It’s Thursday! Nice warm weather here. I get to talk to all of you about what you’ve been reading and doing. And, on the first Thursday of the month, I talk about forthcoming books with other librarians and publishers’ reps. We do that on Twitter, and I love it. The book summaries are fast and furious, and it’s so much fun.
Speaking of fun, I had a great conversation with Aubrey Hamilton the other evening. We both admitted that we’re having a hard time getting into our next book. So, I’m going to mention Marie Bostwick’s Esme Cahill Fails Spectacularly. I just picked it up at the library, but if it doesn’t hold my attention, I’ll move on. I’ve liked Bostwick’s novels in the past, and I enjoy her inclusion of quilts in the books.
Esme Cahill thinks she has failed spectacularly: fired from her New York City publishing job, divorced from her husband, and possessing little more than a broken-down car and a pile of unfinished manuscripts, she drives home to Asheville at the request of her late grandmother, Adele, who had begged her, just before she died, to return to the place she grew up. There she discovers the once-charming lakeside retreat run by her family is sliding toward financial ruin, so with the help of her grandfather, George; estranged mother, Robyn; and a travelling chef Dawes (maker of the world’s best grilled cheese sandwich) they set to work. In the attic, Esme unearths a trove of museum-worthy art quilts, sewn by Adele. Piecing together the inspiration behind them, Esme discovers a forgotten chapter in her family history and her grandmother’s untold story, that of a gifted artist who never received her due.
This is an always-emotional, sometimes humorous, very human novel of what it means to be family—the ties that bind us together and the unintentional hurts that can rend us apart. And, along the way, Esme learns that failure can be the first step toward the life you’re meant to find.
So, we’ll see. It’s what I’m reading at the moment, but I don’t know if it will keep my attention. What about you? What are you reading this week?
I’m looking forward to finding out what you think after you finish the Marie Bostwick book. I just heard about it and put it on my list because I liked her last book. This week I got through five books.
In Emily Henry’s fourth standalone novel, HAPPY PLACE, Harriet and Wyn have broken off their engagement after many years together since their college days. Although they still have love for each other, they can’t seem to find a way to make their relationship work. Harriet is a surgical resident who was raised in a quiet household with parents who love her, but she can’t help feeling they didn’t get to live their own dreams because of the sacrifices they made for her. Wyn has a degree in business but has trouble finding a decent-paying job. His parents are outgoing and loving, but he feels that compared to his older sisters, he has been a disappointment to them. Then, his father’s sudden death changes his life. His mother is also ill, so Wyn leaves San Francisco, where he lived with Harriet, to stay with his mother in Montana. Several months later, the couple’s friends summon them to one last summer in their “happy place” in Maine, not knowing that Harriet and Wyn are no longer together. Will they all make it through the week, and is Maine really the happy place for all all six of them? Once again, the author has crafted an engrossing, emotional story whose characters, both the protagonists and their friends, will stick with you after the book ends.
Dystopian novels aren’t really my thing, but because I loved TJ Klune’s Under the Whispering Door and (especially) The House in the Cerulean Sea, I wanted to give IN THE LIVES OF PUPPETS a try. What I was delighted to find were Klune’s signature amazing imagination, beautiful writing style, and affecting themes of love, forgiveness, and inclusivity. This is a science fiction book, rather than a fantasy like the previous two, so I didn’t feel as much connection to the characters, with a couple of exceptions. Nurse Ratched, my favorite character, is an android whose purpose is to heal (and also drill when she doesn’t like someone). She hilariously alternates between between sociopathic behavior and a fleeting empathetic and compassionate demeanor. I also fell in love with Rambo, a little vacuum cleaner who loves being part of a family unit and always tries to be brave. The plot involves an android inventor named Gio who has lived a dramatically different life in the past, his adopted son, Victor, who has been with him since infancy, the two aforementioned androids, and another android they restore after finding him at a junk yard. The latter half of the book involves a quest to find Gio after he is kidnapped and to find out what it truly means to be human (Victor is the only human in the cast). I admire this book immensely, but Klune’s fantasy/magical realism books are more to my taste. Sci-fi fans of Klune’s should be thrilled by In the Lives of Puppets.
