Talk about weather! I was worried about Jeff because I think he said they were going to the Hudson Valley, and then to Maine. But, he commented on yesterday’s post without saying anything about flooding, so he and Jackie must be okay. I worry about all of you!
This week, I’m back to reading for journal reviews. Ritu Mukerji’s Murder by Degrees is a debut, one reason I was interested. It’s also a historical mystery. Release date is October 17, so you’ll see my actual review here around that date. In the meantime, here’s the online summary.
For fans of Jacqueline Winspear and Charles Todd, Murder by Degrees is a historical mystery set in 19th century Philadelphia, following a pioneering woman doctor as she investigates the disappearance of a young patient who is presumed dead.
Philadelphia, 1875: It is the start of term at Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. Dr. Lydia Weston, professor and anatomist, is immersed in teaching her students in the lecture hall and hospital. When the body of a patient, Anna Ward, is dredged out of the Schuylkill River, the young chambermaid’s death is deemed a suicide. But Lydia is suspicious and she is soon brought into the police investigation.
Aided by a diary filled with cryptic passages of poetry, Lydia discovers more about the young woman she thought she knew. Through her skill at the autopsy table and her clinical acumen, Lydia draws nearer the truth. Soon a terrible secret, long hidden, will be revealed. But Lydia must act quickly, before she becomes the next target of those who wished to silence Anna.
If that sounds interesting, you might want to watch for Murder by Degrees. In the meantime, I want to see what you’re reading and watching. Last week, I had a note from one of my sisters. She said Thursday’s blog was good. She now has three of the books mentioned on hold at the library, and she and her husband have a new show to stream. They’re watching “Line of Duty”, thanks to Rosemary and Jeff. She doesn’t comment here much, but now you know you’re all influencing others!
What are you reading this week?
This flooding is so scary!
I feel a little guilty that our weather right now (knock on wood!) is pretty darn nice. 70 degrees in the NC mountains. But we have had our share of flooding, and it is frightening. Anyone who thinks there’s no flooding in mountainous areas is mistaken. There’s plenty of valleys and low lying areas in the mountains along with the high peaks.
Continuing my foray into purely fun escapism reading, I have just finished Yes, Chef by Waitlyn Andrews and loved every word.
Description from NetGalley:
Description:
I’ve sworn off romantic relationships, stifling family expectations, and self-doubt. The trifecta, really.
Returning home to run the family business is inevitable, but that doesn’t mean I can’t spend some time carving out my own path to culinary success. In Paris. Because who doesn’t love Paris? Because Paris has the best food scene in the world. And I want to earn this my way, damn it.
The first four months of living abroad go exactly as planned. Working at one of the chicest, up-and-coming restaurants in France—not to brag—I know a Michelin star is within reach if I keep my head down, focus, and work harder than I ever have. I go to the market every morning, I run my own schedule, and I don’t have to think about my cheating ex or Meredith-Blake-of-a-mother. Croissant and espresso every morning? A given. Living abroad has been perfect. It’s the Nancy Meyers’s dream.
That is, until a tall, all-American golden boy enters my space as the new head chef of Teaks—my boss. Chef James Sullivan is too attractive for his own good, and I’ve strictly written off workplace romances.
But, lucky for me, he only chooses to acknowledge my presence when he’s critiquing my work every five minutes. Maybe I can tune out those broad shoulders and denim blue eyes . . . if only those eyes would stop staring at me so intently.
Au revoir
— Claire Richards
“Yes, Chef” is an upbeat, closed-door sizzling-with-chemistry, romantic comedy that will have you believing in the magic of a 90’s Rom-Com again.
You’re right, Kaye. We tend not to think of flooding in the mountains. Actually, then I think of flash floods. Enjoy your weather, and don’t feel guilty.
Paris! Of course, your rom-com is set in Paris. Even if the story isn’t great, there’s Paris.
Sending hugs!
Like the saying goes, “Paris is always a good idea.”
Lesa, I have Murder by Degrees from NetGalley but haven’t gotten around to reading it yet. It sounds like a good one! As for watching, I’m glad season 2 of The Lincoln Lawyer is available now–at least the first five episodes. I’m looking forward to the last season of Breeders also, which starts in 10 days or so. My reading week was a good one.
