How are you doing this week? I hope the fires stayed away, Mark. I hope the rest of you are staying warm. It was 6 degrees here when I got up yesterday morning. Six degrees! That’s way too cold for this warm weather person. I left the house twice this week, and that’s it. Not my kind of weather at all. And, I’ve gone through a lot of hot chocolate.
Before we plunge into talking about this week’s reading, I wanted to remind you that Glen Davis’ list of favorite books of 2024 will be up tomorrow. If you’re looking for variety, and maybe some snappy remarks, you’ll want to check out Glen’s post. Thank you, Glen!
I’m currently reading one of last year’s bestsellers, Ina Garten’s memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens, It took me this long to get it from the public library! Quite a waiting list. If you don’t recognize Garten’s name, she is the Barefoot Contessa, first the owner of a food store in the Hamptons, then the author of cookbooks and a TV personality. And, from what she says in the book, none of that would have happened without her husband, Jeffrey. As an outsider reading this, it seems to be an honest account of a childhood growing up in an abusive household, and a woman who found herself with the help of a loving husband who worked with her to explore her dreams. There are a few classic recipes in it, but it’s not a cookbook.
What about you? What are you reading this week? And, stay warm!
I have that same Ina Garten book on hold at the library, Lesa, and I have no idea when I’ll get it. But meanwhile, I have plenty to read. This week I only finished two books, and here they are:
I don’t know if I can sufficiently articulate how much I was impressed by Ariel Lawhon’s THE FROZEN RIVER, which I had recommended to my book club based on the reviews. I usually enjoy historical fiction books, although it is not a genre that I typically seek out. In my opinion, however, this book is everything a superior historical fiction novel should be. It is more than 400 pages long, but I never once felt that the story was dragging. I had to slow my reading speed to savor the beautiful writing. And the protagonist of intrepid but very human midwife Martha Ballard is depicted in such a way that I became so deeply riveted to her story that I didn’t want to put the book down. The setting is Halliwell, Maine in 1789. A woman in her fifties with six living children, whose husband had taught her how to read, Martha has had 30 years of experience delivering babies for the townsfolk and performing other healing activities. But that doesn’t stop an obnoxious young doctor, recently graduated from Harvard, from seeking to take over for her while disparaging her at every turn, despite the fact that his ministrations are often dangerous. This wasn’t unusual for the time–women had few rights and were regularly manipulated by men. Even when they were raped (and several woman were in this story), they were made to look guilty while the men were rarely held accountable. Every character comes out of the page in glorious detail, even those who are despicable, to the point where I longed to see dreams fulfilled and justice accomplished. The bond between Martha and her husband, Ephraim, is a shining example of a strong, mature relationship, and I worried throughout the book whether anything would happen to ruin it. The setting is meticulously described, featuring a river that freezes solid every winter. It is a character in itself, starting the story off with the discovery of a dead man encased in ice and the subsequent revelations of how he came to this disastrous end. I won’t provide any more information that might be a spoiler because you need to read this book yourself. Just know that Martha Ballard was a real-life midwife in the late 18th century, and the author has done her research amazingly well. Convincing, gripping, emotional–and a joy to read. I’ll be looking for Lawhon’s Code Name Helene next–both have an average score of 4.6 on Amazon.
Talk about a dysfunctional family! In Carolyn Huynh’s THE FAMILY RECIPE, patriarch Duc swears he will pass on his fortune to one of his five adult children at the end of one year, but they will have to work for it. The exception is oldest child and only male Jude, who simply has to get married (although that seems like work to him). Each of Duc’s four very different daughters, all in their twenties and thirties, is charged with taking time off from her current life to renovate and reinvigorate one of the Duc’s Sandwiches stores in Philadelphia, Houston, San Jose and New Orleans. The first one of the five siblings to achieve the goal their father has set for them will win. Is that fair to the women? Where is Duc right now anyway? His best friend and the family’s lawyer has been communicating with the family on Duc’s behalf. And how much is his fortune worth? Does any one of these five siblings even stand a chance of winning the challenge? For all of them, living with Duc hasn’t been the childhood they needed. Their mother left the family two decades ago and doesn’t want to be found. Duc’s second wife has also left home and has a score to settle with him. Duc was a lowly fisherman in his native Vietnam, but his banh mi shops had filled a need in the Vietnamese communities throughout his adopted home of the United States. His story takes up a large part of the plot. I found it interesting to read about those Vietnamese communities as they are today, and how the customs and lives of the residents have changed (or not). Unfortunately, the story in general left me flat. I felt that most of the family members were either unlikeable or quite shallow, to the point where I didn’t care whether they succeeded at the challenge.Nor was I particularly interested in the family dynamics and bloodlines However, readers who enjoy dysfunctional family stories and stories of how cultural backgrounds can affect lives in varying degrees may find this book satisfying. (April)
Margie, I have yet to read an Ariel Lawhorn I did not love. Frozen River is my favorite.
Margie, I’d not heard of Ariel Lawhon before today, and so now thanks to you I can discover all her books. Thank you!
Margie, Yours is not the first rave review I’ve read about The Frozen River. How did your book group like it?
I’m almost finished with the Ina Garten book. It’s a quick read once you get a copy!
Lesa, we all liked The Frozen River. I highly recommend it, and I’m not a particular lover of historical fiction. In April we’ll be reading the Briar Club, and I have a copy (a requested Christmas present) ready to go.
I loved the Frozen River and at times I don’t think we’ve progressed much from that time period.
Glenda, At times, I agree with you.
I’ve been struggling a bit this week because of the very irregular heartbeats I’ve been experiencing. I naively went through my years up till now barely giving my heart a thought; it gave me zero problems and I regret to say I just took it all for granted. Am now discovering that when it doesn’t beat properly it makes one feel quite unwell! So far, other than the time last month, it seems to go back into regular rhythm by itself but this can sometimes take an hour and a half, all of which is spent debating whether to go to the hospital and/or just being horribly anxious. Cardiologist appointment next week, so we’ll see what he says.
