Thursday! My favorite day of the week! No matter how I’m feeling, I love to talk with all of you about what you’re doing and what you’re reading.
I needed a down week, and I’ve had a couple quiet days. Went to my brother-in-law’s for dinner last night. He makes the best stuffed baked potatoes I’ve ever had. And, I have leftovers. Not really an exciting week, but I needed some time.
I just started Laura Lippman’s Murder Takes a Vacation. But, I’m so tempted to set it aside for a day or two. My brother-in-law gave me his library copy of Michael Connellly’s Nightshade, and then offered to ruin the ending for me. It’s next on my TBR pile.
Here’s the summary of Murder Takes a Vacation.
Mrs. Blossom has a knack for blending into the background, which was an asset during her days assisting private investigator Tess Monaghan. But when she finds a winning lottery ticket in a parking lot, everything changes. She is determined to see the world that she sometimes feels is passing her by. When Mrs. Blossom booked her cruise through France on the MS Solitaire, she did not expect to meet Allan on her transatlantic flight. He is the first man who’s sparked something inside her since her beloved husband passed. She also didn’t expect Allan to be found, dead, twenty-four hours later in Paris, a city he wasn’t supposed to be in. Now Mrs. Blossom doesn’t know who to trust on board the ship, especially when a mystifying man, Danny, keeps popping up around every corner, always present when things go awry. He is convinced that Allan was transporting a stolen piece of art, and Mrs. Blossom knows more than she lets on, regarding both the artifact and Allan’s death. Mrs. Blossom’s questions only increase as the cruise sails down the Seine. Why does it feel like she is being followed? Who was Allan, and why was he killed? Most alarmingly, why do these mysterious men keep flirting with her?
What about you? What have you been doing this week? And, what are you reading?
Happy Thursday, everyone!
Take all the much deserved time you need, Lesa. ❤. We all just want you to feel your best.
i am reading, thanks to NetGalley, AT MIDNIGHT COMES THE CRY by Julia Spencer-Fleming and loving it! It’s the latest in one of my favorite series.
Description –
“New York Times bestseller Julia Spencer-Fleming returns to her beloved Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery series
It’s Christmas time in Millers Kill, and Reverend Clare Fergusson and her husband Russ van Alstyne – newly resigned from his position as chief of police – plan to enjoy it with their baby boy. On their list: visiting Santa, decorating the tree, and attending the church Christmas pageant. But when a beloved holiday parade is crashed by white supremacists, Clare and Russ find themselves sucked into a parallel world of militias, machinations and murder.
Meanwhile, single mom and officer Hadley Knox has her hands full juggling her kids and her police work. She doesn’t want to worry about her former partner – and sometimes lover – Kevin Flynn, but when he takes leave from the Syracuse PD and disappears, she can’t help her growing panic that something has gone very wrong.
Novice lawyer Joy Zhào is keeping secrets from her superiors at the state Attorney General’s Office. She knows they wouldn’t condone her off-the-books investigation, but she’s convinced a threatening alt-right conspiracy is brewing – and catching the perpetrators could jump start her career.
NYS Forest Ranger Paul Terrance is looking for his uncle, a veteran of the park service gone inexplicably missing. He doesn’t think much of an ex-cop and out-of-town officer showing up in his patch of the woods, but he’s heard the disturbing rumors of dangerous men in the mountains.
In New York Times Julia Spencer-Fleming’s latest novel, as Christmas approaches, these five people will discover their suspicions hang on a single twisting thread, leading to the forbidding High Peaks of the Adirondacks. As the December days shorten and the nights grow long, a disparate group of would-be heroes need to unwind a murderous plot before time runs out.”
Wow, Kaye. This sounds so timely.(Working on feeling better.)
All those characters do sound interesting. My library has this series and I haven’t read, so I’ll try out the first one.
thanks
It’s a terrific series, MM. I hope you like it.
It’s about time! It’s hard to remember from one book to the next when it is so many years in between. I see November 18 is the publication date. Thanks.
I agree, Jeff. I haven’t picked up her recent ones. I was up-to-date when Julia’s hus and died, and she stopped writing. And, I haven’t read any since.
Happy to know you liked the book, Kaye. I was just approved for it on NetGalley as well, and I love the series.
Lesa I hope you and Kevin too, are both feeling a little bit better, and that you’ve seen some improvements the last couple of days.
