What a crazy week here. I already mentioned my Mom and sisters were here on Monday. We had a terrific lunch at Delaney’s Diner in Groveport, followed by a visit to Wagnalls Memorial, a library in Lithopolis. The library was founded by Mabel Wagnalls, daughter of Adam Wagnalls, co-founder of Funk & Wagnalls. Both of Mabel’s parents were born in log cabins in Lithopolis.
Just a couple pictures of Wagnalls (not my photos, so not seasonal pictures).
When my friend, Donna, visits in April, we’ll have to take the guided tour.
Tonight, my sisster, Linda and I are off to see “The Producers”. Mom and my other sister, Christie, are going to a local production on Friday night of something that sounds fun. It’s called “What is Murder”, about four Jeopardy champions getting together for a tournament, and one is murdered.
And, this morning the tornado sirens woke me up, and I sat in the bathroom while Linda and her husband sat in their basement. I’m now so close, we have the same weather patterns. It’s nice to have someone check up on me by text since she’s experiencing the same weather. So, a busy week here.
I’m currently reading for Library Journal, and working on Treasures in My Closet. So, I’ve only read two chapters of Con Lehane’s Murder at the College Library. The fifth 42nd Street Library Mystery is due out next week.
Here’s the publisher’s summary, but I’l lave a review up when I finish. Crime-fiction librarian – and reluctant amateur sleuth – Ray Ambler gets mixed up in murder once again when he’s called to appraise a mystery-novel collection at an exclusive New York college. An invitation from a prestigious liberal arts college to buy their mystery-novel collection comes as a welcome surprise for Raymond Ambler, crime-fiction curator at New York City’s prestigious 42nd Street Library. But his pleasure quickly turns sour when the collection’s curator – Ambler’s friend Sam Abernathy – tells him he plans to fight the acquisition tooth and nail. The collection would make a fine addition to his holdings, but Ambler’s not looking for drama. It’s a shame, then, that drama’s looking for him. Just a couple of weeks later, one of Abernathy’s colleagues is shot dead from the library’s roof, and all signs point to the crime-loving professor as the perpetrator of the violent act. Working with his son John, he launches into an investigation at the college library, and it’s not long before he discovers missing manuscripts, explosive secrets and scandals amongst the faculty staff . . . and a cunning killer who’ll stop at nothing to cover up their crimes.
What about you? What have you been up to this week? And, of course, what are you reading?
Hello, all! This week I played games (Crazy Rummy, Hand & Foot, and Rummikub) 3 days in a row–nice to have social interaction with like-minded women. Tomorrow my Toastmasters club is having an open house, and I’m one of the speakers. And tomorrow night my son Nick and I are going to see the West Coast premiere of Mystic Pizza: the Musical. It’s a jukebox musical with plenty of oldies-but-goodies, so it should be fun. Reading was pretty good this week (all ARCs), although I just finished a book that was a disappointment–more on that next week.
In NOSY NEIGHBORS by Freya Sampson, Shelley House is a beautiful Victorian apartment building that has seen better days. The owner, who routinely ignores tenants’ requests for repairs, has decided to tear down the building and put up modern apartments and has sent out eviction notices to the current residents. Irascible Dorothy Darling, 77, has lived in Shelley House for more than 30 years and has her own private reasons for refusing to leave. She shies away from any social interaction with the others in the building, although she has unilaterally taken on responsibility for enforcing safety measures, sorting the mail, and calling out residents who aren’t following the rules. Dorothy doesn’t approve of the noisy punk upstairs, the woman who keeps picking the wrong partner, and the elderly man next door with the annoying, yappy dog. And she doesn’t understand the uneasy dynamic between a father and his teenage daughter after the matriarch of the family passes away. But she can’t help getting involved with Kat, the pink-haired, tattooed young woman who is renting a room from her neighbor when the elderly man is found unconscious after an attack in his home. After a somewhat slow start, the story becomes much more engaging and immersive, and the universal themes emerge. Ultimately, Nosy Neighbors is about conquering long-standing guilt, coming together with “found family” to vanquish the opposition, and finding oneself before it’s too late. There is a romantic element as well, but it is not a major plot element. And while some aspects of the story are predictable, there are enough surprises to keep it uplifting and satisfying. (April)
‘In the second An American in Paris Mystery by Colleen Cambridge, A MURDER MOST FRENCH, American Tabitha Knight is enjoying her new life in post-WWII Paris. Her friend and neighbor, Julia Child, is studying at the Cordon Bleu cooking school, and Tabitha is benefiting from delectable dinners at the house of Julia and her husband, not to mention demonstrations open to the public by the school’s master chefs. But when one of the chefs dies from a poisoned bottle of valuable vintage wine, Tabitha is tempted to get involved in the subsequent investigation, as she did in the previous book in the series. And when she feels her “monsieurs,” her beloved grandfather and his male partner, are threatened by subsequent poisonings, she knows she has to take action. Never mind that Inspector Merveille insists she stay out of danger. Tabitha has skills that she feels will help her get out of tough situations. Wine is at the center of the mystery–how did the poison get into the corked and sealed bottle, where did the bottle come from, who had the motive and opportunity to poison? Part of the pleasure I derived from the book is from the author’s wonderful descriptions of 1950s Paris, and especially the underground catacombs, which Tabitha is able to access with the local mushroom grower/seller. The information about how the Germans took over the locals’ wine collections for their own purposes during the occupation is also fascinating. This is a fun series for those who enjoy a high-stakes historical mystery with no graphic violence, along with the irresistible Paris setting . . . and Julia Child! (April)
I have read and enjoyed many of Nancy Thayer’s novels and appreciate her no-frills, straightforward storytelling style and multifaceted family-oriented plots. In THE SUMMER WE STARTED OVER, Eddie (nee Edna) takes a break from her job as assistant to a popular romance author to return to her family home on Nantucket. Her sister, Barrett, is about to fulfill her dream of opening a gift shop, but she is still feeling the effects of their brother’s death a few years back and their parents’ subsequent divorce. Their father is perhaps the most affected by past tragedies, buying and hoarding an inordinate amount of books as research for a nonfiction book he has been struggling to write. Eddie herself has abandoned a promising romantic relationship but finds that her attraction to her former lover is still as strong as ever. I found it refreshing that there are fewer roadblocks for the main characters to overcome than I often find in books in the same genre, with the exception of one particularly fraught and sensitively written plot involving a childhood friend. I particularly enjoyed the depiction of Barrett’s store that features all things blue–clothing, art, and more. I warmed to the characters of their father, Eddie’s flamboyant author employer, and one of Barrett’s two suitors, a humble carpenter who turns out to be so much more. And Eddie herself develops into someone who learns to communicate more effectively and identify what she really wants out of life. (April)
I like the sound of all three of those books Margie, but especially The Summer We Started Over.
