The dentist! It seems as if I’ve been to the dentist every week this year. Yesterday was my last appointment until June. Yay!
It’s definitely March in Ohio. We had beautiful sunny weather, around 60 degrees on Tuesday. Started in the 50s on Wednesday. Then we had rain. Thursday is supposed to be windy, with temperatures crashing, and there may even be snow flurries. Loved Tuesday’s weather! What about you? Weather and allergies?
Don’t forget Kim Hays is our author for tomorrow, talking about her Favorites of 2024. I hope you stop in!
I’m currently reading Jeffrey B. Burton’s The Second Grave, A Chicago K-9 Thriller. It’s the second book in his Cory and Crystal Pratt K-9 Thriller series. I missed the first one, The Dead Years. But, I read all three books in his Mace Reid K-9 mystery series.
Burton’s new series features a brother and sister. Cory Pratt is in his early twenties, going to college to be a computer programmer, but also running two cadaver dogs, Alice and Rex. Cory’s older sister, Crystal, is a Chicago police detective. They are dragged into a thirty-year-old cold case after Cory and his dogs are asked to work Kaskakee River State Park to search for a missing family patriarch. Another search team finds the man, but Cory’s team finds a graveyard, two graves with four bodies. But, all these years later, someone is taking an interest in the investigation.
I like Burton’s writing, and his cadaver dogs. I’m happy I stumbled across his new series.
What about you? What are you reading this week? How’s everyone doing?
I’m glad you survived your dentist visits Lesa. It’s not the place to go for a good time, is it?
David had his phone app’t with the surgeon yesterday, but we don’t know any more than before. Surgeon says he’s inclined to just observe for a bit and see what happens but that David should see the radiation oncologist again and see what he advises. No word yet on when that might be. I know it’s not helpful, and that it does no good – but I continue to fret and worry, and and am grumpy. David is the opposite; calm, accepting of whatever might happen, and taking pleasure in whatever he’s doing in the moment.
I did read a book this week and it was a good one. THE WHALEBONE THEATRE by Joanna Quinn.
Right from the first page I was drawn into the story. Three-year-old Cristabel waits for her widowed father to arrive back at the family estate with his new wife, and now to be mother to Cristabel, although her main aim seems to be to host lavish parties. Eventually the family expands with a sister (Flossie) and later a brother (Digby). All three children are largely ignored/neglected by their parents, and grow up left to their own devices – which mostly involve elaborate games of imagination courtesy of fiercely independent Cristabel who does her best to look after and entertain her siblings. At one point a whale washes up on the beach and rots away until only bones are left, and a theatre is made out of its huge rib cage bones. This theatre plays a large role in their lives. Theirs is an eccentric upbringing and existence, with very little experience of life beyond the family estate, other than being exposed to the various guests who come to stay.
Then comes WWII and we see how these three siblings cope with the war and how they each contribute in their own way, according to each of their characters.
None of what I just said about the book does it any justice at all but it’s a book to spend time with, to love, to revel in the writing, and to appreciate how seemingly effortlessly the author conjures a story that feels immediate and real, and is so emotionally compelling that it brought me to tears once or twice. Very powerful in a quiet way, with a strong sense of time and place and vivid characters, and every page was worth reading – although I didn’t read the book so much as I experienced it. Completely transporting and made me think on how childhood affects so much of one’s adult life, and what it takes to rise above. I thought it was a great book.
David read a book he quite enjoyed: CROSSING THE LINE by Kareem Rosser.
It’s a memoir about the trials of growing up in the roughest part of Philadelphia and the wonder of discovering horses, how that lead the author and his brother to become true athletes, and how the sport of polo gave them the opportunity of a way out of the ghetto. The author ended up being captain of an all-black team competing in the National Interscholastic Polo Championship.
David said it was well worth reading – from the heart, and gave a real feeling for the life these two boys lived. A true story but reads like a novel.
Good morning, Lindy. It sounds as if you and David both sought out escape books this past week. Although, as a worrier, I know you needed that escape.
You sound like my sister and her husband. She’s the worrier, and he’s calm and just takes everything one day at a time. We’ll continue to hope everything is okay with David.