It was a busy week here with several appointments of one sort or another. The itchy bumps I experienced last week are finally fading and I’m feeling more normal; I’m down to maybe five or so bumps, which is a vast improvement from the 80+ just three days ago.
Just one book read though:
D IS FOR DEATH by Harriet F Townson
A new book, but written as though it were a classic from the Golden Age of crime fiction.
Dora is engaged to Charles Silk-Butters; not that she wants to be married to him but it is expected that she be. She eventually realizes that she really cannot bring herself to get married to him so she does a runner and goes to stay with her godmother in London. Dora is a whirlwind of a young lady and trouble seems to have a way of finding her. After experiencing a very close call, she’s brought inside the wonderful London library where she instantly feels a sense of calm. After all, libraries are her favourite places. Her calm is short-lived however, as she witnesses the death of the Chief Librarian. Things get more and more muddled and dangerous as she determines to find out who killed him.
A fun premise for a cozy mystery, and for the first 50 or so pages I loved it. It was funny and engaging. As I got further into the story, most of that lightness and amusing feel just kind of faded away and everything became more serious and a bit confusing and meandering, with not much forward momentum. In the end it didn’t live up to my expectations. Maybe it just wasn’t the right book at the right time for me, or maybe I’m missing the point of it all, because almost all reviews of the book are full of praise. Still, I thought those first 50 pages were definitely worth reading and I wish the rest of the book had been similar.
Lindy, I checked with my friend who had a similar problem to yours, and she reminded me that hers turned out to be a side effect of medication she was on. Goodness knows why the doctors didn’t think of that at the beginning- this thing went on for months until they finally changed her drugs and it went away. I’m so glad yours is improving.
Isn’t it awful, Rosemary, when doctors don’t think of the side effects?
Rosemary, I think my doctor is very disappointed that she can’t say with any certainty what those bumps were. She doesn’t like being baffled by anything. And I feel sorry for your friend who had to deal with hers such a long time before a cause was found.
Thank you, Lindy. And, I’m glad your bumps are disappearing.
I’m sorry that D is for Death turned out to be disappointing.
Lesa, so sorry that you have not been feeling well. Your brother-in-law’s cooking always sounds so good.
Not much going on here. Tomorrow / Thursday we are going out to breakfast and then to the grocery store, so I am posting early.
Last week Glen read THE SIBERIA JOB by Josh Haven. It is set in Russia, following the demise of the Soviet Union. He liked it a lot; it was fast paced and a quick read.
Now he is reading DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLEY by P.D. James. It is a sequel to PRIDE AND PREJUDICE with a murder mystery. He says it reads like a 19th century novel, which he likes, but it moves at a much slower pace.
I read OONA OUT OF ORDER by Margarita Montimore, a time travel / time-loop book where Oona jumps from one year in her life forward or backward to another year of her life at the end of every year. It was a lot of fun, only 340 pages long and for once I wished that it was much longer.
I am now reading TABLE FOR TWO by Amor Towles. I have read all 6 short stories. I liked them all. Now I am reading a very long novella in that book titled “Eve in Hollywood,” and enjoying it too.
I hope everyone has had a good week.
I tried DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLEY, and did make it to the end, but only just – I didn’t rate it at all. There are several of these ‘Austen-updated’ books written by well known authors – I think both Alexander McCall Smith and Val McDermid have had a go at them – but I was so disappointed with PD James’ effort that I haven’t tried any of them yet (I do have copies of some of them.)
One of my daughters read the much more entertaining PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES and enjoyed it a lot, but I’m not sure it’d work for me.
Thank you, Tracy. Kevin’s an excellent cook, and I’m always happy to be invited to their home for dinner.
I’m afraid I agree with Rosemary. I didn’t finish Death Comes to Pemberley. I couldn’t get into it.
I have no excuse for missing last week other than forgetfulness. I realized as I was logging off my lap top at bed time Thursday I’d missed the week. Oh well.
I am between books at the moment. I just finished Big Bend, the newest in a series set in various National Parks from Sandy Dengler. This one starts with a lost reporter in the middle of the vast Texas park, but it goes to some pretty interesting places from there. And a dark place or two as well. Overall, I enjoyed it, but I think it tried to do just a little too much.
Up next will be Nemesis, the latest Orphan X thriller from Gregg Hurwitz.
Haha – that’s happened to me more than once Mark!
The national parks setting is a clever idea, I’ll check but unfortunately I doubt these books are in our library sustem.
Ah, Orphan X. My brother-in-law and nephew both love that series, Mark.
