It’s Thursday! My work weeks are zooming by. As of today, I have sixteen days of work left. Hard to believe. You’re the ones who are putting up with me as I’m in between work projects, meetings, and packing at home. Thank you for your patience!
I’m not doing too much reading right now, other than what I’m reading for reviews for Library Journal. Irish Milkshake Murder is released Dec. 26. Nothing like a St. Patrick’s Day collection released the day after Christmas! Carlene O’Connor sends her engaged couple to he Aran Islands for a hen party, only for the entire group to be stranded by the weather, along with a killer. In Peggy Ehrhart’s story, two members of the Knit and Nibbles Knitting Club investigate when a man dies in the diner after drinking a green milkshake. Spring in Santaland means the elves have time to celebrate with minty milkshakes in Liz Ireland’s “Mrs. Claus and the Luckless Leprechaun.” But, one elf becomes a target. All the mysteries involve deadly milkshakes.
What about you? What are you reading or listening to this week?
And, again! Thank you for your patience!
I had a packed day, starting with an hour and 45 minutes phone conversation with a dear childhood friend in Pittsburgh, PA, followed by a luncheon with 80 women at a local restaurant. The food was great, and the conversation was even better. This afternoon I had a one-on-one Zoom meeting with a newcomer to Toastmasters. I am his mentor, and we discussed how to prepare for his first speech and a lot of other related topics. I think we will make a great team. As for reading:
I wanted to like MURDER AT AN IRISH CASTLE by Ellie Brannigan more than I did. I loved the idea that the protagonist, Rayne McGrath, had built a lucrative Rodeo Drive wedding gown business and felt her outrage when her business partner absconded with all but a few of the dresses and all the money in their joint account. But then Rayne learns that her uncle, lord of a castle in Ireland, has died unexpectedly and left her the castle, with some strict stipulations that would keep Rayne in Ireland for a full year. She is torn between her desire to rebuild her business and pressure to fulfill the stipulations of the will, as it seems the ultimate fate of the castle, its employees, and the surrounding town all rest on her decision! Of course, Rayne’s cousin Ciara is devastated by her father’s decision and opposes Rayne at every turn, but her fate is tied closely to Rayne’s decision whether to stay or go back to California. The plot seems unrealistic, but stories like this have worked in other books I have read. Until the very end of the book, Rayne doesn’t tell anyone but her actress mother about what had happened with her business, and there is very little progress on finding her business partner or recouping the money. In addition, there is little progress toward making a financial success of the castle. Clara is a one-note character, who is almost unrelentingly surly to Rayne while grieving the father she didn’t know she had until a few years before his death. She has an unconvincing romance with her shepherd fiancé, and she comes off as mainly unsympathetic. The possibility that her father had been murdered instead of killed in an tractor accident is almost lost as a plot element, as I felt there wasn’t enough done by anyone, including the police, to resolve the investigation. It seems obvious at the very end of the book that this is the first in a new series, so I’m guessing many of the plot lines are destined for resolution in subsequent books in the series, but I was left with the feeling that this book just didn’t deliver (to me anyway). This is not a debut mystery, as the author has written several other mysteries under the name Traci Hall.
