No real news or weather reports from here this week, so I’m going to dive right into books.
Kim Hays recommended Phil Rickman’s Merrily Watkins series the other day, so I picked up the first one, The Wine of Angels. I liked the premise. But, Kim? Don’t feel bad if I don’t get into it. Six hundred pages! Plus, I”m easily distracted by books I have to read for Library Journal. So, I’m going to give it a try, but we all know I don’t always finish the books I mention on Thursdays. Since I’ve only read the prologue, here’s the blurb.
The new vicar had never wanted a picture-postcard parish—or a huge and haunted vicarage. Nor had she wanted to walk into a dispute over a controversial play about a 17th-century clergyman accused of witchcraft, a story that certain long-established families would rather remained obscure. But this is Ledwardine, steeped in cider and secrets. A paradise of cobbled streets and timber-framed houses. And also—as Merrily Watkins and her teenage daughter, Jane, discover—a village where horrific murder is a tradition that spans centuries.
The seventeenth in this series will be released in November, so, if I like it, I have a whole new series.
What about you? What are you reading this week? Did anyone entice you to try a new book?
Hello, everyone! I’m happy to report that my 44-year-old son Nick had his open heart surgery (double bypass) today, and it went very well, according to the doctor. Nick even sent us a selfie this evening from his room in the ICU. I will be able to visit him tomorrow morning (Thursday). He needed the surgery to remain on the kidney transplant list (long story). Also, Glen and I met up at intermission at last Sunday’s Beatles tribute at the Harris Center–great to see him! Here’s what I read this week.
Debut author C.L. Miller knows about antiques–her mother was co-founder of the annual Miller’s Antiques Price Guide and an expert on Antiques Road Show. So, of course, there is an antiques theme to her first mystery, THE ANTIQUE HUNTER’S GUIDE TO MURDER. Protagonist Freya had a successful career finding missing or stolen antiques and returning them to their rightful owners, but she had abandoned it 20 years earlier when her longtime mentor, Arthur Crockleford, betrayed her and the love of her life was murdered. Now Arthur has also been murdered, and Freya receives a letter, written in Arthur’s hand, asking her and her flamboyant Aunt Carole–Arthur’s close friend–to attend an event for antiques professionals in her hometown in England and beseeching her to find something priceless that he had been hunting for. Reluctantly, she agrees, intent on also solving the murders of both Arthur and her boyfriend, but she finds that the event is nothing like she expected. There is intrigue and danger at every turn, as Freya uses her expertise to find the missing object and to root out the murderer(s). I found both the mysteries and the details of antiques hunting to be interesting. However, I never engaged with Freya, and I felt Aunt Carole was a bit too over-the-top. As the author does show talent, I am confident she will add more nuance in the next in the series, to be published in February 2025. Aside: I picked up this free book at Bouchercon last year.
If you would like to be educated on the type of OCD where one’s thoughts are so intrusive that they rarely leave you alone and lead you to devalue yourself, HOW TO HIDE IN PLAIN SIGHT by Emma Noyes is a good choice. Eliot started having those thoughts at age 10 after the death of the brother who was closest to her in age and companionship. She was convinced she had to be a bad person because she didn’t cry at his funeral, even though his loss was devastating to her. Later on, her thoughts led her to believe she was a disgusting person for various reasons and resulted in her leaving her large family and Manuel, her closest male childhood friend, for several years with little to no communication. Her job as a copywriter in New York is a good fit, distracting her and making her feel better about herself, but unwelcome thoughts plague her once again when she attends her brother’s wedding at her wealthy’s family’s private island in Canada. From there, the story goes back and forth in time–sometimes confusingly– to cover her childhood, her high school years, her life in New York, and the present. Because the author shares this type of OCD with the protagonist, it is an authentic portrayal of what it means to have this form of mental illness. And although I admire her courage and her accomplishment in writing this book, I have to say I was personally exhausted at the end of the story. It’s somewhat repetitive as she describes in detail Eliot’s relentless “troubles” and inability to allow even her family and Manuel to convince her she is someone worth knowing and loving. Several of her family members are or have been plagued with depression, drug addiction, and other problems. I appreciate learning what I did about this type of OCD, but I wish there had been more time devoted to something else–anything else–to relieve the intensity and bleakness. (September)
As a fan of Elly Griffiths’ Harbinder Kaur mystery series, I was delighted to learn that she has also written four middle grade books in the Justice Jones series. Who doesn’t love an English boarding school mystery? Justice is an intelligent, plucky 12-year-old who recently lost her mother, a crime fiction writer who had always home schooled her. Her father, a criminal barrister, decides to ease her into the classroom in 1936 by enrolling her in the Highbury House School for Daughters of Gentlefolk. It’s quite an adjustment for Justice, as she discovers that most of the school buildings are unbelievably cold during the winter, but she is quick to find a few new friends in her “dormy” and to figure out who might be her nemeses. A fan of a particular series of mysteries, Justice hears that a former maid has died on campus from causes unknown, and she is determined to solve the mystery. Of course, none of the administrators or teachers are talking, but the new maid–a girl of 15–has her own opinions. I loved the depictions of the school itself, Justice’s fellow students, and Justice herself. Griffiths writes as well for children as she does for adults, and this book is a quick read at less than 200 pages. I already have the second in the series, and I’m looking forward to immersing myself in it.
