It’s been a good week here, starting with weather. It’s been in the 80s, and we didn’t get the rain that was expected. That’s okay. I had things to do.
Last week was fun. On Thursday, Mom, my sister, Christie, and I headed out to go to an afternoon tea. (Thank you, Rosemary, for clarifying that.) But, before going there, we ended up at a cemetery and arboretum. What a beautiful place. We spent forty-five minutes wandering around there, looking at the trees we were unfamiliar with. Fortunately, they were all identified. Beautiful place. We enjoyed the tea as well, sandwiches, scones, desserts, and tea. Christie’s daughter-in-law and son gave Mom a gift certificate for there. On Friday night, Mom had nine of us over before we all walked across the street to see the musical “1776”, sponsored by the Huron Historical Society. It was not only for the 250th anniversary of the country, but also a memory. When it ended some years ago after 67 years of operation, Huron had the longest-running summer theater in Ohio. It was a shame to see it go. It had been run in conjunction with Bowling Green State University. A number of alumni of the Playhouse summers came back to participate. The actor who played Benjamin Franklin was fantastic; an opera singer. If you’ve seen the movie, he sounded just like Benjamin Franklin in that, with the rolling laughter underlying his voice. The show was terrific, but he was above and beyond. On Saturday, my sister, Linda, came up for the afternoon, with her daughter and two grandchildren. Just a nice family afternoon.
Linda and I have tickets to see “Pippin” on Saturday afternoon. We’ve both seen it before, but it’s been years. I saw it on Broadway in 2013 with Patina Miller as the Leading Player, and Andrea Martin and Terrence Mann in it. Of course, I know it won’t be the same, but we know this will be a fun show.
So, busy week. What have you been doing? And, what are you reading?
I’m reading The Witch’s Orchard by Archer Sullivan. It came out last year, and introduced PI Annie Gore, She’s a former Air Force Special Investigator, just barely making it as a PI. The second book in the series, Brimstone Hollow, comes out at the end of the month, and I wanted to read this one first. The voice and descriptions are wonderful in the first book. There’s a sadness and desperation in Annie’s voice. She was raised in an Appalachian holler, and her new case takes her to a small community in North Carolina, familiar to her from her own childhood.
Ten years earlier, three young girls went missing, but one was returned before the third girl disappeared. The brother of one of the girls hires Annie to investigate because she knows mountain towns and mountain people. It’s a story of secrets and folklore. I’m eating this one up, and anticipating the next one.
What about you? What have you been reading this week?
What an excellent week you had Lesa; sounds perfect from beginning to end.
David and I went to an area in Vancouver that has interesting stores to poke around in – a tea store with a selection of baked goods, a high-end clothing store for men and women (fun to look around but one could never afford to buy anything there), a store filled with chocolate treats, a fabulous bookstore, and a store where I was able to find a new crossbody bag to replace my ancient one.
The trip didn’t start off well though because there was no free parking to be had anymore; for blocks and blocks it’s now all pay parking, so we headed back to an underground parking lot where we were confronted with a list of various parking apps. I despise parking apps; I just want a machine I can drop some coins into, or even one that takes credit cards. Long story short, the credit card company denied the charge, plus they blocked the card. When I got home and phoned to have the card unblocked I was told they’d had several fraudulent transactions with that particular parking app and he recommended that my card be cancelled and they would send me a new one, which would take ten days to reach me! That’s a long time, and has already caused a problem because an automatic withdrawal charge was denied of course because the card had been cancelled. Still wrestling with how to solve that issue. It’s all been extremely frustrating.
Then I got angry while reading the newspaper this morning – to discover that the U.S. president has apparently decided (but not yet elaborated) on a punishment for Canada for the wildfire smoke, saying it was Willful Negligence on Canada’s part. It just makes me mad. At this moment in British Columbia there are 7300 properties under evacuation orders, and another 3000 under evacuation alert, and even where we live there’s smoke in the air and we’re all being cautioned to keep windows closed and to limit outdoor activity, and the smoke is making me cough. We’re really struggling and here he is, threatening further trouble. Grrrr.
Books this week:
HOW TO LOSE A LORD IN TEN DAYS by Sophie Irwin
I had fun reading this regency era romance. It’s the third book by Sophie Irwin I’ve read, and I’ve loved them all.
Lydia, pushed into agreeing to an engagement to Lord Ashford by her Aunt Agatha and Uncle Edmund (on threat of otherwise being sent to live with her monstrous Aunt Mildred) she nevertheless has no intention of actually marrying him, or indeed any man she hasn’t chosen for herself. Especially arrogant Lord Ashford, no matter how eligible he is.
Luckily, Lord Ashford’s father has asked him to keep the engagement a secret for ten days so that he may announce it at a party taking place at that time. This works to Lydia’s advantage since it gives her ten whole days to make herself so disagreeable that Lord Ashford will be sure to want nothing more to do with her and so will break off the engagement.
There are ridiculous pranks and lots of fun banter. Of course we know how it will end but it’s a lot of fun getting there. There’s also a more serious domestic abuse subplot that doesn’t fit with the overall vibe of the story and I’m not sure the book benefitted from it being included. But I did very much enjoy the story of Lydia and Lord Ashford.
