Welcome to what Kaye Wilkinson Barley calls “Thursdays at Lesa’s”. Great name for Thursday if I didn’t already call it “What Are You Reading?” Or, I should say, what’s going on with your weather, your life, and your reading. We talk about all of that on Thursdays here.
It just felt as if it was a good day to remind us all that we enjoy sharing life here. I won’t be around much today, beginning with the afternoon. My sister and I are heading home to Mom’s to celebrate her birthday. We’ll pick up my other sister on Friday before a birthday lunch. She’s staying overnight, so all Mom’s daughters will be home for her birthday. And, really? That’s all she wants.
I won’t tell you how many years ago this was, but we’re going to celebrate again with lots of love and laughter.
So, that’s what I’m doing this weekend.
I am reading a book, thanks to Marleen Kennedy. Marleen mentioned this series last Thursday. She’s a librarian and author in Ireland, and I’ve “known” her on social media for what seems like forever. Thanks, Marleen, for mentioning The Picture House Murders by Fiona Veitch Smith. Here’s the blurb.
1929: Miss Clara Vale is a woman ahead of her time. Rather than attending Oxford to bag an eligible Duke (as her mother, Lady Vale, so desperately hoped), she threw herself into a degree in chemistry, with aspirations to become a scientist in her own right. But the world isn’t ready for Clara. Unable to land a job in science because she’s a woman, she is stuck behind the desk at a dingy London library. Until her estranged Uncle dies suddenly, leaving her his private detective agency, and laboratory, in his will. Clara couldn’t become a detective, could she? The decision is made for her when one of her uncle’s old clients comes to her for help with a case surrounding the local picture house and invites Clara to see the latest show, before they discuss the details. But during the film, a fire suddenly engulfs the picture house, with tragic consequences.
It seems at first an accident, but Clara soon begins to question if it was in fact a carefully orchestrated murder. She’s suddenly in the middle of a deadly mystery and will discover her scientific skills make her a sleuth to be reckoned with… Can she catch the killer before they strike again?
What about you? What are you doing this week? What are you reading?
This week I spent some time trying to cheer up one of my daughters. Six months ago the townhouse unit right beside her and her husband’s unit had a major fire, which also destroyed my daughter’s unit. Severe water and smoke damage, almost all furniture, clothes, possessions need to be replaced. Accommodation was found for them (and their dog and cat) and they’ve been there for six months but it’s farther away from friends and family, and it’s not a very nice place and it certainly isn’t home. And everything about the reconstruction and repair of their home is a fight – with insurance, with lack of progress, with trying to get some of their ‘cleaned from smoke damage’ items returned, replacing all the things one needs for daily living, etc. And it will be another six months or so till they can move back to their home. Anyway … she and her husband have been remarkably good about making the best of things but on occasion she needs a bit of TLC.
The book I read this week was THE ROAD TOWARDS HOME by Corinne Demas, mainly about two people – Noah lives at Clarion Court, an independent living community for seniors. He meets a new resident named Cassandra, who turns out to be an acquaintance from their college days. They enjoy each other’s company and rather than live through the upcoming renovations of the building they live in, they decide to stay at Noah’s Cape Cod cottage for the duration. What follows is the story of how they learn to get along in the small cottage, how to learn from their past in order to come to terms with the present, with an eye to the future.
I have mixed feelings about the book. I had thought from the write-up that it would be a light, fun read but it was more serious than expected, but which I didn’t mind. There were some amusing parts, a poignant scene or two, and some of the issues around aging were relatable. This is a very dialogue-heavy book and that may or may not be why I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters, or even like them very much.
I’m in the minority for not loving this book since most people I know seem to have adored it. If any of you have read it I’d be curious to know what you thought of it.
Oh, Lindy. Your daughter’s circumstances sound absolutely horrible. I can see why she needs some TLC once in a while. I’m sorry.
Perhaps The Road Towards Home just hits too close to home right now? I haven’t read it, so I can’t really say.
Wow, if that had happened to me I would have had to have lots of TLC. I can’t imagine her feeling of shock and loss.
Lindy, I am so sorry about your daughter and her family.
I did read The Road Towards Home. Like you, I expected something different. On the end I decided it was just okay.
It’s quarter end at work, so I’m crazy busy and a bit stressed with the impossible deadlines. But enough about that.
We’ve finally warmed up. It has hit 90 the last two days. Which meant I got up early and ran this morning before work. Another advantage of working from home. I would have as much flexibility when we go into the office three days a week starting in September. Really not looking forward to that.
Reading wise, I’m working on WARPED ON A MOON TREK by Diane Vallere. Yes, these are mysteries, just with a sci-fi setting. This one has leaned into the science fiction a bit more. I’m about a third of the way through and it looks like we are about to get to the murder (the next chapter is entitled “And Now, a Murder too?”). Not that I’m complaining since this has been lots of fun, and I’ve been fully invested in the story.
Well, darn, Mark. My nephew is facing the same thing, having to go back into the office five days a week when he’s been working from home 2 days. The work’s getting done, isn’t it? Why mess with it? I’m sorry.
