It’s Thursday! My favorite day of the week because of you! I love to touch base with you, see how you’re all doing. And, of course, learn what you’re reading. I also want to refer you to my friend Kaye Wilkinson Barley’s Meanderings and Muses today. She asked a number of us to send her a list of our favorite books for the year. Mine certainly isn’t final. You’ll see that on December 31. But, it’s pretty close. There are some terrific lists here, and I think you might find some books to add to your own TBR piles. Here’s the link to Kaye’s blog, http://bit.ly/3mpfr2X.
Are you tucked up at home because of weather? I know Glen isn’t since he’ll be working away in California. I’m off today, just a vacation day I had to take before the end of the year, or lose it. Are you okay? Cases of COVID are still on the rise, and someone I work with has it, but I haven’t seen her since before Thanksgiving, so don’t worry about me.
I’m still on deadline. I will tell you I’m reading a historical mystery set in Leeds, England. I’m barely into it, but I’m liking the characters. We’ll see. I finished one I detested. The main character was a drug-addicted screw-up. I hope you’re reading something you enjoy, or at least read one that was good this week.
So, how are you doing? What are you reading this week?
Good morning. We have snow here in NJ although I don’t think we got as much as they originally called for since some of it was sleet. Hopefully it won’t be too hard to clear off later. I had time to read this week since we pretty much just hunkered down. I read:
An ARC of LEAVE NO TRACE by Sara Driscoll. It’s the latest in her Meg and Hawk FBI K9 series and I couldn’t put it down. They are searching for a serial killer in the Georgia mountains.
ON DEADLY TIDES by Elizabeth J Duncan. It’s the first time I’ve read a mystery set in Wales and, although I enjoyed the mystery itself, I never really connected with any of the characters.
GARDEN SPELLS by Sarah Addison Allen is another one that I finished but didn’t really connect with. Two sisters in a small southern town are trying to reconcile their pasts and build the close relationship they didn’t have growing up.
MAGICAL MIDLIFE INVASION by K.F Breene. How do you deal with your non magical parents coming to visit when they don’t know that you’ve inherited a magical house, have been turned into a gargoyle, and are in the middle of a war with a mage?
Good morning, Sandy. I have to say the description of Magical Midlife Invasion just made me laugh. How do you even host your parents when you’re now a gargoyle?
I know what you mean about Elizabeth J. Duncan’s books. I love the setting and the smattering of history, but I’ve never connected, either, even though I’ve read most of the books.
I’m sorry about the sleet. That’s worse than the snow. Stay safe!
Hi Lesa and everyone,
We have a fine sunny day here, I will be going out to walk shortly. When I was out with my friend on Tuesday we heard a huge commotion in a tree and it turned out to be a missle thrush defending its find of berries. I had never seen one before. The noise was definitely defensive – very loud and cross!
I have to admit I have let myself read a Debbie Macomber today. Every time I do this, I can’t stop myself seeing all the faults in her writing, but somehow I still enjoy her books (from time to time, that is) and I can see why she is so popular. I do admire the way she has made such a successful career after being rejected so many times – it just shows that people don’t want ‘literary fiction’ all the time, or even at all – and people should read what they enjoy. The one I am reading is the second Cedar Cove book.
After this I’m not sure. I think I’m done with Christmas books for now, and one book I am definitely looking forward to is Verily Anderson’s ‘Spam Tomorrow’.
I am also enjoying listening to my friend Simon Thomas’s podcasts, in which he and his friend Rachel discuss bookish things – especially novels written in the first part of the 20th century, but also other topics. Yesterday they were talking about ‘Persephone Books v Virago Modern Classics’, which I found interesting. It’s all very civilised and calming, and often funny too.
And I’m still struggling through the audiobook of ‘Wuthering Heights’, but oh my goodness is it miserable! I asked someone on twitter why she loved it so much – she said it breaks through genres and usurps our expectations, and that the best way to read it is to let it all flow over you and not get too hung up (as I do) on all the confusing names (there are so many Lintons and Earnshaws, and at least two Cathys). So I will press on – I’ve listened to 11 chapters but there are still 17 more to go!