All of Phaedra Patrick’s five novels are quiet stories, which doesn’t mean they are not compelling. THE LITTLE ITALIAN HOTEL is a case in point. The characters are mostly ordinary people who are dealing with despair or who have somehow been prevented from fulfilling their dreams. Family drama, medical issues, personal loss, sacrifice–all are common themes. Watching the characters try to reinvigorate their lives is what I particularly enjoy. In this book, Ginny’s life as a wife, mother, and radio advice expert is upended when her husband won’t accompany her on her secretly planned 3-week trip to Bologna, Italy to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. In fact, Adrian isn’t sure he still wants to be married. Because it’s too late to cancel, Ginny arranges with the travel agent to move their reservation to a more inexpensive hotel and add four strangers, those who have answered her call on the radio for others suffering heartbreak, to accompany her to Italy. What follows is the formation of a sort of family, as the travelers reveal their problems with varying levels of reluctance. I initially felt that the first part of the book was a bit slow and written in a very straightforward manner, but I changed my opinion in the latter chapters, when the plot was not as predictable as I had expected. I came to love all of the characters and reveled in each’s individual quest, aided by their new friends. I look forward to each new life-affirming Phaedra Patrick book–I’ve enjoyed all five to date. (June)
The latest novel from Viola Shipman (aka Wade Rouse), FAMOUS IN A SMALL TOWN, is once again a paean to the beauty and culture of Michigan. It is also an exploration (with a feminist bent) of how we all need to make sure we are pursuing the lives we want, rather than those others tell us we should want. In the center of the story are two women–one 80, one 40–who are not related but who will find each other almost accidentally (although they would say it had been foretold), for the benefit of both. “Cherry Mary” is renowned in her small town for being the first woman to enter, then win, the annual Cherry Pit Spittin’ Competition, setting a record that has never been equaled. Mary has now lived her whole life in the same area and is the owner and proprietor of the Very Cherry General Store. On the 65th anniversary of the win that has made her a town icon, Mary has been encouraged to participate in the Cherry Festival once more. In town for a girls’ trip, Becky and her best friend, Q, had planned to spend most of their time at the beach. Both are from St. Louis–Becky is a grade school administrator and Q is the leader of a theatrical company. Becky has just broken up with her long-term, clueless boyfriend and taken a leave from her school, trying to figure out what’s next in her life. Her parents have always encouraged her to take the path of least resistance, rather than to adopt a more interesting (and less safe) path as her grandparents had done. When Mary sees Becky casually spit a cherry pit even farther than she had, she wonders whether this is the person who can carry on with her store and her community when she retires. I found the story interesting, although I would have preferred less repetitive ruminating and philosophizing on the part of both women. It was late in the book when things really started to happen, and I became enamored of the two protagonists, as well as the supporting characters of Q, Mary’s grandson Oliver, local builder Taffy (a man), and Mary’s childhood friends Francine and Virgie. I also like the theme: take time to let life take you where it goes. My favorites by this author are The Heirloom Garden and The Summer Cottage. (June)
Thank you, Lesa, for recommending AN AMERICAN IN SCOTLAND by Lucy Connelly, the first in her Scottish Isle Mystery series. A cozy mystery needs an especially interesting and appealing protagonist to stand out, and Dr. Emilia is definitely that. She’s burned out from her ER career in Seattle and reeling from trauma in her personal life, so she answers the call for a small-town general practitioner in Scotland. The culture, the landscape, and the weather are very different from what Dr. Em is accustomed to. Fortunately, she has the support of her landlord, Ewan–also the town constable–and the mostly friendly locals. So when a curmudgeonly man is found dead, both Em and her new friends get involved in the investigation. The trouble is, there are so many people who would have benefited from his death that it is difficult to narrow down the suspects. Yes, Em has a tinge of TSTL (Too Stupid to Live) by putting herself in some dangerous situations and withholding information from the police, but it didn’t bother me as much as it normally would because I found her so relatable. I also loved the little band of female friends who assemble to support her, in particular Abigail, her plucky housekeeper/medical assistant, who never ceases to amaze me with her talents. I particularly appreciate the fact that nothing about Dr. Em’s new job is as expected. Her office and lab are well equipped, and both her office and her apartment are in a renovated church. The townspeople are so happy to have her that they (and her landlord/protector) go out of their way to make things easy and affordable for her. There is a small nod to a potential romantic relationship (or two), but nothing comes to fruition in this book. I’m looking forward to the follow-up, due out in January 2024.
I’m looking forward to the follow-up to An American in Scotland, too, Margie. Such a good book.
At least I recognized all your books this week. I haven’t read any other than An American in Scotland, but I’ve read Henry’s other books, have that one, and I have the other books on order for the library. I have family and friends who are big Viola Shipman fans.
Margie I am so glad you talked about IN THE LIVES OF PUPPETS. I do like dystopian fiction but I am not familiar with TJ Klune. I will definitely put this on my list to read.
Margie, I generally enjoy Viola Shipman novels, but I just gave up on this latest one, put it down unfinished and moved on. I guess i never reached the point in the book when things began to happen. Perhaps I’ll try again.