I’m glad you’re enjoying Diane Vallere’s series.
Good morning Lesa and everyone.
Lesa I hope you all have a fabulous time with your mother, how nice for her to have all of you home.
Today I will be heading back down to Edinburgh, then tomorrow on to Manchester, where we are staying for 3 nights. On Sunday we have tickets for the Pet Shop Boys’ concert at the new Co-Op Live venue, which has had so many teething problems and other issues (not all of its making – viz Nicki Minaj, who was still on the ground at Schipol in Amsterdam when her concert was supposed to start, as she had been stopped for carrying drugs. But the venue still allowed everyone in, presumably so that they would buy drinks, merchandise, etc, before being informed that the event was cancelled…) Anyway, fingers crossed!
We will have all of Saturday and most of Sunday to explore Manchester. I was there briefly last summer and it is a great city with a vibrant atmosphere and lots to see.
We will return to Leith on Monday, but then I need to decide if I will come back up to Aberdeenshire for a few days or stay down with my daughter, as we are back down on Thursday, en route for the Eden Festival in the Borders. In the meantime David is away to Paris for work for two days. Packing has been complicated!
Meanwhile, I am pressing on with my 52 Books challenge, and also 20 Books of Summer and Reading the Meow week – the latter starts on 10 June, but I am trying to get ahead.
I read THE CAT WHO COULD READ BACKWARDS by Lilian Jackson Braun and enjoyed it so much – it was such a pleasure after the drudgery of GAUDY NIGHT! TCWCRB is a very straightforward cosy murder mystery, and to be honest I’m not sure I even understood the ending, but it didn’t matter as the characters were so well drawn and engaging. Braun could have taught Dorothy Sayers a lot about economy of phrase. No long pages of description here, but the characters came to life for me from Braun’s few, well chosen, words. For example, when three newspaper men sit down to enjoy a lunch of corned beef sandwiches, each of them puts the mustard on in a different style, and that tells you all you need to know;
‘the newsmen concentrated on applying mustard, each in his fashion: Arch squirting it on the rye bread in concentric circles, Kendal limning a precise zig zag, and Qwilleran squeezing out a reckless abstraction.’
Jim Qwilleran is a former crime reporter who, as the result of some professional disaster hinted at but not explained, has turned up looking for a job on a small town paper. He ends up being their art journalist – he tells them truthfully that he knows nothing about the subject, but the editor tells him that will be fine, as he will ‘come to it with fresh eyes.’ His job is to interview and profile local artists and dealers, of which the town has a surprisingly high number. The paper already has its own mysterious art critic, George Bonifield Mountclemens III. He is notorious for giving highly critical, and often personally insulting, reviews to almost every artist apart from those shown at the Lambreth Gallery.
Qwilleran finds himself being invited to a sumptuous dinner at Mountclemens’ beautiful house, which is stuffed full of valuable paintings. There he also meets Koko, Mountclemens’ extremely elegant Siamese cat. Qwilleran needs somewhere to live, and Mountclemens offers him the downstairs apartment. Mountclemens, incidentally, only has one hand. We are never really told what happened to the other one. I enjoyed the way in which Braun didn’t feel the need to explain everything.
Koko is of course a character in his own right, and he is wonderful. If, like us, you have Siamese cats, you will recognise their very particular ways immediately.
Eventually a dealer is murdered. Two more deaths follow. Qwilleran is on the trail. Just about everyone he meets in the local art world is a possible suspect, and Braun is so good at capturing the ridiculous posing and thinly veiled in-fighting that so many artists do indeed practice. There are a lot of people in Edinburgh who could have been models for these characters!
Braun manages to include quite a bit of dry wit – she’s excellent at understatement, so when Qwilleran (who does not drink, and again we don’t know why) describes the provenance and vintage of his tomato juice, it takes a second or two to realise that she is sending him up. I thought she caught the atmosphere of a 1960s newspaper office very well – I’ve been in ones in Fleet Street in London as late as the early 1980s that were still like this, and every pub in the area was packed out every lunchtime with reporters, editors, etc drinking huge amounts. Those days are now long gone.
I enjoyed this little book (it’s a very quick read) so much that i have bought the next six second hand in a deal on ebay (sadly our library system could not oblige.) Apparently Braun stopped writing for a while, as publishers told her they now needed more violence and sex in books if they were to sell, and she wasn’t interested in writing that. Then interest in her novels resurged and so she started writing again, completing at least 30 ‘The Cat Who’ books before she died. Koko, and later his companion Yum Yum, feature in all of them.
I certainly wouldn’t recommend these books to those of you who like serious thrillers. The first one at least was very light, but it was just what I needed.
