My favorite day of the week, Thursday. It’s been a quiet week here, great weather and time to read. What about you? What did you do this week? What are you reading?
Most of Madeline Martin’s novels are set during World War II. I loved The Last Bookshop in London. The Booklover’s Library even had a cameo by one of the characters from The Last Bookshop in London. Now, in The Secret Book Society, Martin takes us back to Victorian England, to 1895, when women could be locked away in asylums at the whim of a husband or relative. The Secret Book Society opens with a message to Clara Chambers, the Countess of Duxbury, that a friend has been taken to an asylum.
I’m reading this book, but I’m not far into it, so here’s the blurb.
You are cordially invited to the Secret Book Society…
London, 1895: Trapped by oppressive marriages and societal expectations, three women receive a mysterious invitation to an afternoon tea at the home of the reclusive Lady Duxbury. Beneath the genteel facade of the gathering lies a secret book club—a sanctuary where they can discover freedom, sisterhood, and the courage to rewrite their stories.
Eleanor Clarke, a devoted mother suffocating under the tyranny of her husband. Rose Wharton, a transplanted American dollar princess struggling to fit the mold of an aristocratic wife. Lavinia Cavendish, an artistic young woman haunted by a dangerous family secret. All are drawn to the enigmatic Lady Duxbury, a thrice-widowed countess whose husbands’ untimely deaths have sparked whispers of murder.
As the women form deep, heartwarming friendships, they uncover secrets about their marriages, their pasts, and the risks they face. Their courage is their only weapon in the oppressive world that has kept them silent, but when secrets are deadly, one misstep could cost them everything.
I’m actually finishing a nonfiction book, and reading two other novels besides this one, including Tim Sullivan’s The Patient. What about you? What are you reading this week?
It’s cooled down again, but it might heat up to real summer weather pretty soon.
Went and saw the new Conjuring movie. Very loosely based on the allegedly true cases of the Warren Family, this one is about a cursed mirror in Western Pennsylvania. It wasn’t very scary, but did manage to have a creepy atmosphere. Pretty good in this day and age.
This week I read:
Midnight Flyboys by Bruce Henderson; All about the Air forces that dropped Men and Materiel to the underground in France at great risk. There are so many cases of bravery in WWII, we may never get to them all.
Win Or Lose by Alex Morgan; For the book club. Somehow, we’re reading the second book first. It’s about a girls’ soccer team. After they finally stop sucking, the local paper misquotes one of the girls, and almost tears the team apart. Fake news even in seventh grade soccer.
Shee McQueen: Bloodlins by Amy Vansant; An actionless action novel. There’s a lot of talk about how tough everybody is, but they don’t do much. The plot is the old invitation-to-remote-island-to-see-the-mother-Shee’s-never-met. Everybody in the group is in a lame relationship with someone else in the group. I don’t know who this is supposed to be for.
I think you’re right, Glen. So many stories of heroism, and some of those people never wanted their story to be told. There are so many books still coming out.
Last week we had a lots of things to take care of on Thursday, some of them unexpected, so I never got time to comment on Thursday’s post. So this week I am getting in there early because we will be out again on Thursday a.m.
The weather has been hotter here and not pleasant. Friday the Planned Parenthood Book Sale starts, a ten-day event that we go to at least 5 times, and we are looking forward to it. I am sure I will buy way too many books.
Glen finished reading THE PLEASURE OF READING, edited by Antonia Fraser. He ended up liking about a third the pieces; for example, those by Jan Morris, Philip Ziegler, Ruth Rendell, Jane Gardam and Margaret Atwood. He is still reading the book of short stories by Cornell Woolrich, NIGHT AND FEAR, and he is enjoying most of those stories.
Recently I finished reading THE ’44 VINTAGE by Anthony Price. This is the eighth book in Price’s David Audley series of nineteen books, all published between 1970 and 1990. The series is in the spy fiction genre, and the stories are Cold War espionage. Except for this one, which takes place near the end of World War II, and is kind of an origin story for the two main characters in the series, historian and intelligence agent David Audley and Colonel Jack Butler. I loved this book and all the other books I have read in the series; each book focuses on different historical event. THE ’44 VINTAGE would not be a good place to start the series, though.
