The most important thing I have to share this week is the link to The Poisoned Pen’s YouTube post featuring Tim Sullivan, author of the DS George Grace mysteries, including the new one The Tailor. He was so good! If you’re a fan, you might want to watch the interview, https://tinyurl.com/2f9b8vef.
Other than that, I spent the last couple days finishing two books, and mourning the loss of Dolly Parton. She was a national treasure, and a good person. She’s still the hottest topic on Facebook and Threads. The BBC did a four hour story on her that I didn’t see. But, we’re going to miss her. No matter what your politics, Dolly Parton represented the best of this country, better than the rest of us.
So, I have tomorrow’s review all ready. I finished Book Club Boyfriend, and moved on to Laurie Gilmore’s second Dream Harbor romance. It’s so hard to type the title, The Cinnamon Bun Book Store because I want to type “Cinnabon”. The first book, The Pumpkin Spice Cafe, was spicer than I expected. Very good! But, one involving the local bookstore? I’m in.
When a secret message turns up hidden in a book in the Cinnamon Bun Bookstore, Hazel can’t understand it. As more secret codes appear between the pages, she decides to follow the trail of clues… she just needs someone to help her out.
Gorgeous and outgoing fisherman, Noah, is always up for an adventure. And a scavenger hunt sounds like a lot of fun. Even better that the cute bookseller he’s been crushing on for months is the one who wants his help!
Hazel didn’t go looking for romance, but as the treasure hunt leads her and Noah around Dream Harbor, their undeniable chemistry might be just as hot as the fresh-out-of-the-oven cinnamon buns the bookstore sells…
What about you? Has the weather affected you this week? What have you been doing? And, what are you reading?
Yes, sad news about Dolly Parton. We were lucky enough to have seen her in concert many years ago, and that memory is even more precious now. It’s amazing how much she was able to accomplish in her life. I will miss her.
This evening David and I were at our older daughter’s home. We’d been invited to have dinner with them to celebrate our grandson’s 16th birthday. He had a busy day – a 7 hour work day at childrens’ power skating camp, then a short time back at home before attending his own hockey camp. But he still found time to take his knowledge test in order to get a learner’s license to drive a car. (you have to be 16 years old here, and he took the test the very day he turned 16) Our son-in-law cooked dinner and the other grandson was telling us about his upcoming year of teacher training. He’s quite excited and is working towards teaching history to high school students. He’s less excited for the commute to and from the university as it will take him a minimum of three hours in total every day. All in all, a fun evening for us.
Books this week:
MURDER AT THE PALACE by N. R. Daws (Bk 1 in the Historical Royal Palaces series)
This is a cozy murder mystery set in a real place, in this instance Hampton Court Palace, one of the UK’s unoccupied royal palaces ‘managed by an independent charity’, the objectives of which are to ‘manage, conserve, renovate, repair, and improve the Palaces’ and to help everyone learn about the history of them.
The story takes place specifically in Hampton Court Palace’s Grace and Favour apartments, which are ‘rent-free residences granted by the British monarch to individuals or their families in recognition of exceptional service to the Crown’. The rooms at Hampton Court Palace number 1400, and there are scores of courtyards, roadways, passages, as well as extensive gardens, and thousands of ‘residents, servants, and other staff’.
From the book cover:
‘When one of the ladies in residence at Hampton Court Palace fails to answer her maid’s call in the morning, Mrs. Lydia Bramble, palace housekeeper, is called in to investigate. What Mrs. Bramble finds sends shockwaves through the whole palace: Miss Philomena Franklin, slumped over her desk, a knife in her back. With the police determined to bark up the wrong tree, Mrs. Bramble decides to take up her own investigation with the help of her maid, Kitty. After all. As servants, they know just how many dangerous secrets and secret squabbles the genteel residents of the palace apartments harbour …’
A promising synopsis, but I’m sorry to say that (for me, anyway) the book did not live up to it. I didn’t care about the characters, there was little to no action, the story moved forward at a glacial pace, and it was all a bit dull with its endless repetitions of the various street names and of the questions about the case Mrs. Bramble asks herself over and over. The only character displaying any oomph was Lady Madeleine’s cockatoo, Sunny. I shall not be seeking out further books in the series.
