First, the most important question. How are you this week? Feeling okay, emotionally and physically? I’m doing much better this week. I had a good week at work, and I’m off most of next week, so I’ll have extra reading time. Something to look forward to!
Now, what are you reading this week? I finished Dell Shannon’s first Lieutenant Luis Mendoza mystery, Case Pending. I’m reviewing it on Saturday, so I won’t say much here. It’s a Library of Congress Crime Classic that, fortunately, puts the book in cultural and historical context, and provides footnotes and an author biography. It’s one of the first police procedurals written by a woman, and one of the first to feature a Mexican American protagonist. But, if I hadn’t known this was representing its time period, I would have been shocked at the stereotypes. It’s now sixty years old. I read many of the books in this series in the ’70s and early ’80s.
I’m writing this before I have the chance to start the 31st Krewe of Hunters mystery, Deadly Touch by Heather Graham. It’s set in Miami and the Everglades. I lived in southwestern Florida for over 18 years, so I’m familiar with the setting. Graham’s Florida books are not my favorite ones, but I’m not going to pass it up. I prefer her books set in historical cities such as New Orleans, Boston, Salem.
There’s my most recent reading. What about you? What are you reading this week?
Good morning. I’m tired because we spent Tuesday evenings and part of Wednesday cleaning up branches that came down during the tropical storm (no damage except to the lawn) and then did an online Zumba class last night. Tonight is yoga. One of our local playhouses is putting on a virtual performance tomorrow night so we’re going to buy a ticket for that.
This week I read. THE GRIM READER BY Kate Carlisle. It’s the latest in her Brooklyn Wainright series and it was just as good as the previous books.
THE GHOSTS OF SHERWOOD by Carrie Vaughn. Robin Hood is married with children.
PIECE BY PIECE by Laura Bradford. After a woman’s family is killed in a car crash she goes to stay on an Amish friend’s farm. I wasn’t sure about this one but I wound up not wanting to put it down.
TIDES & TREASURES by Lynda Haviland. A short paranormal romance set in a marina.
I’m currently reading MYSTERY FOLLOWS HER, an anthology of short mysteries featuring female sleuths.
MASKED PREY by John Sandford in eBook via the library.
Darn, I started typing a comment and don't know how I lost it. Anyway, I did read the first "Dell Shannon" book (I don't think I read any others) years and years ago. I love police procedurals but hers …blah. Besides this long series, she wrote others under her real name of Elizabeth Linington and under the name Lesley Egan.
She was also described as "a conservative activist" and was a member of the John Birch Society, so not really my cup of tea.
Once again, I've found myself reading multiple books every day. I start with a short story from THE COLLECTED STORIES OF F. SCOTT FITZGERALD, then go to a chapter or two of Heather Lende's IF YOU LIVED HERE, I'D KNOW YOUR NAME (which I should finish soon), then go to Val McDermid's OUT OF BOUNDS, her fourth Cold Case book about Edinburgh Insp. Karen Pirie, which I am enjoying (not least because Edinburgh is one of my favorite cities).
But I also started a couple of other things, though I am not sure about them yet. Don Winslow's BROKEN is six "short novels" (actually 50-60 pages each), but I am not enjoying the first story at all (despite the New Orleans setting) and don't know if I will continue with it, or maybe skip ahead to story two. I also picked up my first library book since December – Lee Goldberg's LOST HILLS – and want to start that.
The other book I finished was PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS, mentioned last week. And I got a book in the mail, Peter Robinson's non series BEFORE THE POISON. So, no shortage of books here.
Otherwise, we are OK. Mostly just hunkered down, only going out to shop or pick up food at restaurants, or for Jackie doing her hair.
Sandy, I'm glad you reminded me about The Grim Reader. I need to pick that up. And, Laura Bradford would be happy to know you couldn't put her book down!
I'd say take care of yourself, but with Zumba and yoga classes, I guess you are.
Moe of a Virgil Flowers fan myself, Kevin.
I read a number of Elizabeth Linington's books, under all three of those names, Jeff. I didn't care for the ones about the lawyer. I'm much more a police procedural reader to this day.
