I hope you all had a good week, whether working, shopping, reading, or whatever you enjoy doing. I had a productive week at home, and then yesterday went to the Franklin Park Conservatory with my sister, Linda, to see a couple exhibits. https://www.fpconservatory.org/discover/exhibitions/ I had been anticipating this for a month.
Thanks to Jeff Meyerson, I just finished The Invisible Host by Gwen Bristow and Bruce Manning. Jeff recommended this when I complained that too many authors try to write Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, and fail. The question is, did Christie try to copy Bristow and Manning? Crime fiction historian Curtis Evans provides an introduction to the book, written five years before And Then There Were None.
The introduction is fascinating. How many of you recognize Gwen Bristow’s name? Although she and her her husband, Manning, were both journalists in New Orleans, I recognized her as the author of the “Plantation Trilogy”. But, I remember reading Calico Palace, set in San Francisco before the Gold Rush. And, Jubilee Trail came out before I was born. It was a story of traveling to California. It’s her California novels I remember.
I digress. The Invisible Hour was the first mystery Bristow and Manning wrote together. It was inspired by a troublesome neighbor in their French Quarter apartment. Eight charming, witty people, leaders in New Orleans society, receive telegrams saying they are to be the guest of honor at a surprise party at the penthouse of the Bienville Building. All eight show up, but their host doesn’t announce himself until after dinner, when a voice on the radio says they were invited to the party to match wits with him, and that they’ll all be dead by morning unless they can beat him. He’s quite a diabolical host.
Did Agatha Christie know of The Invisible Hour? The book was a success, and it was produced as a play on Broadway and in London. It was also made into a film before And Then There Were None came out. We’ll never know, but I’m glad Jeff steered me to this book. Thank you, Jeff. I have to admit, I found the introduction even more fascinating than the story itself.
What about you? Are you reading anything interesting? What are you reading?
Besides going to three game events (Crazy Rummy, Hand & Foot, and Rummikub) this week, I’ve been spending time ordering Christmas gifts for the family and trying hard to come up with a Christmas list of my own. I’m looking forward to a Christmas show with a choir and an orchestra on Saturday at the local Harris Center. I made it through only two books this week, but, coincidentally, they proved to have similar themes, although different styles of writing..
In Aimie K. Runyan’s THE MEMORY OF LAVENDER AND SAGE, Tempesta has had it with her unsupportive family and the politics surrounding her restaurant critic job. So when her financial executive father dies unexpectedly and leaves everything to her younger brother and a bit for her nasty grandmother, she decides to finally visit the birthplace of her beloved mother, who died when Tempesta was 13. Fortunately, a small bequest held for her from her mother allows her to travel from New York to Provence, buy an old car and, on a whim, a rundown former manor house in tiny Ste. Colombe. It is one of a number of small villages in the south of France where the residents are trying to maintain their traditions and language (Occitan), while many of the younger inhabitants have departed for a more modern lifestyle in locations where opportunities are much greater. Most of her new neighbors seem welcoming, except for Pau, the proprietor of the local vintage cookware store/town mayor, whose initial response is to call Tempesta a witch. He remembers her mother and fears that Tempesta may cause the kind of upheaval he attributes to her mother many years ago. Tempesta learns that she does indeed have some unusual skills with herbs and soon offers her marketing skills to Pau’s daughter, Esteva, to help save their store, along with the town school and other local businesses. In the process, she gets some help from Tiberi, a handsome carpenter who has also helped her renovate her new home. Things I particularly enjoyed are the feast for the senses in the descriptions, the immersion into a culture I had never heard about, and the story of persistence in achieving a common goal. While I found the characters of Tempesta, Esteva and an older townsperson relatable, I felt Tiberi was an underdeveloped character, which makes his very low-key, low-stakes romance with Tempesta less impactful. There are also some abrupt transitions and revelations (Tempesta followed up her finance degree with culinary school to prepare for her restaurant critic job–who does that?) that could have been further clarified or followed up, and the tinge of magical realism is pleasant but feels unnecessary. Nevertheless, I found the book to be very entertaining and will look for more from Runyan in the future. (February)
The second book is THE CHRISTMAS DRESS by Courtney Cole. With a degree in fashion design, Meg is languishing in an entry-level fashion job with a vindictive lunatic for a boss and recovering from a recent breakup. So when her father dies suddenly, Meg finds it an easy decision to leave New York for Chicago to take charge of his rundown apartment building. She soon realizes that there are delinquent bills to be paid and a multitude of repairs to be done, and little money for any of it. Soon, however, the building’s inhabitants, many of whom are elderly and can’t afford the rent, make Meg realize that it is not only worth saving, but worthy of being renovated into a retirement community that meets their needs. Meg hasn’t been home for years because she can’t face the place where she used to share a room with her sister, who died tragically of cancer. But when Ellie, one of the longtime residents, whose family is threatening to relocate her to assisted living, tells her the story about a perfect dress that she wore on the best–and worst–day of her life and urges Meg to wear it at a Christmas party, Meg starts to believe she may be able to use her fashion sense and experience to finance the needed renovation. It doesn’t hurt that she has the support and admiration of a hunky handyman, along with her father’s self-declared unpaid “assistant,” with whom she initially clashed. and ultimately all of the building’s tenants. It’s a sweet story that doesn’t have to take place at Christmas, but I appreciated the holiday touches and the spirit of community.