Lindy, I liked your description of how David is handling his health situation… “calm, accepting of whatever might happen, and taking pleasure in whatever he’s doing in the moment.” We could all learn from that. I hope that you don’t have to wait too long to know more.
Been dong alright. The weather’s been a little chilly, but nothing unbearable. A few showers here and there.
Had a bit of juvenile fun this week. I got invited to a watch party for WWE’s Elimination Chamber. The match is in a steel cage. It starts with two wrestlers, with four others sealed in pods. Every so often, a pod opens, and out comes the wrestler to wreak havoc. Whenever a wrestler is pinned or submitted, they are eliminated from the match, and forced to leave the chamber. Hence the name. It’s pretty brutal.
At the end of the show, Jon Cena, this year’s winner, who has been the ace good guy of the company for 22 years, turns bad guy by kicking the current champion, Cody Rhodes, in the groinal area. It was interesting seeing some of the younger folks, who had been watching Cena be a hero, in some cases, for their entire lives, turn to the dark side, and try to process it. Some of the little kids actually cried.
Then tonight, All Elite Wrestling was in Sacramento, so I went to see it live. What a great show, but a lot different than WWE.
This week I read:
Johnny Careless by Kevin Wade; We’re in Great Gatsby country, and the more things change, the more they stay the same. Daisy would feel right at home. The police chief, who spends most of his time NOT enforcing the law, tries to stop a stolen car ring, and trying to find out how his best friend was killed. The friend was pretty much like Tom Buchanan, skating by on his wealth and good looks, while everyone else cleaned up his messes. I was in a real torch and pitchfork mood by the end.
The Lies That Bind by Judith van Gieson; An ex-hippie lawyer is hired by the square mother of her best friend, to defend her in a hit and run case. Strangely, most of the book was actually about Argentinians.
Death on Demand by Carolyn G. Hart; When the obnoxious author dies, the bookstore owner, and her really only slightly less obnoxious (but much better looking) paramour investigate.
Garfield Says a Mouthful by Jim Davis; Near peak Garfield from the early 90’s. I really think the strip hit its zenith in 1988, but this book does serve to remind one of what actually sold all the merchandise, the movies, and the cartoons.
Well, that would be a shock to see one of your heroes turn bad guy if he’s been the hero your entire life.
What a great summary of Johnny Careless. You’re right, Glen!
But, Garfield. There were some good years there.
We’ve got winter weather here – 50’s and rain. Supposed to be that way again on Thursday and then warm up a little for the weekend. Then more cold and rain next week, so spring isn’t on the horizon here yet.
On the reading front, I’m working on SHATTERED SIGHT, the first in a new series from Liz Milliron. This one features a police detective in Niagara Fall, New York who is dealing with PTSD with his first case back as a detective. No, not one of my light cozies, but very good. I think the book just turned a corner, and I’m really going to enjoy the final quarter. I’m reading an ARC – the book will be out on the 18th.
I’m waiting for spring, Mark!
No, that doesn’t sound like one of your cozies. I hope you continue to enjoy it.
Fourth day of sun and daytime 60s here after weeks of greyness. Everyone’s mood has lifted–including mine. So many snowdrops everywhere!
Lesa says she’s putting out my 2024 list of favorites tomorrow–thank you, Lesa!–and my booklist today fits right in, because I’m reading the next books in two of the three series I’ve been catching up with off and on for months. One is another of Ann Cleeves’s Vera Stanhope books, THE DARKEST EVENING (two more to go after this one, and then I’ll be caught up until she writes another Vera book). And I’m listening to BAD ACTORS, another of Mick Herron’s Slow Horses/Slough House books. As always it’s brilliantly read by Gerard Doyle, who also reads Adrian McKinty’s books, among others.
During the past week I finished Geraldine Brooks’s HORSE. I thought it was excellent and highly recommend it. It’s about horseracing just before the Civil War but even more about bonds between people and between people and animals, and–powerfully– about the enduring legacy of racism in the US.
Doesn’t your mood change when it’s sunny and even a little warmer, Kim? I know Thursday was beautiful here, as you said, just in the 60s, and I felt better.