I hope you're enjoying Heather Lende's book.
I have to go to work, but other than that, Jeff, I don't go any more places than you two do.
I've read several books that were okay, but one book stands out is M. J. Rose's "Tiffany Blues." Much of the book is set in Louis Tiffany's Laurelton Hall where a group of emerging artists have gathered for a summer residence. Rose's research into the history of and meticulous descriptions of Laurelton Hall have sent me off to read more about it. So now I'm completely immered in "Louis Comfort Tiffany and Laurelton Hall, An Artist's Country Estate."
I'm glad you had a better week, Lesa. A better week for me as well. Almost fall like temperatures. We are also seeing the end of the roundabout construction at the entrance to my neighborhood after 3 months. While no one is excited about the actual roundabout (the four way stop sign worked just fine for 15 years), I am happy that I no longer will have to drive the detours to get out of my neighborhood to get to the grocery story and library (we are still mostly staying in our bubble). A good thing indeed.
This week I finished SECOND CHANCE BOUTIQUE by Louisa Leaman. Francesca is the owner of the Whispering Dress. The shop sells vintage wedding dresses to brides by trying to match the history of the dress to the bride who needs the energy of its past life. When she comes across a dress at an estate sale, she becomes obsessed with its history which leads her to face her own secret wedding past. This was a quick and enjoyable read. The author writes for the Victoria and Albert Museum researching about the museum's archived wedding dresses so I think many of the dresses discussed in the book were based on that. I am looking forward to her next book that is on vintage jewelry.
Next I read THE IMPERFECTS by Amy Meyerson. I almost gave up on this one as I didn't like any of the Miller family very much but then it got into the hunt for the provenance of the diamond and it became a real page turner for me. When Beck's grandmother dies, she is left a brooch that she thinks is costume jewelry. She takes it to a friend who tells her it is the famous missing Florentine diamond. (it is a real diamond and it still is missing). That starts the book on the path of family squabbles, lawsuits, and most importantly the search of how Helen obtained the diamond. I loved this one.
Now I am reading BEACH READ by Emily Henry. So far so good.
Stay Safe and Happy Reading!
Sharon, thanks for the recommendation of The Imperfects. I had that one on my list but hadn't heard any reviews. This week has been OK, if uneventful. I'm looking forward to seeing my grandchildren today. I finished more books this week than I have recently. I'll split up my reviews, as I think they are too long for one post.
I have never watched an episode of "The Bachelor," but I thought Kate Stayman-London's debut novel, ONE TO WATCH, was a lot of fun. Plus-size Bea has struggled with her weight all her life and paid the price in bullying, but she is now a popular fashion blogger. The casting director of "Main Squeeze" invites her to be the next star of the show (and the first to be plus-size), with 25 men vying for her love, and she reluctantly agrees, knowing it will draw more attention and sponsors to her blog. She doesn't expect to be attracted to five of the contestants, even though they weren't as diverse as she had requested. The story takes the reader through what I imagine is pretty normal for this type of reality show competition, and I found reading it to be a guilty pleasure. I was rooting for Bea to pick the right suitor, although it was often difficult to tell who that really was.
Lately I have been obsessed with the quiz show "The Chase," which aired from 2013 to 2015 in the US but is still going strong in other countries and has recently been reported as being revived here in the near future. When one of the contestants said he was a mystery writer, I was able to identify him on Amazon as Brendan DuBois, author of 16 novels at that time. He also mentioned that he had been a Jeopardy contestant, which led me to find his book, MY SHORT, HAPPY LIFE IN "JEOPARDY," which I think would be satisfying for any loyal Jeopardy fan, as I am. In it he takes the reader through a very detailed account of his own experience, from taking the test (several times) to in-person auditions to appearing on the fifth show to be filmed in a particular day. If you're a fan of the show, I highly recommend this short (less than 200 pages), information-packed book.