THE GOVERNESS’S GUIDE TO SPELLS AND MANAGING MISFIT MARQUESSES by Amy Rose Bennett (Bk 2 in The Parasol Academy series)
I’ve finally gotten around to reading this ‘cozy fantasy historical romance novel’ that Lesa reviewed a few months ago. Set in the 19th century, the series revolves around the highly trained graduates of the prestigious and somewhat magical Parasol Academy who are now out working.
This time around we have Hermina Davenport, who has sworn to the dying Lady Grenfell that she will protect the life of orphaned Viscount Fitzwilliam at all costs and by whatever means necessary. Which is how she finds herself breaking Academy Rules by kidnapping the young Viscount when she discovers that his guardian Sir Bedivere Ponsonby has been ‘ensorcelled’ by an evil Fae queen and has just set sail to find a route to the Arctic through the Northwest Passage – an entirely inappropriate and dangerous journey for the young Viscount.
Hermina, in the interest of keeping the Viscount safe, teleports the two of them to her mother’s home in the country. Unfortunately, something goes amiss and the pair find themselves on another boat instead – that of one Lord Kinsale, the Irishman Phineas O’Connell, renowned prizefighter in Ireland and who has very recently inherited the title of Lord Kinsale. Not that he knows the first thing about societal expectations or rules, and besides that has a pronounced stammer and is not respected or taken seriously..
Keeping the young Viscount safe while trying not to break too many of the Academy’s rules, and being hired by Lord Kinsale himself in order to help him with elocution and deportment lessons so he can learn to function in his new role as a Lord, and dealing with rude staff and a ruder pug, and all manner of other problems including supernatural ones – and oh yes, developing feelings for Lord Kinsale – well, Hermina is having a traumatic time.
I enjoyed the book, although not quite as much as the first one. The romance in this one seemed a bit too much, too quickly; and Lord Kinsale was a little too perfect. But still, entertaining enough.
I never saw Dolly at one of her own concerts, Lindy, but I was lucky enough to see her years ago at the Grand Ole Opry. I was in junior high, so it must have been over fifty years ago. I couldn’t tell you who else performed that evening, but I remember seeing her. She was unforgettable. As she was as a person. She’s going to be missed.
Sounds as if it’s a busy time for both of your grandsons. I’m glad you had the chance to spend the evening with them.
And, I’ll be skipping that first series. It sounded promising.
Lindy, it was heartening to read about your grandson’s excitement about teacher training. Sadly, a lot of the teachers we know – people Jackie worked with – do NOT encourage their kids to go into education. He is doing a very worthwhile thing.
Thanks Jeff. After four years of university and graduating with a degree with a major in history, I think he thought teaching it would be the only way he could make use of it. His mom (our daughter) is a teacher so at least he’s aware of how much work the job will be, although she works with younger children who have learning disabilities as well as those whose first language is not English. I’m curious to see how he likes teaching. It’s not for the faint of heart and I hope the high school students don’t eat him alive!
I’m not a country music fan, so I wasn’t a fan of Dolly’s music. But I was a fan of Dolly, the person. I’m feeling the loss for sure.
Weather wise, it is HOT. Like 105 hot. Happy to stay in my air conditioned condo. It was even hot at the beach on Saturday.
I’m currently half way through THE PIE & MASH DETECTIVE AGENCY by J. D. Brinkworth. It involves two detectives just starting out (meaning they have no clue what they are doing) who investigate a missing young woman with the same name as other young women with the same name who have vanished over the decades. Those older cases have never been solved. I feel like the book is dreading water. I get what is supposed to be happening – we are watching two people who don’t know what they are doing fumble around. But I need them to make a little more progress than they are instead of all the time we have spent on red herrings, at least so far.
I think we’re all going to miss Dolly, the person, Mark.
Well, I think I have a copy of The Pie & Mash Detective Agency someplace. Thank you. I guess I’ll skip that one.
