I went to my niece’s birthday dinner on Monday, and that was the highlight of the week – chicken cordon bleu and chocolate lava cake. Nothing special the rest of the week. And, for those os who participate weekly, Jeff Meyerson is on his way home from Florida this week, so he probably won’t be dropping in.
I don’t even have a book cover for the book I read yesterday. A Scandal in Mayfair is Katharine Schellman’s fifth Lily Adler historical mystery set in Victorian London. Release date isn’t until August 20, so there isn’t even a summary. The series is about a young widow who has found her own life after her husband’s death. She has a diverse group of friends, and can work with them when she needs to help others in a difficult position. This time, a young woman asks for help because her guardian, her uncle, has put her and her chaperone in a shabby little house, taking over her London home. She distrusts him, and wants Lily’s help. Lily might have been more willing to help if the young woman’s beau hadn’t tried to blackmail her and her friends in order to get her assistance.
It’s a busy week next week with Easter dinner, and two birthday dinners.
What about you? Did you have time to read this week? What does this week and next week look like for you? What are you reading?
A few appointments, some yard cleanup and an unexpected bit of dogsitting limited my reading time this week. The Border Collie was quite pleased with the equally unexpected return of cold, windy weather. Me, not so much.
I listened to a lively interview from the Poisoned Pen Bookstore yesterday (recorded earlier) with two Australian authors, Sulari Gentill and Dervla McTiernan, who both have new books out, The Mystery Writer and What Happened to Nina respectively. The interviewer had some thoughtful questions, but the authors hijacked the interview with their own questions for each other about writing and plot development. Definitely an enjoyable hour. Both authors mentioned works in progress for their fan-favorite series also. I have a hold on both these new books, but meanwhile a stack from my recent trip to the library will keep me busy.
I finished listening to the lovely REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by Shelby Van Pelt from 2022. An extraordinary tale of love and family and a giant Pacific octopus, Marcellus. The characters all seem so very real.
Read LAST WRITES by Catherine Aird (aka Kinn Hamilton), an interesting collection of twenty-two short stories. Some feature her series character Chief Inspector CD Sloan, others feature Sheriff Rhuaraidh Macmillan, along with a few puzzles for Henry Tyler from the Foreign Office.
And just finished THE OTHER SIDE OF NIGHT by Adam Hamdy. Part detective story and part philosophy, the layers build to create a story-within-a-story. If you didn’t keep reading you’d never guess what was coming.
MM, I have read an ARC of The Mystery Writer and loved it. You can look forward to an enjoyable read from the delightful Sulari. Lucky me, I get ARCs of everything Sulari publishes because we have the same U.S. publisher.
That’s funny that you mentioned the interview with Sulari Gentill & Dervla McTiernan, MM. I’m the blogger for The Poisoned Pen, and that’s my blog for today, including the link to that event. I’ve met both authors, and they’re just as nice as they appear.
One if the better interviews I’ve seen. The time just flew by.
Chicken cordon bleu and chocolate lava cake sounds pretty darn divine – yum!
I am always going to read a book written by Barbara O’Neal and chances are I’m going to enjoy it.
Such was the case with Memories of the Lost. It may not have been my favorite Barbara O’Neal, but was enjoyable.
Description from NetGalley:
An unsuspecting artist uncovers her late mother’s secrets and unravels her own hidden past in a beguiling novel by the USA Today bestselling author of When We Believed in Mermaids.
Months after her mother passes away, artist Tillie Morrisey sees a painting in a gallery that leaves her inexplicably lightheaded and unsteady. When a handsome stranger comes to her aid, their connection is so immediate it seems fated, though Liam is only visiting for a few days.
Working on her own art has always been a refuge, but after discovering a document among her mother’s belongings that suggests Tillie’s life has been a lie, she begins to suffer from a series of fugue states, with memories surfacing that she isn’t even sure are her own. As her confusion and grief mount, and prompted by a lead on the painting that started it all, Tillie heads to a seaside village in England. There, she hopes to discover the source of her uncanny inspirations, sort out her feelings about Liam, and unravel truths that her mother kept hidden for decades.
The fluidity of memory, empowering strength of character, beauty of nature, and love of family braid together in this artful tapestry of a novel.
Well, Kaye, the lasagna you were having yesterday or the day before sounded wonderful. I love lasagna.
I haven’t read Barbara O’Neal for a few years, but she’s so good!