So now I am reading THE CAT WHO CAME FOR CHRISTMAS by Cleveland Amory. I had never heard of this author before, but I gather that he was quite well known in his day. He was an animal rights advocate at a time when this was not the mainstream activity it is today, and he founded a charity to help them. The book is non-fiction. A dirty, abused, injured cat is found in the allery at the back of his apartment block in New York on Christmas Eve. He takes it home until someone else can adopt it, but of course he ends up keeping Polar Bear (as the cat is eventually, after much indecision, named) for life. In between telling us about how Polar Bear is rehabilitated and introduced to Amory’s celebrity friends, the author does give quite a bit of graphic information about how animals of all kinds were still being abused at that time (and unfortunately probably still are today), so I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone who would prefer not to read about that, but I found these sections, although hard to read, informative and essential. And the chapters about Polat Bear (Amory, although an animal lover, had never had a cat before and considered himself a ‘dog person’) and how he trains Amory to behave as a cat requires, are funny and charming.
I now have the always difficult decision of which books to take away with me. I probably won’t get anything read after today until next week, but I’m always optimistic!
In the meantime, I had a wonderful walk last Friday with my friend Ann. We started at the Torry Battery just across the harbour from the city. The battery is an old defence building dating from at least the 1700s. It has great views across the bay and right up to the NE coast of Aberdeenshire. We were very fortunate to have a beautiful sunny, clear day – my friend Nancy had taken a guest there just a few days earlier, and it was so foggy that they couldn’t even see the breakwater. From the battery we walked right round the headland to the new harnour. On the way back the walk took us down to the shoreline, where we saw dolphins leaping quite nearby.
We stopped for a coffee at the Greyhope Centre, a relatively new cafe in a little eco cabin, which also has great views – they even supply binoculars, as well as good cake!
We walked back through Torry, which is a far from affluent area, – nevertheless people have made their gardens really pretty. We also came across a community garden – I so love these little hidden places, this one was a real haven for wildlife, with insect ‘houses’, bird boxes and lots of wildflowers.
I’ve hardly seen much television this week. I did watch a programme that caught up with the RACE ACROSS THE WORLD contestants six months after the end of the competition – it was most interesting to see them all again, hear what they had been up to (one of the two boys who had won – they are both only 21 – had already used some of his prize money to visit countries as far flung as Somalia and Kuala Lumpur.)
I also started watching A PERFECT SPY, an old (1987) daptation of the John Le Carre novel (which I haven’t read.) The series was nominated for manay awards, but I’m afraid I found it really boring, and last night gave up half way through the second episode. It stars Peter Egan (though I hadn’t got up to this appeareance when I stopped), a great actor, Ian Cuthbertson, Ray McAnally and Sarah Badel, so the failing was probably mine. I don’t think it was just because it is now old, as I still enjoyed rewatching the BBC adaptation of TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY, which was made in 1979, quite recently.
All we have here just now is election talk (ours is on 4th July). I will be glad to see the back of this dreadful Conservative govermen asap, but unfortunately I don’t have much faith in Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, and the only real opposition in England. At least here in Scotland we still have the SNP, though their reputation has been a bit tarnished of late. I still have confidence in them myself. We shall see.
And now I’d better make sure I’m ready to leave. I’m looking forward to seeing Charlie and Herbie tonight – from what Anna says they’re now best friends, though that doesn’t stop them from enjoying play fights at times. I’ve not had time to proof read this post, so I do hope there aren’t too many typos.
Have a great week all,
Rosemary
Rosemary your vivid description of Lilian Jackson Braun’s series brought back some pleasant memories. I think I read the entire series years ago, some probably more than once. Thanks!
Rosemary, MM is right. Your descriptions of The Cat Who books brought back such great memories. I loved those books, especially the early ones in the series. The last ones weren’t as good, but those early books were so clever. I loved the characters. I hadn’t thought of them in quite some time. I also read Cleveland Amory’s books. It’s nice to see comments about those almost forgotten books. And, The Cat Who ones are perfect reading before time with Charlie and Herbie.
Even with my Kindle, I always take too many books. And, I don’t open one of them when I’m with family. Enjoy your trip and your shows.
Rosemary, most of our watching lately seems to be British, French or Danish series.
Scott & Bailey – finished series 4 of 5
Cobra – finished the latest (series 3)
After the Flood (finished series 1; I believe it has been renewed. A nice (well, not “nioce” per se, but good) surprise at the end
Trigger Point (watched 4 of 6 in series one; very tense)
Rosemary, I’ve not read any of ‘The Cat Who ….’ series but your description of TCWCRB has definitely made me want to read at least that one. I wonder if the writing will be as good as yours!
Rosemary, I loved the Cat Who series! As Lesa says, the earlier.ones were, IMO, much better than the later ones, and I recommend totally skipping the last one in the series which was an immense disservice to Ms. Braun and her talent.
But, I am also a big Dorothy Sayers fan. Different strokes for different folks, and all that.
Rosemary, I saw your Reading the Meow post on your blog, and enjoyed the photos of Charlie and Herbie. And commented there. Lovely photos and reading plans.
I read many of The Cat Who books by Braun when I was younger. I remember liking them but some were better than others. I think I liked the earlier ones best, but that was a long time ago.
Our library system has several of Fiona Veitch Smith’s books, including the second in the series mentioned. I’ve tagged as TBR, but it may be a while.