I hope you have a lovely evening with your son.
It sounds like a good week for theater, Margie. Enjoy your evening.
You’re right. It’s nice to have social time with other women who enjoy games.
I have a friend who loves Nancy Thayer’s books. I’ll have to mention The Summer We Started Over.
We had a beautiful 70 degree day today. It’s supposed to start raining on Friday. I gave into temptation and went for a run even though I was feeling like I’m getting sick. You guessed it, I am definitely sick. And it’s quarter end at work, so I can’t really take any time off. Sigh.
On the reading front, I’m about a third of the way into In Sunshine or in Shadow by Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles. This is the new Molly Murphy Mystery. Set in the summer of 1908, Molly is out in the Catskills. As is often the case, the body hasn’t dropped yet, but I suspect I know who it will be. We have more action than is often the case for one of Rhys’s books in the first third, which makes me happy.
Oh, Mark. What can I say? You knew better. I’m sorry you don’t have the time to just relax and feel better.
Good to hear there’s a little more action in this Molly Murphy book, too.
Hey, everyone – Happy Thursday!
Some very good trading lately!
I loved AGONY HILL by Sarah Stewart Taylor.
Description from NetGalley
Set in rural Vermont in the volatile 1960s, Agony Hill is the first novel in a new historical series full of vivid New England atmosphere and the deeply drawn characters that are Sarah Stewart Taylor’s trademark.
In the hot summer of 1965, Bostonian Franklin Warren arrives in Bethany, Vermont, to take a position as a detective with the state police. Warren’s new home is on the verge of monumental change; the interstates under construction will bring new people, new opportunities, and new problems to Vermont, and the Cold War and protests against the war in Vietnam have finally reached the dirt roads and rolling pastures of Bethany.
Warren has barely unpacked when he’s called up to a remote farm on Agony Hill. Former New Yorker and Back-to-the-Lander Hugh Weber seems to have set fire to his barn and himself, with the door barred from the inside, but things aren’t adding up for Warren. The people of Bethany—from Weber’s enigmatic wife to Warren’s neighbor, widow and amateur detective Alice Bellows — clearly have secrets they’d like to keep, but Warren can’t tell if the truth about Weber’s death is one of them. As he gets to know his new home and grapples with the tragedy that brought him there, Warren is drawn to the people and traditions of small town Vermont, even as he finds darkness amidst the beauty.
And
I loved LAST HOUSE by Jessica Shattuck
Description from NetGalley
“An ambitious historical epic that doubles as an intimate family saga. Jessica Shattuck captures and connects it all—the imperial ambitions of the postwar generation, the rebellion of their offspring in the Sixties, and the fallout we’re still sifting through today. . . . This is a wide-ranging novel to savor.” — TOM PERROTTA
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Women in the Castle comes a sweeping story of a nation on the rise, and one family’s deeply complicated relationship to the resource that built their fortune and fueled their greatest tragedy, perfect for fans of The Dutch House and Great Circle.
The war is over, and America has entered a golden age: The Age of Oil.
It’s 1953, and for Nick Taylor, WWII veteran turned company lawyer, oil is the key to the future. He takes the train into the city for work and returns to the peaceful streets of the suburbs and to his wife, Bet, former codebreaker now housewife, and their two children, Katherine and Harry. Nick comes from humble origins but thanks to his work for American Oil, he can provide every comfort for his family, including Last House, a secluded country escape. Deep in the Vermont mountains, the Taylors are free from the stresses of modern life. Bet doesn’t have to worry about the Russian H-bombs that haunt her dreams, and the children roam free in the woods. Last House is a place that could survive the end of the world.
