Happy Independence Day! And, Happy Thursday! This is an unusual Thursday. We can all participate. Some of us will talk about “What Are You Reading?”, while others might chose to talk about your favorite books read so far this year. And, if you want to add that list next week, feel free. I hope we’re just all comfortable talking about the books we read.
Since I already shared my favorite books of 2024, I’ll just mention the book I finished. Guilt and Ginataan is Mia P. Manansala’s fifth Tita Rosie’s Kitchen mystery, a September release. Ginataan means any dish done with coconut milk, popular in Filipino culture.
The annual Shady Palms Corn Festival is one of the town’s biggest moneymakers, drawing crowds from all over the Midwest looking to partake in delicious treats, local crafts, and of course, the second largest corn maze in Illinois. Lila Macapagal and her Brew-ha Cafe crew, Adeena Awan and Elena Torres, are all too happy to participate in the event and even make a little wager on who can make it through the corn maze the fastest—but their fun is suddenly cut short when a dead body is found in the middle of the maze…and an unconscious Adeena lies next to it, clutching a bloody knife. Naturally, Lila and the crew get involved in order to save their friend.
What about you? What are you reading this week? Or, what is on your list of favorite books read in 2024? Let’s talk books!
A busy week over here for us, looking after our 6-year-old granddaughter at our house. It’s been fun – going to the river, exploring a great playground, playing games, watering plants, and reading books of course! I’m certainly not used to making three meals and three snacks every day anymore. My goodness that’s labour intensive.
I did manage to read one book. DEATH IN THE AIR by Ram Murali. I was first drawn to the book by its gorgeous cover art and then by its premise – assorted wealthy people travel to an exclusive spa in the Indian Himalayas for a week of rest, yoga, good food, and exquisite personalized services. Of course there’s also a murder, and I was looking forward to an entertaining light read while briefly inhabiting the world of the super rich.
However, despite having read some rave reviews, I did not like the book at all!. If I hadn’t spent my hard-earned money on it I wouldn’t have bothered finishing it. I don’t know that I can even think of any redeeming points at all. The writing was very ‘basic’, with not a nuanced sentence to be found anywhere, little to no descriptions of either characters, places, scenes, or murder; zero characterization; stilted and often unrealistic dialogue. And even though there was a murder there was no suspense! Not a shred. Nor was there even one character that appealed to me. Consequently I cared not a whit about who was murdered, or why, or if the murderer was discovered or not.
Maybe I’m missing the point of the book, but I thought it was dreadful. Except for the cover – I give full marks to that.
My Favourite Books of 2024 So Far:
THE SECRET KEEPER by Genevieve Graham
– a marvellously well-written WW II novel highlighting the exploits of Canadian women during the war. Full of heart, suspense, love, tears, and joy. I cannot recommend this one highly enough.
HOW TO AGE DISGRACEFULLY by Clare Pooley
– a fun, yet wise story about a group of people at vastly different ages and stages of life, each with their own issues – and how they find common ground, friendship, and come to enjoy life. A very engaging read.
THE WAY OF ALL FLESH by Ambrose Parry
– a wonderfully absorbing historical fiction/mystery/crime novel set in 1847 Edinburgh. Riveting.
THE NIGHT IN QUESTION by Susan Fletcher
– an absolutely wonderful, feel-good, wise book about late-in-life second chances in love and life; peopled with engaging characters and centred around an ‘accident’ that Florrie and Stanhope investigate.
THE DEAD GUY NEXT DOOR by Lucy Score
– a highly entertaining humorous, mystery/romance. The pages fly by. And it’s the first in a series.
Lindy, I’m so happy you had your granddaughter there to make up for the awful book you read! I don’t blame you for finishing it, though, while you looked for some redeeming feature.
Thank you for your list of favorites! I haven’t read any of those, but every one of them looks appealing. When I get back from visiting my mother, I’m going to have to look for these at the library. Thank you for sharing!
Lindy, The Night in Question and The Dead Guy Next Door sound great, so I have put a hold on both of them at the library (they don’t have them in my local library but will get them at other CA libraries through the Link+ system). I’ve always wondered about Lucy Score books, so this is my opportunity to give her a try. As you probably noticed, we both had How to Age Disgracefully on our favorites lists. If you haven’t read others by Clare Pooley, I highly recommend them. And thanks for your note on Death in the Air. I was thinking of getting that one but didn’t, and now I’m glad! Thank you for all of the great information.
Margie, yes I’ve read both Clare Pooley’s other books; really liked them both. There are some authors whose books I will always make it a point to read, and she’s one of them.
I finally gave up on fighting off this “mild” cold and spent quite a bit of time in urgent care tonight. Definitely not on my plans for the night. But I’m glad I went. The doctor took one look at my throat and said, “how are you not in a ton of pain.” So not I’ve got a couple of meds. Hopefully, they start knocking this out because I’m tired of cancelling/postponing plans.