DANGEROUS WOMEN, the second in an enthralling series, is a worthy follow-up to author Mark de Castrique’s Secret Lives. The main focus is again on the legendary Ethel Crestwater, a retired FBI agent who owns an Arlington, VA boarding house where a number of law enforcement employees are housed. She has maintained many of her government contacts, including some in very high offices, and at age 75, she is still a force to be reckoned with. Underestimate the investigative skills and experience of this highly-skilled “little old lady” at your peril! When one of her boarders is gravely injured when she and a fellow US Supreme Court law clerk are brutally attacked, Ethel enlists the help of another boarder, her college-age cousin Jesse, and lends her expertise to the local police and the current FBI director to get to the bottom of why the attacks occurred, by whom, and what this means for the new (female) Chief Justice, The fate of a controversial ruling that will be made by the country’s highest court hangs in the balance. It’s a case related to climate change and clean energy, and the decision could have disastrous effects on some Native American tribes, as well as ranchers and farmers. The author expertly weaves an intricate plot of political intrigue peopled by lobbyists, security companies, US Senators, the Secret Service, FBI agents, Supreme Court police, a mining coalition, and intelligence agencies. As the clock ticks, de Castrique masterfully ramps up the suspense, leaving the reader breathless and ultimately satisfied. I hope there are more in this excellent series. (October)
Having recently heard spiritual medium Rebecca Rosen on Rob Lowe’s podcast, Literally, I was motivated to get one of her books, AWAKEN THE SPIRIT WITHIN, from the library. I was glad I found this one, published in 2013, because although there were some anecdotes about readings she had done, the emphasis was on “living our lives with divine intention and purpose.” It really boils down to finding confidence in who you are and spreading love and light in your daily life. I wouldn’t call the ten steps she identifies as a program, but rather a path you can follow to achieve this goal–everything from reflecting and resetting to rejoicing in gratitude to relinquishing control and reclaiming your power. Is any of this really new? Not really, but it is well-organized and well-explained guidance for those who want to feel fulfilled and purposeful in living their life. The section about how to address stress and fear issues was of special interest to me. When it comes to spiritual mediums, I have an open mind. And I do enjoy reading and hearing about the ways Rebecca has connected individual clients to their loved ones who have passed. She also has a podcast, which I have started listening to. If you are not into self-help, this is not the book for you, but I felt I picked up some excellent advice from the author.
The best thing about A RIP THROUGH TIME by Kelley Armstrong is the first-person, present-tense narration by the engaging protagonist. Thirtyish Mallory is a Canadian police detective who travels to Scotland to be at the bedside of her dying grandmother. One night while jogging, she hears a woman call for help, and her cop instincts kick in. When she herself is attacked, she blacks out and later wakes up in 1869 Edinburgh–in the body of a 19-year-old felonious housemaid named Catriona who has just survived a strangulation attempt. What’s going on here? Mallory has to take on the role of Catriona and convincingly clean the house of doctor and undertaker Gray and his chemist sister Isla, while trying to find a way to get back to her life in 2019 and simultaneously identifying a serial killer. I enjoyed the time travel theme, the setting in Victorian era Scotland and the well-drawn characters of Gray, his sister, and the local police inspector. But Mallory/Catriona is the star, alternating deftly between the parlance of a lowly maid and that of a seasoned detective from present-day Canada. How she insinuates herself into the investigation is clever and sometimes humorous, but the mystery is solid and compelling. I borrowed this first book in the series from the library to set the stage for its sequel, which I recently won from Lesa. That book now has a place in my TBR queue, and I’m looking forward to continuing the story.
Margie – Once again you’ve made a review so interesting you have me hooked. Got the ebook for Secret Lives in anticipation of the October release of Dangerous Women. Thanks
MM, I hope you enjoy it!
Margie, I’m looking forward to being as busy as you in retirement.
I’m sorry you didn’t like Murder at an Irish Castle. I really liked this one, but hear the second in the series was a let down. We’ll see.
I agree with you about Dangerous Women. Thought it was terrific. I liked it better than Secret Lives because I didn’t really care about bitcoin, and got lost a few times in that aspect of the first book.
I hope you enjoy Armstrong’s second book in the series. I find the information about women at the time to be fascinating.
I’m laughing over here because I’m working on HALLOWEEN CUPCAKE MURDER, the novella anthology with stories by two of the three authors in the anthology you are reading. Carlene O’Connor and Liz Ireland are joined by Carol J. Perry in mine. Obviously, I don’t read quite as far ahead as you do.
So far, I’ve read the opening story, which I enjoyed. Thursday, I’ll be reading Liz Ireland’s contribution. As you know, I love her Mrs. Claus series, and it’s the reason I’m even reading the anthology. I’m looking forward to slipping back into Santaland.
It’s not that you don’t read as far ahead, Mark. It’s that I HAVE to read that far ahead for LJ reviews. I actually liked Halloween Cupcake Murder better than Irish Milkshake Murder. I wasn’t crazy about Ehrhart’s story.