I’m two-thirds of the way through Paula Munier’s HOME AT NIGHT, but I’ll have to save my review for next week. I know that several of you have already read it, and I am enjoying it.
Isn’t retirement great, Margie, with time to play games, enjoy concerts, and still read? I know you discovered that long before I did, but I’m loving it.
Funny that both of your books had similar themes this week. I’ve been reading too many with And Then There Were None themes.
I’m currently working on KEEP YOUR FAMILY CLOSE by Annette Dashofy. This is the second in her Detective Honeywell Mysteries. I’m behind where I want to be in the book (think I’ll be spending more time reading Thursday night to try to finish it), but I’m enjoying it. Even suspecting where a few things were going, I’ve been engaged the entire time. If only real life weren’t getting in the way of my reading.
But, it’s almost December, Mark? Don’t you expect real life to get in the way of your reading?
Enjoy Annette’s book, and I hope you find time to finish it. I’m planning to use my afternoon for reading today.
Yes, real life does get worse at December. Fiscal year end at work is today, which means work is crazier than normal during December, too. Yet, I’m still trying to cram more books into the month for some reason.
Hi, Lesa. I never heard of THE INVISIBLE HOUR–it’s interesting to think it might have inspired Agatha Christie. I’m in the middle of one of Elly Griffiths’ standalone mysteries, BLEEDING HEART YARD, and so far I’m enjoying it very much, caught up by the plot and invested in the characters. Afterward, I’m planning to read the second book in Vaseem Khan’s Malabar House Series, THE DYING DAY. I thought the first one was excellent and he has already written #4, so I need to hurry and catch up. The books are set in Bombay in the 1950s, and the heroine, Persis Wadia, is India’s first woman police detective.
Good morning, Kim. I need to try Khan’s series sometime. It sounds as if it’s something I’d enjoy.
Yes, The Invisible Host could have inspired Agatha Christie. It’s an interesting idea.
I didn’t get much reading done this week. My mom’s dryer died and since it was really old I had to buy a new one for her and wait for the delivery and installation. Then I spent time on the phone with Whirlpool trying to get one of her dishwasher racks replaced before the warranty expires next month only to find out their warranty is basically worthless. They won’t replace the rack unless you pay for a service call which is almost $200 dollars. I can buy a new rack online for that so I bought some liquid vinyl to touch it up instead. At 96, my mom doesn’t want to put money into a 10 year old appliance.
Like Mark, I’m reading KEEP YOUR FAMILY CLOSE. I like the Detective Honeywell books but don’t really connect with the characters the way I do in Annette Dashofy’s Zoe Chambers series.
That’s interesting, Sandy, that you and Mark are reading the same Annette Dashofy book.
I understand why your mother doesn’t want to put unnecessary money into an appliance.
I wonder what the solution to the dryer problem is? Maybe buy a cheap used one? We bought the cheapest washer available and it works great, a little noisy but it does better than the old one.
I hope you had a good time Lesa, it looks like a delightful conservatory. I don’t think I’ve read The Invisible Hand, but I certainly remember reading The Calico Palace. But to go back even further, my reading this week includes another author that Christie may also have borrowed from.