Currently I am reading STATE OF WONDER by Ann Patchett, set mostly in Brazil. The story is about Dr. Annick Swenson, an older woman who has been researching a proposed fertility drug for a pharmaceutical firm based in Minnesota. She is living in the Amazon jungle working in a lab but she has not reported back on her progress for a long time. Dr. Marina Singh, a pharmacologist working for the same firm, goes to Brazil to find out the status of Dr. Swenson’s research. It is a very bizarre story, although it gets very much better at the halfway point.
Tracy, I meant to thank you for mentioning THE PLEASURE OF READING. I’m enjoying it too.
Jeff, I am glad you are enjoying it. I want to read it too, sometime soon.
Tracy, Haven’t you been saving your book money for this booksale? Have fun! Good luck in finding some interesting books.
That’s the problem with an anthology. Different levels of quality and interest. At least Glen is finding some stories he likes.
I’m glad The State ofWonder got better for you.
Lesa, The Secret Book Society is on my list so I’ll be very interested to hear what you think of it.
The only thing of note David and I did this week was renew our passports. On Saturday we had the photos taken. Then over the next few days I filled out all the required forms. Then yesterday – photos, forms, and credit cards in hand we drove to the passport renewal centre. Great joy! We were the first people to be helped. It felt like winning the lottery. Twenty minutes into the process, almost at the end, the staff member noticed that the photos had been stamped with the wrong year; 2026 instead of 2025. From great joy we went to great annoyance because that little error by the photographer meant the process couldn’t be finalized. Off we went to get new pictures taken, then back to the passport centre where the wait was now 50 minutes. No new problems arose after that, everything was finalized, and we were able to leave. Now we wait five weeks for the new passports to arrive.
Books I read this week:
REWITCHED by Lucy Jane Wood
I really enjoyed this cozy, witchy story.
Belle comes from a long line of witches. At the age of fifteen she was granted her magic, but since then Belle has largely kept her magic hidden. Oh, she uses the occasional small spell but nothing of great import. For one thing, she lives and works in the non-witch world and doesn’t have much of an opportunity to use magic. For another, she is most definitely not a confident person and gets by more easily living the life she does – working in a bookstore and enjoying being with her best friend, who is not a witch. The more time goes by, the easier it is to not explore her magical abilities; it always felt best not to take the risk of drawing attention to herself. But now, on her 30th birthday, she’s been summoned by the coven to prove that she has honed her craft during the past fifteen years and is worthy of being allowed to keep her magic.
Belle may have neglected her magic, but as she goes through the tests and challenges she begins to realize that she’s missed using her magic all these years and that it’s important to her after all. But proving her worthiness as a witch is harder than anticipated and she’s in danger of being stripped of her magic.
The book is surprisingly suspenseful and dramatic. There’s mystery (someone or something is working against her). There’s a bit of a possible romantic interest (the handsome yet oh so annoying man sent by the coven to be her ‘watchman’ and keep her safe). She has been assigned a ‘mentor’ by the coven leaders (a last resort choice of person on their part due to there being no other options whatsoever). There are magical elements galore and vivid descriptions abound. And lots of fun dialogue.
A delightfully heartwarming story with some great characters to root for, showing the value of family and friends but is ultimately about learning to believe in yourself, not be afraid of failure and to feel worthy – all done in a way that entertains and often has us either smiling or on the edge of our seat. A fun read!
ALL THE BEAUTY IN THE WORLD: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me, by Patrick Bringley
A change of pace for me, this book. I very seldom read non-fiction but something about this one called to me. I’ve never been to The Met but after reading this book I sure do want to visit it.
When he was 26, the author’s two-years-older brother died of cancer. Needing space, calm, and stillness to grieve, the author quit his high-flying dream job at The New Yorker Magazine and began working as a guard at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he worked for ten years. He manages to make this huge institution feel accessible, as is the book itself. He makes it all sound so wonderful it’s like being granted a private tour – full of anecdotes about the museum itself, and many of his fellow guards, and the museum visitors; but it’s also full of little snippets of info and his thoughts about art in general, how it’s created and how it relates to every one of us, not matter how long ago it came into being.
