It’s been a good week, quiet with no appointments. Yay! We did have snow on Monday. Bah, humbug. I know others love snow, but I don’t like the cold, snow, and ice. I’m just glad I’m retired now and don’t have to worry about driving to work. And, I don’t have to go anyplace if I don’t want to.
I am hoping for good weather Dec. 14-16. December 14 is the family Christmas party for my Mom’s side of the family. Good food, good company, and a fun White Elephant gift exchange. Then, on Dec. 15, Christie and I are going to Toronto, about a five and a half hour drive. We’re staying at a lovely hotel, Soho. Then, we’re going to see my favorite performer, Ramin Karimloo and his best friend Hadley Fraser. I’ve never seen Hadley live in concert, and this one should be a wonderful concert featuring their favorite Broadway songs, and maybe a Christmas carol or two. They came up together on London’s West End, performing in “Les Miserables” and “Phantom of the Opera” together. Keeping my fingers crossed the weather is good.
I’m reading several books right now, including Mark de Castrique’s Desperate Spies. It’s the third book in his Secret Lives series featuring retired FBI agent Ethel Fiona Crestwater and her double-first-cousin-twiice-removed, Jesse Cooper.
For seventy-five-year-old former FBI agent Ethel Fiona Crestwater, her age is nothing but an advantage when it comes to ferreting out secrets. Who’s going to notice the little old woman in the corner? Besides, Ethel might be officially retired, but she knows everyone in DC law enforcement—and is smarter than all of them combined. When a former colleague asks Ethel for help, she agrees without a second thought. But the favor throws Ethel back eighteen years, to the botched sting operation that resulted in the murder of an innocent young woman by a Russian gangster—and nearly ended Ethel’s own life too. Soon, Ethel and her young tech-whizz sidekick Jesse, her double-first-cousin-twice-removed, find themselves in the crosshairs of some very bad—and very desperate—men who’ll do anything to get their hands on the state secrets they’re seeking. Ethel will have to use all the skills she’s learned during her long career if she’s to save the day, and keep both herself and her beloved cousin alive.
What about you? We’re all interested in what you’ve been doing this week. And, we’re eager to find out what you’ve been reading.
Lesa, both your family Christmas party and the trip to Toronto will be such fun. You’ve seen Ramin in person more than once I think? You’re a superfan!
I have nothing of interest to tell you this week. I have been feeling unsettled and slothful. I know I should be doing any number of productive things to get ready for Christmas but I can’t quite get it together at the moment. Although I am halfway through getting the annual Boxing Day Quiz ready for the family. One for the adults with twenty questions, and a second one for Evelyn. It takes a surprisingly long time. Sometimes I think I should give them a quiz from a previous year and see if they remember any of the answers! Nothing to do with the quiz, but I have recently discovered that there is an International Sloth Day every year. Celebrated on the third Monday in October, it is meant to raise awareness about the need to protect their habitat.
Books I read this week:
GOODBYE BIRDIE GREENWING by Ericka Waller
This is the story of three women who live on Shrublands Road in Brighton. All three are lonely, all are struggling in their own way as they deal with things in their personal lives, and all are scared to let go and be who they are at heart.
There’s Jane, a nurse at the local hospital; full of kindness for the patients in her care. She has a semi-estranged sister, an autistic daughter, and a domineering mother. She tends to say yes to whatever is asked of her because it’s easier than standing up for herself.
Ada is an oncologist at the same hospital. She’s moved here from Poland for a fresh start, and for the chance to make a difference in people’s lives. But she’s finding it exhausting to be the bearer of bad news so often, and can’t always fix everyone.
Then there’s Birdie herself, recently diagnosed with cancer. For the past eight years she’s not allowed herself any happiness; not since the night the two most important people in her life died, and her life became a very small one.
I had a hard time with this book that Sharon mentioned a while back. Not that it’s a bad book. It’s an emotional, heartfelt novel, and I rooted for these women as their lives intersected. There are a lot of things going on – friendship, secrets, past hurts, love, hope for the future, fear, courage, and a whole lot of what it means to be be a mother. The problem I had with it is that given David’s cancer diagnosis a couple of years ago, and the ongoing stress and uncertainty around it, this book hits just a little too close to home for me. There was a paragraph partway through the book where a character goes home after a funeral to “Lamps that would only be switched on by her. Curtains that only she would draw. Beds only she would sleep in.” This paragraph undid me; and the overall feelings I was left with after finishing the book were of fear and sadness.
I wasn’t prepared for the subject matter of this book. The blurb on the back gave no hint of it. Nor did the review quotes on the front cover – ‘A beautiful portrayal of friendship and hope.’ ‘Fresh, funny, and bright.’ I found it the opposite of fresh, funny, or bright. It just made me sad.
THE CRESCENT MOON TEAROOM by Stacy Sivinski
This book was mentioned in one of Lesa’s ‘Treasures in My Closet’ posts over a year ago. It has a fun premise – triplet witch sisters with the ability to see into the future by reading tea leaves. They do exactly that in their Crescent Moon Tearoom which they operate on the ground floor of their home, and it’s an extremely popular destination for witches and humans alike.
While they are happy enough running the tearoom, all three sisters are beginning to feel like there might be more to life; passions to maybe pursue and interests to explore. At just this point in their lives they learn that they’ve had a curse placed on them when they were young – a separation curse. Something is trying to tear them apart and yet in order to be as powerful as they can be, they need to stay together.Somehow they must defeat the curse. Complicating matters even more, the Council of Witches has tasked them with helping three elderly witches fulfill their destinies. It won’t be easy and if they fail, the tearoom will be taken away from them.