That’s good to know. I plan to read Irish Milkshake in December. After my Christmas cozies.
Hi Lesa and everyone
I’d better start by admitting that I haven’t read a single thing this week.
I’m in Edinburgh, attending two or more shows a day, plus art exhibitions, and any spare moment is consumed by getting them written up for The Edinburgh Reporter. So even Darren McGarvey’s book (THE SOCIAL DISTANCE BETWEEN US has had to be put on the back burner for now.
But I have seen some excellent stuff.
A play about the 1984/85 miners’ strike, how it affected a small East Lothian community at the time, and how it is still affecting former mining towns and villages now; THE COLLIE’S SHED was excellent, showing the issues from all sides (the striking miners, the police, and the miners crossed the line and went into work) and creating nuanced characters who all had their reasons for doing what they did.
The strike was immensely acrimonious, it’s been called ‘the most bitter industrial dispute in British history.’ We, of course, didn’t live in mining area, but I still remember it well – it was on the news every night for months. It split communities. The recent TV series SHERWOOD (which I think Jeff has seen?) showed the lingering effects of that time very well, while the film PRIDE showed the terrible situation that the striking miners in a small Welsh pit town were in, and how a small group of LGBT people from London decided to help them (it’s a true story.)
A surprising and fascinating one woman show called LOOKING FOR GIANTS, in which a young woman discusses her fantasies, and concludes that they are often more fun and a lot less trouble than the grim modern day dating scene. I had no idea what to expect from this – I thought it might be about someone sad and needy, but it was quite the opposite; this woman was strong, funny and living life her way. The actor, Abby McCann, was outstandingly good. I loved it.
And I think you’ll all enjoy this one: ROBIN INCE’S WEAPONS OF EMPATHY, in which the comedian talks about books and the people who read them. Ince is apparently a well known comedian, who has appeared worldwide, co-presents a science programme on Radio 4, and also has a podcast. I, of course, had never heard of him before, but he was just lovely. Very funny, but also very kind and sensitive.
He talked about books that create empathy – and gave out cards so we could all write down suggestions of books that come under this heading, for his future use. His favourite authors include Tove Jansson, Sue Townsend (of Adrian Mole fame), Olivia Laing, Raymond Postgate and Ali Smith. He likes them at least partly because they have a positive attitude.
He brought with him a pile of books he’d bought since arriving in Edinburgh, either from independent bookshops or charity shops, and he gave some of them away to audience members. (He invited along Lighthouse Books, a radical bookshop near the university, and they had a stall outside afterwards which seemed popular).
He talked about the tour of UK bookshops that he undertook when covid lockdown stopped him doing his planned comedy tour. (He wrote a book about it: BIBLOMANIAC.) He told us about people he’d chatted to in those shops, and also in libraries, of which he’s a huge supporter. I laughed so much, and of course I also identified with most of his bookish habits. Brilliant show.
I’ve also been to shows about the 16th century witch trials in Scotland, a very interesting reimagining of Sleeping Beauty called THORNS, a student play about food and body image issues called VESSEL, a one woman show called AFTER SHAKESPEARE, in which Lexi Wolfe imagined, and acted, what had happened to four Shakespearean characters (Henry V, Lady Macbeth, Portia and Hamlet) after their plays had ended, and probably some others that I’ve forgotten!
The Art Festival is officially launched on Thursday (so I’m writing this on Wednesday), and the Book Festival starts on Saturday, so it’s busy here. The city centre is absolutely heaving, so it’s nice to come back to Leith every evening. The new trams are proving a real boon, they’re so quick and easy compared to the buses, which get snarled up in the traffic for ages.
In the Book Festival, I have tickets to see Alice Oseman, the original creator of HEARTSTOPPER, Richard T Kelly, who’s written a novel set in Aberdeen’s oil boom, and the poet Don Paterson, who’s written a memoir about his childhood, which sounds quite wild and nothing like I imagined a poet’s life would have been! I’m still waiting on tickets to see the artist Jeremy Deller and the memorial lecture for the late Joan Lingard.