Margie, so good to hear this news about your son. ❤
I’m so happy your son’s surgery went well Margie. What a worry it must have been (and must still be). Sounds like he’s doing really well though.
Glad to hear your son is doing well.
Margie, good news about your son. Hope he has a quick recovery.
Glad our son’s surgery went well. Hope he recovers quickly.
Good to hear that your son is doing well
Wonderful news about Nick, Margie! I think you kicked off today with the best news we’ll receive. Everything else is just minor.
Nice that you did get to meet up with Glen.
I think I’m going to pass on the books. I’ll settle for your good news.
Awesome news about your son! So happy for him – and you!
Such good news about your son, Margie.
I’m glad things went well!
Wonderful news about your son, Margie! I wish him the very best.
So.
No, I never expect to inherit a big ol’ spooky house from a relative I never heard of.
Yes, I do know it’s a trope some folks scoff at.
Not me. When it comes to “inherit a big ol’ spooky house from a relative” books, I eat ’em up.
Especially when the house is as much a character as the people inhabiting it. As was the case in a recent fave, The Briar Club.
I finished The House at Watch Hill by Karen Marie Moning this week. It delighted and entertained me, but I admit the big spooky Gothic mansion is what I loved best. And the owl. Okay, and the sexy Scottish groundskeeper.
Description from NetGalley
#1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning is back with a gripping, imaginative, and seductive new series in which a young woman moves to Divinity, Louisiana, to inherit a large fortune and a Gothic mansion full of mysteries and ominous secrets…
Zo Grey is reeling from the sudden death of her mother when she receives a surprising call from an attorney in Divinity, Louisiana, with the news she has been left an inheritance by a distant relative, the terms of which he will only discuss in person. Destitute and alone, with nothing left to lose, Zo heads to Divinity and discovers she is the sole beneficiary of a huge fortune and a monstrosity of a house that sits ominously at the peak of Watch Hill—but she must live in it, alone, for three years before the house, or the money, is hers.
Met with this irresistible opportunity to finally build a future for herself, Zo puts aside her misgivings about the foreboding Gothic mansion and the strange circumstances, and moves in, where she is quickly met by a red-eyed Stygian owl and an impossibly sexy Scottish groundskeeper.
Her new home is full of countless secrets and mystifying riddles, with doors that go nowhere, others that are impossible to open, and a turret into which there is no visible means of ingress. And the townspeople are odd…
What Zo doesn’t yet know is that her own roots lie in this very house and that in order to discover her true identity and awaken her dormant powers, she will have to face off against sinister forces she doesn’t quite comprehend—or risk being consumed by them.
The House at Watch Hill sounds so good! Thanks very much (I think) for making me add yet another book to my want-to-read list.
The book sounds great, Kaye! William Morrow is iffy with my approvals, but I’m going to give it a try. I have just ONE book on my NetGalley shelf right now, so I can afford to request more. Thank you.
Sold me, Kaye! It was your description rather than the one from NetGalley. I just marked it to read. Thank you!
I’ve been reading these posts for a long time & appreciate them so much! I’ve meant to start contributing, especially
as I’m now retired. But my retirement has not gone as well as Lesa’s, happy for her though! I worked in elementary school libraries as an lma for 30+ yrs.. (My district has one librarian who oversees us.)