The lasagna was delish. The most fun was entertaining dear friends – we had gotten out of the habit of having small dinner parties and it’s nice to start doing that again. Eight people is the perfect number to fit around our table, and it made for a perfect evening. Food is a love language. ❤
I agree, Kaye. I experience that when I go to Kevin & Linda’s for dinner. A perfect evening with good food, good friends, and, I’m sure, lots of laughter.
Nothing out of the ordinary happening this week so far, but I’ll be looking in on my younger son’s dog and two cats this weekend, while he and his his family are at Universal Studios to end their spring break from elementary school. I did read my usual three books (NetGalley ARCs) this week and have started one from the library.
After the first three books in Linda Reilly’s A Grilled Cheese Mystery series, Carly Hale has finally understood that putting herself in danger while trying to help solve a murder affects not only herself, but everyone who loves her. That includes her coworkers at the grilled cheese restaurant she owns, her close friends and her mother and her boyfriend, all of whom implore her to be more careful. The police chief has also forbidden her to participate in his murder investigation, even though she has obtained valuable information for him in the past. But in BRIE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR, she knows she can’t just stand by and let Ross, her young delivery man, be accused of killing one of her customers, especially since Carly has a knack for getting people to talk to her. This is a well-written, fun-to-read, light cozy mystery where Carly and the supporting characters seem real and mostly relatable. Except for the murder victim, of course, who was vehemently disliked by almost everyone who knew her. That makes for multiple suspects and motives and keeps the plot interesting. There is also more than one romance to tick that necessary box. It’s a quick read, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I don’t know if there will be more books in the series, but I would love to find out whether Carly finds a way to solve the next mystery without any danger (there’s not a lot in this book) and whether she and her boyfriend can make a go of it, despite Carly’s intermittent reluctance. (April)
JOE NUTHIN’S GUIDE TO LIFE couldn’t be more different from author Helen Fisher’s debut time-travel novel, Faye, Faraway, which I read and loved three years ago. But Fisher snagged my interest immediately by portraying Joe, the neurodivergent 23-year-old protagonist, with the same depth and loving care she displayed with her main character in the earlier book. Joe gets through the day with structure, routine, and the guidance of his beloved mother, along with the blue notebook in which she describes how to do the things he must do in his everyday life. Joe is fortunate to have found a job that suits him perfectly, in a large department store laid out like the points of a compass. He likes nothing better that setting up an attractive, perfectly arranged display of canned food, or perhaps colorful T-shirts, and returning items their rightful places after they have been moved by patrons. He is also happy to clean up spills so long as they are not red liquids such as pizza sauce, which reminds him of the time his father inadvertently cut off part of his finger while working with Joe in their home workshop. Unsurprisingly, he has to deal with more than one bully at work, but he has a staunch friend and protector in coworker Chloe, who thinks nothing of punching someone in the nose if they are harassing Joe. As the book progresses and adversity strikes, we see Joe rethinking some of his hard-and-fast beliefs and slowly starting to expand his experience and the way he looks at the people around him. His literal take on others’ words results in some quiet humor, but he lives up to his mother’s belief that he doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. It’s a lovely book, written during a self-professed difficult time by Helen Fisher, and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next. (May)
In A COLLECTION OF LIES, American antiques expert Kate Hamilton is on her honeymoon in Devon with her English husband, DI Tom Mallory, looking forward to moving into their new house. But first, they have agreed to investigate the provenance of a blood-stained dress dating back to a Victorian lace maker who, if the note pinned to the dress can be validated, is a murderess. But whose blood is on the dress, was there actually a murder, and–if so–what was the motive? Kate is busy studying the history and culture of the Dartmoor area and tracking down difficult-to-locate individuals who may be able to provide some valuable information, while Tom is recruited by the local constabulary to assist when things turn deadly. Connie Berry is a master at creating a credible, well-researched mystery, layer by layer, and incorporating fascinating characters who may be part of the puzzle. One character, for example, has devoted his adult life to transforming his home into a Victorian estate, wearing the era’s clothing, and living as a Victorian gentleman, and his housekeeper goes along with the pretense. Another is a brash politician who has a troubled background but more recently has had success passing legislation to improve the lives of his constituents. Then there are the museum staff hoping the dress will be the centerpiece of an exciting new exhibit, the itinerant Romani community who circled back to the area each year, supportive and conniving women, and more. I felt exhausted but happy when the mystery was finally resolved, and I will definitely look for the next (sixth) in the series. (June)
I’d like to read all of these, Margie! I still have never read a Connie Berry, as none of our libraries have any of her books. Joe Nuthin’s Guide to Life sounds wonderful, so I have put that on my Amazon list anyway.
Just an ordinary week, too, Margie.