Yesterday I went to see Mhairi Black, one of our more controversial MPs, ‘in conversation’ with Times journalist Graham Spiers. I admire Mhairi a lot – she was an MP at the age of 20, and still managed to get a First in her degree. She’s outspoken, hard left, and her constituents in Glasgow love her, but she gets a tremendous amount of abuse on social media. She says she’s happy to deal with criticism of her publicly aired views, but not of things she didn’t say in the first place.
I saw this in action yesterday, as I was there in the audience, which consisted of men and women of all ages, and from whom she got a fantastic reception – then the TV, etc decided to say she’d said all sorts of things she hadn’t, and the pile-on on social media has been really shocking. The insults hurled at her are so personal and vicious.
Some people, I think, feel threatened by outspoken women, especially when they are LGBT and unapologetic. Mhairi has worked tirelessly for her constituents, particularly on the issue of the pension age for women (which the Westminster government raised unilaterally, leaving many of the poorest women in a financial vacuum). She’s now decided to leave Parliament at the next election. I am quite sure she will go on to great things, but what a shame.
I also have tickets to two more events in this series. One is with Jeremy Corbyn, former leader of the Labour Party, and the other with Tom Robinson, former pop singer, now a radio presenter, a writer and all-round lovely man.
This afternoon Anna and I are going to a talk in the Festival of Politics at Holyrood, about the links between poor/fast food and mental health. I’m going to try to go early to see the World Press Photography Prize exhibition on down there.
So no walks this week, apart from frantic rushing up and down the road, and through the crowds in the Old Town! Part of me is already looking forward to ‘getting back to normal’ and back up to Aberdeenshire at the end of the month, but for now I’m immersed in the festivals. Thank goodness this madness is only once a year!
Oh and Lesa, Charlie Parker is here with us. Anna buys him so much stuff that the sitting room is like a cat soft play area. And like all good cats, he actually prefers the boxes from Amazon orders. But he’s on top form and keeping us both in check.
Have a good week all. And Lesa, try not to panic – in 3 weeks’ time you’ll be forgetting all about work 🙂
Hi, Rosemary. Yes, I saw the excellent SHERWOOD. I remember the miners’ strike, of course, as we spent several weeks in England in both 1984 and 1985, some of it with friends who told us what was going on.
Wow Rosemary, you have really been busy. I love the way you describe the events you’ve attended, it’s almost like being there with you. I just downloaded Robin Ince’s book Bibliomaniac. Sounds like a fun read.
Like Susan, I downloaded Bibliomaniac. You just sold 2 copies for him.
Rosemary, I can’t imagine how exhausted you must be at the end of the day. I love the sound of the events you covered.
I have to admit, though, that my happiest moment in reading your post was when I learned Charlie Parker is there, and spoiled, just as any cat should be.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences with all of us!
I only finished one book this week, AT THE COFFEE SHOP OF CURIOSITIES by Heather Webber, which I enjoyed. From the book description:
When Ava Harrison receives a letter containing an unusual job listing one month after the sudden death of her ex-boyfriend, she thinks she’s being haunted. The listing—a job as a live-in caretaker for a peculiar old man and his cranky cat in Driftwood, Alabama—is the perfect chance to start a new life. A normal life. Ava has always been too fearful to even travel, so no one’s more surprised than she is when she throws caution to the wind and drives to the distant beachside town.
I saw a write-up on this book, and it sounded good, Sandy. Good to know you enjoyed it!
My birthday gift from a friend was Cleo Coyle’s THE GHOST GOES TO THE DOGS. The husband and wife team who write this series are very talented. I’m enjoying this new novel of theirs. It’s a clever mystery.
I like that series by Cleo Coyle, Jacqueline. What a nice birthday gift!
We attended a garden party on Saturday at a B&B near the waterfront in Benicia, CA in celebration of a niece’s upcoming wedding. A beautiful, happy occasion. But otherwise plenty of time for reading as ragweed allergy season has kicked in.
