THE BOOK LOVER’S LOFT, the story begins with Jane and Edwin taking a much-needed romantic vacation in seaside North Carolina, but their plans go unexpectedly awry when Edwin has a painful encounter with a stingray and when a dead body is discovered in the nearby woods. Returning home a bit earlier than anticipated, they are immediately involved in plans for the resort’s Halloween festivities, from a event with presentations by three authors to a lavish costume ball. One of the authors was a recent guest at the very bungalow Jane and Edwin occupied while in North Carolina, and had left behind some unsettling items. Now it seems he is battling with the other two authors–until, of course, he is found dead. And the plots of his books may hold the key to why he was killed, although finding the murderer will be difficult because there are so many possible suspects. What keeps me reading this series are the intricate plots, the engaging characters, the delightful detail and creativity of Storyton Hall, and the dashes of humor. This ninth book is feeling to me like the last in the series, but I hope I’m wrong. I look forward with pleasure to each Ellery Adams book . (July)
I read THE SEAMSTRESS OF NEW ORLEANS by Diane C. McPhail for a book club. At the turn of the twentieth century, two women from very different backgrounds meet unexpectedly and forge an unlikely bond. Constance, who has two young daughters and has lived all her life in New Orleans, lives comfortably on a trust she has inherited, but she has discovered some unsettling facts about her husband, whom she believes is dead. Alice comes from a less affluent background in Chicago and is now in dire straits financially because she is pregnant and her husband has failed to return from a business trip. An accomplished seamstress, Alice has found room and board at an orphanage in exchange for teaching sewing skills to the girls who live there. And it is there that she meets Constance, who volunteers at the orphanage. Constance has been convinced to attend a ball sponsored by the Mysterieuses, an all-woman Mardi Gras krewe, unusual in those times. She needs a flawless but somewhat restrained gown as one of the attendants to the krewe’s four historical queens, which includes a headpiece that will protect her identity, and she decides Alice is just the person to help her. As Alice moves in with Constance, her daughters, and their long-term nanny, both women try to come to terms with their new lives without their husbands and their burgeoning relationship. There are desperate moments, including a grave illness and some threats from the Black Hand, a gangster organization in New Orleans. But there are also fascinating details about the creation of a unique gown and an emphasis on the development of both female protagonists. It is a mostly quiet story, told in a style appropriate for the time period, and I enjoyed it. My only quibble is that I would have liked more details about the Mardi Gras ball. And the “mystery” seemed clear to me by the third chapter.
In Kate Carlisle’s 10th Fixer-Upper Mystery, DRESSED TO DRILL, building contractor Shannon Hammer’s latest project is a particularly fascinating one. A former Victorian church is being turned into an art museum, and there’s a lot for Shannon and her crew to do. And although she is renowned among her friends for finding dead bodies, she isn’t expecting to discover one in the church’s chapel. Lighthouse Cove police chief Eric, fiancé of Shannon’s sister Chloe, a popular TV home improvement show host and producer, quickly launches an investigation, and several people with ties to the church appear to be persons of interest. I really enjoy the details of Shannon’s renovation work and admire her as a hard-working, grounded, compassionate person who excels at getting people to open up to her. She also has a mature, committed relationship with her appealing beau Mac, a writer of mystery novels. Details about the old church and what Shannon finds as she packs up the former minister’s personal items are intriguing. and the reveal at the end is both unexpected and satisfying. The last chapter is especially heart-warming. I will definitely continue reading both of the author’s current series–the other one is the even-longer-running Bibliophile Mysteries.
A “mature, committed relationship”. That’s what often keeps me returning to a series, Margie. You’re right.
I never did get into Ellery Adams’ Storyton series, however I love her writing.
Three good books this week. That makes for a good week, in my opinion.
Sorry about your weather.
Margie – I liked your review of THE SEAMSTRESS OF NEW ORLEANS & I just downloaded on the Libby app. Thanks
I don’t have my ARC of this new Mrs. Claus book quite yet, but I’m looking forward to it. They are such fun, and something very different from what I usually read.
