How has your week been? My sister and I did running one day, hitting cute shops for Christmas gifts. Not large stores! One was even the gift shop at the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. And, we had matzo ball soup and terrific rye bread for dipping when we stopped in Katzinger’s Deli in German Village. So, we had a fun afternoon together. It’s cold, but not too bad, and we don’t have snow – that four-letter word. Yay!
I have MM Jones to thank for the book I’m reading now, Making History: The Storytellers Who Shaped the Past by Richard Cohen. It’s going to be slow going, but it looks terrific. Cohen’s view is that historians bring their personal background to the books they write, and he starts with Herodotus.
In the Preface, he says, the present book attempts to take “In the rivalries of scholars, the demands of patronage, the need to make a living, physical disabilities, changing fashions, cultural pressures, religious beliefs, patriotic sensibililties, love affairs, the longing for fame.” He says all of this affects how a historian views history.
I think it’s a fascinating viewpoint and I’m looking forward to reading in it.
What about you? What have you been doing this week? And, what are you reading?
I’ve played cards a couple of times this week, and yesterday I went with a group of 13 to see “Wicked” at the movies, which we all enjoyed. Seven of us went to dinner (Mexican) afterward. Yesterday was a great day for me at the library also–as I returned two books on the deadline, Louise Penny’s The Grey Wolf was ready to pick up. Also, I got emails from the library saying they had accepted my two recent book purchasing requests. And finally, I learned from the checkout desk person that the LINK+ system MAY be up and running again in January so I can request books from other locations in CA. And hopefully that means I can stop requesting purchases and save the library some money. Fingers crossed! As for my reading this week, here goes:
In Julie Leong’s THE TELLER OF SMALL FORTUNES, a band of four adventurers, along with a mule and a scruffy cat, are on a quest to find a missing 4-year-old girl. Tao somberly makes her living as a nomadic fortune teller, limiting herself to telling customers the most mundane of fortunes. Going beyond this self-imposed limit has given her nothing but trouble in the past and caused her to leave her home in another part of the fictional country the author has created. Big and burly Mash, the father of the missing girl, is an ex-mercenary, and his friend Silt is a “recovering” thief who is trying to go straight. After Mash and Silt help Tao move a tree blocking her path and join her on her wagon, they add Kina to their wayfaring group. Kina is an apprentice baker who makes delicious but unsightly pastries and wants to discover whether she can make it as a baker on her own and see more of the country. It is a quiet story, for the most part, and somewhat slow-going in the first half of the book. Eventually, the group experiences bigger challenges, as Tao is being pursued to become a member of the magic league by those who are aware of her real abilities. Once the story gets going in the second half–especially in the final chapters–and as the adventurers form a “found family,” I enjoyed learning more about each and getting to know them better. The stakes are high, but there is little violence and little sense of real danger, which sometimes flattens the story. The conclusions seemed a little too easy to me, but overall I enjoyed the ultimately heartwarming ride.
The short story THE ANSWER IS NO is nothing like anything I’ve read from Fredrik Backman. Lucas, a man in his 30s, has fashioned a perfect life that he treasures and guards. He indulges all of his tastes, eating and wearing what he likes, while avoiding relationships–or even contact–with anyone else. He is able to work at home in a career that is never fully defined but is “something to do with computers.” But one day his whole life implodes when someone in his apartment building leaves a frying pan outside unattended. Lucas is summarily visited by the apartment “board,” which–for no good reason–insists on involving him in investigating and resolving the problem. At the same time, one of Lucas’s neighbors wants him to change his password so she can continue to steal his Wifi, and another dares to call into question how pad thai, Lucas’s favorite takeout, should be made (sacrilege!). How Lucas reluctantly learns to deal with all of these intrusions into his life is absurd, entertaining and filled with sharp, clever humor. I enjoyed all 68 pages!