The author has a deep respect and appreciation for all sorts of art, which comes through clearly in his own words. I liked reading his explanation of how ‘new’ the work by artists of the Renaissance was at the time. It was a whole different way of painting people – as real people rather than as symbols of something. So interesting; I’d never thought of it like that before.
I didn’t think I had any particular interest in African Art but his description and accompanying line drawing of a certain nkisi (power figure) carved by the Songye people made that a must-see art work for me, should I every go to The Met.
The story of what a huge undertaking it was for Michelangelo to create the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel was fascinating and informative.
None of the anecdotes or stories or thoughts about art are very long, but they’re just long enough to make me interested in all of it.
At the end of the book there’s a list of art works that were referenced in the text, so even if I don’t ever get to visit the museum I can look all of them up and maybe learn about them and learn from them.
Lindy, that book by Patrick Bringly sounds excellent. I very much doubt our library system will have it, but I’ll definitely have a look. Failing that I’ll see how much it is online. Thank you so much for telling us about it. (And I doubt I’ll ever get to the Met either. I don’t really enjoy travelling, and to be honest neither we nor many of our friends want to visit the US at the moment – though having said that, our son and his wife had a wonderful time when they visited members of her family in New York and Hartford (?) in April.)
Rosemary, that reminds me that years ago, our good friends from the Manchester area visited us and, while Jackie rested outside, I took them through the Metropolitan Museum. Sadly, he is no longer with us.
Lindy, I read All the Beauty in the World when it first came out, and really enjoyed it. He did a wonderful job in bringing the Met to life.
Bewitched sounds good. Thank you for sharing it.
I enjoy the accounts of your little adventures.
I loved ALL THE BEAUTY IN THE WORLD: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me, by Patrick Bringley
it’s a book i would love to place in the hands of my favorite people.
Things cooled down a little here this week. I’m not ready for fall! But it should warm up again in a few days.
Reading wise, I’m reading something set in a very cold climate. I’m reading MRS. CLAUS AND THE VERY VICIOUS VALENTINE by Liz Ireland. I LOVE this series, and so far, this book is no exception. I’m about a third of the way through and smiling the entire time.
I love that series, too, Mark. I picked up every book saying that sounds ridiculous, but I always enjoy the story.
Things have definitely cooled down here as well. I’m reading Richard Russo’s Bridge of Sighs – am nearly done!
I hope you’re enjoying Bridge of Sighs, Melissa.
Hi all,
We’ve had some wonderful weather in Aberdeenshire this week, beautiful sunny days.
On Monday I had a fabulous walk on the Finzean estate with my friend Karen. It’s a spectacular part of South Deeside, so green and peaceful, with great views to the hills. And of course Finzean (pronounced Fingan, no idea why…) has a particularly good farm shop and cafe, so in we went for our coffee. I immediately bumped into another friend there – it’s a very popular place. The village has some very lovely houses too – at this time of year I always think I’d like to live there, but of course in the winter it’s a bit different.
On Tuesday I met up with another friend and we also had a great walk, starting at Drum Castle (National Trust for Scotland), then out into the countryside, through the fields, back into the woodlands and eventually returning to the castle grounds. And as the castle cafe wasn’t open, we had our coffee at the nearby garden centre.
Two really nice mornings.
Yesterday I was in town to see the Gray’s School of Art postgraduate exhibition, and another exhibition of work by the teaching staff. I had a great chat with one of the tutors, who gave me lots of advice for my youngest, Madeleine, who has just finished her Masters in Glasgow School of Art.
After that I had my shingles vaccination booster. The vaccination centre is usually very quiet and organised, but I managed to coincide with the clinic giving flu vaccines to children aged 2-5; absolute pademonium! However, I was given chocolate – never been offered that before.
Today we are going to a talk at Charles Michie’s (pharmacy); they put on some really good events, and they’re getting so popular now that you need to get there early. We’re planning first to have our coffee and cake at The Breadmaker, which is a social enterprise bakery and very good cafe.
Most of the rest of this week has been taken up with my work on the gallery Micro-commissions awards. I had to have my scoring and comments on all forty submissions in by yesterday, so whenever I was home I had my head down (or rather, my eyes glued to the screen…) We have an all-day meeting on Monday to review all of the applications and make the three awards.
