It’s been a hectic week here with doctor appointments and errands. But, the weather gave us a break in the Columbus area, and I even went for a walk with my sister. But, Wednesday night I’m doing laundry and packing. We’re going up to Mom’s for the weekend, leaving today. But, I will have some time to talk with all of you before we leave this morning! Then, I’ll catch up again in the evening.
As to reading, forget it. I finished a book for Saturday’s blog, but, I haven’t found the book I want to start next. So, I have nothing to talk about.
But, Kevin Tipple will when he shares the penultimate Favorites of 2024 tomorrow. Stop by tomorrow to see Kevin’s list of favorite books.
Safe travels to Mom’s! I know you’ll all have a great visit, as always! ❤
I read a book that I adored. I was living in Atlanta during the time this story takes place. Since one of my best pals was a well to do black man who was politically involved, and who happened o be gay, there’s a lot about this book that resonates with me. i wish my friend Robert were still with us – he would love it too.
I wish I could meet Doris. She was a spitfire at age 16, and I’m betting an even bigger spitfire in her 70s. Smart, funny, curious, irreverent, and very brave.
These Heathens by Mia McKenzie –
Description
In this vibrant, gratifying novel, a pious, small-town teenager travels to Atlanta to get an abortion and finds herself smack in the middle of the civil rights movement and the secret lives of queer Black people.
Where do you get an abortion in 1960 Georgia, especially if your small town’s midwife goes to the same church as your parents? For seventeen-year-old Doris Steele, the answer is Atlanta, where her favorite teacher, Mrs. Lucas, calls upon her brash, wealthy childhood best friend, Sylvia, for help. While waiting to hear from the doctor who has agreed to do the procedure, Doris spends the weekend scandalized by, but drawn to, the people who move in and out of Sylvia’s orbit: celebrities whom Doris has seen in the pages of Jet and Ebony, civil rights leaders such as Coretta Scott King and Diane Nash, women who dance close together, boys who flirt too hard and talk too much, atheists! And even more shocking? Mrs. Lucas seems right at home.
From the guests at a queer kickback to the student activists at a SNCC conference, Doris suddenly finds herself surrounded by so many people who seem to know exactly who or what they want. Doris knows she doesn’t want a baby, but what does she want? Will this trip help her find out?
These Heathens is a funny, poignant story about Black women’s obligations and ambitions, what we owe to ourselves, and the transformative power of leaving your bubble, even for just one chaotic weekend.
This book sounds so interesting Kaye, and it seems worth reading for many reasons, not least of which is Doris.
We’re here and safe, but I never had a chance to read this in the morning. Oh, Kaye! This sounds like a Kaye book. I’m glad you found it.
Unlike Lesa, we had a fairly quiet week for a change. The soccer game David was going to referee on Saturday was cancelled because the field was too soggy to play on because of all the rain we’ve been having, which I thought meant we would then have the whole day together to celebrate our anniversary. Alas, he decided to watch an English Premier League game on TV instead. No problem though because I could just read, so we were both happy anyway.
This Saturday our son, daughter-in-law, and seven-year-old granddaughter Evelyn will come over for a visit. It will be lovely but I’m slightly afraid the lunch I’ll be putting together will not meet Evelyn’s standards since last time I prepared a meal for her she looked at it, then looked at me and asked if I had any garnish! I’m pretty sure I’ve never added any garnish to anything I’ve ever made. So much pressure now!
Two books this week:
THE CORPSE IN THE CLOSET by Lucy Score.
Reviewed here by Mary M a couple of weeks ago, this is the second book in the Riley Thorn series after The Dead Guy Next Door – which was on my favourites list for 2024.
It’s another fun, madcap, romantic mystery with the same great secondary characters from the first book, plus a couple of new ones who add greatly to the fun.
Briefly – Nick and Riley have moved in together. Nick is a private investigator and is hired by a woman to find her missing ex-husband; Nick is also learning to be a better boyfriend. Riley has psychic abilities but hasn’t put in the effort to learn how to use them reliably; she does some admin work for Nick; and is currently assisting Detective Weber who has asked for her psychic help with a case of a dead social media influencer. Naturally the two cases overlap and trouble ensues for our two leads.
Full of funny banter, delightfully chaotic situations, and a handful of hilarious set piece scenes make for a light, entertaining escapist read that was almost as good as the first book.
THE SCOTTISH LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY by Lydia Travers
This is the first in a historical cozy mystery series set in 1911 Scotland.
