Here’s the most important reminder this Thursday – tomorrow, April 3, we’re talking about Childhood Favorites on the blog. I hope you drop by even if you don’t have a book to share. You can check out favorites that other readers enjoyed.
It’s been a great birthday week. My sister, Linda, and I participated in a No Kings rally on Saturday. That was fun. Sunday was my birthday dinner. I already mentioned the menu. The pineapple upside down cake was wonderful! On Tuesday, Linda and I went to Storyline Bookshop in Upper Arlington. What a wonderful bookstore! This was our adventure out. We hadn’t been there before. We followed that by lunch at Littleton Market in the same plaza, an upscale grocery that has a small cafe. I bought an orange chocolate croissant for my birthday breakfast yesterday. On Wednesday, Linda, Kevin and I went to see the movie “Project Hail Mary”. Very good, but three hours is long with so much space stuff. I cried, though. Tonight is the birthday dinner for my nephew. Medical appointments this morning and tomorrow morning. Good birthday week!
What about you? What are you reading this week?
I’m reading Amy Rose Bennett’s second Parasol Academy romantasy, The Governess’s Guide to Spells and Managing Misfit Marquesses. I like this series that blends a Victorian romance with light fantasy. In this one, Mina Davenport has kidnapped one of her charges. Seven-year-old viscount, Lord Fitzwilliam,, has a guardian who seems to be under a spell by Evil Queen Mab. Before she died, Fitzwilliam’s other guardian asked Mina to look after him. She used a bit of governess magic, but accidentally ended up on a ship belonging to a new Irish peer. He’s a former boxer who wants to improve his stammer before he argues for Irish rights in front of the House of Lords. He finds a way to hire Mina, and the two spend a lot of time eyeing each other. Fun and flirty.
As I asked, what are you reading this week?
Lesa, I’m glad you enjoyed your birthday week. It’s been a pretty quiet week here.
I read The Ghost and Mrs Muir by R.A. Dick. I liked the captain but Lucy was an annoying doormat. I definitely like the movie better.
An ARC of Dead Men Don’t Play Fetch by David Rosenfelt which is coming out in July. When a billionaire is murdered in the alley behind a recovery center the police charge the resident who found the body. The man who runs the clinic knows Andy Carpenter and asks him to be the accused’s defense attorney. These are somewhat predictable but it was still hard to put down.
Thank you, Sandy! A doormat is the perfect description of Lucy. I agree!
What an excellent birthday week you had Lesa. I had a quick look online at Storyline Bookshop – it looks wonderful; like a home away from home!
Over here we had disappointing results from David’s six weeks post radiation PSA test which showed that far from going down as expected, the number has actually gone up. We are disheartened. Another blood test has been requisitioned for the end of the month.
But today was the start of the new season of Death in Paradise which we watched this evening. Even though the current inspector is not my favourite of all the ones there have been, the show is still fun comfort viewing.
Books this week:
THE ACCOMPLICE by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson (with Aaron Philip Clark)
The author is – among other things – the famous rapper known as “50 Cent” whose debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin’ was the best-selling album 0f 2003.
Many pages of this gritty crime/action thriller were like watching a violent action movie on TV, except that I was reading it instead. Definitely nothing cozy in this one.
The story follows Nia Adams – who lives, breathes, and believes in the importance of law enforcement in her job as the first ever Black female Texas Ranger – as her work intersects with that of Desmond Bell – who works for an organization that steals things and secrets from very wealthy, powerful people who are then blackmailed for untold millions of dollars to not have their dirty laundry made public. Naturally, people both innocent and guilty get hurt or killed along the way. That’s just how it is. But when something is stolen from one the richest, most influential families in the entire state, well, the fallout reaches far and wide.
Also factoring into the story is the character of Bartholomew Katz; a truly despicable, evil, frightening person. Reading about him was terrifying. I kept trying to edge away from the book.
This was a compelling read with moments of real violence that were hard to read about and I found myself wondering why on earth I’d chosen this book and to be honest, I don’t have an answer. But at the same time, I felt not sympathy exactly, but empathy for Desmond. Despite all the killing he’s done he came across as someone who had an undercurrent of something good within himself. Maybe.
The story moved along at a brisk pace with no extraneous descriptive passages, but lots of action and danger. As someone else said this book is a ‘dive into the underworld of crime, loyalty, and survival’.
LADY TREMAINE by Rachel Hochhauser
A not-for-children reimagining of the Cinderella fairy tale from the point of view of the ‘evil stepmother’, except that in this wonderful book everything you think you know about the classic version of Cinderella is upended and the stepmother is the one who I admired and rooted for.
