Well, last night I should have been at the Bexley Public Library where Gramercy Books hosted Connie Berry, author of A Grave Deception, the new Kate Hamilton mystery. But, the weather was lousy with rain and wind, and that’s not fun to drive in at night. So, I’ll pick up the book after the new year. I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to read it early.
Do you want to know what I’m getting myself for Christmas? New tires (sigh). Unfortunately, I’ve had to add air several times recently. I have a nail in one, and it can’t be fixed. I have four-wheel drive, so one new tire means four. But, I’m an optimist, and I said at least I’ll have new tires before I leave for my Mom’s on Saturday. Heading there for the holidays. And, I can’t complain. I’ve had the tires since 2018 when I bought the car.
I hope you’re having more fun than I am this week.
I’m currently reading Dead Simple by Peter James. It’s the first Roy Grace police procedural. If I like it, there are twenty-one more books in the series. I can also check out “Grace” on BritBox after the holidays.
In Dead Simple, Michael Harrison has been the ringleader in pranks for his friends’ stag parties. Now, he’s getting married in just a couple days. He and four friends had quite a bit to drink before his friends bury him alive with an airtube on a rainy night. They leave him there, but only a couple minutes later, they’re killed in a car accident. Harrison’s desperate fiancee turns to the police when she reports him missing. Grace grows suspicious when Harrison’s only surviving friend refuses to cooperate.
What about you? What have you been doing this week? What are you reading?
Reading that you are replacing tires you’ve been driving on since 2018 makes me very happy! I would have been worrying about you, Lesa Holstine!
So – books . . .
‘Tis the season. LOTS of new Christmas novels. Many of them, sadly, are just not my cup of tea. That said – I do love a good Christmas novel that’s not the predictable Hallmark Movie kinda story.
One that I re-read every year is CORPUS CHRISTMAS by Margaret Maron. I thought of Margaret while reading it this week and wished I could fire off a quick note to tell her how much I still love this book.
CORPUS CHRISTMAS is the 6th in Sigrid Harald series, but is easily read on its own. Don’t be surprised though to find yourself seeking out the rest of this series
Description from Amazon:
“A relic of Manhattan’s Gilded Age, the Erich Bruel House is home to an idiosyncratic collection of art. For over sixty years it has managed on donations from the visiting public and its dwindling trust fund. But tastes in art do change and in trying to restore the house’s faded luster, its trustees propose a major retrospective for renowned artist Oscar Nauman. A festive Christmas party in Nauman’s honor ends in acrimony–and next morning one of the trustees is found in a most unfestive heap at the bottom of the basement steps. Lt. Sigrid Harald had been an unwilling guest and the party and now she must return to investigate why that trustee was so universally hated. As often happens when Nauman is involved, Sigrid’s professional duties are complicated by her off-duty relationships.
Corpus Christmas was first published in 1989. The New York depicted here is very much as it is today, except—tragically—for the view of lower Manhattan that Sigrid enjoyed from the deck of a Staten Island ferry. Although loosely based on an amalgam of the National Arts Club on Gramercy Park, the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace, and the Horace Williams House in Chapel Hill, the Breul House itself is a complete fiction.”
Another book I read and enjoyed recently is Tata by Valérie Perrin an author I always enjoy.
Description from NetGalley:
“When Agnes hears from the local police her Aunt Colette has died, she can’t believe her ears. Her father’s sister Colette, her Tata, died three years ago and has been resting in peace in the cemetery of Gueugnon.
Agnes is called to identify the body: there is no doubt, it’s Aunt Colette. But then, who rests under the stone engraved with Colette’s name? And why did she fake her own death? So begins an investigation back in time, as Agnes pieces together the multitude of stories that lie behind her aunt’s second death.
An intricate, compelling web of stories told with irony, delicacy and depth, Tata will keep readers glued to every page.”
Kaye, I especially like the sound of ‘Tata’ and will see if I can find it. There are so many books I don’t know about out there in the world! I’m glad you mentioned this one.
Kaye, Tata sounds interesting.
Oh, the tires were okay, Kaye, except for that nail. I don’t drive much anymore, except when I go to Mom’s or Toronto. And weather might cancel that second trip.
I read all the Sigrid Harald books. I really enjoyed that series. There aren’t as many good Christmas stories such as that and Charlotte MacLeod’s Rest Ye, Merry. I may have to reread that one. I loved it.
Tata sounds good, too.
I’m a big fan of Margaret Maron’s Deborah Knott series, but I must admit that Sigrid Harald leaves me cold. Agree on Charlotte Macleod’s REST YE MERRY, a fun book.
Jeff, I also didn’t into the Sigrid Harald series but loved Judge Deborah Knott and her whole family. I read the whole series and was crushed when Margaret Maron died.
Me too. I knew her for years – we first bonded over her time living in Brooklyn – and even sold books to her at Malice Domestic.
