I’m all messed up as to what day it is this week. I wrote a review post to put up today, at which point I realized it’s Thursday and time for “What Are You Reading?” I’m sorry! I almost missed the most important day of the week.
I am heading to Mom’s today for just a couple days, meeting up with my sister, Christie, who was sick the last time I was home. And, we’re going to try to plan a short family trip for next month.
In the meantime, it’s almost midnight. I just finished the book I’m reviewing on Friday, Simon Brett’s A Nice Class of Corpse. It’s the mystery that introduces Mrs. Melita Pargeter, widow of a thief. She’s a shrewd, perceptive woman who takes on the investigation of a couple suspicious deaths and a robbery at a seaside retirement home. Since I’m reviewing it tomorrow, I’ll just say it’s a delightful mystery, and Mrs. Pargeter is a wonderful character.
What about you? You all had the chance to read about my New York trip the other day. What have you been doing? What are reading this week?
Loved reading about your NYC trip!!!!!
Have a good visit with your family.
Adding yet another terrific read to my list after a long dry spell.
Apostle’s Cove is the twenty-first book in William Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Connor series.
I have followed this series since book one – Iron Lake.
While I have enjoyed everything Kent Krueger has written, this particular book helped me remember all the reasons I fell in love with his Cork O’Connor series back in the very beginning. The writing, the setting, the characters – all beautifully written with such heart that I was sad for it to end.
Description from NetGalley
The New York Times bestselling Cork O’Connor Mystery series—a “master class in suspense and atmospheric storytelling” (The Real Book Spy)—continues with Cork O’Connor revisiting a case from his past and confronting mysterious deaths in the present.
A few nights before Halloween, as Cork O’Connor gloomily ruminates on his upcoming birthday, he receives a call from his son, Stephen, who is working for a nonprofit dedicated to securing freedom for unjustly incarcerated inmates. Stephen tells his father that decades ago, as the newly elected sheriff of Tamarack County, Cork was responsible for sending an Ojibwe man named Axel Boshey to prison for a brutal murder that Stephen is certain he did not commit.
Cork feels compelled to reinvestigate the crime, but that is easier said than done. Not only is it a closed case but Axel Boshey is, inexplicably, refusing to help. The deeper Cork digs, the clearer it becomes that there are those in Tamarack County who are willing once again to commit murder to keep him from finding the truth.
At the same time, Cork’s seven-year-old grandson has his own theory about the investigation: the Windigo, that mythic cannibal ogre, has come to Tamarack County…and it won’t leave until it has sated its hunger for human blood.
Cork’s grandson sounds a lot like he was when he was young, curious about crime and Native American beliefs.
Thank you, Kaye! I might not have read this book except for your review.
Hello everyone. Not much to report from here. The most exciting thing I did was take out everything in my upper kitchen cupboards and rearrange it all, with the goal being to have all my mugs in one place so it would be easier to choose which one to have my tea in on any given day. I have far too many mugs but I love them all. As satisfying as it was, it hardly compares to going to the theatre in New York City for the weekend!
I’ve been meaning to ask two things.:
– Since January I’ve been keeping an eye out for the re-release of books by the family of Bill Crider. Do you know if that’s happened yet? I can find no mention of it over here.
– Can anyone in the U.S. tell me what grits are? I often come across a recipe that calls for them but it’s nothing I can find here. Unless it goes by another name as well?
One book this week:
THE MUSEUM DETECTIVE by Maha Khan Phillips
This book is many things – an archaeological mystery, a crime thriller, a tale of ancient history/myths, a story of family relationships and loss, plus a healthy dose of politics and corruption in Karachi, Pakistan.
Dr. Gul Delani is a respected curator at the Museum of Heritage and History, and an expert in archeology and ancient civilizations. During a drug raid in a remote part of the country Gul is summoned to the scene because a mummy was found there in a cave. Her expertise is required because the body was mummified in the Egyptian way, and yet all signs point to it being a princess from ancient Persepolis, making this a truly extraordinary discovery, potentially worth untold amounts of money.
As Gul works on this case it begins to seem – although how can it be possible – as though it’s in some way connected to the disappearance three years ago of her beloved niece. Gul digs deeper and is warned off by various means, but she’s determined to get to the bottom of both mysteries even though there are very few people she can fully trust.
Up until about a third of the way through I got bogged down a bit with all the names of ancient gods and how they were all related, and it started to feel a bit like a history textbook; but then the story began to move along at a brisk, tense pace and I certainly picked up my reading pace as well since I was invested in it all by then.
I learned a bit about the mummification process while reading this book (some of it not for the faint of heart) so between that and all the gods it was an education plus a good read. Interestingly, the story was inspired by real events that took place twenty five years ago in Karachi.
I love our short NY trips, Lindy. They’re just long enough to fulfill my need for Broadway.
Ah, grits. My husband and I had one of our married arguments over grits. I hate them. He loved them. My sister loves shrimp and grits. Someone else may give you a better answer than this.