There were things I liked about this book – the scenes in the tearoom were lovely, warm, and cosy and I would love to be able to frequent such a welcoming place. I also loved the house itself and all the ways it showed its emotions and the how it tried its best to help the sisters. And the cover art is beautiful. But I don’t think the book lived up to its potential. There was a lot of repetition with the sisters constantly feeling guilty whenever they did something purely for themselves. There was little depth to any of the characters so it was hard to care about them. The last half dozen chapters were great – more was happening, the story moved along nicely, there was genuine tension and emotion, and so it was easy to become more invested in the story even though those chapters came along a bit late for total redemption.
I guess ultimately the story was about keeping sisterly love alive while also following one’s own path.
Goodbye Birdie does sound like a good book, Lindy, but the subject matter a bit heavy. I hope that Boxing Day activities can help you shake off the sadness.
Lindy, There’s nothing wrong with feeling slothful. I have days when I don’t even want to open a book, just play one particular game on my iPad. Sometimes are like that.
I can see why Goodbye Birdie Greenwing hit you wrong. And, that paragraph would be crushing. It just wasn’t the right book for you. I’m sorry.
Sending slothful hugs. In other words, one that is long, slow, and hangs on like a sloth.
Lindy. I am sorry the Birdie Greenwing made you sad. I was insensitive to not mention a trigger warning. I still think it was a lovely book. As my husband and I are aging, I too think about one of us being alone. Getting older isn’t for the faint of heart. Take care.
My inner cryptzoologist compels me to write that some say the Giant Sloth may still exist in the rain forests of South America, where they are mistaken for Bigfoot!
I am sorry you are having to deal with snow. Since I have never lived anywhere that had any appreciable snow, I don’t have an opinion about it but I don’t like the cold. We are supposed to get some rain tomorrow, not sure when it starts. And then a few days of more rain after that. I hope we get lots of rain.
I had to go to Urgent Care on Tuesday because there was redness near a place on my leg where I was scratched by the cat. (It was an accident, with no evil intent.) The doctor was not worried but he did prescribe an antibiotic to take for a week. That messed up most of Tuesday, due to going to get a prescription and such.
Glen is reading IN ALL WEATHERS by Matt Gaw. It covers Rain, Fog, Wind, Ice. Glen likes rainy weather and enjoys reading about weather so it is the perfect book for him, I think. The author is British and he is talking about the weather he experiences in the UK. He goes out in all kinds of weather, and he takes his dog out with him. The dog does not enjoy the weather and wants to get back inside. It sounds like fun.
I finished reading THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah this week. This novel was written to recognize the contribution of the women in the armed forces who went to Vietnam and worked as nurses in the hospitals which were near to the fighting. I don’t think the book was perfect, but I learned so much about the Vietnam War between 1966 – 1968, and the role of the nurses in the hospitals there, that it eliminated all quibbles that I had with the book. About half of the book is about the years that the protagonist was in Vietnam, and the second half is about returning to the US and her difficulties to adjusting to normal life and dealing with the traumas of what she experienced in Vietnam. Not a fun book but an important one, for me.
Now I am reading Elizabeth Strout’s LUCY BY THE SEA. I am enjoying it also, although the themes and the setting are serious. Lucy Barton has gone to live on the coast of Maine with her first husband and they are in lockdown due to Covid. I have liked every book I read by Elizabeth Strout.
Tracy, snow can be anywhere. In 2003(I think, maybe 2004) we had snow on Christie Day in New Orleans!
Christmas Day. Don’t know why it changed it.
Jeff, I can remember having 10 inches of snow for a day in Birmingham, AL when I was about 10. After I had left Alabama they had a big snow storm there in March 1993 with 20 inches of snow, and my 80-year-old grandfather was stranded on the freeway for a while. In northern Alabama, they probably have more snow.
Tracy, Be glad you don’t have to deal with snow and ice. I just hate driving in it. Now that I’m retired, I don’t HAVE to go out unless I want to.
I didn’t read The Women, but I know a lot of people, including my mother, liked the book. I think a lot of people learned more about Vietnam.
Enjoy your rain!
I agree Lesa – driving in it is much worse than walking in it, though I really do not like walking on packed ice.
Lesa and Rosemary, I am very glad we don’t have to drive in snow. I don’t drive at all and haven’t for years, but I would get nervous if Glen had to drive in the snow. And slipping and sliding on sidewalks or stairs would be scary.
Tracy, Lucy by the Sea is one of my favorite Elizabeth Strout books. I hope you enjoy it!
Trisha, I finished Lucy by the Sea last night. I did like it a lot. Because I am older (77) a lot of the things that Lucy and William worried about were the same things that I worry about at times, so it hit close to home. And the handling of Covid was interesting.
I’m one who really loved THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah. I’m 76, so of an age when Viet Nam was a huge presence in my life. I agree with you that it’s an important book.
What Kaye said goes for me too. Yet I did still learn something, even though I remember a lot about Vietnam from the time, and I’ve read a lot of books about the war, fiction and non-fiction. I liked it.
Kaye and Jeff, I am 77 and I am surprised at how much I don’t remember about Vietnam. I was at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, in May 1970 in the days following the Kent State shootings and for a while the campus was in lockdown due to student protests. My first husband was an Air Force pilot in B-52s and at some point we must have worried that he would be sent to Vietnam, but by the time he had finished training there were no ongoing missions to Vietnam. I plan to follow up with some nonfiction books on the subject.
While you were dealing with snow, I got to enjoy 90 degree heat to start the week. Worked well since my brother and his family were down and we went to Six Flags Magic Mountain here in town. I hadn’t had a pass in years until a year ago, and they have passes to a sister park in Nor Cal, so we all got in for free. We had a great time. Didn’t quite get on everything, which I guess means they need to come back down.