It has been so cold here! If it has hit 70, I haven’t seen it. Fortunately, it’s supposed to start warming up some, hitting the 80’s this weekend. Then it’s going to cool back down again, but I’ll take it while I can.
On the reading front, I finished Murder on Madison Square by Victoria Thompson at lunch time on Wednesday. Not one of her stronger Gaslight Mysteries since I saw something coming early on that her characters didn’t pick up on until the end. Still, I enjoyed visiting with the characters. Only one more book until I’m up to date!
I’m just about 10% into my eARC of Muddled Matrimonial Murder by Kim Davis. This is in her Cupcake Caterer Mysteries series. The main character’s best friend is getting married, but we’ve just stumbled over a dead body at the wedding venue. I’m curious to see where it is going to go.
And, we’re having 80s and 90s, Mark. I don’t think there’s any middle ground. Hot or cold.
You’re right. Sometimes it’s just good to catch up with favorite characters even though the book might not be terrific.
I’m not familiar with that series by Kim Davis.
I completed a few books this week. A CAST OF FALCONS is the second book in the Nell Ward mystery series (ebook only) by British-born ecologist and author, Sarah Yarwood-Lovett. The victims begin dropping like flies, at least one of them murdered, in the library, with a dagger. Then someone shoves Nell into the roaring Nye River. A fun mystery, full of clues and red herrings.
And book three, A MISCHIEF OF RATS, once again finds our heroine, Dr. Nell Ward aka Lady Eleanor Ward-Beaumont, in the midst of a disaster.
She’s helping to survey a restoration site and discovers a car submerged in what was a pristine pond… and a body in the car. Ends in a cliffhanger with book four expected later this year.
I don’t typically read creepy/thriller books, but for some reason Lisa Unger’s SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX was on my TBR. Although this is her twentieth book, I hadn’t read this author previously. And I almost gave up as she slowly introduced her cast of characters. But the characters are well-written and intriguing. The outcome, while generally predictable, managed quite a few unexpected details.
Happy Reading Everyone!
Thank you, and Happy Reading to you, too, MM!
I do hate cliffhanger endings. I’ve been known to stop reading a series because I don’t want to bother to wait for the next book. It sounds as if you enjoy the Nell Ward series, though.
I haven’t read Lisa Unger, either.
Good morning. The weather here has been pretty nice although we could use some rain. We saw Something Rotten at a local playhouse which was a lot of fun. It’s a musical comedy set during Shakespeare’s time and there were a lot of references to modern musicals.
I only finished one book this week, an ARC of A FATAL GROOVE by Olivia Blacke. It’s the second book in her record shop series. When the town’s mayor turns up dead holding a cup of coffee from their record shop, Juni and her sisters decided to investigate. I liked the story but it always amazes me how these small businesses owners can spend so much time off investigating and not have their business go under.
I’m currently reading MURDER ON MUSTANG BEACH by Alicia Bessette.
I’m right there with you, Sandy. That’s my biggest complaint about cozy mysteries, that the small business owner is never at their business. I complained about that this week with Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust. No wonder that pizza business is in trouble.
I love community and local theater.
For recreation I am reading Real Love by Sharon Salzberg, who is very important spiritual mentor to me. Part of my daily spiritual practice is Metta Meditation which she helped popularize in the US.
Another recreational read is Patti Smith’s A Book of Days, a stunning collection of photographs taken by Patti and others, with Smith’s impeccable prose.
I’m dragging my feet but some time this month I will start Anne Perry’s The Fourth Enemy, published the week of her death.
At least you have thirty days, Wiley, to get to The Fourth Enemy.
I love that we all have different views of recreational reading. Thank you for sharing yours!
I’d not heard of Patti Smith’s Book of Days – just looked it up and it sounds great, so I have added it to my wish list. Thanks for mentioning it.
Good morning, all. It’s interesting. We watch the weather every night on the news. Of course it covers the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut area, and there can be a wide range as far north as the Catskills and south to Atlantic City. But you’d think where we are in B
rooklyn would be close to the official sstation in Central Park, but not always. We’re by the water (across from Staten Island) and get the sea breeze, which does seem to cool us off somewhat, and lately we have been 5 degrees or more cooler than Manhattan. It si supposed to be 89 tomorrow and we might be 80 (which is better). Weird.
But I digress. Some good reading this week. First, Jackie finished LASSITER, the latest in J. R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series, and she seemed to like it a lot. Next she is going to read another Eve Duncan book by the still prolific 85 year old Iris Johansen.
While waiting for the new Linda Castillo to get to the library, I read the latest of her in-between-books novellas, BLOOD MOON. Several Amish people get attacked by a scary animal on a foggy Blood Moon night. Kate Burkholder suggests (jokingly) that it is a chupacabra, while Tomasetti votes for Bigfoot. It’s neither, of course, but there is some good atmosphere in this shorter tale.