Speaking of what I’m usually reading, I’m working on another Diane Vallere mystery – this time TOUGH LUXE in her Samantha Kidd series. In this one, a pretzel heiress who was convicted of killing her husband 17 years ago has asked for Samantha’s help to clear her name. I haven’t made it very far today (distracted myself from reading this evening), but I’m enjoying it so far. (And yes, if you know the series, you know how much Samantha loves pretzels and other junk food.)
Our temps are warming up here in So Cal, too. Should be upper 70s tomorrow on the way to 90s Saturday. Looking forward to it, although glad my wave in my mud run Saturday is in the morning. As much as I love warmer weather, running in it isn’t fun.
Mark! You were mentioned in the acknowledgements of the Mrs. Claus book. It’s always fun to see a name I recognize in the author’s notes. Congratulations!
I like upper 70s to low 80s, but 90s are a little warm even for me.
Wow! How cool. Now, I’m really looking forward to getting my copy. (I usually get physical ARCs from that publisher.
I just finished Gabrielle Zevin’s TOMORROW AND TOMORROW AND TOMORROW, and I loved it. I was very wary as I was getting into it, in part because it had been so highly praised (always a mixed blessing) and in part because all the main characters play and create computer games when all I play is Wordle! But it is an outstanding novel, with characters I will never forget and a storyline I couldn’t resist. And I learned so much about a whole new world of gaming.
I’m like you, Kim. If a novel is praised too much, I’m a little leery. I’ve been burned by books others loved, and I never understood what they saw in them.
I’m glad you loved Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.
I am so glad you loved it! I was leery for the same reason and really taken in by the way the author showed games as sites of storytelling and meaning-making.
Kim, My husband and I play Wordle every day. But we also play Waffle daily. You might want to try it. It is also a quick and fun little game. The site is wafflegame.net
Kim, I have the Gabrielle Zevin book, but I haven’t gotten to it yet. Yes, I’m leery of such highly praised books, too, but I know from reading Zevin way back what an outstanding author she is. Her book Elsewhere from 2005 is one of my all-time favorite books. It’s a young adult book that definitely transcends that category.
Good morning. It’s finally been warming up in NJ too. We’re supposed to have a couple of days in the 80s and then it’ll go back to highs in the 70s. We’ve planted most of our garden although I need to pick up some more potting soil and material to build another arbor.
Like Margie, I read DRESSED TO DRILL by Kate Carlisle and really enjoyed it.
I also read an ARC of Barbara Ross’ next Clambake mystery HIDDEN BENEATH. A woman Julia’s mom was friends with during high school is declared legally dead after she’s been missing for 5 years and even though they haven’t seen each other in over 30 years, Julia’s mom is names as the person to handle the estate. So of course Julia winds up investigating. I felt the story was a bit of a stretch but I do like that the author has finally had several of the characters move on with their lives.
DIGGING UP DAISY by Sherry Lynn. A landscaper digs up the shoe that was missing from a murder scene in her aunt’s garden.
Isn’t it strange how we get caught up in the lives of characters in cozy mysteries, Sandy? Like you, I often want characters to move on. I know people love Joanna Fluke, but I gave up on the series because Hannah could never make up her mind. I understand her relationships changed later in the series, but by then I no longer cared.
Thanks for heads up of the new Mrs. Claus book, Lesa. They are one of my favorite series.
The weather has been beautiful the past few days in Ohio. We opened up our fountain and got the courtyard ready for summer.
Only one book this week for me. I finished The Paris Showroom by Juliet Blackwell. Another WWII book but this one focused on prisoners encamped at a store where they cleaned and refurbished items taken from the Jews for the Germans occupying Paris with their mistresses. I had no idea. I’ve only read about the concentration camps. It was very good.
We watched all of Queen Charlotte on Netflix which also cut into my reading time. We enjoyed that as well.
Good luck finding an apartment. Like everywhere else, the Columbus area has many new complexes to choose from.
Happy Reading!
Oh, you’ll enjoy this latest Mrs. Claus mystery, Sharon.
Sure, the weather gets beautiful in Ohio the week AFTER I’m there. I found two apartments I liked. I applied for one, and I’m going to put in an application for the other. But, the paperwork!
I need to read The Paris Showroom sometime. Like you, I had no idea.
Good morning. We’re a little cooler in our part of NYC than Sandy is in New Jersey (we’re on the water and get the sea breeze), but it is beautiful in the 70s, with 80s possible today and (especially) tomorrow. So much nicer than the weather we were having a couple of weeks ago.
