Happy Thursday! It is a good day. It’s Thursday. I’m getting my second vaccine on Saturday. Yay! The weather here has been in the 60s all week. Another yay! We might have a little more winter weather, but, I’m so ready for spring.
I’m also ready to talk books with you. I’ve just started Anne Lamott’s latest biographical collection of essays, Dusk, Night, Dawn: On Revival and Courage. I’m ready to read a book that asks, “Now what? Where on earth do we start to get our world and joy and hope and our faith in life itself back?” I have an answer. It’s right here with all of you who share books with me and with each other. We talk books. We share a little of ourselves and our lives. I thank you for bringing joy and hope every week. Even when you’re down, you share books. That’s my faith in life, that we all still want to talk to each other. We’ve found a joy that we all share.
So, share, please. Tell me what you’ve been reading this week. And, please, take care of yourself.
Good morning Lesa!
I have read other books by Anne Lamott and enjoyed them. And I agree, this weekly meet up brings a lot of joy and hope, at least to this little corner of Scotland! So it’s all thanks to you for organising it, you are such a friend to us all.
I finished Marian Keyes’ Watermelon. which did actually get a lot better in the final 100 pages or so, when we saw the true nature of Claire’s dreadful husband – I thought that part was the most convincing, but what i liked less was the suggestion that she could only find happiness again by hooking up with another man. But this was written 25 years ago (I had to count – 1996 still sounds so recent to me! I suppose that’s what my parents felt about the war, whereas to me it has always been ancient history) so I think – or at least I hope – that women have moved on, though sometimes I do wonder. (Especially when I see some of the appalling responses to the suspected abduction and murder of a young woman walking home in London a week ago – I am shocked by the number of people who seem to think it was somehow her fault for having the audacity to be out alone at 9pm.)
I have also just finished Wild Winter, the latest book by John D Burns, the author of The Last Hillwalker. John lives in Inverness, and his previous books have mostly been about climbing and hillwalking (though they are much more readable – and funnier – than one might expect.)
In this book, written over the course of last winter, he decides to set out to learn more about the wildlife and landscape of NE Scotland. Although he has spent most of his adult life in the hills, and has climbed all over the world, he freely admits that he had never really thought much about this before, and is a complete novice when it comes to wildlife watching. He starts off hoping to see beavers, eagles, otters and pine martens, but soon realises it’s going to be a lot more diffcult than he thought. He perseveres, and meets up with some people working in the field, who help him out.
He talks a lot about the descecration of the Highlands, brought about by the extremely wealthy (and usually absent) owners of the vast shooting estates, who are happy to kill or suppress anything that might threaten their sacred grouse and deer. The deer have been allowed to breed unchecked, and as a result the ancient forests have been devastated, because the deer eat all the new saplings. And in order to protect the grouse at all costs, mountain hares, beavers, eagles, hen harriers and many other indigenous animals have been ruthlessly culled. The Scottish Government has recently introduced a ban on killing the hares, but these laws are notorioulsy hard to enforce, especially as the estates are so remote and cannot be properly policed. The real way forward is education, and diversification – one new landowner, Anders Holch Polvsen, has taken a different approach, and instead of shooting he is developing all sorts of other things on his estate – and as a result the wildlife is flooding back. He was enlightened by listening to one of the workers on the estate he had just bought. Unfortunately the old guard are not so easily persuaded.
If that makes the book sound heavy, it really isn’t – two of John’s oldest friends, whom we first met in The Last Hillwalker, when they were all at school in middle England, come up for weekend trips into the hills with him, and they are hilarious, especially one, who is stuck permanently in a 1970s time warp, has no phone, computer or car, and insists on carrying his ancient and huge ice pick on the train with him, sticking out of the top of his enormous 1970s rucksack, much to the consternation of the train staff, who end up calling the Transport Police.
And as the winter moves on, the shadow of Covid starts to grow. John spends a lot of time in mountain bothys, the very basic (and free) huts and old buildings scattered across remote parts of the Highlands. Usually he not only spends the night in one of these when on hiking trips, but also goes for a week at a time to get writing done. Gradually he begins to realise that his bothy days are numbered, at least for the time being. Bothys are locked, we are told to stay within 5 miles of our homes (which for him is central Inverness), and he is cut off from the hills he loves.