Two books this week:
A VERY ENGLISH MURDER by Verity Bright
Such a fun book, written by a husband/wife duo. This one is the first in the series and I believe there are at least twenty more.
It’s 1920 and Eleanor hasn’t quite figured out what to do with her life. She’s just been putting in time by travelling the world. Orphaned at a young age, she was sent to boarding school but summers were spent at Henley Hall, her uncle’s estate in England; although he was largely absent because of his work and she never really got to know him. Word has come to her in South Africa that her uncle has died and left his estate to her, so she sets off for England, wondering if this is exactly what she might need right now.
She gets a chilly reception from the butler, Clifford, even though she feels sure he must remember her even though it’s been sixteen years since she was last here. Feeling overwhelmed with feelings of being lost and not having a true friend in the world, that very first evening she takes Gladstone the elderly resident bulldog, out for a walk.
The night quickly becomes dark and very stormy. It’s hard to make out, but she sees what she’s certain is a murder being committed in a building across the way. When she checks it out the next day, there’s no body and no sign of a murder. The police won’t believe that she actually witnessed a murder so of course the sets out to prove it herself.
A little scattered in the beginning while we get to know all the characters (this won’t be a problem in subsequent books), and some dialogue I don’t think would have been used in 1920, but it doesn’t matter at all. I warmed to the main characters in no time, and laughed out loud several times during this entertaining, sometimes madcap story and look forward to reading more books in the series.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT by Sarah Adams (Book 2 of the ‘When in Rome’ series)
Annie runs the flower shop in Rome, Kentucky and is a sweet, kind, introverted young woman. She longs to find someone to happily share her comfortable, safe life with, but there are few prospects on the horizon. Enter Will – the bodyguard introduced in Book 1 (When in Rome), temporarily back in town to provide security detail for Amelia, a famous singer. Will and Annie have met before and he is determined to keep away from Annie and indeed anyone who might tie him down to this small town where nothing exciting ever happens. Somehow though, he gets saddled with acting as Annie’s dating coach so that she will learn how to attract ‘the love of her life’. We all know how it will end of course, as we do in most rom-coms – but that’s not the point of the story; it’s how the characters get there that makes for the fun.
Although I absolutely loved When in Rome, this one didn’t quite live up to my expectations for it. Yes there was lots of delightful conversation between Annie and Will, and some very funny situations, and several great characters – but I felt the story dragged a bit in the middle third because it all became a bit repetitive and it didn’t feel like it was moving along. Still worth reading if you’re a fan of rom-coms.
Lindy, good luck! Yes, an irregular heartbeat is scary, and I’m glad you’re seeing a cardiologist. As we get older we really have to take better care of ourselves. I remember the way I used to eat and drink when we were in our 20s. I could never do that now.
Lindy I hope that irregular heartbeat is resolved quickly. I’ve had several people in my family suffer that also and it’s scary. I’m hoping you get it resolved with the cardiologist. Good luck!
You will hopefully have some testing to do, the echo is a snap, so I hope that is one of them, I have a small hole in a valve. I hope that you will get prescribed meds to stabilize your beat. Love and hugs.
Lindy, take good care of yourself! Glad you have an appointment set up.
Lindy, I’m so sorry it hasn’t been an easy week. I’m glad you have that cardiologist appointment. Take care of yourself, and rest when you can. It must be scary when it gets out of rhythm. Sending hugs.
Lindy, I do hope your appointment goes well – I’m sure we’ll all be thinking of you. A friend in Edinburgh is having very similar issues – it must be so frightening. I too don’t give a thought to my heart, or any other bit of me (apart from the ancient joints…) but Jeff, you’re so right, as we get older we really do have to take care of ourselves. And I totally agree about the eating (and drinking) – I used to be able to eat anything, but those days are gone!
Thanks for asking. I’m currently fine. The big fires have stayed far away from me, and the only fire that started near me this week was small and put out before I was even aware of it. (Although I did freak out a little when I learned about it when I woke up the next morning.)
We are supposed to get calm winds and less dry air over the weekend. Hopefully, that comes true. I’ve got to say, the winds weren’t as bad the last couple of days as I expected. We still had winds, but not as bad as they could have been.
Reading wise, I am working on Fatal Reunion, book 11 in Annette Dashofy’s Zoe Chambers series. We’ve got the potential return on a serial killer from 20 years ago just in time for Zoe’s 20th high school reunion. As always, I am loving it. If you aren’t reading Annette’s books, you are really missing out. They are darker than my typical cozies, but please don’t let that stop you.
Thanks for the recommendation Mark. I have been meaning to read this series. Just put the first book on hold at my library.
Mark, I’m glad the winds have died down some, and the fires haven’t been too near you. Stay safe!
Yes, thank you for the recommendation Mark. My library only has one of this author’s books – WHERE THE GUILTY HIDE – so I have added it to my bookmark list.
Another author new to me! I shall check out Annette Dashofy’s books. Thank you Mark.
No mysteries at the moment. Instead, I’m reading another Emily Henry contemporary romance, HAPPY PLACE, which is entertaining and cheerful but nowhere near as good as her FUNNY STORY. At the same time, I’m listening to a novel called YOU ARE HERE by a much-praised British author, David Nicholls. This is the third novel of his that I’ve read and the one I’m enjoying the most, although I’m only halfway through it, so perhaps I should have waited to write about it until I’m finished with it. A man (42) and woman (38) with unhappy marriages behind them and no children unexpectedly end up walking together across England. The story is told from alternative points of view. We know they experience their lives as lonely and are painfully insecure about how to present themselves to other people in general and each other in particular. There is humor, although it’s often at the expense of the two main characters, and–although I’m growing fonder of them as the book progresses–their social faux pas (or at least their agonies over what they perceive as faux pas) make me suffer. So, as you can see, I’m not sure whether to recommend this book. I don’t like people who make fun of others, and this author seems to be doing that to his characters.