Grits are a type of porridge made from coarsely ground corn, typically eaten for breakfast in the Southern United States. They are similar to polenta but are made from white cornmeal rather than yellow. Grits can be made from either hominy (corn treated with an alkali) or stone-ground corn. Grits are typically cooked in water or milk, often with added salt and other flavorings
As I said, not for me.
No, I haven’t heard anything from Bill Crider’s family. I’ll have to ask.
I see. Thanks for the explanation about grits Lesa. Based on your and MM’s opinions, I might just substitute something else for them in a recipe., They don’t sound all that appealing! Then again, I should at least try them if I can find them somewhere, shouldn’t I.
It reminds me of the “what’s a grit?” scene in MY COUSIN VINNY. Grits are not for me either, though I have eaten them.
I had to chuckle over your grits question Lindy remembering standing in the grocery aisle wondering if masa harina was the same as corn meal (it’s not)
I do agree with Lesa in the “not for me”, I think tasteless. Grits are often served as a side with a southern breakfast.
Thanks MM. Foods are confusing sometimes. I think I had the general idea of what grits were but I still think it’s not something that’s available here.
And certainly not available over here Lindy! I didn’t know what hash browns, or an egg ‘over easy’, were till I first went to New York in the 1980s.
This sounds great, Lindy! Thank you for highlighting it.
I had to add my thoughts on grits. I grew up in Alabama, and I am a grits lover. For breakfast. With butter and salt and pepper, although I think some people have them with sugar. I don’t eat them much now though. They are not as healthy as oatmeal.
Here in California I can get instant grits to prepare in the same area of the grocery store as instant oatmeal or instant cream of wheat.
In the South they used to be a staple on breakfast menus in restaurants. I don’t know if that is still true. Once college friends fixed “cheese grits” and that was heavenly.
Interesting Tracy. Thank you. I have never seen them in Canada, instant or otherwise; not where I live on the west coast anyway.
unless you’re opposed to ordering, grits are available on amazon.ca
Oh how exciting MM! I never thought to look on amazon. I shall try that next time I come across a recipe asking for grits.
Your New York trip sounded fabulous. I’ve jealous. I have a friend who lives there but has no interest in theater at all. So, while I’ve visited him a couple of times, I didn’t go see any shows on Broadway. But they do tour to LA fairly regularly. For example, I’m going to see the Harry Potter play in just over a week. Looking forward to seeing how they pull that off on stage.
Last week, you said I should have talked a little about Malice. Honestly, I was tired and it was late when I was posting last week. So, delayed a week, here you go. 🙂
Thursday night before the official start, I co-hosted a discussion of The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman. Dorothy Gilman was the Malice Remembers author. I’m a huge fan – it’s where I got Carstairs. I thought it went really well. We had 30-40 people there, which is great for a pre-start event. I think we would have gotten more had it not been Thursday night; I had multiple people tell me they already had plans for Thursday night when they heard about it. Anyway, the group was split pretty evenly between those who have loved the series for years and those who just found it but planned to read more. Learning that people have just discovered the series makes me so happy. And the discussion went well with people jumping in to share their thoughts. My co-host and I could have talked about the series just the two of us.
The rest was a blur. I had dinner Friday with some friends who live in the area and lunch Saturday with another friend and his wife. I felt like I didn’t really get to talk to a bunch of people. But I did get some nice time talking to others. You know, the usual convention stuff.
As for what I’m reading right now…I’m about a third of the way into WHAT COMES AROUND, the thirteenth and final (sob!) Zoe Chambers Mystery from Annette Dashofy. She’s next year’s Guest of Honor at Malice. It’s fabulous! It’s the culmination of an ongoing subplot for the last several books, and I’m loving it. Of course, her books are usually hard to put down, but this seems like more of a struggle than most.
I’m so sorry, Mark. I’ve gone to NY by myself and saw plays, but I guess it’s not the same when you have a good friend there. LA does have great theater.
Thank you! Just wanted a taste of Malice.
I can see why it’s hard to put down What Comes Around, knowing it’s the last book.
Mark, I loved the Mrs. Pollifax series!
Peter and I are still in Romania, now in the northeast seeing magnificently painted late 16th century churches that are part of convents and monasteries. The religious paintings cover every inch of these churches inside and out. The style is somewhat “primitive,” for lack of a better word, but creative, colorful, and striking. The three convents we’ve seen so far also have lovely gardens with lilacs in full bloom, and nuns in their all-black habits are hoeing and raking the flower beds. We are very much in another world.
I’m still typing on my phone with one finger, so I’ll only mention one author, Robert Jackson Bennett. About a month ago I asked if any of you could recommend a good fantasy, and someone–I’m so sorry I can’t remember who it was– suggested THE TAINTED CUP by this author, which I have read on this trip and enjoyed so much that I’m already reading the sequel, A DROP OF CORRUPTION. Please acknowledge yourself, dear recommender, because I’m very grateful to you!