In Lian Dolan's THE SWEENEY SISTERS, Bridget and Will are middle-aged musicians (cello and piano, respectively) who are trying to revive their classical trio (begun in their Juilliard days) after losing their violinist. They have also been best friends for years, although others believe they are a couple. One summer they both leave NYC for Bridget's country house in Connecticut to work on their personal and professional lives, and the results are unexpected, to say the least. Bridget's boyfriend doesn't show, but her adult twins do–one leaving a job in Hong Kong and the other fleeing his husband of just a year. Her 90-year-old composer/conductor father plans to remarry and travel around the world on his honeymoon. Will strikes up a new romance with a local, and their original violinist, who has been working in the Sydney Opera orchestra, is considering whether to return to the trio against the wishes of his wife. What I love about Poeppel's books is their originality, their wonderfully developed characters, and their immersive stories. Although this isn't my favorite of her three books, I always enjoy entering her world.
Part 2:
SOMETHING TO LIVE FOR by Richard Roper was re-released with this title a year after it was originally published as HOW NOT TO DIE ALONE (perhaps too much of a downer?). Andrew is fortyish and British, and works for the local council as a "death administrator," examining the property of elderly locals who died alone to determine whether they had relatives or had stashed money onsite to pay funeral costs and taking care of other details. He also attends their funerals, although he isn't required to do so. Andrew lives alone and fraternizes online with other model railroad aficionados in a chat room but tells his coworkers and boss he had a wife and two children. He is estranged from his older sister, and both of his parents are dead. When Peggy joins his group and shadows him to learn the job, they strike up a friendship that might become something more, although Peggy actually has a husband and children. This is a quiet story that ultimately reveals some troubling events in Andrew's past but has an uplifting, satisfying ending.
In MUSICAL CHAIRS by Amy Poeppel, Bridget and Will are middle-aged musicians (cello and piano, respectively) who are trying to revive their classical trio (begun in their Juilliard days) after losing their violinist. They have also been best friends for years, although others believe they are a couple. One summer they both leave NYC for Bridget's country house in Connecticut to work on their personal and professional lives, and the results are unexpected, to say the least. Bridget's boyfriend doesn't show, but her adult twins do–one leaving a job in Hong Kong and the other fleeing his husband of just a year. Her 90-year-old composer/conductor father plans to remarry and travel around the world on his honeymoon. Will strikes up a new romance with a local, and their original violinist, who has been working in the Sydney Opera orchestra, is considering whether to return to the trio against the wishes of his wife. What I love about Poeppel's books is their originality, their wonderfully developed characters, and their immersive stories. Although this isn't my favorite of her three books, I always enjoy entering her world.
Sorry, the review for THE SWEENEY SISTERS was incorrect–don't know how that happened. Here is the right one:
Bill Sweeney, a renowned author, has died suddenly, and his three daughters reunite to plan his memorial service, deal with his will, and search for his final manuscript, which is overdue to his publisher after a large advance. Liza is an art dealer with teenage twins and an unexciting "rebound" husband. "Mad Maggie" is a talented but undisciplined painter and Tricia is an attorney–neither of them married. The sisters had drifted apart after their mother's death 15 years earlier. And all are shocked to find out that there is a fourth–older–sister, born of an illicit affair between Bill and their married next-door neighbor. She wasn't aware until she received the results of a DNA test–too late to meet her biological father. I found much of the story to be somewhat claustrophobic–there is little to no action at all. And the characters were not particularly likeable, except for the secondary male characters, who were not really developed. But I did appreciate the (SPOILER ALERT–happy) ending that tied everything together.
Kaye, I need to tell Donna about these books on Tiffany. I know how much she loved Clara and Mr. Tiffany. And, I think she read another book that was related as well, but I can't remember what that was. Thank you!
Sharon, I hate roundabouts. My brother-in-law, on the other hand, thinks they're wonderful. He's driven them in the U.S., Paris, Ireland. Frankly, he just likes to drive. But, I'm glad you can now get out of your neighborhood!
Second Chance Boutique sounds very good. I'm a big fan of Beach Read!
Margie, I have One to Watch at home, so now you've encouraged me to move it up on the TBR pile.