In Anthony McCarten’s GOING ZERO, 10 people (half amateurs, half security professionals) are chosen to beta test the new security system pushed by the CIA/FBI and this guy who seems to be a hybrid of Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk (and no, that’s not a good thing). Anyone who can stay off the grid and undetected for 30 days will win $3 million, but if they catch them all, they get a $90 BILLION contract from the government. Yes, it is an intrusion on civil liberties, but in a good cause, right? Or so Elon, I mean Cy Baxter, argues for his FUSION program. Our protagonist, and the underdog hero, is Boston librarian Kaitlyn Day, and as the clock counts down we are more vested in her survival. Exciting thriller.
Lucinda Williams is 70, still at the top of her game as a singer and songwriter (despite a stroke last year that makes it impossible to play the guitar at the moment). Now she has written a memoir, DON’T TELL ANYONE THE SECRETS I TOLD YOU, and I really liked it. But then, I’m a fan and we’ve seen her in concert several times. She’s led a very interesting life, though it is frustrating to read about all the loser men she got involved with along the way. Recommended.
T. J. Newman was a flight attendant for ten years when she was furloughed during the pandemic. She was already working on a book, often writing on cocktail napkins on a plane. The first book provoked a bidding war and a multi-book contract, as well as a forthcoming movie, and her new book (DROWNING) is just out with even better reviews. This one, FALLING, has a great premise. Pilot Bill Hoffman is flying from Los Angeles to New York when he gets a Facetime call – unless he crashes the plane and kills everyone aboard, his wife and children (shown wearing suicide vests) will die! The person makes it clear that the White House or somewhere else in Washington is his target. Bill has no intention of crashing, but he is not going to let his family die either. What would you do? I have her new book on hold.
Also reading Bill Pronzini & Barry Malzberg’s collection of stories, ON ACCOUNT OF DARKNESS.
Weather is never a digression here, Jeff. I find it interesting to read what we’re all experiencing. I just had a conversation with a friend about the humidity for the next week.
I love your comment that no, a combination of Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk is NOT a good thing. Go librarians!
I watched part of T.J. Newman’s event at The Poisoned Pen the other day. It’s on YouTube. I don’t know that I would want to fly after reading her books.
We are in Springfield on our way home from our grandson’s 8th grade graduation. We visited the Lincoln Home yesterday. Today is the Lincoln Museum and the Dana Thomas house which is Frank Lloyd Wright architecture. It is really hot here and just as hot at home. Hoping my flowers aren’t too wilted by the time we get back tomorrow.
Three books this week. The Promise of Summer by Bella Osborn. A diverting but not memorable read.
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto was great fun. I laughed at busybody Vera’s attempt to crack the case as to who murdered the man found on the floor of her tearoom while finding a new family along the way.
Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal. This got lots of raves on Instagram. I enjoyed it but didn’t love it.
I am curious how you felt about Summer Reading that was your book last Thursday, Lesa.
Happy Reading!
I never got into Summer Reading, Sharon, and, since there were people on the waiting list at the library, I took it back. I’ll try again some other time.
Oh, I have Vera Wong someplace or another. Good to know you liked it!
I hope your flowers are still living when you get home!
I’m having trouble getting interested in any fiction these days, so I read Laura Lippman’s long essay on Scribd titled The Summer of Fall. Two — two! — therapists “beseeched” (her word) Laura not to turn the collapse of her marriage into a narrative for the world to read, but she did it anyway. Professional hazard for a writer, as she says — everything is material. The essay is actually less of a description of a breakup that she didn’t see coming than an account of a difficult year overall, complicated by a serious shoulder injury from a fall in the N.Y. subway, her mother’s illness, and her sister’s illness. Throughout it all, she kept telling herself that she’s a lucky person. Laura, as anyone who has met her knows, is an outgoing, always friendly and upbeat person, but the tone here is sad, and I’m still not sure why it was written. The most startling revelation is Laura’s statement that after a long, entirely successful career as a mystery and suspense genre writer, she still feels like an imposter, apparently because she doesn’t produce “literature.” I suspect that feeling of being “lesser than” plagues more than a few genre writers, however silly it may be.
That’s sad that so many of us feel like imposters. It does sound as if it was a difficult year for Laura Lippman. I think I’ll skip the essay since it has such a sad tone.
I know what you mean. I haven’t really felt like reading much of anything, Sandra.
Here in NE Dallas, we have been running around 90 with a lot of humidity. Normal is now 89 so we are close to what they claim is normal. However, as one who has lived here forever, usually we are cooking in the mid 90s or higher so I am glad for whatever temp break we get. We are under Ozone Action Alerts every day as the air quality has been really bad. Makes it hard on me to be outside.