My just finished book is by Anna Lee Huber, As Death Draws Near, 6th in the Lady Darby mysteries. Historical, set in early 1800’s. She has a dark past, abusive 1st husband & after his death is a pariah in society, but can not be totally ignored because of her status. She has some supportive family, great intelligence which helps her solve some serious crimes. Should be read in order if possible. Darkness is balanced with history, different settings, interesting characters & wit & humor. Recommend. Other than that I’ve been reading cozy mysteries of all different types, plus a David Rosenthal I’d missed, love dogs & the snarky humor. His new book will be one of my next reads, then soon I hope the next Spencer Quinn.
Reading was an escape for me from all the fire news. I am in Chico where the Park Fire began so following closely. Many of my family lost everything in the Camp Fire so many of them & friends & co-workers now live out of the area. 2 grandsons live in what was an evacuation warning area, now safe. Sister works at airport site & it was a staging area in the beginning and had to work at another site for a few days, but now back there. Really big firefighting planes were already based there for this years fire season.
Oh, Andrea. I’m sorry your retirement isn’t going well with family losing everything, relocating, and problems with the fire. And, I don’t even know the details. I’m sorry.
I’m glad you let us know what you’re reading despite your problems. Welcome, and I hope you find time to contribute on Thursdays, or any other days. Thank you for what you did for all those years in elementary school libraries.
Thank you Lesa! I discovered your reviews somewhere years ago and have been reading you since! I’ve found so many good books and authors because of you and your readers. I like the honesty of everyone about the books they mention, it’s so helpful. I’ve been reading the lighter fare when the news is depressing and if I’m having trouble concentrating. Anyway, thanks again!
For me this past week was all about recovery from cataract surgery. Despite issues with double vision and words suddenly blurring and lines of print just crossing over each other, I managed to finish one book.
A VERY WOODSY MURDER by Ellen Byron was talked about here last week. It’s the first book in a new series by the author and is also the first book by this author that I have read.
Dee’s TV writing career is drying up so she goes on a road trip just to get away from her troubles for a while, and comes across an old 1940s motel that’s for sale. Something about it and about the gorgeous natural setting feels right to her and she dreams of buying, restoring, and running it. She shows it to her friend Jeff who happens to be the first of her two
ex-husbands. He sees the potential and decides to go in on it together with Dee and bring it back to life.
They restore just one room to begin with so they can begin advertising for guests. Excitingly, the room soon gets booked and they have their first guest! But Dee and Jeff have no end of problems – there’s a murder on the property, they are suspects, some of the townspeople aren’t exactly welcoming, several people in the small town seem to have something to hide, and my goodness Dee and Jeff just can’t catch a break; one thing after another befalls them but they get right back up and don’t let anything get them down for long in their quest to clear their names.
I liked this ‘cozy mystery’. The mystery itself is well done; it’s a real puzzle to figure out who the killer is (I had picked two characters as possibilities but neither one of them turned out to have done it), there are eccentric characters galore, and it’s fun to watch how Dee and Jeff slowly become part of the community. I will happily read a next book in the series and will enjoy encountering the various townspeople again.
Lindy I’m sorry you’ve had such trouble with your cataract surgery! I had mine earlier this summer and was able to read the same day. My ophthalmologist did say it can take up to a year for the brain to adjust to the changes.
Thanks to all of you for being caring and letting me whine about the cataract. The issue for me is that the difference between the ‘new’ eye and the old one is so great (strong prescription) that the two are warring against each other and the brain can’t really cope. I did get a temporary plain lens but if I take my glasses off I do see two of everything. Unnerving! I shall find something different to talk about next week. I promise.
The book sounds great, Kaye! William Morrow is iffy with my approvals, but I’m going to give it a try. I have just ONE book on my NetGalley shelf right now, so I can afford to request more. Thank you.
Sorry, Lindy. My response to Kaye got printed twice–once as a reply to your blogpost. What I wanted to say to you is that it certainly must be frustrating to have issues when you try to read. I haven’t had that eye surgery yet–doctor says its not time–but I can only imagine how I would feel. I hope things get better for you soon!
