Welcome to “Thursdays with Lesa”, otherwise known as “What Are You Reading?”, the day we all get to talk about what we’ve been doing, and what we’ve been reading.
I’m going to miss this warm weather in a few months. In the meantime, I’m enjoying the 70s and 80s. I’ve been using these days to read, days when I don’t have appointments.
I have a few books lined up to read because they’ll be released next week. In the meantime, I needed a good mystery, so I picked up Martin Walker’s The Dark Vineyard, the second book in his Bruno, Chief of Police series. The book opens with a fire that burns a shed and crops, a fire that turns out to be arson. It’s also a fire that catches the attention of a businessman who hopes to buy land to grow grapes and make wine. The fire burned property where the government was growing GMO crops. That attracts the attention of the government in Paris, bringing in a brigadier who plans to quash demonstrations and anyone opposed to the government plans.
Bruno, the only policeman for Saint-Denis fears his town is going to explode, the town he loves and protects.
What about you? What are you doing this week? And, most important, what are you reading?
I have nothing of interest or importance to tell anyone this week. How dull. Yesterday was ridiculously hot for mid-September (over 87 F) and I did not enjoy it one little bit. David and I got a pneumonia vaccine today. Our first ever. Our doctor said it was important to get it, and the pharmacist seemed horrified that we’d not done it before.
This week I read:
MATCHMAKING FOR BEGINNERS by Maddie Dawson
Marnie has a vision of what her perfect life will look like – the perfect husband, kids, house – and she’s well on her way to having it all because she’s about to marry her dream guy. But that vision unravels very quickly and spectacularly. So now what?
Then she finds out that her now ex-husband’s great-aunt Blix – who Marnie met while being introduced to her future in-laws at a party – has died and left her NYC brownstone to Marnie. Along with the house come tenants and a neighbour, including all their various issues, emotional and otherwise, for Marnie to get to know as she finds her way to the ‘big, big life’ that Blix told her was waiting for her.
I’m of two minds about this book, mostly because I didn’t like Marnie very much; right from the start she made and kept making some highly questionable decisions re men and cheating, which did not endear her to me at all. Nor did she seem to have any idea how to stand up for herself even a little bit. I wanted to yell at her which of course is useless when reading a book (or really any time) so I had to content myself with being sorely disappointed in her, and just try to enjoy the supporting characters. And yet the story was so compulsively readable that I wanted to know how it all ended.
The story had a bit of everything; it was in turns funny, sappy, wise, annoying, sad/unhappy, ridiculous. One of the most fun parts to read were the conversations by text between Marnie and the character Patrick. It wasn’t the best book I’ve ever read but it was light and entertaining.
ROSIE’S TRAVELLING TEA SHOP by Rebecca Raisin
Meticulous and organized to a fault, wanting everything to be planned and for her to be in control (a side effect of past hurt and guilt), Rosie is completely unprepared to hear her husband tell her – on her birthday no less – that he’s had enough, is having an affair and wants a divorce. Heartbroken and confused, she has a few too many glasses of wine and in her drunken state impulsively buys an old camper van in which she’s decided to travel the country, selling her baked goods and tea.
In fact she was so drunk that night that she has zero recollection of having either bought the van or of the travel plans until the man she bought the van from turns up with it at her door the next morning. As the book blurb says, nothing could go wrong, could it?
This was a light confection of a book, with likeable enough characters. A predictable story of a woman trying to forge a new life for herself, making some good friends along the way, and learning to laugh and yes, to love again.
Lindy, yes, the pneumonia vaccine is a good thing, definitely. And get the shingles vaccine if you haven’t!
Jeff, we got the two-part shingles shot a couple of years ago. Had heard too many horror stories from people who’d gotten shingles. Expensive endeavour though. $180 per shot, so by the time David and I were finished we were $720 poorer.
And there are two kinds of pneumonia vaccine so to be fully protected we’ll need to get the other one too sometime.
Lindy, I had the same kind of week you did; nothing to talk about. But, that’s okay once in a while. I enjoyed my down time.
And, I enjoyed your reviews. I read Rosie’s Traveling Tea Shop and found it just okay.
It’s hot again, over 100 the last couple of days. It’s hot even at night, which is unusual for this area.
This week I read:
Morbidly Curious by Coltan Scrivner; A scientist writes a book about how the evolutionary process leads to rubber necking. Seemed like a lot of work to justify liking horror movies.
Biggles in the Baltic by Captain WE Johns; It’s WWII, and the WWI flying ace is given a mission of bombing the Jerries from a hidden grotto. Pretty exciting, if told in the clipped, British style.
Bad Guys by Linwood Barclay; A reporter with anxiety finds a lot to be anxious about when he goes on a stakeout with a PI, and murder and mayhem begin. A lot like Lee Goldberg. I had no idea he was so influential.