We’re anticipating a heat wave here with temperatures 10-15 degrees above normal. Yesterday evening brought a thunderstorm with dozens of lighting strikes, but all a few miles away.
LOST BIRDS is the ninth novel in Anne Hillerman’s
Leaphorn-Chee-Manuelito series. The title refers to Navajo children adopted outside the Dine world via government or private adoption agencies – stolen from the nest. A possible “lost bird” is one of several interwoven storylines with Joe Leaphorn having a starring role.
Next, a Tony Hillerman Award Prize winner – best debut mystery set in southwest – OFF THE AIR by Christina Este. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy it as much as you did Lesa. I’m just not a city person and didn’t enjoy the snippets of Phoenix. And with the emphasis on social media and competition, found the tempo just agitating rather than suspenseful.
I did enjoy a couple audio classics. The first Peter Wimsey mystery WHOSE BODY? by Dorothy L. Sayers (1925) And THE CASE OF THE FAMISHED PARSON by George Bellairs (1949) I heard of this author/series via one of Aubrey Hamilton’s reviews. “with a sharp tongue and a dry sense of humor, Littlejohn approaches his work with poise and confidence”
Quite the entertainment with the wonderful readers. Now I just need the opportunity to slip pince-nez into casual conversation.
MM, Estes’ book was not my favorite Hillerman Prize winner, and it looks like it’s the last one. I don’t think the prize will be given again. As I said, I liked the Phoenix parts, but the book still seemed a little disconnected at times.
Like you, I heard of George Bellairs from Aubrey. I have a second one on my Kindle.
Now, I have to look up pince-nez and see how to say it. I’ve read it all these years, but never heard it said.
This is kind of annoying and frustrating. I started typing the latest an hour ago, got down a few paragraphs, went to check on a book title, and stupidly deleted the whole thing. Grrr.
Anyway, to start over, and see how much I can remember. First, have a great time with your family and wish your mother a Happy Birthday. We’ll be away Saturday and overnight, as we have a concert this weekend (Bonnie Raitt) and will be on one of Jackie’s “mini-vacations” at a Marriott on Long Island.
The weather has warmed up. Today, however, is rainy (since midnight), though we have not had any of the extreme weather they got south and west of us. We’ve been mostly in the low 70s–low 80s range.
Jackie is reading what sounds like a nasty book (burying someone alive? No thank you), Cynthia Eden’s SAVE ME FROM THE DARK, but she says she is enjoying it. I have four or five books on hold for her that should be coming in soon.
Speaking of the library, I have one new book, another waiting to be picked up, and two more in transit, as well as three I’ve downloaded this week. Yet I never seem to have that much time to read during the day, don’t ask me why.
Books I finished: The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris, which I’ve mentioned before. In 1898, after his triumph in Cuba with the Rough Riders, 40 year old Roosevelt, arguably the most famous and popular man in America, was elected Governor of New York. Two years later, despite ambiguous feelings about what was considered a pretty worthless job, he accepted the nomination as William McKinley’s Vice President (extra Jeopardy credit to anyone who can name his first. Hint: he died in 1899. Anyone? Bueller? OK, it was Garret Hobart.). New York political bosses wanted him out of the way. Within six months McKinley was assassinated and Roosevelt was President. That’s where the second book, Theodore Rex, picks up. You can see why this won the Pulitzer Prize.
Carol Shields is probably best known for her novel The Stone Diaries, but a friend recommended her short stories too, so I read the first, Various Miracles, and have the other two collections up next.
Science fiction writer Philip K. Dick (THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE) had a pretty dark outlook on life and the world, it seems to me, and a lot of that comes out in his short stories, several of which were the basis of films – BLADE RUNNER, TOTAL RECALL. His Second Variety and Other Classic Stories is still worth reading, though one a day is more than enough. I have the next volume of his stories on hold.
Marcia Muller has been writing for a long time. Her first Sharon McCone mystery, Edwin of the Iron Shoes, was published in 1977, five years before either Sue Grafton or Sara Paretsky started writing. (By coincidence, we met her briefly in 1979.) She has slowed down in recent years (she’ll be 80 this year), and Circle in the Water is only the second McCone book in the last six years. But it is the same smooth writing, the same quick pace, as the San Francisco PI investigates a strange series of attacks of vandalism on privately owned, dead end streets. These are scattered around the city, in various socio-economic areas, with no obvious connection. Her usual characters appear and this is entertaining reading, as always.
So you liked Circle in the Water, Jeff? I liked the early Marcia Muller books, but had given up on the more recent ones in the series. I saw her at one of the conferences when she and Bill Pronzini were honored. A Bouchercon or Left Coast Crime? I’m not sure.
Enjoy your mini-vacation and the concert!
It was far from my favorite, but I did enjoy the book. Plus, I always like a short, fast read, and we got to see a lot of her old characters who don’t always appear. I’d say it’s more for fans like me who have read the entire series than a person just coming to her work fresh. But if you look at the series as a whole, Sharon McCone is one of the few continuing characters who has really grown from the start of a series to the end, from working for the co-op law firm and dating a sexist cop, to having her own firm, many employees, a definite upgrade with her husband, and owing several buildings in one of the most expensive cities in the country.