One more hot day today, and tomorrow we get another blessed day of rain. Switzerland has a serious drought, which is unheard of. We all hope it will rain all through the fall and get us back on track. Rivers and groundwater are seriously low.
Peter and I have been back from our 10-day eclipse trip (= Spain and France) for a week today, but I still feel like I’m catching up on need-to-dos, from getting presents for some new neighborhood babies to trimming plants on the balcony to working on my book. Some of this work I can do listening to books! I’ve finished Dervla McTiernan’s THE UNQUIET GRAVE, which I thought was excellent. I can recommend it as a complex and well-written police procedural set in Ireland with two very likable and interesting detectives. This is McTiernan’s fourth book with policeman Cormac Reilly and may be the best.
I’m also halfway through listening to THE CALAMITY CLUB by Kathryn Stockett, who wrote THE HELP (also a movie) in 2009. It is long (over 600 pp), but so far I’m enjoying it enormously. It’s set in Oxford, Mississippi, during the Depression and told by an 11-year-old orphan, Meg, and by Birdie, the older, practical, and outspoken sister of a socialite, Frances, whom Birdie visits to ask for money so their mother won’t lose her house. Meg and Birdie are delightful characters, and the book is funny despite being full of calamities. Poverty is a constant theme, but I have a feeling there will be a happy ending. This book is a big bestseller, so I’m clearly not the only one who likes it.
As for reading, I’m midway through a debut mystery by a New Zealander, Zoë Rankin, called THE VANISHING PLACE. The heroine, Effie, grew up isolated with her parents, brothers, and sister in the bush, and has become a policewoman. Terrible things happened in her past that led her to run away from her family to the nearest town, and now, almost 20 years later, a child who seems to be her niece has appeared out of the wilderness in the same way. This is a book that alternates between past and present, telling us what happened to Effie as a child as Effie and the police investigate what has happened to terrify the new girl, Anya. All a bit creepier than my usual, but gripping! I will certainly finish this!
I hope Switzerland gets the rain it needs, Kim. It sounds awful. The sound of rain is wonderful when you haven’t had it for a while.
I’m going to have to look for Dervla McTiernan’s first book in that series. Actually, I think I have a signed copy somewhere, but I’ll probably be lazy and just get it from the library. Thank you for the recommendation.
Lesa, I really liked The Ruin, her first Cormac Reilly book, and her third, The Good Turn. I didn’t enjoy the second as much, but I wouldn’t tell you not to read it, since it keeps you updated on the characters.
Kim, thanks for mentioning the McTiernan. For some reason my library doesn’t have it. I like the series better than her standalones. I bought a copy for the Kindle.
I was in the bookstore very recently Kim, and stood with The Calamity Club in my hand. I very nearly bought it but changed my mind. Now I’m thinking I should go back and get it!
We saw Will Roger’s Follies this past weekend. The show was good but what I really enjoyed was a video the theater put together. Apparently they had done the show 7 years ago and a lot of cast members did it both times so they put together a video of them discussing how both they and the show had changed in the past 7 years. They also put together a short clip of one actress’s 90 second change from one costume to another to get back onstage.
This week I read KILL All WIZARDS by Jedediah Berry. After watching his brother die in a wizard’s garbage dump a barbarian sets out to kill all of the wizards. There was an interesting twist at the end but the title was better than the book.
A SERVING OF HOPE (Kamogawa Food Detectives #4) by Hisashi Kashiwai. More short stories of the father and daughter duo at the diner tracking down and making dishes from the diner’s past. I like this series. It reminds me of memories tied to food from my childhood.
That video would have been fun to see, Sandy.
That’s sad when the title is better than the book. But, A Serving of Hope does sound good.
As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, we were lucky enough to see a FREE Dolly Parton concert outside City Hall in New York on August 21, 1978. She was real, a genuine mensch. RIP
This is a busy week, with four pre-knee surgery doctor appointments for Jackie. Monday was blood work and a cardiologist appointment, Tuesday was a stress test they claimed was 30 minutes, which actually took close to FOUR HOURS.