Well, even I forgot about What Are You Reading? until late on a Wednesday, so I can understand when someone forgets.
Good morning Lesa and everyone.
I’m so sorry you’re still not feeling well Lesa; I hope things improve soon.
Last weekend we were in Glasgow to see PULP at the OVO Hydro. It was sold out, and it certainly looked like there were many thousands of people in the arena. The band was excellent; they have a new album, the first in 20+ years, called MORE, and I enjoyed some of the songs from it, but of course we were all waiting for the big hits. Lots of dancing and singing along to DISCO 2000, DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME and, of course, COMMON PEOPLE.
What is it, though, about stadium concerts, that people seem to feel almost obliged to start drinking hours beforehand, arrive inebriated and continue to drink throughout the show? I don’t even know how people afford it – the bars at these places are outrageously expensive. A group of two women and one man arrived just before the start of the show, sat just a couple of seats along from me, and proceeded to drink, talk, shout and stand up in front of the poor people immediately behind them – this continued for the entire two and a half hours. I am not bothered about people talking quietly when the band is loud, but the two girls in particular just got louder and louder so that they could hear one another above the music. (And they were not talking about the show, it seemed more like a drunken catch-up on every ‘hilarious’ memory they could rake up from their sozzled brains.) The tickets for this concert were not cheap – why would you just ignore the show? I found it hard to block all of this out, but I did my best to enjoy what was a superlative performance. (And yes, amazingly, we enjoyed it with no drinks at all!)
David returned to Glasgow for another concert (at a different venue) the following night – an American band called WAXAHATCHEE . I don’t know where David gets the energy – I came home on the bus and was thankful to reach the peace and quiet of Culter.
On Tuesday I attended the preview of North East Scotland College’s end of year art show. It was lovely to catch up with people I hadn’t seen for a while, and some of the work on display was outstanding. The college is often overshadowed by the university’s school of art, but I’d say their students are every bit as good. I especially enjoyed the photography. On Friday I have been invited to the college’s fashion show – I’ve never been to anything like this before, so I will just have to channel Anna Wintour….I’d better start looking for the sunglasses now.
Tonight a friend and I are going to the opera – another thing I don’t often do. We are seeing THE MERRY WIDOW, which my musical daughter says is ‘very light, more like Gilbert & Sullivan’ – which gives me hope that I might just understand it.
I also had a great outing with Nancy this week to LEITH HALL, a lesser known National Trust for Scotland property with a wonderful garden. It was continuously inhabited by various generations of the Leith-Hay family from 1650 until just after World War One.
We had a lovely walk all around the grounds, which are beautifully kept, and of course we then just had to visit the tea room, which offered rhubarb and orange or cheese and lovage scones (NTS properties are known for their cakes…there were plenty of those too.) Later in the week I also had a great walk at Crathes Castle with another friend. School holidays start next week in Scotland, so it’s good to get to these places while they’re still relatively quiet.
In between I have been making inroads into my 20 BOOKS OF SUMMER list. Just now I am reading IN THE VALLEY OF THE SUN by Andy Davidson. It’s horror (sent to me by the publisher) definitely not my usual fare! A drifter turns up at a dilapidated motel run by a lone woman and her small son. He’s looking for work so she sets him to clearing all the rubbish from what was once a pool but has been used as a skip. The sun affects him badly; his skin starts to come away in strips. In the meantime, two police officers are on the trail of a serial killer; three women have been murdered. None was sexually assaulted. The drifter (Travis) seems to be having flashbacks to encounters with women – and with one woman in particular. It all points one way, but I have a feeling that the signposts may be misleading. Quite odd, but well written so far, and I noted that it has many 5* reviews from horror fans on Goodreads.
Before this I read THE CAT WHO SAW RED by Lilian Jackson Braun; another outing for newspaper reporter Qwilleran and his Siamese cats Koko and Yum Yum. In this book Qwillweran is assigned to writing restaurant reviews, which is unfortunate as his doctor has just put him on a diet. He moves from Junktown to Maus Haus, an old pottery complex now converted into apartments, but where everyone lives semi-communally, with the reserved owner, a lawyer and gourmet, cooking all their meals. When Qwilleran’s long-lost love (a potter) disappears just after he has lent her money he can’t believe that she’s betrayed him. Has she really run away to Florida, or is she in the river? Chief suspect is her mean and resentful husband, but of course there are plenty of others – just about anyone in the house could’ve done it.