Enjoy your weekend, Lesa. Family time together is precious.
Cool temperatures ahead for us this weekend. Only in the 70’s. Perfect weather for me.
Our big plans are to see Jersey Boys at the Incline Theater in Cincinnati tomorrow. We caught The Music Man at the Lincolnshire Marriott Theater when we were at our grandson’s high school graduation. It was fabulous.
Summer means easy reading for me. I loved Earl’s Trip by Jenny Holiday recommended here a couple weeks ago. Three friends yearly outing gets derailed by two sisters.
The Fellowship of the Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr was a gentle read about Clayton Stumper who is left on the doorstep of a commune of Puzzlemakers. When his adopted mother dies he goes on a quest to find his real parents through clues. I enjoyed the puzzles along the way as well as the characters.
This Summer Will be Different by Charley Fortune was a sexy story about two best friends and the brother that live on PEI. It was a little repetitive at times but I enjoyed visiting the island and all the Anne of Green Gables references.
Happy reading!
You’re so right, Sharon, and I missed that family time for so many years. I certainly appreciate it now.
70s are beautiful temperatures! Enjoy the weather before it changes again.
Earl’s Trip sounds good. I have a copy sitting on my table, but I’m not taking it with me this weekend. I’d never even crack it open.
I’ve never seen Jersey Boys, but next Thursday night my sister and I are going to see Otterbein College’s production of Forever Plaid. Music from the same era.
Happy reading to you as well, Sharon!
Good morning! I forgot to post last night, but it’s too hot to go walking this morning anyway–our first 100+ temps of the summer. My son and his family are leaving for six days in Hawaii today, so my other son and I are responsible for making sure all is well with their dog and cats, their mail, sprinklers, etc. We’ve done it before, but this time a pool is being constructed in their back yard, which means we can’t leave the dog outside, other than in the dog run, because there is currently no gate into the yard. Also, it’s not clear when the workers will be there. I anticipate we will have to be over there at least twice a day (normal), but possibly three times, as we will be leaving the dog inside for long periods as well. I’m just hoping that when I go over this morning, the dog is still securely in the dog run and not running around the neighborhood! Wish me luck! Here’s what I’ve been reading:
I was happy but exhausted when I finished SOMEONE ELSE’S SHOES by Jojo Moyes. The “bad guys” were so bad, without a single redeeming quality, that I felt I had gone several rounds with each of them and was so frustrated for the women they had abused. Samantha’s nemesis is her horrible boss, who treats the salesmen in the office much better than he treats her, even though Sam is a star salesperson. He belittles her at every turn, often in front of others in the office. And her husband hasn’t lifted a finger or left the house for 6 months, after losing both his job and his father, leaving Sam to come home to housework after her busy work day. Her parents also expect her to clean their place several times a week. I mean, come on! As for socialite Nisha, who thought her days of poverty were decades behind her, her husband locks her out of their hotel penthouse, closes all of her accounts, and leaves her without a place to live or money to support herself. When Sam and Nisha inadvertently switch gym bags, things only get worse for Nisha, and Sam isn’t thrilled about it either. I felt like I waited so long for the lives of these two women to improve, and only at 70 percent or so of the book did I get the revenge and resolution I was hoping for. The main characters are both interesting and well developed, and many of the secondary characters are also easy to enjoy. And of course, Jojo Moyes is a stellar writer and storyteller. I just wish the plot had been tightened a bit to eliminate some repetition and propel the protagonists to the happy ending..
Jenn McKinlay is a busy writer–creating captivating mysteries, romances, and women’s fiction, both series and standalones. Her latest standalone, LOVE AT FIRST BOOK (which several of you have already read), is everything I want in a romance–a believable couple (both book lovers who can quote from a variety of classic books), endearing supporting characters (a loving mother, helpful friends and coworkers), an appealing setting (beautiful Ireland), and a plot that makes sense. Of course, there are roadblocks to the couple’s happiness and one very unreasonable parent, but ultimately nothing that cannot be overcome. Emily is a former librarian who comes to Ireland to get away from her demanding mother, to help her writing idol, Siobhan, conquer writer’s block and finish a beloved series, and to work part-time for Siobhan’s son, Kieran, a bookstore owner who doesn’t exactly welcome her with open arms. The reason is revealed as the story progresses, and I became invested in the developing relationship between Kier and Em. My only issue is with Em’s annoying mother, who is devoid of any believable nuance. The two main characters fall in love a bit too fast, I felt, but it’s a romance after all. I found the book a quick and easy read and will definitely look for more from Jenn McKinlay.