I am also watching the updated 2010 version of Upstairs Downstairs on BBC i-Player. Last night ended with the arrival in London of the first kindertransport, bringing unaccompanied Jewish children out of Germany just before war is declared. It was heartbreaking. The man who is running a charity to try to help them shows another character his office – literally every surface is deluged with letters asking for help, and of course we, the audience, know that help was not given to many, and what happened as a result. The main character, Sir Hallam Holland, who is a high-ranking diplomat, is trying to do all he can to help, while his wife, Lady Agnes – played by the excellent Keeley Hawes – is floating about London, going to parties and jazz clubs, telling everyone there won’t be a war, and about to embark on an affair with an American who has made a fortune by inventing Alka Seltzer.
More and more people here are deciding against meeting family/friends over Christmas. The government has created this ‘window’ in which certain numbers of ‘households’ can not only meet up inside but stay over. They said they had to do it for the sake of people’s mental health, but of course the medical people advised against it at the outset, and have continued to do so, and the government is now getting cold feet. They are telling people only to mix ‘if they feel they have to’ – though the English government has not changed the relaxation of its rules so far as I know. Our First Minister in Scotland has said that people in Tier 3 in England should not travel to Scotland. Unfortunately so many of them have holiday homes in the Highlands (which currently has a very low rate of infection) and I’m afraid they will come anyway. At least my side of Scotland is not quite such a holiday area,. I just hope my son and daugher-in-law can keep safe over there. I can understand the mental health point when it comes to people living alone, but from what I hear many large families are all planning to meet up – of course everyone says ‘we’ll be careful’, but unfortunately that is probably not enough. No-one thinks they are ‘not careful’.
I hope everyone is staying safe and well and having a good day. At least we have books, films and Facetime!
Rosemary
Rosemary, I love your descriptions of your country walks. I’ve never heard of a missile thrush. How dare you even think of taking its berries?
Sometimes, it just feels good to sit and listen to someone talk about books, doesn’t it? You’re right. That podcast sounds so civilized, and so far removed from the rush of everyday life.
That’s heartbreaking to read about all the letters on that diplomat’s desk. A couple days ago, I listened to Jacqueline Winspear talk about children evacuating from London. Her mother was one of those children. She showed photos of little ones boarding trains with their nametags, and said they arrived wherever they were going, and were often put in animal pens at first until a family would come and say, I’ll take that one. I’ll take that one. Just breaks my heart.
I wish families would decide they’d rather have a holiday next year when everyone was healthy and could get together instead of losing family members to COVID because they just HAVE to get together this year. I’m actually happy to be living alone right now. I can talk to my family now, and over the holidays. I also want to be able to talk with them 6 weeks afterwards, not know that someone is in the hospital or dying.
You and your family continue to stay safe. I know you’re all trying. Hugs!
Thanks Lesa – I’m just dashing to make dinner now, but I wanted to say that my mother was of the evacuee generation. She went willingly, as she was the youngest of five and the family did not have enough money to feed that many children so their home life was tough.
When the children got off the train it was as you say – the (often reluctant) host families were given the pick of them all. The boys went first as they were potential farm labourers. My mother was one of the last to be chosen, but she ended up with a very nice couple. They did not have children of their own, and they treated her very well. She loved them, and we actually went back to see them many years later, when I must have been in senior school. It was a wonderful occasion, they were still living in the same tiny house in the Welsh valleys and they were as thrilled to see her as she was them. My mother has such happy memories of her time there that she still uses the name of the village as her computer password.
However, there was no checking or vetting of these families, either before the children were allocated or afterwards. Many were ill-treated. Two of my mother’s schoolfriends were sexually abused by men in the host families. It was no good them complaining as they simply would not have been believed.