Annoying as it is to have to do it, I’d say getting a set of new tires is a great gift to yourself Lesa! Imagine how much safer you’ll feel driving to your mom’s. I applaud your optimism.
The closer it gets to Christmas, the busier I am and the less reading takes place around here. I enjoy Christmas when it’s actually here but it’s sure a lot of work getting ready for it. It doesn’t help that I take longer to accomplish anything than I used to.
I did have a nice day on Sunday which was my birthday. David and I went to a concert for the first time since the start of Covid! We just don’t feel comfortable in crowds of people anymore. We used to go to concerts and plays often. Anyway, we had to start somewhere so on Sunday we went to see Jay Reischman and the Jaybirds. Such great music! There was a banjo, a mandolin, a fiddle, a guitar, and a bass. Definitely a bluegrass feel and even two or three bluegrass, or as they called them ‘hillbilly’ Christmas selections. Huge fun. The one woman in the group also makes delicious jams and a number of years ago she won the ‘World Jampionship’ in Scotland with her raspberry jam.
Earlier in the week our older daughter took us out to a delicious high tea just near our home; it was her gift to me. Many yummy treats were included; one of my favourite ones was a stuffing waffle, which is what it sounds like – a waffle made of stuffing. Pure deliciousness!
I only managed to read one book this week:
THE VILLAGE DETECTIVES & THE ART OF MURDER by Fiona Walker (first in a series)
With nothing and no one left to keep her there, recently widowed middle-aged Juno moves from the U.S. to the English village of Inkbury where her mother has taken up with a man Juno has serious suspicions about. She thinks it might be wise to live closer to her mother in order to keep an eye on her. Also, Juno’s old school friend Phoebe (they’ve lost touch over the years though) lives in Inkbury.
Not long after she arrives, Juno and Phoebe discover a dead man floating in the river, who turns out to be the local art dealer. They determine to find out who killed him. The deeper they dig into their ‘case’, with help from Mil the pub owner, the more complicated it all seems, and they can’t seem to agree on who their main suspect should be since they each have a different theory about what happened.
There’s lots of segueing into the backstories of various characters which, while interesting, takes away somewhat from the forward momentum of the story; not helped by the book having long chapters. It can be a bit slow-going at times and there are many threads to keep track of – names and things that happened in the world of art and art collecting; and of the music world from the 90s. But now that I have a handle on the main characters who have been well-introduced here, I feel there’s something about them that makes me think the next book will be much more enjoyable and so I’ve put it on my wish list.
Lindy, I am amazed to find that our library system actually has some of Fiona Walker’s novels (even if not this one) – thanks for telling us about them.
The only issue I have with these novels in which someone just hops over the Atlantic and takes up residence in the UK is – what about little things like visas and work permits? It’s not easy to move to most countries nowadays. Even if you don’t plan to work, the immigration authorities are very anxious about health care – our NHS is already struggling! But I get that this is fiction and I’m just being too practical. Or maybe Phoebe’s mother is a UK citizen and has sponsored her?
I know when my husband needed to recruit engineers from other countries the costs were unbelievable and the wait very long indeed.
Because you mention that, Rosemary, Ialways think about those women (usually women) who seem to move to the UK so easily.
Ha ha Rosemary, you are practical! The character Juno grew up in the UK and lived much of her life there, then she was in America when she was married; but she seems to be back in the UK for good now.
You’re right, Lindy. It always seemed as if I had to put air in my tires a lot, but, even though he looked, my brother-in-law couldn’t find a nail. I’m glad they did yesterday.
Oh, a high tea. I love that!
Happy Belated Birthday, Lindy! It sounds as if it was a nice one.
When I was younger, and my husband was alive, I used to go all out decorating. Now, I just go to Mom’s and enjoy her decorations.
My cats used to love a Christmas tree. Good cats who never climbed it. They liked to lay under it, and admire the lights.
At least you had time for one book.
Wow! You did have good cats Lesa. All the people I know with cats either determine to put up with them destroying the tree decorations or more often, don’t bother to put up a tree at all.
And, my cats were all strays or adoptees, Lindy. They were wonderful cats. I had one who loved to chew cords, but he grew out of it. And, Eve he never messed with the tree.
We used to know a couple that did High Tea every weekend. They spoked pot and drank hot tea.
For reals.
Oh, Kevin.
We’re in the middle of a fog spell they say is going to last until Christmas. It’s just cold and wet all the time. Been doing some holiday stuff. Things aren’t too busy yet!
This week I read:
Raging Spirits III: Hawaiian Heat by Thor Bernard; Our hero goes to Hawaii to meet his father and try to exorcise the raging spirit within him. Well, one out of two ain’t bad!