So what with all of this, I’m sorry to say I haven’t even finished the book I mentioned last week (though I only have a few pages to go.) This did not deter me from yesterday popping into the Oxfam Bookshop and buying A LIFE WITH FOOD by Peter Langan.
Langan was a very well known chef and restaurateur in London in the 1960s and 70 (He set up Langan’s Brasserie with the actor Michael Caine.) This book began as his memoir; he died before he finished it but he had made very detailed plans for each chapter. It was printed as he left it, but with annotations by his friend Brian Sewell. As well as Langan’s life story (he grew up in Ireland and had a very colourful life) the book discusses favourite art, favourite recipes, and, I think, quite a lot of gossip about affluent London socity of the time.
Meanwhile, I finished LOCH NESS on TV but all I’ve watched since is an episode of the CELEBRITY POTTERY THROWDOWN. So it really has been a very poor week for culture, but it was great to be able to enjoy the weather while it lasted. We have another fine day today, but it’s definitely getting cooler.
I’ll stop now as we need to catch a bus soon. I hope everyone has a good week, and I also hope I’ll have read *slightly* more by next Thursday!
Rosemary, I don’t blame you one bit for picking up A Life with Food. It sounds fascinating. And, that’s okay that you didn’t finish a book. We always enjoy your accounts of your walks and cafes and art.
Thank you for finding time in your busy schedule to tell us about your week. We miss those accounts when you’re in Edinburgh for over a month.
Rosemary, I wish they gave out chocolate when I got my shots. Unfortunately, if they did it’d probably be something like Hershey bars that I don’t like.
They only had it because of the children Sandy! They were just being kind to me. It was Cadbury’s Dairy Milk, the most well known chocolate in the UK. But it was good!
You can’t go wrong with Cadbury, Rosemary. Dairy Milk is one of my favorites, though I also like any with almonds.
I really prefer plain chocolate Jeff, but I certainly didn’t say no to what was on offer!!
Rosemary, how long do you walk for on these wonderful walks you go on? Sounds like they take hours – you see and do so much. Scotland is the one place in the world I’d like to visit one day but my limit for a single walk, ramble, whatever, is an hour and a half, after which I’d need several cups of tea to recuperate!
It’s been cooler here too. We’ve been working on redoing the raised beds for my vegetable garden so I didn’t get a lot of reading time.
I read WE’LL PRESCRIBE YOU ANOTHER CAT by Syou Ishida. It’s the second book of stories about the Kokomo Clinic for the Soul that prescribes cats as treatment. There’s a third book but it won’t be published in the US until next year.
I’m currently reading a book I won on Librarything, BENJI ZEB IS A RAVENOUS WEREWOLF by Deke Moulton. So far it’s totally not what I was expecting based on the title. Benji is a socially awkward 13 year old preparing for his bar mitzvah. He and his family also happen to be werewolves who live in a kibbutz in the United States and who’s cover is running a wolf sanctuary.
Sandy, I need to pick up the first in that series, We’ll Prescribe You a Cat. Kaye Barley recommended it to me quite a while ago, and I never got around to it. I should have, though.
I feel like September 11 really snuck up on me this year. Of course, I remember everything about that day and the days that followed.
OK, it’s been a week since my second cataract surgery and everything is fine. The weather has been really good – we did get some needed rain and will get more in a few days – and schools are open. There is the slightest hint of Fall (squirrels and acorns everywhere) but it is still mostly a late summer feel.
Books, then. Jackie finished her vampire book and is reading Linda Castillo’s RAGE. The new J. D. Robb came in from the Cloud Library, so she will read that one next, of course.
I’m currently reading four books, two collections of stories, a mystery, and a book of writers talking about THE PLEASURE OF READING.
First, however, I did finish the Tod Goldberg-edited anthology, Eight Very Bad Nights: A Collection of Hanukkah Noir. It was a variable collection, with the highlight being his brother Lee Goldberg’s “If I Were a Rich Man” and Tod’s own story, though a couple of others stood out too. The two collections I am reading now are by Walter Tevis (known for writing THE HUSTLER and THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH and THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT), THE KING IS DEAD (more when I finish it), and Patrick Ryan (whose new BUCKEYE I have on hold), THE DREAM LIFE OF ASTRONAUTS. This one is set entirely in the Cape Canaveral area. Again, more when I finish, next week.