In Ashley Poston’s second adult novel, THE SEVEN-YEAR SLIP, time travel is a major theme, and it’s a bit complicated. But Poston is up to the challenge, so long as the reader is willing to suspend disbelief and not to try too hard to figure out exactly how it all works. Clementine likes her job as a book publicist and hopes to move up to a higher-level position. Still grieving after the sudden death of her globe-trotting Aunt Analea, who encouraged her to shoot for the moon, and with no current boyfriend, she is shocked one day to find a stranger in the apartment she inherited from her aunt. And the décor she has recently updated is back as it was when her aunt was alive! Iwan is an aspiring chef with a unique perspective on life and food, and Clementine can’t help falling for him, even though she discovers he is from seven years in the past. But that’s all I can say without venturing into spoiler territory. It’s fun going along for the ride with Clementine, as I did, rolling with the twists–some of which I never expected. I enjoyed Clementine’s supportive and quirky friends, who work at the same publishing house, although I would have liked a little more backstory about Analea’s eccentricities, her own love story, and her travels with her niece. I liked The Dead Romantics slightly more, but I found this story to be fun, thought-provoking (although a little confusing at times), and well worth my time. I will definitely be looking for more from Ashley Poston.
In Fiona Davis’s THE MAGNOLIA PALACE, young Lillian has made a living for herself and her mother as a popular sculptor’s model in the early years of the 20th century in New York City, but the jobs have dwindled and her mother has died of the Spanish flu. Lillian is down to her last dollar when she accidentally lands an interview for the job of private secretary to Helen Frick, daughter of the uber-wealthy “industrialist and art patron” Henry Frick. The family is a dysfunctional one, with the patriarch sometimes cruelly manipulating his wife and setting his children against each other. But Lillian learns to work with the damaged and difficult, 30ish “Miss Helen” and comes to appreciate some of her finer qualities, as she also tries to help her secure a proposal from a suitable man. At the same time, Lillian is keeping a low profile because her former landlord has killed his wife, and Lillian has been sought as a person of interest. The chapters that focus on Lillian’s story are the primary focus of the book, sometimes swerving into the melodramatic. Another perspective (in much fewer chapters) comes from English model Veronica and art curator Joshua, who meet in the 1960s,when they are locked in at the Frick mansion (now a museum) overnight after a sudden storm knocks out the power. In their explorations to fill the time, they find some papers that bring to light events of 50 years earlier and inspire them to look for a missing jewel that has evaded the Fricks for decades. Lillian’s story is the most interesting. It stops at a certain point and is then further explained by the characters in the 1966 story. Through them we learn the answers to events and mysteries that occurred many years ago. bringing the story full circle and explaining what has happened in the interim, drawing a satisfying conclusion to the novel. I read this one for a book club.
Broadway pianist, conductor, composer, performer, writer, Sirius XM show host, and all-around expert Seth Rudetsky was the right choice to create MUSICAL THEATRE FOR DUMMIES, a highly entertaining book about everything related to musical theatre. With wit and panache, not to mention a seemingly endless list of behind-the-scenes anecdotes, Seth uses his broad background to cover every subject imaginable, including what it takes to stage a musical, the roles of those involved–the creators, performers, backstage staff, musicians, and many more–how to land a role, and, of course, the fantastic shows. Best of all, Seth includes dozens of links to one-of-a-kind performances (mostly on YouTube) that you can watch to enhance your enjoyment of the book. I read it in chunks, between fiction books, and I resolved to highlight all of the links and take my time watching as many as possible. A fellow musical theatre enthusiast, Lesa said it will take her a long time to finish the book because she is stopping to watch all of the performances, so I’ve decided to do it another way–thanks, Lesa. Finally, if you think you know everything there is to know in the book because it is one of the “Dummies” series books, don’t be fooled. There is something here for every musical theatre fan. I devoured every page.