Sharpshooter Terror by Brian Berry; This is in the VHS Terror series, which are based on the kind of weird movies I used to rent when you could find anything in a video store. A sniper is taking out teenagers, and then it turns into a rip off of the movie Predator, only made in Texas with a really low budget. Almost perfect in its griminess.
Old Scores to Settle by Charles Heat: An adaptation of two episodes of the A-Team TV series, zipped together nicely. Mako was the guest star in one of them. The final two entries are actually original material.
Tomlinson’s Wake by Randy Wayne White; A direct sequel to the last book, Doc Ford goes looking for Tomlinson in Honduras. Tomlinson is even more annoying than usual. There’s also the kid who is a descendant of the last Mayan kings, corruption, conspiracy, and a whole lot of killing. It finally came to me that Doc Ford and Tomlinson are actually Spock and McCoy without Kirk, and not in space.
Makiko and the Kamekaze Blade by Scott Harrington; Harrington takes a bit of a break from his Trace Connor series, to give us this book that traces the history of a magical katana, and the policewoman trying to keep the miscreants looking for it off the streets. Of course, there’s ninja action,(Harrington is a teacher of ninjutsu) and a cameo from Trace, but the history of the blade is interesting. I’m not sure where this is going, but I pictured Mayu Iwatani playing the protagonist.
Dead Man’s Hand by Brad Taylor; Russians plot and betray one another. Every so often Pike Logan and The Task Force kills some of them while meandering around Sweden. There’s a fictional president, but this was written during the Biden Administration, so it felt a little weird.
Carnacki: Crossover by William Miekle; Carnacki meets a salvage captain a little too obsessed with treasure hunting for his won good, as he keeps running into Lovecraftian menaces, then running to Carnacki to get him out of his jam.
Spock and McCoy without Kirk is just a disaster waiting to happen! 😳
That just sounds ugly, Glen, cold and wet.
Like Mary, I thought your comment about Spock and McCoy was funny.
It sounds, though, as if you read a few books you enjoyed this week.
It has been a week. Fiscal year end at work (slightly off fiscal year), and it has been brutal with all kinds of busy work assignments. I’m hoping those are all finally behind me so I can truly focus on my account recs starting Thursday. Especially since they are due by the end of the day on Monday. That’s an earlier than normal deadline, and I’m starting them later than normal.
Reading wise, I’m in the first of my two Christmas cozies for the year. It’s HOME FOR THE HOMICIDE by Rosalie Spielman. It’s book four of her series about a retired vet who has returned to her home town. And it’s the fourth in the series I’ve read this year. I’m enjoying it and should finish it on Thursday.
The other Christmas cozy for the year? FIVE GOLDEN WINGS by Donna Andrews, of course. I always read her new Christmas cozy as close to Christmas as I can and still review it before Christmas. This year, I’ll be starting it on Friday, if all goes as planned.
Good luck with work, Mark, and good luck with finding time for the new Donna Andrews.
Hi everyone,
Lesa, those tyres will be worth every penny. David put all-weather tyres on my 4-wheel drive in the summer, and we are now really seeing the benefit of them, the car feels so much safer in the snow and torrential rain we’ve had lately.
Our weather has been a lot like Glen’s – wet, wet, foggy, wet…though we have had the occasional dry bright day. As soon as one arrives I am down to the river; it’s so beautiful in the winter sun. Our hours of daylight are very short in December – something like 9am to 3.30pm – so walks have to be planned far more than in summer.
We’ve been in Edinburgh a lot owing to my mother’s declining health, and will be back again next week, but in between I have been catching up with friends and activities here in Aberdeenshire. A friend and I helped at an art fair; I met up with many friends there and had a lot of fun.
I also went to another Memories of Scotland session at our local library – it was about Christmas in Aberdeen/shire. Ewen had found so much interesting material – pictures of department stores decorated as they once were, Christmas foods (including the famous clootie dumpling – one of the older ladies there was horrified to hear I had never tasted it), pantomimes, Christmas TV of the past – when everyone had to huddle round one set and Christmas Top of the Pops was always a contentious matter (at least at my grandmother’s house…). Ewen had even created a quiz on Christmas films, and there was much debate as to whether GREMLINS and DIE HARD (neither of which I have ever seen) did or did not fit that description. These sessions are always really good, and I always enjoy meeting more people. After five years in Culter I finally feel I am integrating!
Last Sunday we were at the Aberdeen exhibition centre to see MADNESS and SQUUEZE. It wasn’t my top concert of the year (that honour goes, so far at least, jointly to SELF ESTEEM and KAE TEMPEST) but it was fun – so many porkpie hats in the (huge) audience, lots of dancing to hits like ‘Our House’ and ‘Baggy Trousers.’ Madness are very much a London band, and have been around as long as I have – this was one of the few times when I’ve felt a little nostalgic for my birthplace, though in truth I’d never move back to the south again (and certainly couldn’t afford to anyway!)
BOOKS! Yes, I’ve actually read one and am reading two more.