It’s 1968, and America is on the brink of change. Protestors fill the streets to challenge everything from the Vietnam War to racism in the wake of MLK’s shooting—to the country’s reliance on Big Oil. As Katherine makes her first forays into adult life, she’s caught up in the current of the time and struggles to reconcile her ideals with the stable and privileged childhood her Greatest Generation parents worked so hard to provide. But when the Movement shifts in a more radical direction, each member of the Taylor family will be forced to reckon with the consequences of the choices they’ve made for the causes they believed in.
Spanning multiple generations and nearly eighty years, Last House tells the story of one American family during an age of grand ideals and even greater downfalls. Set against the backdrop of our nation’s history, this is an emotional tour de force that digs deeply into questions of inheritance and what we owe each other—and captures to stunning effect the gravity of time, the double edge of progress, and the hubris of empire.
They both sound great, Kaye.
Only two comments in and I am already adding to my wish list….
Back in the 60s, Kaye. I know the 60s don’t feel as if they should yet have “historical epics”. I’m looking forward to Agony Hill.
Thanks Kaye – I might give The Last House a try. I really enjoyed The Women in the Castle.
I won Like Happiness by Ursula Villarreal-Moura and I am almost finished. I am not sure I understand why the author wrote it. Tatum sends a fan mail to an author eight years older than her, and she is surprised when he responds. He lures her into a toxic relationship that is not physical but seems sort of weird and emotionally abusive. The book shifts from place to place, like Chile, and San Antonio, Texas, and time-wise too. The author can write but all the shifts make it more confusing than I like.
The author is later accused of sexual abuse and someone wanted to interview Tatum about her experience with the author. At first, I thought that the author was like a spider drawing her into his web so he could play with her as a game of control. I hated him. Later, I got mad at her because she was not able to sever from the relationship, and kept returning to him.
I did enjoy the characterization of Tatum’s father and mother. Tatum viewed them as stuck in their traditional Catholic views. But I loved the part where Tatum’s father tells her that he thinks that the author is the Devil! The relationship is going nowhere and there will never be any future in it.
I enjoyed the references to San Antonia’s history and atmosphere and the interspersing of Spanish throughout the book. Also, she felt that she did not fit into the white world, especially in New York City.
I would like to read more from her about family relationships and not fitting in and but the toxic relationship disturbed me.
The author is just beginning, it felt too ambitious, I am hoping for a more straightforward book, and I wonder if why she picked the main theme.
Well, that was an interesting review, Carol. I think I’m skipping this book. But, that’s why we mention books here, to suggest books to read and avoid. Thank you!
Thank you! I would skipped it too if I read a review like mine instead of the glowing ones I read before!
Good morning all, and thank you Lesa for the beautiful pictures of Wagnalls.
Being the ignoramus that I am, I didn’t even know that buildings as old as those existed in the US. I’ve just been looking at Wagnalls’ website, which is very interesting, and mentions Mabel Wagnalls-Jones’ friendships with Norman Rockwell, Harry Houdini and O. Henry. I’m sure the tour you plan to take will be wonderful.
Tornado warnings sound terrifying to anyone from the UK, as we simply don’t have those here (not yet anyway – there was a time not that long ago when flood warnings were rare, now they are becoming commonplace.) I’m glad you were all OK.
MURDER AT THE COLLEGE LIBRARY is another book I will be adding to my list, though as usual I very much doubt it will appear in our library system.
This week we have had some lovely sunny days – and of course some wet ones. On Tuesday morning everything was covered in very unexpected ice, so much so that Nancy and I abandoned our walking plans and just met for a coffee and a catch up. But by the afternoon the ice had melted, the sun was out, and I was down beside the Dee admiring a spectacular sunset.
Yesterday my friend Ann and I walked at the Blackhall Fisheries – and got rained on, but fortunately the walk is quite sheltered. We saw fisherman standing in the water – rather them than me, but of course light rain is their favourite weather, as it brings the fish to the surface (apparently…)
And last Thursday another friend and I had a great walk at Aberdeen beach, with the sun shining on the sea.
BOOKS –
I am ploughing on with my 52 Book Club Challenge, but have also decided to participate in the annual Reading Ireland month, and the simultaneous (not well planned – but unavoidable when both countries’ patron saints, Patrick and David, have their days in March…) Dewithon.
So I spent a morning working out which books I had that would fit those challenges plus work for one of the 52 Book Club prompts – in fact there was lots of overlap, so I was pleased about that.
I finished BRING ME SUNSHINE by Laura Kemp, and ended up enjoying it much more than the average chick lit novel.
Londoner Charlie (Charlotte) is forced to take a job at a small and failing radio station in Mumbles (a seaside resort near Swansea) when the boss of Orbital, her prestigious city station, offers her a choice of that or redundancy. She had started off as a high flyer at Orbital, but ended up demoted to the traffic news after a disastrous on-air event. Her peak-time DJ boyfriend tells her this will be for the best, as she ‘can’t cope’ with anything else. (Alarm bells already ringing…?)
In Mumbles she meets Delme, Sunshine FM’s Health & Safety officer – but Delme is a mess, hopeless at his job, physically out of shape, and with a painful secret of his own concerning his beloved older brother, a former star rugby player. Delme is a wonderful creation, very far from the usual hunky hero; he’s a man with good intentions and a good heart, but his mental anguish is holding him back.
There’s a very good cast of supporting characters in this book – none of them are the cardboard cutouts so many romance authors seem to rely on. Each one, from Tina, the super smart receptionist to Merri, the far from merry owner of the café on the pier, has history, and Laura Kemp manages to interweave all of their stories convincingly; we are quickly invested in all of them.