The library system is still totally offline due to the City ransomware attack. We are not being told much though those in charge claimed yesterday that all police and fire things are back online (they are not when you go to the websites) and that the water utility customers can pay online (I pay by check) and that all the court functions are back. Which was funny as they showed closed courts and closed windows for fine paying while telling us that the spokespersons said they were open.
My current read is GO FIND DADDY by Steve Goble. Third in a very good series, I am reading it via a #NetGalley ARC as it drops next month. Reviews of the first two, spoiler free of course, are on my blog and elsewhere.
And today on my blog I have my review of the last book in the Ruth Galloway Mystery series (at least for now), THE LAST REMAINS.
With your hot, humid summers, Kevin, I’m sure anything is a break.
Several of us are following the news in Dallas, thanks to you. I didn’t know anything about it until you said the library system was offline because of the city’s ransomware attack. We’ve been checking it out. It sounds awful for everyone involved – workers & the public.
I’ll have to look for your review of The Last Remains.
Anything helps.
Yes, it will be a month as of the 3rd. Allegedly progress is being made, but from what I can actually see and verify, that is not true. I understand that the libraries and their systems are low priority. But, a month later with nothing obviously fixed and almost zero communication from the mayor and other folks beyond a carefully worded three sentence statement every few days, one begins to wonder if we are actually any better off now.
So, at this point we still have no access to the card catalog or our accounts. Nothing can be put on hold or transferred between libraries. Nothing can be returned. Which, in one way, is a good thing as we both have quite the library stack here.
Storms are in the forecast all weekend. There were storms a couple of days ago that fizzled out by the time they got here, but before they did that, they caused at least 12 house fires due to lightning strikes. Scary stuff.
How interesting that you pay by cheque, Kevin – here in the UK they have been more or less abandoned, and most shops will not accept them. I don’t know if the local authorities would accept one for council tax (which in Scotland includes the water) – they urge you to pay online and that is what we do, but of course not everyone wants to do that or even has access to the web to do it.
I recently tried to fill in a cheque for my mother and got the date wrong. I handed it to my husband and asked him to do it to avoid any more mistakes. He put the amount in the payee box. We gave up.
I made all my car payments by check, Rosemary, because the bank where the loan was held was out-of-state, and out-of-state people can’t pay online. Just weird.
I pay all my bills by check as I have never trusted the online stuff. Heard too many horror stories over the years of the errors.
That being said, I have no idea how much longer I can get away with that. Everybody and their dog wants one to set up an online portal and jump through hoops to make a payment.
(grumpy old man shakes fist at clouds and slams the door)
Oh! The new Marie Bostwick sounds really good, Lesa! Asheville. Quilts. Yes! I’m going to read this one for sure.
This week’s outstanding read for me was S. A. Cosby’s All the Sinners Bleed.
It’s just hard to go on after reading All the Sinners Bleed, Kaye. I’ll try the Bostwick, but I may end up with John Scalzi if Bostwick’s book doesn’t work right now.
Especially hard when coupling S. A. Cosby with David Joy. I’m reading some essays from Ross Gay’s The Book of Delights before going back to fiction. Another highly recommended book by another highly recommended writer!
Hi Lesa — I’m reading A Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan, non-fiction history about the Ku Klux Klan. There is so much in this book I never knew before, and it’s shocking and disturbing. I’m going to need something sweet and happy after this.
Oh, you are going to need something light after reading A Fever in the Heartland, Patricia. I ended up buying a copy so my copy could go back to the library, and I haven’t read it yet, as much as I pushed it here.
Lesa, I have done exactly the same with a book about the Troubles in Belfast in the 70s. I do want to know more – I’ve read an excellent book about the Birmingham Six, and been to an exhibition about the well known Belfast murals that depict scenes from those times, but somehow I just can’t get around to this book.
I know, Rosemary. As I said, I bought the book, but I know how brutal it’s going to be.
Good evening Lesa and everyone, from a cloudy Edinburgh.
I came down here on Saturday (on a bus packed with a gazillion Harry Styles fans – he was playing in Edinburgh that night, who knew? not me, of course…) to cat-sit Charlie. It was not very warm that day -so I packed reasonably warm clothes, only to find that the next day the weather changed dramatically, and I had only one outfit that I could bear to wear in temperatures of 70F plus.
On Sunday I accompanied Anna to the airport at an early hour, so on the way back I stopped off in Princes Street and braved Primark, It’s the only non-food store that opens at 9 on a Sunday. I only went in for a sunhat and a backpack. I ended up trying on heaps of clothes, and came away TWO HOURS later with a sun dress, two T-shirts and – surprisingly! – the things I went in for.