I guess your booklist today does fit. I’m sure readers will appreciate tomorrow’s list as well.
I am looking forward to your list, Kim. I think our tastes overlap quite a bit. I really liked HORSE and thought Geraldine Brooks did a great job of getting at the issues. I like most of her books but this one was especially great.
My Bully, My Aunt, and Her Final Gift by Harold Phifer is what I started three days ago. I won it from LibraryThing. It belongs in the humor genre. A man is called by his pastor to prepare a memorial for his Aunt Kathy. Aunt Kathy has always a horrible person, full of backhanded compliments and pure venom. The pastor wants him to give a eulogy for the person that he was relieved to see pass away. It is very funny. The only negative thing is that this book is in miniature print. I can only read a few pages and then give up. My eyes cross, and are in pain while reading it. I am using a magnifying glass some of the time but that implement is heavy to hold.
The other book that I am reading has two levels higher of bigger print. I won it from GoodReads, The Ideological Brain: The Radical Science of Flexible Thinking by Leor Zmigrod. I picked it because it was not horror, fantasy or bodice ripper. It is a challenging book to read, in a place that is totally new to me! The author gives her conclusions of experiments of psychological and neurological foundations of ideological beliefs, Like what is actually going in neurologically with political zealots, rigid thinking, what happens neurologically when a person is brain washed.
I actually recognized part of the neurocognitive testing that I had to determine if I had Mild Cognituve Imparment or worse! This is the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, which I hated with so much vigor when taking it. It determines how rigid or flexible your thinking is. The test gives you a the task of figuring out which card is next in the sequence. Doesn’t sound bad, does it? But now I know why the test made me angry and frustrated. The rules of the sorting change while you take the test. It starts out with sequence that is easy to figure out, You think you know the rules. then the rules change, over and over again. I can remember my anger while taking the test, how dare they change the rules! If you are flexible thinker you will soon realize the rules have been changed and figure what works until the rules change again. Apparently my reaction to the test was like many of the college kids who took the test. Change is painful when your structure of thinking doesn’t work and you have to figure out the rules again.
The part about brainwashing seems logical and explains why it is so difficult to change the thinking of a person like in a cult to change. I haven’t read further but now I get it why it is difficult to undo the damage.
The good part is that this book makes me think! The bad part is that if I have to take Neurocognitive Testing again, I know how to cheat to get a better score!
Carol, That’s funny that you now know how to cheat to get a better score on a test.
I’m sorry the print is so small on the novel that you’re actually enjoying. Reading just a couple pages at a time must be difficult.
Thank you, I will get there. If I had know that the print was so small I would not have entered for it. Thank goodness the other one has bigger print.
I don’t think I’d do very well with that neurocognitive testing you talked so interestingly about. I like my rules too much!
We had tickets for Fiddler on the Roof last Saturday. It was very windy and we had to detour around downed trees on our way to the playhouse. Well about 5 minutes into the play the power went out. It wasn’t going to come back on for at least an hour and a half so they switched our tickets to tomorrow night. Hopefully the weather will cooperate.
Saturday we have tickets for Kensington Book’s Cozy Con. Usually it’s out in PA both days but this year they are doing one day in NJ about 40 minutes from our house. We’ve never been but it should be fun.
Like the play I had several DNF books this week. I did finish two.
EL MAESTRO: LADY GOATHERDER by Diane Elliot. It’s the second part of a memoir about an English couple who retire to Spain and inadvertently wind up raising goats. I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first book – this one was rather depressing.
TO WALK THE SKY: HOW IROQUOIS STEELWORKERS HELPED BUILD TOWERING CITIES by Patricia Morris Buckley. It’s a children’s picture book but it was interesting. The author’s great grandfather was a steelworker who died when a bridge they were building in Canada collapsed during construction.
Well, you’ll have a busy weekend, Sandy, with Fiddler and CozyCon. I can’t wait to hear about CozyCon and what authors you saw.
I’m sorry you had quite a DNF week for books.
Good morning from North Carolina where we are on vacation, specifically to visit the Biltmore mansion. We had a beautiful sunny day yesterday for our visit – balm for my Michigan soul. The mansion is humongous! While an architectural marvel, it boggles my mind the mindset behind wanting to build such a huge place. With that said, many wonderful things to see here, including the scenery!