I think what I liked most about Bring Me Sunshine was the way in which none of the characters were stereotypes. Delme is a lovely person but his own worst enemy; we are rooting for him all along, but dreading him messing up yet again. Charlie’s boyfriend Jonny is a prime example of a manipulative gaslighter, but Kemp reveals this slowly, showing us how easy it is for someone to be taken in by such behaviour, and to think that everything that goes wrong is their own fault.
Bring Me Sunshine explores themes of coercive control, acceptance, self worth and how we value people. It’s also a great story set in a beautiful part of Wales. I’ll be looking for Kemp’s first book, THE YEAR OF SURPRISING ACTS OF KINDNESS, at the library.
So now I am reading another book for Dewithon 2024, NEVER GREENER by Ruth Jones.
Jones is Welsh, and an acclaimed actress and screenwriter. With James Corden, she created and starred in the hugely popular TV series GAVIN AND STACEY. But I have to say that, at least so far, there is no evidence that she can write a novel.
In 1985 Edinburgh schoolteacher Callum is working extra shifts at his brother’s pub to help Fergus out. Along comes Kate, a 22 year old aspiring actress looking for a bar job. Callum is 39 and happily married to Belinda, who is about to give birth to the couple’s third child.
Nevertheless, within hours (yes hours) he has fallen for Kate’s charms (we are repeatedly told how beautiful and mesmerising she is) and they are having hot sex. Callum cannot, apparently, keep his hands off her, and Kate appears to have no moral compass whatsoever. Their liaisons continue, and although Callum occasionally feels a bit guilty and conflicted, that doesn’t stop him from pursuing this totally self-indulgent affair.
The relationship eventually ends, though as yet (I’m almost half way through these 500+ torrid pages) it’s not clear how or why.
Fast forward 20 years. Kate is now a famous actress living in London with her supportive and long suffering husband Matt and their 5 year old daughter. Kate is difficult, demanding and utterly unreliable; she’s also bulimic, and far too fond of both alcohol and cocaine. She is invited back to her old school in Edinburgh to give a talk to a primary class. Well, what a surprise to us all – Callum has moved schools, and there he is, teaching that very same class.
Do they say hello/goodbye? Of course they don’t. They are instantly back in the sack, neither caring tuppence about letting down their spouses, and in Kate’s case also her child.
These two characters are so lacking in depth, so selfish and so all-round obnoxious that it is impossible to have any empathy for them. Kate’s husband and Callum’s wife are much better people, but so far neither is explored in any meaningful way.
I’ve just looked at the Goodreads reviews for this book, and it seems that some people loved it and many others loathed it. Some made the interesting point that Jones is still writing like a scriptwriter – the book reads like scenes from a (not very good) film, in which the actors would be expected to convey emotions.
I can’t help agreeing with the people who commented that Jones would never have got a book deal (Never Greener was the subject of a bidding war) had she not been famous, and that whoever edited this clearly didn’t challenge her on any of her lazy and cliched writing. Plus, there are factual errors – particularly about the Scottish education system, which is quite different from the English, and presumably also the Welsh, one. And – heinous of crimes – Jones apparently (I’m not up to this bit yet) misquotes Auld Lang Syne.
As one reviewer said – why did she not just set the book in Wales? There is no real need for it to be set in Scotland, but if she felt compelled to do this, she could at least have done her homework.
I suppose I will press on – at least it’s easy to read.
And I am also reading COUNTRY GIRL, the memoir of Irish author Edna O’Brien. O’Brien grew up in rural Ireland, in a large but decaying old house (of which there were many in the 1930s), with her beloved mother and her alcoholic and sometimes violent father, her older siblings having all been sent away to school.
When she wrote her first novel, The Country Girls (1960), the local priest burned it, so scandalised was the community by this story of two young women moving to the city and exploring what an independent life has to offer them, in both their relationships and their careers. This was the 1960s. Irish women in particular were supposed to marry young, produce numerous children, and stay firmly in the kitchen.
O’ Brien, who is still alive and lives in London, went on to have a disastrous marriage, a highly successful literary career, and a wild social life. Margaret Drabble, a contemporary of O’Brien’s, says she got away with much more than the rest because she was so beautiful and daring. She certainly went on to meet and socialise with numerous celebrities, from Robert Mitchum to Jackie Onassis.
I haven’t got beyond the childhood chapters yet. They are beautifully written and really do remind me of the Ireland I knew in the 1980s – the way of life in the countryside had changed so little then, whereas a few years later it was to be transformed. O’Brien perfectly captures – as of course she would – the speech patterns and language of County Clare.
I’m not sure how this book will progress. Many people have said that the first part is the best, and that there’s far too much name-dropping later on. We’ll see.
On television I have just started watching DEADWATER FELL, a Scottish crime drama from 2020 now being shown on Netflix, in which David Tennant plays a local doctor, who may or may not have murdered his family. The first episode was gripping, as the Kendrick family are shown as happy and attractive…until cracks start to appear in Tom (Tennant) and Kate’s relationship, and some of their friends are revealed to be less than perfect too.
I’m also continuing to enjoy the Australian comedy/soap FISK.