If you have seen the film Hope and Glory, you may recall the scene at Waterloo Station. The mother is taking her two young children to the train to be evacuated, but at the last minute she can’t do it and takes them home again. I know I would have been that mother, and that scene never fails to move me to tears. Of course the parents were told by the government that evacuation was the only way to protect their children – but my mother’s school class was initially sent to Deal, a port on the south coast directly opposite France! That didn’t last long – they were returned to London and that is when they ended up in Wales.
It’s worth also mentioning that most of the evacuees came from the poorest part of the cities. In families with more money, the mother and children would move down to the country together – often to their holiday home, a rented house or their parents’ home. (See The Cazalets and also the Upstairs Downstairs series that i am now watching – Keeley Hawes is about to take her children down to ‘The Country’.)
Many children of those who could afford it were also sent to Canada, though I think one ship was torpedoed with terrible loss of life.
Better stop now!
Oh, Rosemary! As you said, I would have had a hard time letting go of your children. I’m so glad your mother’s experiences turned out to be with a kind family. Who knows how her life, and yours, would have been changed otherwise? Thank you for sending this, although you’re getting ready for dinner. Take care, my friend.
For another negative look at this, we recently watched THE EVACUEES (1975), which was a Play for Today show written by Jack Rosenthal and directed (his first movie) by Alan Parker. It’s fact based about Rosenthal and his younger brother being evacuated from Manchester to Blackpool, and their awful treatment as Jewish boys placed with a nasty woman and her husband. Maureen Lipman, Rosenthal’s wife, plays the boys’ mother.
What Sandy said goes here too. They were predicting 6 to 12 inches of snow for NYC but this morning I see it was downgraded to 3 to 6, with the higher number being the “official” Central Park total (so far), and probably 3-4 inches here near the water in Brooklyn. We heard it change over to sleet around 10:30 last night, which kept the totals down. It looks like if you could clean the snow off your car, you would not have much trouble getting out of where you’re parked, and the roads have been plowed. But where would you go, and where would you park when you got back? So we are in for the duration, probably Sunday, when I hope it will start melting. It is very cold (24, feels much colder) and extremely windy, with the winds whipping the snow straight across (another reason the totals didn’t pile up). But we cooked last night (!) – beef stew and chicken cacciatore – and are well supplied with food and books.
For whatever reason, I haven’t been in a mystery novel reading mood lately, so have been reading mostly non fiction and short stories. I am currently reading three collections of stories:
Mike Ashley, ed., The Mammoth Book of Perfect Crimes and Impossible Mysteries. You can figure out the topic from the title. He has chosen stories by new and different authors than you usually get in these things, though there are two stories by the master of the form, Edward D. Hoch, and one by Bill Pronzini.
Ashley, ed., Fighters of Fear: Occult Detective Stories. This deals with so-called “occult” detectives, like Algernon Blackwood’s John Silence and William Hope Hodgson’s Carnacki. Many of the stories are from the late 19th & early 20th Century. It is 748 pages, but luckily I was able to borrow an ebook from the library, as these books tend to be too huge to carry around and read.
Alice Munro, Hateship, Friednship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage. I found this 2001 collection by the Canadian modern master of the short story (and 2013 Nobel Prize winner) in the basement laundry room, and I’m enjoying reading something out of my usual range.
Jerry Seinfeld, Is This Anything?. A friend (who works in a bookstore) and fellow Seinfeld enthusiast sent me this after reading it herself. He seems to have kept all the little bits and routines he’s written since the ’70s and used on stage, and they make a nice book of 400 pages. If you’re a fan, you’ll smile and occasionally laugh out loud at this.
Books finished since last Thursday: The New York Public Library’s Books of the Century (another from the basement). This covers 1895-1995. I’ve read about 40% of their choices.
Nancy Pearl & Jeff Schwager, The Writer’s Library: The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives. I really did enjoy this book of long interviews about books, reading growing up, favorites, etc. with Jonathan Lethem, Michael Chabon & Ayelet Waldman, Jennifer Egan, Richard Ford, Dave Eggers, etc. The one I’d skip, being virtually worthless, is the only one where they had to conduct it by email rather than interviewing the writer in person: Donna Tartt.