The premise is fun – Having come into an inheritance, Maud uses the funds to open a female detective agency together with her former lady’s maid Daisy, now her assistant. They eagerly await their first case but it’s not a promising start when the first person to come into the office will not hire them because they are not men. But hurrah! The next person to call on them isn’t fazed by that fact at all. There’s been a series of jewel thefts from country estates. The Duchess of Duddingston is planning a weekend party at her home and is worried that such a theft might happen there so she hires Maud and Daisy to attend undercover to keep watch and try to prevent it. Despite their best efforts some valuable jewelry gets stolen, plus a murder takes place and things get serious very quickly. Not only that, but Maud and Daisy end up with three other cases at the same time – a lost dog, a stolen packet of personal letters, and a missing bride-to-be. Suddenly they have more work than they ever anticipated.
But this is an enterprising duo and they stop at nothing to get to the bottom of all the mysteries. Through the use of clever disguises and turning somewhat dangerous ideas into action, and not being afraid to meet any situation head-on, along with some convenient coincidences and luck, they see their way through to solving their cases.
The book is entertaining enough but I didn’t warm to the two main characters; they seemed a bit characterless, if that makes sense. There wasn’t much that made them interesting enough to root for somehow. Some of the secondary characters were more fleshed out and consequently I was more engaged with them. Still, as it’s the first in a series, this might work itself out in subsequent books, of which there are three.
Oh, dear, Lindy. Evelyn sounds like my four-year-old great niece. Good luck with Saturday’s lunch.
We enjoyed the Kensington Cozy Con last Saturday. I only bought a few books to get signed but we sat in on a couple of the author panels and they were a lot of fun. Ellery Adams, Gabby Allen, Lynn Cahoon, Darci Hannah, and Leslie Meier were some of the authors who attended. I’m hoping they do it again next year.
I read one of the books I bought at the Con, ONE POISON PIE by Lynn Cahoon. Kitchen witch Mia Malone’s first catering job doesn’t go as planned when her client turns up dead. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
I also read the latest Hamish Macbeth mystery DEATH OF A SMUGGLER by R.W. Green. I think I’m getting used to the new author’s spin on the series.
Thank you, Sandy! I was wondering about your Kensington Con. I know some of those authors. It sounds like it was a fun event.
We are supposed to be a ton of rain in the next few hours (overnight) and potentially have thunder storms tomorrow. Not quite sure where I will go to read on my lunch hour since I don’t think I want to be in my car on top of a parking garage if they come through (which would be were I normally read during the cooler months.) But if I got to the break room, I won’t get my lunch time nap in. Such first world problems.
Thursday should find me finishing up HOMICIDE IN THE INDIAN HILLS by Erica Ruth Neubauer, the latest in her Jane Wunderly Mysteries. Jane and her new husband are on assignment in India in 1927 when someone’s murder is disguised to look like a tiger attack. No idea where this one is going yet, and I’m enjoying it. It’s release day is teh twenty-fifth.
Mark thanks for reminding me of this series. I read the first, Murder at the Mena House, several years ago and enjoyed it. I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump lately as far as books that are too dark or complicated so I just downloaded the second Jane Wunderly book.
Mark, That made me laugh when you said first world problems. Good luck with the nap!
Good morning, Lesa and all. Hope everything is good where you are. I see the New York weather is warming up, and we’ve had a few 80 degree days here in South Florida, but even when it has been warmer, it’s been windy enough to keep it comfortable. We have our first concert of the year on Friday – we’re driving down to see The Coral Reefer Band, Jimmy Buffett’s backup group, at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, and will stay over at a Marriott in Fort Lauderdale. Plus, we’re meeting my cousins for lunch. It makes a change, right?
Books, then. Jackie has been on a reading roll lately, enjoying first Ashley Poston and now Emily Henry. She really liked Henry’s BOOK LOVERS, and she is now reading her PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION. She also has two more of Henry’s books on hold at the library. They are exactly the kind of escapist entertainment she is looking for now.
I really enjoyed Curtis Sittenfeld’s first book of short stories, You Think It, I’ll Say It(2018), when I read it last year, so I was pleased to see a second collection, Show Don’t Tell, was coming out this year. I liked it even more than the first one. Then I read that the final story in the book, “Lost But Not Forgotten,” was actually an update featuring characters from her first novel, 2005’s Prep, so I put aside what I was reading – actually, I read both books at the same time, along with the short story collection – and decided to read that first.