And on BBC Sounds I listened to Jon Savage reading his book SO YOU’VE BEEN PUBLICLY SHAMED. I found this very interesting – Savage talked to people who had made one mistake and had their lives and careers trashed on Twitter. He discussed how his own attitudes to this had changed over time, and also investigated the unknown (to him and to me) world of ‘reputation management’, in which companies create false positive stories about the person, so that when people Google their names, the stories about their transgressions are relegated to way down the results, for, as one of the ‘managers’ says, ‘only weirdos read beyond the first page’.
Tonight I am going to the preview of a new exhibition at the art gallery – ARTISTS’ ROOMS – LOUISE BOURGEOIS. Our daughter Madeleine first introduced me to Bourgeois’ work a few years ago, when the Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh hosted a large scale exhibition about her – including some of her enormous spider sculptures. We subsequently saw another exhibition, at the Fruitmarket in Edinburgh, about her smaller works. I imagine that this one is also going to be small scale, as the room it’s in isn’t that large.
And tomorrow I am attending the Aberdeen Cultural Summit. This has been organised by a professor at the university. I have no idea what to expect but I’ll go along anyway. I am a bit annoyed by the number of people who are already criticising the concept – many creatives feel unsupported in this city (and, I imagine, everywhere else in the UK, as funding for such things has been pared to the bone by Westminster) and are convinced this can’t help them, while many Aberdonians already have their knife into it as they can’t stand anything ‘flakey’ and feel there are more important things in life.
This professor is at least trying to do something positive, and I am right behind her for that.
Tomorrow evening David and I are going to the Music Hall to see a tribute concert to Burt Bacharach. Several excellent Scottish musicians are taking part, including Hamish Hawk and Karine Polwart, so it should be good.
I nearly forgot some news for you Lesa! We have decided that we need to get Charlie a playmate, as he clearly wants company. We always had two cats before, and intended to when we got him, but we were messed about endlessly by the breeder, who kept promising things then changing her mind, so we ended up with just him. But Anna and I are increasingly convinced that he is bored and missing his siblings, so we have started the hunt for another Siamese. They are not easy to find in Scotland, but Anna is hopeful that she has tracked one down in the Borders. After our experience with Charlie we will not be celebrating until we actually have the new boy, but fingers crossed…
Have a good week everyone!
Good morning, Rosemary. Interesting about the Ruth Jones book. Sadly, so many people get books published solely because they are famous, whether or not they have any writing ability or not. (Some of the books are actually ghostwritten.) Yes, Carrie Fisher could write, and presumably Jamie Lee Curtis, but believe me, many cannot. Former New York Mayor Ed Koch? Well, his was ghostwritten. My late friend Bill Crider wrote two books “as by” Willard Scott, but Bill always said that Willard, unlike most celebrities, always gave him full credit and even insisted Bill’s name be on the cover with his. (And yes, as with all of Bill’s books, they are worth reading, as are the books “by” former Houston PI Clyde Wilson that Bill wrote.)
Speaking of Ruth Jones, we were glad to see there will be another GAVIN & STACY Christmas special this year, now that James Corden has moved back to Britain.
Series 13 of VERA is starting here today, so Yay! We’re always watching series 13 (I believe) of DEATH IN PARADISE.
Jeff, yes, those Willard Scott/Bill Crider books were pretty good. I remember wishing the series were longer. Bill really gets Scott’s personality into the books.
Rosemary, Bring Me Sunshine sounds wonderful, so I just bought it on Kindle. Thank you for the recommendation!
I do hope you enjoy it Margie – let us know!
Margie, I just did the same thing. Sounds like a good book to have on my kindle when I want something not too heavy. Thank you for the review Rosemary.
Oh, that’s good news for Charlie, Rosemary. I hope you find the right playmate for him! Thank you for keeping me in the loop.
To be honest, we don’t have many buildings like Wagnalls in the U.S. We tend to tear buildings down if they get too old, rather than to maintain them. Libraries are often an exception. There are Carnegie Libraries, funded with money from Andrew Carnegie and the communities, all over the country. We had two in Evansville. Wagnalls still has two Norman Rockwell paintings, although they did sell two to maintain the building.
Ice! That’s almost as bad as our tornado warnings. I hate ice. I’m glad you could at least meet up for coffee and a chat.
I, to this day, remain angry and hurt that the city of Atlanta allowed a big deal commercial builder to tear down a beautiful, still in use, Carnegie library in the downtown area. Without warning. Atlanta was always ignorant and self-serving when it came to its architectural history and integrity, the Carnegie library its most egregious. Hmmm, anyone think I’m still carrying this grudge, and haven’t lived in Atlanta for 30 years?!
That’s terrible, Kaye. I can understand why you’re still angry. It’s a crime.
What a magnificent library, Lesa. Thanks for the pictures. As usual, I’m listening to one book and reading another. The audiobook is Jess Lourey’s THE TAKEN ONES (2023), the first in a new series with a pair of detectives called Reed and Steinbeck. It’s set in Minnesota, and the sense of place rings very true to me. One of the detectives has psychic powers, though, which is not something that appeals to my down-to-earth self! Nevertheless, the book’s well-written, well-read, and exciting, so I’ll definitely finish it. It’s the first book by Lourey I’ve read–I wonder if all her books have supernatural elements.