INHERITANCE, the first book in Nora Roberts’ new series, The Lost Bride Trilogy, has definitely whetted my appetite for the next one in the series. Graphic artist Sonja has not only caught her fiancé in bed with her cousin just weeks before her wedding, but she has felt forced to leave the company where they both work after he spreads lies about her and even defaces her car. So when she learns she has inherited a mansion in Maine from her deceased father’s identical twin brother, she sees it as a way to start a new life and her own business–even though neither she nor her father even knew he had a twin, and even though she’s heard the house may be haunted . And then there’s the stipulation that she must live in it for at least three years. Sonja is up to the challenge, but there’s no doubt the house is actually haunted. Some of the spirits are friendly, but at least one is evil, wreaking havoc at every opportunity. In her dreams, Sonja begins to see each of the family’s seven brides who have perished on their wedding day or shortly thereafter, and she starts to wonder how she can stop the deadly cycle before it reaches her own personal life. There are many aspects to the story that I enjoyed, besides the chilling (though sometimes whimsical) goings-on in the house. Sonja’s budding new career as her own boss is interesting, and her best friend, Cleo, is eccentric, creative, and highly supportive. Three generations of attorneys, including one with a particular appeal for Sonya, as well as various helpful and well-drawn members of her newfound family keep the action moving. And, of course, there’s a cliffhanger at the end, which foretells the beginning of a new and dangerous phase of the story. (November)
Margie, You and I are on track for so many of the same books. I just accepted the galley of Inheritance, and felt lucky to get it. I like Nora Roberts’ trilogies. And, your comments about it, as well as Kaye’s, makes me eager to read it. As soon as I have time!
Loving Musical Theatre for Dummies!
I had The Magnolia Palace, but I just don’t think I have time right now.
Oooh, I loved INHERITANCE, Margie. Isn’t that one heck of a cliffhanger?! And I liked THE MAGNOLIA PALACE. And, I can’t wait to read THE SEVEN-YEAR SLIP.
We’re supposed to hit triple digits this weekend. That might be a little too hot for me. 🙂
I’m reading Paint Me a Crime by Holly Yew. It’s the first in a series set in Canada, which is a fun departure for me. The writing style keeps me a little outside the story, but I am enjoying the characters and mystery so far. I’m about a third of the way in, so hopefully, it will keep going well.
Unless you live in Arizona, Mark (where it’s a dry heat!), triple digits is too much for anyone. Drink lots of water.
And, I hope you enjoy Paint Me a Crime.
I’m in Southern CA, where it is also a dry heat. Still, I have stopped running at lunch time for the next few months and will be running after work. It will still be hot, but much less intense.
Good. Sounds as if your main concern is your health. Very good, Mark.
Good morning Lesa and everyone,
It’s raining here. It’s been raining on and off for what feels like weeks, though we had perfect weather when we were away on holiday so I really should not complain. I do feel for the parents of schoolchildren though; the school holidays have begun, and I can remember all too well that dismal feeling of ‘just how am I going to keep them entertained – or even stop them fighting – for the next 6 weeks in a wet and soggy Aberdeenshire?’
Of course there are things for children to do – far more things than there were when mine were that age – but they all cost money, they almost all involve driving into the city, and that further involves parking fees, lunches, etc etc etc.
I know some people will immediately say ‘we had nothing like this and we were happy’ or ‘children are just as happy at home. All I can say is, mine weren’t!
So let’s hope the weather improves.
For my own part I’m so busy trying to finalise my Edinburgh festivals reviewing schedule, catch up on other reviews, and sort out what I need to take to the Latitude Festival (& what I’ll need for the month after that in Edinburgh…) that the weather is largely irrelevant. I’ve just done a long walk in the rain and I hardly noticed it.
While I was out I was listening, on BBC Sounds, to Dashiell Hammet’s NIGHTMARE TOWN. I enjoyed his style of writing, but I felt the ending of the story was weak (am I allowed even to say that about someone as famous as him?!) A man arrives in a desert town in Arizona. Within days he’s been threatened, attacked and shot at. So has almost everyone else in the town. He has no idea what is going on – and he really never does UNTIL one of the locals explains it all to him. Hmm. But this was written in 1924 so maybe Hammet’s style was so new and fresh that readers didn’t mind.