A strong, determined, flawed, do-what-it-takes, fiercely protective mother,
Lady Ethelreda, twice-widowed is now solely responsible for her two daughters Rosamund and Mathilde, each different from the other but both surprisingly likeable young women – and for Elin her stepdaughter, who is forever quoting maxims and platitudes from a little book always kept on her person, and who doesn’t contribute in any way to the running and upkeep of their run-down and crumbling home. Although anything of value has long since been sold, this little family struggles mightily to make ends meet. But because Lady Ethelreda knows the only chance the girls will have for stability in their lives is to marry well, appearances are kept up – nice clothes when going into town, a few rooms in their home always ready and acceptable enough to receive visitors.
The story still has a Royal ball which all eligible young women are invited to and it is rumoured that the Prince will be choosing a wife from among the guests. I loved reading about the lead-up to, and the preparations for the ball which were taking place at Lady Ethelreda’s home.
This book is a wonderful story in its own right and the fact that it’s a ‘retelling’ makes it even better. Ultimately a tale of survival when the odds are not stacked up in your favour, and what it means to be a mother – and a stepmother – and what it takes in so many ways to do the best for your children, and what you teach them and yourself in the process. And one of making the best of anything and everything you have at your disposal to work with; and not giving up when life throws difficulty your way. There are well-developed characters in this book, some likeable, some not. The story was entertaining, it provided background for the characters, and it had surprising depth and emotion. There was a thread of disturbing darkness in the book, and this evil came from an unexpected source. To me anyway.
From now on whenever I hear ‘Cinderella’, this book will be the version of the story I will choose to think of. I loved reading it. And while I was reading, I kept stealing glances at the beautiful cover which somehow manages to embody the story.
Lindy, I am so sorry about your husband’s results, and I will keep my fingers crossed for better news from his next test.
I love the sound of Lady Tremaine – stepmothers do often seem to get a bad press, and I know from friends that it can be a very challenging role to take on.
I always feel a bit sorry for our new queen, Camilla. She gets so much criticism (some people will never let go of their obsession with Diana) yet to me she seems like a decent person, who works hard, never makes it all about her, and makes Charles happy. I heard her speak about her own childhood once – it sounded very happy and relatively normal.
Rosemary, I’ve always liked Camilla whenever I’ve seen her on TV or heard her speak. She seems so ‘ordinary’, which I mean in a complimentary way.
Sending hugs, Lindy. I hope the test results at the end of the month will be better.
Lindy, I’m so sorry that the results of all David’s hard work has been disappointing. I’m keeping both of you in my prayers. it’s sad that you can only worry.
My favorite retelling is always of The Beauty and the Beast. I think I have a couple versions of that here right now.
Lindy, I am so sorry about your husband’s test results.
I have Lady Tremaine on reserve. After your review I am looking forward to it.
Lindy, waiting for results from tests is so very hard, and waiting to have new tests done must be even harder. I send you my positive thoughts and prayers.
Hi Lindy, I love the sound of the Cinderella retelling! Thanks for sharing your review. So sorry to hear about your husband‘s results. I so wish that there had been better news.
We got a little much needed rain at the end of the season, but now everyone has to worry about blight. Such is life.
This week I read:
It Sleeps Below by William F. Gray; A woman who almost drowned feels called back to the lake by visions. Lovecraftian, but like in most such stories, nothing really happens. Some of the setting description is very effective, though.
Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments by Joe Posnanski; The title says it all. The guy picks some real good moments, but he’s the kind of phony know it all that makes so many hate sportswriters.
Gremlins by George Gipe; The adaptation of the screenplay of the 1980’s movie. This is more of a horror book than I remember the movie being, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen it.
The Cannibals by Keefe Brasselle; A poor man’s Harold Robbins.
Felan’s Fables by Jamie Yourdon; A collection of stories that aren’t actually fables, but are occasionally entertaining.
Marine One Down by William Sauro; Someone shoots down Marine One, and there’s a boring conspiracy behind it as people investigate.
Down The Dark Streets by WIlliam W. Johnstone; Like most non-westerns by Jonstone, a satanic corporation is evicitng old folks until a messianic Vietnam veteran rises up, and start shooting people.
The Iron Storm by Clive Cussler and Jack DuBrul; Isaac Bell is sent by Woodrow Wilson to observe the front in WWI. Of course, Bell can’t stay out of the action, and goes hither and yon trying to get to safety. Meanwhile, a bunch of anarchists have plans of their own to escalate the war. Pretty exciting, and captures some of the brutality and terror of the trenches. Gets Woodrow Wilson completely wrong, but most people probably didn’t notice.