Kim, that sounds interesting. I read and enjoyed his ONE DAY quite a bit, though we hated the television adaptation and quit after one or two episodes.
Kim, I really enjoy You Are Here. I thought it was a quiet little story that snuck up on you with how wonderful it was.
Kim, It sounds as if you should recommend You Are Here. It won’t be for anyone, but the feelings of the main characters are certainly drawing you in.
Kim, I heard YOU ARE HERE read on BBC Sounds, and although i understand your comments, I enjoyed it a lot and would like to read the book. I also heard Nicholls’ SWEET SORROW (read by the wonderful James Norton of GRANCHESTER fame) and loved it.
Kim, I enjoyed You Are Here, which I read for a book club. I found their travels to be a bit repetitive, but I warmed to the main characters after a somewhat slow start and ended u rating it higher than “it was good enough to look for more from this author.” I believe I liked it more than One Day.
It’s not quite that cold in NJ although it’s supposed to get to single digits a couple of nights next week. The local playhouse we go to is reopening after their holiday break this weekend and we have tickets for the show they are putting on – Iconic Broadway. It should be fun.
I read SIPSWORTH by Simon Van Booy. An elderly woman finds a second chance at life through a mouse.
STUART WOODS’ GOLDEN HOUR by Brett Battles. The latest book featuring ex-CIA assassin Teddy Fay, it was entertaining but lacking something. The characters have changed too much with all of the different authors.
And I read a couple of cozy mysteries. CURIOSITY THRILLED THE CAT by Sofie Kelly was a re-read. And CHAI ANOTHER DAY by Leslie Budewitz has been on my TBR shelf forever.
Iconic Broadway sounds fun, Sandy. You’ll have to let us know how it was.
I’ve grown fond of Sofie Kelly’s books.
And, I know what you mean about characters changing too much from various authors.
It’s sunny and cold here in Idaho. A cold front from Alaska is supposed to descend on us starting Friday with lows in the teens. Oh goody, time to bundle up some more.
This week, I finished Janet Evanovich’s latest “Now or Never”. Hard to believe it’s the 31st in the series. As a Jersey girl myself, it’s always fun to revisit some of the places in the book. When “Hot Six” came out, my mom stood in line to get it signed for me. I still treasure that book.
Stephanie is finally engaged. Who does she pick? Well, both. She’s engaged to Ranger and Morelli and she celebrated in a big way. Now she’s afraid she might be pregnant and is avoiding both until she knows for sure. While she’s waiting, Lulu and she are trying to track down a couple of dangerous FTAs. No car explosions this time, but lots of other excitement. I was worried that this book would signal the end of another series I like but on the last page, are the words “Not the End”.
I’ve been doing some rather tedious tasks at work, so I’ve been listening to audiobooks to break the monotony. The first audiobook I listened to was Jon Cryer’s memoir “So That Happened”. I only knew of him from when he played in “Two and a Half Men” and I was really surprised to learn that he has quite a background in theater. It was very interesting to hear him talk about all the people he has worked with.
Next, I really wanted to listen to Scott Turow’s “Presumed Innocent”. There’s a wait list and instead I settled for one of his other books, “Suspect”. The chief of police is accused of soliciting sexual services from three male police officers. She hires her old friend, Ric Dudek to defend her. Ric’s investigator, Pinky has quite a history from her youth, most of it not good. She becomes suspicious of her next-door neighbor and starts following him and tracking his activity. He in turn is spying on her. They end up hooking up and during their pillow talk he starts questioning her about the chief’s case. It annoyed me to no end that she couldn’t see what he was doing. I’m about ¾’s of the way through it and only hanging in there because I want to know how it ends.
I have book club this weekend and am racing to finish my book. After trying to get everyone to read the same book each month, I gave up a couple of years ago and just give them a theme for each month. They can read whatever they want but it must fit the theme. It works and they are happy. This month’s theme is a legal thriller. I picked something from my bookshelves – John Grisham’s “Rogue Lawyer”. It’s been a while since I’ve read a John Grisham book but it’s an engaging book and going fast.
Lows in the teens sound like a heat wave, Bev. That’s the high here. I can’t believe the difference. Idaho should be colder than us, but we just can’t break through this cold. Blah. I hate winter.
I would think a theme for the month for your book club would work well. Then, people aren’t competing to get the same book. Of course, as a librarian, I think of borrowing the book rather than buying it, although I’ve done both.
You’re right. Suspect sounds annoying.
Bev, I would love a book group where you just had to read to a theme! I avoid our local groups like the plague because ALL of them insist on focusing on one book, and I know that the minute I had to read that book I wouldn’t want to. I’ve been in a few book groups before and left them partly because I just didn’t enjoy any of the choices. I do appreciate that a group is supposed to encourage you to read outside the box, but it just doesn’t work for me.
just having to choose a legal thriller (or whatever that month’s theme was) would interest me so much more.
it’s many years since I read any John Grisham, but I do remember that he writes a good page-turner.
Bev, one of my two book clubs–we call it the Casual Book Club–is what you are describing. We pick a theme for the month, and members can read anything that fits into that theme (or not). Then we tell each other about the book(s) we read. In my other book club, we all read the same book, so I like having one that gives me more flexibility. And we take away ideas for more books we might want to read (if the reader is recommending it, that is).
Hi Margie,
Yes, that’s what we do. They read what they want and then they do a little synopsis about the book. One of the ladies has been trying to talk me into joining the book club at the library. I looked at the list of what they are reading for the year, and it was meh. I don’t want to spend time reading books that don’t interested me. One year, I did the 50-book challenge at the library. I read some books I would have never read before but to me it was a little stressful at the end I was racing to get all 50 read.
Bev, my book group picks an author who writes a series and they can read any of the books from that series. It seems to work, and I get an idea of what kind of mysteries they tend to like more. Been doing this since 1997. We have repeated some favorite authors as new people have joined the group.
KarenM, that’s an awesome idea. I might give that a try next year because I’m repeating some themes and think we need to shake it up a little. Thanks!