But I think this was the last of our warm weather. They are predicting rain starting either Thursday or Friday and going the rest of the weekend through Monday. And I just made an appointment to take my car in on Friday. The place I go is half a mile from my front door, and normally I don’t mind walking it after I drop my car off. I have a feeling I’ll get wet when I do that on Friday.
Reading wise, I just finished MURDER ON COTTONWOOD CREEK by Clara McKenna. It’s book seven in her Lyndy and Stella series set in 1906. This book finds them in Montana visiting Stella’s mom and an archeological dig that Lyndy’s dad is financing on Stella’s family’s ranch. The book seemed to take on a bit too much for my taste, but overall, I enjoyed it.
Up next will be PARADISE PLAGUED by Sarah E. Burr. This is book six in her Realm of Virtues series. The series has a hint of fantasy to it, but very small. I listened to the first five – this will be the first one I read. And apparently, this marks a turn in tone for the series, so I’ll be curious to see what I think.
Mark, I envy your hot weather. As you said, though, probably the last of the year. It will still be a nicer winter there, though, than here.
Isn’t it wonderful to enjoy time spent with family? I missed that for a lot of years, living all over the place.
I always find your books interesting because I usually haven’t heard of the cozy authors.
Hello! Here in Bern, we are having an exceptionally sunny and warm November so far, although temperatures are dropping to just above freezing at night. I finished THE PROVING GROUND—Michael Connelly’s latest Lincoln Lawyer book. I wrote last week that it was taking me a while to get into it, but I think that was me rather than the book, because by the time I finished it, I was enthusiastic. It’s always a delight to watch Micky and his team track down the information they need to support a case, and then see how brilliantly Micky handles what data he has to win in court.
I’m currently reading a very popular fantasy book that was a gift from my nephew, FOURTH WING, the first installment in Rebecca Yarros’s series about dragon riders. The violent competition and descriptions of being tested in a dangerous school are reminiscent of many other well-known fantasy books, from Harry Potter to The Hunger Games to Naomi Novik’s Scholomance series. But the young heroine is appealing, and the story is exciting, so I’m happy to keep reading.
During the past year, I read/listened to the first two Will Trent books by Karin Slaughter, and now I’m listening to the third, UNDONE. I’m finding it too graphically violent, but now I’m hooked by the whodunit aspect of the story and the characters, so I’ll go on to the end. Will Trent, a Georgia Bureau of Investigation detective with bad dyslexia (which complicated his job tremendously), is fascinating.
On Saturday, my husband and I are taking the train to Paris to spend five days seeing the latest art and photo exhibitions and the renovated Notre Dame. It’s four-and-a-half hours each way on a very fast train, the TGV, which is wonderful reading time!
Kim, I envy the opportunities to just take a fast train to someplace. I’m taken Amtrak a few times here, and it’s slower than molasses as it yields to freight trains. Nothing against freight trains. I love the sound at night when I stay at my Mom’s. But 4 and a half hours each way to read and see the countryside, and then five days in Paris. Jealous. I probably won’t get back to see the restored Notre Dame. I’m glad I saw it when we were there before the fire.
I read all the Harry Potter books and the Hunger Games ones, but that’s where I stopped. Fortunately, after I introduced two nephews to those books, they continued to read, and one’s forty and the younger one is about thirty-four or so. Avid fantasy readers.
Omg. Hopping on a fast train to Paris. I think you’re living my dream, Kim. I love love love Paris and I’ll be going back in the spring, but on a very long flight as opposed to a wonderful fast train.
Lesa and I were there together several years back and it was an unforgettable trip.
It was unforgettable, Kaye. I love the idea of hopping on a train to Paris. That’s like me going to NYC for a weekend, but even better.
I liked the Lincoln Lawyer book too, but I still prefer the criminal to the civil cases.
FOURTH WING is one I’ve debated reading since I first heard of it (I believe it is in production as a series at Amazon), so glad you’re enjoying it.
Have fun in Paris, one of my favorite cities.
We’re in the city at a (free!) Marriott (good to be Permanent Titanium) after seeing Boz Scaggs in concert (good show) last night, so will get back to you on our reading later. First, breakfast, then the express bus home.
Hope everyone has a good day. It’s turned colder here, but none of the pesky snow they had upstate. at least.
I’m glad, Jeff, that you and Jackie had the chance to get into the city for a show. I’ll look forward to your list later today.
OK, we’re home. I agree with you on the weather, and very good luck on the December 15 weather. We have a concert in the city on the 16th, but I don’t know if I’d have the nerve to risk a drive to Canada then. And if I did, I’d have to schedule a stop at my favorite sight, Niagara Falls. We saw Karim in FUNNY GIRL and I know you’ll love the concert.
Jackie finally finished her Shelley Laurenston shifter novel, TO KILL A BADGER. She said “crazy as usual, but very entertaining and funny.” Now she is going to read Ali Hazelwood’s MATE, the second in her werewolves series (with some vampires), “also very entertaining.”
We got home from New Orleans last Thursday, and since then I think I’ve bought more books than I’ve read – Lee Goldberg’s FALLEN STAR, which, for some inexplicable reason, my libraries don’t have. I was able to get a cheap Kindle copy. John Scalzi mentioned his (under 100 pages) novella, CONSTITUENT SERVICE, and I got a cheap Kindle copy of that too. I’m a big fan of Cornell Woolrich’s noirish short stories, and I got a copy of one I hadn’t read, “Marihuana,” for 99 cents. And lastly (though I got it first) was Arthur Lyons’s DEATH ON THE CHEAP: The Lost B Movies of Film Noir. Lyons wrote a good series about PI Jacob Asch, all of which I read. This one cost me about $6 for a trade paperback edition.