The Pleasure of Reading was edited by Lady Antonia Fraser. The subtitle is “43 Writers on the Discovery of Reading and the Books that Inspired Them.” So far, all the authors whose chapters I’ve read are dead (Doris Lessing, Patrick Leigh Fermor, Stephen Spender), but it is quite interesting reading about how they discovered reading, what they read growing up, and their 10 favorite books.
Sulari Gentill’s Five Found Dead was discussed here by Lesa a while ago. This is a Christie-like MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS homage of sorts, with Australian twins Joe and Meredith Penvale riding the famous train to celebrate Joe’s recovery from cancer, as well as his successful first novel. Other passengers include cops and former cops from Britain, France and the U.S. (an obnoxious PI), among others, and people start dying, gruesomely. This a a fast, mostly fun read that you can zip through in no time. It’s the second of her standalones I’ve read, and I enjoyed both.
Tim Sullivan’s third Sgt. George Cross book is The Patient. A young woman’s mother comes to the Bristol police station to insist her daughter’s overdose was not self-inflicted but rather murder. Seems she had been clean for two years since she gave birth to a daughter, and while that is certainly no reason to doubt the suicide or accidental overdose angle, George finds a couple of reasons to believe it was, indeed, murder. Meanwhile, his hoarder father Raymond is in the hospital with a broken hip, and George has to clean up his house before his father can return. I’ve read over half of this one and should finish it quickly. Thanks again to Lesa for recommending this series, and I will continue to read through them when I don’t have any more pressing things to read.
Up next (also from the Cloud Library), P. J. Tracy’s new Monkeewrench book, THE DEEPEST CUT.
Jeff, I’ll be interested to see what you think of the new Monkeewrench book. I’m on hold for it at the library. I enjoyed almost all of the books in this series. It’s been a while since she had one out.
I’m reading The Patient right now. You’re welcome! I’m loving this series and George.
Another day full of errands ahead, but first a stop at Lesa’s with my cup of peppermint tea.
I finished the Steinbeck biography I was reading and JL Carr’s A Month in the Country. Then started in to Horowitz’s The Marble Hall Murders, number three in his Susan Ryeland series, which, oddly enough, he wrote because someone (I’ve heard either the author’s wife or the lead actress) wanted to film another episode.
Something interesting for readers of Susan Wittig Albert’s 31 book Pecan Springs mystery series. The author plans to update and serialize the novels. The first book will be 33 weekly episodes with links on the website (susanalbert.com).
I’ve dabbled in this series, but out of order, it will be interesting to read how it all started.
MM, Thanks for spending time with your tea and us!
You’re the first one I’ve seen mention Susan Wittig Albert, except for one of my close friends, in years. She just doesn’t come up in conversation. Thank you for passing on the information. I’ll have to let him know.
Happy Thursday, All. More kitchen remodeling work being done (much patience required) and my poor husband has brought back some kind of crud from him trip to Texas. Poor guy – day 5 and no let up in sight. Thankfully the weather has warmed up and we are able to have the windows open and so far (knock on wood), I haven’t caught it. Fingers crossed for both of us.
This week I listened to “The Girl in the Green Dress” by Mariah Fredericks, a much appreciated ARC from NetGalley. Set in the 1920’s Jazz Age, Morris Markey is a young, up and coming journalist in New York city. Fresh from serving in the war, he is anxious to leave those memories behind and make a name for himself. Living in a tenement across from Joseph Elwell, an older “man about town”, Markey gets his big break when he witnesses Elwell squiring a woman in a green dress to his abode on the night before he is murdered. Markey gains access to the dead man’s house minutes after the housekeeper finds his dead body, by claiming to be a health care worker. Once he is sure Elwell is dead, he uses his access time to snoop through Elwell’s private rooms. He finds that Elwell has many photos of young married ladies in his bedroom, as well as a separate boudoir containing an assortment of ladies night time wear. From this trespass, he creates a story line for the newspaper that the girl in the green dress shot Mr. Elwell in a fit of jealousy. As the story, and Markey, gain popularity, it becomes imperative that he finds this woman to prove his theory correct. In order to gain access to the speakeasy’s where Elwell hung out, Morris calls on F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda to squire him into these private clubs. Soon Zelda is as immersed into solving the crime, and finding Markey’s prime suspect, as Markey is himself. As exciting as the leads and paths that Morris takes to solve this mystery, equally interesting are the insights into the lives of the Fitzgerald’s and their antics and idiosyncrasy’s. A historically based piece of fiction that is sure to please any reader who is a fan of the Jazz Age and curious to learn more about Zelda Fitzgerald.