Saving the Team by Alex Morgan; We come to the first book in the series. It’s sort of like The Bad News Bears, only with Girls’ Soccer, and way too wholesome. I was yearning for Jackie Erle Haley to come roaring in on his motorcycle, and lit up a coffin nail on the pitcher’s mound. Could kids today even withstand something like that?
Pyramid Scheme by Mike Hamel; some magical type kids go back to Tut’s time to stop history from being re-written. For a King that only ruled for nine years or so, and was forgotten for centuries, he’s held our attention for 100 years. I guess curses can do some good.
And, I know you don’t like the heat, Glen. One hundred is too much even for me.
I’m glad you had at least one exciting book!
Tonight is the calm before the storm – literally. We are expecting some rain and thunder and lightning tomorrow. It will be interesting to see if that actually develops. Depending on what they are predicting for Friday, I might skip my pre-work run (Fridays and Mondays are work from home days) and run at lunch time instead. Last I worked, we might be getting some showers pre-work but not at lunch time. But it might also be warm enough to enjoy running in the rain. It can be fun.
But I’m rambling. 🙂
Reading wise, I’m working on MURDER COMES HOME, the third in a series from Rosalie Spielman. The main character is in her 40’s a retired military. In this one, the camera man for an antique hunter type show has been killed. I’m about a third of the way into it and enjoying it. Quite curious as to what is going on.
Thursday is a good day to ramble, Mark. Just fine with me! Enjoy the rain, if you get it. We could certainly use it, after a summer with too much rain.
I’ve never heard of Rosalie Spielman. I hope you continue to enjoy the book.
Hi everyone! It has been a super-busy week for me, as a bunch of things I am working on all need to be finished this week. This means next week will be quieter, I hope.
When I have a lot of stress and work I like to read to escape. I am grateful to the person here who mentioned Murder at the Mena House, in which widow Jane Wunderly gets involved in a mystery in Egypt in the 20s. The setting and characters are good, and the characters have enough background and depth to be interesting. So now I’ve read the next two in the series!
Along the same lines this week I saw the Downton Abbey movie, which was quite entertaining. I do love seeing the gorgeous clothes and interiors of the grand homes. I am eager to hear what everyone else is reading.
Good morning, Trisha! I hope you have time to come back later and catch up with everyone’s reading. Good luck with all your projects.
I didn’t mention Murder at the Mena House, but I’ve heard good things about it.
I’ve read the series that started with Mena House, so I might have mentioned it here over the years. Overall, I’ve enjoyed it.
Good morning, all. One thing I’ve noticed is the later sunrise these days. Back in July, if I got up at 6:00 (which I generally do), it was already light out. Now, not so much. That’s one of the worst things about winter, it stays dark way too long. When we go to Florida we get about an hour of extra daylight than we have in New York in January.
But I digress. The weather is still pretty good, though we had rain yesterday when we went out to lunch for Jackie’s birthday. Today and tomorrow: 80 degrees plus.
Books. Jackie finished Linda Castillo’s RAGE and she was as frustrated with Kate Burkholder’s reckless behavior as I was. Now she has started the new J. D. Robb, FRAMED IN DEATH.
I’ve been reading several books at once again, including a mystery, two volumes of short stories, a memoir/autobiography, and a book of essays. I know this method isn’t for everyone, but I like to read part of one book, then take a break with something different. First, let’s see what I finished this week.
Tim Sullivan, The Patient. I discussed this last time, the third in the (Sgt.) George Cross series of procedurals set in Bristol (England, of course). George is convinced a former addict did NOT kill herself, as the police seem ready to believe, but rather was murdered, and once he is convinced, he will do whatever it takes to make a case and solve the killing. Very good, as were the others.
Patrick Ryan, The Dream Life of Astronauts. While waiting for the library to get in Ryan’s well reviewed BUCKEYE, I went back and got his 2016 collection of short stories. As the title might indicate, all of the stories are set in Cape Canaveral and have a definite Florida viewpoint. I liked it quite a bit.
Leanne Morgan, What In the World?!: A Southern Woman’s Guide To Laughing at Life’s Unexpected Curveballs and Beautiful Blessings. Thanks to Margie for recommending this last week. We are enjoying Morgan’s Netflix sitcom and saw her standup special, and this book is a fine companion to those two. She will have a second Netflix special coming out in November, I believe.
Also reading:
Walter Tevis, THE KING IS DEAD. The collection of his stories by the author of THE HUSTLER, THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH, and THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT, which got me interested in him in the first place. A lot of the early stories are pool hustler stories. There is also some science fiction in there.
Antonia Fraser, ed., THE PLEASURE OF READING: 43 Writers on the Discovery of Reading and the Books That Inspired Them. Self-explanatory, I think. A couple of people recommended this one. It was published first in 1992, and so far, every single author featured has died since it was published, though a number of them lived into their 90s. (Fraser herself is still alive at 93.) More as I get into it, but so far a lot of the books you’d expect: Austen, Dickens, MADAME BOVARY, etc.