On the reading front, I finished PUZZLE ME A MURDER by Roz Noonan this afternoon. The book was okay at best, but the ending completely ruined it for me. It was like the author suddenly realized she had to wrap things up, so she rushed a bunch of things. Which is ironic since I felt the book was too slow overall.
Thanks to all the sitting around the waiting room, I’m already almost a third of the way into my next book (which I’m not complaining about). I’m reading JOSHUA TREE by Sandy Dengler. This is in her Jack Prester Mystery series set in various National Parks. Jack is investigating what everyone else has written off as an accidental death. He’s been distracted by some other things at the moment, but I suspect they’ll become important to the overall plot by the end of the story.
Oh, Mark. I’m sorry you’re feeling lousy and have had to postpone plans. It doesn’t help that the last book you read wasn’t good. I hope Joshua Tree is a distraction for you, not just for Jack Prester.
I’ll go ahead and list some favorites read so far this year, too. No idea if they will stick or not, but I suspect these will.
THE RAVEN THIEF by Gigi Pandian
THE CASE OF THE CANTERFELL CODICIL by PJ Fitzsimmons
THE WITLESS PROTECTION PROGRAM by Maria DiRico
TORN ASUNDER by Barbara Ross
I am so remiss in not having read Gigi Pandian’s series. I’ve known Gigi for years, read her other books, and just never have gotten around to reading this one.
You’re right. It’s so hard to tell in July if these books will stick with us by the end of the year. But, it’s fun to look at everyone’s list.
Thank you for sharing, and for taking the time when you’re feeling lousy.
Sorry you are feeling lousy during a holiday, Mark. Hope the meds kick in!
I also enjoyed reading THE WITLESS PROTECTION PROGRAM and THE RAVEN THIEF.
Happy 4th. That is, I hope it is happy for you. My favorite thing this week was the picture of a group of new immigrants – two in military uniform – being sworn in as citizens the other day. If only we lived up to the ideals that brought them here.
But I digress. Let’s start with favorite reads the first half of the year. Here is Jackie’s list:
Lara Adrian, GUARDIAN OF DARKNESS
Ashley Poston, THE DEAD ROMANTICS
J. D. Robb, RANDOM IN DEATH
J. R. Ward, MINE
Christine Feehan, LEOPARD’S HUNT
I’ll start with the non-fiction, as they were my favorites so far:
Dwight Garner, The Upstairs Delicatessen: On Eating, Reading, Reading About Eating, and Eating While Reading. Garner is the NY Times book critic, and the subtitle should be self-explanatory about what the book is about. It was great, and gave me some ideas for other books to read, including the next title.
Tommy Tomlinson, The Elephant in the Room: One Fat Man’s Quest to Get Smaller in a Growing America. Beautifully written and touching book by a Southern journalist.
Edmund Morris, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. One cannot help but be impressed by Roosevelt, who read over 500 books a year in the White House! This covers his life up to when he became President at age 42, and what a busy life it was!
Elizabeth Strout, Olive Kitteridge. More a linked series of stories than a novel, this led me to several other books by Strout.
Stephen King, Some Like It Darker: Stories. I have not read every Stephen King book by any means, but I have read all of his short story and novella collections, and this is a good one, with several newly written for this collection.
Craig Johnson, First Frost. The latest Walt Longmire book is almost two books, the modern story is about the aftermath of the previous book, a hearing about Walt killing a man (or did he?) who was trying to kill him. But the main part of the book is a road trip – Walt and Henry Standing Bear in 1964, freshly graduated from college (USC for Walt, Berkeley for Henry), on the way cross country to report for military service. It has a Reacher-like quality as they end up in a small town in the middle of nowhere in Arizona, which they won’t leave without helping some people. Good book.
This week, besides the Longmire book, I read:
Martin Edwards, ed. The Measure of Malice: Scientific Detection Stories. This was published in the early days of the pandemic and it slipped past my notice then, but I got a copy now. Not the best of his British Library collections, but – as always – it is well worth reading, with two exceptions, stories co-written by L. T. Meade, both of which are not only dated but stupid beyond forgiveness.
Tom Baragwanath, Paper Cage. This was a big disappointment for me, a highly praised New Zealand book about missing kids and the attempt to find them, that deteriorated into a Had I But Known/no cellphone service/no backup ending that ruined a book with potential. I must admit that from the beginning it was not really my kind of book, but the first half was more readable.
Terence Faherty, The Chronicles of Owen Keane. His second collection fo stories (and a novella in each) about “failed seminarian turned metaphysical sleuth” Owen Keane, is a good one. I’ve never read the eight (I think) Keane novels, but I liked the stories a lot. One is set in Ireland and the long novella here is in on the coast of Maine, but Keane lives in New Jersey and most are in the New York-New Jersey area, including the final story in Ocean City on the Jersey Shore.
I’m still reading the second Philip K. Dick collection as I was last week.