THE BUTLER by Clare Mackintosh
Early on we are introduced to Baxter, a butler with an excellent reputation and years of experience catering to the ultrawealthy. The agency he works for has sent him to a villa in Cannes where he will be looking after Alec Prescott and guests as Alec hosts a gathering in honour of his son’s 21st birthday. Baxter has his work cut out for him as this family is truly dysfunctional and none of them seem to like each other, and all of them have secrets. Even Baxter himself isn’t quite what he seems.
A light Agatha Christie-ish murder mystery, with just the right number of characters to keep the story interesting, and all of whom have a plausible motive for the murder of the guest found floating – dead – in the pool.
It’s up to Baxter, with some unexpected help from a local pickpocket, to solve the mystery since the police seem to be pursuing the wrong angle and aren’t that interested anyway.
A short book, short chapters, and an ending that implies there will be another book starring Baxter.
Lindy, Your week sounds as if it was mixed, some fun, some frustration, our terrible insane president, and some good books. Except for the nut in the U.S., it sounds like life. We could all do without him. But both of your books sound good.
Sending hugs!
Lindy, because Trump is a moron, period. I’ve read that most of the wildfires are in incredibly remote areas that don’t even have roads, and are caused by lightning strikes, but you can’t tell him anything.
Third time lucky! You bested auto-correct and got my name right. How exciting!
A lot of the fires are in remote areas but certainly not all. There’s one just across the lake that a friend lives on the other side of, and that’s in a fairly large city. And another town that was decimated by fire a few years ago has been burned again. There are currently 112 fires in B.C., and 51 of them are out of control. And just yesterday, one started in a local regional park; this has never happened before. Scary stuff.
I think they were talking about the fires in Ontario rather than BC, as that’s the area that affects the Northeast. Either way, the man doesn’t have a clue of what he’s talking about.
Lindy, I too don’t understand those parking apps, but fortunately I don’t ever drive into the city centre, I take the bus.
If we are in the centre at night for a concert or the theatre, David pays – he has all the apps, he loves things like that. (I know – weird!)
The US President blames the UK for a wide variety of things too. We are very unpopular for not supporting his war with Iran. And he wrote off the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham (who is terrifically popular) as ‘woke’ and ‘socialist’ before Andy even took office last week. I’m actually very happy to think of Andy as both of those things.
Most people here loathe Trump (especially here in Aberdeenshire, where he ripped up a site of national scientific interest, and one that was the home to people who had lived there, quietly and respectfully of nature, for years, just so that he could build his odious golf resort that no golfer I know would ever play at on principle. )
Unfortunately though, there are a few people who think he’s wonderful and therefore think his henchman, Nigel Farage, is also a hero (spoiler: he’s not). We hope and believe that Farage’s appalling Reform party is losing traction, but it is perhaps too easy for those of us who live up here to think that – people living in deprived and jobless areas of England are being whipped up to blame immigrants, refugees, members of the LGBT+ community, disabled people, and just about everyone except wealthy white men for their troubles.
We are living in dangerous times. Thank goodness for friends, and for books.
Canada is not alone then Rosemary. Thanks. Oddly, I feel a bit better now.
I’m back! Two weeks ago, I was camping with my family and didn’t have internet. Last week? I completely forgot. But I remembered this week. (Honestly, my week is so off I’m not sure which day of the week it is most of the time the last couple of weeks.)
I’m a third of the way through CITY OF PROMISES by Victoria Thompson with Ellen Thompson. After Victoria sadly passed away a few years ago, her daughter Ellen has stepped up to continue her series. The first of these books is in the Counterfeit Lady series, set in 1920 NYC and featuring a reformed conwoman who is using her skills to help others from falling victim to scams. This book is special since it brings in the characters from the Gaslight Mysteries also from Victoria Thompson. They’ve jumped forward 20 years since we last saw them, so it’s fun to see how their lives are going. I’m having fun with that even if this isn’t my favorite of her two series. The reverse cons just aren’t quite enough to sustain a novel, but I still enjoy the characters and the books overall.
Welcome back, Mark! Vacations do tend to mess with the sense of time, don’t they? Worth it, though. We need that time away from work, and downtime with family.
I always wonder how a series will turn out when a family member continues it. Barbara Peters from The Poisoned Pen has a term for it when a writer continues a series started by someone else – writing in the universe. So, Ellen Thompson is writing in the “Victoria Thompson” universe.
Hi everyone,
I’m writing this on Wednesday as I’m off to Dundee this afternoon to see Spike Lee’s David Byrne film ‘American Utopia’. Unfortunately it’s not showing in Aberdeen (as our art house cinema is currently closed) so I am meeting David in Dundee (he’s on his way back from a music festival near Oxford) and we will see it at the wonderful Dundee Contemporary Arts.
Tomorrow I’ll be out from 9am as I’m walking with a friend who likes to start early. So it’s going to be a short night by the time we get back tonight!
I’ve just finished reading THE BOOK GROUP FOR TROUBLESOME WOMEN by Marie Bostwick. I read your review of it Lesa, and must say I agree with what you said – it’s absolutely shocking to see how many things women weren’t allowed to do in the 1960s. For those who don’t know the book, it’s about four women who live on a fairly smart housing development in the Washington suburb of Concordia. One of them decides to start a book group and thinks they will read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – but then she calls on a new arrival, Charlotte, and from then on all four women’s lives change.