Like you, Jeff, I’m actually going to cook today. I did grocery shopping this morning to see me through Christmas, and I have all the ingredients for what we in Ohio called Johnny Marzetti (named after a restaurant). It’s really an Italian form of goulash with pasta, but sounded perfect to eat for a few days. I can eat Italian food forever.
I understand when novels don’t do it, and you turn to short stories. With me, it’s usually essays. I enjoy reading those.
I’m glad you don’t have the 6-12 inches. I did enjoy your philosophical comments about the snow. Where would you go if you could get out? Good question.
Stay safe and warm!
My corner of Columbus got snow yesterday too. Definitely not as much as the weather people predicted but it will be gone by the weekend. I enjoyed watching it fall and was thrilled that it only stuck to the grass so no shoveling.
I only read one book this week. THE TRANSATLANTIC BOOK CLUB by Felicity Hayes-McCoy. This one was not my favorite visit to the Finfarran Peninsula. In an effort to cheer up her newly widowed grandmother, Cassie sets up a Skype book club between the residents of LIssbeg and Resolve, New York where many of the peninsula residents emigrated. Unfortunately, the book club played a minor role but instead focused more on Cassie and her visit. I still enjoyed the descriptions of Ireland and catching up with old friends like Pat, Mary, Fury and the Divil. What little there was of the book club I did enjoy.
Now I am reading an e-book from my library. A WINDOW OPENS by Elisabeth Egan is about a women with 3 children who must leave her part time job to work full time after her husband does not make law partner who decides to open his own practice. Not far enough along into it to make a decision.
Rosemary, I confess to having read more than a few Debbie Macomber books myself. Just like Jan Karon’s MItford series I find them comforting and just good stories. I know that there will be ups and downs but everything will work out in the end. They are filled with hope and kindness and love.
Stay safe, and Happy Reading.
Sharon, I knew I’d hear from everyone in the east first with your accounts of weather. By the time Margie and then Glen report, we’ll get to hear about their sunny or warm weather.
I agree with you. Sometimes I just need something comforting that’s filled with kind people and love.
Maybe that’s why I love talking with all of you on Thursdays. Kind people, warmth and love. Throw in those books, and what is more comforting?
Stay safe!
Actually, it’s rainy in Northern CA today, but it’s temperate (high in the low 50s) compared to much of the country, for which I am thankful.
I can take the rain, Margie, and temperatures a little warmer.
Jeff those stews sound so enticing! My husband has decided to give up meat but you are weakening my resolve today!
I haven’t read any Alice Munro for many years. I took a writing class when we were in Newfoundland and the teacher recommended her all the time. I have some of her collections, I will dig one out.
Your laundry room sounds like a brilliant source of reading material. Laundry rooms are not a thing here, so when you mention yours I inevitably think of The Big Bang Theory – some of the characters seem to spend half their day in theirs.
Stay warm in all that snow ☃️
Some years ago, someone started leaving books they’d finished in the laundry room. Someone else moved out and left their bookcases behind, so someone had the brilliant idea of bringing them downstairs, and the rest is (almost) history. I donated a bunch of books we no longer wanted and a lot of other people followed. You’d be amazed – at least I was – to see the nearly new first editions some leave. Others have donated books on knitting, medical texts, plenty of mystery and romance paperbacks, you name it. There are also occasionally CDs and DVDs. At one point, we had a flight attendant turned artist living here, who spent some of her free time organizing the shelves (when we had a lot fewer books), but since she moved it is pretty much a free for all. Oh yeah, there are biographies (a big one of Barbara Stanwyck) too.
Rosemary, this is definitely beef stew weather!
Jeff, I love the thought of your laundry room library. You have your own “little library” right there. What a variety of books!
Here in NE Dallas, there is no snow. We did get our first heavy frost overnight and everything is coated in white and sparkling. That is enough of the white stuff for me.
Current read is WITHIN PLAIN SIGHT by Bruce Robert Coffin. Billed as a Detective Byron Mystery, these are really police procedurals. This is book four of a series.