Now I have started reading Chestnut Street by Maeve Binchy, which is really a collection of short stories about people living in the same street. I think Maeve is really good at this sort of thing, and this will form part of my reading for Reading Ireland Month.
And the best news today is that I have my first vaccination next Thursday! I have been waiting and waiting for the letter, but then my friend in Edinburgh, who is in the same age group as I am, called the vaccine helpline and was told hers was scheduied for Monday – she still had no letter. So I called as well, and a very helpful guy gave me all the information I needed. He said there seems to be a problem with the letters, as many people have not received theirs, and this may account for at least some of the 10% no shows. So I have passed the information on to 2 friends in a similar situation. Anyway, I am delighted.
Off to the river with Maeve now. I hope everyone has a good day, and a good week.
Rosemary
Rosemary, You don’t know how much your comments and notes from your “little corner of Scotland” mean to me. I enjoy reading your comments about books, stories of your walks and nature, and the fabulous news that you’re scheduled for your first vaccine! That is great. You made me feel so sorry for John D Burns, despite the fact that the entire world had to cope with COVID. I feel bad that he had to discontinue his hikes and stay home. Thank you for the information about the loss of animals and the estates. Very interesting.
That just sounds so wonderful – “Off to the river with Maeve.” Enjoy your day. Sending lots of hugs.
Great news on the vaccinations. Today marks two weeks since our second (Pfizer) shot, so it’s good. My sister and her husband have each had their first shot too. The weather is getting better (near 70 today! before a cool down over the weekend), Spring is coming, and I believe we are done with the snow (except for the giant piles in the Costco parking lot) for the year.
So, books! Jackie questioned yesterday how I could read several books at once. (She is reading the new P. J. Tracy, and has the J. D. Robb up next.) I told her and will tell you – I have my methods (the “Watson” is unsaid). First, only ONE novel at a time. The others are short stories and non fiction books. So, I find myself (yet again) reading four books as such:
1. Chris Hauty, Deep State. I put aside Thomas Perry’s The Old Man (I picked up an ARC of this at Bouchercon a couple of years ago and finally got around to it) for this library book, first in a series (two so far) about former Army boxer Hayley Chill, from West Virginia, who gets a job as an intern to the Chief of Staff of the new President of the United States and clearly (though it hasn’t happened yet) in the middle of a serious crisis. Hayley is an amazingly sharp person and this is a fast moving thriller that has me turning the pages (figuratively; it’s an ebook) so far.
2. R. L. Maizes, We Love Anderson Cooper. A friend who works part-time at a bookstore sent me this first collection of short stories. She was right, I like it. The title story concerns a 13 year old who decides to come out at his bar mitzvah rather than trying to tell his parents first (the title line is part of their reaction), with somewhat predictable results. She writes well and I’m enjoying the book.
3. Martin Edwards, ed. Howdunit: A Masterclass in Crime Writing by Members of the Detection Club. The title says it all, though I don’t know how much help this would be to actual aspiring writers. My favorite pieces so far were by Anthea Fraser and the very funny Lindsey Davis.
4. Richard Russo, b>The Destiny Thief: Essays on Writing, Writers and Life. I enjoyed Russo’s first collection of short stories (THE WHORE’S CHILD), which I read last week, so decided to try this. Good but not great.
Last week I also finished IT OCCURS TO ME THAT I AM AMERICA and read Joan Didion’s short collection of essays originally published between 1968 and 2000, Let Me Tell You What I Mean. As always, she is worth reading, but I am thinking of rereading her SLOUCHING TOWARDS BETHLEHEM next.
Besides the Thomas Perry, I also finally got The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis from the library, so I really need to pick up the pace here. Or maybe just read one book at a time. Naah.
Naah, Jeff. Why would you want to change your method of reading? I tend to read multiple books at a time as well – like you, a nonfiction and a fiction. I can read two novels, as long as only one is a mystery. The other has to be a romance or something else extremely different.