Charlotte is an aspiring artist. She’s married to a wealthy man, and has an even wealthier father. They are powerful men and expect their women to conform. Charlotte doesn’t buy that, She had been living in Manhattan, but has been made to move to the suburbs to try to ‘cure’ her of her rebellious nature.
Charlotte tells Margaret they should drop Betty Smith for Betty Freidan. THE FEMININE MYSTIQUE blows their minds. They start to realise that the American Dream they’ve been fed since the end of the war is a huge con. A new washing machine or a sofa won’t make them happy – but capitalism requires them to think that it will so that people keep spending. In their own individual ways, each woman had felt they were wrong for feeling dissatisfied and wanting more – now they see that the system will never satisfy them. It’s not supposed to.
The women are quite different – two have fundamentally good husbands, two don’t. Three of them have children – and Charlotte’s daughter, who is determined to lead her own, independent, life as a writer. is one of the most interesting supporting characters in the book. Three of the women eventually find some form of paid employment – but when Margaret tries to open an account to pay in her cheque, she’s told she can’t do that without her husband’s approval. Similarly, women can’t get contraception without their husband’s consent, and one is refused the opportunity to apply to vet school because ‘you’ll just leave to have babies.’
I do remember my mother – my own MOTHER! – getting cross about the Equal Pay Act when it was approved in the UK. She – who had to work after my father died as we had no money – still insisted that most women were ‘just working for pin money, and taking men’s jobs away’.. I am still quite shocked to remember this, but so many people saw it that way at the time.
I enjoyed this book, but I did feel the ending let it down. The easy resolution of each women’s problems was unconvincing, and for the most part showed the reader only that women can indeed ‘have it all’ – but only if they have money and connections. I felt having at least one of the women failing to escape her situation would have been more convincing. Having said that, I do know that this is fiction – but it just seemed like a not wholly successful attempt to marry romantic happy-ever-after-dom with real social observation.
My friend Heather has lent me THE ART OF LIFE by Laura Shepherd-Robinson – it’s set in London in 1749. According to the blurb, Hannah Cole’s husband is brutally murdered, her confectionary shop teeters on the brink of ruin, ‘and, just as she uncovers a hidden fortune her husband secretly possesses, a new nightmare begins.’
I know nothing about this book but it’s short, so I’ll give it a try. I’ve also borrowed A CORNISH DREAM by Hilary Boyd from the library. I enjoyed this author’s THURSDAYS IN THE PARK, but wasn’t that impressed with the second of hers I read – so we’ll see what this one is like. Boyd was not published until she was 62, but has since written sixteen novels – so there’s still hope for the rest of us!
I seem to have been incredibly busy over the past few weeks, but I really don’t quite know why. I’m not doing the festivals this year, but I was in Edinburgh last week for a few days – seeing friends and having my dental check-up – and oh my goodness did it confirm that I’d made the right decision.
Edinburgh is always manic during August, but a couple of weeks ago debris started to fall off one of the old buildings in Princes Street (the best known and busiest street in the capital.) Fortunately it happened during the night, so no-one was hurt, but the council has now had to close almost all of Princes Street (to pedestrians as well as vehicles) and they don’t think they’ll be able to re-open it till at least September. It’s an absolute disaster for the festivals – and would have been for me had I been working, as I take the tram from outside my house in Leith right into the city centre, but now they can’t run.
At night all the trams are ‘parked’ in a depot to the west of Edinburgh – so they were all stuck there when the building started to crumble. So now they are only running between the airport and the West End. I feel so sorry for the numerous visitors being unceremoniously dumped, along with their bags and small children, elderly parents, etc, at the West End stop. There doesn’t seem to be anyone from the trams or the council helping them to find their way to their hotels. The buses have also had to be re-routed – I know the city pretty well, but I could make neither head nor tail of their bizarre and frequently changing routes, so on Friday I ended up just walking everywhere. By evening I had done over 18,000 paces.
When am reviewing I have to rush from one venue to another like a madwoman, and more importantly have them to get home as soon as I can to start writing – the tram is so very useful for this, and without it, and with the buses all over the place, everything would have taken so much longer. I’m often still writing at midnight during the festivals – that would probably have become 2am at the moment.
People pay so much to come to Edinburgh, especially at this time of year; they must be getting a terrible impression of the city.
Although I had a good time down there really, and enjoyed seeing a former work colleague, and taking our friend Vicky out to lunch in Haddington, I was so glad to get back to Deeside. It was lovely to see our daughter Anna and her partner Molly though – and Molly has free tickets to see HIGH SOCIETY at the Playhouse next month, and has kindly invited me, so I am looking forward to that. The lead is being played by Helen George, Trixie from Call the Midwife.
The girls have had their offer accepted on a flat just a few minutes’ walk from our house in Leith, so they are excited about that. It is in an old bond warehouse (Leith having been a very active port in the past) and – from the photos at least – looks very nice. It has huge sitting room windows, which Anna said they particularly liked as Charlie and Herbie will enjoy looking out at the world from their second floor home.
It’s early Thursday morning now, and I am about to walk at Dunecht with a friend. We had heavy rain overnight, which was much needed as our river was almost dry. The film last night was very good – David Byrne is amazing, and his band (not Talking Heads, but another group of fantastic performers and dancers) is so much fun. It’s hard to believe he’s in his seventies – his energy is phenomenal, and at the end of the film you see him (and the others) getting on their bicycles and pedaling away through New York. No stretch limousines for him. I didn’t get to bed till just before 1am last night but it was worth it.