P. J. Tracy, THE DEEPEST CUT. It’s been 6 years since the last Monkeewrench book (ICE COLD HEART, 2019), and frankly, I don’t really remember what happened. Now it is the day before Leo Magozzi is retiring from the Minneapolis Police, and someone who swore vengeance at Magozzi and his partner Gino Rolseth, plus the Monkeewrench crew who helped lock him up, has escaped. Again, I’ve read a quarter of this so far and will talk more about it next week, but you should start with book one and read this series if you haven’t done so already. And you really should read it in order rather than jumping in here.
Happy birthday to Jackie!
Jeff, when you first mentioned THE PLEASURE OF READING I knew I had it somewhere, and when we were in Leith earlier this week I found it on one of the bookshelves. I think I probably did read at least some of it when I first bought it, but you’ve inspired me to have another look at it.
I do get a bit annoyed, though, by those newspaper articles in which famous people are asked for their favourite books of the year, or the ones they plan to read on holiday, etc. Do they EVER choose something easy and fun? No! They always seem to feel it would damage their image to do that – or at least to admit to doing that – so they feel obliged only to mention worthy tomes and classics, or new Literary Fiction (whatever that is), preferably translated from the Japanese. If they were ever to ask me (hahahaha) I think I’d give them a list of books by people like Jilly Cooper and Barbara Pym.
I agree with you, Rosemary, and I had to laugh at your description of what other people say they’re reading. I wouldn’t be one of those people reading a classic or something literary. Although I do have a children’s classic on my TBR pile. I never read Harriet the Spy. And, I have Buckeye on an intimidation pile.
Jeff, Please tell Jackie people are wishing her happy birthday! I know she’ll enjoy the J.D. Robb more than she did Linda Castillo’s Rage. Kate Burkholder does get frustrating at times.
I have a copy of Buckeye. I bought it, but every time I look at it, the length of it intimidates me. I need to read it as you do, a few chapters, and then pick up something else.
I haven’t read The Deepest Cut yet. I’m on the waiting list at the library. But, I agree. The books should be read in order.
Before I forget, Happy Birthday to Jackie! Does this mean your birthday is getting nearer? Glen’s birthday is October 1 and mine is in early November.
Good morning. We saw a local production of Beautiful which we really enjoyed. They did a great job of casting.
I read an ARC of Dying Cry by Margaret Mizushima. I had a hard time putting this down.
From Goodreads:
A killer lurks in Colorado’s snowy high country in Dying Cry, the tenth thrilling installment of award-winning author Margaret Mizushima’s Timber Creek K-9 mystery series.
Newlyweds Mattie and Cole Walker are teaching Cole’s daughters how to snowshoe in a remote canyon when a shattering scream pierces the air. They know that somewhere ahead, someone has been injured or worse. Cole takes the girls while Mattie and Robo go deeper into the canyon to search for the source of the scream.
From a distance, Mattie and Robo see a shadowy figure at the base of a cliff, but a rockslide buries the person under layers of stone and shale before they can provide help. Desperate to uncover the individual in case they’re still alive under the rock, their efforts are in vain. The victim is already dead. When they investigate the canyon rim from which the person fell, they discover evidence that indicates the fall was no accident. To make matters worse, the victim was one of Cole’s friends.
The Timber Creek County investigative team springs into action, uncovering a trail of greed that leads to a killer who threatens Mattie’s cherished new family and tests her with the most difficult task she’s faced in her duty as a K-9 handler.
I have a copy of Dying Cry, Sandy. I’m happy to know you couldn’t put it down. I haven’t read it yet.
Good afternoon everyone. It’s a beautiful day in Aberdeenshire; I am sitting here with the window open, listening to the burn flowing over the stones and the birds singing in the willow tree at the end of the garden. I’ve just been outside cleaning all the bird feeders and bird baths in preparation for winter, and tidying up the plants that are past their best.
Yesterday was the complete opposite, stormy, rainy and dark. We had been in Edinburgh the night before but had to come back up the road in time for David’s French class – which started at 9.30am, so after a late night we had to get up at 5.30. I was so glad to get home and know that I didn’t need to go out again, although I did in the end have a lovely walk by the river in the evening, when the weather had brightened up.
We were down in Edinburgh to see Self Esteem, aka Rebecca Lucy Taylor, in concert at the Usher Hall. It was a wonderful evening; she is an increciblly good performer. She always works with the same group of backing singers/dancers; everything is tightly choreographed and so enjoyable to watch. She writes all of her own songs, and the lyrics are so intelligent and thought-provoking. I don’t know how she manages to dance so energetically while singing, but she pulls it off every time. Fabulous voice too. I don’t know if she has any exposure in the US. Her most famous song is probably ‘I Do This All the Time.’ She is also an actor and played opposite Jake Shears in the original cast of the new(ish) London production of Cabaret.