Finally, I like a police procedural and have for many years. Lesa’s interval with commenter Kim Hays several weeks ago made me look for Kim’s first procedural about Swiss cops Giuliana Linder and Renzo Donatelli, set in the capital of Bern. I can’t give a final assessment as I’m not quite a third of the way through it yet, but so far I like it very much – the characters, the setting, the relationships, etc. I’ll definitely be looking for her other books when i finish it. Nice job, Kim!
We’ll be off in the wilds (well, not so wild, the coast anyway) of Connecticut with my cousins next week (leaving Monday, home on Saturday), so I might not get a lot of reading done.
Have a good week.
What a great post, Jeff! Thank you. A little bit of everything. I have to agree with Jackie on two of her books. The Dead Romantics was one of my favorite books when it came out. And, I always like the J.D. Robb books.
“Stupid beyond forgiveness.” That sounds like one of Glen’s comments about his books. I’m sorry you wasted your time on those stories.
I’m glad First Frost made your list. I would have read the book if it had been totally about Walt and Henry. But, I did’t read the previous book, so that storyline might have been lost on me.
Thank you for taking the time to evaluate this year’s reading. Sounds as if the nonfiction was better than the fiction.
Enjoy the week with your cousins. We’ll see you the following week if you’re busy next Thursday.
Jeff, I would so like to read that Dwight Garner book but it costs far too much here and the library does not have it.
It reminds me of when you recommended Christopher Fowler’s ‘The Book of Forgotten Authors’, which was not only a great read in itself but also led me to so many other writers of whom I had known nothing. And Garner’s book is also about food, one of my favourite topics. Maybe one day a copy will turn up on ebay!
Oops – Kim’s book is called Pesticide. Sorry about that.
I have read some memorable books during the first 3 months of the year. The more recent 3 months have been a reading drought due to 5 weeks of int’l travel & blurred vision.
Two of these books have been on my Kindle since last summer.
The book with the asterisk is currently my favourite book read so far,
SCORCHED GRACE by Margot Douaihy. Sister Holiday, a chain-smoking, heavily tattooed, queer nun in New Orleans, puts her amateur sleuthing skills to the test in this debut crime novel. Nominated for this year’s Lefty and Anthony awards. I met Margot at Seattle LCC’s New Authors Breakfast and she is a delight.
HAPPINESS FALLS by Angie Kim (audiobook). A dysfunctional biracial Korean-American family deals with the sudden disappearance of the patriarch during the early days of the pandemic. The only witness is younger brother Eugene, who has the rare genetic condition Angelman syndrome and cannot speak.
SMALL MERCIES by Dennis Lehane (audiobook). Small Mercies is set in 1974 South Boston. White, Irish American South Boston is up in literal arms about integration and mandatory school busing. Main character Mary Pat Fennessy is on a relentless quest when her 17-year-old daughter, Jules, goes out with friends and doesn’t come back.
EVERY TIME I GO ON VACATION, SOMEONE DIES by Catherine Mack. Bestselling fictional author Eleanor Dash is on her Italian book tour. Her fictional main character Connor Smith is based on her con man collaborator. When several attempts are made to kill the real Connor, Eleanor has to deal with solving a real-life murder mystery. This is first book in a new series written under a pseudonym by thriller author Catherine McKenzie.
*TO THOSE WHO KILLED ME by J.T. Siemens. A gut-flinching debut featuring disgraced ex-cop Sloane Donovan who is now working as a fitness instructor to keep her OCD and PTSD in check. When Sloane finds a close friend dead of an apparent suicide, she teams up with PI friend Wayne Capson to find the truth. The trail takes Sloane to gritty parts of Vancouver Canada that is rarely seen by tourists & she goes into a mental spiral that almost ends her own life.
Sending hugs and wishes that your allergies get better, Grace, so you can read again. It must be so frustrating to a reader who read so many books in the first quarter of the year, and always reads so much. I’m sorry.
Small Mercies was one of my favorite books last yaer. I don’t know how the audiobook is, but I loved the book.
To Those Who Killed Me sounds as if it might be a difficult book to read.
As I said, I’m sorry for your lack of reading.
LESA: Yes, the Siemens book is not for everyone. It is a raw, frank portrayal of a protagonist who has struggled with mental illness throughout her life. Not a topic that is often discussed or portrayed in mystery fiction. Book #2, Call of the Void, is on my TBR pile.
And yes, having read over 60 books from January-March, and only 12 books in April-June has been a downer.
Happy 4th of July everyone! And what a fun idea, Lesa, to have us reflect on our favorite reads so far! It was great to walk down memory lane as I reviewed my “read” list. Here – in no particular order – are my top 5 favorites that I have read this year:
-The Spy Coast (Martini Club #1) by Tess Gerritsen
-A Collection of Lies (Kate Hamilton, #5) by Connie Berry
-Don’t Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino
-Lost Luggage (Cyd Redondo #1) by Wendall Thomas
-Elizabeth of East Hampton (For the Love of Austen, #2) by Audrey Belleza
Looking forward to more great reads in this 2nd half of 2024!