I’m sorry about your vision, Lindy. I hope it improves soon.
I’m glad you enjoyed A Very Woodsy Murder!
Lindy, I sympathize with you on the recovery from cataract surgery. I had my surgeries in June and I had blurriness for about a day after both surgeries. And I experienced a lot of fatigue. Maybe if I had not had the two surgeries so close together I would have not been so bothered by the fatigue. I hope things are getting better for you in that area now.
Smoke from the Park Fire in California has been filling the skies. More than 100 miles away, but a massive fire – more than three times the size of Lake Tahoe. We did have a bit of a reprieve from the excessive heat with highs only around ninety. So nice when it cools off to the forties at night. But Wednesday was back to 100 degrees.
Anthony Horowitz recommends Japanese author Soji Shimada for the current best locked room mysteries. To satisfy my curiosity, I downloaded MURDER IN THE CROOKED HOUSE. The scene is the strange and magnificent Ice Floe Castle, overlooking the icy sea at the northern tip of Japan. It’s the home of a wealthy and eccentric businessman and his
clockwork doll, or automaton collection. A group of houseguests has gathered at the Christmas holidays and an impossible murder occurs. A very elaborate, circuitous crime novel.
From June of this year, MIDDLETIDE by Sarah Crouch is a surprisingly good debut novel. Set in a small town in Washington, the story follows the beautiful town doctor and a failed writer who returns home. The time moves back & forth from teenagers in 1973 to a murder in 1994. That murder appears to come directly from the one book the writer had published. Complex characters and a unique plot. I hope to see more from this author in the future.
Set in County Mayo, small-town Irish life, WILD HOUSES follows two outsiders caught in the crosshairs of a small-town revenge kidnapping. The first novel by Canadian-Irish author Collin Barrett is memorable & character driven. Literary fiction genre, so not my typical read, but fascinating.
Plus a new word to add to my vocabulary: “tur·lough”- noun (in Ireland) a low-lying area on limestone that becomes flooded in wet weather through the welling up of groundwater (a magical lake).
And I’m currently enjoying the second Clara Vale mystery, THE PANTOMIME MURDERS. December 1929 and Cinderella’s fairy godmother is missing.
MM, I just always hate these large fires that destroy people’s homes, livelihoods and lives. So tragic, and often, preventable.
The Pantomime Murders sounds interesting.
Early this week, I read DEATH IN ST. GEORGE’S by M. A. Monnin, the third in her Intrepid Traveler series. The characters are in Bermuda and get involved when a valuable bracelet is stolen from a dig site. The pacing was a bit off for me, but overall, I enjoyed it.
I’ve got to admit, I’m struggling through EVERY TIME I GO ON VACATION SOMEONE DIES by Catherine Mack right now. I’m just not finding it nearly as fun as it thinks it is. And I’m ready for something to happen. Like, say, a murder.
You’re not the only one, Mark, who struggled with Every Time I Go on Vacation. My sister said she found it just okay, and I know others said that here.
I finally got around to reading the book my cousin gave me last Christmas. I didn’t think I’d like it so it’s been sitting in my TBR pile. I wound up finishing it in two days.
CROSSING THE LINE: A FEARLESS TEAM OF BROTHERS AND THE SPORT THAT CHANGED THEIR LIVES FOREVER by Kareem Rosser.
From the book description:
Born and raised in West Philadelphia, Kareem thought he and his siblings would always be stuck in “The Bottom”, a community and neighborhood devastated by poverty and violence. Riding their bicycles through Philly’s Fairmount Park, Kareem’s brothers discover a barn full of horses. Noticing the brothers’ fascination with her misfit animals, Lezlie Hiner, founder of The Work to Ride stables, offers them their escape: an after school job in exchange for riding lessons.
What starts as an accidental discovery turns into a love for horseback riding that leads the Rossers to discovering their passion for polo. Pursuing the sport with determination and discipline, Kareem earns his place among the typically exclusive players in college, becoming part of the first all-Black national interscholastic polo championship team—all while struggling to keep his family together.
I’m currently reading an old book, THE DARK HORSE by Will James. When a colt born on a thoroughbred farm doesn’t meet their standards he’s sold to a cowboy and shipped off to a ranch out west where he meets a mustang colt and has adventures.