Books. Kim already talked about Michael Connelly’s The Proving Ground up there, and to reiterate, I enjoyed it as I have almost all of Connelly’s books. The Lincoln Lawyer, Mick Haller, has left criminal law behind, and is involved with a very too the moment case, suing an AI company whose chatbot encouraged a disturbed young man to kill his former girlfriend. Good books, as always, though as I said I prefer the criminal cases. (Also, I still prefer the Bosch series.)
Continuing this shortly…
I bought John Scalzi’s fun Constituent Service on Monday and read it on Tuesday. Ashley Perrin gets a job doing constituent service in an unnamed city. But the district she works in, the Third District, is home to a large percentage of aliens, in fact it is the only “alien majority” district in the city, and as you might expect, requires a different kind of “service” than most people are used to. Ashley is pretty unflappable, even faced with a woman suing the city for an injury to her pet chicken, not to mention sewer systems and an alien “parade” that could prove even more disruptive than most. For anyone who has read and enjoyed Scalzi’s books before, you will surely want to get and read this one. I raced through it with a smile on my face in short order.
I am still reading the other books I was read – the Theodore Roosevelt biography, the John Updike letters (though that will probably go back soon), and the Hugh Howey short story collection, which I am closest to finishing. I may be going back to finish his novel (WOOL) or I might read something else first, either Nolan Chase’s second Ethan Brand book, A LONELY PLACE FOR MURDER, set on the Washington state border with Canada, or the Lee Goldberg, or…who knows?
Thank you, Jeff, for the comments about Constituent Service. I had a $3 credit on Kindle, so I picked it up for $2.99. Thank you! I’m looking forward to it. I might read it tomorrow.
I blame myself for your library not having Fallen Star. I’m not reviewing for Library Journal anymore, and I always reviewed that series for LJ. No wonder Lee Goldberg asked me if I was going to review it for them.
Well, we’ll see about Dec. 15. I won’t be out anything because I can cancel the hotel 24 hours in advance, and I bought the ticket insurance so I can get the money back for “inclement weather”. I’d hate to not be able to go, though.
Good morning all – I am so happy for your upcoming trip, Lesa. It sounds like so much fun! Unfortunately, my trip this past weekend to see my nephew in his play was cut short when the lead woman was unable to perform due to illness. I was about one third of the way down state when I was informed that the play was called off. Luckily I was near a town that had some larger chain stores, so I had a fun afternoon getting a start on my Christmas shopping. Not much progress on the kitchen this week as the contractor also came down ill with a chest cold. Tis the season.
I only read one book this past week, “Off the Air”, by Christina Estes. A book about a reporter who will go to great lengths to get a story because she is in competition with another local reporter to get the scoop first. While the tone of the book was lighthearted, I found it a bit silly that someone would be so driven as to put her own life in danger. Just an okay book, not a series that I will follow.
Mary, I agree with you. I liked the Arizona setting of Estes’ book, but didn’t really enjoy the character. I won’t be following the series, either.
Yes, ’tis the season. Nothing as bad as to cancel a play, but I changed my plans for the day because I’m feeling coldish. Took DayQuil, and I hope that knocks it out of me quickly. I’d like to do a little shopping myself tomorrow.
I enjoyed Off the Air, which I was lucky to win in a giveaway here, probably because I have a friend in local news and kept picturing her as I was reading. I sent the book to her when I was done. I’d read another because of that shared experience.
I always like to comment when I’ve read something particularly good – All This Could Be Yours by Hank Phillippi Ryan – good mystery about an author touring the country promoting her book and is she being stalked by someone who knows a horror from her past! Loved both the mystery and also a look at what authors have to do to promote their books – not easy going from state to state and being away from home weeks at a time. We’ve had some very cold days here in CT -I guess winter is here!
Darn winter.
I saw Hank on a Poisoned Pen Bookstore virtual event. She talked about the inspiration for her book, a book tour she was on when she realized anyone would know where she was because she publicizes her book events and let’s people know where she’ll be at any given time. I’m glad you liked the book!
One of her best, I think!
It’s been a quiet week here. Mostly colder and windy but we finished building the last of the new raised beds for my vegetable garden. I’ll wait to fill them with soil until the spring since I have enough filled beds for early planting.
I read Heaven’s River by Dennis E Taylor. It’s book 4 of the Bobiverse series. A dying Earth cloned a man’s mind into a spaceship that could replicate itself and explore the universe and find a new home for mankind. That purpose finished with, the original Bob goes in search of one of his missing clones.
The Adventures of Syd: Lost in Bone Cavern by Danielle Simone. For ages 8 – 12. A young girl and her scientist father go caving to check on a colony of bats. When her father is injured Syd has to overcome her fear and go for help. This was a cute story and the author mixed in a lot of basic science.
Nightmare at the North Pole by Kristen Painter. The Winter Princess and her husband have to track down a killer before their son’s naming day.
Christmas at the Nantucket Restaurant by Pamela M Kelley. A light Christmas story where nothing major happens and all of the characters enjoy the holiday. Not really my cup of tea.
And,you got gardening in, Sandy, before the weather turned to a reading climate! I probably would have liked Christmas at a Nantucket Restaurant more than you did. Sometimes, I like a book when nothing happens.
Good morning! We are getting the rain that’s been predicted today so I’ll probably be staying home and putting my errands off till tomorrow and foregoing my morning walk for some inside exercises.. This weekend should be fun–the annual Holiday Boutique at Blackstone (my gated community), which is a short walk away, and a show called Dog Mom at a small Sacramento theatre that I’ve never been to before. There are about seven of us going to the latter and carpooling. It’s apparently a show that won a contest last year, and someone with season’s tickets told us we needed to see it . I’m happy to say I am booked up with musicals and shows, at least one per month from December through April!