Anna K Green is claimed to be the first woman to write a novel featuring a ‘professional detective’ and subsequently published over thirty novels. THE LEAVENWORTH CASE was published in 1878. Some of the language is dated and class mores abound, but the story holds up remarkably well. The plot follows the detailed investigation of the murder through the denouement in the final chapters. The author introduced many of the features commonly associated with the Golden Age of Detection.
THE SUNSET YEARS OF AGNES SHARP “A Murder Mystery” written by Leonie Swann in 2020. Recently translated from German although set in the English countryside at Sunset Hall. The story features a quirky group of seniors with various senior maladies, a tortoise and Brexit the dog. It’s actually a very touching story of survival. Also of interest is the way the author incorporates the pros & cons of various living situations available for seniors.
Ethel Crestwater returns in DANGEROUS WOMEN (Secret Lives #2) by Mark De Castrique. I’ve just started, but the ” highly controversial lithium mine” is certainly topical locally. Several large lithium mines are in the works for Nevada with the inevitable environmental and native concerns.
And my current audiobook is QUIET IN HER BONES by Nalini Singh (2021). Hopefully the delightful book narration by Raj Varma will be enough to overcome the unreliable narrator trope.
Hi MM,
All I really remember is liking Gwen Bristow’s books. That was in my teens, when I’d devour anything. Everything was new!
It’s so interesting to go back and read those Golden Age authors, although, as someone who reads for character, that’s what I often miss in their books, character development.
I’m just not a fan of unreliable narrators.
Oh, and we had a wonderful time at the conservatory. The trains were fun, but Holiday Blooms with the poinsettias was a great place to take pictures, and there was only one other person there on a Wednesday afternoon.
So glad you liked the book, Lesa. I thought you would. I remember perfectly the penthouse, the elevator setup, etc.
Quiet week here so far, but that is about to change. We have TWO concerts at Town Hall over the weekend, Graham Nash (with Rosanne Cash and Marac Cohn) on Saturday and a Steve Earle Benefit – special guest John Mellencamp – for his autistic son’s school on Sunday. We we’re staying in the city at a hotel and, since we had most of Sunday free, we got tickets for PURLIE VICTORIOUS on Broadway for the Sunday matinee.
Books. Jackie is nearly done with Christine Feehan’s DARK MEMORY, but is clearly not enjoying it as much as the usual Carpathian book. She has the Paula Munier up next.
I’ve mentioned the Charles Beaumont collection of stories before, and finally finished that. A week or two ago I read a really positive review in the NYT of 95 year old Lore Segal’s new book of stories, LADIES’ LUNCH, so got it from the library. The stories mostly appeared in The New Yorker, and they concern a group of nonagenarians who meet monthly for lunch. I have a couple more collections coming to the library, by Deborah Eisenberg and others.
I’ve read all of Michael Connelly’s series books – Harry Bosch, Mickey Haller (The Lincoln Lawyer), and all but a couple of the others that I quit in the middle. So there was no doubt I was going to read the new Lincoln Lawyer book, RESURRECTION WALK, especially since Haller’s half brother Bosch was in it too. And it was a good one. The book is told in alternating sections, first a third person section about Bosch, then a first person section narrated by Haller, yet it is clearly (as the cover states) a Lincoln Lawyer book. Despite the retired cop feeling that working for a defense lawyer is “going to the dark side,” Bosch is helping his half brother by going through old cases looking for people who have been wrongly convicted to help exonerate them. The one he chooses is Lucinda Sanz, who pleaded “no contest” (even though she has always denied the crime) to shooting and killing her ex-husband, as the evidence was stacked against her. Now, after five years, can Haller (with Bosch’s help) get her conviction overturned and her released? Even though you might think you know the answer going in, it is worth your time reading this one start to finish. Connelly is one of the best.
My problem now is, too many books. I have the new Karen Pirie book by Val McDermid, PAST LYING. I have Lou Berney’s DARK RIDE. I have the collection of Julia Child’s letters that I’ve already started. II have Wilco front man Jeff Tweedy’s WORLD WITHIN A SONG: Music That Changed My Life and Life That Changed My Music. I have Donna Leon’s memoir, WANDERING THROUGH LIFE. I have SURELY YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS: The True Story of AIRPLANE!