In another quiet, heartwarming novel, THE COMFORT FOOD CAFÉ, Debbie Johnson continues her series about the aforementioned café (none of which I have read but which I will now seek out). Max (nee Maxine) has been betrayed by her (now) ex-husband and let go from a supermarket job she loved. And her beloved mother has passed away. So when her 19-year-old daughter, Sophie, sees an ad for someone to work at a cafe in Dorset, she replies on Max’s behalf, applying for the job. Laura, the cafe proprietor, sees the skills she was seeking in Sophie’s letter about her mom, and the wheels are set in motion for Max and Sophie to rent out their home and take a chance on life in Dorset. Of course, it’s a town, and a cafe, that soothe Max’s soul and make her feel useful again. And if that weren’t enough, there’s an attractive man who lets them board at his house when their intended cottage is damaged in a storm . . . and it’s Christmas! That encompasses just about everything I appreciate and expect of Debbie Johnson, and she never disappoints. The burgeoning relationship between Max and Gabriel is delightful and straightforward, although both have some baggage to deal with. Sophie is a delight, as are Laura and many of the others they meet. And, as the name suggests, it’s comfort food for the reader.
I’ve always admired Michael Caine as an actor and enjoyed reading a couple of his memoirs. So when I saw a new memoir, DON’T LOOK BACK, YOU’LL TRIP OVER, I grabbed it. This time, a writer friend spends time with him over a year, asking a wide variety of questions and recording his responses, and the result is a book that is informative, endearing, and inspirational . Now 91, Michael Caine has quite a story to tell. Most of us are aware he has made 100 movies, receiving Oscars for his performance in two of them and working with a panoply of Hollywood greats. He has also been knighted by British royalty. But Maurice Micklewhite, as he was originally named, came from a British working-class background and fulfilled his National Service duties in Germany and Korea before finding his way in show business. You might not know that he is also the author of a published thriller and a former co-owner of seven restaurants. In the book, Caine touches on many of the things that really matter to him–family (married for 50 years, father of two daughters) and friendship, education, manners, gardening, maintaining perspective and a sense of humor, cooking, public libraries, and making mixtapes for friends, just to name a few. The book also contains some of his favorite recipes and playlists. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about this amazing man. (March)
Margie, as you know I’ve already read The Teller of Small Fortunes, but all the other books you talked about sound so interesting! I’ve added all three of them to my wish list. Sigh. So many fascinating books out there and not enough time to read them all. But thanks for the great recommendations, as always.
Lindy, i hope you enjoy all three. The Answer is No, of course, is a short story, so it won’t take you long. I’ve read a lot of Fredrik Backman books, and this is so different (and fun). I remember your review of The Teller of Small Fortunes, and I agree it’s not exactly what I was hoping for. Have a good reading week!
Margie, I can always count on you to add to my TBR list. The Michael Caine book sounds lovely, I’ll keep an eye out to see if he reads the audio version. Also, my library did not have the Comfort Food Cafe but the kindle book is 99 cents if anyone wants a holiday read.
Susan, I hope you enjoy both books. I don’t know about the Michael Caine audio book, but it would be great if he narrated. As for the Debbie Johnson book, I don’t usually see them at the library, but they are always low-priced.
Debbie Johnson has become one of my “go to for comfort” authors.
Me, too, Kaye! And she is very prolific!
Libraries matter to Michael Caine! I love that. I may have to order the book at the library, just to read that.
I’m so glad you had a good week, Margie, both with running around, and at the library. Maybe it will make up for the time you couldn’t do most of that.
All good news, Margie!
My getting-ready-for-Christmas-early plan has hit a snag. I’ve ordered a couple of gifts, but the continuing Canada Post strike means they’re being held hostage somewhere. The strike has been going on for three weeks now, with no end in sight. When (if?) it finally ends, I can’t imagine they’ll be able to deliver the over 10 million parcels currently stuck in the system anywhere near in time for Christmas.
Two books for me this week, both Christmas-themed. Seemed appropriate.
THE TWELVE DOGS OF CHRISTMAS by Susan Wiggs
Somehow this is the first book by this author that I’ve read, even though she has written over fifty books.
Brenda lives in Texas and works for a rescue dog organization, and for various reasons doesn’t like Christmas. She agrees to accompany her co-worker to a small town in New York to deliver eleven rescue dogs to their new forever homes and families. There’s a lot of snow (sorry Lesa, this might not be the book for you, ha ha), and a couple of miles from their destination the van ends up going off the road and sliding down a bank – the co-worker is injured, the dogs are fine but distressed, they are all rescued by single dad Adam who is the town’s paramedic. Brenda and Adam form a quick connection to each other but the road to true love isn’t easy.