Earlier this week I had the panel meeting to select this year’s recipients of three Micro Commission awards funded by the Friends of the Art Gallery. We had worked our way through 40 applications, so on the day we discussed the highest scorers. The meeting went really well, we have a new panel member who is a working artist and her contributions were so helpful (the other members are two curators and me.) We managed to reach three unanimous decisions, and I am looking forward to seeing the final works in due course.
My reading has been almost as slow as last week I’m afraid. I did finish BEYOND THE HORIZON MAY BE BETTER, Sola Amure’s account of his Nigerian childhood and subsequent medical career in the UK. It could’ve done with a bit of editing, but it was still a very interesting book and a real eye-opener for me regarding the treatment of children in Sola’s homeland.
I am still reading Debbie Macomber’s second Cedar Cove book, 204 ROSEWOOD LANE – I really should have been able to finish this in a day, but I have had so many distractions lately.
I did visit my local library for the first time since late July (I usually go once or twice every week) – it was so lovely to be there, it feels like home to me. I tried not to borrow too much, as I have such a backlog, but I couldn’t resist these:
GOOD TASTE by Caroline Scott – I don’t know anything about this author, but the book looked interesting. It’s set in 1932 and is about a novelist who is charged with collecting traditional recipes to write a history of food in England.
‘Stella sets about unearthing recipes from all corners of the country, in the hope of finding a hidden culinary gem. But what she discovers are rissoles, gravy, stewed prunes and lots and lots of oatcakes.’
This sounds very realistic to me. i am always irritated by people who say Elizabth David ‘revoutionised a nation’s cooking’ – she may have brought exotic French food and recipes back to the Guardian-reader literati of North London, but even in my childhood (quite a bit later than 1932!) our standard fare consisted largely of mince (ground beef) casseroled with carrots and served up with cabbage, casseroles served with cabbage and potatoes, a roast lunch on Sundays, and kippers on Saturdays if the fish man had called. Puddings were inevitably based on apples as we had apple trees – so, endless apple crumbles (not pies as my mother saw pastry-making as far too much faff), apple charlottes, baked apples….and a lot of Birds custard.
RESORT TO MURDER by TP Fielden – another author about which I know nothing. The main characters appears to be Miss Dimont and her new recruit Valentine Waterford. The book cover says this one ‘perfectly evokes fifties Britain.’
IT’S PROBABLY NOTHING by Naga Munchetty. I heard Naga speak at this year’s Edinburgh Book Festival. She’s a very well known TV and radio broadcaster and a strong woman if ever there was one. This book is about the way that women’s gynaelogical issues are sidelined and ignored by the medical world. Naga has suffered from really appalling menstrual problems ever since she was 13, but has been constantly fobbed off – one female doctor even asked her if she ‘knew women had periods’ – she was 23 at the time. For the book she interviewed over 80 women who had had similar experiences – but it’s not just a pity party, she wants to empower women to take control of their own health and ‘thrive despite the women’s health crisis.’
THE YEAR OF SITTING DANGEROUSLY: MY GARDEN SAFARI by Simon Barnes. Barnes was supposed to be in Africa, co-leading the Sacred Combe Safari in Zambia’s Luangwa Valley – but then Covid arrived and he was stuck at home like the rest of us. He decided to ’embark on the only voyage of discovery open to me…I sat on a folding chair at the bottom of my own garden. And so it began.’
I’m not always that patient with nature books, but this one is set out as a diary, with short(ish) entries for each day, so I think I’ll be able to dip into it. The entry for 18 September 2020 says ‘Summer was almost over; the swallows almost gone’ – on my walk the other day I saw swallows lining up on the telegraph wires, a sure sign that they are preparing for their long flight south to Africa. And this morning in the gardenI think I heard the familar honks of geese arriving from the Arctic to overwinter in Scotland. I always love to see them flying in their V-shaped formations. Birds are amazing creatures.
I haven’t watched much TV recently but the other night, when I was really tired, I came across the very first series of HAMISH MACBETH. I had never seen this before – OMG the accents! Terrible! MONARCH OF THE GLEN can wander into rather unconvincing accent territory, but these were just ridiculous. Nevertheless, this programme was very popular in its day.
I think that’s quite enough for me for now, so have a good week all, and enjoy the last days of summer if you can. For us it’s most definitely autumnal weather, and I am very happy with that.
Rosemary, I know what you mean about the accents in Hamish Macbeth. Everyone tried to do “Scottish” but some were pretty over the top. But as far as I can tell, most of the actors actually are Scottish – Robert Carlyle, Shirley Henderson, etc.
You always do such interesting sounding things. I feel like we live in New York and yet you do more in Aberdeenshire than we do in a city of 8 million plus!