I only managed to finish two books this week, but one was special because I attended the book launch (see below).
As someone who lived through the 1960s–I was 14 in 1963–I was both nostalgic and horrified when I read Marie Bostwick’s THE BOOK CLUB FOR TROUBLESOME WOMEN. Yes, it brought back some disturbing memories about how women were treated in those days. Sometimes you couldn’t get a prescription for contraception or open a bank account without your husband’s written permission! But I enjoyed the stories of four women in a new Virginia community who formed a small book club to get to know each other better and to find a place to belong. The first book they discussed was to be something else, but it turned out to be The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan’s book that may have sparked the women’s lib movement. Each of the women has a different kind of life. The main character, Margaret, yearns to do something useful other than raising three children and keeping a beautiful house, but her husband makes jokes about her “jobette,” writing a column for a woman’s magazine. Charlotte is married to a wealthy but often-absent husband who cheats on her and has parents who like her husband more than they love her. So she looks for validation from other men and dabbles in painting. Viv is a nurse with six children and isn’t sure she can handle a seventh. And stable hand Bitsy, the youngest, would love to go to veterinary school, if only a male colleague would give her a reference. The story is engrossing and well written, with some real-life characters such as Katherine Graham and Jackie Kennedy making appearances. It’s a dip into a previous era that you can’t help comparing with the world as it is now. I read this book for my book club, which I attended this week, and all of us really enjoyed this book.
If you need a book to get you into the holiday spirit, ALL THE COZY CHRISTMAS FEELS by Laura Jensen Walker is just the thing. It’s not a Hallmark story or a holiday mystery, but rather the author’s entertaining thoughts and anecdotes about how to enjoy Christmas, regardless of your taste and situation and based on her own experiences and those of her friends. It’s only 159 pages (I finished it in a few short hours), but it is chockful of recommendations and suggestions about topics such as festive food (with a few recipes), decorations, celebrations, gifts (homemade or not), inspiring and fun events to explore, and old and new traditions, There are wonderful chapters on favorite Christmas music and Christmas movies (not just lists, but additional information you may not know). And I especially enjoyed interesting and creative chapters such as Rent-a-Kid and Other Ways to Make the Yuletide Bright, What Happens When You Can’t Go Home for Christmas, and Taking the Bah Out of Humbug. Laura’s multitalented husband, “Mr. Christmas,” is a big part of the book. He is responsible for the recipes, the crafty suggestions, and more, based on a lifetime of celebrating Christmas with his wife. Laura’s unique voice rings out throughout the book, making it both charming and hilarious. She is an enthusiastic speaker and has two dozen other books of different genres to her credit. I highly recommend it! I am acquainted with Laura through Sisters in Crime, and the launch was five minutes away at Face in Book, so I was happy to attend and so glad I did. It wasn’t that well attended, unfortunately but everyone who did enjoyed it thoroughly. Laura was in conversation with Jennifer Morita, another local author, and her husband, Michael (the Mr. Christmas mentioned above) was very much in evidence. He made all the food–delicious–put together a Christmas trivia quiz and made all three of the prizes (decorative ornaments and such), and was always ready with some information and fun. By the way, I came in second in the quiz and was thrilled to win one of his cute prizes! Also present was Catriona McPherson and her husband. If you are not familiar with Catriona, she has a Ph.D. in linguistics and is the highly successful author of mystery series and standalones and one of the most amusing speakers I have ever met. And her prominent Scottish accent enhances everything she says, most of which is dryly comical. She injured her knee a few months back, but it doesn’t seem to have slowed her down. I see pictures of her travels frequently on Facebook. Anyway, a memorable and entertaining event!
Margie, I will look for ALL THE COZY CHRISTMAS FEELS by Laura Jensen Walker – it definitely piques my interest, thank you!
Margie, I’m glad you have shows every month. Live theatre is so wonderful, isn’t? I like Marie Bostwick’s books. I’ve been reading them for years. I’ll have to look for that one.
I always feel bad when an event isn’t well-attended. I know how it is to attend one like that, and, even worse, to host one!
Work for the two classes I am taking is heating up, so I don’t have a lot to report. Next week I’ll have more to say since I have both my Mary Wollstonecraft reading group and an author event featuring Kate Myers (Salty), Vanessa Lillie (The Bone Thief), and Catherine Newman (Wrecked) on Tuesday.
A funny thing happened as I was reading Widow’s Walk by Jane Willan. I had learned about it in a Thursday here and figured it was a cozy mystery. After 100 pages in which a particularly unlikable character was not killed I realized it was a regular novel. Oops! I really liked the way the main character, a priest, wrestled anew with her calling.
Enjoy the author event, Trisha! It sounds like quite a mix of books.
I thought Jane Willan wrote cozies. I guess I’m wrong.
She does write cozy mysteries, Lesa. Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn. I got notification from Amazon for The Widow’s Walk. The email said it was a stand alone new novel.
Okay. I thought that she wrote a mystery series. I didn’t realize your book was a standalone.
I enjoy Mark de Castrique’s writing quite a lot, but I’m not as crazy about this series as some of his others.
i read two Paris novels this week and enjoyed them both.
In the Paris Fashion by Sophie Beaumont
In Paris, love never goes out of style…
It’s a mystery that has passed into fashion legend: the perfect evening gown that was to be created by couture star Elisabeth Fontaine before her tragic death in 1930. Its design, a closely guarded secret, has never been found.