The book I’m reading on my Kindle is by Claire Booth: THE BRANSON BEAUTY, the first in her series of Sheriff Hank Worth mysteries. It’s set in Missouri and starts with a tourist-filled showboat running aground and a murdered young woman being found in it after everyone has been evacuated. So far, I’m enjoying it a lot–a straightforward, appealing police procedural.
No, Kim. Not all of Jess Lourey’s books have supernatural elements. Unspeakable Things and Bloodlines do not. They’re standalones, again, with an excellent sense of place.
You’re right about the Sheriff Hank Worth mysteries. Straightforward police procedurals, which is why I like them so much.
I love Claire Booth’s books! I got to meet her last year at Bouchercon. Such a nice lady. I mentioned to her how much I loved her books and she told me I made her whole day. How sweet! She has book 6 of the Hank Worth mysteries coming out in April. Can’t wait to get my hands on it.
Finally first one of 2024 that I can actually recommend! The Hike by Lucy Clarke – 4 friends hike the mountains of Norway. Just the idea of making a hike like that scares me so it was really good. Of course murder and weird characters added to it. I am going to look for her other books. She apparently does a lot of research into the area she writes about.
It’s tough going almost two months without a book you feel you can recommend, Donna. I’m sorry about that.
Good morning. I read FATAL FIRST EDITION by Jenn McKinlay, the latest Library Lovers mystery. Lindsey and her husband Sully are attending a conference in Chicago and one of the attendees is killed on the train ride home. There’s also a cameo appearance by Brooklyn Wainwright and her husband Derek from Kate Carlisle’s series.
It was a mixed bag for me since the first part of the book felt off to me, mainly because I missed all of the usual secondary characters. I preferred the second part of the book when they were back home in Briar Creek. It would have really been fun if Jenn and Kate had co-written the book with both sets of sleuths working to solve the murder.
That’s funny, Sandy, because I enjoyed both parts because I appreciated the conference part, and the train. It’s always best, though, when the characters are at home with their community.
Thanks for the pictures, Lesa. Now that is the kind of library I’ve always wanted! Loved the stone walls.
Jackie finished the last Chloe Neill book and has started one you recommended, THE DEAD ROMANTICS by Ashley Poston. She said it is funny and entertaining so far, but she just started it yesterday.
I finished Lee Goldberg’s DREAM TOWN last night, and it might well be the best of the Eve Ronin series so far. There are a few references to other cops resenting her, but thankfully, it is toned down from the earlier books. Not toned down, fortunately, is her partner Duncan “Donuts” Preston and his eating. This one really crosses over, as they are filing the first episode of the Ronin television series (directed by her estranged father) right there where it all happened (you need to read the previous books first), and then this book’s key murder is young woman clearly modeled on Kim Kardashian, whose family is always “on” due to the ubiquitous nature of their reality series. The cynicism works so well here, Eve tones it down a bit, the new Captain is not hostile to her as some of the others were, and there is even time for a little romance with her anthropologist. This one is a winner. Now I’m curious about the forthcoming crossover between this and the Sharpe & Walker series that is coming.
Homesick for ANOTHER WORLD by Ottessa Moshfegh is a deeply strange collection of short stories. What a mind this woman has. Now I’m reading two more collections. The first was a suggestion in 101 HORROR BOOKS TO READ BEFORE YOU’RE MURDERED, namely Nathan Ballingrud’s NORTH AMERICAN LAKE MONSTERS. The second (which I bought for 99 cents on Amazon) was the one Kevin reviewed, Jeffrey Marks, UNDER INVESTIGATION. I always like a historical tie-in, especially when it is accurate to time and place and character, and this one features General (and future President) Ulysses S. Grant as the “detective” – though he is more of a bystander in the story I read yesterday.
ALso rading, and very much enjoying, a book I felt Lesa was lukewarm about when she reviewed it, Shannon Reed’s WHY WE READ: ON BOOKWORMS, LIBRARIES and JUST ONE MORE PAGE BEFORE LIGHTS OUT. It very much struck a chord with me (even though she is quite a bit younger than I am(, and I love what she has written about books, libraries and bookstores, among other things. She is a woman who has taught pre-school, high school and college students. We don’t always agree – she dislikes short stories (like Jackie) and loves GONE GIRL (which, not me), but it is definitely worth a look, even if you just skim the chapters that don’t interest you.
Not sure what I’ll read net, but I have the first Quentin Bates book set in Iceland to try, FROZEN ASSETS, so we’ll see.
I agree with you, Jeff. Dream Town was my favorite Eve Ronin book. And, I love Eve’s partner, Duncan! I’m so glad nothing happened to him at the end of the last book.
I hope Jackie continues to enjoy The Dead Romantics.
Looking forward to your opinion of Frozen Assets, whenever you get around to it.
Loved DreamTownas well
The Wagnalls Memorial is a beautiful library. I used to have a library card there.
I read Connie Berry novella Murder and Mistletoe this week and was happy to be able to read about Kate and Tom’s wedding. I just love this series.
Next I finished Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford. Seventy-seven year old Mrs. Quinn decides to do something for herself so she enters the Britain Bakes! reality show competition. I enjoyed reading about her baking and the other contestants.
Happy Reading!
Oh, I put Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame on hold at the library, Sharon. I’m happy to hear you liked it.
I love Connie Berry’s Kate Hamilton series, too.
Did you have a card at Wagnalls Memorial? You’re right. It’s beautiful.