Crossing The Line does sound like a great story Sandy. I’ll have to check into that. Thanks
Crossing the Line sounds fascinating, Sandy. Horses, a chance to change lives. Sounds very good.
Lesa, I will understand if you give up on Phil Rickman’s THE WINE OF ANGELS. I had forgotten it was so long! I usually give a book fifty pages—if I’m not eager to keep going beyond that, I move on to something else.
No one will be surprised to hear that I’ve started Val McDermid’s seventh Karen Pirie novel, PAST LYING. This is the most recent one, #7, so I’m caught up for the present. However, now that I’ve become a McDermid fan, you’ll hear her name again from me since I think she’s published at least 50 books! To remind everyone, Karen Pirie is a Scottish detective in her thirties who works on cold cases. She’s tough but very likable, as is her team. The Scottish settings are great, and the investigations are exciting.
I just finished listening to Stephen King’s BILLY KING and was gripped by it from start to finish. Although disturbing things happen in it, it’s not a horror story. The hero is an ex-Marine sniper who has become a contract killer—one who tries to kill only bad people. When he takes what he plans to be his last job, it all goes wrong.
I’ve only read seven books by King, but all but one were unputdownable, and his characters are unforgettable. If you’d like to know more about what I think of Stephen King, I’ve posted about his books on my blog: https://wordpress.com/post/kimhaysbern.com/1724.
Glad you liked the Karen Pirie book, Kim. I’ve enjoyed the whole series, and I know Edinburgh fairly well, so that added to my enjoyment. I didn’t love the television version, as the actress who played her didn’t fit my picture at all. For one thing, she seemed a decade too young.
Probably too late, Kim. I’m on page 49, and I’m liking it so far. We’ll see what happens.
I still need to try the Karen Pirie books. I had one home, but had to return it to the library. I’ll get to it soon.
Fascinating post Kim, thanks for sharing. I keep meaning to read more Stephen King, but I think I have a psychological block from reading one of his horror novels years ago. I do own 1963, perhaps I’ll start there.
I’d never even heard of Georgette Heyer until I read The Written World: The Power of Stories to Shape People, History, Civilization by Martin Puchner.
As some of you may remember, i started keeping track of short stories read in a more systematic way in August of 1995, when I decided to make sure to read at least one short story a day, every day. Yes, I missed a few days over the years (very few), but always doubled up the next day to keep up. You can do the math if you want to – 29 years, 365 stories per year, is a LOT of stories – 10,585 to be exact. I’d guess my actual total is at least double that, as I’ve averaged over 725 stories a year for a decade. I read 86 stories in May, 83 in June, and 92 in July.
Currently I’m reading four different collections of stories, which is why sometimes a week goes by without me finishing a book, only to have a bunch the next week. I’ve mentioned the locked room collection, which I am very close to finishing, the Gerald Kersh and the Philip K. Dick books. The fourth this week is Toni L.P. Kelner (also writing as Leigh Perry) – that’s what it says on the cover – The Skeleton Rides a Horse and Other Stories, the latest Crippen & Landru collection of stories, introduced by Dana Cameron and Charlaine Harris. I remember Kelner from my Malice Domestic days, but if you come to this expecting your traditional “cozy” mysteries, you will be surprised. These are anything but that, with stories set at a sleazy bar (“Now Hiring Nasty Girlz”), doing security at a science fiction convention (“Security Blanket”), a family-style restaurant (“Kids Today”), and a storage unit (“Rage Warehouse – Ire Proof”). I’m enjoying it a lot and definitely recommend you check it out.
I did finish one book this week, Cara Hunter’s first DI Adam Fawley book, Close To Home. It introduces her procedural team of cops in Oxford, and is unusual for a police book in that it is told mostly in first person by Fawley. He’s a good cop, still suffering from the death six months ago of his son. (We don’t have all the details yet of his suicide.) Here, 8 year old Daisy Mason goes missing from her home in the middle of a party, in the midst of friends and neighbors. Is it a serial killer? Was it the teenager seen on CCTV? Is she dead, as appears to be the case? If so, where is her body? As times goes on, the cops learn more about her awful family, but come no closer to finding her. The twist at the end was a good one, and one I missed, though I did figure the biggest twist all along. I liked it a lot and have book two in transit to the library.