Good morning. That’s one thing you never have to worry about in South Florida – 6 degrees. “Cool” down here, which is what we’ve mostly had in the 10 days we’ve been here, is a high in the 60s, which, I should add, is fine with us. We are not beach people, and we’re down here for a change and to get out of the New York winter (the low temperature early next week is supposed to be 11, which is too close to 6 for me!). We had one “warm” day near 80, but it’s been pretty darn good so far.
Reading. Jackie found Nora Roberts’ THE MIRROR a little slow at the start, but by the time she finished, she said she enjoyed it more than book one in the series. She especially seemed to enjoy the music stuff. She is currently reading Paula Munier’s THE NIGHT WOODS, and is getting a kick out of everyone choosing Mercy’s “color palette” as she waits to give birth.
I know I talked about Peter Tremayne’s Sister Fidelma collection, Hemlock at Vespers, last week, but now that I finished it I want to reiterate my recommendation of his terrific stories, set in a very different 7th Century Ireland, though Fidelma is a pretty modern character, an assertive woman whose law degree and qualifications gives her the power to hold even Kings to account.
Although I’ve read a lot of long books in the past, including some that I would consider among my all0time favorite – SHOGUN, LONESOME DOVE, THE STAND – I rarely read a (nearly) 600 page book these days. But this week I did read Chris Whitaker’s highly praised All The Colors of the Dark. The hype is correct, it is a beautifully written and compelling story, both a love story and a serial killer tale, that starts in a small Missouri town in 1975 and ends in 2001. Pirate (Joseph Macaulay) and his best friend Saint (Brown) are people you won’t soon forget. It helps a lot, I think, that most chapters are only two pages long, as it keeps you turning the pages to find out what happens next. Sometimes you want to shake one of the characters and say, “stop it!” I’d say try it, see if you like it. I did. It kept me from reading all the other books I have here (other than the short stories) for several days.
Currently reading two more short story collections (and I have several more on hand). First is Jennifer Rowe’s Death in Store (1993), a collection of stories about Aussie amateur sleuth Verity “Birdie” Birdwood. I remember when her books were published here (1987-95). There were six of them, this collection being the third. The first story is a Christmas tale, “Forbidden Fruit.” I’ve always been fascinated by the upside down seasons Down Under, with Christmas and New Year’s being the height of the summer there. We were in Los Angeles at Christmas when my parents moved there in the mid-1970s, and it was weird seeing the decorations in the warm weather. It must be more disconcerting in summer.
I really liked Graham Swift’s novel LAST ORDERS (1996) when I read it, as well as the movie adaptation starring Michael Caine. I did read Swift’s first collection of stories some years ago (I don’t have my old lists with me), and now got his second, England and Other Stories, from the library. Just read the first story so far,
Before we left home I downloaded two mysteries from the library, so though I better read those next as they are due in a few days. (The second one, by Craig Johnson, I was able to get in the library here, so there is no rush.) I started the second Dez Limerick book by James Byrne, Deadlock, and will let you know how it goes. Dez is asked for help by a friend, and flies to Portland, Oregon (where Byrne actually lives, by the way) to help her. He’s such a great, fun character that it is always a pleasure to read about his exploits.
Also on hand: the Johnson TOOTH and CLAW, and Liz Moore’s THE GOD OF THE WOODS, which came in so much faster here than it would at home.
Have a safe week – especially you Californians! – and stay warm, Lesa.
Thanks, Jeff. Doing my best to stay warm. Right now, your temperatures sound wonderful. I’m not a beach person, either, so 60s would do for me.
As you said, Dez Limerick is such a fun character.
I read more essays than I do short stories, but I really enjoy your commentary about the collections and authors you read. Thank you!
I loved the film of LAST ORDERS, Jeff – not only for Michael Caine, but also for Ray Winstone, Bob Hoskins, Tom Courtenay and Helen Mirren. The locations were very familiar to me, and many of the adults in my childhood were very similar to these characters.
In March we are going with the rest of David’s family to scatter their parents’ ashes in the Lake District (they both died some time ago now but for various reasons this has never happened), but somehow I don’t think that trip will be quite the same as the one Graham Swift describes so very well.
Enjoy that Florida weather!
I remember Ray Winstone in that film very well, Rosemary.
We watched the final SHETLAND episode last night. I see she has started a new series with Jimmy Perez in Orkney? We’re also watching the nasty SHERWOOD series. It’s weird seeing Philip (Insp. Japp!) Jackson as a gangster.
Jeff, I very seldom (well, never) read short stories because it seems to me you just get invested in the characters and then suddenly it’s all over. But every week I read your reviews of the latest collection you’ve read and think to myself that I really should give it a go again because you make them all sound so wonderful. I like the sound of the Sister Fidelma ones, so might give those a try. I hope they’re readily available.
Jeff and Lesa, Dez Limerick sounds like fun. The third in the series, Chain Reaction, is on NetGalley. The publishing date is January 28, so it may be too late to get it there (although I have requested it), but I will definitely look for this series at the library or elsewhere. Thanks for the recommendation!
I thought it was cold here with lows in the teens. But as long as it’s a sunny day, I don’t really mind.
I finished four books this week and I’ll start with two of my atypical reads. First, GLORIOUS EXPLOITS. This work of historical fiction by Irish author Ferdia Lennon was on several “best of 2024” lists. I listened to the audio over a two week span. The summary sounded a bit odd, I hesitated to commit the time, but it’s a great example of why I enjoy historical fiction. The characters are so well written that the snippet of history comes alive and is made memorable.