Last week I read Loose Lips (Ghostwriter Mystery #2) by Kemper Donovan. A cozy murder mystery set on a literary cruise with 300 women and a handful of men. Three writer friends from college are on the boat – Payton, the uninvited Flora and Belle Currer (pseudonym for the Ghostwriter). Payton is the most successful of the three, partially due to having a bestseller based on Flora’s unpublished work. Flora has been out for revenge. When Payton becomes violently ill from eating her dinner, all eyes are on Flora as the culprit for poisoning her food. Soon there are three murders on the boat, all conceivably done by Flora. But there are many other potential suspects, all with motive. An entertaining whodunnit.
My hold came in and I downloaded Loose Lips from Libby just yesterday. Thanks for the encouraging review.
Oh, I love Biltmore, Mary! I’ve been twice. But, I’m sure as a fellow Midwesterner the weather was one of the highlights. Just to escape our weather for a couple days!
I thought this one of Kemper Donovan’s books was a little better than the first, but I think I”m done.
Oh the mansion is so much fun. Be sure and check out the Chihuly exhibit. It’s awesome.
Hi Lesa – So glad you’re enjoying the book. And speaking of the dentist, I grilled the perfect steaks last fall when we had my in-laws over for a barbecue. We sat down to eat and, on my first bite of a perfect steak, a piece of one of my top teeth broke off. Two appointments and all sorts of fun later and I was good to go…
As always, Jeffrey! I do enjoy your K-9 books.
What a lousy way to enjoy a steak barbecue.I’m sure it was all kinds of fun.
Good morning, Lesa et al. The South Florida weather has been nothing but good most of our time down here. Yesterday was a lot warmer than it’s been – 85 degrees – but it was so windy that it felt much cooler than that, though it was pretty humid. We’re back to the low 70s and sunny today.
Thanks for mentioning the Burton book. Like you, I read the Mace Reid K-9 series but didn’t know about the new one. Will have to look for it. Hold on. OK, my library in Brooklyn has THE DEAD Y EARS in both book and Kindle format, so will try it, as soon as I finish what I’m reading. (I also need to pick up the previous Adrian McKinty book.)
Reading, then. Jackie had a good week. She said to tell you she LOVED the Ashley Poston book (her third), A NOVEL LOVE STORY, and particularly liked the ending. She then read the third in Jayne Ann Krentz’s Lost Night Files series, SHATTERING DAWN. She said it was the best of the three, and she was glad to discovere that it is NOT a trilogy but Krentz will continue the series, about three women who became friends after an experience none can remember that involved their latent psychic ability. They now host a podcast investigating cold cases like theirs. Lastly, she started Emily Henry’s BOOK LOVERS, and likes what she has read so far.
My reading has been more scattered, as usual. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance was a famous John Ford western from my childhood. This is the original short story by Dorothy M. Johnson, along with three other stories she wrote. She wrote two novels, but her shorter works are more well known, thanks to Hollywood.
Barry N. Malzberg died last December at 85. Over his lifetime he wrote dozens of novels, some in collaboration with people like his friend Bill Pronzini, as well as hundreds of short stories, mostly science fiction and fantasy, mysteries, and pseudonymous “erotic” novels in the late 1960s. During the heyday (1973-75) of the mens’ paperback action hero era with characters like The Executioner and The Destroyer, he created one of the most memorable, the Lone Wolf series of 12 books written as by Mike Barry. The last one, PHILADELPHIA BLOW-UP, was unforgettable. Malzberg wrote (and occasionally self-published and collected) many short story collectionds and I read his Collecting Myself: The Uncollected Stories of Barry N. Malzberg.
I’ve been a hunge fan of writer James Sallis for years. I’ve read most of his fiction, including the six books in his New Orleans-set PI Lew Griffin series starting with THE LONG-LEGGED FLY, his Driver series (DRIVE and DRIVEN), the John Turner series (CYPRESS GROVE, CRIPPLE CREEK, SALT RIVER), and his beautifully written standalones. He’s also written hundreds of short stories. I read a couple of collections, but now there is Bright Segments: The Complete Short Fiction, a massive 820 page volume of over 150 stories, science fiction (where he started out), mystery, fantasy, etc. I am waiting for my library’s Kindle edition, but I’m reading the big book in the meanwhile.