On to books, then. Jackie is reading the latest J.R. Ward, FOREVER. She said it was very nasty but it has improved now. She has another Ward book on hold, that should be out next month, I think.
I did finish the book I mentioned last week, A BILLION WAYS TO DIE by Chris Knopf, the final Arthur Cathcart book. I liked it, but the first in the series was the best.
Next was STANDING IN THE SHADOWS, the final Peter Robinson book (I believe) about Supt. Alan Banks, and I am sad to see him go. This one goes back and forth between 1980 and 2019, when a skeleton is found buried on some waste ground. The older parts are narrated by Nick Hartley, a college student then (and journalist now), whose ex-girlfriend is found murdered. Could this be the Yorkshire Ripper? And if not, did Nick do it? The modern part is the modern investigation, and I have to say I found this part a lot more interesting. Also, Robinson made a whopper of a error that it is possible he might not have had a chance to correct before he died, but I cannot believe any editor would not have caught up. The Beatles album was “Abbey Road” and not “Abbey Lane.” Shame on whoever edited this book. That said, I liked it so much better than his recent trafficking story lines. I do have one last non series book by Robinson yet unread.
Next I finally finished Bill Pronzini’s collection, HIGH CONCEPTS: Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories. It was a fun collection. About a third of the stories were written with frequent collaborator Barry Malzberg.
John Scalzi has now written three Dispatcher books, and I read the first, THE DIsPATCHER. At some time (in what seems the near future), people who are murdered or otherwise killed (no suicides or natural causes here) suddenly disappear and are found alive in their beds at home. An industry quickly grows up of Dispatchers, so if (for example) a hospital is doing risky surgery, they have one on hand, so the person can be dispatched and gets another chance at life, and an operation. There is a small chance a “dispatched” person will stay dead, but in more than 99% of cases, they return 6 to 24 hours earlier. These are short (100 pages or so) and fast moving books and I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to. I have the other two books on my Kindle as well.
Current reading: Oliver Darkshire, ONCE UPON A TOME: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller. How could I resist that title, especially when it is set near Piccadilly in London. Just started this.
EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE by Benjamin Stevenson. Again, I could not pass up that title, especially since the reviews have been good. Just starting the first chapter.
Jphn Lutz, SHADOWS EVERYWHERE. Another collection of mystery shorts.
Edward P. Jones, LOST IN THE CITY. Award winning collection of stories (not mysteries), set in Washington, D.C.
Have a good week, everyone.
Jeff, thanks for mentioning THE DISPATCHER by Scalzi. I have that book on my Kindle but had forgotten it entirely; I will have to read it soon.
John Scalzi. How that man comes up with ideas is beyond me. He has a new book due out mid-Septermber, Jeff. It’s called Starter Villain. I can’t wait to read it.
Inheriting your uncle’s supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who’s running the place.
Charlie’s life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan.
Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie.
But becoming a supervillain isn’t all giant laser death rays and lava pits. Jake had enemies, and now they’re coming after Charlie. His uncle might have been a standup, old-fashioned kind of villain, but these are the real thing: rich, soulless predators backed by multinational corporations and venture capital.
It’s up to Charlie to win the war his uncle started against a league of supervillains. But with unionized dolphins, hyper-intelligent talking spy cats, and a terrifying henchperson at his side, going bad is starting to look pretty good.
In a dog-eat-dog world… be a cat.
______________
I think you’re going to enjoy Once Upon a Tome.
Ah, time! For me, one of the joys of not working is finally having ample time to read.
And I read a variety of this week including a short story by Gigi Pandian in The Secret Stair mystery series – THE CHRISTMAS CAPER. Along with a collection of short stories: GOLDEN AGE LOCKED ROOM MYSTERIES A wonderful group of fourteen puzzling and clever tales from 1930-49 presented by Otto Penzler. (2022)
A couple other highlights were SALVAGE THIS WORLD Michael Farris Smith (2023) “In the hurricane-ravaged bottomlands of South Mississippi, where stores are closing and jobs are few, a fierce zealot has gained a foothold, capitalizing on the vulnerability of a dwindling population and a burning need for hope. As she preaches and promises salvation from the light of the pulpit, in the shadows she sows the seeds of violence.” Quite the story!