The book doesn’t pretend to be anything more than it is – a fast read, won’t tax your brain, has likeable characters, cute scenes with the dogs and their new owners, is sweet but not sappy, the town is suitably over-the-top about Christmas, and has a predictable ending (just like any Christmas movie on TV), but will keep you entertained enough to keep reading to find out how the two main characters end up together in the end, and if Brenda learns to love Christmas again like she did when she was young.
CHRISTMAS WITH THE QUEEN by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb
Set in the years between 1952-1957, with occasional flashbacks to 1945, this is the story of
– Jack, who is a chef, is newly widowed, and is given the opportunity to work in the kitchens of the royal household
– Olive is a single mother, a friend of Jack’s from years ago, and is aspiring to become a respected, valued reporter for the BBC
– Queen Elizabeth II is just beginning her reign, and we first meet her as she’s preparing her first ever Christmas Day radio broadcast
These three are thrown together over the course of five Christmases, and Jack and Olive grow closer each year but then pulled apart again. A big stumbling block is that Olive has a secret she needs to reveal to Jack but there never seems to be just the right time to do so.
The secondary characters add to the story very well. Interesting little historical snippets abound – about the Queen, and royal holiday traditions, and about Prince Philip who gets a chance to shine and be understood in this book. There’s nothing particularly challenging about this Christmas-themed historical fiction second chance romance novel, but it’s quite enjoyable and hopeful all the same and I’m happy to have read it.
Oh, Lindy. Maybe your family will just have to have a late Christmas when gifts arrive. Darn.
I like the sound of Christmas with the Queen. And, the Prince Phillip part? That’s what I like about SJ Bennett’s books. We get to know Phillip a little bit.
Been pretty nice weather here, but I’ve been too sick to enjoy it. I have a cough, it isn’t COVID, but it lasted almost a week.
Lesa, your book sounds like basic historiography. Sorry, but I had my fill of that in grad school. Josephus is the ancient poster boy for bringing personal bias into history. What a snake that guy was. Some of the earliest evidence that crime pays.
This week I read:
Search and Destroy by James P. Cody; Second book in the recently rediscovered DC Man series from the 1970’s. He’s a lobbyist/fixer who doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty. In this case, he’s persuaded to look into the supposed suicide of a Senator. Not nearly as cynical as it would have us believe.
Butter Cream Bump-off by Jenn McKinlay; It’s Valentine’s Day, their rival is crazier than usual, and Mel’s mom is going on a date. The date is soon enough bumped off, Mel’s partner, Angie, falls for a rock drummer, and comedy ensues. Pretty sure the mystery gets solved at the end.
Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly; Title says it all. O’Reilly seems to favor the controversial, some would probably say debunked, as if that term means anything anymore, that Edward Stanton played a part in it.
A Pirate Looks At Fifty by Jimmy Buffet; I saw him in concert not long before he passed. Sold out Golden One Arena. This book mostly seems to go into the boats and planes he owned at the time.
I’m so sorry, Glen. I hate being sick! And, my sister says her husband, who has a cold, is just a grumpy old man right now.
At least you read a few books while you were sick. I usually just sleep.
Boats and planes does not sound interesting in A Pirate Looks at Fifty.
Glen, as certified Parrotheads, we saw Jimmy Buffett in concert FIFTY times between July 2, 1988 and August 9, 2022. 20 times at Jones Beach, 9 at Madison Square Garden and 9 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.
Of course, I have a list.
Oops – I was remiss in not acknowledging a long time favorite author, Dana Stabenow, for recommending “Making History: The Storytellers Who Shaped the Past”. It is a fascinating book!
I am binging Christmas novels one after another.
One of my faves, so far, is A Home for the Holidays by Taylor Hahn
Description from Amazon:
A witty, warmhearted novel about coming to terms with grief, taking a chance on unexpected connections, and finding family in time for the holidays
For wedding singer Mel Hart, the holidays have always retained a certain magic. Her mother, Connie, always managed to pull off spectacular Santa hijinx that convinced Mel to keep believing in Santa way longer than other kids. Those moments meant everything to Mel because the rest of the year, life was unpredictable because of her mother’s alcohol use.