Lastly, on the short story front, is the new collection of stories by sometime New York Times columnist Curtis Sittenfeld, Show Don’t Tell. I really enjoyed her first collection so put this on hold. Surprisingly, despite the long waiting list in Brooklyn, I was able to get a copy from the Cloud Library in Palm Beach County in a week! I’m reading it on my new tablet (and phone, if we’re out), and it is very good.
I prefer to read one novel at a time, though occasionally I do read one mystery and another totally different kind of book. But sometimes I am between books and will start something on hand, only to have something else come in. I usually have a bunch of books on hold at the library, and never know when something will arrive. (Plus, very often, two or three books will come in one after the other.) Or someone here or an another blog will mention a book, I’ll check it and see it is available in the library. Anyway, I started reading Lionel White’s early ’50s kidnap caper novel, The Snatchers. A gang kidnaps the young daughter of a rich man with a “cunning” plan to ransom her for several hundred thousand dollars. But when I’d read over a quarter of the book, the library notified that one of my books was ready. This one was reviewed by Lesa last month, a book I hadn’t previously heard of, Laura McCluskey’s first, The Wolf Tree. Like the Shetland series by Ann Cleeves, this is set on an island off the mainland of Scotland, though Eilean Eadar is tiny and isolated, with just 200 people living an isolated life (no internet). An 18 year old, seemingly happy and on his way to college, recently fell to his death from the old lighthouse, and the police in Glasgow send two Inspectors just to “check it out” (though we know it will turn out to be murder, right?). The central character is newly promoted Inspector Georgina “George” Lennox, on her first job back (with partner Richie Stewart) after eight months off following a serious head injury. We don’t yet know what happened. She doesn’t tell that she is still having headaches and vertigo. The insular island seems under the thumb (somewhat) of the local Catholic priest. Most people seem sure the boy killed himself, though no one knows why. The setting and atmosphere are wonderfully done, and I am looking forward to see what happened, as well as George’s back story. She comes from Edinburgh, but has been working in Glasgow for a number of years. Good so far.
I hope you like The Wolf Tree, Jeff. I think it was the ending that really made me like the book, but the descriptions of the island are wonderful.
Barry N. Malzberg’s pulp fiction sounds like books that Glen would like. I’m guessing he read a number of them.
I brought home the Poston book on Jackie’s recommendation, but I want to finish the Burton book first.
Enjoy that gorgeous weather!
I read all the Lone Wolf books when I was in high school, but didn’t like them, because I didn’t glom on to what the author was trying to do.
I read them again, years later, after learning what they were actually supposed to be, and like them a little better.
Exactly!
Woke up to fresh snow this morning. Beautiful and temperatures are above freezing, so it won’t remain long. Happy for the precipitation as the winter has been fairly dry.
Just one book to talk about this week, but I really enjoyed A DEATH IN DIAMONDS, SJ Bennett’s latest in Her Majesty the Queen Investigates series. Multiple themes with the Queen as the central character. International travel, murder, betrayal, and spy stuff with Daphne du Maurier making a cameo appearance as the wife of Philip’s much-loved head of household. And who could pass up two large Thermos flasks of cock-a-leekie as a sign of the Queen’s concern.
MM, I thought A Death in Diamonds was one of the better ones in the series, although I know some readers didn’t care for it that much. I like the variety in these books, and I liked seeing a younger queen.
Lesa I’ve enjoyed all the books in the series but particularly enjoyed this book staring the younger queen. What a tremendous responsibility she inherited at quite a young age.