I heard mention by a reviewer that they don’t follow the Stella Prize awards because they don’t read many Australian books. Got my curiosity up! THE ERRATICS was originally published in 2018 by small press Finch Publishing, but my library happened to have a reprint copy. The book won the $50,000 Stella Prize (2019) for writing by Australian women.
“A gripping memoir, Vicki Laveau-Harvie’s The Erratics mines the psychological damage wrought on a nuclear family by a monstrous personality, set against the bitter cold of a Canadian winter.”
I had the afternoon off yesterday, MM. It was gorgeous weather. I had the place opened up, and enjoyed a book with no pressure. I’m looking forward to time when I retire and settle in.
I have read The Erratics, but I’ve enjoyed a number of the Australian books I’ve read.
Thank you for the recommendation last week for The Christmas Caper! I enjoyed it.
I know someone here recommended Gigi Pandian’s The Christmas Caper. I haven’t read it yet, Trish, but I will!
I meant MM, sorry!
Good morning, Lesa! I’ve now been retired (from real world work) for 25 years and I must say, it has been amazing. We’ve traveled, taken up new hobbies (including my own writing efforts), and relaxed. (The relaxing is the best part!) I just started reading a new novel, The Donut Legion by Joe R. Lansdale. I loved the beginning so have high hopes for a great read.
I’m looking forward to retirement, and time, Patricia. Thank you.
I hope you continue to enjoy The Donut Legion.
I am a little all over the place in my reading this week, but it is good. I joined a read-along for Time’s Convert by Deborah Harkness, which I had already read, but ended up rereading the whole thing ahead of schedule. I went on a tour of historic houses in my town last week, which included a simple colonial house that reminded me of one in the book, which was fun. I also read a fantasy novel, Children of Blood and Bone. It was great but pretty heavy so I didn’t rush right into the second one.
A book club at our library is reading Isabel Allende’s A Long Petal of the Sea, which I decided to tackle in Spanish. I am doing all right but have to go slowly, which is a big change for me. Her writing is so beautiful and evocative it carries me through my sadness and outrage about the Spanish Civil War.
And lastly I am listening to Des Linden’s memoir, Choosing to Run, while I am running. For all the nonrunners, she won the Boston marathon in 2018. I love memoirs and running so this is a delight.
Trisha, I admire people who can read in more than one language. And, to choose to do it for a book club selection!
Thank you for telling those of us who are nonrunners that Des Linden won the Boston marathon. I didn’t know.
The tour of historic houses sounds interesting. I like that it went hand-in-hand with your book.
Happy Thursday at Lesa’s, everyone!
I read three good books this past week.
My fave was Deliver Me from Nowhere by Warren Zanes referred to by one reviewer as a biography of an album.
“The fascinating story behind the making of Bruce Springsteen’s most surprising album, Nebraska, revealing its pivotal role in Springsteen’s career
Without Nebraska, Bruce Springsteen might not be who he is today. The natural follow-up to Springsteen’s hugely successful album The River should have been the hit-packed Born in the U.S.A. But instead, in 1982, he came out with an album consisting of a series of dark songs he had recorded by himself, for himself. But more than forty years later, Nebraska is arguably Springsteen’s most important record—the lasting clue to understanding not just his career as an artist and the vision behind it, but also the man himself.
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Nebraska is rough and unfinished, recorded on cassette tape with a simple four-track recorder by Springsteen, alone in his bedroom, just as the digital future was announcing itself. And yet Springsteen now considers it his best album. Nebraska expressed a turmoil that was reflective of the mood of the country, but it was also a symptom of trouble in the artist’s life, the beginnings of a mental breakdown that Springsteen would only talk about openly decades after the album’s release.
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Warren Zanes spoke to many people involved with making Nebraska, including Bruce Springsteen himself. He also interviewed more than a dozen celebrated artists and musical insiders, from Rosanne Cash to Steven Van Zandt, about their reactions to the album. Zanes interweaves these conversations with inquiries into the myriad cultural touchpoints, including Terrence Malick’s Badlands and the short stories of Flannery O’Conner, that influenced Springsteen as he was writing the album’s haunting songs. The result is a textured and revelatory account of not only a crucial moment in the career of an icon but also a record that upended all expectations and predicted a home-recording revolution.”