I read A Collection of Lies, too. Connie Berry’s release party for it is June 22, and, now that I’m in Columbus, I can go to it. Andrew Walsh-Huggins is going to interview her. It should be fun!
Hello, Lesa! It’s Day 4 on my husband’s and my vacation in Japan, and we’ve just arrived by train from Tokyo in the temple city of Nikko. Yesterday I finished THE GEOMETRY OF HOLDING HANDS, an Isabel Dalhousie book by Alexander McCall Smith (a slow, gentle series about solving life’s small moral dilemmas). Now I’m reading a romance by Emily Henry called BOOK LOVERS, which is fun but not as good as her BEACH READ.
How exciting to be in Japan, Kim. My friend’s daughter and her boyfriend are also currently there, and sending back lots of photos of all the amazing food they are sampling (daughter is a food blogger.)
I’m not mad on McCall Smith’s Isabel Dalhousie series, I just find her far too smug – I prefer the Scotland Street series (but I do think you get more out of that if you live in or are familiar with Edinburgh) and my mother really likes his No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency books.
Yes, Rosemary, we agree. The food is great. I only read an Isabel D. book every two years, and I like her a lot as a character. But perhaps if I read all the books in a row, she’d bug me.
This must be the week to travel to Japan! My friend Vickie is there right now.
Yes, I am here! Anything is possible. By coincidence, that is the title of the latest collection of Elizabeth Strout stories I’ve read, this one is the Lucy Barton universe, set in her hometown in Illinois. I haven’t read My Name is Lucy Barton or the other ones. I am looking forward to her forthcoming book bringing Barton to Maine and introducing her to Olive Kitteridge.
The other thing I finished was THE HELSINKI AFFAIR by Anna Pitoniak, which started out great but was a bit of a slog for me to finish. A Russian walk-in at the US Embassy in Rome is ready to talk to the CIA. Seems he knows of a plan to assassinate a US Senator. But despite support from the woman he talks to, the powers that be blow him off…until the Senator is killed. But then it all devolves into what really happened in Helsinki 30 years earlier. It was OK but nothing great.
We are in Georgia this morning, heading for North Carolina tonight and home on Saturday.
Have a good week.
Thank you, Jeff, and continued safe travels.
I did wonder, because you have written us from the road before.
Sorry about the slog through The Helsinki Affair.
Sending hugs to you and Jackie!
I especially liked the way Book Lovers laid out all the tropes, hope you enjoy the rest of it!
Kim! Thank you for dropping in while you’re traveling in Japan! I hope you have a wonderful trip.
I agree with you. Beach Read was my favorite Emily Henry book.
My family spent last week together in San Diego. My parents rented a condo right on the beach in Mission Beach. And we all got sick. I’m making progress on getting over it, but it sounds like my parents are still pretty sick. Just some kind of cold/cough things (Dad tested negative for everything).
Reading wise, I’m about a third of the way into An Orphan of Hell’s Kitchen by Liz Freeland (aka Liz Ireland, author of the Mrs. Claus series). This series is much more serious. It’s a historical featuring a female police officer in 1910’s NYC. She’s the only one questioning the death of a prostitute that everyone else thinks committed suicide. So far, I’m enjoying it.
But now, I need to get to bed. Tomorrow starts month end, and it’s going to come very early.
Oh, Mark. What a sad ending to a family getaway. I’m sorry. I hope everyone gets better soon.
I never heard of that series by Liz Freeland, and didn’t know she was also Liz Ireland. Keep us posted!
Good luck for the end of the week at work.
I have been trying to read Maeve Binchey’s Tara Road, On Monday, my primary told me that I have early kidney disease and I need to drink more water, On Wednesday, I had a kidney ultrasound and today I have an appointment with my new pulmonologist and probably wiill have to take the dreaded breathing test. I read some but later now just doing e-mails and watching TV. Can’t concentrate.
Oh Carol, I do hope things improve for you. Very best of luck with the breathing test.
Maeve Binchy is such a good author to read when you don’t want anything too challenging. I love her writing, it’s like someone is just talking to you, and I think in real life she was just as friendly as she sounds. I’ve just finished a little book she wrote for the National College of Ireland, ‘The Maeve Binchy Writers’ Club’, in which she and several other Irish writers encourage people to put pen to paper and get writing. I’ve read and enjoyed Tara Road, but my favourite book of hers will always be Light A Penny Candle.
Oh, Carol. I can see why you can’t concentrate. I guess we all need to drink more water. I know I don’t drink near as much as I did when I was working, and especially in Arizona. Take care of yourself.
We’re pulling for you. Sometimes mindless activities are all that gets us through.