Kim, funny that you’re in Romania. Connie Berry, a mystery author here, is also visiting Romania right now. Nuns hoeing in the garden. I know I’ve read about it, but I’ve never seen it.
Kim,
” . . . three convents we’ve seen so far also have lovely gardens with lilacs in full bloom, and nuns in their all-black habits are hoeing and raking the flower beds. We are very much in another world.”
what a lovely visual this is. Your trip sounds fascinating.
Thanks, Kaye. This is a trip full of new scenes, including many people using a horse-and-cart not just in the fields but even in towns.
Oh, Kim. No wonder you said you wanted to go to Romania while it was still unspoiled.
I’m glad you enjoyed your trip. It’s funny – we can walk two blocks and pick up a bus to NYC but I haven’t been there in years. I’m just not a city person and we have a community theater that we enjoy.
This week I read three short cozy mysteries. BASTED BUTCHERY by ACF Bookens, MYSTERY AT MONROVIA CASTLE by Valerie Brandy, and DYING TO SELL by Ellery Adams. I enjoyed the first two but the third one was overly religious for me.
And, despite the mob scene on Friday night, Sandy, I love NY. But, I do go for the theatre, even though we have good theatre here. I like the hotel stay, the restaurants, the theatre.
Sorry about the Ellery Adams. I didn’t realize her mysteries could be too religious.
Good morning all! Can’t wait for tomorrow’s review, Lesa!
My husband and I attended a shower for our soon-to-be-here grandson on Saturday and then I got to go shopping in a larger city, after dropping my husband off at the airport. It was nice to have a weekend away.
I finished the 2nd book in the Mags Munroe series, “Growing Wild in the Shade”, by Jean Grainger. This felt a bit like a Mitford story, but with the small Irish village’s local sergeant doing the narration. It was an okay story but I think that I was more in the mood for a book that had some excitement in it. It also felt like the author was utilizing Mags to voice a number of her own political beliefs. Since I enjoyed the first book so much, this one was a disappointment.
Happy Mother’s Day to all of you mom’s. I hope that you get treated well on Sunday!
Good morning, Mary. A nice change of scenery, right? And, shopping at some bigger stores. My mother would be jealous.
A second mystery is often a disappointment. Hopefully, the third will be better, if you can manage to read it.
Good morning! Last Saturday I enjoyed my grandson’s flag football game (great weather!), and on Sunday I stayed with the children while my sons went to the movies and my daughter-in-law went to dance training session (to the tune of Dancing Queen) for a flash mob that the elementary school has planned for the much-beloved principal’s retirement. Zach barbecued hamburgers for us after all that. Mostly I’ve been trying to tolerate an annual allergy attack which features tickles in the throat, then full-blown laryngitis, then lots of nose blowing and some coughing. Very annoying! I have the humidifier on in my room at night to help me sleep. I’m hoping I can confidently attend the local production of Legally Blonde on Saturday, the first outing for the Drama Queens, without having a coughing attack Wish me luck! I actually made it through four books this week, and here they are:
I can’t say enough good things about Jacqueline Firkins’ THE GOODE GIRLS OF MAPLE LANE. It’s about the love for dogs and people, finding family where you least expect it, and letting yourself be transformed, despite the stories you’ve always told yourself about your unworthiness. Cameron Goode is a grad student at Cornell’s veterinary school, living in a tiny apartment and scrimping on food and furniture because her student loans are astronomical. Even with two part-time jobs, she can barely pay her rent. But when an animal rescue organization asks her to foster a dog in need, she can’t say no. She knows it doesn’t make sense, but this 7-year-old golden retriever has been mistreated and overfed to the point where she is immobile, downtrodden, and very sick. Cameron has to ask a fellow 6th-floor dweller she knows only from the elevator to help, because she knows he has a car. The rest of the book, narrated by Cameron, is her journey to provide a rewarding life for her dog with little to no resources, and without asking for help from her difficult parents. That’s where the found family comes in. Suddenly Cameron finds herself interacting with her neighbors–a female couple whose PDAs are somewhat disturbing, a cyclist majoring in engineering with a focus on robotics, a Cornell English professor with a tiny, fearless dog named Pilot, and a young woman who is always on her cell phone. Over time, they all become enamored of Cameron’s dog, whom she has named Aggie, as do many people who have seen Cameron outside “walking” Aggie, which requires a sling and a wagon as she slowly helps Aggie tries to reclaim mobility. Cameron’s childhood best friend, now in law school in the UK, also provides long-distance support. At the same time, the guy with the car–his name is Everett–becomes invested in the lives of both Aggie and Cameron in delightful ways. I can only unapologetically say that Everett is my new book boyfriend. A sweet person with a creative marketing career, he helps make Aggie the star of her own social media account, and things start to get easier for Cameron. But she never wanted to monetize Aggie’s experiences, as it feels like a conflict with her pure and deep love for her dog. Of course, there are bumps in the road, but I was thrilled to watch each of the bumps being conquered. The supporting characters are beautifully brought to life, with surprising details that make them each distinct and human. It was easy to root for Cameron’s and Everett’s relationship, as well as Aggie’s new life, and despite the few problems the couple faced, I found the story overwhelmingly positive and life-affirming. It made me feel good all the way through and stayed with me after I finished the book, and sometimes that’s the best thing you can ask of a book. I’ve loved two of Firkins’ previous books as well, and I’m so glad I found this one. Highly recommended. (September)
In Alison Espach’s THE WEDDING PEOPLE, Phoebe’s had it with her life. Her husband leaves her for their coworker, her cat dies, and multiple IVF cycles have failed. She has a bit of money that was intended for more IVF, so she decides to splurge for a day at an expensive hotel in beachside Newport, Rhode Island before killing herself. Upon arrival, she learns that all of the hotel’s other residents are there for the elaborate, million-dollar, six-day wedding. But the bride, having caught wind of Phoebe’s plan, seeks her out and forbids her from ruining the wedding with her planned suicide. In the six days that follow, Phoebe somehow finds herself a part of the wedding party, getting to know both the bride and the groom–a widower with an 11-year daughter–along with members of their families, participating in the tightly planned events, and gaining a new perspective on her own life. At the end of the week, some of the occurrences are expected and some I didn’t see coming. I enjoyed the journey, full of details about the over-the-top wedding experience and a lot of musings and conversations that highlight what’s really going on with Phoebe and those close to the “happy couple.” I read this for a book club, and we haven’t met to discuss it yet.