Any Springsteen fan should grab this book.
Sometimes his ability to entertain tends to over shadow his songwriting. The songs he writes are reflective of American history and society.
Oh, a good week, Kaye, if you read three good books. And, there was a wedding anniversary in there as well, and a box of books on its way. A good week!
Life is good
I finished one book last week: SLOUGH HOUSE by Mick Herron. This was the seventh book in the series and I read the sixth book in September 2019, so nearly four years ago. I was glad to get back to the story of the agents that had been relegated to Slough House status. The records of the people working there have been wiped from the MI-5 data base, but they are still getting paid. The story seems to be quieter than usual and move more slowly, but as usual was very entertaining. I will move on to the next in the series, BAD ACTORS, very soon.
Now I am reading THE OPTIMIST’S DAUGHTER by Eudora Welty. I am about 2/3 of the way through it, the book is under 200 pages, and I still haven’t decided what I think about it. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1973.
I’ve wondered if I would enjoy Mick Herron’s Slough House books, Tracy. I’ll have to try the first one and see.
You could also try one of the short story collections and see what you think. I’ve liked two of the books and was lukewarm about a third, plus I read the short stories, of course.
Thanks, Jeff. We’ll see.
Good afternoon everyone,
The Great Rain seems finally to have stopped, after day upon day of fog, downpours and general yukiness. (The weather has warmed up, so the rain also brings out all the midges, some of Scotland’s less appealing wildlife.)
I finished RAZORBLADE TEARS by SA Cosby and thought it was fantastic. It raised so many issues without feeling in the least like an issue-laden book, if that makes any sense. I loved the way all of the characters were so nuanced; no one was perfect, and only one or two were 100% bad, though their actions were certainly terrible.
The only slight quibble I had with the book was that I felt the storylines were tied up quite abruptly at the end, as though the author had run out of word count. But it was still very good.
Now I have just started a book sent to me for review: WHAT DOESN’T KILL US by Ajay Close. It’s the end of the 1980s and a serial killer is murdering women on the streets of Leeds (Yorkshire), but a militant feminist collective is fighting back. PC Liz Seeley is part of the squad investigating the murders. When the collective turns to violent methods of fighting what its members see as a wider misogyny, Seeley must decide whether to prioritise her duty as a police officer or her loyalty to the collective.
I’ve not read any Ajay Close before, though I have heard of her novel A PETROL SCENTED SPRING. This one sounds promising.
We have reached the penultimate episode of the second series of HAPPY VALLEY – and my husband has decided he has to work every evening this week, so I am left in limbo till the weekend. This is not good! The story and the acting in series two are every bit as good as in series one, and the introduction of the gloriously weird Shirley Henderson adds an extra layer of tension and fear. Great stuff, though I need to watch something like Queer Eye or Benidorm after every episode.
I’m also still working my way through FORTUNES OF WAR, which is just excellent. As the Nazis get ever closer to Romania, Harriet leaves Bucharest for Athens, where she eventually meets up with Prince Yakimov and various other friends. She starts to work for the British Information Office, and meets the handsome young officer, Charles Warden (Jeremy Brudenell, whose bone structure really is quite stunning!) I am enjoying the scenes of pre-war/wartime Europe almost as much as the story.
On the radio I listened to Tracey Ullman’s DESERT ISLAND DISCS. I remember seeing Ullman on television here in the 1980s, but she then emigrated to the US and was rarely seen in the UK. She moved back after the death of her husband, and says working here again has helped her cope with the grief of widowhood. And she has also, of course, starred in the excellent American series MRS AMERICA, in which she played Betty Freidan – a role which she said she had to fight to get.
A blogger I know, Jacqui Wine, today posted a great piece about tea shops in novels. She highlighted five examples:
Jane Gardam’s A LONG WAY FROM VERONA
Penelope Fitzgerald’s AT FREDDIE’S
Philip Larkin’s JILL
Mary Essex’s TEA IS SO INTOXICATING
Barbara Pym’s QUARTET IN AUTUMN.
