First, the most important question – how are you doing? I hope everyone is staying home, staying safe and healthy. Are you still sane, or relatively so? If you can answer the following question, you’re probably okay. What are you reading? Or, is it too hard to concentrate right now?
It’s taking time for me. And, yesterday was my birthday, which was a terrific distraction. I spent most of the day on Facebook, thanking friends for their birthday greetings. But, I have read 100 pages in a nonfiction book this week. It’s a beautifully written book by CBS Sunday Morning correspondent Conor Knighton. It’s called Leave Only Footprints…My Acadia-to-Zion Journey Through Every National Park. Unfortunately, I have an ARC, and I know the actual book has pictures in it. I’m going to have to look for the book eventually when the library reopens and we’re out in the world again. I’d like to see the photos.
So, tell us. How are you doing? How is your reading going this week? What are you reading?
And, take care of yourself!
Firstly Lesa, happy birthday for yesterday! I don't know how I missed that. I hope you managed to enjoy your day, albeit in a rather unprecedented way.
Leave Only Footprints looks excellent, I too will look out for that one.
I have finished The Chilbury Ladies' Choir, which I loved (and kept loving right to the end, which isn't always the case). So my new read this morning is a Hazel Holt cosy – one of her Sheila Mallory mysteries set in the West Country. The title might put people off just now ('A Time to Die'…)but as I have read several of Hazel's books I knew this one would be much more about the characters then anything violent or gory. So far I'm enjoying it – it's centered on a riding stable, the owners of which are a man who had to give up a showjumping career owing to injury, and his wife, who was once a famous actress but now devotes herself to the stables and her husband. They are both, of course old friends of Sheila's, and we also meet again Sheila's best friend Rosemary (!), each of their children and grandchildren, and their other Taviscombe friends and neighbours. And Sheila's animals, including her Siamese cat Foss.
Incidentally. Hazel was Barbara Pym's best friend for many years. She only started writing novels late in life. persuaded by her son, the author Tom Holt. She also wrote Pym's biography.
Happy belated birthday. My mom fell two weeks ago so I’ve been staying with her and dealing with all of the home health care visits she needs. They only kept her in rehab for a week because of the virus. So I haven’t had a lot of time to read but I did finish two books.
SMOKE BITTEN by Patricia Briggs. It’s the latest book in here Mercy Thompson werewolf series and even though it’s an in between book, setting up for what comes next, I enjoyed it.
LESS THAN A MOMENT by Steven Havill. This wasn’t my favorite of his Posadas County mysteries. He seemed to spend more time talking about everyone’s family members than solving the mystery. I really prefer the earlier ones where there was more interplay between Estelle and Bill Gastner.
Oh, Happy Belated Birthday, Lesa! My late father in law was born on April 1 too.
We are staying in and (fingers crossed) staying safe, but I am having trouble sitting down and reading. Let me make a quick aside first and highly recommend UNORTHODOX on Netflix for those who have that service.
As for books, I pretty much gave up on the Peter Robinson (which is due tomorrow and can't be renewed) because of a lot of reasons, but I just wasn't drawn into it. I did download (library) one you reviewed, MOBITUARIES, and hope to start it today…or soon. I've been reading some very silly short stories, 3:10 to Boca: And Other Meshugah Tales of the Yiddish West by "Zane Greyberg" (don't know who wrote this). If it occasionally makes me laugh, that's good, right?
The next one is going to seem very counter-intuitive to you – it does to me – but last week I was reading a list of "Best Pandemic Novels" (my favorite has always been THE STAND), one that caught my attention was Severance by Ling Ma. Apparently this was a big hit and award winner (Kirkus Prize for Fiction) a couple of years ago. Shen Fever, "a plague of biblical proportions," sweeps New York and then everywhere. Candace Chen a millenial office worker, eventually hooks up with a small band of survivors heading to Chicago. So far it is holding my attention. Go figure. Or maybe I should reread THE STAND again.
😉
Good morning, Rosemary! I didn't know all of that about Hazel Holt. I've seen her books, but never read them, and I don't know why. Country village mysteries appeal to me. Thank you for the birthday wishes! I had so many wishes from friends, it made for a nice day. And, my best friend and her husband brought flowers and cake, left them at the door, and she texted me from the car to open my door. She and Terry were waving at me from the car. It was so wonderful and sweet of them. Made for a wonderful day!
Thank you, Sandy. You have your hands full. I'm sorry. Also sorry Steven Havill's book didn't live up to earlier ones. It's one of my favorite series.