As ever, I enjoyed the people more than the plot. Braun writes in an idiosyncratic way, and for me it is refreshing to read a semi-cosy that isn’t full of tea shops, vicars and country villages. Braun evokes the Maus Haus set-up very well, and the characters were all well drawn and fun.
The Cat Who Saw Red reminded me that I hadn’t been keeping up with THE GREAT POTTERY THROWDOWN, so I’ve started the most recent series. These programmes are, for me, far more relaxing than the BAKE OFF – everyone is much nicer, and the judges are just lovely. I don’t know how the contestants produce such amazing pieces in such a short time – their very first challenge was to make an entire salad set, complete with porcelain servers and a bottle (with a well-fitting stopper) for the dressing.
Last night was also the last episode of this series of RACE ACROSS THE WORLD, another series I enjoy. The locations are spectacular, but it’s the people who are the draw for me.
I’ve just collected Heather Parry’s new Gothic novel, CARRION CROW, from the library, where I also could not resist Jenny Colgan’s latest book CLOSE KNIT (which I heard her speak about at last year’s Edinburgh Book Festival.)
Whilst in Edinburgh last Sunday I got hold of the new programmes for the Edinburgh Fringe, so now I need to plough my way through that and work out a reviewing schedule. I haven’t yet looked at the Book and Art festivals – I do try to do a bit of everything.
Today we are going to Gray’s School of Art here in Aberdeen to see their graduate show. Going for coffee at the cafe at the golf driving range (excellent reviews so of course we need to try it) first, so I’d better get organised.
I hope you all have a great week, and that Lesa and anyone else who isn’t feeling 100% soon gets better.
Rosemary, I know some of these venues make their big profits on drink sales, so that explains their part of it.
We started watching a couple of new British shows here this week: the silly, Welsh-set DEATH VALLEY (Britbox), with Timothy Spall as a TV detective helping the real cops solve cases; and ART DETECTIVES (Acorn), with Stephen Moyer as the titular detective, with the ubiquitous Larry Lamb as his notorious art forger father.
Hi Rosemary,
You were so active last week that I don’t even know where to start to respond.
I do know I enjoyed Braun’s earlier Cat Who books more than the later ones. I read all of them, but once Qwill moved permanently, and met a woman he loved (who I hated), I didn’t think the series was as interesting.
I love how you you combine walks and art and music and books into a well-rounded life. I hope you’re enjoying every bit of it!
I once went to an Alan Jackson concert and the woman behind me was dancing around so much she spilled her entire glass of beer over me, so I can relate to what you speak of Rosemary! My hair was soaked in beer, and my shirt didn’t fare very well either.
Good morning Lesa. I hope both you and Kevin start to feel better. It’s been either rainy or very hot here so we haven’t been doing much.
I read Bruce Borgo’s latest Sheriff Porter Beck book The Blue Horse. A helicopter pilot is shot and killed during a BLM round up of wild mustangs. The FBI has their sights set on a suspect but Beck isn’t so sure that they are looking for the right man.
I really liked the first two books in the series but struggled with this one. Partly because the section of the book dealing with the horses seemed strangely detached. (I found out from reading the author’s notes that he has an opinion on wild horse roundups but he didn’t want anyone to know what it is from reading the book). My second problem was that there were just too many plot threads and some of them just felt too improbable. And my last issue was that there were book was set during the Covid pandemic and it featured heavily in the storyline.
I also read Olive, Mabel & Me: Life and Adventures With Two Really Good Dogs by Andrew Cotter. A Scottish sportscaster who was out of work during Covid started posting videos of his two Labradors for something to do and they went viral so he wrote a book about them. It wasn’t a bad book but most of it was about climbing different mountains in Scotland with them so it got a bit repetitive.
Sandy, I’m so sorry that both books were disappointments. I need to read The Blue Horse soon, but you’re the second person who seems disappointed with it. We’ll see.
Rainy or hot. I can see why you’re staying home with your books. Too bad they weren’t better!
I read a couple Laura Lippman books a few years back. I thought she was a good writer, but then I fell for the next shiny object. I’ll be interested to see if you finish this one.
Almost twenty years old, but still a charming story, THE UNCOMMON READER: A Novella by Alan Bennett. The reader is none other than Her Majesty the Queen who drifts into reading when her corgis stray into a mobile library parked at Buckingham Palace. A delightful example of the power of literature to change even the most uncommon reader’s life.