We’re watching a 4 part, 4 hour mini-series that ran there in 2018, THE CITY & THE CITY, with David Morrissey, based on the novel by China Mieville. It’s sort of a hardboiled cop crossed with a little science fiction. Interesting show. I’ve never read any of his books.
Also have another spinoff from DEATH IN PARADISE, this one an Aussie version called RETURN TO PARADISE. It’s set in a seaside town near Sydney. Anna Sampson plays a (frankly) pretty obnoxious character. Five years earlier, she left her (coroner) fiance at the altar and ran off to London, but now she’s in trouble there (in a fun touch, Ardal O’Hanlon from the original show is her boss in London), so comes (crawling) home. Of course, her skills are useful as Dolphin Cove turns into Cabot Cove, with a murder a week. Still, nice scenery, but so far she is very unlikeable. Oh, her boss was her prospective mother in law.
I agree with Jeff, Rosemary. It’s always so interesting to read about what you’re doing. Even when it’s going to the library or listening to the birds in your garden. Thank you for sharing bits of your life with us! He’s right. Concerts and books and walks and art. It’s a joy to read your writing.
Good morning everyone – I agree, Lesa, these days are to be savored, especially the ones that are in the 70’s. Not much new here – kitchen upgrades will continue this Friday and Saturday. Last Friday I saw the Downton Abbey movie and it was really good! It was great to see all of the actors again. I thought that the editing was a bit choppy, but the story line was sound.
I finished two books this past week: The Case of the Missing Maid by Rob Osler and a non-fiction book about President Biden’s decision to run for a second term by Jake Tapper.
The Case of the Missing Maid is the first in a new series and was an enjoyable read. Harriet Morrow is 21 and living in Chicago in 1898. She has been scraping by in a dead-end job, barely making enough money to cover rent and food for herself and her younger brother. Having lost both parents, Harriet’s dreams of going to college were no longer feasible. But what if she could find a job that was more exciting and prosperous? After reading a want ad for an Operative (aka detective) for the Prescott agency, Harriet takes a chance and applies. The Pinkerton agency had hired a successful woman detective, and this gave Harriett hope. To her surprise, the owner hires Harriet for a probationary period and gives her one week to find his next door neighbor’s missing maid. Harriet throws herself into the job, bumping up against disapproval from other Operatives and Secretaries at the agency as she takes on an improbable role for a woman. The solving of the case was perfectly paced and the outcome a bit surprising. Note that the book is equal parts mystery and personal growth as Harriet learns to embrace her sexual identity.
Have a good rest of the week!
Mary, I thought Osler did a nice job with the 1898 Chicago setting, though at times I felt like Joan Cusack in IN AND OUT, saying “Is everybody gay?”
Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course.
I totslly agree – a very small circle of acquaintances seemed to result in a high percentage of like minded individuals! But I loved the storyline and felt very immersed in the era!
Mary, I feel as if we all had a calm week, except maybe Rosemary. We need those quiet weeks now and then.
I wondered about the Rob Osler book. I’m not familiar with it. He won an Anthony this year for last year’s Cirque du Slay, which I’m not familiar with either.
How was the Jake Tapper book? I didn’t enter for it because I didn’t want to go through that painful part of history.
I found it to be very enlightening. I thought that it was a fair, unbiased assessment. It did cause me some internal angst living through those days again. I do recommend it.
Good morning from NE Dallas where it is too damn hot. Still. We are back in the mid 90s or so every day and that is way too much for me.
Current read is CRIMSON THAW by Bruce Robert Coffin. Big time fan of the police procedurals he has done before and the author sent me the first book of his new police procedural series. Comes out in November.
Amazon Description:
In the unforgiving wilderness of Maine, a disgraced detective must confront his past to solve a chilling murder.
Detective Brock Justice’s career is on thin ice. Once the golden boy of Maine State Police, Brock now finds himself exiled to the remote northeastern wilderness, punishment for crossing the thin blue line. Assigned to the Major Crimes Unit—North, he suffers the added indignity of partnering with newly-minted Detective Chloe Wright, a rookie with her own hidden struggles.
The pair’s uneasy alliance is put to the test almost immediately when a routine snowmobile retrieval in the coastal town of Blue Hill unexpectedly escalates into a full-blown murder investigation. Even as the case exposes the darkest corners of the town, their fragile partnership threatens to undermine the investigation at every turn.
Brock and Chloe’s hunt draws them into the lives of several intriguing locals: the town doctor, a biker gang involved in drug trafficking, a politically connected sheriff, and Brock’s own father. With each revelation, the line between ally and enemy blurs, compelling Brock and Chloe to question their trust in everyone around them, including each other.
Even as winter’s icy grip loosens from Blue Hill, the noose of suspicion tightens. Brock must navigate not only a shaky partnership and a town harboring deadly secrets, but also the shadows of his own past. Can he and Chloe piece together the puzzle before Maine’s wilderness swallows them whole?