‘From Alison Larkin, an English American writer, producer, prolific audiobook narrator (aided by her ability to capture multiple accents and genders), standup comedian, podcaster, and voice actor, comes a wonderful new book titled GRIEF . . . A COMEDY, based on her second solo show. Her earlier show (and subsequent book), The English American, chronicled her relocation to the US to find her birth mother and her move to NYC to become a standup comedian (sometimes in the same lineup as Marc Maron and Dave Chappelle) and actress, while this one explores new territory. In her fifties, Alison wondered why she had never been in love, even though she had been married and raised two children, and why her quest to find her soulmate hadn’t been successful. But everything changed when she met Bhima–over a New York Times crossword puzzle-who had relocated from India to the US decades ago, and they struck up a beautiful relationship filled with love, humor, and stimulating conversation. The two families hit it off as well, and Alison and Bhima joyfully agreed they should get married. But just four days later, their plans were irreparably destroyed by Bhima’s sudden death . . . or were they? A few weeks later, Bhima just as suddenly reappeared in Alison’s life, and their relationship continued as brilliantly as ever. The difference was that now Bhima was committed to helping Alison find another soulmate for the rest of her journey through life. And that he just might be a figment of Alison’s imagination. But does it really matter? I thoroughly enjoyed the couple’s loving banter, even when there were some occasional cultural issues to resolve. I also appreciated the fact that Larkin found a way to move forward again and to continue to shoot for her goals of living her life, rather than just getting through it, and making the world a better place. And who can resist a book where Archbishop Desmond Tutu plays a brief but important role? Despite the title, this is a life-affirming, upbeat book, and one that will only require a bit of your time (around 200 pages long). I sped through it, enraptured by what I found on each page. (June) NOTE: Alison Larkin is not the author Allison (two L’s)/Allie Larkin who wrote The People We Keep, also a terrific book.
In RAGE, the 17th entry in the Kate Burkholder series. Linda Castillo continues to write intriguing stories about an Amish community, with a high-quality, propulsive writing style that is appropriate for the mystery genre. Fans of the series know that Kate is the Chief of Police of Painters Mill, Ohio. Although she had a tumultuous life years earlier that resulted in her leaving the Amish community, Kate is able to maintain a relationship with the residents that is mutually respectful on both ends and carefully cultivated. That helps her obtain valuable information when crimes threaten their peaceful culture and the Amish are reluctant to talk about it with English (non-Amish) residents. This time the story begins, as usual, with a grisly murder, quickly followed by another, involving Amish in their later teen years and early twenties who have clearly gotten into a dirty business before realizing that they were in over their heads. I always enjoy spending time with Kate and her husband, Tomisetti, who have a mature, mutually supportive relationship. Tomisetti, of course, is always worrying about Kate putting herself in jeopardy as the violence progresses, but Kate is committed to protecting those in the community and bringing the perpetrators to justice. Castillo has come up with a formula that works, and it never seems old. Let’s hope she has many more stories in mind for the future. (July)
Good luck moving on from your allergies, Margie.
i love the whole Flash Mob thing – how very fun!
and I loved THE WEDDING PEOPLE.
That allergy attack sounds just awful. I hope you get through it soon.
And I don’t know whether I love it or hate it that you have persuaded me to add three more books to my must-read list. But you made them sound so wonderful!
I hope you enjoy those books, Lindy, but I totally understand the challenge of an overstuffed TBR list. I deal with that on a daily basis as well!
Oh, Margie. I hope your allergies settle down a little so you can enjoy Legally Blonde with the Drama Queens. I love that name!
Sounds as if you had a delightful family weekend.