I was looking forward to THE RAILWAY CONSPIRACY, the second Dee and Lao Mystery from co-authors SJ Rozan and John Shen Yen Nee. The NYTimes reviewed it as “A glorious mash-up of fan fiction, kung fu prowess and droll social commentary.” I’ll agree with “mash-up,” but I was disappointed. Too much running around & bouncing off walls, not enough plot.
Fredrik Backman’s latest novel, MY FRIENDS, is a story of friendship and dying and having something to live for. Four teenagers, all of whom grew up thinking they were worthless. In the dual timeline, a teenage aspiring artist has aged out of foster care and is obsessed with a particular painting. Twenty-five years earlier, three fourteen year-olds find each other one summer in a seaside town. A story well-told in beautiful language.
I love the way you phrase that, MM – “I fell for the next shiny object.” Unfortunately, I have that problem a lot. I’m happy to get a book until I see one that catches my eye.
Really happy to hear that My Friends lived up to your expectations.
Good morning, all. We’re getting Arizona weather for a day – low 90s and not very humid. At least it’s a nice break from all the rainy weather, and the cooler temps will be back over the weekend.
Non-reading news of the week: we saw HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD on Broadway in a rare Friday matinee. What can I say, it was OK but nothing special. The effects were fun but the story, about Harry’s angsty, sulky teenage son, left a lot to be desired. Still, it was a bargain at $51.50 a ticket. I must admit I was very disappointed when Audra McDonald did NOT win the Tony Award she so richly deserved for GYPSY, but I understand it, intellectually at least. She’s already got 6 Tonys, blah blah, but shouldn’t an award be for this year’s achievement, not some vague thing because SUNSET BOULEVARD has been upgraded (supposedly; I thought it stunk), especially when they destroyed the entire premise of the show by making the “old” Norma Desmond into sleek 40ish rock star Nicol Scherzinger? But I guess that’s just me.
Books. After her Cynthia Eden book, Jackie is reading the last remaining Emily Henry book she hadn’t read, HAPPY PLACE. She says she likes it, but she has been complaining about the plot too. I’ll let you know when she finishes it.
I read several things this week.
I think I talked about Tess Gerritsen’s The Summer Guests last week. I enjoyed this visit with Maggie and other retired spies of ‘The Martini Club’ in Purity, Maine, as they keep helping Police Chief Jo Thibideaux even though the latter wants them to stay out of the murder case she is handling. Of course they don’t, and of course they are integral to solving the case.
Last week, a friend recommended Ann Hood’s short Morningstar: Growing Up With Books, something I thought I had read (but hadn’t) already, so I quickly downloaded a copy from the Cloud Library and raced through it. It’s the kind of book I love. It’s sort of a mini-memoir about growing up in a non-reading household in West Warwick, Rhode Island, and how books almost literally transformed her life. She is eight years younger than me, but we had somewhat similar experiences in picking out library books, almost at random, looking for big , fat books to sink into. She talks about several that had an effect on her – MARJORIE MORNINGSTAR, A STONE FOR DANNY FISHER, THE HARRAD EXPERIMENT. I highly recommend this one. I’ve enjoyed all of her books that I’ve read, including her memoir about becoming a flight attendant, FLY GIRL, and how that helped her become an author.
I mentioned Lauren Groff’s collection, Florida, last week. As I said then, I found this group of short stories to be darker than I expected. Good writer, but I really can’t say that I loved the book.
Michael Connelly is one of my favorite current writers. I’ve read nearly everything he’s published, with one or two exceptions, and the Bosch series is a particular favorite. Now he’s written Nightshade, which could be either a standalone or the start of a new series. Sgt. Stilwell (no first name, everyone calls him “Stil”) got in a beef over a case and was exiled to work on Cataline Island, 26 miles off the coast of Los Angeles. But now that he’s been there a year, he loves it and has no plan to return to the mainland. Most of the crimes are small – weekend bar fights, petty thefts – but this time there is a murder and he is on the case. You can’t go wrong with Connelly. He is a very smooth writer and his books move quickly. That said, I wouldn’t put this in a category with Harry Bosch or The Lincoln Lawyer just yet. We’ll see where future books – if any – go.
Current reading:
Anne Hillerman, Shadow of the Solstice. Amazingly, this is her tenth Leaphorn, Chee and Manuelito book since she took up writing her late father’s series. It took a couple of books to settle in, but she has it down now. More next week.
A Century of Fiction in The New Yorker.Big short story collection, many of which I’d read over the years.