I’ve read Michael Robotham’s Cyrus Haven/Evie Cormac books from the first, Good Girl, Bad Girl. I thought (not sure why) that it was intended to be a trilogy, but I guess not, because the fourth book, Storm Child, is out at last, Cyrus is a forensic psychologist – he was “inspired” in that direction from his own childhood trauma, when his older – schizophrenic – brother murdered his parents and their twin sisters when Cyrus was 13. He’s taken an interest from the first in Evie, 17 (I believe) when first introduced, though she looks a lot younger. (SPOILER ALERT – If you haven’t read these and don’t want to know certain plot elements, skip this part.) Turns out, she was trafficked to England with her mother and sister, who did not survive the trip from Albania. When bodies float on shore from a refugee boat that was capsized – deliberately – Evie is traumatized anew, and Cyrus, protective as always, wants to find out what happened. I’m about a third of the way through this and should finish in a couple of days. Good one.
Jackie read her silly Jayne Castle (Jayne Ann Krentz) book, which she enjoyed – PEOPLE IN GLASS HOUSES. Now she is reading the first in a Carla Neggers series mentioned by Glen a couple of weeks ago – THE RAPIDS.
Have a good week, everyone. We have a concert next Wednesday at Madison Square Garden – The Doobie Brothers with Michael McDonald. We’ll be taking a mini-vacation and staying over in the city, but we will be back here Thursday, though I might be later.
Jeff, I was supposed to get a copy of A Skeleton Rides a Horse, but I’m wondering if it went astray when I was at my mother’s. Hopefully, it will show up.
I’m impressed with your dedication to short stories, and the number you’ve read since 1995. What made you decide to do that?
Not sure, exactly. I’ve been keeping track of books I’ve finished since the early-to-mid ’70s. I started looking at the short story collections I had on the shelf and saw I had read most of them at the time (mostly mysteries), so thought I might as well read the rest. Then, I had read people like Hemingway and Carver and thought I should at least try other “classic” writers, and each one seemed to lead to another one, or two, or ten. I really liked John O’Hara’s stories (I’ve only read one of his novels(, so thought I’d see if I could find all of them. (Note: I didn’t, as many are probably in The New Yorker in the ’30s, but I got all that had been collected.) I got a collection of 200 Chekhov stories and read them. And then… well, it just seemed to keep going.
Why? Well, reading short stories is, for one thing, shorter (duh), so you can test if you like an author’s writing. It’s a great way to find new people you like. And in a smaller percentage of cases, it has been a way for me to say, “No, Joyce Carol Oates {or you add your writer of choice} may be considered great, but she is not for me.”
Also, I am a completist. If there is someone I like, I want to read everything they wrote.
I like that one thing just led to another. Good stories and good books do that. Thanks, Jeff!
Jeff, I have had the desire to do what you did, and read at least one short story a day. I wish I had that kind of discipline. Do you keep track of whether you like each story?
I am amazed that you have been able to do that and still read so many novels. I think you read much faster than I do.
Tracy, I don’t rate things, though if something stands out for me, I often put an asterisk next to it on my list. My memory is still good, but not that good! I’d have to look back at a story to see what it was, but the asterisk helps.
Jeff, I do exactly what you do – if I particularly like a book I also give it an asterisk on my list. I’ve been doing it this way since 2016. Makes it really easy to see at a glance which were my favourite books of any given year.
Two books for me this week.
I loved The Library of Borrowed Hearts. Chloe has given up her schooling to become a librarian when her mother abandons her three siblings. She returns to their small town in Washington working at the local library when she discovers a love story written in the margins of books. I enjoyed reading about Chloe’s brothers and sister and her curmudgeon of a next-door neighbor, Jasper.
My next book was The Magic All Around by Jennifer Moorman. A magical realism book about 25-year-old Mattie who lives a nomadic life with her free-spirited mother. When her mother dies, she moves home to Ivy Springs with her aunt where she has to complete a list of tasks to inherit. This one had a little too much magical realism in it for me, and the story was good enough to for me to see it through.
Happy Reading!
Thanks, Sharon! I put The Library of Borrowed Hearts on hold at the library. Sounds like one I might like.