Tomorrow is the postponed numbing shot (Iovera), which is supposed to last for three months. And Saturday is an EKG.
The surgery is September 15.
Weather has been a little cooler than average and we’ve had a lot of rain, though not as much here as other areas.
Jackie is reading another book she really likes, Rebecca Yarros’s FOURTH WING, the first in her trilogy about dragon riders that is something like Harry Potter (the school) crossed with The Hunger Games.
We’re off to Costco so my reading will wait until we get back.
All those doctor appointments! Makes for a long week, I’m sure, especially when one lasts for four hours. It’s a good thing you like to read. What do people do in doctors’ offices when you don’t read?
Look forward to your books this afternoon, Jeff.
OK, I’m back. Jackie had her Kindle with her so she was able to read while she waited. Only, it was freezing in there. But fortunately a nice guy brought her a blanket.
Anyway, my reading.
First was LIVING TO BE A HUNDRED, a short story collection by Robert Boswell. I liked it enough to order his earlier collection.
One of my all-time favorite books was Studs Terkel’s WORKING, an oral history book where he let “people talk about what they do all day and how they feel about what they do.” In a similar vein, restaurant owner Marc Meyer, whose Bowery Group runs five New York restaurants, set out to give his employees a voice – actually 27 voices – in VOICES FROM THE KITCHEN: PERSONAL NARRATIVES FROM NEW YORK’S IMMIGRANT RESTAURANT WORKERS. It is definitely worth seeking out, as these people from Mexico, Ecuador, El Salvador, Burkina Faso and Ireland, among other places, talk about their childhoods, their families and homelands, why they took the often harrowing journey to New York and what they’ve done since. All profits are divided equally among the participants. A moving book, though at several points I wondered (and worried) about how they’re doing now under an administration that considers them all as criminals who should be deported.
THE TYPING LADY is a short story collection by Ruth Ozeki, a writer I’d never heard of before reading a review of this book.
Lastly was Archer Sullivan’s THE WITCH’S ORCHARD, first in a series (I think book two is just out) about Kentucky PI Annie Gore, a former Air Force special investigator. She takes on the case of Max, whose little sister was one of three little girls kidnapped 10 years earlier who disappeared without a trace. One of the three was returned, but she was non-verbal and couldn’t help. Annie finds the hills of North Carolina like enough to where she grew up, and she persists. This is a well written and involving story, but I can’t explain why I didn’t love it as much as Lesa did, and why I had no trouble putting it down to read other things in between. It is very good.
I admired Studs Terkel’s Working, Jeff.i May have to look for Voices from the Kitchen. I know I’m going to have the same worries you do.
I did the same, put down The Witch’s Orchard. So, maybe I appreciated the writing more than the story itself.
Another hot week here. We’re supposed to cool down next week. Yay! This has not been a good week for deaths. First Dolly Burton and then Tim Curry. They say it comes in three. If that’s the case, I have my third picked out 😊 although the alternative is no great prize either.
I’m planning to go to Boucheron in Calgary in October and all the trade war bickering is making me nervous. My sister-in-law was planning on going with me and because of it, she cancelled on me because she’s afraid, they won’t let her back into the States. I was like seriously? And she’s ½ Canadian!
Anyway, on to reading. I read one book this week and I’m still working on The Munich Affair by James Patterson. It’s been slow reading. It’s fast pace but there’s a lot to absorb.
This week’s book, Double Dose by Gretchen Archer. In need of some humor I turned to finishing this book. It’s the 11th book in the series and I’m now working on the 12th one which is the last one. In this one, Davis’s husband who is the CEO of the casino, is away at a gaming commission meeting and against his better judgement has left Davis in charge. She can’t get into too much trouble, right? There’s a conference of drug representatives in the casino and all the sudden, the casino guests start hiccupping. Not just gently but rather violently. This goes on for a while and while Davis and her sidekick, Fantasy try to figure out what’s going on, people start turning orange. A coffee kiosk was serving coffee laced with Carotenemia. Then to make matters worse, people start ripping off their clothes and running around naked. While chaos is running amuck in the casino, Davis is trying to keep her husband from finding out what’s happening. Reading these books is like reading Janet Evanowich’s Stephanie Plum series. I’m going to be sad when I’m done with the last one. They’ve been a nice diversion.