I’m guessing I will read the Berney if I like it (its an ebook, and I can renew the McDermid), a couple of the short story collections, plus some non fiction.
Have a good week.
I saw Steve Earle in a concert years and years ago. To be honest, I’m surprised he’s still alive, as he looked like he was on death’s door back then.
You were right about The Invisible Host. I appreciate the suggestion, Jeff. Thank you!
It sounds like a fun weekend. I’ve always wanted to see Roseanne Cash in concert, but missed an opportunity just before COVID. My own fault.
An embarrassment of riches! That’s wonderful when it comes to books, and I don’t think of it as an embarrassment at all. Enjoy whichever book you pick next.
Fascinating idea. I stopped reading Maeve Binchley later books when I started one of them and it was echoing a previous book!
I finished Julia Spencer Fleming’s mystery, All Mortal Flesh. I loved every detail, and the closer I got to the end, the more I could not stay away from it!
Next will be reading Jodi Picoult’ Leaving Justice. A hard back that I found a Half Price book. A daughter reading her mother’s journals about her study of elephants in order to solve the mystery of the disappearance of her mother.
Wow, my posts are not posting! I made a comment about the dryer and had a suggestion that might help and all of my posts are gone. Where did they go?
I have far too many books from Netgalley lined up on my Kindle, and I’m adding Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson, author of Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone, which I loved. Train, which comes out Jan. 30, is set on a train packed with mystery authors, editors, and agents bound for a famous Australian mystery conference. The narrator of My Family returns to narrate this one. When a writer dies, the question is: How do you find a killer when all the suspects know how to get away with murder?
Also on my list are The Heiress, Who to Believe, The Guest, The Teacher, Lisa Gardner’s Still See You Everywhere, The Mystery Writer, I Know What You Did, She Left, and a couple of others as far out as May. I’ll let you know what I think as I work my way through them.
Right there with you, Sandra, with way too many titles on my NetGalley list. I’ll have to work on that today. I’m reading March through May titles right now.
I haven’t read Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, but I love the premise of the sequel!
Thanks for the tip Sandra. I’ll look forward to Stevenson’s latest.
MM — Train received a star review in Publishers Weekly. It sounds irresistible.
In my case, I am about halfway through the #PoliceProcedural, A NICE PLACE TO DIE: A DS RYAN MCBRIDE NOVEL, by J. Woollcott. Aubrey reviewed the second book in the series earlier this week on my blog. Because of her review, I got the first book.
Oh, a new police procedural series, Kevin! I’ll have to go back and read Aubrey’s review.
The book she reviewed is still up on NetGalley where I got it. I then went and bought the first book at Amazon. It is really good. Should not have bought anything as we might be homeless by next summer here with the way things are, but one tries to ignore the future, and just get through the moment. Especially this time of year as tomorrow is the 6th anniversary of Sandi moving on without me and I am pretty wrecked.
I am so sorry Kevin. I hope it gets better soon for you.
I am sorry, Kevin. Will keep you in my thoughts.
The Franklin Park Conservatory Lesa. The place I most miss about living in Columbus. We were members and never missed an exhibit.
Two books for me this week. I enjoyed An Improper Gentleman the second in the trilogy by Audra Wells. Happy go lucky Archie needs to convince Bridget that all men aren’t as awful as her previous beau. This series is lighthearted and fun.
The Daughters of Erietown by Connie Schultz was also very good. The themes are not for the faint of heart-abuse and teenage pregnancy in the 1950’s. It takes place in the Cleveland area and I enjoyed revisiting all the memories of my youth like Higbee’s, Lawson’s, Captain Penny, and Barnaby. I the story and the characters.
Sunny days after bitter cold today. We may even consider stringing a few Christmas lights outside.
Happy Reading!
Is it, Sharon? I told Linda I’d consider a membership if there was another exhibit I really wanted to see. I get their email, so I’ll watch for it. Loved Holiday Blooms! There was only one other person there on a Wednesday afternoon. Retirement is great!
I have a copy of The Daughters of Erietown someplace, but now that you mention the memories of your youth it makes me even more interested. I share all those same memories, being from northcentral Ohio.
Now tell me – are you loving being a retired person?!!! ❤❤❤
Books have been letting me down lately. I think I’m going to re-read Inheritance.