I hope everyone has as good a week as possible. I think it’s going to be a rainy one for us, but that’s OK.
Rosemary. I agree with you that Bostwick seemed to wrap up the book so there was a HEA for everyone, not very realistic considering the issues they all dealt with.
It sounds as if Edinburgh is a mess right now. You’re right. I would think newcomers would not get a good impression.
Congratulations to Anna and Molly, as well as to Charlie and Herbie. I’m sure they will enjoy their new view.
You are always so busy!
I’m sure Charlie and herbie will enjoy their new view Lesa – but I’m less sure they’ll be too thrilled about the temperature. The flat has single glazed old windows, and as the entire building is Listed, replacing them will very likely be very expensive. They may be in for a cold winter – and so far all they’re been used to is our almost new and extremely well insulated house!
Oh, dear. And, I’m a heat seeker like Charlie and Herbie.
Thanks Lesa. Charlie and Herbie will certainly have plenty of pigeons and seagulls to study. And I have seen a fox going in and out of that courtyard (so maybe it’s an extra good thing that C & H are indoor cats!)
. Rosemary, I can’t imagine Edinburgh during the Festival (or any time for that matter) with Princes Street closed.
Watching a lot of British shows here, including the Welsh THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY (very good) and ELLIS (or INSPECTOR ELLIS), plus series 4 of THE CHELSEA DETECTIVE.
I know Jeff, it’s total chaos and I’m glad to be out of it.
I’ve not seen either of those series, I’ll look forward them – thanks as ever for the heads-up.
I’ve just finished the second series of The Four Seasons. I enjoyed it, and felt most of the cast did a good job. The only one I found annoying was Ann, played by Kerri Kenney-Silver, and I found it hard to tell if it was the actor or the character that irritated me.
I then chose a random episode of Queer Eye to watch before I went to bed – and was horrified to discover that this series will be its last. I suppose the idea has run its course, and I’m sure all of the guys must’ve made their fortunes out of it, but I’m still a little bit sad to see it go.
Has anyone seen The Odyssey? Sorry if this has already been discussed. Anna and Molly enjoyed it but did say it’s very long. The most recent and much acclaimed translator, Emily Wilson, doesn’t seem to have been too impressed by it. Anna said Anne Hathaway was magnificent as Penelope.
I saw The Odyssey two weeks ago. I went for entertainment, not historical accuracy, and thought it wonderful. Just a normal theater, but with plush reclining seats and a decent sound system the three hours flew by.
Oh I do enjoy a nice reclining seat in the cinema (though I find it all too easy these days to fall asleep in the dark…)
Another delightful post from you Rosemary. I don’t know why, but you make me want to see and do all the things you write about. Even go to Edinburgh in its currently broken state. And I’d love to see High Society! Can’t wait to hear if you enjoyed it.
Sounds like Charlie and Herbie have hit the jackpot with ‘their’ new home.
Oh thank you Lindy – I always very much enjoy your posts too (& I’m not just saying that to be polite!)
Good morning. It sounds like you had a nice week Lesa.
We finally had a week that wasn’t hot and humid or raining so we went to a peach festival in PA last Saturday . We didn’t buy any peaches since I felt they were overpriced but we had a nice lunch on the deck of one of our favorite restaurants and picked up things in a few of the shops there. On Sunday my brother came over and we took him out to lunch at the new noodle and dumpling place that opened near us.
We’re still working on redoing some overgrown flower beds so we’ve been making multiple trips to Home Depot for edging blocks and soil and to the garden center for plants.
This week I read HELL HATH NO FURY BY Annette Dashofy.
From Goodreads
Crime-beat photographer Emma Anderson is barely recovered from the gunshot wound that nearly took her life, when her circumstances go from bad to worse. Now, her recovering addict sister is missing, the developer trying to steal her family’s land from under her turns up dead, and her best friend Eric is in the frame for the murder.
Erie City Police Detective Matthias Honeywell is out of his jurisdiction and his comfort zone, but he’s not going to let Emma or anyone she loves go down for a murder they didn’t commit. Given his difficult personal history with the lead detective, Matthias is forced to think outside the lines as he and Emma race to find her sister and discover the true killer. And with the murderer always two steps ahead, it will take everything they have to save the ones they love…
This was good but not my favorite in the series. I’m not a big fan of taking characters to a different setting.
I’m about halfway through BEFORE YOUR MEMORY FADES by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. It’s the third book in the Japanese series Before Your Coffee Gets Cold. Each book contains several stories about people who visit a cafe where you can travel in time if you follow the rules, but only until your coffee gets cold.
Good morning, Sandy! It sounds as if you had an enjoyable week, too, if you like food as much as I do.
I agree. I know characters who stay in the same location may suffer from the Cabot Cove effect, but I never enjoy the book as much when they leave their setting.
I haven’t read the Before Your Coffee Gets Cold, but the series sounds like one I would like.
Have a good week!
I agree about characters moving out of their usual setting. For some reason many tv dramas seem to do this. The original location is so much a part of the story that more is lost than gained when the characters all find themselves in some exotic place (& usually for some utterly ridiculous reason.)