The sixth book in the Mercy Carr Mystery series, THE NIGHT WOODS by Paula Munier, might be the most harrowing one yet. Mercy, an ex-MP with service in Afghanistan, is 8+ months pregnant with her first child and having a difficult time cutting down on her physical activities, as her game warden husband Troy and her mother have asked her to do. Mercy can’t help getting involved in crime investigations, along with her intrepid search-and-rescue dog Elvis, even when a huge thunderstorm threatens New England. I have to admit I was frustrated at the chances Mercy takes, which put her and her baby in possible peril and endanger others in the family. But I understand it wouldn’t be much of a story if she acquiesced to her family’s wishes. I really enjoy the relationship of Mercy and Troy, and I particularly appreciated a new character, 15-year-old pink-haired Tandie–daughter of Mercy’s cousin–who is living with the couple temporarily after being expelled from boarding school. She has been tasked with sticking close to Mercy in the last month of her pregnancy, and in the process she reveals herself to be much more than anyone expected of her. Woven into the plot are such diverse topics as an exclusive hunting club for millionaires, the effects of PTSD on returning soldiers, the classic Greek work, The Odyssey, and, of course, more than one murder to be solved. I know that I can always count on Paula Munier to create a complex, intelligent plot and memorable, ever-developing characters. (October)
Good luck, Margie, with your house and pet sitting. Doesn’t sound like the ideal situation for you and your son, but you’ll muddle through, I’m sure.
I loved Jenn’s Love at First Book. It had everything I’m looking for in a romance. I don’t read a lot of them, but I’ll always give one a shot if it’s set in Ireland. And, I’ve enjoyed Jenn’s in the past.
I have The Night Woods to read in the next couple weeks. You’re right. Paula Munier’s plots are intelligent, and I love her characters.
Again, good luck in the next week!
Margie I read Someone Else’s Shoes early last year, so thanks for the synopsis. I recently read What Happened to Nina? by Dervla McTiernan and knew one character reminded me of another book. In the recent book, the rich wife was busy selling many of her worn-once designer clothes so she would have funds available in case of divorce. Almost like she read Someone Else’s Shoes!
Finished Dear Martin by Nic Stone and although gritty it was wonderful. Seventeen year old senior Justyce is black and writing nightly letters to Martin Luther King. The white guys at school say that they don’t see color but they have no knowledge or empathy for black guys. He is going to a prep school and finding it difficult. The positives are Doc a biracial teacher who is very wise and Jewish Polish American who is a true ally.
There is violence and something happens when his friend Manny is playing music too loud while they are driving around. Shocking but not shocking. I think this book is a classic.
Also started reading Behave by Andromeda Romano-Lay. I bought at the Round Rock Library Sale section. It is a fictional account of the woman who married John B. Watson. I expect to hate the experiments that they did on infants. We studied his theories in psychology at I. U. and I remember using them to train a rat to make a basket. Well, I hope that I can finish this book.
Really? You trained a rat to make a basket, Carol? I never would have imagined you could do that.
Dear Martin sounds interesting, even though it wasn’t an easy read. Good luck with the other one!
Jackie says she finished her book and started a science fiction book by Linnea Sinclair (“space romance”) – SHADES OF DARK in the Dock Five series.
Oh, Lesa, what a great picture!!!
I love your family get-togethers. You guys are the perfect embodiment of the family we all wish to have. Please tell Elizabeth Happy Birthday from me. đ
My first Bouchercon was in Baltimore in 1986. One of the first authors I met, the day bwfore thw con started was Reed Farrel Coleman, who introduced me to Lee Child. Best Bcon Ever.
I have read all of Reed’s books since and was excited to read the soon to be published, Blind to Midnight, through NetGalley.
Description from NetGalley
Every cop in the city knows his name, but no one says it out loud.
He doesnât wear a uniform, but he is the most powerful cop in New York.
Nick Ryan can find a criminal whoâs vanished. Or make a key witness disappear.
He has cars, safe houses, money, and weapons hidden all over the city.
Nearly three thousand New Yorkers died on 9/11. But in the entire city on that tragic day, only one murder actually took place. Now, over two decades later, Detective Nick Ryan must dig beneath the official reportâand into his own pastâto find the truth.
Working again for the mysterious power broker âJoe,â Nick finds a link between an airman, a billionaire, a trove of Nazi gold, and a crew of killers, but gets sidetracked when his dear âuncleâ Tony and Tonyâs wife are murdered in a professional hit.
Nickâs investigations uncover a tangled web of corruption and blood money, and as the horrifying truth emerges, he finds himself outgunned, on the run, and trusting no one.
With professional killers on his trail, will Nick Ryan be able to end the violence before he loses everything that matters to himâincluding his own life?
Advance Praise
âThoughtful moral questions and a truly great new character in Nick Ryan. Coleman is a noir grandmaster, and I hope this series runs forever.â–Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author
And, a little shout here.
I ADORE BILLY COLLINS
Thanks to NetGalley, I was able to read Water, Water by Billy Collins –
Description from NetGalley
From the former Poet Laureate of the United States and New York Times bestselling author of Aimless Love comes a wondrous new collection of poems focused on the joys and mysteries of daily life.