“Set in Syracuse, Sicily, during the Peloponnesian War but told in contemporary Irish dialect, Glorious Exploits follows Lampo and Gelon, best friends since childhood. Thrilled to have survived the Athenians’ recent invasion and as shocked by the Syracusan victory as everyone else, these unemployed potters are in a mood to celebrate. Realizing that if the Athenians are as doomed as everyone says, this might be their last chance to hear Euripides’s poetry, the two go down to the quarry where the Athenian prisoners are being held and offer extra rations to any prisoner who can recite his work, a decision that sets into motion an extraordinary series of events. A novel that asks questions about war and its aftermath, a story as hopeful and playful as it is tragic”
“One night and you could leave everything you’ve ever known behind” OLD KING by Maxim Loskutoff is told in four parts over two decades. The setting is an old growth forests in northern Montana, where a reclusive hermit with violent grievances (based on Ted Kaczynski) threatens the lives of all around him. A thought-provoking look at the boundaries of society and solitude. And surprisingly, a love story.
And a couple of lighter reads.
Reviewed here last fall, Victoria Gilbert’s second Hunter and Clewe cozy mystery, A KILLER CLUE, brings back the unusual detecting duo (Jane Hunter, a retired librarian, and her boss, a wealthy, reclusive businessman, Cameron Clewe). I enjoy the detective aspects of the story and the references to books, but not-so-much continued attempts to bring in a romance aspect.
The last from one of Agatha Christie’s less popular detective series, Colonel Race, 1943’s SPARKLING CYANIDE. Very traditional with a table full of suspects, all with motive and opportunity. I’d settle on a suspect only to change my mind in the next chapter. First published in the US as Remembered Death.
And about halfway through Tracy Clark’s ECHO. The third in the Detective Harriet Foster series. I’ve read the previous two; this one seems to be starting off slow. And one of the bad guys is a billionaire with tendencies rather like a current politician.
MM, My mother says the same thing, that if it’s a sunny day that helps. I like sunshine. I don’t like the cold, and my apartment is a corner unit, so I keep the blinds shut to keep out the cold.
Old King sounds like a difficult book to read.
I agree with you about the Hunter and Clewe mysteries. I enjoy the mystery aspect, but why do authors (or editors) think there has to be a romance?
I simply CANNOT believe that it is already the middle of January! So crazy how fast this month is flying by. But seeing as how Christmas wasn’t quite so long ago, and based on the many positive reviews from this blog, I decided to let “Christmas with the Lords” be my next book. It was a generally feel good book, which was much needed during these gray days of winter! I’m already on to my next book – The Hunter – by Tana French. I’m listening to the audio version. It is 16 hours in length, so it might be a couple of weeks before I can review this one!
Hope you enjoy The Hunter! I think I’ve read all the Tana French novels. I listened to The Searcher on audio and so enjoyed the Irish banter.
You’re right, Mary. With a cold gloomy winter, a feel-good book is always welcome.
I recently finished Liz Moore’s THE GOD OF THE WOODS and see why it’s gotten so much buzz. I’m also nearly finished with THE DARK WIVES by Ann Cleeves. I read the two books at the same time, and both of them feature themes of wilderness and young girls alienated from their parents. Usually I’m fine reading multiple books at once, but I had a harder time keeping the plots and characters of these two straight since they had so many similarities. However, I’d recommend both.
I’m also reading GRANDMA GATEWOOD’S WALK for a book club. It’s about a woman from southern Ohio who decided to leave an abusive marriage and walk the Appalachian Trail at the age of 67. She wore Keds and carried a homemade bag with barely anything in it–this woman was incredibly tough and inspiring. It almost makes me want to tackle a long hike…but since it’s currently 15 degrees in Toledo, I’ll just hole up inside and stick to reading for a bit longer!
Oh, yes, Kate. I think I’d wait a little while to tackle that hike with the temperatures we’re having!
I should probably reserve The God of the Woods at the library. By the time I get it, it will be late in the year, and no one will remember it anyways.
I loved Ina Garten’s memoir – she seems to be such a down to earth person that you’d like to be friends with. If you get Max they have her series Be My Guest which I liked very much. I recently read Life is Messy by Matthew Kelly -since I’m going through so much stress right now and I thought he made some good points – it helps to be reminded that there is so much we can’t control in life. Watched a good series based on a Harlan Coben book – Missing You -Netflix – weather ridiculous so just trying to stay in and read and watch TV and hope for Spring soon!
Donna, Don’t you think Ina Garten would have been lost without Jeffrey? I really think he was the right person for her.
Sixty-five days until spring. Too many!
Yes, he was perfect for her.
I finished an Arc of Friends and Consequences by D.J. Watt, his first is a must read. It is a mystery, a becoming of age, love story, great action scenes and great characters. The main character is a reader so I will hunting down the books, he loved. With all this he adds echoes of Treblinka! It is from a Canadian author and I hope that is will be available later in all libraries, I ampressed!
So many times it’s hard to get Canadian authors, Carol. I’m glad you mentioned one. Thank you!
No mysteries for me this week, but I do have a couple books to recommend. WEYWARD by Emilia Hart looks at the lives of three women in the same family across the centuries, starting with one accused of witchcraft in the 1600s. I think I got it through kindle unlimited.
I don’t know how I heard of MOON OF THE CRUSTED SNOW by Waubgeshig Rice but I am so glad I did. It is literally chilling—the story of an Ashinaabe community in northern Ontario cut off by a winter power outage that might be the beginning of the end of the world.
Two interesting sounding books, Trisha, but I don’t think I need anything “chilling” right at the moment.
Trisha, I just recently read about MOON OF THE CRUSTED SNOW by Waubgeshig Rice, and it is now on my lists of books to find. I like reading books set in Canada.
Trisha, I read Weyward some time ago. I loved it! Historical fiction but with witches and a touch of the supernatural. Follows three woman over five centuries – from the 1600s to 2019. So good.
And even longer ago I read Moon of the Crusted Snow, based on a friend recommending it. You’re right – it is chilling.
Lesa, I am sorry you are having to endure very cold weather. We are having colder weather in the Goleta / Santa Barbara area but here it is often confusing because part of the day is cold and later it gets very warm if it is sunny. We have had Red Flag warnings for fires in our area in recent days but as far as I know they are no longer in effect.