Hello, everyone! After my vacation in Philly I am trying to settle into a schedule at my new house and for the new school year. Some days (like today) it is too hot to write in my third floor office but I’ve made some good progress on my research and writing anyway.
I don’t have much fun reading to report on. I am loving seeing Lady Julia Grey and Nicholas Brisbane in the latest Veronica Speedwell book by Deanna Raybourne. I like the former series better but still read the Veronica ones.
I kind of binged “Ride or Die” on Netflix, a violent and amusing buddy flick with two women (what a nice change) on the run. The story took interesting and unexpected turns. Watching “Enola Holmes 3” on vacation led me to re-watch 1 and 2 while at home. This is all more watching than usual but I was a bit tired from traveling.
You spend so much time on your garden Sandy, I bet it’s absolutely beautiful and worth all the hard work.
I’ve never read anything by Annette Dashofy but maybe I should try one since you and Mark both like her.
Lindy, I’d suggest starting with Annette’s Zoe Chambers series. The garden is a lot of work but we enjoy it and the native plants bring lots of birds and insects.
Thanks Sandy! I appreciate the suggestion of where to start with Annette Dashofy’s books.
Hi All – I only like to comment when I’ve read something really, really good – so here goes – It’s Not Her by Mary Kubica – murder mystery but so many twists you really can’t figure it out. You really don’t want to put it down. Highly recommend!
Donna, You don’t have to wait until you read something really, really good, but that’s up to you. As you can tell, we also talk about weather, family outings, TV and plays, anything we really fell like discussing.
Thank you for the recommendation!
Good morning, all! We’re suffering through at least a week of temps in the 100s, so I’m staying inside most of the time. Last Sunday I got a free ticket to the local production of 42nd Street by the El Dorado Music Theatre. This one had a cast of teens through adults. It’s not my favorite era of musicals, but the Drama Queens leader was upset that no one responded to the ticket donated by someone who couldn’t attend that I decided that day to go, and it was fun to attend with seven other Drama Queens. One of the adults had a sublime operatic voice, and I was very impressed by him. Plus, we had great seats in the middle of the third row! As for books, I was able to complete three this week.
Primrose Honeychurch, age 70, is not a people person. She can’t abide “jibber-jabber” so she keeps to herself, avoiding noisy places and crowds of people. After retiring from the Las Vegas Library, her days are still filled with books–reading them, even writing one for children–and keeping a journal of random words that interest her.There’s one of those words, with its definition, at the beginning of every chapter of Laura Jensen Walker’s THE PILGRIMAGE OF PRIMROSE HONEYCHURCH. Primrose’s childhood had been fraught, thanks to her abusive father, who dismissed her as an oddball. Her mother understood and adored Primrose and tried to keep her out of her father’s way, taking much of the abuse herself. But as Primrose now reads her late mother’s private journals, she starts to dream about a trip that she and her mother had always wanted to take together–to Cornwall, where her mother had grown up, and to the real-life Welsh “town of books,” Hay-on-Wye. Primrose decides to embark on her first solo trip to scatter her mother’s ashes in Cornwall and to see the town of more than 20 bookshops for herself. The trip is not without bumps in the road, but it becomes an opportunity for Primrose to get to know her mother’s family. She is surprised to feel a real connection with her 20-year-old artist niece, who is neurodivergent, and begins to understand why she herself has felt like an outcast all these years. This is a lovely novel in which Primrose begins to understand and embraced herself, while opening herself up to new experiences and the love and support of her family. At the same time, Primrose also learns some shocking things about the lengths her mother was willing to go to protect her beloved daughter and comes to terms with her own medical issues. It’s an emotional ending, and I loved it. (October)
It’s not easy to describe Jodi Picoult’s new book, HOLLOW BONES, without revealing any spoilers. So I’ll simply say that, at its foundation, it is the story of a mother and a daughter–one a talented mosaic artist and the other the super-competent director of emergency preparedness for her state–told over a span of decades. As the author’s legions of fans already know, readers of her books are often put through an emotional wringer along with the characters, and there are delicious twists you won’t believe. The characters–protagonists and supporting characters alike–are so beautifully defined and detailed, with so much depth and development, that you will think about them long after you finish the book. In the process, you will also learn more about the profound effect of September 11, 2001 on its victims and their families, and about the realities of PPP (post-partum psychosis).In this 16th Jodi Picoult book that I have read and enjoyed, the themes are family, loss, renewal, forgiveness, and redemption. Although it is a long book (464 pages), I ripped through in it about three days, entranced by Picoult’s engrossing writing and the way it made me feel. (September)
Cicero, a small white dog in Sorrento, Italy, is desperately seeking his adored human, Giorgio, who has suddenly disappeared. Cicero understands everything Giorgio says and much of what Giorgio reads to him but cannot talk himself, of course. He is, however, able to narrate many of the chapters in A HEARTBEAT AT MY FEET by Kristin Judd. Josie, in her forties, is an American woman looking forward to a two-month vacation in Italy with her husband.. . . until she discovers that he has been cheating on her. Josie decides somewhat fearfully to take the trip on her own, although she knows she has relied perhaps too much on her husband during their marriage. Is it destiny that Josie and Cicero find each other, just when each needs to be found? Josie has an adult son who is thriving after having medical issues in his youth, and she agonizes over telling him his father wants a divorce. Husband Mark, in the meantime, can’t stop calling to tell Josie she doesn’t know enough not to be vulnerable to European men. He’s right in a way, as she (“meets not so cute”) Hugo, an attractive shopkeeper, who yells at her for mistakenly picking up his gelato order in a local shop. I needed this charming book after reading a more difficult book and thoroughly enjoyed it.I picked it up as an Amazon First Read in July, and I’m glad I did. The author does a fine job of describing the main characters and their travels together in Italy, and the romance is believable. A supernatural character was jarring at first but added to the story in an interesting way.