Of course I then almost made myself late for meeting Nancy by thinking of lots more candidates for this list – eg Pym’s AN UNSUITABLE ATTACHMENT (the English tea rooms at the foot of the Spanish Steps in Rome), Green’s BRIGHTON ROCK (the café on the pier), and Elspeth Barker’s O CALEDONIA (Fuller’s tea room in Aberdeen.) I’m sure there are many more.
So Nancy and I did indeed meet up, and had a little outing to Alford, a farming village west of Aberdeen. The area is quite different from Deeside, much more traditional, with less money (at least on show) and a very old fashioned centre – not a twee one, simply an agricultural community’s place to shop – a hardware store, a butcher, a baker (no candlestick maker as far as I am aware…), a couple of simple cafes, pubs, a really wonderful sewing/fabric shop (Nancy sews, not me) and now also two excellent charity shops – so of course we had to investigate those. I’m amazed to say I managed to limit myself to two books and Nancy resisted yet another pair of china dishes.
And yesterday another friend and I had a great walk, starting at the beachfront in Aberdeen, walking up to the end of the path, then following the Don inland till we arrived at the 13th century Brig o Balgownie, then through Seaton Park into Old Aberdeen. We stopped off to look round St Machar’s Cathedral with its fascinating graveyard; it is said that a quarter of the body of William Wallace is buried in the cathedral walls.
We then walked through the cobbled streets of the old university area to the much more modern Duncan Rice Library, where we had a coffee before walking back to the beach. I really enjoy an urban walk every so often, there is so much to see. Karen was at university in Aberdeen many years ago, so she was able to tell me more about King’s College and the surrounding area.
Last weekend I avoided all the Coronation hype by attending a tour of the art gallery. A different curator runs a tour every second Saturday, and our guide was particularly interested in maritime art, so he told us a lot about that (I had no idea that fishing trawlers and their crews had been requisitioned to carry out mine sweeping – many fishermen lost their lives as a result), and also about the history of the gallery. It was great and I would certainly go again, as each tour varies with the curator’s interests.
In the afternoon I went to the Print Room of Peacock Printmakers, where the manager David McCracken gave a brilliant talk about printmaking and the history of Peacock, which was founded in Aberdeen almost 50 years ago and is dedicated to providing open access studios so that anyone can drop in and have a go. Some very well known artists have worked with them, but they are equally as open to people with no previous experience.
The first cruise ship to dock for many years arrived in Aberdeen last week. The city is hoping that this will now be a regular occurrence. Of course the usual moaners are saying there is ‘nothing to see’ in the city, but they are of course talking nonsense, there is lots if you look for it, and the council has recruited a group of enthusiastic volunteer guides to tell the visitors all about it.
Tonight we are going to see Talisk at The Barn in Banchory. I have no idea what this will be like – they are a much acclaimed Scottish folk band, but that’s about all I know (yet…)
Have a great week everyone. We have a very busy summer coming up, so I am hoping for a couple of weeks of relative peace and quiet. Don’t want to jinx that though!
Rosemary
I want to second your opinion of “the gloriously weird Shirley Henderson”! Yes, it’s true whether in Happy Valley or the Harry Potter movies (the perfect Moaning Myrtle) or in anything else. There is always something off center about her performance.
Rosemary, I came late to Happy Valley, too. I just recently watched seasons one and two, and I can’t wait for season three. Coming late to it does have the advantage of not having to wait years for the next season. Oh, and I love Tracey Ullman. I’ll have to watch Mrs. America. One of my favorite skits from Tracey’s show is when the tables are turned on a man who gets attacked, and he’s treated like way too many women are. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51-hepLP8J4
Oh, no, Rosemary! You don’t want to jinx your hope for some peace and quiet. You need time to traipse across the countryside, and share your discoveries with all of us – charity shops, tea and coffee shops, art exhibits. Or do all of those fall under your term “busy summer”?
I think it’s funny you went down a rabbit hole thinking of tea shops in novels after reading a blog post.
I’m sorry your husband left you hanging with Happy Valley. He has nerve to leave you hanging!
I’m glad you liked Razorblade Tears. It’s hard to tell someone why that book is so good without spoiling it.
Things are finally heating up a little, but it’s possible that summer still hasn’t come.
This week I read:
Homebodies and Black Maria by Charles Addams; The Addams Family is popular again, but hardly anyone reads the source material anymore.