Good morning! As Glen said, the weather has been variable here. After a couple of days in the low 70s, we’re back to rain and colder temperatures. I’m looking forward to seeing Pretty Woman: the Musical tomorrow night, but today will be devoted to getting my tax documents together–ugh! Here’s what I read this week (two out of three were gems):
I’ve been waiting a while for Ina Garten’s memoir, BE READY WHEN THE LUCK HAPPENS, and my library hold was worth waiting for. I’m not a regular viewer of Garten’s TV cooking shows, but I am fascinated by her convoluted rise to success in so many areas. Coming from a somber childhood and parents who didn’t believe in her, Ina’s early marriage to Jeffrey Garten was a godsend. She and Jeffrey clicked throughout college, his military service, and her job at the White House, and their eventful four-month camping trip was a joy to behold. Ina later realized that she was bored with her job, which ultimately led to the Gartens’ impulse buy of a tiny store called The Barefoot Contessa, and the rest is history . . . but not without many roadblocks and changes along the way. Ina is a self-professed adrenaline junkie, who needed frequent challenges and ventures out of her comfort zone to be happy. So although she was initially reluctant, she eventually became a cookbook (and memoir) author, a beloved TV chef, and even an interior decorator. I thoroughly enjoyed all of her adventures as she described them, and her particular perspective on what types of food people really want. It definitely made me seek out her original and subsequent cookbooks.
HOW TO SOLVE MURDERS LIKE A LADY, the second Violet Hamilton historical mystery by Hannah Dolby, is even more delightful than the first. Violet is a 29-year-old unmarried woman who had been determined to stay that way until she met reluctant detective (and antique furniture restorer) Benjamin Blackthorn and hired him to find her long-missing mother. It has been six months since the two of them succeeded, then worked together on a few other cases. Violet is in training to be a Lady Detective and is now engaged to Benjamin (so they can properly work together). Their relationship has been slowly developing, but Violet isn’t sure she is ready to be married, as she deplores her status as a woman in Victorian times. She has to break into the library at night to borrow books that the officious librarian feels might corrupt her as a fragile female, and the loud-mouthed Mrs. Withers and obnoxious Spencer Sisters never miss an opportunity to cut her down in public for her career aspirations. But when Mrs. Withers is found dead on the beach of this seaside town, Violet is determined to investigate, along with Benjamin. There is so much going on in this book, and all of it is both compelling and wildly entertaining. Violet’s father wants the best for her but allows her to be detained in a “hydrotherapy” establishment by the loathsome Dr. Spencer against her will.There is a plot afoot in the town that threatens to turn violent, and it leads to some precarious situations for Violet and Benjamin. Violet’s friends–Miss Turtin (“the soul of innocence”) and Mrs. Monk (a former brothel employee) are welcome sounding boards for Violet, and teenage servant Hildebrand turns out to be a wonderful resource. Benjamin is the most charming of partners and seemingly the only one who willingly allows Violet to be herself and supports her dreams. Their advancing relationship is sweet and satisfying. Even better, some of the odious characters turn out to have more depth than expected. And Violet’s father is happier than he has ever been with a new mature love. I heartily hope that there will be more books in the charming Violet Hamilton series. You can start with No Life for a Lady.
‘Having loved Gwendolyn Womack’s The Fortune Teller a few years back, I gladly took on her YA debut, THE PREMONITIONS CLUB. It’s the story of a small group of high school students who discover some old boxes containing lists of premonitions collected by The Premonitions Bureau from the 1960s to the 1990s. The files include research on whether and when each premonition proved correct–some years after they were made. A few contributor names keep coming up, including Mad Merlin, Nostradamus, and The Oracle of Delphi–who are the real people behind the names? Before they know what’s happening, the teenagers find themselves involved in a nefarious plot that endangers not only themselves but members of their families–both living and presumed missing or dead. And some of them discover unfathomable skills they didn’t know they had. From that point on, the book becomes a series of whirlwind action scenes that dominate the plot. I found it entertaining, although I would have preferred to learn more about what happens to the young characters at the end of the book. It is a rather abrupt ending, followed by the (unnecessary) information the author provides about various paranormal skills, including reading auras, numerology, palmistry, tarot and divination,and remote viewing. Also, I feel the book title (including the word “club”) is designed to attract readers based on the book’s YA designation, whereas it could have been a stronger title to reflect the actual content of the book (April)
You, too, Margie? That’s what I have to do this afternoon, get my tax documents ready. Bah, humbug.
I’ll be interested to see what you think of Pretty Woman. You’ll have to let us know next week.