My review of a recent read, THE SENTINEL: A NOVEL by Lee and Andrew Child is up on the blog today.
Kevin, I totally agree with you. Frost on the grass, sparkling and white, with nothing on the roads is enough of that white stuff for me, too. Anything else is too much.
I need to try Coffin’s books someday. I love police procedurals. And, I may have a copy of that debut police procedural I mentioned to send you after the holidays when the post office gets caught up with all of their mess. I received a paper copy yesterday.
I was not trying to get you to send it my way. I am looking forward to seeing what book this is as then I can go check the local library.
Everything here was coated in a thick white coating. When the sun started hitting the rooftops and all it was pretty cool. I was glad not to have to go out first thing as I saw two different folks slip on their driveways.
I know you weren’t, Kevin. But, why not share the wealth? I had to read a .PDF. The book itself is so much better.
Well… thank you. Much appreciated. By the way, if you use Kindle, you can send a PDF to your kindle account with CONVERT in the subject line and it will flip to the MOBI format. Does not always work, but most of the time it does. Helps me out a lot.
Thanks to you, Lesa, I’ll be picking up Craig Johnson’s Spirit of Steamboat from the library today and starting it right away. I had not heard about this one until your review. Now that our part of Colorado has gone to the red zone, we’re avoiding people more than ever. Everything we need is available via curbside pickup or ordering for delivery, so we’re not suffering. I am so grateful for all the people who brave the world to offer those services to us and who take care of those who become ill. We have a lot of heroes to thank.
You’re so right, Patricia. We do have a lot of heroes to thank. Unfortunately, some of them are being beaten down by others right now. We’ve just made this so much worse than it could have been here.
I hope you love Spirit of Steamboat as much as I did! I saw on Facebook yesterday that Craig Johnson linked to my review. He usually spends December going around to libraries and reading from that book. Not this year, and he says he misses it. I’ve met Craig and heard him often enough that I just hear him reading it to me anyways.
Stay safe, as I keep telling everyone!
I continue to have trouble focusing on certain books and am much less forgiving than in happier times. But I keep persisting! I’m working my way through eight books recently claimed from the library and two more waiting for me. At least there weren’t any that I stopped reading this week!
PREMEDITATED MORTAR, the 8th in The Fixer-Upper Mystery series by Kate Carlisle finds construction company owner Shannon Hammer embarking on a project to completely refurbish her best friend Jane’s new acquisition–a luxury hotel in a section of what was previously a rundown state insane asylum (as they were called years ago). It’s an exciting project for Shannon and her crew, albeit a challenging one. But early on, there are some alarming public protests, and Shannon finds herself a victim of violence that leaves her wondering what’s behind all of it. Could it be that the protests are about what went on years ago in the asylum? I love seeing a woman taking on what has traditionally been more of a man’s job, and doing it admirably. And Shannon has a great team, as well as a great boyfriend of two years–Mac, a thriller writer–and supportive family members and friends. You don’t have to read any of the previous seven installments to enjoy this one, but it will be nice to know there’s more to enjoy with the same inviting characters.
My favorite read this week was MISS BENSON’S BEETLE by Rachel Joyce. In 1950, middle-aged London domestic arts schoolteacher Margery Benson is tired of the lack of respect she has received from her students and fellow teachers. So she decides to walk away from her job and search for an elusive golden beetle said to be found on the tropical island of New Caledonia. Her long-deceased father had instilled in her an attraction to beetles of all kinds, but she knows she needs a (preferably French-fluent) assistant on her journey. At the last minute, against her better judgment, she accepts Enid Pretty as her assistant. Enid couldn’t be more different from Margery–slender, extroverted, late twenties, loud clothing, bleached hair, and all of the personality Margery lacks. But she has a lot of secrets and a very specific longing, which are revealed to Margery along the trip. Honestly, I wanted to stop reading as the pair was faced with hardship after hardship in their quest, but as they persisted, so did I. I even surprised myself by tearing up at one point. Margery and Enid ultimately become something they hadn’t expected–friends. And when it becomes clear they need to avoid being apprehended–by a mysterious pursuer and by law enforcement–their story becomes more and more compelling. The author’s language and voice, always impressive (The Music Shop was my favorite read of 2018), makes it a book well worth reading, and I am so glad I did.