I’m continuing to work my way through my ’20 Books of Summer’ and am currently reading one of Dana Stabenow’s Kate Shugak mysteries DEAD IN THE WATER, in which Kate is undercover on a crabbing trawler in the Bering Sea. As ever, the way in which Stabenow immerses the reader in Alaskan life is as gripping, if not more so, than the actual plot. I’m enjoying it, and I should finish it today, whereupon I’ll have to decide which books to take with me to Latitude. My husband says nothing really gets going till lunchtime at least, and I am generally awake by 5am even in my own bed, so I think I may have quite a lot of reading time ahead of me.
I’m also continuing to listen to Rylan’s podcast HOW TO BE A MAN. Rylan Clark is a TV celebrity here. I must say my initial impression of him was not that good, but I’ve gradually realised there’s far more to him than I rather unfairly thought; in this podcast I’ve been really impressed by his interviewing skills, his wide knowledge and his enthusiasm. In How To Be A Man he is talking to various famous people about the concept of masculinity in 2023 – what does it mean?
So far I’ve heard two episodes. One was with the celebrity decorator Lawrence Llewellyn-Bowen, whom I found quite irritating – he had quite a privileged upbringing, and although I appreciate that you can’t choose your parents, he was full of the ‘anyone can do anything if they try hard enough’ attitude, which I find quite abhorrent. There was no understanding of how things like poverty, broken homes, access to education, etc can affect a person’s life chances. He also said that class no longer exists in Britain. This is the nonsense regularly pedalled by people who have had the good fortune to be born into the comfortable upper middle classes. Class will never go away in the UK, at least not as long as our education system allows it to flourish.
I’ll get off that soapbox now!
The other episode I heard was with Janet Street-Porter, journalist, writer, TV presenter and well known controversial figure. I certainly don’t agree with everything JSP says, but she made some good points about the disenfranchisement and disillusionment affecting young men in the UK. She focused particularly on the effects of lack of support at home, but also on the importance of showing these boys that they can have very happy and successful lives by entering things like apprenticeships to become tradesmen. I think that’s a very valid argument. It seems to me that people like joiners, plumbers, electricians, etc are always in work, make a very good living, come home on time, and have happier lives than many professionals.
Another podcast I’ve enjoyed is OURSHELVES, made by VIRAGO BOOKS. In the episode I’ve just heard, some of the staff talked about the Virago Modern Classics series, and their particular favourites from that list – they included Muriel Spark’s MOMEMTO MORI, Elaine Dundy’s THE DUD AVOCADO, Antonia White’s FROST IN MAY, and Nora Ephron’s HEARTBEAT.
The only one of these I’ve read is the Elaine Dundy, and that was so long ago that I don’t remember much about it, but I do have a soft spot for the lovely green covers of the original Viragos.
I think my absolute favourites in the Classics list would have to be Sylvia Townsend Warner’s LOLLEY WILLOWS, Molly Keane’s GOOD BEHAVIOUR, Barbara Pym’s EXCELLENT WOMEN and Dorothy Bakers’ stunning CASSANDRA AT THE WEDDING, although EM Delafield’s DIARY OF A PROVINCIAL LADY, Mollie Panter-Downes’ ONE FINE DAY and Muriel Spark’s A FAR CRY FROM KENSINGTON would all come close seconds. (And that’s without even looking at their children’s books list.)
It’s perhaps strange now to think just how ground-breaking Virago was when it started in 1973. Its founder, Carmen Callil, was an amazing woman, totally committed to the idea that;
‘writing by women should be celebrated, enjoyed, taken seriously and read widely.’
Nowadays there are of course many new publishers, many with far more radical manifestos than this one, but in the early 1970s Virago pioneered the move away from traditional (wealthy) male-dominated publishing houses. Their list does, of course, encompass far more than the Virago Classics. Nowadays they publish writers as varied as Margaret Attwood, Sigrid Nunez, Monica Ali, Susie Orbach and numerous others.
On TV we have finally started the third and final season of HAPPY VALLEY, and I am hoping that we will finish it before we go away on Monday. It’s very good and very, very tense. Sarah Lancaster and James Norton are outstanding actors. And Lesa, I’m so glad your sister is watching LINE OF DUTY. Every series just got better and better, which is why Jeff and I keep hoping (in vain) for another one.
And now I’d better get back to my schedules….Trying to whittle down what I thought was a shortlist of shows to something that is actually do-able is a challenge every year.