But two weeks before Christmas, Mel gets a call from the hospital: her mother has died.
Then a woman shows up on Mel’s doorstep, claiming to be Connie’s estranged best friend, promising to tell Mel a different narrative—one in which Connie was almost a famous country music star, if only a man hadn’t gotten in the way. Instead of spending Christmas alone in her dead mother’s house, Mel agrees to stay with Barb for the holidays, finding herself in the middle of Barb’s complicated family and uncovering secrets while fighting an attraction to Barb’s in-the-middle-of-a-divorce son. As Christmas approaches, Mel reckons with how little she knew about her mother’s past while reexamining her own future.
A Home for the Holidays is a moving exploration of complicated grief, mother-daughter relationships, loving someone with addiction, and the redemptive power of opening one’s heart to love in all its forms.
A Home for the Holidays doesn’t sound as if it’s a typical Christmas novel, Kaye. Yes, the ending might be typical, but the plot certainly doesn’t sound Hallmark!
Exactly right, Lesa!
Getting a Co-vid 19 booster today., sorting through stuff in my walk-in closet and writing Christmas cards. Still reading The Stand-in.
I was among a group of women who were a target for sexual harassment by a man at work long ago. I learned that sexual the predators go after women who care about people and are not trying to attention to themselves. I was going through a divorce and as soon as he heard that from other people, ugh long story but he was a supreme creep. Made jokes about divorced women while staring at me in group of people and when alone in vacant lunchroom, he copped a feeling.
A different man did the same a few years later when he invited me into office to see his ancient computer. He reached over and put his hand on my thigh. I got up and left. So creepy. Anyway, I told a woman friend and she didn’t believe me., of course she didn’t see him do it. Rule #`1, never let them find you in a room alone. Now retired from work, not having that problem thank goodness. Do not let anyone at work let them know that you are gong through a divorce, your closest friends will tell it and until the predator hears. He or she knows that you ae vulnerable and just want to become a part of the walls at work.
Next will go on to The Wolf Tree.
That’s just terrible, Carol. I’m glad you’re retired, and don’t have to go through that, but you shouldn’t have had to in the beginning. I’m sorry.
Oh, I liked The Wolf Tree. Dark. We’ll see what you think.
Happy What Are You Reading Thursday! It’s been a very wintery time here since last Saturday. Schools have been closed all week and I’m waiting to see if a women’s luncheon that I am to attend today is going to still happen. With over 100 women attending, rescheduling it will not be easy. But the wind and snow are making driving dicey.
Last night I attended the National Writer’s Series book discussion virtually (the virtual event vs in-person was also due to the weather). Kimberly Brubaker Bradley was the interviewed author, where she discussed her latest book “Fighting Words”. I gave a review of this a few weeks ago. I’ve long been a fan of her other works, so it was a treat to get to meet her, sort of, in-person!
I should have heeded your advice last week, Lesa, and stopped trying to read “The Author’s Guide to Murder”. It didn’t get any better. But I did finish Alexei Navaly’s book “Patriot: A Memoir”. This autobiography is not something that I would normally have read, but I saw it on the NY Times Bestsellers list and decided to broaden my reading horizons. Coming in at close to 500 pages, it took me awhile to get through it. A very sobering, yet at times uplifting, story about the life of Alexei and his passionate life as a patriot, trying to stand up to Russia’s powers-that-be to forge a more democratic government in his homeland. He reminded me of Victor Lazlo in Casa Blanca. His patriotism was all consuming, even when he knew that, in the end, he would have an early demise. I definitely recommend this book.
Oh, not my kind of weather, Mary. Stay safe, no matter what they decide about the luncheon.
Read It Ends With Us and It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover – recommended by a friend and they were good. They were about domestic abuse which I really didn’t have any insight into. As I was reading them I thought the descriptions and feelings the author addressed seemed so realistic. When I finished reading the first book at the back the author states it was based on her mother’s experiences. The first book is now out as a movie. No snow here which I am very happy about!
I agree, Donna. I can handle cold and wind. I try not to drive in snow.
Colleen Hoover was so popular at the library when I was working.