Kevin, I’m glad you continue to mention Coffin’s books. I’m not ready, but I need to read them sometime since I love police procedurals. Thank you1
This new one is out in November. You should get a copy. It is super good.
Thank you, Kevin!
Good morning! everyone. Lesa, I had a more eventful week that you did, it seems. Besides going to three game mornings (Rummikub, Hand & Foot, Samba), I went to my Movie Meetup meeting on Zoom, where we discussed the Netflix movie of The Thursday Murder Club. I had a few minor reservations, as I have read all five books, but overall I enjoyed it. I thought that a few episodes might have been better than one 2-hour movie, though. That same day, I went to the movies with a group of 15 women and saw the Downton Abbey Grand Finale. I thought it was a perfect way to wind up the beloved series. Eleven of us went out to dinner afterwards. Last Saturday, 10 of us went to Sacramento to see the Some Like it Hot musical. It’s a large theatre and the seats are well placed, but we were high up in the back balcony, and I don’t think I’d ever sit there again. It’s very comfortable, and you can see the whole stage without troublesome heads in front of you, but I had a difficult time telling several of the male characters apart because I couldn’t see the details. The music wasn’t memorable, all sounding much the same. But again, I enjoyed the experience. Next Saturday will be the opposite–Blithe Spirit (not a musical) in a 180-seat theatre. I’m curious to see what the theatre and the play are like.
Here’s what I read this week:
Ellen O’Clover’s debut adult romance, THE HEARTBREAK HOTEL, is a well-written, heart-tugging novel that evoked emotion from me and left me thoroughly entertained. Louisa “Lou” Walsh, age 26, has been the girlfriend of a famous rock singer for years–he even had a hit with a love song he wrote about her–but the discovery that he has started a relationship with another woman does more than just catch her unawares. The lovely house where they have lived in Colorado is the only stable home Lou has had since childhood. Her mother has struggled with mental illness, carrying on a never-ending series of relationships with unreliable men and leaving it up to her older daughter to do most of the mothering for Lou over the years. With a degree that prepares her to become a licensed therapist, Lou nevertheless fails the certification exam and can’t afford to stay in the house alone. But with the help of her best friend, Mei, she comes up with the idea of turning the house into a B&B in return for the right to continue living there. We learn that Henry, an attractive, thirtyish veterinarian, is the owner of the house, and he reluctantly okays Lou’s idea to market it as a soft place for guests experiencing heartbreak to land. Of course, there is an attraction between Lou and Henry, but both have secrets they can’t seem to share with each other. The romance does blossom eventually, and both protagonists are relatable and easy to root for. Lou’s rocky relationship with her sister, and both sisters’ fraught relationship with their mother are sensitively portrayed. I look forward to more lovely stories from Ellen O’Clover. (Sept. 23)
S.J. Bennett set the first three books in the Her Majesty the Queen Investigates mysteries in 2016, featuring Queen Elizabeth II in her later years. But for the next two, including THE QUEEN WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD, she wisely switches the time to the late 1950s and early 1960s, leaving a lot more room for further books in the series. I particularly enjoy the way the Queen is portrayed as a sharp thinker who often doesn’t get the personal credit she deserves when quietly dealing with a situation that may threaten the reputation or safety of the royal family, or both. She works closely as a team with her capable assistant private secretary, Joan McGraw, who has honed her skills in the military and knows how to balance royal protocol with dangerous circumstances. In this book, whose title hints at the Cold War, a socialite called in at the last minute to replace one of the Queen’s ladies in waiting, spots what appears to be a vicious murder as she travels with the Queen and her entourage on the royal train. But it is difficult to reconcile her report with the lack of sightings by other persons on the train, until some clues start emerging. It’s a premise that includes spies, defections, the space race between Russia and the US, Prince Philip, the Queen’s sister Princess Margaret and her new husband, and an inside look at sumptuous palaces and travel on the royal yacht. There are some precarious action scenes, but I was most intrigued by the step-by-step investigation and the execution of a perilous plan. The quality remains high in this always-enjoyable historical mystery series. (November)n
Hannah Langdon scores with another Christmas tale set in England which is more than a romance, although romance is part of the story. In CHRISTMAS WITH THE PRINCES, Laura hasn’t gotten over her young husband’s sudden death four years earlier, but she has a nursing degree and a career taking care of elderly people in their homes. Marilise is Nick Prince’s spirited, almost-90-year-old grandmother,whose life is slowly winding down, but she is determined to keep having meaningful, joyful experiences in her life. Nick, however, has been beaten down by his father, who is quick to say that Nick’s only reason for being is to fill the role of heir of the family estate. He hates the house for that reason and carries on his father’s insistence on not decorating for the holidays or celebrating in any way. Laura also has family troubles. Her bridezilla sister criticizes and bullies her at every turn, trying to redirect Laura’s life and career to fit her own selfish needs. Fortunately, as NIck and Laura start to help each other get over their tragic pasts, and together with Marilise and two delightful younger family members, the Christmas season begins to come to life for the household. Personally, I thought the romance between Laura and Nick could have been better developed and more nuanced, but ultimately it was satisfying. And although the uplifting theme of the book is important, I relished most the specific ways the family welcomed and celebrated the Christmas season with creative ideas and experiences. The story isn’t just Christmas-adjacent, as it is in many holiday books; it fully embraces the festive aspects of the holiday season and put me in a holiday mood. (October)
Wow Margie! You did have a busy week. And, two movies in one day. Games, movies, theater. I’m amazed you found time to read three books.