This week I find that I have more books than I can read – they all came in at once! Thankfully I finished “The Husbands” by Holly Gramazio. This was a fantasy book, a genre that I rarely read, so I am glad to have it behind me so that I can move on to my usual cozy mysteries!
Lauren lives in London and is single. One night she arrives home to find a husband in her flat. When Michael goes up to the attic to change a lightbulb, a new husband comes down the stairs. Lauren soon figures out that if she doesn’t like a particular husband, she can coerce him to go into the attic and new one emerges. With each new husband, her flat changes decor, her friends stay the same but her friendship with them is impacted, and her job sometimes changes too. This bizarre behavior goes on through over 450 husbands. I kept thinking that there was going to be some kind of moral to the story, but I honestly don’t think that there really was one. I couldn’t figure out why she didn’t board up the attic. Wondering if anyone else read this and has a different opinion about it? I gave it 3 stars.
What an interesting plot, Mary. 450 husbands! Wow! One was more than enough for me.
I have read the first two books in the Merrily Watkins series. I liked the first one a lot but was not as happy with the second one. I enjoyed reading about a female vicar in the Church of England and I like the writing. The length is a drawback. If I run into a copy of the third one, I will give it a try.
Speaking of long books, last night I finished reading DARK FIRE by C.J. Sansom, a historical mystery set in London in 1540. It was 500 pages long and very dense. It took me over a week to finish it. Matthew Shardlake is the protagonist; he is a lawyer and in the first book he was working for Thomas Cromwell, helping with the dissolution of the monasteries. In DARK FIRE, it is three years later, and he is again working for Thomas Cromwell, under duress. This book is excellent historical fiction, very well written, and the characters are all very well developed.
Glen finished reading THE CAT MEN OF GOTHAM: TALES OF FELINE FRIENDSHIPS IN OLD NEW YORK by Peggy Gavan. Parts of it were good but there was too much about casual cruelty to cats that was common in those times. So it was a mixed bag.
Now he is reading DEAR CALIFORNIA. The subtitle is “The Golden State in Diaries and Letters.” It has a sort of strange structure; there are letters and diary entries for each day of the year. Within each day, the entries are ordered from oldest to newest; for example for February 1st, the first entry is from 1906 (William James writing to his brother Henry) and the last one is from 2012 (Mark Zuckerberg). It sounds very interesting to me.
Tracy, I probably won’t read the Merrily Watkins books as quickly as I”m reading the Bill Crider ones. A little thick for me, but I”m enjoying The Wine of Angels.
Dear California sounds interesting, and I like the sound of the strange structure.
I started Murder in an Irish Village by Carlene O’Connor and at 20% into the story I remain to be convinced. I’m not actively disliking it either, so I will read on in the hope that things will improve. Especially since I already own at least three later titles in this series.
Marleen, I had a hard tine with all the kids in the family in the early books. Once she stopped introducing them and moved to mysteries, I enjoyed them more.
Thank you, Lesa. That’s good to know and just the right encouragement for me to keep on reading.
This week, the heat is returning, and the air quality is rapidly deteriorating, due to the all the fires.
Sunday, I watched a Beatles Tribute, and saw Margie for a few minutes at intermission. This group, calling itself Mania, concentrated on the Rooftop Concert more than other tributes I’ve seen. That’s what is great about Beatles tributes. There are so many songs that even though virtually every concert of this type starts with a recording of Ed Sullivan on February 9, 1964, and a performance of I Wanna Hold Your Hand, and end with Hey, Jude, they are all different experiences.
One thing that was surreal, was that when they did their costume changes, they claimed they were hanging out with Bob Dylan in his limo. Then, leaving the concert, there was a limo parked right outside the venue. For a second, I thought somebody slipped me some LSD or something somehow. Then I wondered if someone dressed like Dylan was going to come out and sing Blowing in the Wind. I never found out what that was all about.
This week I read:
A couple of books in the Hikaru No Go series by Yumi Hotta; While American comic book companies are busily making super hero comics boring, the Japanese are somehow making a comic about the game of Go exciting.
Dawn of the Black Sun by Timo Burnham; Bandits massacre a fishing village. The lone survivor encounters a kung fu master, and they travel to the monastery. Meanwhile, a bandit with a magic sword is trying to take over the world. Like an 80’s Shaw Brothers movie.