When Sittenfeld was 13 in the 8th grade in Cincinnati, she applied for and was accepted to the WASPy Groton prep school in Massachusetts, where Franklin Roosevelt, among others, went, a school with an Episcopal background. (Sittenfeld’s parents were Catholic and Jewish. She was accepted as a scholarship student, and later went to Vassar and Stanford. in Prep, which she clearly based in part on her own experiences, the central character is a scholarship student at “Ault” School, Lee Fiora, from South Bend, Indiana. The book takes us through her four years at Ault, her friends (she has a few) and classmates, the boy she has an unending crush on, and just the daily life of the school. It is all pretty engrossing. The one big problem, for me and other reviewers, is Lee herself. She is pretty much impossible to like as a person. She is insecure to an extreme, often timid, always observing others. She rarely says what she wants. It is very tough to warm to her, despite the fact that I can understand her in many ways. The thing you need to remember is that these kids are 14-17 for the most part.
The short story, “Lost But Not Forgotten,” takes place at Lee’s 30th Ault reunion, and to some extent things have changed much for the better for her. She is a very successful 48 year old divorcee with two kids, living in Michigan – she went to college at the U of Michigan – and we do get to see what happened to some of her friends and former classmates. In general, I like her writing.
Back to the mysteries, there was The Wolf Tree by Laura McCluskey, a first novel recommended by Lesa last month. As in several other books and television shows recently, Insp. Georgina “George” Lennox is back on the job after months off for a serious on-the-job injury, when she didn’t wait for backup (as so many don’t, right?) and was attacked and seriously hurt. She and her partner are sent to Eilean Eadar, a tiny island in the Western Isles off Scotland, to investigate the sudden death of 18 year old Alan Ferguson, who jumped or fell (?) from the old lighthouse, where three lighthouse keepers disappeared in 1919, never to be seen again. To call the islanders insular is a major understatement, though a few are friendly, not including the Catholic priest who seems to rule the place. The atmosphere is thick as the weather, and they have five days to try and get the islanders to talk to them, though there seems little or no evidence pointing to anything but suicide. It is very well done indeed, but I have one major problem with it, and that is George, the kind of character I can’t stand, a woman who keeps everything to herself, constantly walks into danger on her own, and even after her previous injury, risks her life again through her reckless behavior. That said, it’s well written, and worth your time if you like this kind of story.
I’m also reading James Sallis’s massive (820 pages) book of short stories, Bright Segments, though I doubt I will read all of it. Some I’ve read before, and the odder fantasy stuff and some of the science fiction doesn’t appeal to me.
Next? The latest Galway book by Ken Bruen.
One more thing: after Lesa mentioned the new series of K-9 books by Jeffrey B, Burton, I downloaded the first in the series, THE DEAD YEARS. Jackie started it, but after a while she said, “too much serial killer, not enough K-9,” so I returned it.
Interesting, Jeff. I didn’t read the first in Jeffrey Burton’s series, so I didn’t know that. I’ve liked some of Emily Henry’s books, and not others.
The weather in Massachusetts is getting nicer, a few days in the high 50s, which have been a lovely reprieve from the very low February temps.
I read “The murders at great diddling”by Katarina Bivald, recommended here and elsewhere, and hate to say it, but I’m not a big fan. I should’ve realized that might be the case as I was one of the few who did not enjoy her last book. All the immense quirks of the characters annoyed me after a while, apparently just not my style.
I also read two autobiographies recently, the first being “The Third Gilmore Girl” by Kelly Bishop. She has been an actor for many years and her first big break was playing Sheila in A Chorus Line for which she won a Tony award. Very interesting life and fun to read, especially if you are a Gilmore Girls fan. I also loved “Be Ready When the Luck Comes” by Ina Garten as so many on the forum did.
“Last Seen Wearing” by Hilary Waugh was first published in 1952. It’s set in a fictional college town in Massachusetts, and the book is about a female freshman who goes missing and the painstaking investigation carried out by the police. I read the Library of Congress crime classic edition that came out in 2021. I thoroughly enjoyed this, it is considered one of the first ever police procedurals and hailed as an American mystery milestone.
Ellen, I too didn’t really take to The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend. Far too twee and predictable in my opinion – but as you say, many people loved it.
A little cooler at Mom’s today, but I’m enjoying the warmer weather, Eileen.
See, different books for different readers. I read Last Seen Wearing last year, and didn’t care for it.