Have a good week all!
Rosemary, I think you’re busier now than you were when I first knew you, and you were still working! What a schedule.
I did tell my sister about Happy Valley, too, but she said it will take them a while to get through Line of Duty.
I totally agree with you about the trades. My mother spent most of her working life as the assistant librarian at a trade high school, and she loved it. I agree with you. We’ve made everyone think they have to have a college education, but everything you said about the trades is true. Reliable, well-paying work without some of the long hours professionals put it. Excellent careers. Not everyone is cut out for office work, and we NEED all those trades more than we need another investment broker, etc.
I must have had a perfect childhood. I don’t remember needing much other than books and my two sisters, even on breaks.
Thanks Lesa – I forgot to say, I doubt I’ll be able to contribute next Thursday as we’ll be away, but I should be back in Edinburgh by the one after that, so see you then!
And yes, your childhood does sound perfect to me! I spent most of my school holidays in the local branch library, which was a place of great comfort and sanctuary for me. I took my children to the library at least once a week and often more frequently; they did enjoy it, but there’s only so long you can make a library visit last!
We’ll miss you, Rosemary, but I hope you enjoy your time in Edinburgh!
Lots of books in that childhood, Rosemary. One perfect week was the week my parents housesat, and the house was within walking distance of the library. I went every day, checked out books, and went back to the hammock on their screened in porch. Heavenly!
Hi Lesa – the extreme heat here in south Texas is a good excuse to stay indoors and read! I’ve recently finished Go as a River by Shelley Read, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto, and All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby. I totally agree with you that All the Sinners Bleed will be one of my favorites for the year.
I’m currently reading The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. I had put it off until I had time to concentrate on and fully appreciate it. The author’s book Cutting for Stone remains one of my all time favorites.
You do have extreme heat in Texas, Linda! As you said, that’s a good excuse.
All the Sinners Bleed was wonderful, wasn’t it?
I’ve heard good things about The Covenant of Water. I hope you enjoy it!
Linda, it’s funny that you mentioned that, because my cousin who we’re on vacation with just told me yesterday that CUTTING FOR STONE is her all-time favorite book.
Good morning Lesa,
I am currently reading “Obsessed” (Michael Bennett series) by James Patterson and an E-Arc of “Where the Dead Sleep” by Joshua Moehling. I will be starting “Must Love Flowers” by Debbie Macomber on audio.
What a nice mix of books, Katherine, from James Patterson to Debbie Macomber. I always enjoy Macomber’s books.
Co-vid has gone to the background and climate change is vexing us now. I read about the terrible flooding. North Texas is back with 102 degrees yesterday.
Sometimes too tired from purging to read! When I feel rested enough I am happy about reading two good books:
Buy A Whisker by Sofie Ryan, is great, I am enjoying the main character’s family and all the tips for rehabilitating furniture that people bring in from dumpsters! I haven’t gotten into the mystery that much but the characters are all entertaining.
Also reading a book that I love. The World Best Dad During and After Divorce. I have degrees from I.U. in Counseling and did private practice marriage counseling for several years and I think this author is a winner. He divorced and has two children and the book is about how dads can still show their love not just by gifts but more by understanding what the children in the family are experiencing when there is a divorce. I salute the author for his sound advice.
Nursing a painful back. I picked up a box that I packed that was lightweight and added to it. Then I made the mistake up picking it up again. ! Not a good idea!
Oh, Carol! Take care of yourself. Watch that back.
I agree with you about Sofie Ryan’s characters. I haven’t read that book, but I do enjoy the characters in her books.
Isn’t it good to read a book in your field, and feel validated by it?
Good morning. We’re under a flood watch tomorrow in NJ but so far we’ve been lucky and haven’t had more than minor street flooding the past few storms. Nothing like Vermont. It’s been hot but we’ve still gone to several outdoor concerts in the park. We have four towns to choose from so we can usually find a band we want to hear. Tonight we have a choice of oldies or jazz.
This week I read an ARC of LOCKDOWN by Jen J Danna. The main character, a member of the NYPD hostage negotiators, has the day off when she learns that there’s an active shooter situation at her nephew’s high school. Since she’s nearby she winds up being one of the first officers to respond. The story is told from the viewpoint of the first responders and was well done.