I know Brendan DuBois! He wrote one of my favorite books from a couple years ago, The Negotiator. In the last couple years, he's written several books with James Patterson. There's a wonderful story Brendan told when his first book came out with Patterson. Brendan wanted to put an ad in his local newspaper, and asked Patterson if he could use the ad he was running for the new book. Patterson took out an ad in Brendan's hometown newspaper, but he flipped the ad copy on it to read Brendan DuBois in large caps, and with James Patterson in lower letters. We all joke about Patterson writing a book a week or so. But, we don't acknowledge the kind things he does nor the money he has given to independent bookstores and libraries.
I knew Brendan was on Jeopardy. I didn't know he was on The Chase. I've seen that show just a couple times.
I survived my first month end close after the layoffs! Unfortunately, part of that was because I worked on Saturday (took Friday afternoon off to make up for it), so I'm still worried about how things will go next month.
I'm about half way through BAD NEWS TRAVELS FAST, a book from the 90's by Gar Anthony Haywood. I'm really enjoying it. It's a fast read, so I'm hoping to be able to finish it up today.
Is Bad News Travels Fast one of Gar's books about the couple who are in their RV, Mark?
You take care of yourself. I know your work right now is stressful.
Glad this week was better for you Lesa. We all are experiencing “bad” weeks from time to time. Enjoy your week off.
I finished reading This is How I Lied and I enjoyed it very much. Some surprises and it kept me engaged. I also read J. Courtney Sullivan’s A Saint For All Occasions. I loved this book. But, then again I am a fan of hers. This book really touched my emotions
Currently, I love watching Yellowstone. Need to go back and catch the first two seasons.
Vote early and stay safe.
I prefer Virgil Flowers too these days, but, this is a really good Lucas one. More complicated than the last several and has a twist to it that I figured it about two thirds of the way through it.
You're right, DJ. We all have down times. This week has been exceptionally good for me, thank heavens.
Good! I'm glad it was a better book, Kevin.
Thanks for the story about Brendan DuBois and James Patterson, Lesa! I noticed that Brendan had "co-written" at least one book with Patterson. I'll have to look for The Negotiator.
This is a brother-in-law book, Margie. I gave it to him afterwards, a book I don't normally read. So, we'll see if you like it.
As to game shows, I'm enjoying Jeopardy's shows from the vault. They're from when I started watching it when I was 9. I also watch MasterMinds, with Ken Jennings as one of the master minds. America Says is kind of like Family Feud, only different.
I read one physical book:
Hunted by the Sky by Tanaz Bhathena; High fantasy in a world influenced by Indian and Persian myths. Everybody seems very naive.
e-books
Of the Grid: Koa Kane, a co in Hawaii investigates two murders that turn into a political conspiracy. Tries a little too hard to make Kane seem dark and conflicted.
Shepherd's Warning: Starts off as a haunted house book. Then enter the John Constantine rip off. I don't even like the original.
The Queen Con; Sort of cozy with the usual tropes, only more in the comic book world. Tries way to hard to ensure we all know the sleuth is a geek.
Prime Directive; A time traveler goes to the time of Alexander, and interferes with time. What could go wrong?
Tabula Rasa; kind of a rip off Clive Cussler. The man's dead. Maybe it's time to rip off someone else…or write something less derivative.
The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep; A guy can make fictional book characters come to life. Of course, someone evil can do it too. Definitely written by an English major.
Well, today's line, Glen, is “definitely written by an English major.” Good one!
Yes, you are right. The book I just finished is about the couple in the RV.
I just started The Blues Don't Care by Paul D. Marks. It's part mystery and part commentary on the times as there's a young white piano player who joins a black blues orchestra. It's a WWII noir historical set in LA.
I really liked The Blues Don't Care, Patricia. I'll be interested to see what you think.
Margie Bunting, thanks for mentioning My Short, Happy Life in Jeopardy. I immediately looked it up only and found a kindle copy for $2.99. I am currently reading Alex Trebek's book.
On audio, I am listening to Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane. In print, I am reading You're Next by Kylie Schachte.
Katstev,
I'm on the waiting list for Alex Trebek's book. It will probably come in next week while I'm on vacation.