Interesting, Mary. I just shared a review of Girl in a Green Dress today. It was written by Oline Cogdill, and shared on The Poisoned Pen’s blog site. I’ve read some of Mariah Fredericks’ books before, and felt she left a series unfinished. But, it might have been her publisher who left it unfinished.
I hope your husband gets well soon!
Thank you for the well wishes for my hubby, Lesa!
Five days is a long time for your husband to be ill, especially with no improvement yet. I hope he gets better soon and that you stay well yourself!
I’m sure your kitchen will be a joy to see and to use once it’s all done. Exciting!
Good morning! As Glen said, it has been cooler in our neck of the woods in Northern California, but we are promised (!) a return to the nineties within the next week. I’ve really enjoyed being able to go out for a walk in early morning wearing a windbreaker! Nothing much to report except that a monthly luncheon that I sometimes attend was very different this month. Instead of three food offerings we could choose in advance, it was a buffet, featuring such diverse things as pizza, mac and cheese, Caesar salad, French dip sandwiches, and turkey sandwiches, not to mention mini-cupcakes and large cookies. Sometimes I don’t go because I don’t want any of the choices at the price that I would have to pay, but I was intrigued by the buffet. And unlike the usual, there were fewer people attending, and I sat at a table in an open-air patio where I knew everyone except the person sitting next to me, who was delightful. And the restaurant, Iron Horse Tavern, gave everyone a little bag with a $10 gift card for the restaurant and some designer chocolates. I usually don’t order a drink, but I enjoyed a mimosa, just because . . . I’m looking forward to seeing the Some Like it Hot musical in Sacramento this weekend. Here’s what I’ve been reading.
British lexicographer, etymologist, and prolific author Susie Dent was encouraged to try her hand at fiction for the first time, and the result is GUILTY BY DEFINITION, a bestseller in Europe last year that will be published in the US this month. As a self-professed word nerd, the idea of a mashup of a whodunit with a scholarly look at word sleuths was definitely attractive to me. It is a book that starts slowly and remains mostly quiet, but when the mystery kicks in, things get a bit more lively. It revolves around a group of employees in Oxford who maintain the Clarendon English Dictionary, constantly looking for earlier references to the words in the dictionary, as well as new words to add. But Martha, the new senior editor, is also dealing with her guilt about not being able to save her older sister, Charlie, a former CED employee who vanished a decade ago and is presumed dead. When she and her coworkers start receiving cryptic letters and postcards from an unidentified sender that seem to refer to Charlie, they set out to decipher the missives, many of which are based on Shakespearean references. The clues sometimes lead to communications with other interested (or involved?) parties, as well as the police.At the beginning of each chapter is an esoteric word with the century in which it was first used, although a definition is not included. It is unclear whether these words have anything to do with the chapter. But It is absorbing to read how the group figures out how to decode each letter or postcard, even though the resulting sentences are often still mystifying. Not being a Shakespeare scholar, I wasn’t tempted to try to do any decoding myself. Dent’s writing has depth, and her use of words is impressive. This is a very ambitious and admirable accomplishment, which will have different levels of success, depending on whether the reader is patient enough to slow down and read every word, and possibly on the reader’s knowledge of Shakespeare. Kudos to Susie Dent. (September 30)
I had never seen or heard of comedian/actress Leanne Morgan until I recently discovered her Netflix sitcom–I binged all 16 episodes–and 2023 standup special. But now I’m obsessed. There’s something about her Southern sweetness and simultaneous snark that is so endearing and so hilarious that I’m now watching every excerpt of her standup that I can find on Facebook and YouTube. So, of course, I had to read her 2024 autobiography, WHAT IN THE WORLD?! And I found a lovely book that I finished in a day. Some of it reads like part of her standup patter, which I relished, some is more thoughtful, more revealing, and all of it reads as authentic. Leanne is anything but an overnight success; she’s been working towards it for 25 years. She beat the odds from a humble background in rural Tennessee to her current success with tenacity and a belief that it would happen. But family–her husband of 30+ years, her 3 children, and her two grandchildren–have always come first. Her comedy is sharp but clean. It resonates especially with women of a certain age (she is almost 60) but has something for everyone to laugh about. I was pleased to discover that the book feels like Leanne is speaking from the heart. It’s not a ghostwriter’s impression of her. If you are aware of Leanne and want to learn more about her, this book as a great place to start. And it was just announced that her sitcom, Leanne, has been renewed for a second season.