We’ve been trying to get together with my brother for about a month. We finally managed to meet for lunch when he came up to visit my mom last Friday.
This week I read more books than I have in a long time but it was definitely quantity over quality.
An ARC of BOOKED FOR MURDER by PJ Nelson. The typical woman inherits a bookstore from a deceased relative cozy mystery. I wanted to like it but the main character was too stupid to live.
HOT HEX BOYFRIEND by Carly Bloom is a rom com with witches. It was a quick read and fairly entertaining which is what I was looking for.
A MAGICAL GIRL RETIRES by Seolyeon Park. This was a fantasy translated from Korean. I suspect it probably makes more sense if you’re Korean but it mostly seemed to be using a fantasy about girls with magical powers to talk about climate change.
WALKING THRU: A COUPLES ADVENTURE ON THE PACIFIC CREST TRAIL by Michael Tyler. The title is a misnomer because they didn’t actually wind up thru hiking all the way from Mexico to Canada since they left the trail for a week’s vacation and skipped several sections of the trail. The author spent to much time on dialogue and food and not enough time on the actual trail.
I’m glad you had a chance to catch up with your brother, Sandy.
I think I would have agreed with you. Walking Thru sounds a little bit like it was cheating.
One thing that happens more and more when you’re retired is – at least for me – that you lose track of what day it is. Because, as a favorite T-shirt of mine proclaims, “Every Day is Saturday.” When I woke up today I had it in my mind that it was Friday, for some reason. I quickly remembered “Thursday” but forget it was “What Are You Reading” day, so yay!
Anyway, Jackie is close to finishing GATHERING MIST, the latest Margaret Mizushima book (which I also read this week) and will read the new Richard Osman, WE SOLVE MURDERS, next.
This week I finished: Lydia Davis, Can’t and Won’t. I’ve mentioned this the last couple of weeks so won’t dwell on it here, other than to repeat that it is a collection of her (mostly) very short stories. I’ve started her recent collection, Our Strangers, which is much the same. Interestingly, she has refused to let the new book be sold by Amazon, to help out independent bookstores.
Next was another collection, The Indian Rope Trick and Other Violent Entertainments by Tom Mead, a new Crippen & Landru publication. When Mead wrote his first book (I think there are three, so far) he was hailed as the new coming of John Dickson Carr and a return to the Golden Age of locked rooms and impossible crimes. But… for me, the book did not live up to the hype. His detective, retired conjurer Joseph Spector, is pretty much a colorless cipher. The stories – set in the 1930s – are generally interesting, with your traditional locked study with – supposedly – no way in or out. But, frankly, if you are at all widely read in the field, I think you will agree with me that the solutions are too often far fetched, or they require some kind of obscure knowledge the average person doesn’t have, or, perhaps worst of all, they require knowing certain facts that the author keeps from the reader, so he has no chance to solve the crime. So, overall, a good read, nice atmosphere, but don’t expect Gideon Fell-level brilliance. Watch any episode (preferably the first three series) of JONATHAN CREEK instead.
Gathering Mist is the 9th Mattie Wray/Robo K-9 mystery, and we are finally past Mattie’s personal history. It is a week before her impending marriage to veterinarian Cole Walker when she gets a call that has her flying from Colorado to the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State (where the author recently moved( to help find a missing 9 year old boy, the son of a movie star who seemingly wandered away from the set and into the deep woods, where he disappeared. They need Mattie & Robo to join other trackers to help find the boy. All her books are good and this is no exception. It was a nice change to get away from Colorado and the usual characters (though Cole does show up, of course), and you wonder as you turn the pages if there is enough time to save the boy and get home in time for the wedding. Good book.
Current reading: As usual I am reading several things at once. First, though, in going back over the last 11 years that I’ve kept track of how many short stories I’ve read, there were three months where I topped 100 stories read, with the high being 119 in July of 2019. But with the very short Lydia Davis stories, I read 165 stories in November.
Besides the second Davis book, I am reading two collections of stories in the British Library series edited by Martin Edwards, 2023’s The Edinburgh Mystery and Other Tales of Scottish Crime, and the new Crimes of Cymru: Classic Mystery Tales of Wales. Both have his usual mix of Golden Age and older stories. I have two other collections waiting to be read as well.