Need I tell you that Monday was then freezing?
But on Tuesday I was to go over to Glasgow to go out with Madeleine. The Glasgow forecast was for 25C and it wasn’t wrong. I almost chickened out of going to the concert as I could not imagine how I would survive in a low-ceilinged room in a converted warehouse packed with over 500 bodies and (of course) no air-conditioning.
In the end I did go. It was steaming hot, but the staff were very good about handing out lots of free water. And Jake Shears was absolutely fantastic, so I’m glad I went. I hadn’t been to anything quite that loud for decades, my ears took all of Wednesday morning to recover, but goodness me JS has some energy – even in that heat he leapt about the stage like a man possessed, and he’s an amazing dancer. (I suppose he does come from New Orleans, which I imagine is quite a hot and humid place?) He was accompanied by two excellent guitarists, a backing singer, and an absolutely stunning drag queen saxophonist. They all had a lot of fun, and the audience loved it.
The show ended at 10, and we came out into the fresh air and breathed again. It was still light, and we went back to Madeleine’s flat feeling on top of the world.
My reading has also been slow. I finished Colette Roussant’s APRICOTS ON THE NILE, which I enjoyed. It’s a fascinating picture of what life was like (for the rich), mainly in Cairo, before and during the war.
As Roussant is a food writer, there is of course much emphasis on eating, cooking, shopping in the amazing markets and so on, but there are also chapters about the matchmaking that took up a large part of her Egyptian grandmother’s time, the convent school to which her rather distant mother sent her (her mother was French and her family was Catholic, whereas her father’s family was Jewish), and ‘grandmama’s Poker Day’ – each of eight women friends took turns to host these, and they were really major events. The preparations started with lots of cleaning, then shopping, then cooking a huge banquet and lots of snacks. Their cook slaved away for days to get everything just right. Poker was played for high stakes right into the early hours.
Now I’m reading Margaret Drabble’s first novel A SUMMER BIRDCAGE. It’s typical of many novels written by women in the late 60s-70s, and as usual is about fairly affluent middle-class young women, their relationships and their social circles. Much of the narrative is based on Drabble’s own experiences.
Drabble is a good writer, but I do wonder if all of these women (eg Penelope Mortimer, Edna O’Brien) would have found it so easy to get published today. Drabble herself has recently said that she thinks everything is harder for young women now (and also that ‘it was easiest for Edna because she was so beautiful’…) She more or less wrote whatever she liked and George Weidenfield published it. When he said she should write a ‘proper book’ (he didn’t think fiction counted) she produced a biography of Arnold Bennett. She chose him more or less randomly because they both came from the same area of the country. She then realised that practically all of the source material was in the US – so she just copied other people’s pre-existing works – ‘how could I possibly be expected to go to America when I had young children?’
Imagine getting away with that today. She does admit that the book ‘wasn’t very good’- but George W still published it.
I wonder if anyone has seen the news about the debut author who slammed a reviewer very publicly on Tik Tok, because this person dared to give her book 4 stars instead of 5 and ‘ruined my average.’ She really was quite abusive.
There’s been a big backlash, and she has now been dropped by her publishers, who’ve been very keen to distance themselves (and I don’t blame them.)
As someone who reviews books from time to time, and theatre, shows, etc in the Edinburgh festivals, I find this a growing problem. Whilst many performers, writers, directors, etc are gracious in accepting criticism, an increasing number refuse to countenance anything but a glowing review, and see it as their right. I do wonder what they think the point of reviewing is, if everyone is to be given 5* regardless. If you put yourself out there, you have to be prepared to listen, and to accept different points of view.
Alan Rickman was always moaning, in his diaries, about poor reviews – but he never actually argued with a reviewer, at least in public. Neil Tennant recently said that he and Chris Lowe always think their new albums are brilliant – ‘But then you just have to deal with the disappointment.’
Quite. You have to learn to take it. I don’t want to sound like my mother, but I do wonder if *some* younger people are being brought up to think that everything and anything they do is so wonderful that when they leave home and get out into the world, they are stunned beyond belief to find that the world doesn’t always share that opinion.
It’s a bit like the giving of references for jobs. My husband says they simply cannot give a less than enthusiastic reference for anyone any more, for fear of the comeback – so if they really want to say something else, they end the reference with ‘please call me if you wish to discuss this’ – and it’s all said over the phone.
That’s me off my soapbox (for a while…)
I’ve been to three art exhibitions this week.