In the second of Ellen Byron’s Golden Motel Mysteries, SOLID GOLD MURDER, Dee Stern is thrilled to see that the refurbished Golden Motel, which she co-owns with her best friend and ex-husband Jeff, is starting to attract guests. That may be because they offer guests the opportunity to pan for gold on the property (for fun) in the hopes that they can apply what they learn to find real gold in the surrounding areas. Among those who come to stay at the motel are a group of four Silicon Valley techies led by Sylvan Burr, an obnoxious young entrepreneur who struck it rich early and sold his company for a huge payout. But–you guessed it– it’s not long before Sylvan suffers a tragic death. It’s true that one or more of his cronies may be upset with him, but there are others in the town that have a beef with him as well, so there is no lack of suspects. Dee wonders whether the nickname “Murder Motel,” bestowed on it by her nemesis, Verity, will affect the motel’s attraction for guests. This is a light cozy mystery, perfect for readers who might want a break from more demanding books. I enjoyed meeting the locals that were introduced in the first book in the series and found Dee herself to suffer a bit of TSTL (Too Stupid to Live)–she has had a record number of hospital visits for endangering herself in the investigations–but her heart is in the right place. Jeff is a bit of a misfit, but again, he’s easy to root for. I particularly like Dee’s father, who plays “Prospector Pete” for the motel guests and had a career as a voiceover artist for animated characters. Byron is a seasoned writer who knows how to balance action and character development in her cozies.
Margie, we are watching LEANNE too. You’re right about her appeal – Jackie really likes the show, but I like it too. And Kristen Johnston is perfect casting as her sister. We have the standup special ready to watch.
Jeff, it took me a couple of episodes to appreciate it (it’s a Chuck Lorre sitcom but was certainly nothing like my favorite, The Big Bang Theory!). But then it suddenly clicked, and now I can’t get enough. Her second Netflix standup special will release on November 4, and tonight she and her family will compete on Family Feud!
Margie, I’ve been to the Iron Horse Tavern multiple times. I always enjoy it.
I like the sound of Leanne Morgan’s autobiography Margie, and shall seek it out. Thanks!
Margie! I know of Leanne Morgan. I watch some of her videos on Facebook and YouTube. She is funny. I haven’t seen the Netflix series since I don’t subscribe to Netflix, but I really enjoy her humor. Thanks for mentioning her, her book and the series.
The buffet sounds good to me!
Both of my books this week were just okay. Hopefully, I will make better selections this week.
THE STORYTELLERS by Sue Heath from Kindle Unlimited was about 4 lonely people who meet at the library and compete in a writing competition. Each person has to write their own chapters to complete the novella. In between the chapters of the novella the other chapters tell you something about each of the writers. I really didn’t connect with any of the characters, and I had a hard time following the thread of the novella they wrote.
I enjoyed my second book, Reports of His Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated by James Goodhand more mostly because of the heartwarming ending. It told the story of Raymond Thorn, who once was a respected caretaker at a school and now leads the life of a hoarder and lonely old man. While offering to help his neighbor whose utilities are out warm up, the man dies in Raymond’s house. The paramedics mistakenly pick up Raymond’s wallet and identify Raymond as the deceased. Told with alternating chapters of Raymond’s life and present day it is a story of a kind man who made a difference in the lives of the many people he came across.
Sunshine and summer are back to Cincinnati today. It’s a good day to be on my courtyard enjoying it with a good book.
Happy Reading!
Isn’t this weather beautiful for sitting outside and reading, Sharon? I had errands to run today, but tomorrow I intend to be out there.
Good luck in picking better books this next week!