Well, the Cussler sounds like the best of the bunch this week, Glen, even if they get Wilson wrong. Geez, so many Jeopardy contestants don’t even “know” the answers to questions about the presidents. I’m sure they wouldn’t recognize Wilson is wrong.
From rain to blight to probably fire season. Always weather to worry about.
I got to do a mud run on Saturday. Had lots of fun. Some family friends now live in the area near where the run was, so I went to see them when the run was over.
Temps have dropped about twenty degrees since then. We even got about a tenth of an inch or so of rain Tuesday night.
Reading wise, I’m in the middle of The Ninja’s Illusion by Gigi Pandian. It’s an entry in her Jaya Jones series. She’s gone to Japan to support a magician friend and maybe track down a Dutch trading ship lost to history, but murder has other plans. I’m enjoying it and hoping to finish it up on Thursday.
Did your friends really want to see you, Mark, after a mud run?
I think I stopped reading that series by Gigi with that book. I just didn’t care.
I did clean up (mostly) before I saw my friends. You never get completely clean until you get to your own shower, but you can do a very good job on sight with enough water pressure.
Sorry to hear this book didn’t work for you. I’m enjoying it. And your review of an earlier book is the first time I remember even hearing about the series.
I love that, Mark, that my review was the first you heard of Gigi Pandian’s series.
Oh, I knew you cleaned up some. Just had to joke about the mud run.
Good morning everyone.
Happy belated birthday Lesa – what a great week you are having! Dinner, cake, outings and a bookshop sound like the perfect mix to me, and as for the croissant, I could eat that right now.
We were out for coffee at two different cafes at the weekend – the first is one of our favourites, Skateraw Stores, where I had the best pain au chocolat I have ever tasted – and it was vegan! It was filled with the most delicious paste, and topped with toasted almonds. it was so rich I had to give some of it to David (even though he had his own apricot pastry.) I hope they have these ones again.
The second outing was unfortunately not nearly as good – it was a cafe to which I used to take my son when he was a toddler; in those days it was very old fashioned and reliable. Now it has been franchised out to a catering company, smartened up – and ruined. The coffee, alleged to be ‘large’ was small and lukewarm, and the scones – which the waitress assured us were ‘just out of the oven’ were stale and tasteless – they were also very cold, the only thing they had just come out of was the freezer. We won’t be going there again. When we were asked if everything had been OK David did say what we thought – but they simply insisted that the scones were freshly baked, and that was that. Not good service in my opinion. Last year Nancy and I were at a National Trust property cafe, where the scones looked wonderful, but when Nancy cut into hers it was raw in the middle. We mentioned this to the lady, and she was horrified, very apologetic, and took the price off the bill. Consequently we will definitely return to try them again!
We have sun here in Aberdeenshire, but our weather has been very unpredictable. On Monday I was in the town and absolutely frozen, despite having on a coat and scarf. On Tuesday I was out in the country and it was so warm I had to take off my hoodie and walk in just a T-shirt and jeans. But spring is definitely coming on – there are huge banks of yellow daffodils everywhere, and flowering cherries are blooming in lots of gardens.
This week has been slightly chaotic, as we finally got the keys to our new house on Friday, and since then we’ve been moving things up the road, carload by carload, while trying to get our current house into some sort of a saleable state. When we arrived at the new house I unlocked the door – then we found that it was impossible to lock it again. The front door lock was faulty, and I do think the sellers had a bit of a nerve leaving it like that. David fiddled with it for over an hour – he finally got it to work, but it will definitely need replacing soon. Thankfully everything else seems to be OK, and we met our new neighbour, who is very nice, and her two huge Great Danes, who are super friendly.
So my reading has been minimal to say the least; I am still working my way through Ed Burstell’s AT LIBERTY. It’s an interesting account of his life, and so far it’s been mostly about his extremely dissolute teenage and later years. He moved from his parents’ home outside New York and lived for a year in Florida, taking advantage of every vice that his particular area had to offer – drink, drugs, boys, etc – while doing odd jobs to get by. He later moved back to New York City, where he continued to party almost non-stop, spending a lot of time on Fire Island and some in the Hamptons.
All of this did come crashing down, and he ended up in rehab, from where he eventually got a job as a perfume seller (ie someone who tries to spray scent at you before you can escape) at Macy’s. He was promoted, and moved to various other high end stores, each time in a better role. In the early 80s, of course, AIDS hit the gay community drastically, and he freely admits that he was lucky to escape it.
I find Ed’s story very interesting, it’s so far outside my own experience and is a history of a lifestyle now long gone – but unfortunately I find his actual writing disappointing. It’s not terrible – I’ve read far worse – but I find myself itching to take out a red pencil and correct his grammar, or at least rearrange his sentences, some of which don’t make proper sense. But I’ll finish the book, as I want to know about his time at Liberty’s – and it’s a very easy read (apart from the muddled sentences!), which is all I have time for at the moment.