CHASING DREAMS: The True Story of the Youngest Female Tevis Cup Champion by Sanoma Blakely. A memoir about the author and her family training horses and competing in endurance horse races. I never really connected with the main character but it was interesting learning about a sport that I wasn’t very familiar with.
DEAD, WITHOUT A STONE TO TELL IT by Jen J Danna. A Massachusetts state trooper teams up with a forensic anthropologist to investigate a bone found in a beaver dam and they wind up finding a serial killer’s burial site. This one got a bit graphic at times.
Oh, tough choice, Sandy. I like both oldies and jazz. Stay safe, though, with that flood watch!
Is Jen Danna a favorite author, or is it just timing that you read two of her books in a row?
She’s a favorite author but I just happen to have the ARC and book one of an old series I just started at the daytime. She also writes as Sara Driscoll.
Should be same time. Autocorrect
I’ve read a couple of her Sara Driscoll books. I knew the name was familiar.
I enjoyed all three of my books this week.
First was A Newlywed’s Guide to Fortune and Murder by Dianne Freeman. I know it wasn’t your favorite, Lesa because none of the characters were very nice but I thought it was a good mystery. I was not able to figure out the culprit and I enjoyed the Viscountess Winstead character.
Next, I finished Murder Off the Books by Tamara Berry. It was funny and over the top with Tess’s mom stealing the show. This one involved a possible serial killer bumping off older women for their fortunes and the podcaster following his story. The ending was as convoluted as ever but I liked it. I was sorry to learn there won’t be any more in the series.
Lastly, I read Happy Place by Emily Henry. I liked a lot about this book especially the writing but by the time I finished it, I decided it was only okay. I think I am way beyond the point of the week with best friends full of drinking and drugs trying to capture the past one last time.
We are going to the Warsaw Federal Incline Theater tomorrow night to see the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee tomorrow night. I am very much looking forward to it.
And we also totally immersed in A Small Light and 8-part series on Miep Gies and the Anne Frank story. It is on Hulu and Disney +. It is really well done.
Happy Reading!
Well, darn. Sharon, I didn’t know that was Tamara Berry’s last book in the series. I enjoyed the whole series.
I’ve never seen the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. It sounds like fun. Enjoy! There’s nothing like live theater.
Sharon, I saw the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee in San Francisco several years back, and I loved it! If you’re interested in being IN the show, they recruit for several roles just before the show, which involves being one of the (unsuccessful) spelling bee contestants and maybe doing a little impromptu dancing along with supportive cast members. No experience needed! I wish I had been brave enough to try it, but all I could think of was that I might miss seeing part of the show. Enjoy!
I am not brave enough either Margie. We saw it several years ago with our local community theater when we lived in Grove City. This theater has paid actors, so I am looking forward to seeing it again.
I read “Dead In The Doorway” by Diane Kelly. It features a house flipped her cousin who is half owner of the house and business partner and her cat, Sawdust. Sawdust writes a few chapters himself. It is the second in the series. I also read Laurie Cass’ Bookmobile Cat Mystery, “Checking Out Crime (8th book in the series). I love, Eddie, the Bookmobile Cat and Minnie who is asst. library director and bookmobile librarian.
I worked with someone who knew Laurie Cass, Lynn, so I’m happy to know you love the characters. I just couldn’t get into the first book, so I never went any further.
Here in New Mexico we are wishing some of the eastern rains would find there way here! We are in for a week of triple digit temps & since we mostly use evaporative coolers (using water to cool us) it wont work too well. Think I will be staying inside and reading two books I just received, Linda Castillo’s An Evil Heart, and Rosenfelt’s Drop Dead Gorgeous and hope it doesn’t get too uncomfortable.
New Mexico usually doesn’t have that kind of heat, right, Pat? Good luck with staying cool. I had a friend whose house used evaporative coolers in Arizona, and they had problems at times.
Enjoy your books! I really liked An Evil Heart.