YOU HAD ME AT HOLA by Alexis Daria is an okay romance featuring a recently dumped soap opera actress and a well-known telanovela actor who are cast in a Latinx series that they both hope will open more doors for them. Of course, they reluctantly (?) fall for each other, but the actor has a secret family member that may prevent them from forging a successful relationship. I didn’t find anything especially interesting in their story.
In SILENT BITE by David Rosenfelt, “semi-retired” defense attorney Andy Carpenter reluctantly takes the case of Tony Birch, an ex-gang lieutenant accused of the murder of a fellow gang member. Tony was the former cellmate of Andy’s friend and dog rescue business partner, Willie. Another gang member is found murdered with the same gun, which conveniently was found buried in Tony’s back yard. Andy gets his whole team, which includes wife Laurie and bodyguard Marcus, rolling on the investigation, as gang members continue to be murdered. As always, I loved the courtroom scenes and Andy’s snarky voice, and I didn’t expect the twist at the end. It’s another solid entry (#22!) in the series, which may be getting a bit predictable but is still enjoyable.
I’ve read all of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Novels by Alexander McCall Smith, but I’m afraid HOW TO RAISE AN ELEPHANT may be my last. Devotees of the series know that the books are slow-paced and are more about the culture of Botswana than the mystery. But this one has even less about the two plots (including the one where Charlie transports a baby elephant in Mma. Ramotswe’s cherished van and keeps it hidden) and is devoted almost entirely to the characters’ extensive musings on a variety of topics–human nature, religion, government, and so on. In this time of focus challenges, it wasn’t enough for me.
Margie, I wondered about Miss Benson’s Beetle. I’ve seen it on a couple librarians’ favorite lists. Everyone has different tastes, though. You Had Me at Hola was on a couple lists as well. I think I’ll skip it though, based on your comments.
I’m sorry about Alexander McCall Smith’s book. It’s too bad it couldn’t be a comfort read right now.
Sending hugs!
I just got my copies of two of the books you’ve read. I’m looking forward to Shannon’s next adventure. Ever since we renovated our house and I learned more about construction, her series has appealed to me even more so. But I’m sad to read about Alexander McCall Smith’s book. I just got my copy of that as well, but I’m not caught up in the series. Too bad.
Sandie, those brief reviews are only my opinions. You might like the Smith book better than I did. It just didn’t grab me, but that might be my own issue. As for the Carlisle book, I am one of “Kate’s Raters” so if I review the latest book (in both of her current series) in two places, I get the next book for free–what a deal!
Ah, aren’t you the lucky one! I’ve tried to get onto her list of reviewers but never get picked!
It’s all random. Somehow I got onto the list a few years back, but every so often in her newsletter or on Facebook she says she has more slots (there are 50, I believe) to fill. Keep trying! I’m not a professional blogger or reviewer, so I don’t qualify for most of the other ways one can get free books. I am, however, a sweepstakes hobbyist and have been for 30 years, so I win my fair share of books (not to mention a couple of nice trips and some other good stuff).
This week has been a little calmer, although I do emails about two back to back meetings this morning about 15 minutes before the first one starts. Yeah. I’m taking some comp time tomorrow. Looking forward to it.
I’m working on WEDDING BEAR BLUES by Meg Macy today. I’m enjoying it.
You deserve that comp time, Mark. Enjoy! I need to check out Meg Macy’s books sometime.
We got six inches of snow.
I’m reading ALOE & GOODBYE by Janice Peacock and I’m enjoying it.
Six inches. Bah, humbug. Stay tucked in safe with that book if you can, Dru.
Hi Hi Hi – I woke up to snow on our trees and feel as though we slept in a snow globe. SO pretty.