Pauline Bren, The Barbizon: The Hotel That Set Women Free. This was written up in the Times the other day and sounded really interesting. They held the second New York Bouchercon at the Barbizon in 1983, and what I mostly remember were the tiny rooms.
Up next: the new S. A. Cosby book.
Oh, you have the new S.A. Cosby. I want to hear what you think when you finish, Jeff.
I totally agree with you about Audra McDonald. It should be for this year’s work. And, I wondered when I saw Nichole Scherzinger sing that night. I thought Norma Desmond was an old has been. I didn’t realize they updated it (her?). Audra’s performance was wonderful.
Now, I’m really looking forward to Nightshade.
As much as I was looking forward to the Tonys, we were one of those households where the sound from CBS was awful. In fact, I went to bed before Audra even sang. No use watching when the sound was so bad.
Interesting to hear about the Laura Lippman book! She’s going to be at the Toledo Library in a couple weeks, and I’m planning to go see her. I believe they’re giving this book away to everyone who bought tickets, so I’m looking forward to finding out what you think.
I just finished Nosy Neighbors by Freya Sampson, which was a light, entertaining mystery. I’m currently reading A Murder in Zion by Nicole Maggi, which I’m enjoying so far. I was always a big fan of Nevada Barr’s books, so I’m excited to find another mystery set in a national park.
Oh, that should be fun, Kate, hearing Laura Lippman. Enjoy! I think this book is a departure for her. I know Kaye Barley loved it.
I loved Nevada Barr’s books, too.
Good morning, all! Son Nick and I spent a day (overnight) in Reno last weekend. Son Zach has been going there frequently, as he is opening a new office there for his employer, and he decided we should all (his wife and kids, and the two of us) should spend some time there together, staying at the lovely Grand Sierra Resort. We had some great food, successfully made our way out of an escape room (my first time) before a bomb blew up, and played mini-golf. But my favorite thing was the very entertaining and impressive magic show we attended in a new magic venue (The White Rabbit) in the resort. The stars were Chase and Kayleigh Hasty, a married couple. Chase is the magician and Kayleigh the lead dancer and aerialist. But the real “star” for us was Zach, who was picked on early in the show by Chase for not clapping enough, and interviewed by him, later taking the stage to assist with some tricks. In the process, he and Chase had to hug and dance together, among other things. Chase is sweet tempered, unlike some of the magicians I’ve seen, and at the same time very skilled. All throughout the performance, he kept up talking to and about Zach (we were in the second row) and about his job “selling electrical parts” (he’s actually a district manager). Zach’s name and job even showed up in a letter in a box dangling from the ceiling in another trick. It was a wonderful show, and we had our photo taken in the lobby with Chase and Kayleigh afterwards. Zach loved it and was a good sport. I’m always hesitant to do something at the last minute (actually I had a few days to ponder it), but I’m so glad I did. I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.
Here’s what I read this week:
In Shauna Robinson’s LAURYN HARPER FALLS APART, Lauryn is demoted and transferred from her job at Ryser in Washington, DC to small-town Virginia, disrupting her 8-year career plan because of some misunderstood communication. Expecting another promotion, she instead finds herself in the company’s neglected charity department, where no one seems to be doing any real work. It’s bad enough that she’s back in her home town, but she also needs to figure out how to ingratiate herself with management and reclaim her old job again. Reuniting with Marina, her former best friend, Lauryn decides to try to bring back the town’s apple festival–hopefully with financial support from Ryser–to raise some much-needed funds to keep the community center open. How she rallies her new coworkers to become a team, overcoming roadblocks and disappointments, and restores her friendship with Marina is fun to read, and each character is well portrayed and interesting. If you’re expecting it to be a romcom, you will be disappointed (no romance in sight), but that was fine with me. My only problem with the story is that the reason for Lauryn’s banishment from her job could have been easily resolved. (September)