Hi Margie. Thanks for last week’s link to your newsletter.. I really enjoyed reading it. That looks like a lot of work to put that together every month!
Hi, Mary M. Thank you for taking a look at my newsletter. Fortunately, it’s a quarterly publication. It’s a lot of work for 3 months, but one month would be too much for me! Right now I’m taking a month off, as I do each time. I’ve been the editor for 11 years and counting and still love it.
Good morning, Margie. I’ve never seen 42nd Street. I’m glad you enjoyed their new view outing, even if the show wasn’t a favorite.
My best friend loves Jodi Picoult’s books, and the only one I liked was the fantasy she did with her daughter. Funny, I can’t read crime fiction with all the murders, but I don’t read realistic fiction about issues.
Margie, thanks for mentioning A Heartbeat at My Feet. It sounds exactly like a book I’d love, and so have put it in my ‘cart’ for ordering.
Margie, thanks so much for this wonderful review of my women’s fiction debut (aka book club fiction) THE PILGRIMAGE OF PRIMROSE HONEYCHURCH releasing in October. Bookish Primrose is near and dear to my heart so I’m thrilled you loved it. Sweet music to my ears.
I don’t know. it’s one of those crazy times I should be able to read a lot, but for one reason or another, I always seem to be busy doing something else. We play a lot of games online (brain work), and that takes time. But I have about 10 library books on hand (mostly e-books) so need to get cracking.
This past week, as mentioned, we saw LES MISERABLES: THE ARENA CONCERT SPECTACULAR (it was great!) are Radio City Music Hall with my cousins, then had dinner with them afterwards. Tonight is Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band at Jones Beach, and a night at the Long Island Marriott. Saturday is another matinee, this one off-Broadway, a revival of Wendy Wasserstein’s AN AMERICAN DAUGHTER. We saw the original production in 1997. Not her greatest but worth seeing, especially for the reduced price. Plus, Jackie prefers off-Broadway, where the theaters are often newer and the seats more comfortable.
Books. Jackie finally read Cindy Dees’s second Helen Warwick book, DOUBLE TAP. She liked it. There has to be a third as she left a cliffhanger, but when? She’s going to try a new (to us) K-9 series recommended by Margaret Mizushima in her newsletter.
The only book I finished this week was the collection of short stories by Robert Boswell, THE HEYDAY OF THE INSENSITIVE BASTARDS. Currently reading Sigrid Nunez’s collected stories, IT WILL COME BACK TO YOU. I’ve never read her novels but I like the stories a lot. Also slogging through J.G. Ballard’s huge Complete Stories collection.
I know Lesa is a big fan of James Byrne’s great Dez Limerick books – I think she is the one who recommended them in the first place, with THE GATEKEEPER. Dez is a former soldier and a general adventurer, always ready to help a mate. If you like Jack Reacher and Nick Petrie’s Peter Ash – and why wouldn’t you? – Dez is somewhat similar but with a wonderful sense of humor added. His fourth is STORM WARNING, which takes him to Atlantic Canada in winter, but I won’t say more before I finish it, other than to get the GATEKEEPER and start there.
Too many shows, Jeff? No reason to feel bad you don’t have reading time right now. You and Jackie are enjoying other things. I go through periods when a book doesn’t even interest me, no matter how many I have on hand.
I will say something about Storm Warning. It’s not as good as Gatekeeper. But, I enjoy the character, Dez Limerick.
Higher altitude smoke brought hazy skies and trapped in heat here in Northern Nevada all this week. My heart goes out to Spokane, WA where thousands of residents were given the order to “evacuate now” as three fast-moving fires surrounded the city.
I don’t think I can improve on the publisher’s description of COUNTRY PEOPLE by Daniel Mason. Published in July, a novel at the crossroads of humor and introspection.
“Miles Krzelewski is a devoted husband, a doting father beloved for his outlandish bedtime stories, and the proud owner of a truffle-hunting dog in a land with no truffles. He is also a bit lost, twelve years late with his PhD on Russian folktales and increasingly haunted by a sense that he’s become a disappointment to his family. So when his wife, Kate, accepts a visiting professorship at a prestigious college in the faraway forests of Vermont, he decides that this will be the year to finally move forward with his life. No sooner does he arrive than he finds himself entangled with a cast of characters as colorful as those of any of his folktales.”
In another July 2026 book release, Angelica Glass has revealed an unusual story in SCAVENGING BEAUTY- A Memoir in Walks. In this memoir of discovery and transformation, a woman walks every street (4,121) in Santa Cruz County, CA in an attempt to at relieving her current stress and healing her childhood trauma. Whether wandering through residential neighborhoods, over redwood-strewn mountain passes, or along the seashore, Glass finds solace and develops a growing sense of peace.