The Goode Girls of Maple Lane sounds interesting.
Margie, I don’t know if you’ll see this, but as I was re-reading your post I remembered that I lived on Maple Avenue (not Lane but close enough) when I went to Cornell for grad school ages ago. It would be a very convenient place to live if you went to the Vet School. It will be fun to see what other realistic details are in the book, I am looking forward to reading it.
Trisha, it’s Friday and I just saw your reply. It’s cool to hear that you knew that neighborhood, even though the street name wasn’t exactly the same. I can’t vouch for any other realistic details, though. I’m from the East Coast (PA) but never lived in New York. But you can probably tell I really enjoyed the book!
I read and enjoyed the first few Mrs. Pargeter books too. I used to read Brett but haven’t in many years.
Books, then. After finishing KILLERS OF AS CERTAIN AGE, Jackie swapped that for the book I read, WORDHUNTER by Stella Sands, which she seems to like too.
I’m pretty much done with my two short story collections: Ethel Lina White, Blackout And Other Tales of Suspense is a new collection (Crippen & Landru) of stories she wrote from the late 1920s to the early 1940s. This is mostly stuff that does not ordinarily appeal to me, of the “I’m scared for my life, but rather than waiting for assistance I think I will go down to the basement alone and investigate those noises” type. But they benefit from being short stories – most are about 15 pages long each – and by being well written, occasionally with a nice sense of humor. Definitely not my usual fare, and it doesn’t make me want to read her novels, but it made a nice change of pace.
Anne Perry, ed., Much Ado About Murder is a new (in 2002) collection of stories that are “Shakespeare-related.” This is in my wheelhouse. I had previously read a couple of the stories, namely Kathy Lynn Emerson’s “Much Ado About Murder,” which features Beatrice and Benedick from a favorite play, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, and Peter Robinson’s “The Duke’s Wife.” It was Marcia Talley’s “Too Many Cooks” in her new Crippen & Landru collection that led me to search out a copy of this one. Other authors include Edward Marston, Simon Brett (presumably Charles Parys is an ancestor of his actor Charles Paris), Robert Barnard, Edward D. Hoch, Peter Tremayne, and Gillian Linscott, among others.
I had Deanna Raybourn’s Killers of a Certain Age out of the library twice, but both times I returned it after one chapter because I had too many other books on hand. But Jackie recommended it, so this time I got it done. After 40 years of working for “The Museum” as assassins (no euphemisms here), Billie, Helen, Mary Alice and Natalie are retiring, four friends (mostly) around 60. But on their retirement cruise, they realize that someone in the company is trying to have them killed. Fortunately for them, they still have the skills they’ve honed over the years, and thus a chance to stay alive, find out who is after them, and deal with them themselves. It might not be totally believable, but the book is well done (we do get flashbacks to their training), narrated by Billie, and I enjoyed it more than my two failed attempts might suggest. The sequel is out now, though I understand it isn’t quite up to the original. We’ll probably both read it.
When Lesa talked about Virginia Evans’ The Correspondent it struck a chord with me. I’ve always enjoyed books written in letters and/or diaries, and this one seemed on target. I even went back and checked to see what other epistolary novels (or diary format) I’d read. The one that it made me think of first was A WOMAN IF INDEPENDENT MEANS by Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey, first published in 1978, and made into a mini-sesries with Sally Field, but I read it so long ago I really didn’t remember the details. Two that were foremost in my mind were Helene Hanff’s 84, Charling Cross Road, about her correspondence with the London booksellers, which I loved. (We also saw the play version and the television version, and of course I visited the bookstore many times, though it had a different name and owner by then), and Steve Kluger’s wonderful Last Days Of Summer. If you have any interest in baseball, you must read it immediately. Even if you don’t, it’s the beautiful story of a 12 year old Jewish boy in Brooklyn, Joey Margolis, and his budding friendship (through letters) with New York Giants’ third baseman Charlie Banks, in 1940s Brooklyn. I loved this book.
But I digress. First, go back a couple of weeks and read (if you will) Lesa’s review of The Correspondent, as she said it better than I could have. Sybil Van Antwerp can be a difficult woman at times. She is in her early 70s, divorced and retired from a job she loved, with a couple of children, a brother and a number of friends, as well as a past tragedy in her life she has never fully come to terms with. Since childhood, she has written letters, hundreds of them (perhaps thousands), to friends and relatives, but also to real (named) authors about books she has read and liked. Little by little, as the years pass and her dimming eyesight starts to worsen, Sybil softens and comes to terms with life, hers and that of others. There was a little of Olive Kitteredge in these, but she is a very different person. This is a beautiful book and one I join Lesa in recommending highly. I raced through the 350 pages in a couple of days.
I have to pick up the new Lee Goldberg book at the library today, and that will be next.
Jeff, I so agree with you and Lesa about THE CORRESPONDENT. A lovely book.