Good morning all – I am dashing out the door early this morning for a hair appointment – so without preamble – here is my review of the book I read last week:
Dead in the Frame – by Stephen Spotswood (#5 Pentecost and Parker) – Lillian Pentecost is in jail, accused of murder, and Willowjean Parker, her young associate, is frantic to prove her innocence. The deceased is Jessup Quinncanon, collector of all things macabre associated with murder and death. Jealous of Lillian, and wanting to disgrace her, Jessup invites Lillian and a small number of guests, to a dinner party, where he plans to expose Lillian’s closely kept secret regarding her mother’s death. When Lillian arrives, she is sent up to see the host in his study. Gunshots ring out and Lillian flees, solidifying her as the guilty party. Much of the book is devoted to Will trying to determine who really shot the deceased by interviewing the other invited guests. Will’s usual spunky repartee. along with the investigation of another local murder, keeps the storyline interesting, leading to a satisfying, and surprising, resolution. Another winner in this series!
Mary, Thanks for taking time before your hair appointment!
That’s a series I need to read sometime. So many of you love it.
Hello! Lesa, I hope you have a good visit with your mother. Here in Bern, we have typical March weather that can’t decide what it’s doing. Today, for example, it rained hard this morning. Now it’s sunny, but a cold wind is blowing. I have no complaints–I’m just enjoying all the purple crocuses coming up.
I’m currently listening to HANG ON ST. CHRISTOPHER the new Sean Duffy book by Adrian McKinty, set in Northern Ireland during the Troubles and full of riots, threats of violence, and black humor. I’m about a quarter of the way through and loving it. I finished listening to BAD ACTORS another Slough House book by Mick Herron, and for once got a little bit bored with all the backstabbing and Machiavellian politics. Not sure if it was the book or my state of mind.
Just about to start reading a new author for me, Clare Chambers (British), who has written SHY CREATURES. Not a mystery. I’ll let you know what I think next week.
Kin, I haven’t read Shy Creatures but I loved Clare Chambers’ SMALL PLEASURES. I’ll be interested to know what you think of this newer one.
I’m glad to hear you liked her earlier book, Rosemary. If I like this one, I’ll read it.
Purple crocuses & Adrian McKinty. Sounds wonderful, Kim! Enjoy both!
Enjoy being with your mother! I am reading Sold on a Monday: A Novel
by Kristina McMorris, it is such a good read that I don’t want to read much at a time for feat that it will end! Set in the Great Depression a society page reporter who wants to be allowed to report real news, goes into the county with his camera seeking solace in nature, He stumbles up a pair of young boys beside a sign, children for sale! The story is just starting but the historical details make you glad that you are not living in the Depression. The characters are shining through the book and wow, now I want read everything she has written,
Oh, Carol, I’m glad you found a book you like that must also have decent print.
I’m also in Ohio, Lesa, so I’m enjoying the little taste of spring we’ve had. I hope you have a nice visit with your mom. I just finished the audiobook LISTEN FOR THE LIE by Amy Tintera and really enjoyed it. It has a somewhat unlikeable protagonist, but she still struck me as sympathetic and funny. If you like audiobooks, I recommend this one. It actually just won the Audie for best mystery audiobook this year. I’m also reading ONCE THERE WERE WOLVES byCharlotte McConaghy and enjoying it so far. It’s set in the Scottish Highlands, which is a place I love, and centers on a wolf rewilding project. I’d definitely characterize it as a slow-burn mystery, but I tend to like those since it gives me a chance to get invested in the story and characters.
Hasn’t our little bit of spring been tantalizing, Kate? I’m hoping for more sunshine.
I read for character, Kate, so it has to draw me in early.
Good morning! We’re having lots of rain right now, and highs in the mid-50s. I’m glad I have no plans to go out today. Last Saturday I attended my grandson’s championship basketball game, and it was a nail-biter. Teams were neck and neck, but Henry’s Blazers team managed to win it by about 10 points. So exciting for a game of 8-year-olds! I saw Pretty Woman: the Musical at the Harris Center, and it was delightful. My seat in row D turned out to be the first row, as there was an orchestra pit. And for the first time in my experience, the conductor/keyboard player was on a platform about 4 feet to my right and just below the stage, so that was like another show altogether! And although I thought the main players were wonderful, a young actor/dancer playing the bellhop was the standout for me. Other than that, I went to the DMV to have my license renewed (23 minutes in and out, amazingly), got a pedicure, and finished uploading my tax documents (hurray!). And I won a prize at a card game and had to unfortunately trash it when I got home because it was a plant that is toxic to cats. As for my week’s reading:
I’m not really an SNL fan, although I do try to catch up with the funniest skits on YouTube when I hear about them. So I wasn’t too familiar with Colin Jost, who has now been an SNL member (head writer, Weekend Update anchor, etc.) for 20 years. But I am impressed with his performance as the pitch-perfect host of Pop Culture Jeopardy, so I decided to try his 2020 memoir, A VERY PUNCHABLE FACE. It turns out that Colin comes from a family of firefighters. He didn’t speak until he was 4 years old, which seems amazing for someone who ultimately became a comedian and a Harvard graduate and president of the Harvard Lampoon. The book is filled with essays about his life and experiences, almost all flavored with his often-hilarious and self-deprecating dry humor. One exception is a very moving chapter about his mother’s experience on September 11, 2001 as Chief Medical Officer for the New York City Firefighters. I enjoyed reading Colin’s memoir, although I could have done without a few rather gross chapters. At the time this was written, Colin said he was planning to leave SNL soon, but guess what–he’s still there! Since then, he has also become a husband (to Scarlett Johansson) and father, so perhaps another memoir might be in the works in the future.