The one I read was KILLING TIME by Alan Bennett. I’ve very much enjoyed all of Bennett’s earlier work, and these days he’s seen as something of a ‘national treasure’ over here, but I’m sorry to say this little novella was disappointing. It’s set in a care home, but I felt Bennett failed to develop any of the characters properly, and although I expect this will make me sound prudish there was, for me at least, far too much gratuitous sex. About half way through the story, the COVID pandemic strikes and we see (briefly) how the various residents respond. I think Bennett was trying to be funny, but as we all know, Covid decimated care homes in this country, despite the heroic efforts of their poorly paid and vastly undervalued staff.
If I didn’t know this already, on Monday I was at our local care home, as my friend Nancy was visitng a resident. I have been in care homes before – my parents-in-law were in a very smart one in England – but this one was neither smart nor pleasant. It is home to people with very advanced dementia, and although the staff members were really lovely it is so sad to see how lost and confused people can become. The TV blared out in one sitting room, but nobody was watching it, they were just staring at the wall.
So all in all I didn’t appreciate Bennett’s book and I do think the publisher probably only let it go because the author’s name can sell anything.
I am also reading MURDER IN ADVENT by David Williams. It is set in a fictitious cathedral community. A large amount of money is needed to keep the building, the choir and indeed the clergy going, so some people want to sell off a very valuable and ancient copy of the Magna Carta. Of course some people are equally vehemently opposed to this, especially as the only willing buyer is a mysterious American collector. A London banker, who has an honorary role at the cathedral, is called in to adjudicate. We haven’t quite reached the murder yet, but it’s clearly coming. Having worked for so long in cathedral admin myself, I am enjoying the very accurate representation of the endless squabbles and side-taking among this very eccentric community.
And I’m still reading Jilly Cooper’s RIVALS and enjoying it very much.
On TV I have just finished both SHETLAND (I look forward to your opinion of the ending Jeff!) and RIOT WOMEN. The latter was brilliant, i don’t know anyone who hasn’t loved it, and I’m glad the ending left things open for another series.
I’m also rewatching THE NIGHT MANAGER in preparation for a rumoured new series. Tom Hiddleston is great, but Hugh Laurie really steals the show as the ruthless arms dealer Richard Roper.
I’m meeting a friend for lunch in town today so I need to stop here. I’ve no time to proof read this, so apologies in advance for all mistakes and typos.
Have a good week all, and don’t work too hard on all the Christmas preparations! My elder daughter Anna is doing all the catering this year, so all we have to do is turn up – hoorah!
I’ll have to check out Murder in Advent, Rosemary. It sounds right up my alley and very seasonal.
I agree, Rosemary. I was planning to get new tires sometime in the next six months anyway. This just puts them on before I go to Mom’s.
I love the sound of that Memories of Scotland series. A live presentation is better than the short shows I’ve been watching on YouTube, but I’ve enjoyed them. Christmas candies of the past; foods from the 50’s to 70’s that are no longer popular; etc.
Again, I’m so sorry to hear your mother’s health is declining.
I didn’t see any typos!
Rosemary, good to see you back. We haven’t had either the new series of SHETLAND or RIOT WOMEN yet, so we await them patiently. We are watching the original LYNLEY series, and started WIRE IN THE BLOOD (we watched the first episode 20 years ago, but not the rest of the series). We’re u p to series 19 of SILENT WITNESS. We started another go-around of ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE. And we’re watching THE GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW (as it is called here). Still waiting on BLUE LIGHTS until all the episodes are released.
See my comments on the Val McDermid series below.
I thought THE NIGHT MANAGER was a brilliant show, Rosemary.
It really is Kim! I still haven’t read the book but even watching the tv series for the second time I’m on the edge of my seat.
And I’m particularly noticing the excellent cinematography; even domestic scenes are full of understated menace. The tension ratchets up quite relentlessly.
Instead of tires we had to replace our 14 year old clothes dryer. We were supposed to get the new one today, but yesterday afternoon Roger measured the basement door and realized it wasn’t going to fit. Fortunately we’re dealing with a local appliance store so they found us one that would fit at the same price and we’ll have it Monday. I just have to get one last load out of the old one.
This week it’s been cold and windy so I got in plenty of reading.
BEST WISHES FROM THE FULL MOON COFFEE SHOP by Mai Mochizuki. Three more stories from The Full Moon Coffee Shop. I like how she links all of the stories together rather than having each one about a random character like some other authors do.
BLIND DATE WITH A WEREWOLF by Patricia Briggs. An anonymous friend sets up a centuries old werewolf on 5 blind internet dates. The only rules are no bodies, no one can run screaming into the night, and each date has to last at least a certain period of time. Of course nothing works out as planned.
MEATLOAF AND MISTLETOE by Katie Mettner. A quick Christmas Romance. I read this one for a challenge – read books featuring a character with a disability written by an author with a disability.