Also still reading the Marie Brenner book about Covid (more than halfway through it now), The Desperate Hours: One Hospital’s Fight To Save a City On the Pandemic’s Front Lines. Jackie keeps asking how I can read it, but it is fascinating, and some of these doctors were the most brilliant high achievers even before all this happened. I can’t say the same for Trump, Cuomo and De Blasio.
I have another couple of mysteries on hand from the library as well but will wait until I see if I get them read before talking about them.
Stay warm and stay safe, everyone.
That’s funny, Jeff. I’ve been checking off days on the calendar as they’re finished so I remember what day of the week it is. It’s easy to forget. I agree.
And, I totally agree with you about Tom Mead’s book. When I reviewed the first book, I “liked” it, but I don’t like Spector. These are not up to John Dickson Carr.
Yes! Stay warm and safe.
We went out for lunch (Japanese soba soup) and the wind was fierce. It is definitely too cold for my taste. I’m glad the days of getting up early and driving Jackie to school are long gone.
And yes, I kept thinking “Thursday” even in the restaurant, as I was thinking, “gee, it’s pretty empty for a Friday.” But that was definitely weather-related, as we could see a lot of delivery orders ready to go.
Hi Lesa. I’m reading something a lot lighter than your choice this week: Someone Else’s Shoes by JoJo Moyes. It’s also a lot different from my usual thriller choices. It’s nice to do something out of the ordinary once in a while.
Sometimes, we just need a break, Patricia. JoJo Moyes would be a nice break!
Hello, Lesa and friends! My husband and I are still in Ecuador, where we had a wonderful time at the wedding of our US-Argentine godson to a wonderful Ecuadorian woman. They met studying hydro-engineering in Belgium. How’s that for international? I’m still stuck typing on my phone with one finger, so although I’ve read six or seven books on this trip so far, I’ll only mention my favorite, the new Attica Locke Highway 59 mystery, GUIDE ME HOME. I read the previous two, which are excellent. The protagonist is Darren Mathews, one of the few Black Texas Rangers, and he’s a complex and very appealing character, although as the third book opens, his life is a mess. I recommend reading all three in order, but this one can stand alone.
Hi Kim! You’re right. What an international relationship! I’m glad you enjoyed the wedding.
I need to read those Attica Locke books. I don’t now why I haven’t. They sound as if I’d really like them.
Cincinnati Public Schools closed today due to the bitter cold, but we didn’t get any snow. It is supposed to warm up next week.
My books this week were IS SHE REALLY GOING OUT WITH HIM? by Sophie Cousens. Anna works for a lifestyle magazine in Bath. An upstart new journalist joins the staff who she is sure is trying for her job. The two end up writing companion piece articles about dating. Divorced Anna has to go on 10 dates that are suggested by her two children. While Will goes on internet dates. This was funny and sweet and a great fun.
Next, I read THE ANSWER IS NO a novella by Frederik Bachman. from Kindle Unlimited First Reads. I liked this one too about a guy who just wants to be left alone, and winds up involved in the goings on in his apartment building. A fun little story to read before bedtime.
I ended up not finished The Dubrovnik Book Club by Eva Glyn. I just could not get into the characters despite it being about books.
My last book was MARIA : A Novel of Maria von Trapp by Michelle Moran. I enjoyed this one too. Maria Von Trapp is unhappy with Oscar Hammerstein’s play of the Sound of Music. She tries to approach him but instead gets one of his secretaries who hears the true-life story. I thought this was terrific too especially if you are a fan of The Sound of Music.
We are watching Inspector Ellis on Acorn. Unfortunately, there are only three, but we are hoping for more. We also are nearly done with Safe on Netflix. It is eight parts mini-series from 2018 based on the book by Harlan Coben. It’s over the top by we are riveted.
Stay warm and Happy Reading!
Nasty weather when the schools close because of the cold, Sharon.
Maria sounds interesting, Sharon. Does it say why she didn’t like the play?
Yes, stay warm!
Yes. Because it isn’t accurate. Liesl was actually a boy. They escaped via a train to Italy rather than climbing the Alps. It’s historical fiction so I am not sure how much is true….. But it was a good story.