Full disclosure: I read Amy Tintera’s LISTEN FOR THE LIE because it was selected by my book club, and it isn’t a book I would have chosen for myself. That’s because I’m not the biggest fan of thrillers, especially when most or all of the characters are unlikeable. But I did find this one an easy read that kept me turning the pages, mainly because I wanted to know whether Lucy, the protagonist, is a reliable narrator. It’s been five years since her best friend, Savvy, was killed after a wedding they both attended. Lucy suffered a traumatic brain injury that night as well, but it seems that everyone in their town thinks she is the murderer. She’s never been charged because there is not enough evidence against her, but now a true crime podcaster has made this case the focus of his podcast, so what’s Lucy to do but agree to be interviewed? Hmm, maybe not the best decision she’s ever made. I won’t offer any spoilers, but I will say that almost every character in the book is at least somewhat unlikeable, including Lucy herself. What I did like was the way the author dropped bits of information at intervals throughout the book that made me keep changing my mind about what I considered to be the truth of the matter. However, I felt the conclusion was a bit abrupt and not as satisfying as I would have liked. And I’m still scratching my head at one of the author blurbs that mentions “laugh-out-loud funny.” I don’t remember any humor in the story at all. Addendum: I forget to attend the Zoom book club meeting where this book was discussed–d’oh!
There’s nothing like a Pamela Terry novel to touch your heart and evoke your emotions with her beautiful writing and unforgettable characters. Her latest, THROUGH AN OPEN WINDOW, is about a family in flux. Ever since her husband died, Margaret has been having hallucinations of the long-deceased aunt who raised her. She doesn’t dare tell her children for fear they will think she is crazy, but she can’t help but think that Aunt Edith is trying to tell her something important. Margaret’s adult children are three exceedingly different people–even the twins, Lawrie and Tom. Lawrie is happy as a veterinarian but hasn’t convinced his live-in girlfriend of 8 years to marry him, and property developer Tom has a failing marriage and expects to be fired from his job, but he has started pursuing a new passion that startles his family. Daughter Mouse (nee Agatha), a successful caterer, has been devastated by her father’s death and fears she is driving her (wonderful) husband away with her depression. Every one of these characters is vividly portrayed and relatable, each with details that set them apart and grab the reader’s attention. Supporting characters such as Lawrie’s partner Emlynn, Mouse’s physician husband Nick, her flamboyant friend Kitty and elderly neighbor Harriet (and her chihuahua Gatsby) are no less complex and engaging. And then there’s Jubal, the Clumber spaniel who came along at just the right moment. The story alternatively focuses on each of the protagonists and uses expressive language, gentle humor, ands surprising plot turns–not to mention a modicum of magic–to keep the reader fascinated and wanting the best for these characters, in the face of daunting issues and long-held family secrets. Toward the end, the story brought me unexpectedly to quick tears–twice–and they were happy tears. Final revelations subtly promised more positive changes in the characters’ lives. I highly recommend the author’s latest book, in addition to When the Moon Turns Blue and The Sweet Taste of Muscadines, all three written by a consummate storyteller and a master of the genre. (August)
Margie, congratulations to Henry’s team for winning the basketball championship game. Thrilling! He must have been quite excited. It’s all so cute when they’re younger.
I’ve not heard of the author Pamela Terry and shall now seek out the books you mentioned.
Lindy, I am confident you will enjoy Pamela Terry’s books. They are all standalones, so you can start anywhere. And yes, Henry and his team were very excited. Now it’s on to (year-round) soccer, and flag football has just ended.