Oh, I get it, Jeff. Funny, you seemed to be reading okay while you were still in Florida. Now that you're home, it's different. I know. FINALLY, this week, I've been able to get into a couple books. It's just tough right now, isn't it?
I love the premise of 3:10 to Boca. Someone has a fun sense of humor.
I never read The Stand, but I've seen the movie, and portions of it multiple times. I'll watch it whenever I see it on. I can actually understand. People survive at the end, or the book wouldn't exist, so it does make sense to read it.
You and Jackie stay safe and healthy.
Happy Belated Birthday Lesa.
Not a lot of reading this week. Like many I am having a hard time staying focused. On top of the social distancing, they are widening the road behind my house as well as putting in sewer lines for yet another development across the road. So we are also contending with nonstop construction noise from early morning through the afternoon.
Early morning walks, jigsaw puzzles and reading are keeping me sane through the day. Streaming Acorn TV and stitching on my quilt in progress at night are when I finally get some peace. I am ready for normal and trips to my library!
This week I am almost finished with AND THEY CALLED IT CAMELOT by Stephanie Marie Thornton. It was a little disconcerting at first as this is written in first person in Jackie Kennedy's voice. I find myself googling images of the jewelry (her engagement ring-wow) and gowns she wore as First Lady. It is a fascinating read and I am really enjoying it.
Apologies in advance for my whining. I am grateful none of my family has been affected by the virus and my husband still is employed and can work from home. A woman in Grove City where I live lost her parents, brother and her husband currently is in ICU due to COVID-19. These certainly are interesting times.
Stay Healthy and Happy Reading!
Oh, Sharon. No, I think we're all whining at times. But, that's awful about the woman from Grove City. And, she hasn't even had a chance to mourn properly. That's so sad.
I know. It's hard to concentrate on books right now, which is disconcerting for those of us who have always escaped into books.
Sending hugs. Stay healthy.
MURDER IN THE BALCONY, the second in the Movie Palace Mystery series by Margaret Dumas, was so entertaining that I will seek out the first at the library (ebook). Nora is the soon-to-be-ex-wife of a major (philandering) movie star and the co-owner and manager of the vintage Palace Movie Theater in San Francisco, where she shows only classic films. She has a motley crew of employees to worry about, but she is also worried about a real estate developer looking to buy and tear down every business on the block. Besides the fact that Nora loves her job, where would the resident ghost go (she was an usherette who fell to her death from the balcony years ago)? When one of Nora's employees' boyfriend is killed (not at the theater) and there is a near-deadly accident (at the theater), Nora gets involved but hopes another (male) employee's detective boyfriend will find the perpetrator. It's a mostly light-hearted story, well told, and I really enjoyed it. Especially entertaining are the classic movie reviews interspersed throughout–cleverly worded and so convincing that I wanted to look for all of the movies reviewed.
A HIGHLANDER IN A PICKUP features minor characters from the previous book, A Highlander Walks into a Bar. Iain has assisted his father as groundskeeper of an estate in Scotland but has been sent to Highland, Georgia to help with the annual Highland Games in the absence of its usual directors. Anna is a spirited dance teacher who has won the dancing competition at the festival for several years, but she hasn't had much luck with romance. Of course, the two are drawn together at first glance, though Anna resists Iain's willingness to help her with the festival. She is also struggling with whether to enter the fray as a contender for town mayor. It's a similar situation to the previous novel in the series, but just as enjoyable.
In THE GARDEN OF SMALL BEGINNINGS by Abbi Waxman, Lili lost her husband in an accident 4 years ago, has recovered from the resulting breakdown, and is raising two young daughters. She has an unexciting job as a textbook illustrator, which now requires her to take a gardening course before launching on a vegetable catalog project. She isn't ready to move on after her husband, but she definitely feels something for her Dutch gardening instructor, who is part of the company publishing the catalog. Also attending the course are her daughters, her sister, and a variety of others who bond over the experience and become friends. It's a charming story, with alternate short chapters describing how to grow various vegetables, etc. I'm not a gardener at all, but I found it heart-warming and loved Lili's daughters in particular.
Sold! Margie, I didn't realize Dumas' second book was out. I really enjoyed the first one. I'll have to look for both of your first books. Than you!
I'm doing okay. Working from home, and we are under deadline this week, so it has been stressful. Working late. But I will get through this.
You are the second person I've heard talk about Leave Only Footprints. It sounds wonderful to me. I'm definitely planning to get a copy.
Yesterday, I finished BARKING WITH THE STARS by Sparkle Abbey. This is a fun mystery series, and I enjoyed this book as well.