Carnacki: The Lost Cases by Sam Gafford; More paranormal detection. This collection isn’t great, as the author think they have to completely break formula, and lose everything that made the series appealing.
Classic Monsters Unleashed by James Aquilone; The least scary horror book I’ve read in a while.
A Murder on the Appian Way by Steven Saylor; Ancient Rome mystery. When Clodius is murdered on the Appian Way, Gordianus has to find out whodunnit, but more importantly, prove Milo didn’t do it. John Maddox Roberts does this one better, I think.
Werewolf By Night Volume 2; Jack Russell travels around and his lycanthropic condition gets him into trouble. Beginning of the end of the series. When you have control of the werewolf, it isn’t horror any more.
The Choking Doberman by Jan Harold Brunvand; Urban Legends are more or less part of the atmosphere now, but this book was one of the ones that brought the term into prominence. I read one of the stories recently, as a true story. These things just never die.
You’re right, Glen. Urban legends never die. I can’t believe you read one of the stories as a true story. Of course, nowadays, some of the most horrible stories are true.
I always wondered about Steven Saylor and John Maddox Roberts. As someone with little interest in mysteries set in Ancient Rome, the books always appeared quite similar.
Lesa,
The story I read as true is the one about how a family went to Las Vegas, and there was a stench in their hotel room, and they looked and looked and discovered a dead body under the bed. This story goes back to the 1950’s at least.
While the two series are set in the same time, and even feature many of the same players, Saylor and Roberts are very different series. Saylor is more hard boiled, and Roberts is a lot funnier.
Thank you, Glen, for answering both questions.
Finished AN AMERICAN IN SCOTLAND by Lucy Connelly and very much enjoyed. Still have to write the review. I think I want to live there.
Current read is SALVATIONN IN DEATH by J. D. Robb.
An isolated island, and quite a bit cooler than Dallas. I can see why you might want to live there, Kevin. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
On to J.D. Robb!
It just seemed like a great place to live.
I think so, too, Kevin.
I loved reading through everyone’s comments and learning what you’ve read and are reading, and hearing about your lives. Lesa, I’ll give you one guess for what tomorrow’s weather is supposed to be. I’m beginning to think that there’s some time warp in which every Friday is stuck in a recurring pattern of weather. Good luck with the apartment hunting and all the preparation you’re doing for your move. I’ll be glad you get a much deserved rest.
My reading has been slow this week. I’ve had some life stuff going on, good stuff, like going to my granddaughter’s choral concert. I love seeing the young people perform. They’re engaged in something positive and good for them, and music is always a great activity. Her piano recital is later this month. I’ve been working on some reviews and an interview questionnaire, and while I’ve gotten my review posted for Annette Dashofy’s outstanding Helpless, #12 in the Zoe Chambers series, I need to finish up two more. I’m jut now sorting out my review for Martin Edwards’ Blackstone Fell, the third Rachel Savernake book. The fourth Rachel Savernake comes out today, Sepulchre Street. Martin’s latest British Library Crime Classic anthology, Crimes of Cymru, also comes out today.
I will count finished, as I only have a couple of chapters to go this afternoon, my reading of my first Patricia Wentworth Miss Silver book, Case Closed. I have really enjoyed it and will be reading more in this classic series. I was warned off reading the first Miss Silver book, told it was not very good, and the rest of the series was wonderful. My only question about Case Closed is why it takes so long for Miss Silver to even appear in the book. I was pleased and a bit surprised that Wentworth’s writing was so excellent, with its tangled plots and apt description and well-developed characters. Written in the mystery/crime Golden Age period, these elements seemed more detailed than I thought Golden Age was. I’m so glad I’ve finally given Patricia Wentworth a go.
I agree with you, Kathy. Fridays are sort of a Groundhog Day repeat, aren’t they? I liked your summary, “every Friday is stuck in a recurring pattern of weather”. So true.
I’ve been doing so much reading for Library Journal’s Day of Dialog, and now LJ itself, that I’m behind in reading for the blog. May 20 to the 24th is ready to go, but I have nothing to post before the 20th. Oh, well. Something will happen, I’m sure.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the performances by your granddaughter. You’ll never regret it.