Thank you, Margie, for the description of Miss Benson’s Beetle!
And here’s what I’ve read recently –
The House of Dreams by Kate Lord Brown – Very good.
The Narrowboat Summer by Anne Youngson (ARC) – Very good
The Struggle is Eternal – Gloria Richardson and Black Liberation by Joseph R. Fitzgerald – I read this because I remember Gloria Richardson and this whole series of events well. I grew up in Cambridge where Ms. Richardson lilved. I admire her greatly and would very much like to tell her so today.
The Last Days of John Lennon by James Patterson, Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge – Excellent. Made me cry.
The Guest List by Lucy Foley – This is one of those books I keep seeing on “Best of” lists. And I have no idea why.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig – I tried reading this once before and gave up because I didn’t care for the protag. At all. Because it’s still being talked about and showing up on “Best of” lists, I gave it another try. So okay, I finished it and liked it okay, but not as much as a lot of other folks.
Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley – I loved this book. One of my 2020 favorites.
The Haunting of Brynn Wilder by Wendy Webb – If you love a good modern Gothic (and I do!) you’ll enjoy this one. Fun!
And thank you, Lesa, for pointing people towards Meanderings and Muses – that was a very fun exercise with surprising results.
xxoo
That was great, Kaye! I’m glad we could do it.
I love the sound of your snow globe. That’s beautiful, when you don’t have to go anyplace. I do have to go to work tomorrow, so I’m glad we didn’t get anything.
You make me laugh with The Guest List and The Midnight LIbrary comments. I am on the waiting list for Perestroika in Paris, though.
Love you, Kaye! You all stay tucked in your snow globe world!
There’s been on and off rain here, but not enough to break the drought. Hoping for more rain.
I read:
The King’s Gambit by John Maddox Roberts; First in the SPQR series, set in Ancient Rome. Decius is just starting out, finding a dead body, and a burned building, and following the clues to major players. It has many of the same personages of the Gordianus the Finder series, but is so different in tone, the two might take place in different dimensions.
The Last Train by Michael Pronko; An American is hit by a train in Tokyo. It might be suicide…or not. A forensic accountant it tagged in because he speaks English. The description made me think this would be a lot more Spenser-esque.
Tier One by Andrews and Wilson; Terrorists kill most of the Tier One SEALs. What’s left tries to get back in the game. First book in this series as well.
Poison by Ed McBain; Someone is using nicotine to murder “friends” of a woman who works in the oldest profession. One of the cops falls for her. I think McBain tried to quit smoking before writing this one.
Horror on the Links by Seabury Quinn; First volume of the whole collection of Jules de Grandin stories. It took me several months to finish this because I read one story a week, as they’re very formulaic. De Grandin is a supernatural sleuth, battling ghosts, vampires, mummies, and other creatures of the night.
Hawke’s War by Reavis Z Wortham; Texas Ranger is in a big national park, and spends all of his time trying to evade, then escape captivity by cartel soldiers. So much for one riot, one ranger.
Puzzling Ink; A man dies in a diner, poisoned by mushrooms, and the owner is put in the pokey. Our OCD sleuth has to try to run the diner and solve the mystery without going completely around the bend. She doesn’t quite make it.
Glen, I don’t even read them, but I am so over the inclusion of the cartel in books. Your description of Puzzling Ink – tries to solve it without going completely around the bend, and doesn’t quite make it. Ha!
I hope you get some of Margie’s rain.
I am so happy to see that someone else was not praising The Midnight Library…I just could not get into it, and not being as brave as Kaye Barley I am not about to try again. I started Station 11 this week and will see how that goes. I am also rereading (comfort for me) some J D Robb and Jayne Ann Krentz.
We have a foot of snow and some places in New England got 40+ inches – VT. and NH.
We spent the day in front of the fireplace reading!
Gram, I thought The Midnight Library was OK, but I thought Haig’s The Humans and How to Stop Time were much, much better. I actually read The Humans as a library book and then bought it for my “collection.” That doesn’t happen with most books.