This week my focus was on reading THE BENEVOLENT SOCIETY OF ILL-MANNERED LADIES by Alison Goodman. Glen and I were both interested in this book when it first came out, but it has been sitting in a stack of TBR books for a while and I was the first to read it. It was a very good read, and I enjoyed the Regency setting. I quibble with description on the book describing Lady Augusta Colebrook a detective. She is more an adventuress who wants to help people (usually women) who need it. Regardless, the story is a good blend of historical fiction, mystery, and romance, and a lot of fun. Lesa, I went back and found your review after I finished the book and I agree with all of it.
I am currently reading ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE by Elizabeth Strout. It is a novel told in connected short stories and I have only read the first one so far.
Glen is reading THE DEMON OF UNREST: A SAGA OF HUBRIS, HEARTBREAK, AND HEROISM AT THE DAWN OF THE CIVIL WAR by Erik Larson and enjoying it very much. And he is continuing to read GHOSTS OF THE CHIT-CHAT, and getting close to finishing that one.
Enjoy those warmer temperatures and the sunshine, Tracy!
I agree with you. Lady Augusta Colebrook really was more of an adventuress than a detective. Fun book, though, wasn’t it?
Tracy, The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies was one of my favourite books! The author has a new book coming in May called The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin. I can hardly wait, and am hoping it’s just as good.
Lesa and Lindy, The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies was fun, I enjoyed the adventures, and I am looking forward to the 2nd book also.
Things are a not bad here. The nights have lows in the 30s, but we have highs in the 60s.
This week I read:
Copy Cap Murder by Jenn McKinlay; While her paramour is the prime suspect in a murder, and may go back to his ex, our protagonist is more worried about her cousin’s secret marriage to a guy who nobody else has seen. Every time I read one of these, I think it’s best I don’t go to Britain for a while.
Four Leaf Cleaver my Maddie Day; The usual obnoxious TV chef is kakked. I thin I need a break from this premise for a while.
Shadows Within by Timo Burnham; Martial Arts Thriller. We’re in the part with the awkward romance, and the training sequences, but to be honest, the training sequences are a little weak, and the romance a little too awkward. 36 Chamber of Shaolin has nothing to worry about.
Your Daughter Will Die! By James Cody; The DC Man is on another case when the daughter of a Senator is kidnapped by an SLA type group that tries to brainwash her, and get a $300,000 ransom. Big buck back then, but just a couple days of insider trading now. Anyway, the politico doesn’t want the police involved. This results in a bunch of dead bodies. Part of the theme for this series is that the hero is a little too cynical for his own good, but the daughter’s roommate is kidnapped right alongside the intended victim, and nobody cares, because she’s just a normal person, and that’s about as cynical as it gets.
Espresso Shot by Cleo Coyle; Coffee Shop Mystery. The ex-husband is getting married to an Anna Wintour analogue. I think someone sort of missed the point of The Devil Wears Prada. Somebody seems to be trying to kill the analogue, and as usual, the cops can’t do anything. I don’t have high hopes for the marriage.
Glen, A whole week of commentary that made me smile. Thank you!
I read three books this week.
Just One Taste by Lizzy Dent was a predictable but fun romance. Olive is estranged from her father but when he dies, he leaves his restaurant and the mission to finish writing his Italian cookbook. Olive wants to sell the restaurant but agrees to the trip to Italy with the sous chef to complete the cookbook. I enjoyed vicariously eating my way through Italy with Olive and Leo.
I read my next book pretty much in one day. Bluebird by Megan Tady was about an ex Olympic athlete and her daughter who also are estranged. Due to and injury with her boyfriend, Wylie calls her mother and asks her to compete as her partner in the fitness competition in Berlin. Claudine agrees with the caveat that she needs to go to Switzerland first. Wylie joins her and deep secrets are uncovered from Wylie’s past. I just loved this one! The setting, the secondary characters and the mother daughter relationship made this a fabulous read.
My last book was The Salt Path by Raynor Winn. I loved this one too. I learned about Raynor and Moth on a news program. They became homeless when their house was taken away from a bad investment with a friend. At the same time, Moth was diagnosed with a neurological terminal disease. They decided rather than wait for a council house to walk the South West Coast Path in England. This was an eye-opening story of love and resilience. When I say they filmed a movie about it with Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs, I decided to read the book before the movie.
We watched the last episodes of Vera and Shetland on TV and are in the middle of Lockerbie with Colin Firth on Peacock. Such a sad story.
Back into the deep freeze for us on Monday. Stay safe and Happy Reading!
Rosemary, I just read that McDonald & Dodds was canceled after series 4. Bummer.
Jeff, I am sorry to hear that. We enjoy that show.
No! We love McDonald and Dodds. What terrible news Jeff.
Oh that’s a shame, I thought it was one of the better ones. Jason Watkins was excellent in it.
Sharon, I love the thought of eating my way through Italy with two interesting characters.
I know. We’re going to have a couple days of weather in the twenties, and then 0 and negative two a couple days next week. I know I told everyone how much I hate winter.
Hello everyone,
First, for anyone who is interested, news of our Siamese cat Charlie! At the end of last week he still was not eating at all, though he seemed fine in all other ways. Anna had to take him to the vets’ yet again, where they sedated him and did an ultrasound scan. It showed absolutely nothing untoward. In the end the vet said to take him home and just ‘keep an eye on him’, as he was otherwise clearly in robust good health. So this Anna did. He still didn’t eat. Then on Saturday evening he finally started to eat, and as she says ‘he hasn’t stopped eating since’. Goodness knows what had upset him, and whether it was a physical or a psychological thing – but all’s well that ends well (except for our bank balance – thank goodness for insurance.)
After what felt like weeks of snow and ice, our weather finally warmed up on Sunday, and daytime temperatures are now round 50F – last week they were more like 26F at best. The ice is taking a long time to disappear, but at least now enough of it has gone so that I can find some non-icy patches to walk on.