Oh, that’s right. I forgot they actually escaped via train.
We have fog here today and it is coolish but not too cold. I am feeling like I could be getting something (runny nose, etc.) and out of it. Glen has been having some symptoms off and on. Maybe it is just the weather being so changeable here.
I actually finished TUDORS by Peter Ackroyd last week. I had started it in early September and read it off and on for three months. The parts about Henry VIII were more interesting than the ones about Elizabeth I, but I learned a lot about the Tudors and the changes in government and religion at the time. Not an easy book for me to read, but well worth it.
I also read ELEGY FOR APRIL by Benjamin Black (John Banville). This is the third book in the Quirke series and I read the 2nd book, THE SILVER SWAN, earlier this year. I like the author’s writing style and will be reading more of the series in 2025.
Glen is now reading THE POWER AND THE GLORY by Adrian Tinniswood, which was just published in October of this year. The subtitle is “The Country House Before the Great War”. One of the first chapters was about Andrew Carnegie buying a country house in Scotland (Skibo Castle), which was very interesting, so he is liking the book so far.
He also started reading HAUNTERS AT THE HEARTH: Eerie Tales for Christmas Nights. From The British Library Tales of the Weird series.
You and Glen take care of yourself, Tracy. I think the weather is so changeable, it’s messing everyone up.
Tudors sounds interesting.
Take care!
I took a few days off for the holiday and got lots of reading in last week. The books I read probably need no explanation since they’ve all been mentioned here at least a couple of times:
-A Merry Little Murder Plot by Jenn McKinlay
-We Three Queens by Rhys Bowen
-Death at a Scottish Christmas by Lucy Connelly
-The Night Woods by Paula Munier.
In the first three books I enjoyed reuniting with the characters but don’t feel like I learned anything new about them or their relationships.
That was not the case in The Night Woods (not to spoil things). I really liked seeing the way the characters reflect on their pasts and think about their future. And of course I love the Vermont descriptions, even in mud season. The Odyssey plot related to Mercy and Homer was well done, the billionaire part felt not as developed. Such a great series.
You’re right about The Night Woods, Trisha. I always feel as if Paula Munier is still exploring and introducing her characters to us.
Well, I am late, again, but at least it is still Thursday as I write this note. Spent a chunk of the day at the Subaru dealership up in Plano getting routine stuff done on the Outback. Took way longer than it should have and then we had to fight our way the hour and a half back home.
Whenever we go anywhere, Scott and I are masked as my immune system is, basically, on life support and barely there. We saw and heard nearly a dozen different folks coughing their lungs out during the three hours we were there. For what that is worth.
As to reading– I am still working on Lee Goldberg’s next novel, Ashes Never Lie.
I’d have more done, but I am also working on a short story for an anthology and the deadline is next Friday. I write everything out longhand –reviews and stories—and so the rough draft is done and I am in the typing phase of things.
And by the way, and you fine folks are the first to know this beyond my son who lives with me, next Tuesday sees the publication of Santa Rage: A Killer Claus Compendium. It includes my weird story, “First Contact.” You can pick up your copy at https://whitecitypress.com/product/santarage/MM/34/ and at other platforms later.
If I have offended anyone by plugging an anthology that I am in, I sincerely apologize. No offense was intended. I’m just tickled that a joke anthology idea idea I mentioned on Facebook years ago, is actually happening.
Back to silently lurking as what could be our first freeze of the season here in NE Dallas slowly tightens its grip….
Yay! Why would you offend anyone, Kevin, by mentioning the anthology that you’re in? Good for you! That’s fabulous. And, I wish you good luck on the short story you’re about to submit. I like to see that progress. It means you have some ideas and some inspiration again. Good for you.
Where’s your story about only the masked surviving? Too soon for that?
I offend some folks by just existing as a nasty email I got overnight proved yet again. I think I will ignore their idea that I kill myself and get it over with to make the word better.
I got the story in yesterday so we shall see if it makes it. The longer it takes to evaluate, the better off I am for making it.
I’m always amazed to get in anywhere.
I am getting an idea now and then so I am writing at least a little bit. It is very hard now, but at least it is something.
This idiot just realized he is reading HIDDEN IN SMOKE. Not Ashes Never Lie. Jeez