Oh, Margie, let us lift a glass to Pamela Terry. ❤
i hope she writes 100 more novels.
You’re so right, Kaye. I wish she wrote more quickly, but then maybe each of her books wouldn’t be a masterpiece. This one will definitely be on my list of favorite reads of 2025.
I think I enjoyed LISTEN FOR THE LIE more than you did! I judged it the best of the podcast-centered books I’ve read. But agree about the characters not being particularly likable.
MM, I’d say it was one of the thrillers that I have enjoyed, having said that I’m not particularly fond of thrillers. I guess that’s “high praise” from me!
As always, love your reviews!
Thank you so much, Mary M.!
Margie, forgive my ignorance but what is SNL?
Rosemary, Saturday Night Live.
Thanks Jeff!
I’m sorry, Rosemary. It’s the popular abbreviation (at least in the US) for Saturday Night Live.
Oh, that’s exciting for Henry, Margie.
I recognized Pamela Terry’s name immediately because I knew Kaye loves her.
Safe travels, Lesa. Last week, we’ve had temperatures in the 60s and it was wonderful. Today, it’s raining. It’s been predicted that we will be getting rain and snow into next week.
I only read one book in the last week. Like Lindy, I’m on a Lucy Score kick.
THE BODY IN THE BACKYARD by Lucy Score.
Someone is targeting Riley’s ex-husband, and he begs Riley to investigate. Her boyfriend, Nick, is dead set against it but they are low on money, so they take the case. Lots of havoc happens and it’s a fun read.
I’m reading them out of order, but it still works out okay. I finally got the rest of them from the library this week.
Tomorrow is the start of spring break. Yay! All my library holds came in this week, so I have plenty to read. Which is a good thing cause I’m traveling to the east coast to visit my brother and it’s a long flight. Plenty of reading time.
I made it safely, Bev. Safe travels to you as well, and happy reading!
Have fun at your mom’s this weekend, Lesa.
Cincinnati broke a record with 74 degrees yesterday and it is only going to warmer today and tomorrow. It’s a nice change.
Only two books for me this week. Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall is the Reese’s Book Club pick for March. It takes place in the 1950’s in England. Beth is happily married to her farmer husband, Frank until their world is turned upside down when her former boyfriend comes back with his son. A murder takes place, there is a scandal and when I turned the last page, I actually said what a tragic book aloud. That being said I loved it and am still thinking about it a week later.
Unfortunately, I did not feel the same way about my second book. Booked for Murder by PJ Nelson wasn’t for me. It’s been reviewed by Lesa and others here. Something just didn’t connect with me, but I did enjoy the episcopal priest character. I won’t pick up the next one in the series.
We went to see a performance of Three Blind Mice at The Drama Workshop over the weekend in Cheviot. I’ve never seen it before. I love our community theaters.
Happy Reading!
Oh, 70s, Sharon! I’m jealous.
Isn’t community theater wonderful?
I wanted to mention Sean Dietrich’s daily newsletter here. After reading the reviews on this website about his latest book “ Tomato Sandwiches are Eaten Over the Sink”, I tried to find the book in our library system, but no luck. So I went to the author’s website to read more about the book and stumbled on his daily newsletter, which I now subscribe to. Wonderful poignant, funny, uplifting stories every day. Highly recommend. https://seandietrich.substack.com/
That sounds good Mary, I will have a look at it. We all need uplifting stories at the moment!
Mary M. I just looked at his blog, and it is indeed wonderful! I will definitely subscribe. Thank you for recommending it! I can’t find his latest book at the library either, although they have others by him. The Kindle edition is not very expensive, but it’s a collection of his previous columns, so I think I will be fine with his blog.
Mary, You’re right. I subscribed to his newsletter after reading the book. He’s kind, and we need that.
Good afternoon everyone,
At this precise moment we have sunshine, but only an hour ago we had hail-like rain. It’s been like this for the past few days – extremely cold too. Yesterday I had to be in the city almost all day. and didn’t have my warmer coat as I had (deliberately) left it in Edinburgh, so by the time I got home I was freezing – it took me half the evening to thaw out.
Lesa, I hope you have a great time with you mother! This weekend we are back down to Leith yet again, en route for Glasgow and a Tindersticks’ concert. I love Stuart Staples so much that I don’t even mind trailing all the way to Glasgow to hear him… We’ll also be able to have a cup of tea with Madeleine, whom we haven’t seen since Christmas.