Started the week with BALD EAGLES, BEAR CUBS AND HERMIT BILL – Memories of a Maine Wildlife Biologist. A collection of forty articles previously published during Ron Joseph’s thirty year career. Told with the appreciation of someone that really loves Maine and all its inhabitants. Paul Doiron wrote the forward crediting the author with inspiring his fictional character, game warden, Mike Bowditch.
Bruce Borgas debut, THE BITTER PAST, featured here in mid-July. I’m game for any book set in the high desert of Nevada. Somewhat uneven, but it has fascinating characters and plenty of action in the shadow of the 1950 era nuclear testing program. I can see Sheriff Beck supporting a series.
LEONARD AND HUNGRY PAUL a 2020 debut novel from Ronan Hession and finalist for Irish Book of the Year. A charming book celebrating modest lives, ordinary friendship and being content. The flashes of wit and poignancy make something exceptional out of what might easily have been boring.
And finished the week with book many of you have already read, AN AMERICAN IN SCOTLAND by Lucy Connelly (aka Candace Havens). The characters make this story.
MM, I hope the allergies didn’t kick in during the garden party! Sounds like a nice occasion.
And, I like the sound of your books this week, but love your summary of Leonard and Hungry Paul.
Thank you!
I read Leonard and Hungry Paul. It was a quiet little book that was wonderful.
I’m looking forward to it, Sharon. I’m sure I can use “a quiet little book” after my move.
Good morning, all. Quiet week here, just the way we like it, and even some (relatively) cooler weather, which has been nice.
Jackie finished (and very much enjoyed) the first in that Linnea Sinclair spacer series I mentioned last week. She is now reading the latest Eve Duncan book by 85 year old Iris Johansen. She has probably read 75 of her books over the years, starting with a lot of Harlequins 25 years ago. She likes the Duncan a lot.
I did finish several books, including ones I’ve mentioned before. First was WALK THE BLUE FIELDS by Claire Keegan, another evocative series of stories set in the West of Ireland.
Next was THE DEVIL YOU KNOW, the fourth Hayley Chill book by Chris Hauty, which did indeed improve as it went along, though I did find myself skimming through the chapters from the perspective of Mexican drug cartel members. By coincidence, the book was set in the exact part of Maui being burned by wildfires.
After reading SMALL MERCIES, I wanted more of Dennis Lehane, so found and read his one short story collection, CORONADO. Like Keegan, he is a very good writer.
Edward P. Jones has had two collections of stories about black people in Washington, D.C. I finished the second, ALL AUNT HAGAR’S CHILDREN, this week too. Another good writer who really paints a picture of a time and place.
I’ve been a fan of the New York Yankees as long as I can remember, back to the days of Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford. So there was no way I was going to miss Jack Curry’s THE 1998 YANKEES: The Inside Story of the Greatest Team Ever. For those who don’t follow baseball, this team won an incredible 114 games during the regular season plus another 11 in the post-season, for a total of 125-50. Curry was a sportswriter then, and works the Yankees games on YES now, so he’s an insider. The book is never not interesting, but… it’s hard to put a finger on it, but I expected it to be better or at least more interesting than it is. As a friend often says about books, it is good but not great. I expected more about … something, maybe individual games, the winning streaks, I don’t know. I’m having a hard time putting a finger on exactly what is lacking, but it would not go on the shelf with THE BOYS OF SUMMER or the other great baseball books.
I’ve finally gotten to AN EVIL HEART, Linda Castillo’s latest Kate Burkholder book, and boy, does she start her books with nasty murders or what? More next time.
I really liked Helen Ellis’s collection of short stories, AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE, and enjoyed her first two books of essays, SOUTHERN LADY CODE and BRING YOUR BAGGAGE AND DON’T PACK LIGHT, but for me there is a big drop off in her third essay collection, KISS ME IN THE CORAL LOUNGE. Maybe she’s used up all her interesting stories or maybe she needs to take a break or something, but this one seems flat compared with the earlier books.
Well, that just sounds disappointing, Jeff, that The 1998 Yankees felt flat – the book, not the team. Sometimes, I just say, there isn’t any heart in that book when it’s lacking something.
You’re right. If you can get through the nasty murders in Linda Castillo’s books, the rest of the book is always a good police procedural with interesting characters.