On television I am still enjoying DINOSAUR very much. Ashley Storrie is an excellent actress, and she and some of the supporting cast deliver such nuanced and truthful performances.
We are also still watching KIN – I thought it had six episodes and was delighted to find we were on number 6, then discovered that there are in fact two more! It’s well acted and a good story, it’s just so endlessly violent and miserable. I suppose it accurately reflects life in a major crime family in Dublin, but I need a little more levity in my life.
On Tuesday we were at the Tivoli theatre here in Aberdeen to see BEAUTIFUL CRAZY, a Luke Combs tribute band. We didn’t really know what to expect (I only knew one song, and that was really Tracey Chapman’s) but we had a great time. The musicians were excellent and the singer Noel Boland – who is Irish – was fantastic. The band is led by Sarah Jory, who’s billed as ‘the world’s number one female pedal stell guitar player.’ There was so much interaction on the stage, and so much energy in the performance, that it made no difference that we weren’t familiar with most of the material. It was a great night.
Earlier that day Nancy and I walked at Garlogie, which is the site of an old pumping station. The route takes us up through farmland well above the village, with beautiful views of the countryside and the hills, and returns past the sluice and then some lovely old estate cottages, all very well kept and will pretty gardens. It’s only a few miles from the city, but feels so different.
This afternoon we are attending another Memories of Scotland session at our library – I think this one is about Aberdeen in the 1980s. As ever we will enjoy listening to the memories of people who have lived here all their lives; it’s so interesting learning about the social history of the area, and so many of their stories are personal and often very funny.
One more thing – we saw your Vice President announcing that Americans shouldn’t complain about higher petrol prices ‘because our allies are paying much more’ – hmm. Our petrol is currently at least £1.60 a litre – ie about £7.27 ($9.59) per gallon. I’m trying not to use my car, and am deeply grateful that our new house, like this one, is on two bus routes (over 60s get free bus travel throughout Scotland.) If we still lived miles out in the country we would be paying a small fortune just to go to the nearest supermarket!
That’s it from me this Thursday – I have, however, managed to put together a list of my childhood reads, so I am looking forward to reading about everyone else’s books tomorrow.
Have a good week all.
I’m excited for you to be moving to your new house! Is this the one you mentioned a while back on a Thursday? It didn’t sound at that time like it was a for sure thing. I take it your new home will be larger? I hope it all works out just the way you want.
Hi Lindy – I’m not sure if this is the same house, we have looked at so many! This one is just the other end of the village, it is indeed larger, which seems ridiculous when other people we know are downsizing, but the house we live in now was never a family home, it’s very small and was just bought for David to work from when our youngest daughter and I were still in Edinburgh, and he himself was working most of the year in Paris.
I’m looking forward to having a proper dining kitchen again – and a double drainer! It’s the small things that can make such a difference. But at the moment it’s just endless packing…we’ll get there, i know, and I’m glad we’re doing this in relatively good weather. If we’d moved in January everything, including us, would’ve been soaked.
Rosemary, we started watching The Puzzle Lady (Murder Most Puzzling in the UK). Phyllis Logan is one of those actresses who seems to be everywhere. Jackie watched her also in the final Downton Abbey movie (she loved it; I skipped it). We’re also watching the new series of Call the Midwife.
Jeff, as usual you know more about British TV than I do – I’d never heard of Murder Most Puzzling, but I’ve just looked it up and it’s on Channel 5 so I will give it a go. I’ve just tonight finished series 2 of Dinosaur, so I need a new programme.
I’ve completely lost track of Call the Midwife – they must surely be almost up to the present day by now?
Thanks as ever for the recommendations!
It’s a lot of work, even moving down the road, Rosemary. Good luck with all of it.
The croissant was wonderful! Two days of breakfast. Once Easter dinner is over, though, I need to get back to walking. Too many celebratory meals.
Oh, good! I¡m looking forward to your list of childhood reads.
Despite thunderstorms, I love spring weather when it’s getting warmer and trees are blooming.
Thanks Lesa. We have moved many times, but it never gets any easier – I suppose the only thing I have learned is that it all works out somehow, so no point in fretting about it (though I don’t always manage to take my own advice…)
We don’t get many thunderstorms at all – our climate is probably too middle of the road for that. I remember one holiday we had in the Pyrenees during which the thunderstorms were spectacular.
Rosemary.
What the heck is up with the cafes in the UK? Some coffee shops are better than others, but I’ve never been to one as bad as you describe.