I’m so glad you enjoyed The Correspondent, Jeff. I loved 84, Charing Cross Road. I’m jealous that you visited the bookstore. I loved the movie as well as the book. I think I read Last Days of Summer, but it didn’t move me the same way as Helene Hanff’s book did.
Thank you for your kind comments saying I reviewed it well.
I’ll be interested to see what you think of Raybourn’s second book in the series. But, I’m really waiting to hear what you and Jackie think of Gypsy!
I finished THE CORRESPONDENT while on our vacation last week. It was as wonderful as everyone here said.
Next, I read THE ROAD TO TENDER HEARTS by Annie Hartnett. This was dark and quirky as you would expect from Hartnett but also very endearing. PJ Halliday is 63 years old and a million-dollar lottery winner. He has a failed marriage but goes to his ex-wife and her boyfriend’s house to eat breakfast every morning. A murder suicide tragedy occurs in his small town of Pondville where he finds himself the guardian of his estranged brother’s grandchildren. He then embarks on a cross-country trip to reunite with his now widowed first girlfriend with his new wards, daughter and cat Pancake in tow. I laughed and I cried and thought this was terrific!
Thanks for sharing your New York trip, Lesa. We are off to see BINGO! The Musical at the Drama Workshop community theater this weekend.
Safe Travels and Happy Reading
Thank you, Sharon. You’re right. The Road to Tender Hearts sound quirky, but good.
Enjoy BINGO!
Hi everyone! It hasn’t been much of a reading week for me in terms of anything new. I’ve been mostly reading for my papers and re-read The Tomb of Dragons by Katherine Addison (which Kim has also recommended) because I love it so. A lot of my holds have come in so I’d better get those papers written!
Hi Trisha! Hard to write papers when books are sitting on that TBR pile. Good luck!
Glad you had fun in NYC. Travel safe.
Current read is an ARC of the upcoming release, NO LIE LASTS FOREVER: A THRILLER by Mark Stevens. Heck of a good read too.
About time you found a good book, Kevin. I’m glad you’re enjoying it!
Hi everyone!
I’m on the road to recovery. My face is finally clearing up and the doctors have declared me good to go. I can get the shingles shot in six months. The weather in Idaho has been weird. On Monday, we had 55 mph winds and it was cold. Today, it was 75 and they are predicting 90 by the weekend. Yay, I can start planting things.
This week, I read “FOR DUCK’S SAKES” by Donna Andrews. Courtesy of NetGalley. Hard to believe this is the 37th Meg Langlow’s mystery. I’ve read them all and just like any other series, some are better than others. This time, Meg and Michael’s home is being used as a staging area for Caerphilly’s first Mutt March. Her brother, Rob and his wife, Delaney have bought the property next to Meg and Michael’s and are putting in a duck pond. While trying to escape all the chaos at her house, she decides to go over to Rob’s and see how the pond is coming along and visit with Iris who used to own the land. During the visit, the bulldozer digs up some bones and that’s when the fun begins. Finding out who the bones belong to and why they were buried there is the mystery.
I have to say, there wasn’t much humor in the book which is something the series has become known for. Meg’s grandfather was in his 90’s when the twins were babies and now, they are pre-teens and he’s still alive. Granted he’s not that much of a character in the book but it does make you wonder how he can still be in his 90s when the twins are 10 or 11. I know a lot of people stopped reading them a long time ago, but I look at them as my comfort read. Not much substance, just easy reading.
I’m glad you’re on the road to recovery Bev. What a long haul!
Bev, I agree with Lindy. I’m glad you’re on the road to recovery. I’ve heard nothing but horrible things about shingles.
I brought a copy of Donna Andrews’ new book up to Mom’s to give to my sister. I think they’re comfort reads for her, too.
Lots of wind, so I mostly stayed inside when I could.
I went to Korean Barbecue. I have a mission of trying every KBBQ spot in the area. I have one more to go. K-Town was a bit different. None of the little appetizers, but plenty of meats, and a dessert bar.
Watched Overland Mail Robbery starring Wild Bill Elliot. Never one of my favorite B movie cowboys, at least he’s better than Sunset Carson. This one has a romantic subplot with Gabby Hayes and the mother of the outlaws, which gives it a bit of a different feel.
This week I read:
Mr. Whisper by Andrew Mayne; A Moss Man sighting in Florida turns out to be an amnesiac from Oregon who’s been missing for years. It’s a conspiracy. I was hoping for Moss Man.
The Pot Thief Who Studied Pythagoras by J. Michael Orenduff; A treasure hunter is sounded out about stealing a pot from a museum. Lika an idiot he goes to the museum to case the joint, and winds up in a lot of trouble. Very folksy, like a heist film starring a 1970’s Arlo Guthrie.
It’s not What You’re Thinking by Rick Van Pelt; A book that’s difficult to read. It’s about the medical field, precession, and luck…sort of. Mostly, it’s about being ready for your opportunities.
Testament by Eric Van Lustbader; I don’t know what happened to this guy. He takes a Dan Brown book and makes it boring.
