I’m so glad Glen jumped in yesterday to remind me we’re doing What Are You Reading? today. I had forgotten that we’re doing it today so anyone who wants can take Thursday off for Thanksgiving. And, I knew I wouldn’t be around much on Thursday. So, thank you, Glen!
As I said yesterday, I had a week with a little bit of time at the dentist (boo), and then put a few Christmas decorations around just to add some joy and light. I needed that. And, I finished watching the third season of “Sister Boniface” on BritBox. What about you? What have you been doing this week?
It’s been three years since I read Steven Tingle’s first Davis Reed novel, Graveyard Fields. His second book, Buried Lies, came out in October. Here’s what I said about Graveyard Fields when I read it.” In Steven Tingle’s debut, Graveyard Fields, he takes an inept cop turned equally incompetent private investigator, stomps him into the ground, and turns all of his actions into a tragic comedy. I don’t know when I felt so frustrated with a character, and ended up laughing and rooting for him.”
Davis Reed isn’t much better off in Buried Lies. Here’s the description. Former police officer turned private detective Davis Reed is taking refuge in the mountains of Cruso, North Carolina, after a run-in with a biker gang dealt him an unfavorable hand. When respected real estate agent Prentiss Wells is killed by an errant golf ball, Davis has no reason to suspect it wasn’t an accident. But then a wealthy couple hires him to prove the death was murder and catch the killer. In desperate need of cash, Davis takes the job.
While Davis investigates who had the motive to kill Prentiss, Elizabeth Harper, an accountant who stirs butterflies in Davis’s stomach, uncovers a tangled mess of shady real estate deals linked to Prentiss’s firm. As the case garners media attention, Davis must carefully navigate a minefield of secrets and lies.
With the help of his friend Dale Johnson, a local deputy whose mood changes with the wind, and Dale’s cousin Floppy, a mad-genius, motor-mouthed mechanic, Davis sets out to uncover a mystery that runs much deeper than he thinks.
What about you? What are you reading this week?
Hello, everyone, and Happy Thanksgiving in advance. I talked a bit yesterday about what my Thanksgiving will look like and what I’ve been doing this week. As an update, today I decided to buy myself a new iPad since mine is about 6 years old, and it doesn’t hold as much of a charge as it used to. The Black Friday price on the Best Buy site was pretty great, so I bought it online, then went to pick it up less than an hour letter at the nearby store. I need to get a new stand for it, including a keyboard, so I’m looking around to see what type I want. It will go on my Christmas list, and I won’t open the new iPad till then (a Christmas gift to me!). I’m, doing most of my reading on my iPad these days. Here’s what I finished so far this week:
It should be no surprise that I love to read almost anything about, or set in, France–particularly Paris. I’ve visited twice, most recently in 2016, and I am the proud recipient of a B.A. in French, which I rarely use but which I’ve never regretted. So I found THE FRENCH INGREDIENT: Making a LIfe in Paris One Lesson at a Time; a Memoir to be an utter delight. When her boss at an international banking company offers her a transfer from London to Paris, American HR professional Jane Bertch is all in, even though she is far from fluent in French and doesn’t have the qualifications for a new assignment in finance. She works at that job for a number of years until she finally asks herself: what do I really want to do? And the answer is: run a cooking school in Paris! The school would not be for chefs in training, but for anyone who wants to try to master French cooking in a comfortable, non-threatening environment. Even though the odds are against an American being successful with such an enterprise, Jane persists, and La Cuisine Paris, founded in 2010, is now the largest nonprofessional cooking school in France. But it was a bumpy road. Not only did Jane have to find and renovate an appropriate location and recruit chefs who were patient teachers but she had to figure out ways to attract students. It’s an easy, engrossing read, as we follow Jane and her team through successful periods and devastating ones–a huge terrorism attack nearby,a halting of tourist air traffic due to volcano fallout, endless strikes of all kinds, and France’s strict COVID lockdown. But the thing I enjoyed most about the book are the revelations about the similarities and–mostly–differences between French culture and especially American culture. If a new resident doesn’t learn quickly, there’s little hope they will be successful in business and personal life. Along the way, we are treated to astuces, or tips for acclimating to French culture, which are invaluable. Chapter names provide hints; examples: How to Tame a Friend, Seduction for Dummies, We All Speak Food, We Only Talk Butter Here, It’s Not Business, It’s Personal. I came away with a much deeper understanding of and appreciation for the French. And as Jane says in the last page, “After all, it is their exuberant love and appreciation of life, friendship, and perfection that keeps me here, year after year, even if, I concede, I will never be French.” Bon appetit!