So when vintage fashion dealer Isabelle Bernard comes across an enigmatic letter from Fontaine mentioning the ‘evening sketches’, she’s very excited. Hot on the trail, she heads to Paris to investigate, fetching up on the doorstep of couture apprentice Romy Valence. Romy, who’s left a high-powered career to follow her dream of fashion design, is struggling with her course and her family’s disapproval. But the arrival of Isabelle, with her intriguing questions, makes Romy’s life take a thrilling new turn. Meanwhile, celebrated fashion writer Audrey Oliver is in Paris to research a book about the fashion designers of the 1920s. It’s inspired by her French great-grandmother Alice’s stories of her time as a fashion illustrator in Elisabeth Fontaine’s heyday. Audrey knows it’s going to be a great story, but she has no idea just how extraordinary it’s going to be…
A compelling, intriguing, romantic novel set in contemporary Paris against a background of timeless French fashion.
PRAISE FOR IN THE PARIS FASHION
‘On planes, trains and the streets of Paris, the women unravel threads that weave together history, their families and love lives.’ – The Australian Women’s Weekly
In the Paris Fashion sounds just like you, Kaye, Paris, fashion, and a little mystery!
My favorite series by Mark de Castrique is the Buryin’ Barry one.
I have The Look on hold at the library.
Oops! i hit “send” too soon.
We had our first snow this week. Me, being the odd guy here, loved it.
it was a perfect day for me to snuggle in with Michelle Obama’s new book, The LOOK. I love this book so much.. And I respect and admire Mrs. Obama.
Description from Amazon:
“NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Beautifully illustrated with more than 200 photographs, including never-before-seen images, The Look is a stunning journey through Michelle Obama’s style evolution, in her own words for the first time.
In this celebration of style, from the moment she entered the public eye during her husband’s U.S. Senate campaign through her time as the first Black First Lady and today as one of this country’s most influential figures, Michelle Obama shares how she uses the beauty and intrigue of fashion to draw attention to her message.
Featuring the voices of Meredith Koop, Obama’s trusted stylist, as well as her makeup artist Carl Ray, hairstylists Yene Damtew, Johnny Wright, and Njeri Radway, and many of the designers who have dressed Obama for notable events, The Look brings readers behind the scenes not only to reveal how her most memorable looks came together but also to tell a powerful story about how we present ourselves.
Obama’s intimate and candid stories illuminate how her approach to dressing has evolved throughout her life—from the colorful sheath dresses, cardigans, and brooches she wore during her time as First Lady to the bold suits, denim, and braids of her post-White House life and all the active looks and beautiful gowns in between.
In The Look, Michelle Obama explores the joy and the purpose of fashion and beauty and how—when wielded with grace and care—they can uplift and affirm the values one holds most dear. Confidence, she concludes, cannot be put on. But when you’re wearing something that’s intentional or beloved, clothing can make you feel like the best version of yourself.”
It has not been fun here.
I see a podiatrist every few weeks as, basically, I have serious feet issues that they have to treat as if I am diabetic. When I saw him Monday morning, in addition to all the usual crap, I had a raised sore spot on the bottom of my right right just down the bottom from the toes right in the middle of my foot. It was a lump and felt like a marble was under the skin. About marble sized too.
Well, that damn thing turned out to be, basically, some hideous fancy complicated wart thing with a tail on it. He cut and cut and then dug it out and waved the ball with a tail thingy at me like some doc taking a lead ball out at the civil war. Then he had me sign a release from some wart remover liquid deal that he dribbled into the freaking hole and bandaged it up.
I had one heck of a time driving home as it did not like me pressing the brakes with that foot at all. Had to do the whole bag the foot thing to do a shower before I could go to bed.
Told me it would be tender and to stay off of it. If he defines the pain that lit me up as “tender” we need to talk vocabulary definitions. I have spent the last 2 days in bed and barely getting out of it. I am up today, at least for a little while, as the pain has backed off a bit. I am changing bandages and doing the Neosporin thing, as told to do, but the deal looks knarly as hell and I am not at all sure it is healing right.
Supposed to see the foot guy on the 24rth for a checkup. He says he could feel five more in there and these things tend to grow and we might be doing this again. To hell with that! If it happens, he has to give me a pain med. I live with full body pain every day and to feel what I felt means it was really bad.
Not to mention that he made some nerve light up so by Monday afternoon I was having my right leg just spasm and kick out whenever it decided to. Not fun. That finally seemed to stop midday yesterday.
So…. I have not been doing my blog, reading, or been online much.
I have two reviews to write and an essay to do for Art Taylor’s THE FIRST TWO PAGES site as I have some publishing news. My short story, CHOKED ON LOVE, appears in the about to be released THE PERP WORE PUMPKIN anthology. So, I need to do a piece for the first 2 pages deal about how I wrote a cozy mystery deal with humor instead of my normal default setting of bitter sarcastic noir with a touch of weirdness.
None of that writing is going to happen as I freaking hurt too much, still.
Blah.
Kevin, I am so sorry to hear about your foot problems. That sounds like a terrible experience, and I cannot imagine having to drive under those conditions and then not having anything to help with the pain.
It is good to hear about the CHOKED ON LOVE short story, though.
Thank you. It sucketh greatly.
Perp 2 is now out and that is cool.
Kevin – that sounds just awful. Foot pain is the worst. I am so sorry that you are going through this.
Thank you, Mary.
I have a copy of The Perp Wore Pumpkin! I’ll get to read your story. I’m looking forward to it.
Oh, Kevin. That sounds absolutely awful. I can’t even imagine the pain, and it must be really bad to knock you off your feet for so long. I’m sorry.
It is in the second volume that just came out. Amazon Link https://amzn.to/4pfI5nV
Thank you, Lesa. This has been horrible. Have had a couple of setbacks with it. The most recent one when I and Scott went out to the eye doctor for the annual exams back on Monday. 45 minutes driving each way, plus the walk around time there. By the time we got back here, I was in agony. Got the shoe off and found blood in the sock which had flooded the bandage. The scab had come off the deep hole and that was all split open again. The thing is nasty as heck. I see him Monday for the checkup on it and we shall talk.