What a fun list, Mary! Thank you for reminding me of The Spy Coast. I think I’d like that one. And, I always enjoy Connie Berry’s Kate Hamilton series. And, Wendall Thomas will be so pleased to see Lost Luggage on your list!
July 4 is a good day to share our favorite books! Happy Independence Day. And, happy reading in the second half of the year!
Mary! Lesa is right, I am over the moon to see Cyd Redondo on your list. Thank you so very much for reading the book!
I loved your book – it made me laugh out loud! Thanks for replying to my post! 🙂
Good morning. We went to a baseball game for the first time in years. Our local team is a Yankees AA team. They lost but there were fireworks after the game which was fun.
I read an ARC of Echoes of Memory by Sara Driscoll. Quinn suffered a traumatic brain injury during an assault and now she can’t form new memories. One night she witnesses a murder, calls the police, and writes down what happened before she forgets. But when the police arrive there’s no body and Quinn keeps trying to refer to her notes so of course they don’t believe her.
This was a much slower paced book than the previous books I’ve read by Sara Driscoll. There’s a lot of repetition and information about how memory works which may turn off some people but it made sense in the context of the story and I enjoyed the book.
Good afternoon, Sandy! Oh, I haven’t been to a baseball game in years, although we used to go to a lot of games when we were in Florida and Arizona. I always enjoyed the games.
That does sound like it’s a slower book for Sara Driscoll. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Happy Independence Day! I was disappointed this year not to attend the local fireworks/bands/food truck celebration yesterday, but who wants to be out in 107-degree heat? Similar temps are predicted for the next 10 days at least, so I’ll be staying inside most of the time.
Here are my favorite books of the year so far (I’ve already written too many words about them): The Phoenix Ballroom by Ruth Hogan, The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr, Colton Gentry’s Third Act by Jeff Zentner, How to Read a Book by Monica Wood, and How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley. And here’s what I read this week:
I’m glad I reviewed my highlights in Kindle on the first book of Nora Roberts’ Lost Bride Trilogy before beginning the second, THE MIRROR, which begins immediately after the last scene in the first book. Graphic artist Sonja McTavish has inherited a Victorian house in Maine from her deceased father’s identical twin, and she finds it to be an intermittently frightening haunted mansion, complete with the sounds of all of those who have met their end there. A cruel witch, Hester Dobbs. is in residence and claims the house is hers even though she met her own death decades ago,, since she has killed seven brides in the Poole family and is wearing all of their wedding rings. Sonja’s best friend, artist Cleo, has moved from Boston to live with Sonja and to help her deal with Hester’s threats and disturbances. They are assisted by local attorney Trey and his longtime friend Owen, a member of the Poole shipbuilding family, each of whom is building a romantic relationship with one of the two young women. This book is centered around finding out how each of the Poole brides died violently–most on their wedding day–with the details provided by the discovery of painted portraits of each bride and viewing the occurrences of their brutal deaths. Many of these details come by way of an antique mirror and often at 3:00 a.m., leaving everyone shaken but determined to defeat Hester. I found the pace of the book to be rather slow and repetitious, as each occurrence has to be retold to the others who didn’t witness it. However, I did like the easy relationship among the four major characters and a glimpse into their career progress as well. I enjoyed hearing from Sonja’s late grandmother Clover, one of the brides, who plays appropriate music on everyone’s radio to fit the current circumstances, although I think it could have been dialed back a bit. I also could have done without all of the description about what was to eat at every meal and who prepared it. I’m still fascinated by the story and looking forward to what happens in Sonja’s quest to recover all seven wedding rings to end the family curse and ultimately defeat the wicked Hester Dobbs in the final episode of the trilogy. (November)
What I love most about Kristan Higgins’ LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE is that the faux romance trope is not the focus of the plot, but instead a delightful way to advance the lives of three intriguing women–all of them well worth rooting for. Lark is a medical resident in oncology, a field that has a special meaning for her. But she can’t help crying in the presence of many of her patients, which doesn’t endear her to her supervisor. That’s how she finds herself working in the ER, at least until she can get her emotions under control. That’s also why she is open to pretending to be the girlfriend of the hospital’s most notorious superstar physician so he can show his beloved (and very elderly) grandma he is settling down before she dies. The problem is that “Dr. Satan” (as his coworkers know him) has nary a social skill nor a good bedside manner, but he has promised to help Lark get back into oncology if she agrees to his demand. Moreover, Lark can’t help but fall in love with his large and very welcoming family, especially one particular brother. At the same time, Lark’s mother unexpectedly finds evidence that her “perfect husband” has had a flirtatious relationship with a woman he met online, so she initiates a separation. She discovers that the quirky woman whose cottage is rented by Lark also has room in her vast house, and the two become roomies. In the process, the two women find a friendship neither anticipated, which enriches both of their lives. The way each situation is resolved includes some satisfying and entertaining surprises, which kept me rapt and immersed in the story until the end. There is a lot of humor throughout, along with sadness and deep emotion. I loved it all.