I’m looking forward to S.J. Bennett’s book. I’ve read all the other ones, and this one sounds good. I like the time period, too.
I appreciate the preview of the SJ Bennett book, too! At first I really missed the contemporary private secretary, who I thought was a really interesting character, but I came around to the more historical ones.
Happy Thursday at Lesa’s!
Fall is beginning to show it’s beautiful self here in the NC mountains. my favorite season.
DH and I have gotten our flu and our covid boosters. Not the easy peasy routine drop-in to our local pharmacy it once was, but done. Yay, us! We believe in science.
I re-read THE CORRESPONDENT by Virginia Evans this week. i was originally surprised by this sleeper of a book. Now it as joined my small cadre of re-reads. i. Love. It.
Description from Amazon:
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Discover the word-of-mouth hit hailed by Ann Patchett as “a cause for celebration”—an intimate novel about the transformative power of the written word and the beauty of slowing down to reconnect with the people we love.
“I cried more than once as I witnessed this brilliant woman come to understand herself more deeply.”—Florence Knapp, author of The Names
LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE • A PBS TOP SUMMER BOOK • LIBRARYREADS PICK OF THE MONTH
“Imagine, the letters one has sent out into the world, the letters received back in turn, are like the pieces of a magnificent puzzle. . . . Isn’t there something wonderful in that, to think that a story of one’s life is preserved in some way, that this very letter may one day mean something, even if it is a very small thing, to someone?”
Filled with knowledge that only comes from a life fully lived, The Correspondent is a gem of a novel about the power of finding solace in literature and connection with people we might never meet in person. It is about the hubris of youth and the wisdom of old age, and the mistakes and acts of kindness that occur during a lifetime.
Sybil Van Antwerp has throughout her life used letters to make sense of the world and her place in it. Most mornings, around half past ten, Sybil sits down to write letters—to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to audit a class she desperately wants to take, to Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry to tell them what she thinks of their latest books, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter.
Sybil expects her world to go on as it always has—a mother, grandmother, wife, divorcee, distinguished lawyer, she has lived a very full life. But when letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life, she realizes that the letter she has been writing over the years needs to be read and that she cannot move forward until she finds it in her heart to offer forgiveness.
Sybil Van Antwerp’s life of letters might be “a very small thing,” but she also might be one of the most memorable characters you will ever read.
Kaye, I have my flu and COVID shots as well. I’m lucky. It was still easy when I got them, just walked into CVS. I know I was lucky in reading how much trouble other people had in getting their shots.
You’re right. I really liked The Correspondent, too. I’m finishing the Bruno book today, and then moving on to Jenny Bayliss’ new Christmas book.
It is definitely back to summer at my house with near 90-degree temperatures and no rain in sight. Our weather teams keep showing the drought maps on their forecasts.
Not much exciting at my house either. The highlight was a delicious lunch at Brontes Cafe yesterday which is located in Joseph Beth Booksellers. And on a rare night without baseball, we watched Lynley on Britbox. We thought it was good, and the lead actor is very easy on the eyes. We finished all the Sunday PBS shows-The Marlow Murder Club, Professor T and Unforgotten. The disappointing one of the bunch was the Marlow Murder Club. The first mystery was good, but we didn’t love the other two mysteries as much.
Two books for me this week. Five Found Dead by Surlari Gentill was discussed by several commentators here. I enjoyed this fun mystery on the Orient Express with the Australian brother and sister.
I enjoyed my second book even more. 25 Library Terrace by Natalie Fergie talked about the interconnected residents of the Edinburgh house from 1908 all the way to 2022. I managed to read it in two days. Right book at the right time.
Happy Reading!
25 Library Terrace sounds good, Sharon. I wasn’t a fan of the first book in the Marlow Murder Club series, so I haven’t watched the shows.
I do want to watch Lynley sometime, though.
I don’t mind the heat. In fact, some mornings, I’m actually chilly here. But, I really prefer the 70s and 80s, as I said.
Just finished reviewing this children’s book, Detective Beans, Adventures in Cat Town :
“Wow, I loved this book. Detective Beans who is a kitty is so cute. You need to buy this book for your eight to ten year old to enjoy. Detective Beans is cute that you want to reach into the book and hug him. He is slow on uptake, his mom and others need to help him realize what is going on He wants to help but he bumbles on in many adorable stories and he spends more on snacks than he takes in from solving cases. I am hooked, now I want to read the second book!”