Yes! I’m loving every minute of it, Kaye!
Good evening from an absolutely FREEZING Aberdeenshire. It’s 6pm here, the current temperature is 32F and falling. I’ve fed the poor birds at least three times today, they are starving.
It can of course get a lot colder here, but the first time the temperatures plummet we are always so surprised you’d be forgiven for thinking it wasn’t an annual event.
Today I went into Aberdeen city to meet a friend for coffee, and then to go to a lunchtime concert by Fraser Fifield and Graeme Stephen, two jazz/folk musicians who started life in Aberdeen, though they both now live in Edinburgh. Fraser plays all sorts of instruments – today it was the Scottish small pipes and the low whistle. Graeme is a master guitarist who has worked with lots of famous names. Fraser writes music inspired by the Scottish countryside, the hills, the islands and the rivers. It was a very atmospheric little performance.
When I got home I had thought about going for a walk, but it was so cold I decided to stay in – more especially because everything was threatening to ice up, and that scares even me.
I didn’t manage to post last week – I had a lot of car problems and they seemed to take up an inordinate amount of time. The minute David went away to Paris for the week, my key fob refused to open the car doors. I know the fob has a small battery inside it, but the instructions for changing it are confusing to say the least, so i didn’t really want to try that.
There is an ’emergency’ key inside the key fob. I got that out, stuck it into the key slot, turned it – nothing happened. I learned from Google that you have to turn it very hard indeed, but I simply could not make it work.
When David came back on Saturday he ended up using pliers to turn it – which wouldn’t exactly help if you were stuck at the side of a motorway.
Anyway we had to call the AA, who found the main battery was knackered, so then we had to wait for the dealership to replace it. Cars – what a nightmare! I spent more time than usual on buses last week!
On Sunday I went down to Edinburgh (on the bus as usual…) and attended evensong at Old St Paul’s church in the Old Town. It is Lucinarium once again, so we have the whole service in darkness, each of us being supplied with a very small and very drippy candle. But I’ve got the measure of this now and know to be careful not to get wax all over me, and the darkness does add a lot of atmosphere to the liturgy.
While I was down there I visited my friend Judith, who was knocked down by a cyclist a few weeks ago and has had to have ‘reverse ball and socket’ surgery on her shoulder. It was so nice to see her, but it will be some time before she is back to full health.
And on Wednesday we went to see BILLY BRAGG in concert. He has been a singer and activist for over 40 years, and he’s still an amazing powerhouse. He performed for 2 hours non stop, and never missed a beat. He doesn’t pull any punches on his views re our appalling Westminster government. He’s a longtime LGBT ally, and speaks out about male violence and the need for his/my generation in particular to open our minds to change. He’s also immensely entertaining, and the packed out Usher Hall loved every minute.
Bill is a lifelong fan of Woody Guthrie and often quotes Guthrie’s words. He has performed alongside Tom Robinson, Jimmy Somerville, Lloyd Cole, Paul Weller, Johnny Marr, the Smiths and many more – at one point they formed something called Red Wedge, to bring Labour Party politics to young music fans, and toured the UK.
It was a great night.
The week before that David and I went to see ALABAMA 3 at La Belle Angele, a bit of a dive in the Old Town. It was quite the experience, the all-standing audience was a bit rough to say the least; at one point a fight broke out and the band stopped the gig and started shouting at the perpetrators to stop it. Not our usual night out!
My big excitement of the past fortnight, though, is that for my birthday my family clubbed together and bought me tickets to see CABARET at the Playhouse Theatre in London. This is a new production starring Jake Shears (Scissor Sisters) and Rebecca Lucy Taylor (aka Self Esteem) and I was desperate to see it, but never really thought I would, as it does not tour – also they change the cast quite often, and Jake and Rebecca are only in it till mid-January.
Well now David and I are going on 21 December. We will stay 2 nights in a nearby hotel and have one free day in London, during which we might go to the Tate Modern. We’re going by train, which I’m pleased about; from Edinburgh it only takes about 4.5 hours.