Isn’t it wonderful to see spring almost here? We had high 60s this week, and I actually had my car washed yesterday. Of course, it’s now going to rain this weekend, but I don’t care. My car is clean of all the winter crud! And, honestly, free of COVID crud because I didn’t want to take it to my car wash, where there are REAL PEOPLE with COVID. Real people as compared to going through an automatic car wash.
Oh, gosh. That summary of We Love Anderson Cooper makes me laugh and grimace at the same time.
And, I have the feeling you really don’t need to pick up the pace.
Good morning.
It’s been in the 60s this week and since we still have plastic sheeting over our porch screens we’ve been able to eat lunch out there all week. Next week is supposed to be cooler so we’re enjoying it while we can.
I read
LIBRARIAN TALES by William Ottens. The behind the scenes look at libraries was interesting.
An ARC of LEMON DROP DEAD by Amanda Flower. This is the latest in her Amish Sweetshop series and I always enjoy these. I like how she balances evolving her characters’ lives without bogging down the mystery.
And I read a second book by Amanda Flower, FARM TO TROUBLE. I really struggled with this one. I just didn’t like the main character enough to care about what was happening to her.
ACROSS THE GREEN GRASS FIELDS by Seanan McGuire. A young girl runs away from school after telling the popular girl, who she mistakenly thinks is her friend, her secret. She goes through a doorway in the woods and winds up in a land populated by centaurs, unicorns and other mythical creatures who expect her to save their world.
Sandy, I think a lot of us enjoyed our little bit of spring this week while we could. Let’s hope next week’s cooler weather is our last glimpse of winter this year. Everyone I know is anticipating spring.
Isn’t it interesting how one series by an author can be so enjoyable, but the other series feels like a letdown because the characters just aren’t right? I’ve liked some of Amanda Flower’s books, and haven’t care much for others.
Good morning! Here in sunny California we just had a day of rain, with a temp of 39 when I got up yesterday and a high of only 47. But that’s OK. As always, we need the rain, and it stopped briefly in the afternoon so I was able to drop off 5 books and pick up 5 more at the library. As for vaccine, my second dose is on Monday, so woohoo!
I read IN FIVE YEARS by Rebecca Serle for my Just for Fun Book Club, but it wasn’t much fun. Dannie is an excellent attorney, respected and rising in the ranks of a prominent law firm, making a terrific salary. She and her boyfriend seem to be made for each other, so she expects a proposal–and gets it. Everything has fallen into place for Dannie, so why is she still engaged after 4.5 years? One morning she wakes up to find it is 5 years later (2025), and she is in bed with another man, with his engagement ring on her finger. Of course, she sleeps with him. It’s only that one day, then back to the present. Imagine her surprise when fiance #2 shows up as the new boyfriend of her best friend, with a different name! Magical realism aside, I didn’t buy it. Why did this guy’s name have to be different? Very confusing. Then, Dannie’s best friend, who is much more of a free spirit, is faced with a life-threatening illness. I finished the book, but I didn’t have any engagement with Dannie, didn’t really care what happened. And I really didn’t want to read about illness, especially since I didn’t expect it. Next . . .
In KILLER CONTENT by Olivia Blacke, Odessa, from small-town Louisiana, is cat-sitting for her aunt in Brooklyn. She quickly discovers that NY is an expensive place so she takes a job as a server in a café/book shop where her boss is something of a jerk, but she enjoys most of her fellow coworkers. One day, fellow server Bethany leaves the job in the middle of her shift and, the next thing you know, she’s gone for good, dead after falling off an elevated walkway downtown. The police are convinced it was an accident, but Odessa thinks it might be murder. Sounds like the usual formula for a cozy, and it is. Debut author Blacke paints an appealing picture of a quirky heroine and includes some intriguing subordinate characters. The story is a bit scattered, but I enjoyed it enough to see whether the next in the series, due in October, improves as the author’s skills develop.