Politicians here always like to talk about the price of gas in Europe when the price here goes up. Easier than actually doing something about, I guess.
Glen, that wasn’t the worst by far! I know we are quite particular, but I feel that if you are going to spend money and consume calories, you want it to be good. We try new places because we don’t want to get stuck in a rut – sometimes we really hit gold (as with Skateraw Stores and a few other favourites), but there are an awful lot of mediocre to dreadful establishments.
Even in Edinburgh there are only a few cafes that are worth the money. A couple of coffees and two scones or cakes now costs a minimum of £15 ($20). My top favourite one there closed down a few years ago, largely because of the outrageous rent rises that their landlord was imposing.
It’s such a joy to go to the cafes we know to be good, and as you say, such a puzzle as to why the others fail so badly.
Stupid! I did the start of my comment, had to go check the library for Jackie, then just shut it without posting. Darn.
Happy (now belated) Birthday again. My late father in law was born on April 1 too.
I was very surprised that Publix and other supermarkets and stores are closed here on Easter Sunday. In New York, stores are open every day, including Christmas and Easter and all other major holidays. Yes, Costco is closed but the supermarkets are open. We’re going to make sure we have food in the house so we don’t have to go out Sunday. We’ll be busy packing over the weekend anyway, as we leave for home (finally) on Monday morning. We’ll be home next Thursday afternoon. Three months seems a perfect winter getaway (particularly this year), and Jackie has the dates set for the next two years.
Books, then. Jackie has liked several Ali Hazelwood books, but she nearly returned her NOT IN LOVE unread. She found the sex scenes way too graphic and off-putting, but after she skimmed a couple of them she enjoyed the story. She took out the new book by a favorite, J. R. Ward, but returned CROWN OF WAR AND SHADOW unread as not appealing to her at all. She said she felt like she was in the tavern in Les Mis rather than Ward’s usual setting. She is now reading the (long distance, so far) romance, Abby Jimenez’s THE HAPPY EVER AFTER PLAYLIST. When Tucker, a playful puppy, jumps into Sloan’s car, it helps bring her out of the funk caused by her fiance’s death. But then his owner, musician on tour Jason, definitely wants him back, You can’t go wrong with a dog, right?
.Books. I’ve been reading a lot of short stories, totaling 170 (10 books finished) since we’ve been down here. I’m currently reading – and I hope to be finished this week – two collections, by Jack Ritchie (stories from Manhunt) and Richard Deming.
A bunch of non-fiction books also came in. A friend recommended Jo Walton & Ada Palmer’s TRACE ELEMENTS: CONVERSATIONS ON THE PROJECT OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY. I am a big fan of Walton’s so took this out, but I’m not sure I’m going to keep up with it. Instead, I took out Walton’s WHAT MAKES THIS BOOK SO GREAT: Re-READING THE CLASSICS OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY. I love this book. She reads a LOT, like several books a day sometimes, and has very interesting stuff to say, even if (like me) you haven’t read a lot of the books she discusses. I also recommend (highly) her alternate history/mystery Small Change trilogy, about a Britain which surrendered in WWII. FARTHING is book one.
After Lesa and Rosemary and others recommended it, I was able to download Lucy Mangan’s BOOKISH: HOW READING SHAPES OUR LIVES. Good so far.
Back to the fiction. I did read Rob Osler’s second Harriet (Harry) Morrow book, The Case of the Murdered Muckraker. Harriet is the young woman hired as the first female private investigator in Chicago in 1898. This takes place a couple of weeks after the first in the series, when she is asked to investigate the murder of a reporter in a tenement house on Chicago’s South Side. Anarchists play a part here, as they certainly did at the time. I know someone who said she liked this more than the first one. I wouldn’t say that, as for me the “origin story” is often the most important one, but it is a good story. Harriet’s private life does play a part again, but there is a lot less of the “is everybody gay?” vibe of the first book. I’ll definitely be reading the next when it comes out.
I have two more mysteries from the library on hand, but not sure which I will read next, though I did start Devon Mihesuah’s BLOOD RELAY, featuring Choctaw detective Perry Antelope in Oklahoma. Then there is THE PRIMROSE MURDER SOCIETY, which Lesa recommended, and which sounds like fun.
Very much looking forward to the childhood reading lists tomorrow. Jackie has her list all set.
The Easter closings surprised me, too, Jeff, when I first moved to Florida. The only things open were the movie theaters. They were packed on holidays.
Bookish sort of goes hand-in-hand with What Makes This Book So Great. I like books about books.
I’m looking forward to the childhood reads tomorrow, too.
The Case of the Murdered Muckraker sounds good, Jeff. I haven’t read a murder mystery for a while – I was just this afternoon listening to the Currently Reading podcast, in which one of the presenters is particularly keen on this genre, and thinking I must look out for a new one.