Good luck, Carol. I always drink a lot of water anyway. When I was younger, I was paranoid about getting kidney stones and they tell you to drink water.
Jackie hates the water in Florida, so while we were down there, we bought 40-packs at a time in Costco.
Jackie is reading MINE by J.R. Ward.
I don’t drink enough water. And, I get what Jackie is saying. The water where I live now is horrid. I buy water, too, but can’t carry those enormous packs, so I’m paying a higher cost for 12 packs.
Always nice to hear about what everyone is reading here each week. I want to say that Central Texas is enjoying a banner year for bluebonnets and other wildflowers also appearing. Some years are great and some not so much. We’ve had enough rain this year that our highways and neighborhoods (including mine) are brimming with our beautiful state flower. I’m enjoying it thoroughly. As to reading, I’m almost through with Loreth Ann White’s new book, The Unquiet Bones. I couldn’t remember where I read about it, but realized it was your review of it that caught my interest, Lesa. Really liking it and can tell I’m getting to the big twist or whatever. I have a guess. We’ll see if I’m right. Have a nice Easter weekend everyone!
Kay, it sounds gorgeous with all the bluebonnets in bloom. I’ve only ever seen pictures.
I’m glad you enjoying The Unquiet Bones!
Enjoy your weekend!
Happy Easter Week! And Happy Spring Break week here in Michigan. April is just around the corner – looking forward to seeing Spring blooms.
This week I read “A Body on the Doorstep (London Ladies’ Murder Club #1)” by Marty Wingate.
London, 1921, and Mabel Canning is a new breed of woman who wants to make her own way in the world. Enter the “Useful Women Agency” that provides Mabel with a way to make an income. There is no job too small for a willing woman to take on through the Agency. One of Mabel’s first jobs is to assist a widow at her supposedly deceased husband’s wake. Soon a dead body is found on the widow’s doorstep, with a clue as to where the husband may have disappeared to and Mabel is soon involved in solving numerous mysteries. Is the husband dead? Who is the body on the doorstep? The author does a great job at immersing the reader into 1920’s London and drawing out interesting characters – such as other modern women in Mabel’s building who come to her aid more than once. I will look forward to the next installment.
Happy Easter Week, Mary!
What an interesting premise for a mystery series. A useful women agency can either send the amateur sleuth anyplace, or it can change up in the amateur sleuth in each book. I love that idea. I may have to look for A Body on the Doorstep.
My mom couldn’t put weight on her bad leg after a fall so they checked her out at the hospital and she didn’t break anything. She’s spending a week in rehab so I’ve been running back and forth. I did manage to finish one book.
I read an ARC of Jenn McKinlay’s latest romcom, Love at First Book. Emily, a librarian quits her job and travels to Ireland to work as an assistant to her favorite author, and to help out part time in a bookstore. Of course the bookstore owner is smoking hot and doesn’t want Emily there.
I don’t read a lot of romcoms but I like Jenn’s writing. This book was really hard to put down. It ranged from making me laugh to being a real tearjerker.
I like Jenn’s books, too, Sandy. I have Love at First Book on my TBR pile. Good to hear you enjoyed it!
Sandy, I hope rehab goes okay for your mother. Makes for a busy week for you, too. Take care of yourself.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed “Ready or Not” by Cara Bastone over the weekend. There is a romance but the book is really about a Brooklynite in her twenties, Eve Hatch, figuring out what she wants out of life after a surprise pregnancy from a one-night stand with a bartender (that night is also kind of a surprise to her since it is a bit out of character). Her relationships with her colleagues, her friends, her family, and the baby’s father are all really well done and realistic.
I would have been surprised, too, Trisha. That book doesn’t sound like one I would enjoy. Glad it was enjoyable!
It has been a hard few days mentally and physically. Won’t bore everyone with my lament. Will say that I wish I could find a new life after the death of a spouse.
Anyway, got approved for PITCH DARK by Paul Doiron. The latest in the Mike Bowditch series comes out this summer.
As to current read, I am still reading The General’s Gold by LynDee Walker and Bruce Robert Coffin.
NetGalley Description:
A treasure so priceless, it’s worth killing for…
When Mark Hawkins is found dead in a seedy motel, police deem it an accidental overdose. But billionaire computer genius Avery Turner suspects there might be more to the story. Her old friend was on the trail of the legendary General’s Gold, and now Avery is determined to pick up where he left off…
Teaming up with Carter Mosley, a deep-sea shipwreck diver and adrenaline junkie turned social media sensation, Avery embarks on a dangerous quest for the treasure—and the truth. From Florida to Maine, and from the mountains of Virginia to the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, they face treacherous gangs, man-eating sharks, and a world of deception and double-crosses.