I’m glad you enjoyed Be Ready When the Luck Happens as much as I did.
Yay! Congratulations on the last appt to the dentist for a while, Lesa.
I’ve been having a hard time concentrating on any book. The current politic climate has been consuming me and I’m trying to figure out how to ignore it. Last week, the governor of Idaho approved the bill for Student Choice which gives parents vouchers for home school/private schools. The funding is $50 million which of course comes out of the public-school funds. Most of the people surveyed were against but he went ahead and approved it with the orange man’s approval. Once again, I get to wait and see if I have a job next year.
Last week, I read one book – THE DIVA POACHES A BAD EGG by Krista Davis. I’ve read all of the “Diva” books and the latest one is good addition to the series. While it’s not the strongest, it’s a nice cozy read. Sophie is working a House and Home expo when a voice behind her tells her not to look at her. The voice is familiar, and she sees it’s Mitzi an interior designer. Mitz asks her to meet her at the house that she and her partner Denise are in the middle remodeling. When Sophia arrives at the house, she finds the back door open and Denise lying on the floor dead. The house belongs to the Inger family which Denise’s husband’s family owns. The house has secrets, and the Inger family wants Sophie and her sidekick, Nina to look into Denise’s murder. There’s a lot of talk about food and in the back of the book are some of the recipes.
I received a copy from NetGalley to review.
Oh, Bev. I know what you mean about the politics. Sometimes, I’m just paralyzed with what I’m reading in the news. And, I’m not working to wonder if I’ll have a job. But, I do wonder if I’ll have Social Security and Medicare. It’s just terrible to watch what’s happening.
I like all the Diva books. I’ve read them all, too, and they’re just a great escape.
I am so looking forward to the spring weather next week! Yesterday was just miserable with cold, rain, snow flurries and high winds.
I read three books this week.
AN EXCELLENT THING IN BEING A WOMAN by Allison Montclair has been discussed here several times. I enjoyed reading about the early days of the BBC . This time Sally is accused of murder. This is one of my favorite mystery series.
Next, I read THE PECULIAR GARDEN OF HARRIET HUNT by Chelsea Iversen. This was a little darker than my usual read and a little on the Gothic side. Harriet Hunt has always had a special relationship with the plants in her garden. She has a very difficult sheltered childhood and because of that, she makes an ill-advised marriage. I was totally invested in Harriet’s story and enjoyed it very much despite the dark tones.
Lastly, I read WE ARE MADE OF STARS by Rochelle B. Weinstein from Kindle Unlimited. Definitely not my favorite but I was in the minority on Goodreads. Four couples spend a week at a charming in North Carolina where secrets and tensions come to a head. While each couple storylines were plausible, all four together was just too much melodrama for me. And by the end I just didn’t like it very much.
Happy Reading!
I’m with you, Sharon. I hope we have some decent spring weather. Although I guess these ups and downs are spring weather.
You might not have liked We Are Made of Stars, but I might have picked it up to look at just for the title. I love that title.
Happy Reading, and I hope you get some good spring weather.
I’m grumpy and making no apologies.
Needing an escape and some gentleness I picked up an oldie and spent some time in the town of Mitford.
The first novel in #1 New York Times bestselling author Jan Karon’s beloved series set in America’s favorite small town: Mitford.
It’s easy to feel at home in Mitford. In these high, green hills, the air is pure, the village is charming, and the people are generally lovable. Yet, Father Tim, the bachelor rector, wants something more. Enter a dog the size of a sofa who moves in and won’t go away. Add an attractive neighbor who begins wearing a path through the hedge. Now, stir in a lovable but unloved boy, a mystifying jewel theft, and a secret that’s sixty years old. Suddenly, Father Tim gets more than he bargained for. And readers get a rich comedy about ordinary people and their ordinary lives.
I read this lovely novel when it first came out in 1994 and could hardly wait for the next one.
I wasn’t sure i’d actually find it to be the book I was hoping it to be after all this time, but I am happy to say it has held up beautifully.
It feels just right spending this evening with Father Tim and the residents of Mitford.
I may re-read the entire series again. I love it.