Yesterday on our way up from Edinburgh we stopped off for coffee at the Loch Leven Larder. We’d not been there before, it’s a bit of a way off the main road, but my goodness it was worth it. Two cafes with fabulous views over the loch and the hills beyond, a farm shop absolutely stuffed with amazing food – from Christmas panettone to delicious-looking deli items, a huge range of cheeses, olive oils that you could decant yourself, an impressive range of whiskies, many of which we’d not seen before (including what must be one of the first casks from the Isle of Raasay distillery, which was just getting going – and only producing gin, which they all do until the whisky is ready – when we visited from Skye a few years ago.)
There were also all sorts of local liqueurs, and again you could decant these yourself.
As well as all of the food they had a lovely gift area, including one for dogs and cats. Of course everything was expensive, but it was fun to look around. We’ll go again, if only for the cafe.
Books!
I am reading THE DEAD OF WINTER by Nicola Upson. It is the first book I have read by this author and I am enjoying it. I think it’s part of a series featuring Detective Chief Inspector Archie Penrose and writer Josephine Tey – yes that Tey (The Franchise Affair and many others.)
And she’s not the only real person to appear, as Upson also introduces us to none other than Marlene Dietrich. It is December 1938, war is now inevitable, but in the meantime Hilaria St Aubyn has invited a collection of rich and/or famous guests to spend Christmas with her at her castle on St Michael’s Mount, a (real) island off the coast of Cornwall, which is accessible only by boat, or across a causeway at low tide. Hilaria is a fundraiser for a charity helping to rescue Jewish children from Nazi Germany, and this holiday is intended to encourage large donations from the monied visitors. As everyone arrives at the Mount, a storm moves in. The snow falls, the sea is wild. No one is going to leave that place for a while.
Yes Lesa, I think it may well be yet another And Then There Were None…but so far it’s being done very well, and Upson creates convincing characters. I agree with you, the thing I struggle with in most Golden Age mysteries is the distinct lack of character development – I’m not nearly as interested in the intricacies of train timetables and inanimate clues as I am in the people involved. Upson writes about the people – they all have interesting back stories.
Before this I read Mark Timlin’s STAY ANOTHER DAY – Timlin writes a series about Nick Sharman, a corrupt ex-policeman turned PI in south London. I have read an earlier book in the series ASHES BY NOW, but that was years ago. Stay Another Day is set some time later – Sharman is now living s simple and secret life on a Caribbean island, funded by the immense wads of cash he stole from some other criminals. But when he hears that his daughter Judith, a police officer in London, has been suspended on accusations of corruption and murder, he knows he must return to the UK to help her.
I quite enjoyed this one, though as ever the plot was a bit far fetched. Timlin writes in a hard-boiled, page-turning style – there’s certainly no time to get bored.
On the radio I listened to Barbara Trapido’s BROTHER OF THE MORE FAMOUS JACK. I had for some reason always thought Trapido was American, but I think I must have confused her with Barbara Kingsolver, as it appears that Trapido is originally from South Africa and has lived in Oxford for decades.
The BBC says this book is iconic. It’s about Katherine, a young woman who leaves her rather dull home to go to university, where she encounters a loud and maverick lecturer, Jacob Goldman, and is soon also introduced to his family – his upper class, free thinking wife Jane and their children, who have had an upbringing quite different from Katherine’s more traditional childhood. She is entranced by them all and covets their lifestyle. She falls in love with the oldest son Roger, but he dumps her for a fellow musician.
Katherine has various adventures and disasters before returning to London and re-encountering Roger’s younger brother Jonathan.
This book, which first appeared in 1982, has had countless 5* reviews. People call it the quintessential coming-of-age novel. I have to admit I found it disappointing (and it wasn’t the fault of the reader, the estimable actress Sally Phillips). Katherine just seemed to me to float about doing not very much and – despite denying this – waiting for a man to define her. I much prefer Margaret Drabble’s early novels – The Garrick Year, A Summer Birdcage, etc – and also Dodie Smith’s I Capture the Castle.
On TV I started to watch a series called KIN. It’s set in Dublin, and is about a gangland family who find themselves up against another bunch of thugs. I found the first episode a bit hard going – it’s very violent, none of the characters is exactly appealing, and I definitely needed the subtitles for the strong Dublin accents. But I might persevere. it was engaging in a way.
Jeff, I had another look at LONDON KILLS, and still could not remember if I’d seen the 4th series, so I am rewatching the 3rd one to get up to date, as the start of the 4th one seemed to be linked to what had already happened. I like all of the actors, and the location shots. London has changed so much since I last lived there (I think we left for good around 1991 so I suppose it’s hardly surprising….)