Our supermarkets and other large stores will be open right over Easter, but all of our libraries, post offices, government buildings and many small shops will be closed. At Christmas all but a very few convenience stores will always close on 25th, but many traditionally start sales on Boxing Day – though big sales are really a thing of the past here now, when everyone can find discounts on the internet all year round.
I hope you have a safe and smooth journey back to Brooklyn.
I was lucky enough to read an ARC of The Teacher, the sixth book in the DS Cross mysteries by Tim Sullivan. I know we have talked about this series before on the blog but the books are now being released in the US so hopefully will be more widely available in libraries. I really enjoy these books and feel they get better as the series continues.
I’m trying to pace myself with the book releases in the George Cross series, Susan. The Monk is up next for me. I’m glad they continue to get better.
It’s been raining here and we are so excited. After a winter of hardly any moisture, we’ll take anything we can get.
I spent yesterday watching the Artemis launch. They were down to 10 minutes when they paused the countdown and I was so bummed. But they fixed whatever technical issue there was and launched. It was so cool!
I’m listening to “Project Hail Mary” right now so that I can understand the movie this weekend. I’m not a science fiction geek so I figured I would prep myself first. Everyone has said it’s a great movie. I figure if it’s not, at least I still have Ryah Gosling.
I’m somewhat getting back into reading. This week, I read City of Promise by Victoria and Ellen Thompson. I loved Victoria Thompson’s series – Gaslight Mysteries and A Counterfeit Lady series. Victoria died in 2024 and her daughter, Ellen finished writing this novel. In City of Promises, the characters from both of the series merge together to foil a con man who preys on wealthy women. Catherine Mallory is a successful actress who the con man has made as his next target. Her parents are concerned because he wants to marry her as soon as possible. They asked Gideon and his wife to investigate and decide that the con man has multiple wives and after marrying them, takes their money and leaves them destitute. This is another great addition to the series, and I hope Ellen continues with her mother’s legacy.
You made me laugh, Bev, when you said there’s always Ryan Gosling. My college roommate went to see it. She’s about as far from a science fiction fan as you can get. She appreciated h three hours of Bryan Gosling, though.
Some daughters do a good job with their mother’s voice in books. I know Rhys Bowen’s daughter writes her Molly books with her.
Good morning! As Glen said, we have gotten some more rain in Northern California, which thankfully lowered the temperatures a bit. It looks like a nice day for Easter, when we will revisit a favorite brunch buffet–can’t wait! Last Saturday I was thrilled to learn that grandson Henry has started a season with a new basketball league, after just finishing the other one a week or so ago. And it’s at a venue 3 minutes from our house! It was a nail-biting game, with Henry’s team pulling out a win at the end. Autumn started a season with a girls’ flag football team. It was too late to go by the time I heard about it, but I’m looking forward to the next one.
I actually managed to finish three books this week, despite the fact that I am particularly enjoying TV right now. I was pretty sure Shrinking was ending last night, which made me sad, but I Googled it and found it’s been renewed for another season. I hope Harrison Ford is not leaving, although it appeared his character might be. Also, Love on the Spectrum started up again last night with seven episodes, and I really enjoy that. I also started How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, which looks promising. Closed captioning is a must for this one, as it was for Derry Girls–those Irish accents!