MM mentioned Leonard and Hungry Paul today. Have you read it? I ordered it because I love the sound of a kind Irish novel.
Good morning! An inch and a half in our rain gauge after a quick storm yesterday afternoon and overnight. Today is supposed to be low 80’s which will be nice.
Two books this week. Summer Island by Natalie Normann. She is a Norwegian writer but this was her first book written in English. A cute little story about an Englishman who inherits a farm on an island in Norway from the father he never knew he had. I enjoyed it but wished there had been an epilogue chapter.
The second was The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer. I loved this one. It was like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory written for adults. This time four adults are playing for an only edition of the new Clock Island book. It really was excellent.
Pretty soon your move will be in your rear view mirror, Lesa. I know you are excited for this next chapter. Sending good luck.
Happy Reading!
You’re right, Sharon. It really won’t be that long until I’m moved. I’m looking forward to having the move in my rear view mirror. Thank you!
The Wishing Game sounds fun.
And, your weather sounds great!
Sharon, The Wishing Game will definitely be on my list of favorite reads for 2023. I absolutely loved it.
Sixteen days left for you to work before you become a retired person! Yay, you!!!!!
I have been a Barbara O’Neal fan forever, whatever name she writes under. This week I read THE STARFISH SISTERS.
I liked it, but I didn’t love it.
Description from Amazon:
From the USA Today bestselling author of When We Believed in Mermaids comes an emotional novel about two women facing the betrayals, heartbreaks, and refuge of true friendship.
Phoebe and Suze used to be closer than sisters. Growing up in a quiet and wildly beautiful coastal town in Oregon, they shared everything. Until the secrets they couldn’t share threatened their bond and complicated their lives.
Now, decades later, Suze, a famous actress desperate for safe haven following a brutal attack, is back in town. Phoebe, a successful illustrator and fabric designer, has discovered keeping a secret means she can’t let anyone get close, aside from her beloved granddaughter, Jasmine. As Jasmine’s move to London looms, Phoebe doesn’t know how to face the return of her old friend and all that’s still unsaid between them. Can the two women who’ve never confronted their past do it now when the choice is between healing and survival?
Heartfelt and layered, The Starfish Sisters is a moving story about the complicated nature of female friendship, the joys and heartbreaks of life, and the resiliency and power that women possess.
I wondered about The Starfish Sisters, Kaye. I didn’t order it when it was a free download because it just didn’t sound right. And, the fact that you say you liked it, but didn’t love it? I’m fine with skipping this one.
Yes, sixteen days, with 3 lunches in there during that time. That’s okay!
Kaye, I wish I had known how you felt about The Starfish Sisters before I chose it as my Amazon First Read! I like the author and will probably still read it, but it won’t be as high on my TBR list (which is never-ending)!
Margie, I will be looking for a review from you. I felt as though this book got very bogged down about midway through as though the writer just didn’t know where to go, and it became very repetitive. But. It may have just been me.
I did answer Rosemary, but my comment was supposedly being “monitored” and then disappeared. I did watch the terrific SHERWOOD, which dealt so interestingly with the miners’ strike of 1984/85. We spent several weeks in Britain both of those summers, so heard about it when we were there and from our British friends, who were NOT fans of Mrs. Thatcher.
We loved Sherwood too, Jeff.
Thanks Jeff – I really can’t imagine you being friends with any fan of Thatcher! Did you like PRIDE as well?
I did. My wife is a huge Bill Nighy fan, so will watch anything he’s in. Also Imelda Staunton is always good. My wife is a huge fan of the musical GUYS AND DOLLS, and Staunton was a wonderful Miss Adelaide in the 1996 National Theatre production.
Hmm. I wonder who was supposed to “monitor” that response, Jeff. I never saw it!
I think I must have typed in the wrong email or something. Never mind.
You will not believe how fast those last few days at work will speed by. We are waiting to find out what our next year’s rent will be. That will tell us whether to move or not. We are rearranging things in our apartment. We have a huge living room, a miniature kitchen, and two small bedrooms. I would loved to have that extra space in the kitchen and bedrooms. Why in the world did the apartment designers think we need a giant long living room? Hope that you like your new apartment. Still reading the books that I mentioned yesterday.