I really enjoyed Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame. It had some very touching moments.
Happy Leap Day! We had a good old fashioned winter storm yesterday in Northern MI. Schools were closed, the winds were whipping, and staying inside and reading a book was what the day called for! It allowed me to finish reading “Don’t Forget to Write”, by Sara Goodman Confino. I really enjoyed this book. In it, Marilyn, the daughter of an upright Jewish family in 1960’s New York, decides to have a quick make-out session with the rabbi’s son, Dan, during services. Sneaking into the rabbi’s office, things quickly go South as their passionate kiss finds them crashing through the stained glass window and into the main part of the synagogue where the congregation is gathered. OBVIOUSLY the rabbi and Marilyn’s father were not happy, and a marriage proposal from Dan ensues to save face. Marilyn, a very progressive young lady, refuses Dan, and her father and mother send her to Great Aunt Ada for the summer to learn the error of her ways. While 75 years old Ada, who is the local matchmaker in Philadelphia, is a strict disciplinarian, she also recognizes much of her own spirit in Marilyn and straddles the fine line between too much strictness and too much leniency. Marilyn grows to love Aunt Ada, has her first real love affair with a local boy, and finds her path, with Ada’s guidance. Lots of frivolity, local flair (visiting Atlantic City circa 1960’s was a blast for me), and life lessons. A fun read.
Happy Leap Day, Mary! I love your review of Don’t Forget to Write. I wonder if Kaye Barley would like this one. She’s been reading novels set in the 1960s lately. I’m glad it was fun!
Loved DON’T FORGET TO WRITE, yes!
I should have known you’ve already read it, Kaye.
A winter storm is due in today with a rare blizzard warning in the Sierra. Forecast is for ten or more feet of snow at the higher elevations with travel not recommended. Probably 5-6 inches here, but I can take the hint and plan to stay indoors. Just very windy and 44 degrees currently.
Just finished the dark historical mystery MURDER BY LAMPLIGHT (Patrice McDonough). Reviewed here recently (thanks Lesa). The case is set in London in 1866 with interesting characters and lots of great period information. Definitely has series potential.
But – annoyingly I kept wondering – would colored balloons be so commonplace in 1866?
FOURTEEN DAYS: A COLLABORATIVE NOVEL
Created by The Authors Guild as a fundraiser for their foundation, the book is collectively written by 36 American and Canadian authors whose work spans a variety of literary genres. Set on a rooftop in New York in early 2020. It’s worth the read for a modern example of a “frame” narrative, for anyone that loves stories and storytelling.
SILVER, SWORD, AND STONE: Three Crucibles in the Latin American Story by Marie Arana. Nonfiction but told as a story. Estimates show that by 1492 twenty percent of the world population resided in the Americas. This book presents a sweeping overview of history told through the forces that shaped (and still shape) the area – exploitation, violence and religion.
THE MINUSCULE MANSION OF MYRA MALONE has been on my TBR list for awhile, but seeing it on Margie Bunting’s best of 2023 list made it happen. “The idea that it was all driven by some kind of magic – real magic – seemed impossible”. An creative story, full of passion, simply enchanting. The author has a second book out this year “A House Like An Accordion”
FOURTEEN DAYS is exactly my kind of book, MM. I’ve had it on hold since it came out.
I feel sorry for those of you in the path of winter storms, MM, but you seem used to it. You’re right. Stay home with a good book.
Funny, I don’t even remember the balloons in that book. I did look up balloons, and rubber balloons were common in 1825, and latex ones in 1847.
The balloons were a “major” clue – even a red herring – for Scotland Yard in tying the murders to one killer. The colors of the balloons were even mentioned. For some reason a major distraction for me as balloons were available but mostly used for scientific research at that time.
Now, I remember, MM. I read it so many months ago, I forgot about the balloons.
Hi all! I also read Fatal First Edition this week. I thought the cameo and change of scenery were fun but I was super-distracted by the train’s route. Having a train from Chicago go through CT before it goes to New York City made no sense to me. Comes from living in CT for a while and playing too much Ticket to Ride I guess!
I also finally finished listening to Rachel Maddow’s book about pre-WWII fascists and the way our country moved on from that story, Prequel. It was really good. I loaded up John Green’s The Anthropocene Reviewed but am not getting into it.
I also read The Mystery Guest (Molly the Maid #2), which took a little while to find its groove. That might be because I am mostly interested in Molly’s relationships.
A few of my holds came in so this should be a good reading week.
Oh, good, Trisha. It sounds as if you’re ready for a good reading week. Enjoy!
Lesa, for me the worst part about living in the Midwest and in Florida was tornado sirens…and hurricane warnings. We’ve lived here in Northern Colorado on the Front Range and have only experienced one nearby tornado in 25 years.
I’ve almost finished reading Orphan X by Greg Hurwitz and will be working my way through the series this year. It’s an excellent thriller. I also have books by Sara Driscoll and Hank Phillipi Ryan on my to read stack (from the library).
Patricia, My sister and her husband have lived here in the Columbus area for 47 years. She said that was only the second or third time they had to go to the basement. I had to shelter more in Indiana than here. But, you’re right. Those warnings are scary. And, after living in Floria for eighteen years, I know what you mean about the hurricanes.
My brother-in-law is a big Orphan X fan. I introduced him to the first book, and he’s read all of them since.