“[Billy] Collins remains the most companionable of poetic companions.” âThe New York Times
In this collection of sixty new poems, Billy Collins writes about the beauties and ironies of everyday experience. A poem is best, he feels, when it begins in clarity but ends with a whiff of mystery. In Water, Water, Collins combines his vigilant attention and respect for the peripheral to create moments of delight. Common and uncommon events are captured here with equal fascination, be it a cat leaning to drink from a swimming pool, a nurse calling a name in a waiting room, or an astronaut reciting Emily Dickinson from outer space. With his trademark lyrical informality, Collins asks us to slow down and glimpse the elevated in the ordinary, the odd in the familiar. Itâs no surprise that The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal both call Collins one of Americaâs favorite poets.
It’s been a good reading week.
WRONG date for Baltimore Bcon!!! Very wrong!
2008!
Aargh . . . . . . . .
Thank you, Kaye! I love being close enough to organize these family get togethers. They’re great!
Oh, a good reading week. It was time!
I wondered about that Bouchercon date. You made me laugh!
Lesa, have a good visit with your mother and sisters. I know your mother will love having all of you there. That book you are reading sounds good.
Here in the Goleta/Santa Barbara area, we are still having coolish weather and mostly overcast days. The high today is supposed to be 67. After finishing this, I will go out and water and see what else I need to do outside.
I finished reading SKELETON-IN-WAITING by Peter Dickinson this week. It is a wonderful alternate history, set in the UK and about the royal family, the same fictional family featured in Dickinson’s earlier KING AND JOKER. This was a reread and I liked it better than the first time I read it.
I also read PERSEPOLIS: THE STORY OF A CHILDHOOD, by Marjane Satrapi, a graphic memoir, which tells the story of the author’s life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, from the point when the Shah is overthrown through the war with Iraq. There is also second volume which I plan to read sometime soon.
And I read several short stories in NEARLY NERO by Loren D. Estleman. The stories are humerous pastiches of the Nero Wolfe / Archie Goodwin series by Rex Stout. It took me a while to get used to the premise but I liked most of the stories.
Glen is continuing to read DEATH OF A BUSYBODY by George Bellairs and we have picked up a good number of books in the same series in ebook format.
Thank you, Tracy! Mom is quite happy!
Nearly Nero sounds good. I hope you enjoy the George Bellairs.
A big week for us – we had our 2 year old German Shepherd spayed on Tuesday. She had an inherited heart condition that prevented us from doing this earlier. We found out in April that she had finally outgrown the heart condition but we were still very nervous about her going under anesthesia. All went really well and we are having a hard time keeping her calm so that she doesnât rip open her stitches!
This week I read âTo Slip the Bonds of Earthâ – a Katharine Wright mystery – the first in a new series, by Amanda Flowers, with Orville and Wilbur Wrightâs sister as the fictional sleuth. A very enjoyable read. From a historical perspective, it really brought home the reality of how entrepreneurial the Wright brothers were, working out of their garage to come up with a flying machine. I didnât know anything about their sister, so it was fun to learn more about her through a fictitious mystery. I did feel, however, that the book wrapped up too quickly at the end.
And I listened to another in the âBernie Rodenbarrâ series – âThe Burglar who Thought he was Bogartâ. As usual, I loved this book. Number 7 in the series, and the author has not lost his touch with the witty repartee and fun plot. Since I love all things Bogart, this book was especially enjoyable for me since there were a lot of Bogart references and movie synopses.
Have a wonderful outing with your mom and sisters, Lesa!
Thank you, Mary. We’ll have a great time..
I never read one of the Bernie Rodenbarr books. Probably shouldnât admit that. I should pick up the first one.
s, Good Morning from Casa Tipple and Home Eatery Library in NE Dallas where the sound of multiple chain saws hard at work rip through the steadily warming air…..
Please travel safe, Lesa. Too many morons on the roadways.
Finished CLETE by James Lee Burke. Set back in the 90s, it sure has a lot of sermonizing that could be easily applied to current events. Still have to write my review and the book comes out Tuesday.
Current read is the June 2024 issue of Mystery Magazine. I hope to have that reviewed next Wednesday.
Storms are back in the forecast starting Sunday evening–time to be determined— and much of next week..
We’re safely here. Thanks for telling us to travel safely.
I hope you stay safe, with your weather.
Iâm glad you had a chance to read Clete.
As this is a shameless plug for Dallas area folks that Lesa may choose to delete later (which if fine and I will not complain at all) I am putting this news as a separate comment.
My story, “Whatever Happened To..?,” appears in the Notorious in North Anthology that was released a couple of months ago. The Sisters in Crime North Dallas Chapter has put together two book signing events for those of us in the book to read excerpts from our stories and sign books. I hope you will come out as I will be reading while wearing pants.
From the Sisters in Crime North Dallas homepage at https://www.sistersincrimenorthdallas.com/
Weâre celebrating the release of our newest anthology,
NOTORIOUS IN NORTH TEXAS, with two AUTHOR SIGNING EVENTS!
⢠On Saturday, June 8 at 1 p.m., we hope youâll join us at Barnes & Noble in Stonebriar Mall, where authors will read excerpts from their stories and sign books. Books will be available for purchase at Barnes & Noble. Weâll also hold a drawing for a door prize.