The Adventures of Space Duck by Dan Goodsell; Space Duck is a genetic experiment gone wrong. He travels through space, doing the sort of jobs others won’t touch, and getting out by the skin of his teeth. He’s better stay away from earth during Autumn, is all I got to say. A Six foot duck might be too tempting for somebody with a shotgun, even if their dog wont’ be able to retrieve it.
Glen, I liked the story about the band and the limo. You’ll never know!
Space Duck doesn’t sound as if it was successful with you.
Space Duck was pretty decent. I just live in duck hunting territory.
Hi Lesa — we’re all hiding out from the heat and the wildfire smoke in Northern Colorado. With one fire burning less than 15 miles away, (as the crow flies) our air is not good at all. However, I have plenty to do inside, especially read. I’ve been on a nonfiction kick lately and am now reading Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation about the affects of social media and smartphones on a whole generation of kids. It rings true and is a good lesson to all of us about turning off our devices and living our lives in the real world with real people. Highly recommended, at least the 2/3 of the book I’ve read so far.
Oh, Patricia. I hope people and homes are okay. It sounds awful.
I’m glad you have books to read, including one you’re enjoying. Stay safe!
We have smoke from the Colorado wildfires, Saharan Dust, and excessive heat due to the vengeful Sun God. Going outside of the life pod is no fun.
Finished BLIND TO MIDNIGHT by Reed Farel Coleman. This is the second book in the Nick Ryan series and is out later this month. I enjoyed it, overall. Not happy with the final couple of pages as readers are left with a cliffhanger setup for the next book.
I hate these kind of marketing games, whether it be a book, or a TV show that puts the hero in danger, before going ion hiatus for months. The year is 2024 and nobody needs that marketing nonsense.
You’re right, Kevin. I hate that, too.
And, I hate the weather you’re having in the west with the wildfires and smoke.
Here is my review from July 2016
This was an unusally long book, and a bit difficult to get into.
There is so much going on, and so many villagers to meet, that it is extremely confusing at the start.
As it progressed, some of the backstory appears and some sense of what is actually happening is exposed.
Are there ghosts, or is it hallucinations?
About 2/3 of the way through there are several deaths, abruptly announced.
I am interested in these characters and concerned about their future.
Unfortunately, books 2, 3 and 4 are not in my library system, so I will try book 5 and watch the Friends booksales to fill in the missing episodes.
Interesting reviews, Karen. Thank you!
Here is my review of book 2: Midwinter of the Spirit from Aug 2016
This took a long time to finish. It is an interesting story, but did not grab me and not let me go. I found it a bit repetitive and in need of editing.
It was one of the books in the series that was not available from the public library, and I wondered why. Was it the content of the story or an oversight?
Merrily is dealing with her new job as Deliverance and finds out very quickly that it is not going to be an easy job. She feels invaded by a very evil man who dies in the hospital. She is unprepared to deal with the desecration of an unused church. She is ready to resign. She tries to resign but Sophie blocks this move.
Lol is dealing with a new age woman who is the sister of his friend. Jane has a new friend who is leading her to the anti-Christian people in town. The Bishop is not who he appears to be.
There are signs of unwanted spirits in the old folks home. We find there is evil and manipulation everywhere, and a culmination of events in the cathedral at the end. Has good triumphed, or has evil just been thwarted by human overreaching?
What can be done to keep this from happening again?
I have not read further in this series.
Book Two in the Merrily Watkins series, MIDWINTER OF THE SPIRIT, was made into a three-part British television series in 2015. Evidently it is very faithful to the book and has garnered good reviews. It can be seen on YouTube.
Thank you, Jerry!
I am a little late here, so I might just be talking to myself, but I’ve enjoyed this conversation about the Merrily Watkins series. I, too, liked that the main character was a vicar but felt like we saw less and less of her ministry as the series went on and that the author was just using the character’s faith as a plot device in a way that seemed demeaning.
Next week I’ll add more about my reading and life, but I also wanted to mention that Earl’s Trip, a great recommendation from here, is on sale for kindle.
You’re still talking to me, Trisha! I do check out the blog.
I’m a third of the way through the first book. I’m liking it, but not loving it, so I probably won’t continue the series. Honestly, I like Jane better than I like Merrily.
Thank you for passing on the information about Earl’s Trip!