Talented Australian author Sally Hepworth is writing at the top of her form with her newest novel, MAD MABEL. At 81 years old, Mabel has lived in the same quiet neighborhood for 60 years under an assumed name. She has some beefs with her neighbors, including an overly self-confident 7-year-old girl who insists on spending time with her and a yappy chihuahua who defecates on her lawn and her roses with regularity. But she believes she has successfully ridden herself of the notoriety of being the youngest (at age 15) Australian to be convicted of murder. Now, however. suspicions are arising once again. So Mabel agrees to something she has always avoided–recording a podcast series with two young journalists to tell the real story from her own perspective. The timeline alternates back and forth from the present to Mabel’s childhood and teenage days as a freakishly tall, unpopular girl with a mentally abusive father and a submissive mother. She finds a way to survive when she meets another misfit in school, and they declare themselves bosom friends like Anne (of Green Gables, her favorite book) and Diana. But it can’t be denied that Mabel had a fraught, often disturbing childhood, when quite a few people in her life met an unexpected end, some under questionable circumstances. Ultimately, Mabel was convicted of one murder and spent five years in prison, most of which was not described. Unlike many books that are categorized as psychological thrillers, this one has a totally absorbing, character-driven plot that will keep you rooting for Mabel and the people who have made her survival possible and her adult life worth living. There are enough twists and turns throughout the book to keep readers riveted, but it is the details of the memorable players–Mabel and many of the supporting characters–that make for an ultimately satisfying read. I can’t wait to see what Sally Hepworth does next. (April)
What, another murder club with seniors as members? Well, not exactly. THE PRIMROSE MURDER SOCIETY by Stacy Hackney is unique in that the members are 35-year-old Lila and her precocious 10-year-old daughter, Bea, but it’s true that some of the seniors living in the Primrose building become unofficial members as the story progresses. Although Lila doesn’t meet the requirements of Primrose residence (age 55 and over), her mother’s current boyfriend has agreed to let her move in temporarily to clean out his late mother’s apartment so it can be rented once again. Lila is stunned to discover that his mother had been a hoarder of the first degree, making the unit almost uninhabitable, but she doesn’t really have a choice. Her husband is running from the law after being charged with workplace fraud, leaving his wife and daughter homeless with zero money in their bank account. Even worse .Lila has lost her job, and Bea has been expelled from her school for acting out and hates the new one. But when they both learn that there is a $2 million reward for information leading to the solution of the murder of a teenage girl who died 20 years earlier, they are hopeful that investigating the death might win them the prize. In fact, the only thing that perks Bea up after her father left is talking about murder. A Murder She Wrote superfan, she loves discussing murders with a male resident who is a former detective and earns some friends at school by starting a detective club. What I enjoyed most about the book was the often-challenging relationship between Lila and Bea, and Bea’s relationships with the seniors. I have to admit that I sometimes confused one of the female seniors for another, as they all felt a bit too similar and were mostly over-the-top, and I found some of Lila’s behavior in dangerous situations difficult to believe. But as this is the author’s debut adult mystery, I’m hoping she resolves those issues if there is a sequel. Thanks to Lesa for the recommendation and for her review.
Scott Simon, Emmy- and Peabody-award-winning NPR weekend host, reporter, and author, has added to his catalog of fascinating books with ULYSSES S. CAT AND OTHER ANIMALS I HAVE KNOWN. It’s a compilation of very short chapters/essays about the non-human members of his family and their role in the lives of Scott, wife Caroline, and their two daughters, and about other animals the author has met and observed. The featured adopted animals in the Simon household are their small poodle Daisy, huge cat Gato Blanco, and hamster Bagel, and more short-lived family members–a tiny turtle and a series of betta fish. Not to mention a bin of a thousand worms on their balcony. (Seriously, let’s not talk about it!) Simon’s messages are not heavy-handed, but they remind us of how pets “unlock our hearts . . . make us laugh, and produce memories we stow away for all time.” They can also steer us through difficult emotions, and they remind us that “the best thing we can do for one another in life is just to be there.” One of my favorite chapters is about the haiku Daisy “writes” about her daily life–perhaps with Scott’s help–which have been popular on social media. There is a lot of gentle humor in the book, along with many deeply emotional observations about our relationships with animals, including how we communicate by creating a common, personal language It’s a charming book that can be read in chunks, or sped through in a day, as I did. (May)
Good morning, Margie! I¡m glad you liked The Primrose Murder Society I agreed the seniors were sometimes hard to tell apart. My heart went out to Bea, though.
I always liked Scott Simon. This book sounds sweet.
Happy Belated Birthday, Lesa! Sounds like you celebrated in style! We are getting rain today – the snow is slowly starting to melt!
I am reading one of your suggested books, Lesa! “God Never Blinks”. Filled with so much wisdom. I may need to purchase it to be able to reference its 50 short chapters on life lessons whenever I need some practical advice!
I also finished “The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco” my Michelle Chouinard. A forty something woman named Capri is the granddaughter of a supposed serial killer nicknamed OverKill Bill. Half a century later, two murders take place in the same fashion as OverKill Bill’s victims. One of the women is Capri’s ex-mother-in-law, and the fact that she is a decedent of a murderer and was not happy with her MIL for cutting of her daughter’s tuition money, has Capri as a solid suspect in the eyes of the police. Capri spends a lot of time trying to prove that she is innocent, as well as that her grandfather was innocent. I enjoyed learning some of the history of San Francisco that is included in the book, but thought that some of the successes that led to case cracking clues happened way too easily.
And “Persian Knots: Confessions of a Foreign Bride” by R P Harris. A self published well written memoir about a young American girl who goes to Iran with her new husband in the early 70’s. Descriptions of not only how tough life can be with extended family whose norms and mores were different than what she was used to, but also learning how to live in a foreign land, kept me turning the pages to see how she survived this part of her life.
Thank you, Mary! It was an enjoyable birthday.