⢠On Sunday, June 9, at 6:30 p.m., head over to The Wild Detective in Dallas for another celebration and book signing event!
That’s fine, Kevin. Good luck!
Hi all! I should be packing for our big move next week but instead I am fretting over what my doctor will tell me when we meet on Monday. My guess based on my/google interpretation of the report in my chart is that it might not be what I want to hear.
At least I have some good books to distract me! This week I really enjoyed the third Secret Staircase mystery by Gigi Pandian, A Midnight Puzzle. There is a clever mystery, engaging and realistic characters, an interesting setting, and some plot points that have been developing over all three books in the series.
I am grateful to the person who recommended the Cash Blackbear mysteries by Marcie Rendon. I read the first one, Murder on the Red River, and have the second one queued up and ready to go. If it werenât for the prices and the mentions of the Vietnam War it could almost be a contemporary story.
Iâm sorry, Trisha, that youâre worrying about your health. There’s nothing more worrisome. Sending hugs!
Iâm glad you’ve had a few distractions this week.
Hit triple digits all of a sudden. I guess summer is definitely starting. We’ve already had a couple of wildfires.
This week I read:
A Seller’s Market by Wayne Stinnett; A “Young Jesse McDermott” novel. This series has a lot of spin offs, even though it doesn’t seem to have any sort of footprint. In this one, Jesse joins the Marines, and on his leave after Basic, gets involved with some pot dealers. Oh, how times have changed.
Missus Pickerell Meet Mr. Hum by Ellen MacGregor; Mrs. Pickerell finds than a computer has taken over the town, and nobody but her has the guts to stand up to it. For the kids’ book club. More relevant than ever, and this computer needed punch cards.
The Journey South by Reavis Z Wortham; This is the first book in a new series. Cap Whitlach sells some horse to a lawyer. The lawyer hires some waddies to get his money back, and that’s just the start of Cap’s troubles as he travels back to Texas via The Territories. More people shooting at each other than you can keep track of. Trace Adkins should make the movie.
The Mice of Dumphler by Chris Weld; Fantasy as a young anthropomorphized mouse bonds with a dog charged with keeping the mouse kingdom safe from threat. When weasels attack, the kid finds himself in the thick of things whether he likes it or not. A bit too safe, if you ask me.
The Honeymoon is Over by John McPherson; Collection of the “Too Close to Home” comic strip. A lot like the old Herman panels. Made me laugh a couple of times, so that was nice.
Augie Sweetwater and The Time-Will Tell-Tale by William J Harrigan; Updated Edisonade, like Tom Swift or Dan Dunn. A boy inventor and his friend foil a jewel thief, find a missing person, and stop environmental damage. Very well done.
A Mrs. Pickerell book! Have they been reprinted? My sister and I read them!
Your kids’s books are the ones that sound good this week.
I hope the fire season isnât bad this year.
Oh Lesa, your post made me smile. I saw the link on Facebook and clicked through to comment about the coincidence of both of us reading that book at more or less the same time only to discover that I ‘made’ you pick up The Picture House murders. I hope you’ll enjoy the book, the mystery, and Miss Clara Vale as much as I did. As coincidence would have it, the third book in this series released today and here is what I thought about The Pyramid Murders :
This is my second Miss Clara Vale Mystery. Last year I read and reviewed The Pantomime Murders. I ended that review with the words: âIâve got a feeling Iâll be spending more time with Miss Clara Vale in the futureâ, and what do you know, just over six months later I find myself solving mysteries with the spunky lady investigator once again.
The year is 1930 and Clara, our heroine, has donated some of her deceased uncleâs Egyptian artifacts and papers to a local museum. But what should have been a joyous occasion soon turns sour when she discovers a mummy that is very recent as well as a selection of Egyptian jewels that shouldnât even be in England, never mind in her local museum.
When sheâs asked to investigate it isnât long before she finds herself on a journey to Egypt where she soon finds herself in danger as the plot thickens.
There is so much to enjoy in this book. The mystery is intriguing, Clara Vale is a wonderful MC, as is Bessie her assistant and there isnât a dull moment in the story. This story is properly set in 1930. For example, there is mention of Dr. Fleming and penicillin, the start of (commercial) air travel, and most delightfully, Agatha Christie makes an appearance when Clara is in Egypt. The authorâs biography states that Fiona Veitch Smith is a huge fan of Golden Age of Mystery stories, and her books show that clearly.
I love Clara Valeâs independence which was still a rare and mostly unheard of in the early decades of the 20th century.
The Pyramid Murders was well written and filled with detail without ever dragging. The characters are vivid, and the mystery is very well plotted. Which means Iâll end this review as I did my review of The Pantomime Murders. I will be spending more time with Miss Clara Vale in the future. While I wait for book #4 to be published, I can go back and read The Picture House Murders, the first title in this series.
Marleen, Although I was sidetracked by my motherâs birthday, and books for Library Journal, I’m enjoying The Picture House Murders. I need to get back to it.
Thank you for telling us about Miss Clara Vale!