On the good news front–neither one of us needs new glasses. Yes, there has been a slight chnage, but just barely enough to measure.
Which astounded the doc on me after all the issues at the end of the year. He double and triple checked various things and compared stuff to last year and was absolutely thrilled. So, some rare good news.
Like you don’t have enough to deal with Kevin! How completely miserable for you. You have my sympathy, for all the good it will do.
Thank you, Lindy. It is appreciated.
My two books this week were The Incredible Kindness of Paper by Evelyn Skye and The Forget-Me-Not Library by Heather Webber.
I didn’t much care for the Evelyn Skye book where origami is left all over NYC with inspirational messages and becomes a worldwide phenomenon of goodwill.
I loved the Heather Webber book about the town of Forget – Me-Not, Alabama where vehicles break down and people stay until they are healed. The cat at the library who drops books in front of patrons that enables them to have memory when they smell the pages was fun. This was a feel good book with endearing characters. One of my favorites by her.
Happy Reading!
Didn’t get up to too much this week, but managed to be completely ready for the rain today, with everything put up, strapped down, etc.
This week I read:
Cory’s Losers by John Whitlatch; Years ago, at a library book sale, I found almost the entire booklist for this author. The covers were cool, and when at a library book sale, when in doubt, stuff them in the sack! I got all but one or two. Outside of a western and a war novel, they’re all about some guy having a midlife crisis in SoCal or Arizona, and having an adventure. In this one, some guy is accused of murder, and the whole town turns on him, and he leaves in dsgrace, only to come back for revenge. He mostly drives around in a Cadillac. A real let down from Stuntman’s Holiday.
Song of Eagles by William W. Johnstone; The gunfighter hangs out with Billy The Kid.
New York Minute by Bob Mayer; A sleazy novel set in 1970’s New York City, where a former Green Beret works as an investigator for a law firm while Reggie Jackson and Billy Martin are feuding and the Son of Sam is on his rampage. Really reminded of something from the old Marksman series.
Fifth Grade Zombies by RL Stine; A kid from the big city stays with his cousins out in the country. Something is moving in the cornfield…For the book club. Meanwhile, country kids are probably reading about the horrors of taking the subway. I guess the unfamiliar is always scary.
Clearwater by Bill Buchanan; Rip off Tom Clancy about a super submarine that is high jacked, and the men that now have to hunt for it. I always get claustrophobic reading these sorts of books.
Fifth Grade Zombies sounds the best of your books this week, Glen.
Lots of rain out there this week. I’d rather have it than the snow we had.
Hi everyone, from the city of torrential rain, ie Edinburgh…
Isn’t it great not having to go anywhere you don’t want to, Lesa? Last winter I really enjoyed just staying in for a week when everywhere was so iced up; I have no trouble entertaining myself.
I’m sorry I haven’t contributed to our Thursdays for a while, things seem to have been so busy here. Also my very elderly mother is not great, so we are involved in hospital appointments, etc.
However, I’ve still been doing other things. On Tuesday of this week I was at Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen to be interviewed by journalism students. The art gallery has a new exhibition going up – ‘GRAY’S AT 140: NEVER MAKE A HEAD BIGGER THAN A MELON‘ and the students were supposed to ask me about that (in my role as secretary of the Friends of Aberdeen Archives, Gallery and Museums) but we ended up mostly chatting more informally, about culture in north east Scotland, and their own experiences and aspirations for the future. Most of them are only 19; they were so welcoming, and so professional – I had a really lovely time.
Last week my friend Karen and I were at the theatre to see a performance of HAMLET by Teatro La Plaza, a company from Peru in which every actor has Downs’ Syndrome. They had rewritten parts of the play to reflect their own experiences – the judgement they often receive from society, and the ways in which even well meant ‘protection’, eg from their parents, can restrict their lives in ways they don’t want them to be restricted. The actors were outstanding, every one gave an exceptional performance. The play was at times hilariously funny, at others touching and emotional – but the overriding feeling was one of optimism and energy. The final scene, in which the cast danced and got audience members up onto the stage to dance with them, was so inspiring and euphoric. I’d definitely recommend this production if it tours near you. I believe it will soon be visiting Merced CA and Chicago.
Earlier last week I attended a ‘rehearsed reading’ of a new play by two young women from Strachan, a village on Deeside. UNWRITTEN is about the 17th century Aberdeen Witch Trials . I knew these happened, but was far more familiar with those in Edinburgh and East Lothian. Actors read the parts of three young villagers, one lady of the manor and the local church minister; the play highlighted the way in which a perceived (but in fact non-existent) threat can turn friends against one another. Although there were no explicit references to modern day politics, there was no avoiding the obvious parallels between what is happening in the US just now – and also starting to happen in the UK with the rise of the populist party Reform. (The one shining light for us is the emergence of Zac Polenski, the new leader of the Green Party in England and Wales. He is truly impressive and can cut through all the racist, misogynistic hate speech of some politicians like a knife.)
We also had the first of our Memories of Scotland sessions in our local library; this one was about Historic Cinemas of Aberdeen, and it was so interesting to see just how many cinemas there were both in the city and in the small country areas in the first part of the 20th century.
As neither David nor I grew up here, we know nothing about them, but some of the older people who came along had great memories of ‘going to the pictures’ (as it was still called in my childhood), especially the ‘Saturday morning pictures’, which were put on especially for children. Many went along with their friends; few parents would have accompanied them in those days.
Some cinemas had grand Hammond organs, originally used to provide the music for silent films. Some had beautiful tea rooms, many had uniformed ex-military men on duty to deal with any bad behaviour. At the end of every evening the National Anthem would be played and everyone stood to attention.