Elly Griffiths’ THE LAST WORD is labeled the fourth in the Harbinder Kaur series, but Sikh police officer Harbinder is merely a minor character in this book. The focus is really on 82-year-old Edwin and young Ukrainian bombshell Natalka from Griffiths’ 2021 book The Postscript Murders, who are co-owners of a fairly new PI agency. Natalka’s live-in boyfriend, Benedict, a former monk and current proprietor of a coffee shop, also figures prominently in the story. When Edwin and Benedict go under cover to attend a writer’s retreat, they get more than they bargained for. They’re investigating a couple of deaths that might be murder, but another death occurs while they are in residence. The twisty plot is fascinating, with results I didn’t expect, but the main attraction for me was the quirky characters, whom I found engaging and memorable. It appears that the series may be featuring different characters in each of the series entries, and I’m all in. This book has an emotional ending tying up some parts of the characters’ personal lives, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Although several of the prolific Debbie Macomber’s Christmas novels have been made into Hallmark movies, A FERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS doesn’t exactly fit the Hallmark model. Yes, it mostly takes place on Christmas Eve day, and yes, there are some Christmas trimmings and celebrations at the end of the book, but most of the story takes place on a ferry from Bremerton, Washington to Seattle. The ferry suddenly stalls in the middle of Puget Sound for the first time ever, and those on board start to worry whether they will get where they are going in time for Christmas Eve. There are much-anticipated family reunions, opportunities to fix long-held rifts with estranged siblings, new flirtations, a band headed for a gig at a holiday party, a young woman who can’t be late for work one more time, and a mother with a 6-year-old daughter who needs to tell Santa in person that her Christmas wish is to have her father back home. Then there are those waiting long hours in Seattle for the ferry to be fixed and possibly building new bonds of their own. And, of course, there is the expectant father whose wife is afraid, alone, and in labor in Seattle. It’s a story where there are too many coincidences and an ending that is absolutely predictable, but it’s told with good humor and old-fashioned earnestness, and it could be just the thing for your holiday reading pleasure. (October)
James Clear’s 2018 ATOMIC HABITS is the best resource I’ve found for those of us who want to get rid of our bad habits and build some new habits (and who doesn’t?). The information therein isn’t necessarily new, but Clear puts it together in such an appealing and easy-to-digest way that it has really motivated me to get started. I even made it the theme of our Toastmasters meeting today, where I am the Toastmaster of the Day (host). Clear boils it down to four laws for making new habits: : Make it Obvious, Make it Attractive, Make it Easy, and Make it Satisfying (and do the opposite to get rid of bad habits). I particularly like his basic philosophy. He emphasizes that tiny positive changes make a big difference in the long run when you do them every day and that making and perfecting systems in your daily life is more important than setting goals and objectives. He is also a proponent of telling ourselves positively that we “get” to do something rather than we “have” to do it. I recommend this book highly for those who are serious about their improving their habits.
What a fun show for all of you, Margie, with Zach as the magician’s assistant! Were the kids at the show, too, to see their dad on stage? Weren’t you glad it was Zach who was picked and not you?
It’s the Debbie Macomber book that appeals to me. I like a good Christmas story, no matter what time of year it is.
Yes, Autumn and Henry were at the magic show with us, and Autumn was particularly vocal (Chase made a comment about her as well, saying he knew she would be something big when she grew up). And YES, I was glad I didn’t get called on!
I loved the story of your Zach and the magic show! So special.
Started a historical fiction about a young boy during the Gold Rush, won it from Library Thing. Fortune’s Price by Frank Nissen. I am a little confused, one of the characters speaks Cantonese but she answered in Mandarin. Will have to figure that out. I was very tired when entering for the book contests, and I accidently entered, won and now have a copy about football in Texas. Since I am not a football fan, will see how that goes!
Good luck with the football book, Carol. I am a football fan, so I’ve enjoyed some of those books over the years.
Hi everyone! It has been quite an exciting week for me. Over the weekend I had a conference in Texas and am now happily back enjoying the breezes in Rhode Island. This week I finished up an online course with Irish poet Padraig O’Tuama on storytelling and narrative, which was amazing. The course was focused on the Bible but the approach fits all kinds of writing.
Reading wise I finished EVERYONE WHO IS GONE IS HERE, by Jonathan Blitzer, about how decades of bad US foreign and immigration policy have made it impossible for Central Americans to live in their countries and impossible for them to go anywhere, especially here.
I also finished THE MUSEUM DETECTIVE, by Maha Khan Phillips, about an archaeologist investigating a mummy who turns up a much larger story. It was a little predictable but fun. And I thoroughly enjoyed BACK AFTER THIS by Linda Holmes, about a professional podcast producer who is a bit stuck in her life and takes on the job of going on twenty first dates in the hopes of creating a new hit podcast.
Trisha, That’s so nice that you had an exciting week. I’m not surprised it’s a little nicer to be home in Rhode Island though. And, I’m glad your online course was wonderful!
Both of your novels sound interesting as well.