As they navigate hidden clues and uncertain allies, Avery and Carter must outwit their deadly adversaries and unravel the mystery surrounding the General’s Gold. But in this high-stakes game, losing the treasure could cost them their lives.
Unearth the year’s most exhilarating treasure-hunting thriller. Join bestselling authors LynDee Walker and Bruce Robert Coffin in a pulse-pounding action-adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat. If you love the action of Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt series and the intrigue of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, dive into The General’s Gold today!
Kevin, I’m so sorry to hear it’s been a rough few days again.
What would we do without books to take us away?
Indeed.
Good morning all. It’s dull and cloudy here in Aberdeenshire, and yesterday it rained and rained. I still went for a walk, but had to put my boots and all of my outdoor clothes into the airing cupboard when I came back – I don’t know what I would do without that cupboard.
This morning I’ve just finished reading THE MAEVE BINCHY WRITERS’ CLUB, a book that Maeve wrote for the National College of Ireland, which was initially set up to encourage better relations between managers and workers (at a time when these were particularly fraught) but has now moved on, and is instead dedicated to helping people who might not otherwise do so to enter tertiary education. There is, predictably, a huge difference between the percentage of people proceeding to higher education from the affluent areas of Ireland and the number doing so from deprived areas – the college sets out to change that.
The book is a series of encouraging letters from Maeve to any aspiring writer. Each letter is followed by a page or so from her on a particular subject, followed by advice from an expert in that field. Contributors include Marian Keyes, Ivy Bannister and Ferdia McCanna, plus agents, publishers and editors.
I have absolutely dozens of writing books on my shelves, but I like this one because it is simple, straightforward, and written in such a friendly, supportive tone. It certainly feels much more encouraging to me than some of the other very long and complicated guides. Maeve has such sensible and practical suggestions, and is also very honest about all the mistakes she has made, and the fact that writing is hard graft and rarely comes easy to anyone. I enjoyed this book very much.
I also finished (at last) Edna O’Brien’s autobiography, COUNTRY GIRL. This book had a mixed reception when it was published a few years ago, but I loved it. The writing style is quite impressionistic and vague at times, but I still felt that Edna came across clearly and well. I wonder if her detractors were maybe unhappy because Edna has never made compromises, never given in to the overwhelming censure she originally received from not only the Irish Catholic Church but also large swathes of the Irish population, who were shocked and horrified by her honesty about the real lives of women in 1960s Ireland.
She left her controlling and abusive husband, she partied hard with many of the celebrities of 1970s London and New York, and she does not excuse her own mistakes and failings – but she persevered, refused to be silenced, and has had a wild and wonderful life (she’s now 93 years old and has lived in London for many years.) People seem to object to her freedom, and to her naming of the many film stars, pop stars, writers and artists with whom she mixed (and no doubt still does) – but I did wonder if she would have been so criticised if she’d been male.
Some people also didn’t like that she sent her sons away to Bedales (a very progressive boarding school) some years after recovering custody of them from their awful father – but both of her sons seem to have been very happy at school, she had and still has a great relationship with them, and she knew she had to be free to write, and to live her life as she had to. I think she’s admirable, and of course her novels are brilliant.
I also finished Colm Toibin’s NORA WEBSTER, about a youngish widow living in small town Ireland at the end of the 1960s. Nora must attempt to deal with her own grief while caring for her two young sons (one of her two older daughters is away at university, the other working as a teacher.)
The story is written in quite a flat style, which some people have said they found boring, but I think Toibin has very deliberately chosen this to reflect the mundanity of Nora’s life, and also the deadness she feels inside. At one point he says ‘she asked herself what she WAS interested in. The answer was that she was interested in nothing at all.’ Having very little money, Nora must go back to work, and must sell the family’s seaside cottage, the receptacle of so many shared memories.
Toibin’s observation of small town life in Ireland is of course spot on, he has every nuance of speech and character perfectly caught.
Gradually Nora starts to navigate life as a single woman. She makes decisions on her own that she would never have made before – she decorates the back room, she goes on holiday – and although she seems passive, this makes the times at which she refuses to be manipulated or browbeaten all the more powerful. She has a terrific showdown with her son’s school when he is moved to a different class for no good reason.
Nora becomes interested in music, and this, along with her sons and a female friend, start to drag her out of her misery and begin to live again.
The ending of the book is not entirely definite, we have high hopes for Nora, but we know it won’t all be plain sailing. Toibin is a wonderful writer (he is also the author of BROOKLYN, which was made into a very successful film.)