Today, I will be diving into TYRANNOSAURUS WRECKS by Stuart Gibbs, the latest FunJungle book. It's a middle grade mystery, and this series is always delightful. I'm only 25 pages in at the moment, but I can't wait to read more.
And happy belated birthday!
Thank you, Mark. I know that pressure of working from home. After the first week, I backed off a little. I don't know what you're doing, but good luck making that deadline. Enjoy that Tyrannosaurus Wrecks. Sounds like good escape reading.
I've begun to be able to read a bit more. Right now I'm about 3/4 of the way through "Death in Brittany" by Jean-Luc Bannalec. It's the first in the Commissaire Georges Dupin series. I'm really liking it and now I can look forward to the others. Still doing jigsaw puzzles – for some reason I find that they are very calming (although aggravating at times). Maybe because I have to concentrate so my mind doesn't wander as much.
Stay safe, stay at home, save a life!
Good morning, Sally. I read that book. It was good!
Jigsaw puzzles seem to be really hot right now, and even sold out some places. That's what my mother is doing right now, puzzles. She can concentrate on those as well.
Yes! Stay safe & stay home. I hope there are a lot of lives saved.
Lesa, Margaret Dumas is a fellow NorCal Sisters in Crime member. You might be interested in an article she wrote for the August 2019 newsletter, "Comedy is Hard" (page 15): http://www.sincnorcal.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/August-2019-Stiletta.pdf
Well Lesa this will be a birthday you will never forget – all the best! I finished reading a really good Harlan Coben – Hold Tight – kept me engaged and I was sorry it was over. Started a Michael Connelly which is a slower read – which is good – as I am afraid of running out.
Happy birthday Lesa!
I got way behind on my goodreads kindle books, and I'm trying to clear some out:
Condemned by GK Parks; The usual trouble ex-SAS dude gets involved as a bodyguard for a spoiled rich girl. I was rooting against him.
Surgical Counter-Terrorism by Mike Dupek; Super agent and his cronies fight an organ harvesting ring. Completely ridiculous.
Quint by JD LaFrance; A kid in a dystopic world goes to various other planets and finds they're not much better off.
Dante's Garden; a pointless time travel romance set in Italy and the Renaissance.
Sea Chase by John Braddock; John Quincy Adams takes a ship to France during the early part of the American Revolution and gets into various adventures. Not bad, but Quincy is not someone we think of as an action hero.
The Cyprus Papers by W Bodener; Turgid financial thriller, that switched gears in the middle of the book, and the clueless waif suddenly becomes a female Rambo.
Belated Happy Birthday, Lesa! Glad we get to give you our best wishes. I feel a little crazy – maybe more than a little. Not because of anything bad, though I do worry about our daughter who is a nurse in a local hospital. She tells me not to worry and she's where she is supposed to be. I know she is, but I also know that I just don't have enough to focus on right now and reading has been problematic.
That being said, I did get interested in Tessa Wegert's debut book, Death in the Family. There's a missing man or maybe murder on an island in a storm. I'm enjoying it very much right now. Otherwise, I'm still listening to a lot of audiobooks on my walks – JD Robb's Eve Dallas books, one right after another. Also good.
Got a nice card from the Austin Public Library that was sent to volunteers at our branch. It was very cute and said they missed us. I wrote back and said I missed them too and I might come in to volunteer every day after all this is over. I was kidding, but maybe not. LOL
Thank you, Margie. I'll have to check out the article. I believe her title, though. Everyone has a different sense of what's funny, so comedy would be hard!
Oh, Donna! I worry about people running out of books. I hope things turn around so readers can enjoy books and find what they want. I need to try some more Harlan Coben standalones.
Thank you, Glen. And, thank you for your pithy summaries. No, I never did think of John Quincy Adams as an action hero.
I so agree with you, Kay. Reading has been problematic for me, too. But, you have more on your mind. I understand why you're worried about your daughter. I hope everyone there stays safe and healthy.
I have never been a fast reader, but now? Maybe 20 pages a day. I just can’t get up a head of steam. The book I’m reading is a 1964 mystery set – I think – in New York, about a robbery and missing man, but it’s not carrying me forward enough. I need something with more action.
I know what you mean, Rick. Even books I like aren’t holding my attention for long. I hope we both find something worth reading soon.
Happy Belated Birthday 🎈🎀🧡💛💚💙💜🤎
Still reading the same books as last time but making progress.
Carol, That's about all I do nowadays – make progress.