Hello everyone, it’s been a few weeks. Work has been very busy. Especially now that school is out. My team and I have been out in of the schools every day this week boxing up books that the district is no longer going to use. It’s been in the 90s and the schools shut the AC off during the summer. During lunch, everyone goes home and showers except me. I live about 20 miles away
Luckily, this time around I’m allowed to donate them in the public library. Although the president of The Friends of the Library might be regretting that decision soon. Right now we were up to 40 watermelon boxes full of books to give them.
Since I’ve been so busy at work I really haven’t really had time to read. I finished a book this week – THE VATICAN DEAL by Michael Balter courtesy of NetGalley. The “Vatican Deal” is an interesting dive into the power that Vatican City has. As the world’s smallest country, it has tons of artwork and its own bank. Interestingly, in 2012, the U.S. listed Vatican City as a concern for money laundering. The book touches on the money laundering as well as how the Mafia holds control over Italy. Two conflicting Mafia gangs are at war to establish themselves as leaders. Bo and Marty, the book’s main characters, go to Vatican City and finalize a deal to obtain the Vatican’s foundry. Only they end up finding out it’s a bid for control of the Vatican bank. With the Mafia involved, it’s to be expected there will be several murders and a couple of kidnappings.
Now I’m reading THROWING SHADOWS by Claire Booth. This is one of favorite series and I was excited to get a copy from NetGalley. So far so good.
Yes, twenty miles is a little ways to go home for a shower on your lunch hour, Bev. I’m glad you’re able to donate the books to the public library.
Claire Booth! I love that series, too. Nice to hear the new one is good.
Hi Lesa! Getting ready for Summer Reading at the library I work. FUN! I just started listening to “atmosphere” by Taylor Jenkins Reid on audio. My print book is The Painter’s Daughter by Julie Klassen for my book club. Reading a netgalley of Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham on kindle.
Have a great week.
Summer reading, Katherine. Brings back memories. Have a good week at work, and enjoy your books!
After hobbling around for a couple of days, I made it to what was supposed to be a Santana tribute show, but was really just a cover band. There needs to be some sort of definition to “tribute” we can all agree on.
This week I read:
Tom Mix Died For Your Sins by Darryl Ponicsan; A cynical 70’s type novel about a guy who hangs around Tom Mix as he makes his way to movie stardom. Reminded me of The Flim Flam Man. Completely skipped over Mix’s stint in the Mexican Revolution.
Separation by James Axler; One of the 90’s postapocalyptic books about a band of survivalists roaming the post nuke world. That’s starting to seem very relevant again. They go to a sea island where the African American population have imposed segregation. Seems very prescient.
The Death Mask by Iris Johansen; I thought this must surely be some sort of parody, but apparently not. A billionaire decides Eve Duncan is the only one who can make an Egyptian death mask, and is willing to do anything to get her. It was like watching an episode of Batman 1966, or something like that.
Arctic Gambit by Larry Bond; Russians are making a super weapon, an American sub sinks. Lots and Sturm und Drang without a lot of payoff.
Glen, I hope you’re starting to do better after your fall.
It doesn’t sound as if the books were great this week, though.
Hi, everyone…. I could really demolish a few stuffed baked potatoes. lol Glad you have had some quite time, Lesa, and hope you are doing better.
Me? Not so hot, but I am here.
We missed the severe weather the other night that was predicted and kept the power, with flickers and half minute outages, so we were lucky.
Current read–River of Lies: A Detective Emily Hunter Mystery by James L’Etoile. This is the second in the police procedural series that began with FACE OF GREED.
Oh, Kevin. You, me, Glen, Lindy. It’s heck to get older, isn’t it?And, your weather doesn’t help you at all. Take care of yourself. And, I hope you have a good book or two.
I finished Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz which was perfect to me.
I also finished One Final Turn by Ashley Weaver, the finale to the Electra McDonnell series. It got a little rushed at the end but it was a pleasing ending to a series I enjoyed.
Lastly, The Memory Library by Kate Storey. Ella returns to England from Australia after her mother falls. There she discovers her mother has kept a library for her containing a book for each of the 21 years she’s been gone with a quote about why she chose it. I loved the supporting characters and, of course, all the books discussed. From Kindle Unlimited.
Sorry to hear you are not feeling your best, Lesa.
Happy Reading!
A week of good books, Sharon. I loved The Memory Library. Just a beautiful book.
Thank you for the reading wishes! The same to you.