FINDING GOBI:THE TRUE STORY OF A LITTLE DOG AND AN INCREDIBLE JOURNEY by Dion Leonard. An ultra marathon runner is adopted by a stray during a race through the Gobi desert. After the race is over he decides to take the dog back to the UK, a feat which is easier said than done.
It’s always something, isn’t it, Sandy? And it’s always something that isn’t cheap.
I always wondered about Briggs’ werewolf books. And, Gobi sounds as if it could be good.
Sandy, that reminds me of when my friend Heather purchased a very expensive leather sofa from John Lewis (a major department store). It’s a condition of their sales that you have to measure your own doorways, rooms, etc and if, on delivery, the item won’t fit that’s your problem.
Heather thought she’d measured all the relevant parts of her old and asymmetric house, but when they guys arrived with the sofa it was clear she’d got something wrong.
Fortunately – at least in those days – the deliveries were always done by the same team and they knew their regular customers. They wiggled the sofa around till it finally got up the stairs and into the first floor sitting room. Heather said by then she was dissolving in a pool of sweat. It was quite a moment!
Don’t you just hate car expenses especially over the holidays?Be safe traveling.
It is cold and we are under a winter alert through Friday in Cincinnati. I like winter but this December has been crazy.
Lucky you to see Connie Berry at the library. I am currently reading her new book.
Two Christmas books for me this week. I’ll Be Home For Christmas by Jenny Bayliss had Fred returning home after losing her job and boyfriend. She moves back in with her mom and eccentric aunts to help run their Christmas cracker business during the winter fair. And of course, there is her childhood crush. One of Bayliss’s better books. The aunts were a hoot. I enjoyed it.
Next up was Highland Holiday Hearts Bookshop. Rosie inherits a bookstore from her great aunt she’s never met in Scotland (as one does). She picks up her life and moves. This one involved an underground magical matchmaking service and puffin. The eccentric book bitches group and the grumpy kilt wearing Scotsman round out the bunch. Oh, and there were puffins. My daughter recommended this one. I thought it was fun.
Happy Reading!
I hate expenses any time of year, Sharon, but this time of year is even worse.
I loved those aunts in Bayliss’ book. They were fun.
You’re right. We all inherit bookshops, and then can pack up and move to Scotland. Rosemary would not approve.
Stay safe with that weather.
🤣🤣🤣
Good morning Lesa and fellow book lovers! I’m sorry to hear about your tire expense, Lesa. Never fun at any time, and especially not at Christmas. Hopefully it will be a blessing in disguise and get you safely to and from your mom’s!
Holiday mania continues. I have been running every day to some holiday get together. I have truly overbooked myself. Today, however, I am home but baking cookies for our woman’s club annual cookie sale this Saturday. This past Saturday I went to a holiday tuba concert! It is an annual event, I understand, and people travel from miles around to participate. They practice for 1.5 hours before the concert and then it’s show time. It was quite fun with tuba players from the age of 13 to 89!
I finally finished the little gem of a book “The Bachelor Brother’s Bed & Breakfast” which I read about on this blog. It is such a sweet little book. I have ordered the next one in the series. Great little vignettes that are easily read right before bedtime.
Safe travels, Lesa!
Thank you, Mary! Probably safer travels with new tires!
I loved The Bachelor Brothers. The second book is good, too.
A tuba concert sounds fun.
Happy reading!
I’m so glad you enjoyed Bill Richardson’s book Mary – it was probably me who recommended it, I love it dearly. A real oasis of peace and gentle humour in these rather frantic times.
Mary, I loved all of those Bachelor Brothers books! Thanks for reminding me.
Hi Lesa,
Sorry you had to miss the book launch because of weather! I’d actually thought about driving from Toledo to Columbus for it because I’m a fan of Connie’s books, but I had a book club holiday party in my neighborhood. It was so icy that just getting to my neighbor’s house was enough travel for me! Connie Berry will be visiting the Toledo Library in January, so I’ll be able to get my book and listen to her talk then…assuming the weather cooperates!
I’m reading Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks right now. It’s a memoir about how she deals with her grief after the sudden passing of her husband, Tony Horwitz. I’m a fan of her writing style and think the topic is one many of us can relate to, even though our circumstances differ.
I’m sorry I missed the book launch, too, Kate. My sister texted me last night and said, wise decision. “It’s yucky out.” I don’t like to drive in yucky weather at night. I felt sorry for Connie because I,m sure her audience wasn’t large last night.
I hope you get to see her in January.
Also have had car expenses here the last two weeks. Felt like they had put a tariff on the labor charges too. Have my physical next week and not looking forward to that either.