Last week we were in Ambleside in the Lake District to scatter my parents-in-laws’ ashes. They had both died such a long time ago that it was not an upsetting occasion, in fact it was quite jolly. In the evening we had dinner with David’s sister and her family, then we came back the next morning. I chose to travel by train, as our car was going to be very full and I am increasingly nervous on motorways (even though I’m not driving). I had a lovely peaceful trip through the Borders and Cumbria, getting off at Penrith, where the rest of the family picked me up.
I had not been to Penrith for many, many years, and in the interim it has been serioulsy smartened up. It has some great little independent shops, a wonderful bakery and deli, and lots of cafes – but it is still very much a working town, so has what my mother would call ‘proper’ shops like ironmongers and clothes shops too. I had a lovely time pottering about – there were three excellent charity shops, and at the railway station itself there was a second hand book stall in aid of the Mountain Rescue (which is also a charity). I found some good books, including two of Julia Chapman’s DALES DETECTIVES series that i didn’t have.
Penrith has an annual marmalade festival, so there was plenty of information about this dotted about the place and at the station. I enjoyed my time there, and when the others arrived we found a very good tea shop for coffee and cakes.
I spent the rest of the week in Leith as I needed to take my mother to her dental apppointment on Thursday – I took the bus out to East Lothian, it was a beautiful day and the views of the coast and the countryside were fabulous.
In Edinburgh I visited the Fruitmarket Gallery, which is currently showing a film made in 2011 by Petra Bauer about SOUTHALL BLACK SISTERS. This is an organisation in West London that offers advice and help about things like domestic violence, education, immigration, housing and employment. It first opened in 1979 and is still going strong, despite ever-increasing challenges, especially re finances. One of the management team said that in the past they had been able to advise women of their legal rights and tell them how to obtain Legal Aid to enforce those rights. Now almost all Legal Aid has been withdrawn by successive governments – she said ‘what is the point of telling women they have rights, if the only way they can enforce them is to represent themselves in court?’ – and indeed this would be a challenge even for those of use whose first language is English, which for most of these women it is not. And yet, depressingly, all the same problems exist as they did when I was a student. The film did remind me of those days, when, as second wave feminists, we really thought we could change the world.
At the end of the week I was at the Festival Theatre to see Mary Chapin Carpenter, Julie Fowlis and Karine Polwart in concert. I had not seen Mary CC for decades – to me she looked exactly the same, and she still has an amazing voice. Julie Fowlis is a well known Scottish folk singer and musician; she grew up on North Uist, one of the smaller Gaelic-speaking Hebridean islands, so she now signs in both English and Gaelic. Karine Polwart is also a well know folk singer, though probably a little more mainstream than Fowlis. All three women were on stage together, and the result was a very mellow evening. Mary CC had a lot to say about events in the US – none of it good. She got so much applause for this from the Edinburgh audience (and Edinburgh residents are not always the most liberal – she must’ve had standing ovations in Glasgow!)
I have had good walks at both Crathes and Drum this week – we thought we should make the most of our local National Trust properties before Easter comes, as after that Crathes in particular will be overrun with coach parties – although when I say ‘overrun’, everything’s relative – nowhere up here would ever get so busy as places in southern England, or even Edinburgh. And that’s the way we like it.
My reading has really slowed down of late and I’m not sure why. I stil haven’t finished Jenny Eclair’s autobiography JOKES, JOKES, JOKES, despite enjoying it a lot. Similarly, Harry Fisher’s WAY BEYOND A LIE is taking me forever- though in his case I think it’s because an editor should’ve taken a red pen to his draft. The story is quite good, but there is so much waffle and so much unnecessary verbiage.
But what I have read recently – and enjoyed particularly in the light of my comments about Fisher – is Stephen King’s ON WRITING. What an excellent book! I found King’s anecdotes from his less than ideal childhood fascinating, and when he moved on to talk about writing I was so impressed by his no nonsense approach. It seems to me his basic line is STORY – it’s all about that, and if you don’t get that right all the writing courses and handbooks in the world won’t be able to fix your manuscript. I found myself agreeing with everything he said. I’ve never read any of his books, though I have seen STAND BY ME many times. I’m not at all keen on horror or fantasy, so I doubt I’d enjoy his work – but nevertheless, this little book is a masterpiece.