And oddly enough, both of these books contain references to Wilson Alwyn (Snowflake) Bentley, an American meteorologist and photographer, who was the first known person to take detailed photographs of snowflakes and record their features. Just the thing for a hot summer day.
I also managed to read THE HIDDEN CITY, the 15th Charles Lenox Mysteries by Charles Finch. I’ve enjoyed this series featuring the Victorian gentleman and amateur detective for near twenty years.
This year’s wildfires, all over the world, are so devastating. Stay safe, Mm.
I’ve read Charles Finch’s books here and there. I should have started in the beginning.
I just find it odd, serendipity, when there are references to the same subject in books that are completely different.
Good morning everyone – a beautiful day on tap here and an outdoor concert this evening – a Patsy Cline tribute. Tomorrow morning I’m off to our town’s sidewalk sales, I always have fun and get some good deals. I also booked a flight for late September to Denver to see a friend that I used to work with. I’m very excited for that. I’ve not been to Colorado.
It’s been a good week for reading, although two out of three of the books weren’t that great. I finished:
The Night we Met (Say you’ll remember me, #2) by Abby Jimenez. I really loved the first book in the series. Was quite disappointed with this one. There wasn’t much plot to hold your interest other than two best friends who are both interested in the same girl. Mike keeps messing up. Chris keeps rescuing Mike by lying to Larissa on his behalf. Finally, Larissa gets enough sense to break up with Mike and then she and Chris get together but they can’t really be together because he doesn’t want to hurt Mike by dating his ex-girlfriend. Larissa has a nut allergy and Chris spends a great deal of the book trying to make sure that every facility they visit is cleared of anything with nuts. Chris is such an enabler, and a people pleaser. It honestly got annoying. I listened to the audio and with one hour left to go, I wasn’t sure if I could finish it, but I did and will not read the next one in the series.
A Study in Secrets (Redacted Man #1) by Jeffrey Siger. Rear Window mingled with a Frank Capra movie. A retired intelligence officer, Michael, who has become a recluse, watches people in the park outside his window and imagines their life stories. Until one day when he becomes involved with a girl from the park, who he calls Angel. She’s been a courier for a criminal, a job to keep herself alive (she’s an orphan). Said criminal gets killed and Michael takes Angel in. The cops are looking for her, thinking she killed her boss. Michael shields her, gets involved with more people in trouble, tidily saves the day for all. Probably won’t read the next one.
London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family’s Search for Truth, by Patrick Radden Keefe. A very eye opening book about the presence of corrupt Russian and Indian immigrants in London and their influence on a young 19 year old Jewish boy who meets an untimely death due to his dealings with this lot. This was quite interesting, both from a historical perspective – i.e. Idi Amin expelling the entire Asian population from Uganda in the early 1970’s – giving them two weeks to leave with two suitcases of possessions and 50 pounds in their pocket. Many went to London – and from how gullible parents can be when their kids blatantly lie to them.
Mary, Enjoy the Patsy Cline tribute. Although I know her life story, and her songs, I’m always amazed all over again at all of her songs. Just beautiful.
I didn’t care for Jeff Siger’s book as much as I do his books set in Greece.
Too bad about the Abby Jimenez. Jackie loved book one.
Looks like Jeff Siger needs to get back to Andreas Kaldis and Greece.
I have London Falling on my TBR Mary. I was impressed with the author’s previous book set in Ireland. Say Nothing from 2019
Still reading The Idiot! Now on page 618. It has been an adventure! There are some boring parts, but as I feel that, the author pops in something very exciting. This is the first book that I have ever read where the author sneaks in discussions of politics, religion and books.
I’m glad you’re enjoying it, Carol. Good luck with the rest of it.
I read two books this week.
I finished Poppy Montgomery Gets Even by Gordon Jack. Mary M reviewed it last week. It was a fun read.
Next, I finished Whistler by Ann Patchett. What a lovely book. I am pretty sure this has been reviewed her as well. I loved the story of Daphne and her stepfather Eddie Triplett., the stepfather she hadn’t seen in many years. The story of Whistler the horse made me cry it was so beautiful. This is storytelling at its best.
Have a good weekend everyone and Happy Reading!
I really need to get to Whistler, Sharon. Everybody here who has read it seems to like it.
Oh, Sharon. i loved Whistler so much.
I have to know – does the horse die? I just can’t cope with animal deaths in my reading.
No. The horse does not die. 😊
Thank you!
Sharon, I haven’t read the Poppy Montgomery book yet, but Gordon Jack wrote an article for the Sisters in Crime NorCal quarterly newsletter, The Stiletta, which I produce, about how writing that book helped him decide what he wants to do with his retirement years. If you are interested in reading the article (no obligation), you can access it at https://www.sincnorcal.org/newsletter/ (it’s the August 2026 issue, and the article is on page 5.)
Thank you Margie. I enjoyed reading his article. My husband and I moved from a traditional neighborhood to an over 55 community. We are still struggling with the adjustment, so I related to much of what he wrote!
It is getting cooler here now, we haven’t had the heat advisories lately. That is good because we have started doing morning walks when we can. I just took a break from writing this to go on a walk in our neighborhood because we have to get it in before the overcast goes away.