As to reading– Current read is a digital ARC of Bitter Fall by Bruce Robert Coffin. Very much enjoyed the first book in this police procedural series, Crimson Thaw. After looking on NetGally for weeks for it, I finally reached out to the author and asked for a copy to read. Something I very rarely do. He gave it to me within an hour and also told me that Severn River Publishing is not putting stuff up at NetGalley.
Travel safe.
Is that Severn House or Severn River, Kevin? Are you the one who mentioned Severn House was sold? Darn. I liked some of their series authors. And I feel sorry for Jeff Siger. That’s the second time he had a series with a publisher that was sold.
I don’t think Severn House has been sold. I read two of theirs recently, and they currently have more than 20 books for offer on NetGalley. I hope they don’t change because I like quite a few of their books/series, but although they used to give me a Featured Review every time, that has stopped.
Joffe Books is supposed to be acquiring Severn. I believe Joffe does e-arcs so they’ll probably continue to do them for Severn also.
Severn River is not putting stuff up on NetGalley.
Severn House IS sold as Joffee Books is making their existing stake in them 100 percent. They also are cutting back, according to reports, what they are putting up on NetGalley.
When they started publishing Jeff Siger’s series with the Chief on the Greek island, Dallas Public Library pulled ALL the print copies from the system. They now only have the e audio books.
I’ve never read the Grace series of books, but we have watched all of the GRACE episodes (there is one series we haven’t had yet) that have run on Britbox, and I’ve always meant to try the books, I remember that first episode, which was based on the first book, because that is one of my absolute nightmares – the guy alive in a coffin and no one knows where he is.
The weather continues not very nice – cold and windy for the most part, but at least no snow (fingers crossed). We have one last “mini-vacation” next Tuesday in Manhattan – staying at a hotel and going to see Earth, Wind & Fire for the tenth time (last was 2022). That should cheer us up.
Books. Jackie read the Margaret Mizushima (DYING CRY) and is now reading THE IMPOSSIBLE fortune, Richard Osman’s latest Thursday Murder Club book.
I am about to finish two books of short stories. The first I’ve already mentioned, The First William P. McGivern Science Fiction Megabook. McGivern was well known for his hardboiled fiction, stuff like THE BIG HEAT and ROGUE COP. But he started out in the 1940s writing (frankly) silly pulp science fiction stuff, that is fast and easy to read, if eminently forgettable.
I’m a big fan of Dan Chaon’s writing, particularly his short stories but also his novels. After I got his new book from the library, ONE OF US, I was reading his Wikipedia entry and found something quite interesting. When he went to college, one of his English professors at Northwestern was Sheila Schwartz, and the 19 year old student and 30 year old professor got involved, and later married. Sadly, she died of cancer 20 years later. Schwatrz was also a writer, and The Pushcart Press published her short story collection, Imagine a Great White Light in 1991. I bought a copy and read it, but though I enjoyed the early stories, the later ones were a little dark for me and not really my taste. Still, I’m glad I read it.
As I’ve mentioned before, I am a big fan of Scottish author Val McDermid. I consider her standalone A PLACE OF EXECUTION to be one of the finest mysteries I’ve ever read. (It was nominated for an Edgar, but lost to another fine book, Joe R. Lansdale’s THE BOTTOMS.) I also liked KILLING THE SHADOWS, about a serial killer going after crime writers. But mostly, I am a fan of her Karen Pirie series, about the Scottish Historic Case Unit, basically a Cold Case unit of three, led by Pirie from their Edinburgh office. The latest (book eight) is Silent Bones, and there are two different cases. Over 10 years ago, investigative journalist Sam Nimmo disappeared after supposedly “snapping” and killing his pregnant fiancée, something people who knew him found hard to believe. He (again supposedly) sent messages saying he was disappearing. But now a huge rain storm has washed out part of a motorway near Glasgow, uncovering Nimmo’s body, which clearly was there all along. So who killed and buried him and framed him for murder? The second case was brought on a visit from New Zealand by the brother of a man whose death was ruled at accidental fall, the manager of a fancy hotel. Is there a tie to the men only book club he joined?
This is a very complicated book, and I had a hard time occasionally keeping everyone straight, and I found the ending not entirely satisfactory. On the good side, however, is the writing (as always). Though I am not a big fan of the use of dialect, in general, I always enjoy the Scottish words and references McDermid throws into her books, even if I have to look up their meaning. Did you know (other than Rosemary, of course) that “up to his oxters” means his armpits? I sure didn’t. So, overall, a good, solid read, but not the best in the series.