On my way back to Edinburgh on the bus last weekend I also read CARRIE’S WAR by Nina Bawden. This book was adapted as a Sunday afternoon BBC serial when I was at school, and I loved it then, but for some reason I had not read the book. I’m so glad I now have, as it’s such a well written, interesting and page-turning short novel. It’s about two children, Carrie and Nick, who are evacuated from London to a small Welsh village in wartime.
There they are ‘chosen’ (and I know from my mother that this is what happened – the children were simply lined up in a hall and the people who had been recruited – often reluctantly – as hosts could choose the ones they wanted. No vetting, no safety checks, nothing) by Auntie Lou, a kind but meek woman who lives with her authoritarian and mean brother, Mr Evans. He runs the village shop and is a religious zealot. The children are not even allowed to go upstairs to their bedroom more than twice a day so that they don’t wear out the stair carpet (when my mother was a child in London, they were expected to play out on the street most of the time, to keep the house clean.)
One of their fellow evacuees, who rejoices in the name of Albert Sandwich, has been billeted with Hepzibah, the housekeeper and carer of the Evans’s older sister, who lives in a crumbling old house called Druid’s Bottom. Albert asked to go there as he loves books, and the house has a library full of them. With Hepzibah lives a distant cousin of the family, Mr Johnny, who is a special needs man with almost incomprehensible speech. Hepzibah and Mr Johnny are both extremely kind and welcoming, though it is rumoured that Hepzibah may be a witch (as she knows a lot about folklore and herbal remedies.)
Mr Evans has cut off all contact with his older sister, as he resents the fact that she married the mine owner (the mine is now closed down and the owner dead) and went up in the world. She lived a very comfortable life with lots of travel and parties, whilst he was struggling to make his own way through life with almost nothing.
The children start to visit Hepzibah and co. often.
Lots of things happen, and eventually everything comes to a frightening climax. Carrie and Nick leave Wales, she believing that she has caused a terrible tragedy. The book begins with her, now widowed, returning to the village with her own children, where she eventually discovers that things turned out very differently from how she had feared.
Bawden is such a good writer – although Mr Evans is a fearsome man, we are occasionally given little glimpses of the man behind the angry façade, and although his older sister could have been made the Perfect One, Bawden makes sure that we understand that she too had her failings. Carrie herself is a wonderful character, old beyond her years but still a child with a child’s understanding of the world. She is fiercely protective of Nick, but still not above losing her temper with him when he annoys her. And as for Albert Sandwich! He is a great creation, and I would love to have met him (or possibly even married him…:-) ) myself.
I need to review all of these books for Reading Ireland month and Dewithon 2024, so I had better get a move on, as the both end on 31st March.
At the weekend Anna and I did indeed visit the litter of Siamese kittens that I mentioned last week. They were, of course, gorgeous, and we have reserved one, though he won’t be ready till mid-May. Anna has decided to name him Herbie Hancock (as Charlie is officially Charlie Parker.) He is a red tabby point, one I had not heard of before. There are so many variations now.
On Saturday evening we went to Edinburgh University to see the actor Alan Cumming ‘in conversation’. He is a good speaker, and clearly has a supply of well polished anecdotes, which he told well, though I would have liked to have heard a bit more about his troubled childhood (he has already written a book about that though, and was here basically to publicise his latest one, which is more about his career.)
The big disappointment of the evening was the chair, Michael Pedersen. He is a young guy who has had some success as a poet in Edinburgh, but who clearly thinks he is a lot more interesting and funny than anyone else does. I have seen a lot of chairmen in my time reviewing at book festivals and in the Fringe, and he was one of the worst. He tried to make everything about him, kept implying that he and Alan were bosom buddies (unlikely, especially as Alan lives in the US and is an international star) and was just generally far too much in our faces and annoying.
On Tuesday Nancy and I went to the theatre to see a new production by Ballet Rambert – DEATH TRAP. The dancing was very impressive, as was the music – which included a singer performing Nina Simone songs – but as for the plot….there were two short pieces, which may or may not have been linked, but apart from getting that it was all something to do with death, we were somewhat lost. However, it’s had excellent reviews, so maybe we were just not clever enough.
I haven’t yet found a new series to watch on TV, so I’ve been enjoying more episodes of the Australian comedy series FISK, which I find very entertaining indeed. It’s set in a small town lawyers’ office.