I won Positivity by Barbara Fredrickson. I am slugging through the small print. She includes all of her some of others’ experiments and her conclusions. I agree with what she said but I would have written differently, more concisely. I entered it at time when I was beaten down by the latest news. It has great books which I will bring out in my review but the print is painfully small and there are too many details.
To keep my spirits up, I started Dinners with Ruth , A Memoir on the Power of Friendships by Nina Totenberg. I am on page 12 but I love it so much already. I have always loved Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and Nina Totenberg on NPR. I did not realize that one of her sisters was Cokie Roberts. I am in book heaven with this book!
Carol, I too loved Dinners with Ruth , A Memoir on the Power of Friendships by Nina Totenberg
I remember when Dinners with Ruth came out, but I never read it, Carol. It sounds good. Thank you!
I look forward to reading about all the good books posted here each week but rarely post – I guess you could just call me a “lurker”!
The weather in Arizona is just what you would imagine – dry and hot! Well until today. Currently 82 this morning but 60% humidity. For a change it is cloudy and on our walk today you could see everyone taking pictures of the clouds! We are really hoping for rain.
We are getting ready to take two of our teenage grand kiddos on a trip to NYC in two weeks so I decided to dive into THE ENGINEER’S WIFE by Tracey Enerson Wood. It is historical fiction and is the true story of Emily Warren Roebling who built the Brooklyn Bridge, which began in 1870. I am determined to ‘drop some knowledge’ when we see that bridge!!
My Book group meets next week and the book we selected is THE SPY WHO COULDN’T SPELL: A Dyslexic Traitor, An Unbreakable Code, and the FBI’s Hunt for America’s Stolen Secrets by Yudhijit Bhattacharjee. I love nonfiction when it’s in a more narrative form and this is fitting the bill as of now. I’m only 1/3 of the way in but enjoying it. (I typically listen to nonfiction but since this involves code and dyslexia I figured my eyes needed to see the words!!)
Thanks for always sharing so many stories and books to entice me. I feel so much richer for it!
Welcome, Gaye! I’m glad you read with us on Thursday, even if you don’t usually talk about books. But, I like to hear about Arizona’s weather since I lived there for ten years. That’s funny that people were taking pictures of the clouds.
The Spy Who Couldn’t Spell sounds interesting. I like narrative nonfiction.
Thanks for writing today!
This week we went to the Planned Parenthood book sale that runs for 10 days every September. So far we have been three times (Friday, Saturday, and Wednesday) and have bought lots of books. I, of course, bought the most books, because I have no discipline. I was pleased to find a good, inexpensive copy of TELL ME EVERYTHING by Elizabeth Strout, a copy of THE MYSTERY GUEST by Nita Prose (a Canadian author), and LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus, which I wasn’t interested in previously. I found two books in the Quirke series by Benjamin Black / John Banville but not the other books by him I was looking for. And I could find no books by Bill Crider, so I will be looking online for more copies. We will go again on Saturday and Sunday.
Glen read YOU CAN NEVER DIE: A GRAPHIC MEMOIR by Harry Bliss. He enjoyed it a lot, and it was a fast read. It has lots of illustrations but it also has lots of text. It focuses on a dog that he had for 17 years until it died. Now he is reading PRISONERS OF THE CASTLE by Ben Macintyre. He has just started it, but he always likes books by Macintyre. The subtitle is: “An Epic Story of Survival and Escape from Colditz, the Nazis’ Fortress Prison.”
I finished STATE OF WONDER by Ann Patchett and I was very pleased with it in the end, although the story is very bizarre. I just finished MRS. DALLOWAY by Virginia Woolf last night. That was bizarre too, but in a different way. It was about 170 pages long but took me many days to read. I struggled with the stream of consciousness style that it was written in but got used to it eventually. In the end I found many things to like. I read it for a challenge, the ‘Hundred Years Hence’ Reading Challenge. The goal is to read one or more books published for the first time in 1925. I am glad I finally read something by Virginia Woolf.
I’m sure you and Glen both bought some interesting books at the sale, Tracy. I’ll look forward to reading your comments over the next year. And, next Thursday, you’ll have to tell us what other treasures you found.
I just read two very different novels. “Thou Shell of Death” by Nicholas Blake is a 1936 Golden Age mystery set in an English country home at Christmas; well executed. “All the Mothers” By Domenica Ruta is a contemporary novel about single mothers in NYC discovering that their children all have the same “baby daddy.” The genre thing confuses me, but maybe literary fiction crossed with contemporary romance? Ruta has a wonderfully sharp, funny, fresh narrative voice.
Well, All the Mothers would confuse me, too, Andrew. It certainly doesn’t sound like a romance. True romances have a happily ever after ending.