The first was the Duncan of Jordanstone (Dundee University) Degree Show. I was a bit disappointed in this – I’ve enjoyed it in past years, but I felt that this time there was a lot of painting, and most of it just wasn’t very good. None of our big art schools teach painting any more, which is a shame as some of these students clearly have good ideas, but the execution really lets them down. I’m probably just being fussy – just as I used to be about spelling in my son’s school homework. He used to say ‘it doesn’t matter in Geography/History/Biology! Stop being so picky!’
The second show was in the Custom House Gallery by the water here in Leith. It was a members’ exhibition by Applied Arts Scotland, and the curators has placed an emphasis on the use of recycled, leftover and ‘found’ materials, in an effort to encourage more sustainability in the arts. There were some beautiful pieces – jewellery, videos, weaving, embroidery, lights, knitting, and even ironwork by Jaxx Waygood, an artist blacksmith (I’d never heard of that before) who has in the past worked as a special effects technician on programmes like Poldark and the TV series of Lord of the Rings.
The third was at Hidden Door, a festival of art, theatre, music and dance that has now become an annual event. It’s always held in a disused building – previously they’ve used an old theatre, a cinema, a school and now the old Scottish Widows (financial institution) HQ. I always struggle a bit with the art at this one, it’s not terribly well curated and it’s hard to work out who did what as half of it isn’t even labelled.
I went today because a friend of Madeleine’s has work in it – it took me at least half an hour of wandering about the labyrinthine building to find Aimee’s stuff. Almost all of the assistants are volunteers, and I don’t think they get much training – they are all so keen to help, but completely devoid of any information.
Sometimes I think these things are simply too cool for their own good, and are partly just an exercise in stroking the already over-inflated egos of the organisers. But other people like it, so what do I know?
Tomorrow I’m going to the Edinburgh College of Art Graduate Show, so I look forward to another dose of pseudery…though I do usually find *something* to admire in this one!
On TV I finished the thriller series set in Ireland ‘Redemption’. Anna and I thought it got more and more ridiculous. Colette, a senior police officer in Liverpool, who hasn’t spoken to her daughter for 20 years, is called by the Dublin police who tell her that the daughter has committed suicide by drug overdose, and has appointed her as guardian to her two teenage children. She’s convinced that the daughter would not have killed herself, and that she was in fact murdered – though how she’s supposed to have any idea what someone with whom she’s had no contact for all that time would or would not do is anyone’s guess.
She therefore manages to get a transfer to the Irish police for 6 months (as if) – and even then she does almost no work at all, she just investigates her own daughter’s death, despite being warned off by both her own boss and the Organised Crime officers. And of course her challenging niece hates her, the children’s ex-criminal father is set to demand custody, etc etc etc – yet by the end of the run, everyone’s as happy as Larry. Too too annoying. The only good thing was the wonderful Siobhan Mc Sweeney as Colette’s boss.
So now I’ve gone back to UNFORGOTTEN. I’m watching the series in which Sinead Keenan replaced Nicola Walker. I think she’s quite good. My mother refused to watch any more once Nicola W left, but I think Keenan makes a good job of developing her own character.
Well Charlie is crying for his tea outside the study door (he was banished for standing on the keyboard one too many times) so I suppose I’d better do my cat sitting duty.
I’m back to Aberdeenshire on Saturday, then away to Morayshire on Sunday for a week’s holiday, so I may well have to skip next week’s meet-up.
Have a good week all!
Rosemary, you make me miss Edinburgh. We used to spend time in Leith too.
I know what you mean about REDEMPTION, but I like Paula Malcomson (she played Trixie in DEADWOOD) and Siobhan McSweeney. We are very tired, however, of all the “teenage angst” on display in shows like this and THE BAY.
I’ve read one book by Margaret Drabble, surprisingly, but it wasn’t a novel. Rather, it was her biogra[hy of Arnold Bennett, another writer who has always interested me who I haven’t read. I didn’t know two fun facts about Drabble until recently: her older sister is A. S. Byatt (most well known for POSSESSION), and her first husband was Clive Swift, better known here as the long-suffering Richard Bucket, spouse of Hyacinth in KEEPING UP APPEARANCES.
We haven’t had the new UNFORGOTTEN yet, but I’m with your mother on this one. It will be very difficult to watch anyone other than Nicola Walker.
We are watching the first two series of HAPPY VALLEY again, now that series three is on here. It was a brilliant show. We’re up to the second series now.
Oh yes, the teenage angst! I’m fed up with it too. Also I found the speed with which the niece was won round in Redemption wholly unconvincing. And I did feel the nephew and Colette’s colleague were the token LGBT+ characters – did we really need to know about their sexuality, especially the colleague’s, which seemed to have no bearing on the plot?