I’m also a big fan (not on McDermid’s level, but still) of William Shaw. I read his first series, four books about Sgt. Cathal Breen & PC Helen Tozer, set in 1968 London. But he really hit his stride with the Sgt. Alexandra Cupidi series set in Kent. THE BIRDWATCHER is about Sgt. Bill South, the title character, who – we learn early on – killed someone when he was a child. Cupidi, transferred from London (with her troubled teenage daughter) is in charge of the case. It serves as a prequel to the series, which consists of SALT LANE, DEADLAND, GRAVE’S END and THE TRAWLERMAN. After the first, however, my library stopped buying them, so I had to buy copies myself. Now I bought the new one, The Wild Swimmers. I’m 100 pages into it and I’m racing through it. Here, there is a report of a dead body, and Cupidi’s daughter Zoe is the one to find it. Meanwhile, a group of women, including the dead woman, have been swimming in the Channel daily, off the Kent coast near Dungeness and Folkstone. Meanwhile, Cupidi’s rich but unhappy friend, Sgt. Jill Ferriter, hears from a man in prison that he (he claims) is her previously unknown father. This is a good series but you definitely need to start at the beginning.
Jeff, I’ve never heard of being ‘up to your oxters’!!! I’ll ask Madeleine if it’s a Glaswegian phrase – they do things differently over in the Wild West 🤣.
So interesting, Rosemary. Val McDermid is from Kirkcaldy, Fife, as (I believe) is her character, Karen Pirie.
Oh yes, I forgot about that!
Well Val is Scottish through and through and I’m certainly not! So maybe I just haven’t been listening. Ian Rankin, author of the Rebus books (& many others) also comes from Fife. There must be something in the air down there!
I saw Rankin and McDermid interview each other at a Bouchercon some years ago. They were clearly quite friendly.
Hate car expenses during the holidays. I am reading Snake on A Red Velvet Throne which is a collection of short stories and novella written by a woman who is either going blind or almost blind. She used special technology to write them. She wrote in the forward that it took a lot of patience to learn how to use it. I know about the aid that she is using and it is very expensive, I hope that it will become more user friendly and affordable in the future.
I don’t usually read short stories because I get attached to the main character and then poof they are gone. But each one of them is a joy. Now reading the novella about a woman who was neglected and abused in childhood and is a social worker in an institution for abused children. Her learning was very interesting and I think it could be help abused children to not blame themselves for it, stand up for themselves and be more resilient. I am loving this book.
Now, there’s a title, Carol, that would turn me off- Snake on a Red Velvet Throne. I’m glad you’re loving the book, though.
Jeff, I hope the weather is good for your last mini-vacation before you leave for Florida.
I brought home The Birdwatcher, but had to take it back to the library unread. Oh, well. I’m going to try the Karen Pirie series after the holidays.
Good morning! I just finished reviewing the second book I read this week, which you can read below.
Lesa, your tire situation sounds very familiar. I also had problems with a tire that kept deflating and ultimately had a nail, so I bought 4 new tires (the tires were the original ones from my 2018 Honda CRV). Unfortunately, the car was soon afterward totaled in my accident, so I had to buy a whole new car!
Glen is right–the weather has been damp and cold every day recently (no rain), and on Tuesday it was so foggy that I was uncomfortable driving to my card game in the morning. We all thought the fog would let up by the time we went home around noon, but nope!
On Sunday I went to the Harris Center by myself to see the Pops Chorale and Orchestra in “Remember Christmas.” The chorale is 60 singers strong, and the orchestra has about 20 musicians, and it was a lovely show. My seat turned out to be in the front row, and the dancers in occasional numbers seemed to be about 6 feet from me! A daughter and mother had tickets on either side of me (they couldn’t figure out why their seats were not together) and I moved so they could be together, and we had some nice conversations before the show and during the intermission.
Here is what I finished this week:
I read THE ROSE ARBOR, a standalone by Rhys Bowen, for a book club, and I found it to be an easy , entertaining read. In 1968, Liz has been relegated to the obituary department at a newspaper where she had worked in the news room before being demoted in an unfortunate turn of events. She sees the disappearance of a little London girl as her opportunity to worm her way back into her earlier position with the help of her roommate, Marisa, a police detective who is officially on the case. In the process, she visits a ghost town where the inhabitants were given two weeks to clear out so the military could use their town to practice invasions during WWII and meets James, the son of one of the wealthier families as he searches through the rubble of his ancestral home to find cherished objects for his father. She also has some disturbing flashbacks, making her wonder whether she herself had been in that area as a very young child. Liz thinks that the current case may be connected to the disappearance twenty years earlier of three other girls in the area, and it is an intricately woven story that we follow, step by step. In the process, we learn about the affected town (based on a real town in England) and other details about the war, and it is fascinating. However, I had more than a little difficulty believing that the police would allow a civilian to insinuate herself into their investigation, and that Liz’s employer would let her take quite a bit of time off her job to do so. Her relationship with James is pleasant but doesn’t rise to the level of a romance. I am a big fan of Rhys Bowen and wouldn’t rate this book highly compared to the others I have read, but it kept me reading to the end, and I enjoyed it.