Isn’t God Never Blinks a good book? Not every lesson is pertinent, but enough of them that it makes for a special book.
I was curious about The Serial Killer’s Guide. Thank you for your comments.
Shocker! The Governess’s Guide to Spells and Managing Misfit Marquesses is the next book in my TBR books, how does that happen?
I read Forgiving Dr. Jekyll: From Hyde to Healing: A Memoir by Paul Drugan, His father abused him mentally and physically. One time, he knocked him unconscious. His self-esteem was the lowest; he had to accept himself as gay, dropped out of college, but became addicted to alcohol and coke. It was a tough one to read, I hurried through his addiction struggle because it was scary to read about.
Currently, I am enjoying Alice Murphy’s Preservation by Maria Kennedy. She is fifteen and awkward, shy around boys, witty with a lot of self-dialogue. I love it.
Well, Carol. The Governess’s Guide will be a contrast with Forgiving Dr. Jekyll.
I hope you’re doing okay with your health issues this week.
Your birthday celebration sounds wonderful, Lesa.
I only managed to read one book this week-Culpability by Bruce Holsinger. It is about the moral responsibility in the age of artificial intelligence. The Cassidy-Shaw’s autonomous minivan collides with another vehicle causing the death of an elderly couple. Is the 17-year-old-son responsible or his father who was a distracted passenger in the front seat? This explored the whole use of AI and the fact that it is mostly controlled by billionaires who have their own self-interest at heart. The teenage boy’s mother is also a leader in AI research so in between there were excerpts about the cause and effect of AI. The one about the owlet drones reminded me of our current situation with Iran. I had my husband, a retired Field Artillery officer read it to see how accurate it was. He said there were errors, but it was preciously what our military is trying to be able to do with drones in warfare. I found the whole book eye-opening but very disturbing with how much AI is beginning to control our lives. I enjoyed it very much.
Happy Reading!
I find everything about AI and the world in Iran to be distirbuing, Sharon.
So far, I’m enjoying BOOKISH, at least in part because there are quite a few authors I’ve never heard of. I doubt I’ll read most of them, but I enjoyed reading about new (to me) writers. Also, it was interesting that she read Florence King’s Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady, which seems such an odd fit for a British teenage girl.
Lesa, I am glad you had such a good birthday week. We do a similar thing. We have a birthday weekend where we pick the meals and pick movies to watch on the weekend. It often sprawls out into the rest of the week.
In the last week, Glen read WELCOME TO THE HYUNAM-DONG BOOKSHOP by Hwang Bo-Reum and OVER EASY by Mimi Pond. He gave both of them 5 stars, which makes me happy because I want to read both of them.
Hwang Bo-Reum’s book is about a woman who left her high-stress job and got a divorce and started a book store. In Korea, this type of book is called “healing fiction.” It would not have been Glen’s choice in the past but he feels like he is mellowing out.
OVER EASY is a graphic novel, a semi-memoir (272 pages long). On the back of the book it is described as “a fast-pace account of diners, drugs, and California in the 1970s.”
I am currently reading a book in one of my favorite genres, spy fiction. SOVIET SOURCES by Robert Cullen was first published in 1990 and later reprinted by Felony and Mayhem in 2006. The main characters are an American journalist for the Washington Tribune, stationed in Moscow, and a Russian journalist who is being manipulated by the KGB. It took awhile to get started, a lot of setting up the individual characters, but it got very interesting at about 100 pages. This is part of a three book series and I have all the books.
Healing fiction, Tracy? Oh, I love that term for that kind of book. I haven’t read that particular one, but I’ve read similar ones. I’m going to remember that. I love that term.
Thank you!
And, I like your weekend long, week long birthday celebrations. That makes them special, doesn’t it?
Hi, everyone, and happy belated birthday, Lesa! I had a combination of Lesa and Rosemary’s experiences this week—I went to the No Kings rally and got pretty cold, so I stopped at a cafe I hadn’t been to before on the walk home. My hot chocolate was basically some tepid milk. What a disappointment!
I had some time for fun reading this week. I read the latest Jen MacKinlay librarian mystery, which I enjoyed and has been mentioned by others. I also finally finished the second in the Nampesheweisit series by Moniquill Blackgoose. After spending the summer with her people and learning more about politics, Native American dragon rider Anequs goes back to her Anglo dragonriders academy in a reimagined 19th century New England for her second year of study. It was a bit slow going at first, and I felt like the story got a little bogged down in the world building details. But eventually all the threads came together, and now I am eagerly awaiting the third one.
Thank you, Trisha! It sounds as if my share of your experiences was the better one. Tepic milk! I agree. What a disappointment. I don’t drink coffee, so I usually get hot chocolate as a hot drink.