There was always a B film – a shorter, less well-known film shown before the main feature – and Pathe News reels were played between the two, always narrated by a man with perfect ‘RP’ – Received Pronunciation – which really meant someone with a posh English accent, very much hailing from London or the Home Counties (the areas around the capital) and certainly sounding absolutely nothing like the average Aberdonian!
Last night, here in Edinburgh, we went to the old Corn Exchange to see KAE TEMPEST, an English spoken word performer, poet, author and recording artist. It was an outstanding performance, with so much energy and passion plus great music and an excellent DJ. I loved it, and had a good dance too.
Tomorrow we have the rather less fun task of taking Charlie to the vet’s for his annual vaccinations, as Anna will be at work. I am hoping to tempt him into the backpack carrier with one of his favourite chewy sticks – I am so glad it isn’t Herbie’s turn as he is a slippery as an eel and suspicious before you even look at him.
BOOKS!
Hardly any reading done yet again. I am most of the way through Julie Houston’s A VILLAGE AFFAIR’ which I am finding more irritating than enjoyable. Cassie is the new deputy head of her local village school. She has the perfect house and the perfect marriage with Mark – until her best friend’s husband stands up at a village event and tells the world that his wife has been having an affair with Mark for the past three years.
The very next day Cassie is told that the head teacher of the school has died of a sudden heart attack, so she will be the acting head until a replacement is found. (Guess what? They won’t be, because Cassie is just so, so good at everything….) Cassie meanwhile manages her own teenagers, the elder of whom is possibly gay (and about which she makes a huge fuss in her attempt to be ‘supportive’), and deals with her bohemian mother, who never gave her a stable childhood home and has also never told her who her father is (guess what? He’s right under their noses. Who knew?)
At the same time, local developers are threatening to bulldoze a wildflower meadow planted by Cassie’s perfect grandfather, Norman. Some vilagers are in favour of this because it will provide badly needed social housing. Need I tell you that Cassie, and clearly also the author, are vehemently opposed to this. Which of course you can be when you have a luxurious house and what seems to be a permanent drip feed of cash from your possibly soon to be ex-husband.
The plot is of course predictable, and the new hot man takes mere milliseconds to arrive, but the thing I find so annoying is that, while Cassie is furious with the friend who has betrayed her, she is convinced that the slimy Mark has just been ‘led astray’ and will soon recognise his mistake and come back to her. There is no notion of ‘it takes two to tango’ in this ridiculous book. And of course – OF COURSE- when Cassie takes herself off to Mexico because she thinks she deserves it, not only does the hot hunk from home turn up on the same holiday, she is also instantly befriended by a male gay couple, who take her everywhere and do everything for her. Does this ever happen people? It’s such a cliché, such lazy writing, so very unrealistic.
I really must push myself to the end of this silly book, as I still haven’t started Rosamunde Pilcher’s COMING HOME, and I also bought another of Martin Edwards’ Lake District cold case murder mysteries in the charity shop at lunchtime. I also borrowed a very readable book from the library IN WRITING by Hattie Crisell. Anne Lamott describes it as ‘a charming stew of meditations on process, craft and courage by some of my favourite writers ever.’ It includes contributions from writers like Meg Wolitzer, Maggie O’Farrell, Michael Rosen, Emily St John Mandel, Curtis Sittenfeld and many more.
I’ve also been watching Anne Patchett’s little videos, I think they’re on Instagram, which she makes in her bookshop. She did a perfect one about banned books, going through a stack of books that were banned in the 1950s – including a children’s one that was about a black rabbit and a white rabbit getting married. She said people who ban books today are setting themselves up to look very silly in a few years’ time.
On television I finished MURDER BEFORE EVENSONG, which I enjoyed. David and I finally got to the end of season 2 of THE BRIDGE. I was relieved to finish it; the plot was so complicated and confusing that I still don’t think I really understood it. I know there are subsequent series but I don’t think I’d rush to watch them, it was all just a bit too dark and depressing for me. I do really enjoy the female detective, Saga, though. Sofia Helin is a brilliant actress, and created a nuanced character when she could so easily have portrayed a cliched version of this Aspergic woman.
It’s almost dinner time here in the soaking city, so I will stop for now.
I hope everyone has a good week and no snow! (I think we may be getting some next week, it definitely feels cold enough.)
Rosemary
Rosemary, welcome back. We’ve watched 4 of 6 episodes of MURDER BEFORE EVENSONG. I’d say Jackie likes it more than I do, especially Amanda Redman has his mother. We watched the three part KAREN PIRIE, and again, I liked the books a lot more than the television version, but I guess that’s just me.
We’re excited that the new series of BLUE LIGHTS starts here tonight.
Rosemary, I’m so sorry to hear your mother isn’t doing great. I hope everything works out for the best.
Despite the weather, you seem as if you’re always on the go. It doesn’t surprise me, though, that you can find things to entertain yourself when the weather is really bad.
Give Charlie a post-vet hug for me. I hope all goes well!
Hey Lesa, Had Tuesday off for Veterans Day, but busy day back at the library Wednesday morning! Am currently reading A Murder in Paris by Matthew Blake (loved Anna O last year), and All My Bones by P.J. Nelson (netgalley ebook). Debating my next audiobook…
Katherine, I have a copy of All My Bones, too. I haven’t gotten around to it yet. Those days after a holiday at the library always make you feel as if you didn’t really get one, don’t they?
While I am here and all, and with the threat of severe weather before dawn tomorrow, I will say that my current read is REVENGE PREY by John Sandford. Got it via #NetGalley and it comes out in a few months. Lucas Davenport deal.
If I have power and internet tomorrow, I will come back and babble more.