Buried to the Brim by Jenn MacKinlay; Our British haberdasher detectives get roped into a dog show as the one that actually makes the hats is custom making chapeaus for the dogs. I think Philo Vance was maybe the first detective to go to a dog show, but I’ve never been to a dog show, and I’m not going to, either.
As usual, LOVE your reviews!
One more KBBQ place! I’ve never had it. What makes it different from ours, Glen?
I’ve never been to a dog show, but I watch them on TV. I have been to horse shows, and I love them. It’s been years, though.
I remember when Orenduff’s books were popular int he mystery field, but I just didn’t care about a treasure hunter stealing items.
Lesa,
There are three important differences between Korean BBQs and American BBQ’s.
First, You usually get an assortment of appetizers before you even order. Mostly pickled vegetables, and the like.
The second is that they use different cuts of meat. Their idea of ribs is definitely different than ours.
The third is that they have this little barbecue grill on your table, and you cook the meat to your preference, rather than having some cook in the back do it.
Plus, at least here, it’s all you can eat in 2 hours.
Lesa, I look forward to your review of the Simon Brett novel. I read it decades ago but I have it in a stack to reread soon. I enjoyed your post on your New York trip. Especially the part about Pirates. I had an appointment for a mammogram this morning and we just got back, after a couple of other errands.
Glen has just started reading HIGH: A JOURNEY ACROSS THE HIMALAYA THROUGH PAKISTAN, INDIA, BHUTAN, NEPAL AND CHINA by Erica Fatland. He has read two other travel books by her, THE BORDER and SOVIETSTAN.
Last night I finished reading COMMON OR GARDEN CRIME by Sheila Pim, described on the cover as “An Irish village gardening mystery set during World War II.” I loved it. I liked the humor and the setting and the characters. It was published in 1945 but was set in 1943. It is the first book in the same series as the book you read recently, CREEPING VENOM.
I am a grits lover. For breakfast. With butter and salt and pepper, although I think some people have them with sugar.
Tracy, my sister talks about cheesy grits with shrimp. Still not for me.
Thank you! Pirates was so much fun. In fact, the entire trip was fun.
I’m going to be moving on to the second Mrs. Pargeter. I really liked the first one.
Good evening all – it’s already past 7pm here in Scotland and I’ve only just managed to get to the computer.
Lesa, I am so delighted that you enjoyed the first Mrs Pargeter book – I love that series!
I’ve been to several excellent talks this week. On Tuesday night I went to the university to hear Heather Parry talk about her book, CARRION CROW. I still haven’t read it, but I do now want to. It seems to be some sort of modern Gothic; a young woman is imprisoned in the attic by her mother, who may or may not be trying to prevent Marguerite’s marriage to an impoverished man. She has, however, told her daughter that she is only doing this while Marguerite learns to be a good wife. So she is shut up with her needlework and a copy of Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management. I think things take a very dark turn as the book progresses.
On Wednesday I attended another session with Heather Parry, when she talked about ‘What It’s Really Like Being an Author’. I enjoyed this talk more than the first one – Heather was very down to earth and practical, and the meeting was chaired by Shane Strachan, a tutor on the university’s creative writing modules. Shane used to be the writer in residence at the National Library of Scotland. He writes mainly in the Scots dialect. He’s a lovely person, and made the event feel very relaxed and fun. The previous evening’s session had been chaired by one of the professors from the English department, who, whilst he did ask good questions, really did love the sound of his own VERY loud voice.
I have learned from years of Edinburgh Book Festivals that a chair can really make or break a book event.
I was lucky to have a chat with Heather Parry after the second session. The book, it seems, is at least partly about mother-daughter relationships, and the semi-controlled violence that may exist in this sometimes very fraught dynamic. I enjoyed discussing this with Heather, we both had a lot of thoughts!
Another good thing about the session was that it took place in a room on the seventh (top) floor of the university’s library, with fabulous views of the beach and the sea beyond. It was a beautiful day too.
Yesterday morning David and I went to another Memories of Scotland session. This one was called A Life at Sea, and was about the Scottish fishing industry, from the 1700s to the present day. It was far more interesting than I had expected, with some wonderful photos of fishermen, fisher families, and the fish markets in the city. One of the attendees was an older man who had worked as a lorry driver delivering to and collecting from the harbours and the fish markets. He had some very funny stories to tell.
It was also really sobering to be reminded of the terrible conditions that fishermen work in, and the risks they take to land their catch. Boats are still lost off our coast, esepcially around the islands. It’s maybe not quite as dangerous as it was in the days before radar and lifeboats, but the sea is still a frightening place to be in bad weather.
Tomorrow I am actually staying in Culter. My friend Karen is coming to walk with me beside the river, then we will have coffee at our lovely village cafe.
Books – as usual it has been slow progress with me. I finished, and hugely enjoyed, Grace Dent’s COMFORT EATING, then read Tessa Hadley’s THE PARTY. I had not read any of this author’s work before, and this one seemed more like a short story, or at best a novella, to me.