Glen is now reading his nonfiction book, HOUSE OF READING by Phyllis Richardson, PLUS a large graphic novel, MY FAVORITE THING IS MONSTERS, by Emil Ferris. 416 pages long. He describes it as a modern urban fantasy. He says the art is very good, but he doesn’t like the story that much so far. The main character is a 10-year-old girl. I hope to read this book later in the year but I have a few other graphic novels ahead of it in my plans.
I finished reading my nonfiction book, COUNT THEM ONE BY ONE: BLACK MISSISSIPPIANS FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT TO VOTE by Gordon A. Martin, Jr. The book describes the author’s work on a trial in Mississippi in the early 1960s when many African-Americans were thwarted in their efforts to register to vote. It was a difficult time to read about (especially since I was living next door in the state of Alabama at that time), and although the book was relatively short (240 pages of text), it was a slow read for me. Not because of the writing but because of the topics. I am very glad I read it.
I have yet to decide what I am going to read next. I still have 12 books to read for my 20 Books of Summer list and I doubt that I will read them all in August, but I will finish them, in September I hope. All of them are good books but a few will be challenging.
I hope everyone is having a good reading week and weather that they enjoy.
I like the way you phrased that, Tracy. You hope everyone has weather they enjoy. So true that we like different types of weather.
Enjoy your walking weather and your next book!
Too hot for me to do much, so of course, my freezer goes out. Tried to save as much stuff as I could, then bought a new freezer. Got a defective unit. ARRRGH! Of course, they can’t get me a new one until Monday. Cripes. Then the company called (three different operators, none of whom knew what they were doing, let alone what the other operators did) three times to get the process started. I probably owe the third caller an apology.
This week I read:
Liberty Street by Heather Marshall; One of those dual timeline books. A hotshot female reporter decides to go undercover in a women’s prison in 1961. That sounds like a very bad idea to me.
In 1996, a female detective is detecting, and the trail leads to that same, now defunct, woman’s prison.
I’m sorry, but I remember the 1990’s. The Clinton Administration was not the Dark Ages. I suspect the Kennedy Administration was not the Dark ages either.
How to Survive Greek Mythology by Joseph Lore; Lore dissects some of the lesser known Greek myths and how they might relate to today by using Human Resources language. Sometimes, it’s hilarious.
A Deadly Combo by Karen A. Phillips; Margie probably knows this author. I went to the Sacramento Book Festival a while ago, and saw author Cindy Sample’s booth. I have all of her books, but I saw this other series by Phillips. I figured it was a new pen name I didn’t know about. Then, after a panel concluded, I saw Cindy, and this other lady at the booth, who turned out to Karen A. Phillips. She seemed very nice. I got a couple of her books.
Anyway, this is a cozy set in Placerville, CA. A woman who likes to box occasionally, is accompanying her sister at a trailer convention. The sister spent almost all of her money on her trailer. A rival owner is killed, and the sister is the primary suspect. There’s a handsome detective. A good first entry. Being honest, sometimes, it’s a little TOO much like Cindy Samples. Hopefully, she develops her own voice.
Antiques Roundup by Barbara Collins; The Bourne Girls are running out of inventory for their antique store. There’s a huge sale in Texas. Road Trip! Turns out Texs isn’t so different thatn Iowa, right down to the good looking but incompetent Chief of Police. There’s a murder, and Vivian inserts herself right into the investigation. I’m dreading that the series will end soon.
Fatally Flaky by Diane Mott Davidson; Goldie has to cater a wedding with the usual bridezilla, when a family friend dies in an accident…maybe…Of course, it’s not an accident, and Goldy is pulled into the investigation when the wedding venue is changed. This is one of the better books in the series, which isn’t one of my favorites.
Burke’s Gamble by William F. Brown; A gambling addicted vet dies suspiciously in Atlantic City. The cops don’t do anything, so spec ops guy Burke assembles the squad and started killing off mob guys. With very little change, it could be right out of 1972, the peak year of these war against the mafia books.
Glen , I do indeed know Karen Phillips a bit. I went to the launch of the first book in her series, where she brought the boxing instructor who inspired her and they gave a demo. In February, I hitched a ride with her to Left Coast Crime. You may know that she is a talented book cover artist as well. I’m glad you found out that Karen and Cindy are two different people!
I’m sorry the weather is miserable, Glen, but it led to some book reviews that are interesting for us to read.
Isn’t it tough when you know a favorite, long- running series may come to an end?
Sorry, all, I ended up posting as a reply. My husband and son were both home and distracted me a bit. Here is what I wrote before heading out to reach at the beach:
Hello, everyone! After my vacation in Philly I am trying to settle into a schedule at my new house and for the new school year. Some days (like today) it is too hot to write in my third floor office but I’ve made some good progress on my research and writing anyway.
I don’t have much fun reading to report on. I am loving seeing Lady Julia Grey and Nicholas Brisbane in the latest Veronica Speedwell book by Deanna Raybourne. I like the former series better but still read the Veronica ones.
I kind of binged “Ride or Die” on Netflix, a violent and amusing buddy flick with two women (what a nice change) on the run. The story took interesting and unexpected turns. Watching “Enola Holmes 3” on vacation led me to re-watch 1 and 2 while at home. This is all more watching than usual but I was a bit tired from traveling.
No problem, Trisha. I know what it’s like to adjust to a new schedule. Good luck!
I didn’t care for the First Lady Julia Grey mystery, so I never went further. Probably my mistake.