ECHO has been described in promotions as the conclusion of the Detective Harriet Foster series by Tracy Clark after three books. Harriet (nicknamed Harri) is a Chicago detective whose deceased father was also a cop. Her 14-year-old son was murdered, leaving a hole in Harri’s life, but we don’t hear much about him in this book. One of the plots deals with the mysterious death of Harri’s former partner and the ruining of her reputation as a cop. A shadowy ex-con who has emerged from prison seems to be taking responsibility for what happened to her and gleefully making pointed threats to the safety of Harri and her family. At the same time, Harri and her current partner, Vera, are investigating the death of a local college student whose billionaire father owns the exclusive house where selected students live and wild parties are frequent. Could this death be connected to another student who was also found dead outside the house 30 years earlier? And is there a vendetta against everyone who may have been involved in the earlier death? I found this third book in the series the least satisfying, mainly because the theme of vigilante justice is troublesome, and I missed the touches of humor that provided a respite from the bleakness in earlier books.. However, I have enjoyed the characters of Harri, her partner, and the team of detectives that support them. (December)
Well, the weather can sure mess up plans, can’t it, Margie. I’m sorry you missed out this year.
You and others convinced me, and I have a copy of How to Age Disgracefully on my TBR pile. I’m not sure when I’ll get to it.
I love Nora Roberts’ trilogies, but I’ve noticed the second in the series often just serves to move the story along, and the third book is a terrific climax. I haven’t read it yet, but I have it.
Both of your other books sound good, too.
I hope you have time with your family today. Happy 4th!
Hi, all – Happy 4th!
My favorite books this year, so far:
A HAPPIER LIFE by Kristy Woodson Harvey
A CALAMITY OF SOULS by David Baldacci
HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN by Joyce Maynard
Happy 4th, Kaye! I’m #70 on the waiting list for A Happier Life at the library. I’ll have to put in on inactive when I go home to visit my Mom next week. But, it sounds terrific!
Thank you for looking back at all the books you read to pick your favorites!
Sending love and hugs!
Happy 4th! We are looking forward to our grandson’s visit on Saturday. He will be staying with us while his parents are at Iowa University orientation with his older brother.
I read two books this week. THE PHOENIX BALLROOM by Ruth Hogan was just wonderful. I think Margie reviewed it earlier. Venetia discovers her new life after being widowed with the help of a personal assistant, her young grandson and eccentric sister-in-law. Reading this book was like being wrapped in a warm hug.
My second book was SANDWICH by Catherine Newman. I did not love it as much as many other readers did but there were parts that I enjoyed. Fifty something Rocky is twice as old as her children and half as old as her parents. They gather on Cape Cod for a two-week vacation. Rocky is in the throes of menopause and much of that was on point and funny. I related more to the parts of the story with her parents than I did with the parts with her children. I did not suffer with that degree of empty nester syndrome, and I found her daughter Wren irritating. I picked it up because of the hype but I would have been just as good not reading it.
My favorite books of the year so far were:
The House is on Fire by Rachel Beanland
Nosy Neighbors by Freya Sampson
On Fire Island by Jane L. Rosen
West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
How to Read a Book by Monica Wood
Enjoy your time with your grandson, Sharon. I’m sure you have plans. Hopefully, you’ll tell us about them afterwards.
I need to read that Ruth Hogan. I know several of you loved it.
I really liked On Fire Island when I read it.
Enjoy your visit!
Sharon, I’m so glad you liked The Phoenix Ballroom. I’ve loved everything by Ruth Hogan, but this might be my favorite. I see you agree with me about How to Read a Book, as it was on both of our favorites lists today. I have enjoyed Nosy Neighbors and On Fire Island as well. My favorite Jane L. Rosen book (I liked them all) was Eliza Starts a Rumor–the ending is particularly fantastic!
I have started a book of poetry by Lashawnda Jones, She has nailed some of my emotions, a great writer.
Oh, I have several friends who love poetry, Carol. I’ll have to mention that book.
Hi Lesa and everyone,
I’m finally back from our latest travels, which were to Sussex (one of the English counties bordering the English Channel, ie over 600 miles from here). It is so good to be back in Aberdeenshire!
We took our time over the journey there and back, but it was still a very long drive (by UK standards) and the traffic was at times dreadful – we’re just not used to this up here.
We were attending David’s nephew’s wedding, which was held at the home of the bride. Her parents have a wholesale plant nursery, so they own many acres of prime Sussex countryside. The wedding was huge, the ceremony and meal being held in one of the many vast glasshouses – it was very, very hot. (The orders of service were attached to little wooden sticks so that they could be used as fans!) Fortunately we could at least go outside afterwards and get some fresh air – one of the groom’s brothers also organised a golf competition, which was a lot more fun than anticipated.
On the way down to Pevensey we stayed one night in Whitley Bay (a seaside resort near Newcastle), and on the way back one night in a small town outside Leeds in Yorkshire. On both occasions the guest houses were lovely, with friendly hosts and comfortable rooms – but I was still very glad to be back in my own bed on Monday night.