Bev, I have a third one picked out, too, and there would be a lot of people who would celebrate that one. No names, but it is another 80 year old. People might celebrate as much as they mourned Dolly. It would only be fair.
Bev, I have a third in mind as well. if only life were fair . . .
I think you and I, in fact, I know you and I have the same one in mind, Kaye.
Oh, I think we are all on the same page for that third one.
Bev, yes, they definitely took the wrong 80 year olds.
Dolly’s death was a very sad loss. I listened to her music nonstop when I was younger, and of course watched, and rewatched, the movies that she was in. She was a trail blazer in so many ways.
I have 3 books that I am reading – and I am SOOOO close to being done with them – but no reviews this week. Finally getting a haircut today. I’ve scheduled our furnace ducts to be cleaned next week, and then an appointment to get the furnace winter ready. I hate to say it, but furnace weather will be here before we know it.
Well, Mary, I have to say that’s not a cheery thought that furnace weather will be here soon. That’s like my Mother saying she’s excited about college football season starting. Don’t hurry into the future!
Dolly was a wonderful woman; she was so generous, helping so many in natural disaster, donating money for the Cov-id vaccine research, schloarships, and her Imagination Library, which sends a book a month all over USA and some other countries. She could have been a billionaire, but she chose to help so many people. The proceeds from Dollywood go to giving books to children. I listened to her songs for two days. And there will be more. On the date that she would have been 100 years old, more songs will be released.
I read Things We Found In The Ground by Ellie Bruce and Lucie Gray. The true story of two friends who took up the hobby of digging in the ground in England to find needle boxes, coins, buckles, anything of metal from different eras of history. I loved reading about their adventures, and it reminded me of digging for fossils in Indiana. I have a collection from an Indiana limestone quarry and my own front yard.
Oh, I didn’t know there will be more songs released in 20 years, Carol. Interesting. I won’t be around to hear them. She was so special.
Things We Found in the Ground does sound interesting.
I would have to live to be 100, she was 4 months older than me. So, that is not likely. But you are younger, maybe you will make it!
Good morning! What a shock about Dolly Parton–I really admired her. I remember seeing the theater version of “9 to 5” with music by Dolly in LA with the original Broadway cast–Stephanie J. Block, Allison Janney, and Megan Hilty (the latter in the role Dolly played in the movie). I recorded the special about Dolly that aired Tuesday night.
Last weekend was a big one for me, attending two shows with the Drama Queens. On Saturday it was “Hairspray” at the Sacramento Music Circus, and it was fabulous! I haven’t seen a show in the round since my Circle Star days (San Carlos), and it worked very well. I found out later that this organization stages its own shows, soliciting professional actors from New York and all over the country. Ginger Minj, a RuPaul Drag Race winner, played Edna Turnblad, and she was a delight. Everyone in the cast had an excellent singing voice, and it was a very lively show. It was fun to see cast members spotlighted all around the audience with quick scenes, since there is no backstage at this type of theater. I had seen the movie but never the play. On Sunday it was “80 Days Around the World” at the B Street Theatre in Sacramento. I’ve seen this show before, and I didn’t think this production was nearly as good. I did, however, enjoy all of the sound effects, produced by a cast member in full sight of the audience. He deserves an award, as I believe he must have been dead tired after two hours of constant effort.