Last Saturday, with snow and ice still thick on the ground, we drove to Cullen to meet up with our son and daughter-in-law. I was not at all happy about making this journey – even our son, who drives ambulances as part of his job and has a lot of advanced driver qualifications, messaged me on Saturday morning to suggest rescheduling (it had been -14C [6-7F] in Aviemore, where they live, the night before), but David insisted that we would go. We did have a lovely time with them, including a walk in the sunshine on the beach (no snow on the coast but goodness me, it was COLD) and a delicious lunch at the Rockpool Cafe in the town – but the drive back in the dark was awful. The road looked clear, but was covered in ice – cars, including ours, were sliding about, and whereas most of us chugged along at a steady pace, there were of course a few maniacs who saw fit to fly past lines of cars at speed in the most dangerous of places. I was so glad to get home that night. Bad weather really does bring out the very worst in a few driver, who think they know better than everyone else.
So this week I’ve been able to catch up with various friends, which has been lovely. What with Christmas, and prior to that our trip to London, I hadn’t seen most of them for ages, so we have had lots to talk about. Today Nancy and I walked from her house to the tiny village of Kirkton of Skene; it’s not far, but just being able to see the hills in the sunshine was so cheering. We stopped off at a cafe run by a church – the cakes looked fabulous but we resisted; the coffee was good.
Tomorrow I am going to visit my friend Sue on her smallholding outside Kemnay. She needs a bit of cheering up so I am taking her a lemon drizzle cake and also my copy of Frank Cottrell Boyce’s fantastic children’s novel FRAMED – I thought of it because at the top of Sue’s lane live two sisters, who farm together, and who drive down into the village in their battered old van. In Framed, two eccentric but kind sisters, the Misses Sellwood, live above the little ex-slate mining hamlet of Manod and come down to the village in their ancient car. They’re not the main characters, but every person in this story is so well drawn that I still remember them years after reading the book. Frank Cottrell Boyce is an exceptional writer.
Because I hardly went out last week, and because I also decided once again to stop taking my phone into the bedroom, I’ve read far more than usual – who knew that could happen?! I do this phone thing every so often and am always surprised by how my reading improves when it’s not there to distract me – but of course it always creeps back eventually.
So I’ve read seven books so far this month – whcih isn’t much for some of you, but it’s a lot for me. I’ve just today finished Mary Wesley’s PART OF THE FURNITURE, which is set in the early 1940s. Juno is the 17 year old daughter of a widow. Her mother has decided to move to Canada with the new man in her life, and expects Juno to follow her there – but Juno has other ideas, sells her boat ticket, and finds herself alone in London. There are some people she could turn to, including a bossy but kind aunt, but she doesn’t like any of them. In an air raid an unknown man pulls her into his house, where she finds several of his neighbours congregating in the basement kitchen. She spends the night with this man, Evelyn – nothing happens, they just sleep on the same bed – and in the morning finds he has died (he has been gassed in the First World War) – but he has given her a letter introduction to his (conveniently widowed) father, Robert, who farms in Cornwall. Juno takes the train and a taxi and turns up on Robert’s doorstep.
Although you can no doubt guess the eventual ending, plenty happens in between (not least the fact that Juno turns out to have been pregnant when she arrived, but is so innocent, as girls like her often were in those days, that she has to be told the facts of conception by Robert himself.) There’s a good cast of characters – Robert’s housekeeper, his stockman, his friend Priscilla, Aunt Violet back in London (Knightsbridge of course – Mary Wesley’s novels always centre on upper class people, because that was her own background), and various young men.
While it does always irk me a bit that these people inevitably fall on their affluent feet, Mary Wesley was a good writer and her characters are very real.
I actually read most of her books probably 30-40 years ago, and was only reminded of them because Anna said how much she was enjoying my old copy of THE CAMOMILE LAWN. I’m so glad to have rediscovered Wesley, as I think I’m getting a lot more from her writing at this stage in my life. (I’ve also really enjoyed the DVDs of the TV adaptations of The Camomile Lawn and HARNESSING PEACOCKS.)
Before that I read the poet Lemn Sissay’s memoir of his childhood and adolesence, MY NAME IS WHY. Sissay’s mother was an Ethiopian girl who came to the UK to study at Bible College. When she became pregnant she was determined to keep her baby, but she had to return to Ethiopia as her father was dying, so she placed Lemn in the temporary care of the local authority.
This was in the 1960s,when officials were even less accountable than they are now, and the council decided, on no grounds whatsoever, that Ms Sissay had ‘abandoned’ her child. Lemn was renamed Norman and placed with a white couple who were evangelical Christians. The fostering arrangement went well for a while. The couple went on to have three children of their own. Lemn regarded his foster parents as his real mother and father, and his brothers and sister as his siblings. Unfortunately the foster mother became increasingly emotionally unstable, and more and more evangelical. When Lemn was 12 years old and began to question her religious beliefs, she insisted that he could no longer stay in the family. The council removed him, and from then on he lived in a series of children’s ‘homes’, each one worse than the last, until he ended up in a dreadful prison-like, establishment where boys were routinely abused in every way imaginable.
It is a truly heartbreaking and shocking story, and a terrible indictment of the way in which a so called ‘civilised’ society often treats some of its most vulnerable citizens. I would like to think that things have improved, but I really do doubt it. Our care system is notoriously flawed, and even if children are in relatively good ‘homes’, at the age of 18 they are simply sent out into society to make their own way. Unsurprisingly many have huge problems.
Lemn Sissay is now an internationally acclaimed poet and writer. He has founded a charity to help care leavers, and is very active in that field. We are going to see him talk at the Music Hall in March. (If you would like to see him read his poetry, there are lots of videos on YouTube.)
I also read DEAD FLOWERS by Mark Timlin, the 15th in his series about disgraced police officer and now shady private investigator Nick Sharman. I enjoy these books – they’re almost all set in parts of London that were, when the books were written, extremely run-down and seedy. Now of course, many have been completely gentrified, although the fashionable incomers are still living cheek by jowl with the impoverished residents of big housing schemes. Anyway, in Nick Sharman’s world Brixton is still rough as rough, Walworth (where a branch of my family lived) is deeply shabby, and Peckham (home of one of my great aunts) is the sort of place my parents strove to leave. (Nowadays small flats in Peckham change hands for more than you’d pay for a 5 bedroomed house in other, quite respectable, areas.)