I finished The Persian Pickle Club and loved it so much. I love the quilting group and plan to read all of Sandra Dallas’ books as they become affordable. I put them on my Amazon wish list and when the price gets low enough, buy it.
I also finished a very long book, The Devil Reached Toward The Sky by Garrett M. Graff about the development of the atomic bomb. It is a detailed history through quotes. A tremendous amount of money was spent on this program, people lost farms that had been in their families for generations and it was done in extreme secrecy. many people not knowing what they were working but that it was for the war effort. Many decisions including whether or to use it had to made made. Then there was a detail description of missions to drop it and what the bombers and pilots saw from above and and many first hand descriptions of those below.
And there were accounts from school children searching for their parents, finding their homes demolished. Prisoners of War from Australa, Korea, England, Scotland, United States, Wales, New Zealand,
And the horrible effects of radiation sickness, and United States trying to keep it secret. I have read John Hershey’s Hiroshima all in that book was in this one and more. I learned that the Japanese did not want to marry people from Hiroshima and Nagasaki because of the horrible radiation sickness. So it was very difficult for women from those cities to find husbands who who would accept them.
This book is extremely comprehensive, I know about the Thin Man which was dropped on Hiroshima and the Fat Boy dropped on Nagasaki and the importance of good weather so the target could be seen. I learned about the long hours people worked on this project and the many hardships that they endured. I had already known that there must never be another nuclear war but how to get the information across to politicians who do not realize the complete destruction that it causes.
Carol, I’m so glad you liked The Persian Pickle Club. One of my all-time favorites. I made everyone in my family read it.
The Devil Reached to the Sky sounds like a tough one to read.
Carol, your books this week are so different from one another! And yet I think I’d like to read them both. Thank you!
I am finding myself, more and more, in need of comfort reads. I’m just not sure there will be enough of them to get me through the next three and a half years.
WHERE LIGHT LINGERS by Ashley Farley fits the bill perfectly.
Description from Amazon
“Sometimes the quietest miracles grow in the darkest seasons.
After six years of caring for her ailing parents, literature professor Selwyn Aldridge is alone in the weathered Victorian house where she grew up. Grief hangs heavy in every room, and her mother’s once-glorious garden is buried beneath weeds. When a bottle of morphine disappears during a moment of despair, Selwyn begins to question her grip on reality—until a radiant stranger named Blossom appears, arriving with uncanny timing and an instinct for exactly what Selwyn needs.
With Blossom’s quiet guidance, Selwyn begins to restore her mother’s garden—and, slowly, her own sense of purpose. But when an old flame resurfaces, a pregnant student turns up in need, and strange disturbances echo from the garage apartment, it becomes clear Selwyn’s story is far from over.
Set against the lush, literary backdrop of Oxford, Mississippi, Where the Light Lingers is a soulful novel about second chances, chosen family, and the quiet miracles that take root when we begin again.
For readers who loved The Secret to Southern Charm by Kristy Woodson Harvey or The Summer House by Lauren K. Denton—this soulful Southern novel will speak to your heart.”
Lesa. i think you will enjoy this one. ❤
Kaye, I know what you mean! I have to throw comfort reads into the mix to recover from more difficult books and from the never-ending news, of course. And if it’s a holiday book, it’s even better. I just requested Jenny Bayliss’s new book, I’ll Be Home for Christmas, and picked up Debbie Johnson’s Christmas Wishes and Irish Kisses on Storm (I have an auto-approval there).
Margie – yes! i am ready for some Christmas reads as well.
Thank you, Kaye. Maybe that’s why I can’t seem to settle into a book. Would you believe I’m finding Tim Sullivan’s DS Cross books to be comfort reads. I’ll have to look for this one. I continue to put books on hold at the library, looking for the perfect escape.
Hugs!
After taking a couple of days–literally– to read FRAMED IN DEATH by JD Robb via the library, I am back on Michael Connelly’s THE PROVING GROUND due out the middle of next month. The new one in the Lincoln Lawyer series by way of the publisher and NetGalley.
False Fall is over here and the heat is back on with air pollution watches and bad air quality. People seem surprised. Even those who have lived here more than a year or two and should know better.
Kevin, I liked Framed in Death, but I liked Bonded in Death more.
I’m looking forward to Michael Connelly’s new series about his years as a crime reporter.