Author Kate Quinn’s mother was a librarian and her father regularly read fantasy books to her in her childhood. So although this prolific writer is celebrated for her historical fiction, her upcoming book is aptly titled THE ASTRAL LIBRARY. For 26-year-old Alix, libraries have always been a refuge after her mother left and she landed in the foster system at age eight. Now, suddenly losing her home and one of her three jobs and discovering that someone else’s name is on her meager savings account, she desperately needs a new start. One day, in the reading room of the Boston Public Library, she finds a door that leads to a magical library where selected individuals who need to escape from someone dangerous or who simply seek sanctuary can choose to live in a favorite book, a painting, or even a video game. And the library provides appropriate clothing and introductions. Thus begins a new adventure for Alix, but it isn’t the one she has envisioned. After a bit of exploring and before she can choose her new home, the library itself comes under fire by an insidious group of humans that threatens the very existence of the Astral Library and the futures of its customers. This is not the kind of fantasy that requires a lot of world building and features fairies or royal folk or dragons (well, maybe one). It’s the story of one disadvantaged but intelligent woman who discovers that she can indeed rise above her misfortune to find her own strength and purpose. Because this story is written by Kate Quinn, the writing style is brilliant, the visual descriptions are beyond beautiful, and the characters will stick with you. Besides Alix, a favorite is the Astral Librarian, who is much older than she looks, and who has powers that you wouldn’t expect. Another is Beau, Alix’s supportive and fantastic friend who designs and fashions the most incredible clothing for a living and is hoping for a breakthrough with a costume for a new movie. And then there are the library’s books themselves, who turn out to be sentient beings who react when their home is threatened. Finally, this is a cautionary tale about protecting our libraries from those who would change everything they stand for. This is truly a special book and one I highly recommend if you are intrigued by the premise. (February)
Margie, I have The Rose Arbor on my shelves here at home already and The Astral Library on order, (although it doesn’t come out here until the middle of February) so it was fun to read your reviews of them!.
Lindy, I hope you enjoy them both!
What a wonderful review and description of THE ASTRAL LIBRARY, Margie, thank you. I have this on my list, and thanks to you will move it closer to the top – like immediately. Kate Quinn’s writing always just makes the real world disappear for awhile.
Kaye, I think this one is really special. I hope my review did it justice. Enjoy!
Margie, The Astral Library is on my digital TBR pile, and your review made me even more eager to read it. Thank you!
That’s what I have, a 2018 Honda CRV. A great car, except for visibility. I hope I don’t have an accident after getting the new tires tomorrow.
Still in the middle of two books, Val McDermid’s newest Karen Pirie book, SILENT BONES, which I’m listening to, and Clare Mackintosh’s OTHER PEOPLE’S HOUSES, the third in her Ffion Morgan police procedural series. (Jeff reviewed SILENT BONES above). I’m enjoying both very much, but I’m not ready to review them. Last week, I was listening to a complicated fantasy called QUEEN DEMON by Martha Wells, and I’ve finished that and was very glad I read it.. But I wouldn’t try reading it before the first in the series, which has most of the same characters. It’s convoluted enough without starting more or less in the middle!
We’ll take your reviews whenever you finish and have a chance to review, Kim. I like various view.
It is pretty quiet here. Cooler some days, but warm this morning when we went out to the grocery store and to take a Christmas package to the post office. Tomorrow I will have a laser clean-up procedure at the ophthalmologist’s, to fix the film on one cataract, but that will be quick and easy.
Glen is now reading CRIMSON SNOW:WINTER MYSTERIES, a short story book edited by Martin Edwards, one of the British Library Christmas anthologies. He has liked 3 of the 5 short stories he has read, plus a novella by Victor Gunn, which was good. Neither of us were familiar with Victor Gunn; his real name was Edwy Searles Brooks and he wrote a lot of books, including mysteries, in the 1930s-1960s.
I am doing a reread of one of S.J. Rozan’s books in the Lydia Chin & Bill Smith series, THE SHANGHAI MOON. I read it about 15 years ago, and I remember at the time I did not like it that well. I have no idea why I did not like it, but the subject matter is something I should like, and I am a big fan of the series, so I decided to give it another try. Lydia is working on a job to help recover stolen jewels that once belonged to a Jewish refugee who fled from Austria to Shanghai in 1938, so it includes some history from that pre-WWII time.
Lesa, I am sorry you needed new tires, but very glad that your trip to visit your mother will be safer.
That’s another series I SHOULD read, Tracy – the Lydia Chin, Bill Smith books. I have a number of them I’d like to start in 2026.
Good luck on your eyes.
You’re right. The drive to Mom’s should be safer.
Wow! I don’t know if I can read that one! I am reading “To the Moon and Back. Can’t say I am excited about it. Have no library books this week. Two other books I got from you turned out I had read..they were so good. Read Wreck which was a pleasant surprise. Drive careful. You are loved.
Thank you, Carol Jeanne. I’ll do my best.
I love you,too. See you Sunday!