In this instalment, a man who was previously down on his luck but has now had the good fortune to win the lottery, asks Sharman to find his wife. She left him for a bar owner/gangster a couple of years earlier, unable to cope with lack of money and also with motherhood. Sharman starts to investigate, and in the process comes up against the usual collection of low life south London criminals. The plot of this book is much better than the last one I read, but as always these thrillers are more memorable for their settings and their characters than for what actually happens. They are very fast paced, no words are wasted, and it’s hard not to keep turning the pages. I read this one in a day, which is unusual for me.
As I decided that i would not take part in any long-drawn-out reading challenges this year, I am enjoying having a completley free rein to choose whatever I want from my shelves and from the library (that’s where I found the Timlin.) However, as I’m sure some of you know, having so much to choose from can be quite a challenge in itself – I look at all my books and think ‘oh yes, I definitely want to read this next – but wait a minute, what about this?’ (That’s why it’s so great to have such excellent recommendations every Thursday.)
So this afternoon I dithered quite a bit. I chose Bob Mortimer’s much talked about first novel THE SATSUMA COMPLEX – then read some reviews and realised it probably wasn’t worth my time. It’s such a shame when celebrities are allowed to publish books that would never see the light of day were they written by anybody else. Mortimer is a great comic, he used to perform with Vic Reeves, who brought something of a surreal air to their shows, and more recently he’s made the GONE FISHING series with Paul Whitehouse, which we like very much – he and Whitehouse use fishing as a reason to visit various parts of the country, but the show is really about their interaction as two late middle aged men, as they chat about all sorts of things in a downbeat, and surprisingly empathetic, way. From the reviews though, it doesn’t sound like Bob can write. If anyone has read this book and has a different opinion I’d be very interested to hear it.
So I thought again, and have now picked up one of the many issues of the SLIGHTLY FOXED quarterly that I haven’t got around to reading, plus the next one in Janie Bolitho’s murder mystery series set in Cornwall featuring artist/photographer Rose Trevalyn. Works of genius they are not, but they’re good enough. This one is called BURIED IN CORNWALL.
On TV I finished DEADLOCH and enjoyed every minute. Can’t wait for the next series. Now I am trying yet again to watch THE INK BLACK HEART, adapted from Robert Galbraith/JK Rowling’s sixth Cormorant Strike crime novel. As the Guardian reviewer says, Holiday Grainger and Tom Burke do a wonderful job in keeping the sexual tension going betweem the two leads, but the actual plot is contorted, confusing and very unconvincing.
The film of the most recent London production of MACBETH, starring David Tennant and Cush Jumbo, is going to be in our cinemas from early February. I would have so loved to have seen this live, but failing that I’m sure the film will be good, so I need to book tickets. I doubt, though, that audiences will be provided with headphones, as they were in the theatre, to listen to the lead characters thoughts.
it’s gettng late here so I will stop. I hope you all have a good week, and the very best of luck with your consultant’s appointment Lindy.
Rosemary,
I don’t think most celebrities can actually write. I’ve read some ghastly memoirs. The ghost writer makes all the difference.
Totally agree Glen. Ruth Jones (a brilliant Welsh actress and screenwriter) is another example – I read her first novel and it was terrible. The only celebrity I’ve come across who can write is Graham Norton (Irish chat show host, very well known and popular here.) I’ve enjoyed two of his murder mysteries.
Thanks for the update on Charlie the cat; I’ve been wondering about him all week.
And thanks too for wishing me luck at the cardiologist’s. The appointment isn’t till Friday so I won’t have any news yet for next Thursday’s What Are You Reading.
Thank you to so many of you who wished me well today. So kind of you all.
Rosemary, I was sitting here doing nothing when I realized I hadn’t read your post, and needed to know how Charlie was doing! So happy to hear he’s eating again, and doing well.
As I said, I was doing nothing, so your post transported me to Scotland, where I could see you walking with friends, enjoying cafes, and your books and TV.
Thank you. I needed that tonight.
I forgot to say I went to go see The Prosecutor.
It only played on one screen in the entire area, but that theatre was pretty full for a Tuesday, where often fewer than ten people show up, even at half price.
For some reason, everybody thought it starred Andy Lau, but instead, it was Donnie Yen as a cop who becomes a DA after an injury. His first case concerns drug smuggling, but he perceives a lot going on beneath the surface, and that a kid went to jail for just renting his address. (bad idea). He makes the same pronouncements about justice and law that Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks used to make in their movies.
This takes maybe 40 minutes. Most of the rest of the running time is filled with kung fu battles. These are pretty good, but at 55 years old, it’s probably about time he stepped back a bit. Clint Eastwood doesn’t make Dirty Harry movies any more for a reason.
You’re right, Glen. Sometimes actors age out of their parts.
Just a last quick comment that I started the James Byrne book – DEADLOCK – and it is a hoot, just like the first one. (18% read this afternoon.) Picture Jack Reacher or The Gray Man or Orphan X or another macho action guy, but add a wicked sense of humor and you have Dez Limerick, one of the great characters. He’s just a lot of fun to read about.
I love those Deb Limerick novels, Jeff.
Hi Lesa, yes it is so heartbreaking in California. My heart goes out to all. It has felt like 17 in NC this week and we had a snow/ice mix friday night. Most gone by Sunday. I have been reading quite a bit recently. My kindle/netgalley read is the Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskens (oh so good!). Chasing Shadows by Lynn Austin is my book club read.
Oh, The Quiet Librarian is good, isn’t it, Katherine? I really liked it!
Stay warm and safe.
Current Read— Angel City Beat: A Sisters in Crime Los Angeles Anthology. Edited by Barb Goffman. Level Best Books – Level Short
Most of those Sisters in Crime anthologies are pretty good, Kevin.