Here are the three books I finished this week:
The title of Beth Moran’s book, JOY TO THE WORLD, seems to indicate that it is a Christmas book, and the synopsis includes the words “a little holiday magic.” However, much of the story is devoted to the uber-depressing details of TV life coach Alex Nixon’s own life. After all, her televised acceptance speech for a prestigious award included her emotional admission that she herself is a loser at life. Her boyfriend couldn’t be bothered to attend the awards celebration, she has devoted so much time to her successful career that she has no friends, she may have a medical problem, and her family life is in shambles–she has the most toxic of parents and an estranged older sister and mother of four who may be facing jail time. So, of course, Alex is fired from her job–who wants a life coach who can’t manage her own life? Fortunately for Alex, she accidentally happens upon a group of quirky adults that call themselves the Friends Wanted club. Even more happily, she unexpectedly meets a widower with three children of his own who may just turn out to be what she needs. The most pleasurable parts of the book involve that club and its members, giving Alex something to focus on besides her own misery. And Will and his children inject some comfort in her life. I had a hard time with the sad parts of the story, which are way too over-the-top-horrible for my taste. But I have to admit that the author excels in making these scenes believable, if not pleasant to read. Fortunately, the happier scenes are equally well written and the ending is satisfying. I have enjoyed several of Beth Moran’s books in the past, so I will continue to seek out her books, especially those referencing Christmas, hoping they will be closer to Moran’s delightful 2025 Christmas book, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. (September)
It’s a wonder Kurt Argento is still alive after what he’s been through in the first two books of Adam Plantinga’s outstanding series. A lesser man wouldn’t have survived, but Kurt is in for more–much more–in DARK COUNTRY. A loner and ex-cop who knows how to handle himself in all sorts of dangerous situations, Kurt is currently living in a small town, working as a church handyman for the local preacher. So when he learns that one of the parishioners, a 17-year-old Syrian immigrant who lives with his mother, is being pursued for unknown reasons by some very sketchy thugs, he feels compelled to protect the young man and find out why he has been targeted. As usual in this tense series, Kurt is pulled into ever-more-dangerous situations and has to call on all of his senses and hard-won physical skills in the process. We won’t find out the “why” until late in the book, as the suspense is ratcheted up to an almost unbearable level. Kurt is a very memorable character, and so is young Majed, who excels as a student and athlete, and we can’t help rooting for both. Although some scenes were particularly hard to read, it is Adam Plantinga’s impressive writing style and his personal experience as a police lieutenant that kept me reading. I appreciated a brief appearance by one of the major characters in the first book, The Ascent, and I’m hoping that in a future book the death of Kurt’s wife will be further addressed. (October)
Reece Parker is back in POUR CHOICES, the second Anthology Lounge Mystery by Adrian Andover, who won both the Agatha and Lefty Awards for his debut, Whiskey Business. Mixologist Reece Parker owns Subplot, a literary-themed cocktail/mocktail lounge in a fictional Philly suburb that shares a building with an upstairs restaurant with a somewhat hostile owner. He’s hoping to attract more business by scheduling events showcasing comedians, as well as his creative drinks. But when the comedian featured at the first event turns up dead in the water the following day, he can’t help but worry that someone in the lounge that night might be a person of interest in the woman’s death, or perhaps even the murderer. That can’t be good for Subplot’s survival. It’s a fascinating plot, with several suspects who had issues with the comedian, some of whom might have been insulted by the content of her show. There’s also a subplot about Reece’s breakup with his female fiancee, leading to his subsequent coming out as gay, and his excitement–and fear– of pursuing a new part of his romantic life. I particularly enjoyed reading about the details of the lounge itself, and especially the creative process of using interesting local ingredients to create new seasonal drinks. This qualifies as a cozy (or traditional) mystery series, with enough twists and intrigue, along with appealing characters, to satisfy mystery lovers.
Margie, Your two shows with the Drama Queens sound more enjoyable than your reading this week. I have to admit even the cozy sounded depressing to me. But, the plays sounded fun!
How can you write a book called Joy to the World, and have it be depressing? I’m happy to hear at least it had a happy ending.
Margie,
When I was a kid, The Music Circus was actually in a vacant lot type thing, underneath a tent. That’s why it was called The Music Circus. My grandmother used to take me so I’d appreciate culture. Back in those days, almost every show had a famous celebrity in a role. I saw Robert Goulet in South Pacific, which was a huge deal at the time.
All the chairs were these armless card table chairs, and I remember there was this one lady that was fat, and have to sit in two chairs at the same time. I think I remember that more than most of the shows!