That’s a great library!
We have two decent looking libraries around here, and two that are basically cinderblock huts. I do go to all the library book sales that I can.
This week I read:
Tarzan: Back to Mars by Will Murray; Martians try to found a colony in Tarzan’s backyard. Big mistake. Tarzan wills himself back to Mars, teams up with John Carter, and wreaks havoc. Not as good as the fist Tarzan in Mars book by the author, but I am looking forward to Korak At The Earth’s Core coming out soon.
Blood Like the Setting Sun by Robert W. Stephens; Poe isn’t really digging his gig as an unlicensed PI, when his lawyer employer asks him to look into a possible murder attempt of a nonagenarian lady who owns a hotel and has a dysfunctional family. Seemed very nineties, even though it’s a contemporary novel.
Knocks and Howls: A Bigfoot Anthology by Jim Beard; A book more about the idea of Bigfoot than Bigfoot itself (himself? what is the Bigfoot pronoun?) Some are better than others, but a must for the sasquatch devotee.
Murder on the Christmas Express by Alexandra Benedict.; A gaggle of very unpleasant, entitled, British wannabe reality stars are on a train when someone gets murdered. All the characters were jerks. Is this a trend in British crime fiction? It seems the last two or three books from there I’ve read featured a bunch of unpleasant characters. I was hoping the train fell off a cliff and killed everybody on board.
Hunters of the dead by Steven Hockensmith; Big Red and Old Red find themselves in the wilds of Wyoming, guarding fossils. Of course, murder happens, and nothing is quite as it seems. Old Red has a heck of a time figuring it out, while Big Red has a heck of a time keeping them both alive. Entertaining from beginning to end.
Who’s Killing All My Old Girlfriends? by Jon Spoelstra; A retired reporter turned blogger decides to visit three old girlfriends who all turn up dead. Guess who the primary suspect is? Lots of old age jokes.
The Return of Great Powers, Russia, China, and The Next World War by Jim Sciutto; Could be an informative book, but Sciutto is so ensconced in the CNN bubble, he can’t see the forest for the trees. No wonder CNN is a dying network.
The Moving Blade by Michael Pronko; Detective Hiroshi is reluctantly on the case when an American bigwig is killed, who was writing a revealing book. Other people start getting murdered, and Hiroshi is getting out of his office, and finding out the world goes on. Japan’s politics are very confusing to an outsider like me.
Somewhere in the night: Film Noir and The American City by Nicholas Christopher; An examination of the film genre from the 1940’s to today. I found, like a lot of his ilk, Christopher confuses reality with what he imagines the 20 Century was like.
Pancakes and Corpses by Agatha Frost; A very shallow cozy set in the Cotswolds, and has all the typical tropes, but feels more like an outline than an actual novel.
Loved your comment about Murder on the Christmas Express, Glen. I’ve sometimes felt that way about an entire cast of characters, too. It made me laugh.
At least Steven Hockensmith is up to his standards.
Yes, Wagnalls is a beautiful library. I’m looking forward to getting a tour!
I hate the Civil Defense sirens. They don’t just sound for tornado warnings. They creep me out as they always mean bad things are happening. Why some teams have them blast in stadiums, I have no idea.
Current read is an Eve Dallas book as I work on my mental health and try to get, at least temporarily, a better attitude.
Oh, Eve Dallas will help with that, Kevin. Love the In Death books.
I’ve only heard the sirens here on Wednesdays when they test them, other than this week when there was a warning. Several airports in Ohio were hit by tornadoes.
Jackie is excited. The J. D. Robb book just came in.
Excellent Random in Death
Hi, we are looking forward to possible rain on Friday and Saturday. Which is why we went out today to turn in our vote by mail ballots and do grocery shopping.
The Wagnalls Memorial Library is beautiful and the gardens would be great to visit also.
I finished the two books I had started a week ago: THE QUIET AMERICAN by Graham Greene and JUDAS 62 by Charles Cumming.
THE QUIET AMERICAN was very very good. It is a spy fiction novel, but the picture of Vietnam and the fighting that was going on there in the early 1950s is more important to the story, at least for me. Plus the sad relationship of two men who both want the same Vietnamese woman. For a story told in 190 pages, it covers a lot of ground.
JUDAS 62 is the second book in the BOX 88 espionage series by Charles Cumming. I liked the first book a lot. This is a good sequel, but not quite as good a read as the first. I think that happens a lot with second books in a series. There is a third book out now, which I will read. Each book covers a different stage in Lachlan Kite’s career, looking back on it from the present.
Glen is reading CAFE EUROPA REVISITED: How to Survive Post-Communism by Slavenka Drakulić. A few years ago, he read CAFE EUROPA: Life After Communism by the same author. That book was published in 1996 and was a series of essays talking about life in various Eastern European countries after the fall of communism. CAFE EUROPA REVISITED looks at the situation 25 years later.
Ghosts of Beatrice Bird. Excellent. Grand Plan also great. Didn’t finish MinisculevMansion of Myra Malone or the Chinese guy who does nothing…finished to Bill Crider books. Like him.
Hi Lesa, Glad you are having a great visit with your mom and sisters. I am currently still reading Anna O by Matthew Blake in print (not much time to read this week). I just finished Crosshairs by James Patterson (Michael Bennett series) and reading Why We Read by Shannon Reed on my kindle.