Hi Lesa — Just keep repeating: I’m having fun, I’m having fun, I’m having fun. 😀
I’m currently reading On Fire Island by Jane L. Rosen. I really like it, even though it has brought me to tears a few times. The story line features a woman who has died but chooses to stay around her loved ones through one more summer on Fire Island before moving on toward the light. That’s not a spoiler because it’s in the synopsis on the back of the book. She is the narrator of current events and backstory, all done very well.
Patricia, I like Jane L. Rosen’s books and have been wondering about On Fire Island. Now that I read your thoughts, I will definitely get it from the library. Thank you!
I definitely will be reading more Rosen books. She’s a fine writer.
I read On Fire Island, Patricia. I agree. There were some tears with that one.
Thank you! I’ll TRY to have fun!
I read Miss Withers Regrets by Stuart Palmer; The first post-WWII book in the series after a hiatus. This series took several hiatuses (hiati? is it Latin?) It seems more post WWI as a veteran comes back home to see his sweetheart who married a profiteer while he was overseas. It’s always nice to spend time with Abigail and the gang, but this one seemed a bit anachronistic.
Two Graves by Lincoln Child and Preston Douglas; Pendergast learns his wife is alive, only to see her killed by German speaking agents. Pendergast meets the Boys From Brazil. Doesn’t go into the JFK assassination connection, but you can’t have everything, I guess.
Murder Most Maine by Karen MacInerney; Another book about murder in a diet program. Lot of hangry people out there, I guess.
World’s Greatest Sleuth by Steve Hockensmith; Old Red and Big Red find themselves at the Chicago World’s Fair participating in a contest to find the greatest sleuth after Sherlock Holmes’s apparent death at the falls. The ridiculous quickly becomes serious when someone starts offing the contestants. A series that should be much more popular. Hockensmith needs better PR.
You’re right, Glen. Even when Hockensmith’s series was popular with libraries, it was never as popular as I thought it should be.
I’d be willing to murder someone if I had to go in a diet program. I’d be hangry all the time.
I have read elsewhere that his series is being re-released with all new covers.
Maybe that will help the series do better, Kevin.
I am currently reading A Deadly Chapter (Castle Bookshop mystery) by Essie Lang and the Masterpiece by Francine Rivers (for book club). On my Kindle, I am reading an e-galley of Twilight Falls (shady hollow mystery) by Juneau Black. On audio, I am listening to Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister.
Oh, I read several books in that Castle Bookshop mystery series. It’s been a while, though, Katherine.
I like your variety in reading and in format.
I am getting such a late start on commenting today. It has been cooler here; for the next few days the highs will be in the low 70s and this morning we had rain from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. Very unusual.
I have read two books this week but one of them was short and a combination of the graphic novel format and a cartoon collection, so a very quick read. NUMBER ONE IS WALKING: MY LIFE IN THE MOVIES AND OTHER DIVERSIONS by Steve Martin (drawings by Harry Bliss) is a memoir of Martin’s time in the movie business. Entertaining, but some might prefer more depth.
I finished Charles McCarry’s last novel, THE MULBERRY BUSH, a spy novel. It was not as good as his early books, but I still enjoyed it a lot. His first spy novels were about Paul Christopher, an American spy who tries to balance his family life with his work. The ten novels in that series were written between 1973 and 2007.
Glen is currently reading CAFÉ EUROPA: LIFE AFTER COMMUNISM by Slavenka Drakulić, published in 1996. Per the Goodreads summary it is a “collection of essays that explore life in various Eastern European countries since the fall of communism.”
Even if there’s not a lot of depth, I’m glad you enjoyed Steve Martin’s Number One is Walking, Tracy.
I hope you have good weather this weekend!
CALICO by Lee Goldberg. Part policed procedural, part science fiction time travel thingy. The time travel thingy was not made clear on the NetGalley deal when I picked it up.
I know. I think they deliberately hid the time travel aspect because of spoilers, Kevin. What do you think?