And to break the daily journeys still further, we discovered excellent coffee shops. In Thirsk, a smart market town in Yorkshire, (otherwise known as ‘James Herriot country’ as a lot of All Creatures Great and Small is set in the area), there was such a big choice that we just had to take a punt, and luckily we hit gold with the lovely White Rose Book Café. (The white rose is the heraldic symbol of the House of York, but in modern times it has become simply the symbol of Yorkshire.) Delicious coffee, warm scones, armchairs, and lots of books. Upstairs some young children were enjoying a Book Bug session (books and songs). It was such a nice, community-focused, place.
We also stopped off to visit a college friend of David’s who now lives in Buxton, a beautiful spa town in Derbyshire. I had never been there before – the town has some impressive Victorian architecture, an amazing opera house which now also accommodates an arts centre, some great parks, and many independent shops. In July Buxton has a famous festival, with music, opera, theatre, art exhibitions, comedy, books, poetry and more. Authors appearing this year include Alexandra Harris, Sophie Grigson, Donna Leon and Rob Rinder.
It’s quite a popular place to retire to from Manchester, Stockport and Sheffield, so there are lots of things going on – our friend Mark is involved in two art groups, a walking group and a table tennis club. He did say, however, that the town has very few young people – which is the fate of so many similar towns in the UK; only the reasonably affluent retired can afford to live there. The young move away because the property prices are so high, and there is little employment outside the tourist industry and care homes. I myself prefer to live in a more mixed community, but Mark is really enjoying life there. He served us some Buxton Pudding, which I’d never heard of before – it was like a Bakewell tart (a sweet pastry case filled with jam and a sort of almond flavoured sponge mixture), but with breadcrumbs instead of ground almonds. Very good.
As usual I took far more books with me than I actually read. I did finish MRS PARGETER’S PUBLIC RELATIONS by Simon Brett, which I enjoyed. I believe this is the 8th book in a series, but I don’t think it mattered. Brett is so good at writing light, entertaining novels and this one is no exception. Melita Pargeter is the wealthy widow of a career criminal – but she never speaks about that, referring only to Mr Pargeter’s ‘business interests.’ He has left Melita very well provided for, and with people (his ex-employees) to call on whenever she needs any kind of help. Being rich, she is often asked to donate to charities, and this is partly how she gets mixed up in PhiliPussies, which captures feral cats on the tiny Greek island of Atmos and brings them back to Billericay (Essex) to be rehomed.
When Mrs Pargeter attends a fundraising event for Philipussies, she becomes suspicious of the charity’s real activities and purpose. She’s also none too pleased when a woman turns up claiming to be her late husband’s sister – a sister of whose existence Mrs P had no knowledge. Rochelle Brighouse wants something from Mrs P, and she soon sets about getting it.
There is a big cast of ‘honourable’ criminals, eg ‘Truffler Mason’, now a private investigator, Gary, former getaway driver and now private chauffeur, and ‘Parvez the Peterman’, former safe-breaker, now ‘security consultant’ – and there are also some very disreputable ones, especially the numerous members of the Philipoussis family who run Atmos, and Rochelle herself – whose connection to a certain criminal gang soon explains why Mr Pargeter had never mentioned her.
The action zips back and forth between London and Greece, and the book is great fun to read. Simon Brett is an economical writer – there is no wordy description here, but I was still able to imagine every location from the few lines used to describe it.
I’m now about to start BUCKET LIST, a new novel by my friend Russell Jones. He usually writes sci-fi, but here he has branched out into the (fictional) story of an unlikely friendship between a lonely old lady and a boy on a Young Offenders project. Dot, though, is no ordinary old lady – she’s an inveterate shoplifter who’s turned half her sitting room into an indoor jungle and the other half into Christmas-land. Hence she needs to keep on stealing plants and themed knick-knacks.
I’ve also been working my way through the programmes for the Edinburgh International Book Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe, both of which start in just a few weeks’ time. As ever, themes emerge. In the Fringe this seems to happen without any prompting from the organisers – I suppose it’s just whatever is fashionable this year. So 2024 appears to be the year of End of the World productions. There’s an awful lot of gloom and doom. I have to admit I am largely ignoring these plays, I don’t want to leave even more depressed about the state of the world than when I went in.
The book festival is a much more curated affair, with the management team developing several strands each year. Some of the sessions that have caught my eye are with the poet Lemn Sissay, the MP Jess Phillips, Marian Keyes, Jenny Colgan, Graeme Macrae Burnet, Howard Jacobson, Lucy Caldwell, Marina Warner and Colin Mcintyre (aka the musician ‘The Mull Historical Society’.) I’d also like to see Es Devlin, who has created kinetic stage sets for Beyonce, Adele, Pet Shop Boys, U2 and many others.
Then there’s the art festival – they haven’t distributed their brochures yet, but they usually have some good stuff, with an organised introductory day or two for reviewers.