Lesa – thanks to you I am now listening to (library download) Nail’s Crossing. The only downside to audio is – I want a map! Of course I don’t know if there is one in the book. But I wish there were many more maps in books, as in most of Ellis Peter’s Caedfael series. Maps help me immensely. I wish that on the print checklist (or whatever publishers call it) there were a box saying – Is a map (even a little hand drawn one) appropriate for this book. Rant over!
I can live without the map, Emma. I like a list of characters! I can see why you’d like a map for that book, though. I’m trying to remember which author always had maps. It might be Deborah Crombie.
At some point the Deborah Crombie books had lovely maps spread across the endpapers of her books. The two books I have remaining to read (books 13 and 14) I am holding onto because of those lovely maps.
That’s why I like the old mapbacks.
I love the old mapbacks too, and I used to collect them whenever I found one I could afford, but now I cannot read the small print in the books.
It was pretty reasonable until yesterday, and now we’re in the middle of a heat wave lasting through the weekend. Maybe I’ll skip the outdoor concert on Saturday.
I just read The Secret Service is closing the cocaine case with no viable suspects. Does anybody really believe this? The Secret Service and the FBI can’t find out who left cocaine in the most secure location on earth? Really? Good thing that white powder wasn’t anthrax or something…
This week I read:
Death by Leprechaun by Jennifer S. Alderson; A travel guide is leading a tour in Ireland, and most of her clients are not very cooperative. There’s a murder, and one of the clients is a suspect. I was in favor of putting all the clients in jail.
A Time For War by JR Tomlin; A young Scottish sort of nobleman is fighting the English in 1355. There’s a lot of battles and skirmishes, and two sieges, but nothing really goes together. Maybe life was like that back then.
Black Bart by George Hoeper; A good biography of the old west bandit. As bandits go, he was nonviolent, without any notches on his gun, as opposed to Billy The Kid and the like. About as thorough as it could be, considering Black Bart hid a lot of his life.
Ice Breakers by Heather C. Myers; A female PI is on the case, when the captain of the local professional hockey team is accused of rape. Of course, he’s her former boyfriend, and the cop assigned to her case is the usual incompetent supercop, oh, and her father is coach and part owner of the team. It’s starts out okay, but soon devolves into a boring anxiety fest/romance.
Murder on Monday by Ann Purser; A British working class woman who works as a house cleaner wants to do something more with her life, so she tries to volunteer for the police force and is laughed out of HQ, by the cops, and by her friends. When a local woman is murdered, she investigates, and soon wins the respect of the cops, who want to use her access to the neighborhood, and her friends, who learn that she’s smarter than they thought. The working class perspective really makes this one stand out.
I agree, Glen. The Secret Service has not made themselves look good in the last couple years. I don’t believe it.
I was interested in your reaction to Murder on Monday. I never read any of Ann Purser’s books., but I know that series featuring Lois Meade was quite popular when I was in Arizona. Our patrons really liked that series.
Glen, it’s calling for 109 on Saturday in El Dorado Hills, so if that’s the concert you were thinking about, you’re probably right to cancel. At the festivities on July 3, it was only about 100, which was not great without shade (where we like to sit), but around 6:15 the sun went behind a building and it was fine.
Margie, I was talking about the one in Roseville. Vernon Street Square has almost no shade. I hate to miss a Van Halen tribute, especially if they have a guy that can do David Lee Roth’s act, but the heat will just be too much.
Murder by Degrees sounds like a great read, Lesa! I’m adding it to my list.
I’m now reading Never by Ken Follett, a political thriller. It is around 800 pages long and the book weighs so much I have to pick it up with two hands. Lifting weights while I read is a new experience. 😀
Makes me wonder, Patricia, what kind of work editors do nowadays. Does it really need to be 800 pages?
I’ve read 40% of Murder by Degrees, and I’m liking it, and the voice.
Patricia and Lesa, I don’t mind a long book, but, to me, that means, 400-500 pages. However, the upcoming sixth book in Robert Galbraith’s (aka JK Rowling) Cormoran Strike series is 960 pages! WHY?? I’ve liked all of the books in the series, but I would rather have read several books than taken the time to read a book that long. What is she trying to prove, and is she thinking of the readers? Inquiring minds want to know!
I also think 500 pages is more than enough. But we’ll see if Follett could have told the same story with fewer words. I’m not into the novel far enough yet to see.