I’ve been thinking of returning to Mitford, too. There is a stack of all the books in the lending area of our (Episcopal) church. I worry I wouldn’t get anything done if I brought them home!
Yes – Exactly!!
Kaye, Mitford books. All Creatures Great and Small on PBS. I wish we lived in a kinder gentler time like those.
Wouldn’t it be lovely
Kaye, I totally understand. I have read all of the Mitford series and loved every word of it It is certainly a comforting series. The name of the first in the series (which you didn’t include) is At Home in Mitford (2008).
I don’t blame you one bit for being grumpy, Kaye. But, what a treat to find out that the first book in the Mitford series holds up after all these years. Like you, I read the series when it first came out, and even picked up a couple of those little cookbooks (the orange marmalade cake!) that came out, although I never baked anything from them.
Bless Father Tim for still being there all these years later.
Hi everyone! I am glad my Thursday schedule lets me chime in today. I also enjoyed A DEATH IN DIAMONDS although I missed the character of the contemporary private secretary. A few weeks ago I read P.J. Nelson’s BOOKED FOR MURDER and like a lot of folks here especially loved the Episcopal priest. I appreciated that she was a good spiritual guide for the main character. (I feel like sometimes there is so much action in the Clare Fergusson mysteries the spiritual side gets lost.) Otherwise most of my reading has been for class, one highlight of which was bell hooks’ ALL ABOUT LOVE: NEW VISIONS. It is from the early 90s but a lot of the ideas about the structure and consequences of an overall lack of love in our society still in true.
Trisha, I’m excited about this new series by P.J. Nelson
Trisha, I also recommend pastor Jane Willan’s mystery series, the Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn mysteries, set in a Welsh convent. So far there have been three books in the series, and I enjoyed all of them.
Thanks for this recommendation, Margie! I am looking forward to starting this series.
Trisha, Like you, I liked the Episcopal priest in Nelson’s new series. I hope she continues as a supporting character.
Late again. Today we went shopping at Costco (and breakfast, my favorite meal to eat out). Tomorrow we go to the Santa Barbara International Orchid Show, which we look forward to all year. We take cameras and photograph the orchids and interesting displays.
Glen finished reading NIGHT SIDE OF THE RIVER by Jeanette Winterson, a collection of her ghost stories plus a few essays. He liked it very much. Now he is reading THE TIME TRAVELLER’S GUIDE TO MEDIEVAL ENGLAND: A HANDBOOK FOR VISITORS TO THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY. He says that one is not an easy read, but he has found some interesting topics in the book.
This week I read a science fiction book from my son’s shelves: DIVING INTO THE WRECK. It is about a woman who makes her living diving into old abandoned ships in space. She likes to learn about their history and sometimes she takes groups of tourists on one of her trips. Obviously the setting is far in the future. I loved the book; it is basically three novellas following the adventures of this woman and her crews.
I agree, Tracy. Breakfast is my favorite meal to eat out, too.
Enjoy the orchid show! I know you mentioned it last year when you went, and said how much you enjoy it.
What an interesting book title – THE TIME TRAVELLER’S GUIDE TO MEDIEVAL ENGLAND: A HANDBOOK FOR VISITORS TO THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY. Glen seems to be able to find interesting topics in so many books.
I like the sound of Diving into the Wreck. Sounds fun!
Update: The Kindle edition of the Sallis collection just came in from the Brooklyn Public Library. Quite a difference.
2. Jackie said she loves the Emily Henry book – BOOK LOVERS – and wanted to thank whoever it was (can’t remember) who recommended her books. She said it (and the Ashley Poston books) is a perfect antidote to reading about what is going on in Washington.
Jeff, I don’t know if it was me or Margie or someone else that originally recommended Emily Henry. Several of us enjoy her books. Yes, we do need an antidote, don’t we?
Question – When you go back to New York, can you still download materials from the library if Florida? I hope you can!
Yes! Jackie renewed her library card while we were here (we showed the lease for the apartment we’re renting), so it is good for 5 more years. As long as you have a library card you can download.
ARC via NetGalley The Reluctant Sheriff by by Chris Offutt. The latest in the Nick Hardin series.