It’s about two sisters in Bristol who meet two wealthy men in a pub (when they have told their parents they are at a very well behaved party.) They end up staying the night at the run down mansion belonging to one of the men and his siblings. There are several other young people there, all more sophisticated (or better at pretending) than the girls. One of the men seduces one of the sisters, but when she wakes up in the morning she realises that he has done a great deal more than that.
I have to say I didn’t really understand this novel. It seems to have been very well reviewed, but so little happened that I couldn’t see what all the fuss was about. I did enjoy Hadley’s use of language – there are some wonderful, piercingly accuate comments, and not a cliche in sight. I just wanted more story.
I also finished John Le Carre’s CALL FOR THE DEAD on audio (BBC Sounds). I felt you could tell it was one of the author’s very early books – the plot was very straightforward compared to things like TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY or THE NIGHT MANAGER. I enjoyed it, but I did find it a little simplistic – and that’s saying something from me, someone who regularly fails to follow the plots of murder mysteries.
Now I am reading Grayson Perry’s PLAYING TO THE GALLERY: HELPING CONTEMPORARY ART IN ITS STRUGGLE TO BE UNDERSTOOD. Perry is a highly acclaimed ceramicist, and these days very much seen as a ‘national treasure.’ During the lockdowns he and his wife ran a massively successful online art club, for which they encouraged everyone to draw, paint or make things and send in pictures of what they had done.
Perry’s work sells for millions, but he is very sensible and can’t abide the ways in which the art world polices its boundaries to keep out everyone who isn’t ‘one of us’. I’ve only read the first 50 pages of this short book but I’ve already laughed out loud at Perry’s take down of ‘International Art English’, with all its pretentiousness and deliberate obfuscation. He even copied out one artist’s statement (the sort of thing you see on the wall next to an artist’s work at an exhibition) to highlight what a lot of nonsense it was. As someone who goes round exhibitions tutting at almost every artist’s statement she sees, I agreed with every word Perry wrote.
I am thinking of once again signing up for TWENTY BOOKS OF SUMMER, but in an attempt not to fail as miserably as usual, I have decided only to choose really ‘easy’ books. I’m no longer going to use this challenge as a way of reading enormous tomes that have sat on my shelves for decades – I may get through one of two, but this thing is supposed to encompass TWENTY books! So I’m already making a selction of novels from authors like Lilian Jackson Braun, Agatha Christie, Doreen Tovey (non-fiction), Janie Bolitho and even Debbie Macomber. Because why not? I’ll enjoy all of these, I’m sure, and I may just get to the end of August feeling slightly less disappointed in myself than I usually do.
On televison I ended up abandoning the new REBUS (with Richard Rankin as the detective) as I couldn’t make the subtitles work on our TV and I simply could not follow some of the dialogue. I have lived in Edinburgh on and off for some years, so I have no idea what non-Scots are making of this. My friend Nancy, who has lived up here for as long as I have, said they needed the subtitles throughout.
So I have reverted to PARAMEDICS ON SCENE. This time the programme focused on crews in Inverness, Glasgow and Oban, and their call-outs ranged from a lady who had fallen on a hill on one of the islands to a fatal house fire in the city. It’s very gripping stuff. My son says he has heard that they may soon be filming in Aviemore, where he himself works for the service.
Have a good week everyone. I’m back down to Edinburgh on Sunday, but only for a couple of days.
Does anyone without small children lead a life as busy as yours, Rosemary? I love to read about the lectures you attend, your walks, books, and TV. And, if you stick to your plan, the Twenty Books of Summer sounds fun!
Here’s an important question, though. How’s Charlie?
Hi Lesa!
Charlie and Herbie are both fine, thank you for asking.
David has just been in Edinburgh cat-sitting for Anna while she was in Ireland. He said they were both enjoying soaking up the sun – our house there has a lot of big windows and on a hot day the rooms on one side are like the tropics. Anna tried closing the shutters in the room C & H like best, as she was worried they’d get heatstroke. They managed to wriggle round behind those shutters and bake themselves between the metal and the glass.
I’ll be in leith myself on Sunday so I’ll give you a proper update next week!
You lead such an interesting life Rosemary! I just love reading what you write, and appreciate that you do so. I always learn something new from you.
I checked in here hours ago, but didn’t get too far before it was time to head out for opening day at the state nursery. A very successful trip as I got everything on my list.
My Canada Chokecherries are in full bloom. It might just finally be spring here in the high desert.
I do enjoy seeing what everyone is reading.
Hi, MM!
I enjoy seeing what everyone is reading, and catching up on what you’re all doing! I’m at my Mom’s for a few days, and it’s going to be in the 30s overnight. In May! Horrid!
Hi Lesa, Glad you had a great trip…I had jury duty but didn’t get selected (thank goodness). My current reads are The Death of Us by Abigail Dean (netgalley book) and No One Was Supposed to Die at this Wedding by Catherine Mack (netgalley audio).
Thank you, Katherine. I thought Mack’s first book was okay, but it didn’t make me want to read other ones.