I did know that AS Byatt was Margaret Drabble’s sister, but not that Clive Swift was Hyacinth Bucket’s husband! How funny. Several of Drabble’s novels are set in theatrical communities – in the one I’m reading two of the main characters are an actor and a writer, and in The Garrick Year, which I read a while ago, the whole story is based on a theatre company that decamps from London to Stratford for the summer season.
I haven’t started the third series of Happy Valley yet, but I can see that the first two would be worth rewatching.
Oh, yes, Rosemary. New Orleans is hot and humid, so if anyone could handle that hall it would be Jake Shears and his group.
I’m glad you’re spending a little time with Charlie.
I totally agree with you. Since we give “participation trophies” to young people, they all think they deserve to win. I hadn’t heard about the debut author who raised a stink, but as a reviewer, I’m glad to see she got what she deserved.
It’s always good to have you catch us up on what’s happening, even if you have to skip a week or so. Enjoy your holiday!
Oh, yes. I had a boss who taught me to get around the references. We weren’t even supposed to answer positively, just refer them to Human Resources. She said if the employee was good & you wanted to say something, you said, I would love to tell you what a great employee they are, but I’m supposed to refer you to HR. (hint, hint)
Clever boss Lesa!
The weather is nice here too, at least in my opinion. The May Gray (overcast skies in the morning or all day) has continued into June Gloom, and it is perfect for gardening. Unfortunately all day yesterday I felt very off, very tired, so did not get much done. I hope today will be better.
In the last week of May I finished three books. First was KILLERS OF A CERTAIN AGE, which I loved. I can see how some readers might not like it but it was a great read for me. I also read the last 5 stories in DOLPHIN JUNCTION by Mick Herron. I had started that book in April. I love Mick Herron’s books, have read all of the available books in the Slow Horses series except for the recent one with three novellas and some short stories, and two of his Zoë Boehm novels.
Last night I finished CLARK AND DIVISION by Naomi Hirahara. I liked it a lot. I especially liked the background story of the internment of the Ito family in Manzanar during World War II followed by their resettlement to Chicago, far from their original home Southern California. I found it hard to get involved in the mystery portion of the story, but the book still was a very good reading experience.
I agree, Tracy. I had a hard time getting interested in the mystery portion of Clark and Division, too. I thought it was just me.
As you know from what I’ve said, Killers of a Certain Age was perfect for me, too.
Enjoy your gardening weather!
Hello Everyone!
We left Michigan on Friday with frost on the ground and arrived in St. Louis to find temperatures in the low 80’s with low humidity. Perfect weather for me!
My son’s wedding was absolutely perfect. The ceremony was held outside with birds chirping and lots of colorful wildflowers. Have never seen two people so filled with joy. I am grateful beyond words
Not much reading for me last week. I am continuing on with the Bill Slider series. I did finish Headlong last week. I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t my favorite in the series. I have just started the next book. I am coming close to the end of the series and will miss the characters. Hopefully, the author will publish another book and soon!
I’m so glad your son’s wedding was filled with so much joy. I went to one, once, like that. Usually, they’re so formal. But, one of my college roommates was so joyful she greeted everyone as she came down the aisle. It was just fun to see.
Yes! 80s and low humidity. Perfect. We’re heading to 90s and humidity, though, but I’ll enjoy what we have.
The weather here is almost perfect, low 80s with a slight breeze. I recently got a bicycle, and I’ve been pedaling all over the place. I forgot how much ground you can cover on a bike.
This week I read:
Dim Sum of All Fears by Vivien Chien; I find it almost impossible to read a series in order, so here I am reading the second book in the series before the first, but after some of the subsequent novels. Lana Lee takes over managing the restaurant, and solves the murder of the young couple next door. I like this series a lot, but I’m still not going to Cleveland to see the real Asian Plaza.
Frenemy by Maria Frankman; Somewhat effective psychological thriller, even though I don’t think the author knows what a frenemy is.
The Jules Verne Prophecy by Larry Schwarz; A 10 year old skateboarder Goes to France, and gets embroiled in a hunt for Jules Verne Treasure. Very good, even if the protagonist is a real whiner.
The Witch of Stag Meadow by Morag Zuk; Anthology of terror tales. Nothing to keep you awake at night, but a bit chilling.
I forgot to say that I went and saw Fast X in the theater. Jason Mamoa plays a flamboyant villain. Why is it that only villains get to have a good time in movies these days? Vin Diesel and the crew drive fast cars and break the laws of physics trying to stop him.
You’re right about villains. In fact, I have a couple books coming up that feature the villain, and I’m looking forward to them.
Oh, a good week of books! Good weather & good books. Just a nice week, Glen.
Hi Lesa,
My current reads are the Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain in print and Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum on audio.
Hi Katherine! I hope you’re enjoying your books.