I also started to watch the new series of THE CROWN. It has had terrible reviews (Lucy Mangan in The Guardian gave it ONE star), but the first episode seemed OK to me. I think i will carry on with it. Neither my husband nor Anna are prepared to watch it with me though! I do think Elizabeth Debicki is fantastic as Diana – she’s SO like her. I’m not sure that Dominic West is right for the Prince Philip role though – he’s a wonderful actor, but just doesn’t seem to fit this part.
Jeff, according to the Radio Times there’s a new series of VIGIL about to start. I’ll give that one a try too.
I so understand Mark’s comments about real life getting in the way of reading, especially just now! I’m not even doing much about Christmas – Anna is doing most of the cooking, and I only have to buy one Secret Santa gift, but I think my friends and I all want to see each other before the great holiday shut down, so I’ve got a lot of walks and coffee dates in my diary. it’s lovely to have friends though, I’m not complaining.
And as you say Lesa, it’s so lovely to have your time to do whatever you like. I have been privileged to enjoy this ever since the first lockdown, and I have absolutely no intention of ever returning to work. I do appreciate how lucky I am.
Have a good week all. Anna is coming to stay with us for a few days next week, but I’ll try to check in on Thursday. We are going with her to see TALISK at the Lemon Tree in Aberdeen, and she and I will hope to have some good walks, and visit some good cafes too. She is bringing Charlie with her. The house in Edinburgh is much warmer than this one – he won’t be too impressed!
Rosemary
Rosemary, last night we started season 8 of SHETLAND! No Jimmy Perez, but it was pretty good, we thought. Clever how they brought in a (supposed) former resident as a replacement (though, of course, at this point it is only supposed to be short-term). And Jamie Sives again! What isn’t he in lately? If it is filmed in Scotland, he’s in it – ANNIKA, of course, but also this and CRIME and THE VICTIM.
We’ll probably finish the last two episodes of PAYBACK tonight, then get on to series two of CRIME next. Still watching SUSPECTS (finished series 3 last night).
Also, we’ve been catching up with C. B. STRIKE (aka STRIKE), which we missed when it was first on, as we didn’t have Cinemax then. I couldn’t get into the first book at all – I read 100 pages and felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere, and they run 900+ pages each – but the TV version is very well done, and Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger do a terrific job.
Music and Cabaret soon and trains and walks. Despite the cold, I hope it all makes up for the car troubles. I hate car problems. You’re just stuck, and so dependent on them.
Loch Leven Larder sounds absoluttely wonderfu!. I enjoy your descriptions of these places. Thank you.
You’re right about the Golden Age writers. Now, I’m curious as to who the early ones were who actually had character development in their mysteries.
I hope you find time, Rosemary, to drop in next Thursday. We all enjoy your posts. But, if you don’t, give Charlie a squeeze for me. He won’t appreciate it, but that’s okay.
I had a pretty quiet week. Been clear, but relatively cold.
As to the eight Thanksgiving dinners, it’s a strange story. In September of that year, I came down with food poisoning. I could have died. Lost a lot of weight, and I wasn’t at all heavy to begin with. I was down to what I weighed in 8 grade. People I knew would ask me if I had cancer. I kept getting asked to have Thanksgiving dinner with people. I didn’t have the heart to say no. Times lined up, and I started eating at 11:30, and quite about 10pm. I had roasted turkey, turducken, smoked turkey, deep fried turkey, ham, pulled beef, prime rib, and pheasant. Several kinds of stuffing. pumpkin, pecan, cherry, apple, cranberry walnut pie. Somebody made a lemon pecan pie. I’ve never had it since, but I’ve always missed it.
There were 3 “drunken uncle” situations, but they all stared the same way. Some sensitive youth would say something snowflakey, and the uncle would just slap it right down. The youth couldn’t handle someone disagreeing with him, and collapse into histrionics. In a couple of years, it’ll be my turn! I don’t really drink, but I ‘m really looking forward to it. (JK)
On the whole, it was a nice day, but I had stomach problems for a couple of days after.