In MY THREE QUEENS, the 18th entry in Rhys Bowen’s delightful Royal Spyness historical mystery series (all of which I’ve loved), Lady Georgie has recently had a beautiful baby boy and is serenely settling into life in her godfather’s large, beautiful home with her husband, the dashing Darcy. But things quickly get more lively when King Edward asks them to temporarily house Mrs. Wallis Simpson, who is keeping a low profile while the King tries to convince Parliament to approve their potential marriage. Then Georgie’s brother, his disagreeable wife, and their two young children announce they will be arriving to stay while they investigate possible boarding schools for their son. And if that weren’t enough, Sir Hubert, the house’s wealthy owner, tells them he is returning from his travels and is bringing “a couple of dozen” of his new friends–a Hollywood movie crew that wants to shoot some scenes in front of the exterior of an authentic English country home. What could possibly go wrong? This series entry impressed me aa bit lighter than many of the other books, although there are also more serious themes surrounding the mystery, including a kidnapping and, late in the story, a murder. Lady Georgie is one of my favorite characters–devoted to her husband and son but up for adventure when asked for help by the Queen.She is a minor royal but has not lived a privileged or prosperous life. Her flamboyant and clueless but flamboyant mother (Lord Hubert was her first husband) is currently being courted in Germany by a suitor who is friendly with Hitler. Darcy has been working as a spy but is now settling down to hopefully work on more local projects so he can spend more time with his family. And the hapless Queenie is still working for the couple and making gaffes as usual, but is developing into a competent chef. Rhys Bowen is an expert writer who can entertain and intrigue at the same time. I highly recommend reading this series from the very beginning–enjoy!
This week I’ve been continuing with my it-will-never-actually-happen goal of getting most of my Christmassy things done by the end of the month so I can enjoy December in a more relaxed state of mind. It’s slow-going but every little thing I finish is one less thing to do later.
On TV we’ve finished watching The Marlow Murder Club. Quite delightful, and much better than the book. Also started watching an eight-part comedy series called A Man on the Inside. A necklace is reported stolen from one of the residents of a retirement home, and the police hire a somewhat older gentleman to go undercover as a new resident to help solve the mystery. Entertaining so far.
One book read this week:
THE TELLER OF SMALL FORTUNES by Julie Leong
This is a ‘cozy fantasy’.
Tao leaves behind a life that was lived with a distant mother and a harsh stepfather, to travel from village to village with her mule and a covered wagon from which she tells small fortunes to the townsfolk. She makes just enough money to get by, but it’s a lonely life.
A large and somewhat frightening ex-mercenary (who is travelling near and far to find his lost little daughter) and his friend (a reformed thief) help Tao out of a spot of bother. The three end up travelling together and are soon joined by a young woman baker who wishes to experience more of the world, and the four now form a team of sorts, on a quest to find the little girl. A slightly magical cat has joined them as well, although he doesn’t play nearly a big enough part in my opinion.
I loved the premise of this story, and it was a gentle and comforting read. Ultimately though, for me it didn’t have (as someone elsewhere has mentioned) enough ‘grit’. The elements are all there but I didn’t connect with the characters – there was a certain lack of depth to them. And the various conflicts were sorted out too quickly and easily with a surprising lack of real drama. Although it’s a book for adults it read more like a YA book.
Not unusually, I’m in the minority for not wholeheartedly loving the book; it seems most everyone else adores it.
Last weekend I went to an Indonesian church deal. It was a potluck, and someone brought turkey from KFC, and I ended up bringing a lot of it home. It was better than I thought it would be. It was nice to be able to eat some of the food at one of these things.
It’s been raining every day for almost a week. Supposed to be dry on T-Day, which is good.
This week I read:
Panic in the Panhandle by JC Kinney; An animal removal specialist is called in to a condo in his quirky Florida town. He finds a ten foot long alligator munching on a dead guy. Of course, it’s murder, and everyone suspects the owner of the local alligator farm. Pretty good, although the author tries a little too hard seeking the quirky.
Save the Fate by Mary Karnes; A baseball great is obnoxious. When he returns to his small town, of course he is murdered. The local wedding planner’s best friend is missing, and is the primary suspect, so she investigates. The author inserts a subplot about a domestic abuse underground railroad, and it really doesn’t fit with the rest of the story.
One for the Books by Jenn McKinlay; Librarian sleuth is getting married. Through a mix-up, her long list of wedding invitations was sent out. That’ll teach her to plan a wedding while investigating the murder of the last book! She has at least 3 times as many people coming as she expected. Then the Justice of the Peace who is performing her wedding is mysteriously dead. Sounds like she should have called the wedding planner from the last book I read!
Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom by Tim Byrd; For the book club. The grandfather of a family of Doc Savage type adventurers goes missing in the Amazon. Doc Wilde and his two kids go looking for his and find Frogs! of Doom! Pretty good for a kids book.
Glen, was there Indonesian food at this church event or was it just an event hosted by Indonesian people? I might have mentioned before that both my parents were born in Indonesia so I’m familiar with much of the food. I love it but it’s so hard to find an Indonesian restaurant – the two I’ve been to have both closed. The food is very labour-intensive to make so there are only a couple of dishes I will even attempt by myself.
There was Indonesian food. I can’t eat that stuff. There’s an Indonesian restaurant in Sacramento, and a couple in The Bay Area, but I never go, because I can’t eat that stuff.
However, Indonesians around here own a couple of Japanese restaurants, which are great, and I go to them often.