Wow, interesting memories, Glen! I wish I’d been in this area when all that was going on at the Music Circus. At the Circle Star Theater in San Carlos (closed in 1993), which had a rotating stage, I think I only saw one Broadway-type musical, and it might have been Follies. Other than that, I saw the Jackson Five, the Carpenters, Neal Sedaka, The Fifth Dimension, and many more concerts–first with my parents and later with my husband.
Well, it was under a tent, and didn’t really have air conditioning or anything, in the middle of August, so it got awfully hot sometimes.
One book recommendation. One that will be on my list of favorites for this year.
Meet Me in the Garden by Nina LaCour
Description:
“A MASTERPIECE that stands as an EXCEPTIONAL work of historical fiction…This character-driven beauty is an immersive, heartfelt TRIUMPH. It is a fantastic MUST-READ that will resonate deeply with fans of Alice Walker and Brit Bennett.” —Booklist (STARRED review)
“SWEEPING and PROFOUND.” —People (MOST ANTICIPATED)
Featured on NPR’S ALL THINGS CONSIDERED
From BESTSELLING, AWARD-WINNING author Nina LaCour comes a GORGEOUS FAMILY STORY about self-discovery and love in all forms, inspired by the author’s Creole roots
New Orleans, 1944. Odette has always been one of the Honore sisters, glamorous and admired in their Creole community. But while Odette’s older sisters are content to be wives and mothers, Odette has always wanted something else. It is only with her beloved cousin, Delphine, that Odette can tell her secret: she is in love with a woman, and she longs to be an artist. Delphine has a secret lover, too, a white man. In the hidden garden they’ve discovered, Odette and Delphine can dream of futures full of passion and freedom.
But five years later, Odette’s life is nothing like what she’d planned. She’s a widowed mother, living in Los Angeles, and she and Delphine, who is passing as white, have spiraled away from each other. When Delphine reaches a breaking point, Odette must make a shattering choice to try to hold her family together.
Profound and expansive, a story of love and longing, art and motherhood, friendship and desire, Meet Me in the Garden is a decades-spanning tour de force, inspired by the author’s family and tracing the history of the Great Migration.
This sounds like a Kaye book. I’m not surprised you loved it so much. Donna will probably pick it up after reading your description, Kaye. The two of you often read and like the same books.
I agree we lost a true national treasure when Dolly Parton died.
Two books for me this week.
I wanted to like Ask My What I’m Reading by Eleanor Goymer more after reading Lesa’s review. I did enjoy it, but Lesa was correct in saying some of us might not enjoy Max and Sophie’s wishy-washiness. I was definitely in that camp. I did like the secondary characters a lot and loved the idea of them dating through books. I just wished I liked Max and Sophie more. And Lesa was right-there should have been a book list included. Overall, not a great read nor a bad one.
My second book was the last of Will North’s romances. In Seasons’ End veterinarian Colin Ryan comes across the woman he’s loved for thirty years, Pete, his best friend’s wife, lying in motionless in a dangerous bend in the road, unconscious and near death from alcohol poisoning. It is a mystery but also the story of the wealthy summer families on an island in Washington Puget Sound. I loved all the stories of the residents. This was good.
Back to near 90-degree weather for us all next week. Fall can’t come soon enough.
Happy reading!
Sharon, Are all Will North’s romances set in the same community?
I think we all feel the same way about Dolly Parton’s death.
No. The first one was in England as was the second.
I’m back again. We’re in the middle of a torrential downpour of a thunderstorm, so glad we’re home. Given the humidity this morning, I’m not surprised it’s raining. We were already way over the typical August rainfall total, so this will add to it.
My current reading: I started one book, then a second book I was really looking forward to came in so I started that, and then… I’m reading both! They are different enough that there’s no overlap.