Tomorrow is our election day. The predictions are for a Labour landslide, thank goodness. I have many reservations about the Labour leader. Keir Starmer, but anything must be better than the years we have suffered under the Tory party. Here in Scotland we have the additional option of the SNP – they have suffered from some negative issues lately, but I hope that my own MP manages to retain his seat. In Wales the additional option is Plaid Cymru.
After voting I will be visiting my friend Sue out in the Aberdeenshire countryside. She says she has several chicks about to hatch – last time it was goats about to give birth!
I hope you all have a great week,
Rosemary
What a great travelogue, Rosemary. And, I’m just so sorry we don’t have good coffee shops here in the U.S. Everything here is Starbucks – the bigger, the more popular. I’d love to enjoy all the coffee shops you have.
I’m with you. I wouldn’t want to go to all the pessimistic productions about the end of the world. Too close to reality.
I love your descriptions of travel, food, the arts. Thank you for sharing.
Good luck with your election today!
Lesa, we were just talking about this the other day – 20 years ago there were no good coffee shops here either. There have always been tea shops, some very old fashioned, but there was no coffee culture. Then along came Starbucks, Costa and co, and now coffee is such a thing here, and there are numerous super-cool coffee shops everywhere. I, however, prefer the cosier places (like the White Rose book shop) that combine good coffee and tea with great cakes and comfortable chairs.
Of course we also have many National Trust properties, and they tend to have good tea rooms and are known for their baking. Even places like our Music Hall and theatre have good cafes that are open all day- the theatre also has a more up market restaurant, but the coffee shop is fine for me.
I agree, Rosemary. A coffee or tea shop would work just fine for me. As a matter of fact, there’s a little one attached to Gramercy Books, and I try to patronize it when I’m there. I love the sound of your shops!
Rosemary, we finished BLUE LIGHTS (second series). Thanks again for recommending it. I’m assuming a series three will be in the works. At least Grace & Stevie got together at last.
Believe it or not, after we watched two episodes of series two of FAT FRIENDS, series one suddenly popped up, so we started watching that.
The new series of GRACE is on here too. Also SIGNORA VOLPE, set in beautiful Umbria, starring Emilia Fox, daughter of Edward Fox & Joanna David.
That’s great about Fat Friends Jeff – I have also had that happen, when the first series of something disappears then comes back on again. Strange.
I have heard that there are THREE new series of Blue Lights commissioned, such is its popularity. I hope that’s right. I’ve never heard of Signora Volpe, I’ll investigate that one. There are so many pay to view channels now that we never seem to have the right one – the Guardian has a weekly TV recommendations column and i now check the location of each programme before I even read the description.
I enjoyed Grace, thanks for the heads up re the new series. At the moment David is keen to watch all that i-Player can offer from Glastonbury (which took place last weekend) – this is interrupting my Fat Friends season!
PS – I should have said, I wrote most of my post on Wednesday evening as I knew I’d be out on Thursday morning. Today is our election day! And I am just back from a fun morning helping to feed uncooperative goats and inspect broody hens!
And here are my five favourite reads this year – so far. I started with a list of nineteen, and really any of them could have been top, but here goes:
COLD COOKERY by Helen Simpson – published by The British Electrical Development Association of Savoy Hill, WC2. This is a manual dating from 1937 and intended to persuade housewives of the benefits of owning a refrigerator. I read it for the #1937Club, and was fascinated by the insights it gave me into UK domestic life between the wars.
SONIC YOUTH SLEPT ON MY FLOOR – Dave Haslam’s memoir of his youth and his years DJ-ing at the famous Manchester club The Hacienda.
LEAVING ALEXANDRIA – Richard Holloway’s autobiography. From a working class family in the Vale of Alexandria he rose to become Bishop of Edinburgh – but reliquished his post when he could no longer ignore the issues he had with the Episcopal church, and the doubts he had about faith in general.
CONCRETE ROSE by Angie Thomas. A wonderful story about a young black man navigating life on a housing scheme, and how he copes with unexpectedly becoming the sole parent to his accidentally conceived baby son. A novel that subverts so many stereotypes, this is the prequel to THE HATE U GIVE.
COUNTRY GIRL – the author Edna O’Brien’s memoir of growing up in a strict and religious household in rural Ireland, escaping to Dublin, marrying young, moving with her jealous and controlling husband to London, leaving him, and making her way as an author in the misogynistic 1960s. She was (and remains) a true pioneer.
It’s just so much fun to see these book lists, Rosemary. I know how tough it is to narrow the list from 19 to 5 books. Concrete Rose is the one that jumps out at me, but all the others sound interesting as well.
Thank you!
My favorite books so far this year:
THE SWEET BLUE DISTANCE by Sara Donati
LOST BIRDS by Anne Hillerman
THE PARIS NOVEL by Ruth Reichl
THE HAZELBOURNE LADIES MOTORCYCLE FLYING CLUB by Helen Simonson
THE GLASSMAKER by Tracy Chevalier
I am off to look for many of the titles listed by others. We aren’t escaping the triple digit heat here this time.