On television we have almost finished THE MIRROR AND THE LIGHT (the sequel to WOLF HALL). Mark Rylance as Cromwell is of course outstanding, and Damien Lewis is so good as Henry VIII. I read an interview with Richard E Grant, in which he talked about a film he had been in with Lewis. Grant was thrilled to be working with such an icon, and on the first day Lewis was extremely friendly towards him. From Day Two onwards, however, Lewis completely ignored him and wouldn’t even make eye contact. Grant was worried that he had done something to annoy Lewis, until another actor explained that Lewis has to immerse himself in his character. In this film, the characters played by Lewis and Grant hated one another, so Lewis stuck to this facade throughout filming. On the last day, when everything was finished, he embraced Grant and told him how wonderful it had been to act with him.
I’ve also been watching THE NEWSREADER, which has grown on me. Anna is getting into YELLOWSTONE, which she describes as ‘an update on Dynasty or Dallas’ – I do feel tempted to try it, I used to love both of those series, especially Dallas. Do you remember how desperate we all were to find out who shot JR? Nowadays we’d probably just find the entire series on a streaming service and binge the lot.
Next week we are going to see the poet LEMN SISSAY perform at the Music Hall, and I’m also attending a talk about Scottish Suffragettes.
I hope you all have a wonderful week.
Oh, Rosemary. It’s such a joy to read your post, even when I read it late in the evening.
Thank you.
We had some pretty nice weather, but the next few days are supposed to have thunder storms. We’ll see. Meteorologists tend to get things wrong this time of year.
This week I read:
Going, Going, Ganache by Jenn McKinlay; Someone watched The Devil Wears Prada ( I guess Cozy writers all see the same movies?), as a magazine staff has to bake cupcakes for one of those idiotic team building exercises. Someone is murdered, but they’re not all that obnoxious, so you know the obnoxious person did it.
Murder by Mocha by Cleo Coyle; Someone is using the Cafe’s coffee beans in a love potion. Someone is also using the beans to smuggle cocaine into the country. Uh-oh!
Diary of a Woman’s Misadventures in Iraq by Melia Meichelbock; A woman in the Army reserves is sent to Iraq. This is the best argument against sending women in combat that I’ve ever read, but I don’t think that was the author’s intent.
The Gate of the Feral Gods by Matt Dinniman; I still haven’t read any good rpglit, and this still isn’t good, but it’s the best example of the subgenre I’ve read. I wonder if 100 years from now, kids will be assigned something like this at school and whine about it.
Legacy of Bigfoot by Samuel DenHartog; A sasquatch roams through the woods, complaining about humans. Lee Majors doesn’t show up.
Rosemary, Stephan King’s ON WRITING is a textbook for anyone who writes professionally or aspires to do so. Just about every fellow mystery writer I know has read it and learned from it.
Oh I can see why Sandra – I have read many books about writing and this is far and away the best.
Glen, what is rpglit?
Lesa,
Rpglit is basically writing a Role Playing Game like Dungeons & Dragons into a novel. In this case, it’s some kind of video game, they’re trying to portray. There’s monsters, and some kind of intelligence guiding everything, and magical items. There’s a whole host of this type of thing on Amazon. Like I said, I’ve never read a good one. I won this from goodreads, not realizing what it was.
At least there’s no harem in this one.
Glen and I both have dental cleaning appointments today, in the early afternoon, so I will make this quick. We got lots of heavy rain last night, which we need. Maybe more this afternoon, and maybe some tomorrow. [It just started raining again at 10:50 a.m., finished very quickly, and the sun is back again.]
The Orchid Show last week was very good. We got in early on the first day, Friday, and avoided the heavy crowds, although there are always a lot of people there. And got lots of good photos.
Lesa, I hope you are having a good time visiting your mother. And that the trip there and back goes well.
Glen is still reading THE TIME TRAVELLER’S GUIDE TO MEDIEVAL ENGLAND and still liking it. He has only 40 pages left in it.
Last weekend I finished WINTERLAND by Alan Glynn. It was published in 2008 and is the first book in a loose trilogy. I read the book for Reading Ireland Month, and because it had been on my shelves over ten years, and because I read several very positive reviews recently. It is a thriller, and I don’t read many of those, but this one worked for me. Set in Dublin, it was very dark with a good bit of violence, but not enough to bother me. It was about politics and business and corruption, and had some very interesting characters.
Now I am reading RACHEL’S HOLIDAY by Marian Keyes, a very different kind of book set in Dublin, Ireland. It is the 2nd book in the Walsh Family series, and it is mostly set in a rehabilitation center for various addictions. Rachel has problems with drugs. I am only about halfway through the nearly 600 page book and not sure what I think about it yet. I liked WATERMELON, the first book in the series.
Tracy, I’m so glad the orchid show was beautiful.
Hope the dental appointments went well. Not a big fa, but I have a lot of them.