1. Ellery Lloyd, TIME TO BURN. Lloyd is the pseudonym for a married couple who wrote a couple of other books. This is categorized as a “science fiction mystery” and should appeal to people like Lesa (and me) who are fans of time travel. In the near future, time travel has been solved (they tell us) but the government is strict about where you can go. One place is London during the Blitz (as in a couple of Connie Willis books). But when it comes time to return, some of the tourists (only the rich can afford the trip) are injured and one is left behind. (We know more, but I won’t spoil it for you. )
That’s as far as I’ve gotten, about 25%.
2. Tim Sullivan, THE TAILOR. Lesa already wrote about this one. I’m also 25% into it, but will probably finish it first, and quickly.
You’ve probably had enough rain, but I love a good thunderstorm, Jeff. And, we had plenty a couple weeks ago!
Time to Burn sounds good. You’re right. I enjoy time travel stories.I’ll look for that one if you recommend it.
Turns out I already have Time to Burn on hold at the library, Jeff.
Hi everyone,
I missed last week when I was in New York City for an in-person intensive for the last year of my doctoral program. It was boiling hot and then super-rainy. I foolishly walked to dinner during the big storm, thinking more about how it was only half a mile than about the quantity of water coming from the sky, and I swear the shoes I was wearing are still wet. But I had a really delicious dinner of fried chicken, macaroni & cheese, and collard greens at Melba’s, a storied restaurant in Harlem.
A while ago Mark mentioned the Gilded Newport series, and I had to check those out. Each book (at least so far, I just finished #4) is set in a different mansion. I am a little familiar with the area from doing the Cliff Walk last month, which is fun. The characters are interesting and engaging, too. (And if you are a Kindle unlimited person the books are there.)
It is sad to lose Dolly Parton, but I have been heartened to see all the appreciation she is receiving. It is nice to have so much attention focused on someone kind and generous. If you haven’t seen “Dumplin,” which is more Dolly-adjacent than about her, I recommend it.
I know just what you mean about a NYC rainstorm, Trisha. I had to peel myself out of blue jeans after a drenching there. Jeans never dry!
I’ve never been to Newport which might be why I enjoyed some of those mysteries, but never loved them.
This week had a cuple of hot days, but I was able to do stuff.
I was saddened by Dolly’s death. Someone asked me if, seeing as how she’s probably the last universally beloved personality in the country, if not the world, we’ve just taken a step closer to some kind of Civil War. I sure hope not, What a strange question to ask, but I’m sure more than one person is wondering.
I watched the new Jason Statham movie, Mutiny. I actually thought about skipping it, but the completist compulsion is strong. It is getting oddly mixed reviews, even among action fans. After a slow start, it turns into Die Hard on a cargo sip, with some graphic violence I’ve never seen before. I think it’s better than his last film, Shelter.
This week I read:
Evil Under the Tuscan Sun by Stephanie Cole; Lots of stuff going on at a winery/restaurant in Tuscany. A billionaire rents out the whole place for his mother. Strangers are about. A chef quits. There is a murder mystery in there somewhere, between all the complaints about the main chef.
The Talking bone by Rene Denefield; A woman who works at getting innocents off death row, and in her spare time, finds missing women, gets involved in a case that goes back to her cildhood. There’s a talking bone that gives a frisson of magical realism. It’s unbearably grim.
Christmas Candy Corpse by Rosemarie Ross; This is part of a series. The gimmick is, while virtually every cozy series eventually brings in some sort of reality show, this one is set entirely in a reality show. I don’t really see how it can last more than six books. The show is in a lodge. They get snowed in. An ancillary character is strangled with an apron from the product line…Uh oh! Not bad, but I don’t think I’d want to read two in a row.
The Return of Huang Zhou by Perry Lake; The Fu Manchu analogue returns to fulfill the prophecy. It doesn’t quite work out for him. Still needs some sort of Denis Nayland Smith to keep tension.
Light the Night by John Culea; A radio talk show host starts a take back the night movement that grows in this Inspirational novel. In real life, Los Angeles would shut this down the first day. A house might get rebuilt or something.
I have been watching THE GILDED AGE and just loaded the first Gilded Newport book on my Kindle (may save it to read after knee surgery next month). I remember visiting the Breakers a long time ago…