Oh, The Paris Novel. I even bought a copy of it. I don’t know why it wasn’t on my list. I just must have overlooked it. It was so good.
Cindy, I wondered about The Glassmaker. I’ve liked some of Chevalier’s books, but I didn’t kow if that one was just going to feel too long. Thank you!
And, I have The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle Flying Club here from the library. You and others must have pushed me to pick it up. Thank you!
Well, THE LAST RUNAWAY remains my favorite book by her, but this one is a close second. The way she manages the time jumps (I won’t say more to spoil it) is pretty cool.
Cindy, I’m glad to see you liked The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle Flying Club. I won it from Goodreads in paperback but haven’t gotten to it yet. Soon, I hope!
We have had a quiet week, which was nice.
This week I read A CARIBBEAN MYSTERY by Agatha Christie. Now I only have three Miss Marple books left to read. It was not my favorite Miss Marple novel so far, but still a good read.
Glen is now reading THE FALL OF BERLIN 1945 by Antony Beevor. It is a fairly long nonfiction book, but he is already over half way done and says it is a good read.
It was very hard to decide on just four books as my favorites so far this year, which means I enjoyed a lot of the books I chose to read. Making the choices made it clear how much my reading has changed in the last year or two. Here they are:
TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW (2022) by Gabrielle Zevin
It is about two young people who create video games, but it is about many other things: relationships, families, judgement and misunderstandings, and ambition. I liked the writing and the way it is structured.
A MAN CALLED OVE (2012) by Fredrik Backman
Ove is an older man, nearing sixty, who has fixed ideas about life and often doesn’t fit in with societal norms. He often seems cranky or rude. His wife has recently died. I liked the way the author gradually reveals more and more about Ove and his life.
THE QUIET AMERICAN (1955) by Graham Greene
The events in this book take place in the early 1950s. The story is set in Saigon, Vietnam and surrounding areas when the French Army and the Viet Minh guerrillas are fighting each other.
MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON (2016) by Elizabeth Strout
The story is told by a woman looking back on her lengthy stay in a hospital in New York City in the 1980s due to complications following an appendectomy. She remembers her strange and unfortunate childhood and her relationship with her parents and siblings.
Glen’s favorite book is the last one he read:
AT HOME: A SHORT HISTORY OF PRIVATE LIFE by Bill Bryson.
Sometimes, a quiet week is just what we need, Tracy. I’m glad you and Glen enjoyed it.
You know what I noticed about all these lists? Although many of us ended up here because we enjoy mysteries, there aren’t too many mysteries on the Favorites lists.
I like the variety in your list, and in some of the others. That’s why we all return here, for the variety of reading.
Thank you!
It’s been just too hot to do much of anything this week.
I read:
Cain’s Jawbone by E Powas Mathers; I didn’t know what I was getting into with this one. It’s a puzzle book and a mystery. The pages are printed out of order, and the puzzle is to put them in the right order. I’m not really sure I succeeded. There’s a mystery, too, but I was so distracted by the pages, I’m not sure I ever got the straight of it. I guess this is a famous book in some circles, but I’d just as soon it remained unknown.
Right to Remain Silent by Penny Warner; The local busybody dies, but somehow wakes up. Then she dies a mysterious death while in the hospital. Her deaf/sort of mute son is the prime suspect, but our mostly deaf sleuth decides to investigate. Penny Warner is a good author but doesn’t seem to be writing anymore.
Empire of the Summer Moon by SC Gwynne; A history of the Comanche empire. Rather than the same old victimology, we get what I think is a much more clear eyed view of the facts.
That’s what others are saying as well, Glen. Just too hot.
Actually, I haven’t heard of Penny Warner in years, except for your occasional review. I agree with you in that she must not be writing.
Glen, hasn’t the heat been miserable? I read today that it may equal the longest hot streak in Sacramento history. We had a power outage of 3 hours last Saturday evening, but fortunately the power came back before bedtime. At the same time, I have had a 2-week allergy attack, and I am waiting (im)patiently for it to be over! I’m blaming it on a tree next to my front yard that just decided to bloom. You were right about the Town Center celebration this year–just too hot to sit outside for any reason.
Margie, The heat wave is supposed to last til tuesday. Hope we can last that long.
You should probably get yourself some sort of generator, as this might well be just the beginning of outages for the year.
Good luck with your allergies!
My current reads are The British Booksellers by Kristy Cambron and Summer Romance by Annabelle Monaghan. Some of my favorite books read in 2024 are The Women by Kristin Hannah, The Butcher by Jennifer Hillier (a backlist title), You’d Look Better as a Ghost by Joanna Wallace, The secret lives of booksellers & librarians by James Patterson, The Next Mrs Parrish by by Liv Constantine, The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center, The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley and A Happier Life by Kristy Woodson Harvey.
I’m looking forward to reading A Happier Life, Katherine. I’m on the waiting list at the library. I enjoyed The Secret Lives…as well. Thanks for sharing your list!