This week I read:
Poisoned by Gilt by Leslie Caine, Sullivan and Gilbert enter a contest concerning sustainable housing. Their client has a history with one of the judges, who just happens to be Sullivan’s mentor (If I were in the contest, I would definitely complain about favoritism) The mentor winds up dead, and our sleuth investigate. The male’s former gf is back, so we have the old green eyed monster, too.
A Deadly Gilded Freefall by Cecilia Tichi; Victorian era married couple are asked to look into the death of a friend’s wife in Chicago. A lot of guilt involved.
Hunted Through Central Asia by Paul Nazaroff; A guy on the wrong side of the Bolsheviks goes on the run in the Stan countries in the early 20 century. Okay, but could be more exciting, considering the situation.
I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan; Adaptation of the movie. I really missed Michael Avallone, who wrote dozens of these sorts of adaptations, and lent them some entertainment value.
Better Homes and Gardens Guide to Entertaining; A peek at a world we have lost. “Entertaining” seems like a lost art that died some time around 1978.
Gyatsing Pass by Erik Swanson; After a fully intact cave man is found in Arctic Russia, an expedition is sent to the area to find more. Boy, do they!
Rules of Engagement by Joe Weber; Written during the the time the history of the Vietnam War was being revised to what seems the consensus now: The soldiers were betrayed by suits. In this book, a Vietnamese ace (were there really Vietnamese aces? I don’t recall ever reading about one.) The enemy ace is protected by rules of engagement that prevent American airmen from doing anything. Then one marine decides to break the rules.
Glen, that is a great story about the eight Thanksgiving dinners and the 3 drunken uncles. Thanks for telling the story.
None of your books jump out at me this week, Glen, but I’m so glad you told the story of the eight Thanksgivings. We all wondered. That’s so funny that the schedules worked for all of them. But, I can imagine not feeling great for the next couple days.
Thank you!
Thank you, Glen! We all wanted to know about the 8 Thanksgivings, and it’s a great story. Glad you survived both the food poisoning and the 8 dinners.
Hi Lesa,
Glad you enjoyed your visit to the Conservatory. We have a beautiful Botanical Gardens here in San Antonio, and the Riverwalk downtown is all lit up for the holidays. It just doesn’t feel like holiday time when the temps are in the 70s, though.
I’m enjoying “The Ghosts of Beatrice Bird” by Louisa Morgan. I’ve read other books of hers and liked them. Next up is “Inheritance” by Nora Roberts. I wanted to read it based on your review! There are so many books on my list to read before the end of the year!
Linda
Linda, I understand not feeling like holiday time. We used to go to the Botanical Gardens in Tempe, Arizona at Christmas. One year it was chilly, though, and we actually had hot cider at the event. But, when it’s 70 or 80, it doesn’t feel like the holidays.
I hope you enjoy “Inheritance”!
I found the information about THE INVISIBLE HOUR very interesting. Thanks to you and Jeff for that.
I finished reading DRACULA last weekend. It was a challenging read, but still enjoyable. I was very tense reading the last couple of chapters. I liked the structure and the writing, although some scenes and discussions were belabored, in my opinion. So very glad I read it finally. We will rewatch our old version of Dracula with Bela Lugosi soon. I had forgotten that we had a copy.
After reading a long, intense book, I wanted a switch to something light (but not frothy). Glen suggested a Parnell Hall book in the Stanley Hastings series. He has all of them (or will have soon, we just ordered the last one that he did not own). I read FAVOR, the third book in the series. The setting varies from the usual, because Stanley has an adventure in Atlantic City. I liked the book, it was just what I needed. I just wish Stanley had a bit more confidence in himself. Last night I started reading THE LAST DEVIL TO DIE by Richard Osman.
Glen is reding PREQUEL: AN AMERICAN FIGHT AGAINST FASCISM by Rachel Maddow. He is enjoying it and likes the writing, but it reminds him too much of what is going on now. It focuses on events in the 1930s and 40s.
THis has been a tough week for me work wise and family wise, with lots of stress and sleepless nights so not a lot of productivity reading, but I am enjoying Yellow Bird – it’s about a woman on a reservation in North Dakota trying to solve the missing person case of an oil worker. True Story too. LOVE it. Very Killers of Flower Moon! My partner is reading Meachem’s new book on Lincoln – which I’m borrowing afterwards because it looks so good.