And I have belatedly, thanks to my friend Sue. discovered the podcast SHEDUNNIT. I don’t know if you can get that in the US, but if you can I’d really recommend it. It’s hosted and largely written by Caroline Crampton, and it’s about mystery novels, mainly ‘Golden Age’ ones but with some others thrown in. Each episode looks at a particular theme, or sometimes a particular book, and Caroline often has an expert on to talk round the subject.
I’ve just listened to an excellent one about seaside mysteries, and the guest was a university lecturer who has made a study of the British seaside and how resorts evolved over the years. For example, she said that until the 1930s, most seaside towns were actually built looking inwards, not out at the sea – the beach was just seen as somewhere to dump rubbish. This all began to change when people gained a statutory right to a week’s paid holiday, at the same time as more railway lines were opening up for them to travel by. So between the wars there was a lot of development of resorts, and many of the Art Deco buildings to be found in some seaside towns still, date from that time, as do swimming pools built into the rocks, bathing huts, etc.
Another episode was an interview with the New Zealand writer Renee, of whom I had not heard, but what an amazing woman. She was born in 1929, her mother was of Maori descent and her father European. When Renee was a small child her father shot himself, so instead of staying on at school and going to university, she, at the age of just 12, had to go to work in a mill to help pay for the education of her younger siblings. She read her mother’s library books, then joined the largest library in town so that she could borrow more. Her favourite author throughout her life was Dorothy L Sayers. She was fascinating on the subject of the Crime Club and writers like Sayers, Christie and Mitchell, though she was less keen on the famous NZ writer Ngaoi Marsh. She said she read all the British writers with no idea what a butler was, never mind a university proctor, and that they opened her eyes to the news that there were people who talked about books and poetry – she knew nobody like that.
Not only did she read mysteries, she wrote numerous feminist plays. In her nineties she wrote two well received mystery novels, THE WILD CARD and BLOOD MATTERS.
I think that’s quite enough from me.
Lesa, enjoy all that delicious food coming your way! We are not doing anything for Easter, and I am looking forward to a quiet one, but I hope everyone who is celebrating in any way has a great time.
And Jeff, if you’re reading this, I hope your journey is going smoothly!
Herbie Hancock to go with Charlie Parker; I love it!
I like the sound of that book by Maeve Binchy, Rosemary. It sounds fascinating.
I did have to look up an airing closet to find out what it was. Thanks for mentioning it.
I’m disappointed that the person interviewing Alan Cumming thought people came to see him, and that he was so self-important. That doesn’t make for the best experience.
Your books sound good this week!
I always appreciate your t.v. Shows and podcast recommendations, Rosemary! I found “shedunnit” on my Apple phone Podcast app! Will start listening.
It has been a busy week with several outings. I had a bone test on Tuesday and today Glen is taking me out to get my hair cut. And then some grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s and lunch later.
I read one of the earlier books in the British Library Crime Classics series, A SCREAM IN SOHO by John G. Brandon, published in 1940, which I did not care for at all. In his introduction Martin Edwards makes the distinction that Brandon was a thriller writer like Edgar Wallace vs Christie and Sayers who wrote mostly puzzle type mysteries. The setting of Soho during the “phony war” is interesting; at night the investigation was hampered by the blackout. But the characterizations were not that good.
I just finished a reread of a Rex Stout mystery, PLOT IT YOURSELF. Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin are hired to work on a plagiarism case for a publisher, which of course turns into something much more serious. I love all the Nero Wolfe mysteries and this one was really good.
Glen is reading ENIGMA: THE BATTLE FOR THE CODE by Hugh Sebag-Montefiore. Once he started reading it he he realized he had read it before (ten or twelve years ago) but the topic is so interesting he decided to read it again. There are some very complex sections describing the Enigma apparatus.
Tracy, From everything I’ve read, characterization was not the priority of most of the Golden Age writers. Wrong period if that’s what we’re looking for.
I agree with you. I loe the Nero Wolfe mysteries, although I haven’t read one lately.
I’m sure Glen’s book is interesting, and, since it’s complex, worth rereading.
It’s still raining on and off. People who only remember the drought years are befuddled.
My nieces really enjoyed A Wrinkle in Time, and were shocked at my reaction. I told them to read the rest of the series soon, before it was too late.
This week I read:
Frost at Christmas by RD Wingfield; Not at all what I expected from the back cover copy. Frost is a British detective, good at solving crimes and not much else. When a muckety-muck’s nephew is transferred to Frost’s fairly quiet town, Frost solves crimes, while the nephew mostly ruins the suits he’s wearing. Still pretty good reading. I think I have another book in the series in a stack somewhere.