I agree that 500 pages is enough, but I am willing to do more if it is a great book like SHOGUN.
And I totally agree, Jeff.
Patricia, Ken Follet is the author who turned my boyfriend onto audiobooks. He was never a reader but got interested in Pillars of the Earth but found it too hard to hold. I took the CD book out of the library and he loved it. Now he always has a book going on his phone.
Hi Lesa and all! Like Linda, I also read Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers this week, which was mostly fun. I don’t think the author has much experience with actual 60 year olds though! And like Sharon I also read The Newlywed’s Guide to Fortune and Murder. I liked the realistic family dynamics and the archaeology subplot.
I am about 2/3 of the way through the audio of Braiding Sweetgrass. I really like the storytelling. The chapter I just listened to talked about the author’s grandfather’s experience at Carlisle Indian School, which added to what I had learned about the school from the biography of Jim Thorpe I read a while back.
Trisha, while I was attending Dickinson College in Carlisle back in the mid-1960s, the Carlisle Indian School had become the Army War College, but there was still a painting of Jim Thorpe hanging over the bar in the downtown hotel.
Robin Wall Kimmerer, the author of Braiding Sweetgrass, is our guest author tonight for a library program, Trisha. Unfortunately, I already had plans for this evening, but I think a number of the staff are planning to go.
Well, I haven’t finished any books in the last week. Last week I had just started SS-GB by Len Deighton. It is an alternate history novel, set in the UK, after the British have surrendered to Germany in 1941. Published in 1978. It is not that I am not liking the book, I like the writing and the characters a lot, but the topic isn’t a pleasant read so I am not hurrying through it. My plan is to finish reading it today.
My husband is reading THE SEASIDE by Madeleine Bunting. I don’t know much about it except she visits seaside towns in the UK and includes social and cultural history. Sounds perfect for Glen.
Our weather is relatively mild here, and forecasts for the next two weeks in Goleta / Santa Barbara show the highs staying in the seventies mostly. In Stockton where our friends live, in central California, the high temperatures will get into the triple digits.
You’re much better off with your temperatures, Tracy!
I can see why it’s been slow going with SS-GB. It doesn’t sound as if it’s an easy book go get through.
Stop wo6, Lesa. We’re good! We’re in Portland, Maine and haven’t had a drop of rain yet, though tomorrow looks wet. It’s been Vermont and the Hudson Valley that has been inundated. But I really appreciate the thoughts. We were in Freeport at LL Bean headquarters today – didn’t buy anything – but it’s mostly been eating and driving around. I do recommend the one hour boat trip to see several of the lighthouses in Casco Bay, one of which was commissioned by George Washington.
Books? I actually had time – made time, as they were almost due at the library – to finish two books. Helen Ellis’s BRING YOUR BAGGAGE AND DON’T PACK LIGHT is her second fun book of essays.
Chris Offutt’s CODE OF THE HILLS is his third Mick Hardin book. He’s back in Kentucky, two years after his last visit, just retired after 20 years in the Army. He’s on a short visit to his sister, the Sheriff, before heading off to Corsica for 6 months, a trip I was pretty sure from the beginning would not happen. This time his sister is one of the people shot, and while she recovers he has to find out who shot her. It was a good book, but the first two were definitely better.
Also reading THE BEST OF R.A. LAFFERTY nearly finished. Jackie is reading GOING ZERO, which I read and recommended.
Currently about 20% done with the new Dennis Lehane book, SMALL MERCIES, set in South Boston in the dangerous summer of 1974, with court-ordered forced school busing about to start. It’s been a number of years since I read Lehane, but I can say unequivocally that this is GREAT book that you need to read. Outstanding stuff.
We’ll be home on Sunday. Have a safe week, everyone.
Thank you, Jeff, for the update. I knew you were heading to Maine, but remembered something about the Hudson Valley. That’s why I worried. Thank you!
Small Mercies is terrific. Lehane is a wonderful writer, isn’t he? And, now with the SAG/AFTRA strike, he might as well work on another book since there won’t be any filming in the near future.
I agree with you. I liked Code of the Hills, but the earlier books were better.
Again, thanks for the update. I won’t worry now!