The Crystal of Light by Russell Hasan; A fantasy heist book. The world is pretty interesting, where there are six types of magic, and practitioners have to wear the color of their magic. Bogs down in the middle as everyone starts sleeping around Millennial style. No wonder the Millennials are so unhappy.
Chasing Money by Michael Balter; Tech entrepreneurs are about to lose their company, so they take an investor’s meeting in Oregon, and get in way over their heads, when a mobster wants $10 Million and a painting they don’t have. Next time, guys, just call the cops.
A Mirror For the Blind by Mu Jeong; Office Space in Korea.
Then Will You Love Me by Leah Cass; Poetry based on the grief matrix. The titles of each poem were on the bottom of the page rather than the top, which confused me for a while, as on my kindle, I wasn’t 100% sure which title went where.
Berserker by Fred Saberhagen; Someone couldn’t believe I hadn’t read these. What I found most interesting, is that today, the books wouldn’t be rooting for the humans to win.
Oh, Glen. I think it’s sad that we’ve outgrown A Wrinkle in Time. I”m glad your nieces liked it, though.
I agree. I haven’t read The Crystal of Light, but there’s not much that appeals to me about Millennial style.
I even like your comment that people who only remember the drought years are befuddled.
I wasn’t aware of this series. Thank you for sharing. I have added all five books on Goodreads. I do love to read much and have been getting plenty of time to read, thank goodness.
You’re welcome, Bonnie! If you ever liked Georgette Heyer, you’ll like this series.
Finished an ARC for Death in the Details by Katie Tietjen and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The characters really drew me in.
**
From NetGalley:
Description
Inspired by the real-life mother of forensic science, Frances Glessner Lee, and featuring a whip-smart, intrepid sleuth in post-WWII Vermont, this debut historical mystery will appeal to fans of Victoria Thompson and Rhys Bowen.
Maple Bishop is ready to put WWII and the grief of losing her husband, Bill, behind her. But when she discovers that Bill left her penniless, Maple realizes she could lose her Vermont home next and sets out to make money the only way she knows how: by selling her intricately crafted dollhouses. Business is off to a good start—until Maple discovers her first customer dead, his body hanging precariously in his own barn.
Something about the supposed suicide rubs Maple the wrong way, but local authorities brush off her concerns. Determined to help them see “what’s big in what’s small,” Maple turns to what she knows best, painstakingly recreating the gruesome scene in miniature: death in a nutshell.
With the help of a rookie officer named Kenny, Maple uses her macabre miniature to dig into the dark undercurrents of her sleepy town, where everyone seems to have a secret—and a grudge. But when her nosy neighbor goes missing and she herself becomes a suspect, it’ll be up to Maple to find the devil in the details—and put him behind bars.
Drawing inspiration from true crime and offering readers a smartly plotted puzzle of a mystery, Death in the Details is a stunning series debut.
**
I also finished The Dictionary of Lost Words and The Bookbinder, both by Pip Williams. I really enjoyed both-historical fiction set around WWI. They both look at issues of class and women’s rights (or lack thereof).
I’m also reading Trust by Herman Diaz. I received it for Christmas, brought it with me to Alaska, and am reading it before bedtime. From Penguin Random House website:
Even through the roar and effervescence of the 1920s, everyone in New York has heard of Benjamin and Helen Rask. He is a legendary Wall Street tycoon; she is the daughter of eccentric aristocrats. Together, they have risen to the very top of a world of seemingly endless wealth—all as a decade of excess and speculation draws to an end. But at what cost have they acquired their immense fortune? This is the mystery at the center of Bonds, a successful 1937 novel that all of New York seems to have read. Yet there are other versions of this tale of privilege and deceit.
Hernan Diaz’s TRUST elegantly puts these competing narratives into conversation with one another—and in tension with the perspective of one woman bent on disentangling fact from fiction. The result is a novel that spans over a century and becomes more exhilarating with each new revelation.
At once an immersive story and a brilliant literary puzzle, TRUST engages the reader in a quest for the truth while confronting the deceptions that often live at the heart of personal relationships, the reality-warping force of capital, and the ease with which power can manipulate facts.
**
It’s way different with its four books within one, but I’m liking it.
Since the weather is going to get cold, windy, and snowy this Easter weekend, I’ll probably get more reading done. I plan on starting the ARC for Paige Shelton’s The Poisoned Pen. Maybe start The Library of the Unwritten. I just realized it’s book one of three, so if I like this one, my TBR stack will probably grow by two more. 🙂
Cheryl, I liked Death in the Details, too, so I’m happy to see you liked it.
Just what we all want for Easter – cold, windy, and snowy. Enjoy your books!