I read the first Ellie Stone mystery years ago and decided to read the second one (there are now seven) in preparation for James Ziskin’s presentation at Sisters in Crime NorCal this Saturday. Ellie is a 24-year-old smoking, hard-drinking “girl reporter” for a daily newspaper in upstate New York, striving to overcome the prejudice against working women in 1960. She doesn’t have much of a social life, although she’s attractive to men, and no family in evidence, so she devotes her time to investigating the murder of a beautiful young woman who had entertained three men that night at a motel and who had a slew of men seemingly in love with her. Ellie has street cred and is good at noticing clues and insinuating herself into situations–sometimes dangerous–that reveal additional information. I found the sixties setting refreshing, and Ellie is an interesting, if not endearing, protagonist.
Margie, I know. Ellie Stone isn’t really endearing, is she? While I’ve read several of the books, and James Ziskin himself is terrific and kind, I just can’t care much for Ellie. Interesting that you said that. I hadn’t really thought of it that way. I’m sure his presentation will be terrific though.
I think I skipped to the end of In Five Years to see what happened because I wasn’t in love with those characters either. The ending was not what I expected, and, to be honest, I was disappointed.
So it isn’t just me, then? I thought I should like them, I wanted to like them – ’60s! – but just…didn’t.
No, but Margie defined the issue perfectly. I know. I feel the same way.
We are enjoying the warmer weather as well. It is wonderful to be out on my morning walk and see the crocuses popping up in the neighborhood flowerbeds.
This week I finished THE LOST LOVE SONG by Minnie Darke. Diana is a concert pianist. The night before she leaves on tour she starts composing a love song to her long time fiance, Arie. She finishes it at a hotel in Singapore and inadvertently leaves her composition book on the piano. She then dies In a plane crash but the song lives on in various forms around the world through the interlude chapters. It is also is Arie’s story of overcoming his crushing grief at losing Diana.
My daughter wanted more from the ending when she read it, but I really enjoyed it. I saw the ending a little differently than she did.
Now I am halfway through THE PARIS LIBRARY by Janet Skeslien Charles. A dual storyline that begins in 1939 with Odile getting her dream job at the American Library in Paris. The second storyline takes place in Montana in 1983 where Lily befriends her next door neighbor, Odile. I am not liking the Montana storyline as much with the teenaged Lily angst but the primary storyline is the one in Paris. This is a library lover’s delight and giving the dewey decimal number for the titles mentioned just makes me smile.
Happy reading!
Isn’t the change in the weather great, Sharon? I really need to find the time for The Paris Library. I know I’m going to love the Paris aspect of it. I just need time. More time!
Happy reading to you, too!
We’re supposed to get a big snow this weekend, which tends to happen right after my crocuses bloom. Back to hot chocolate at my cozy reading chair for a couple of days. I need to check my book stack to see what I’m reading next. The book I just finished was full of unlikable characters so I’ll look for something with a strong (likable) female protagonist.
Your poor crocuses, Patricia! I hope the snow doesn’t last too long. Good luck in finding the right book!
Wintry here this week, lows in the twenties, snow off and on. So grateful not to be part of the daily commute. The one N/S highway was closed for hours clearing a twenty+ car pile up.
Just finished Kwei Quartey’s SLEEP WELL, MY LADY, the second in his Emma Djan Investigates series set in Accra, Ghana. Murder mystery with an amazing cast of suspects.
Also read my first Carlene O’Connor mystery, MURDER IN AN IRISH PUB. Nice well-thought-out plot, but I found the abundance of characters and dialog distracting. I did enjoy the inclusion of Layla, the racing pigeon, in the storyline. And an interesting appendix to the Ebook of the author’s writing method.
Also finished I CAPTURE THE CASTLE the popular 1948 coming-of-age story by Dodie Smith recommended for her use of descriptive language. Later made into a movie. Interesting and entertaining, but I can’t think of a comparable novel I’ve read. And THE CLOSERS one of Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch series, 2006.
I’d say I was one of those “one book at a time” readers, but I do tend to have separate “bedtime” reading, something physically lighter and non-electronic.
MM, I can just see the states of readers as they move gradually westward (except for Margie) during the day. You and Patricia both commented on snow coming or already there.
I agree. I love Carlene O’Connor’s books for the Irish setting, but I wish she had made that family a little smaller. I never remember who they all are.
I’ve never read I Capture the Castle, although I always want to. Interesting, though, what you say about comparable novels. I’ve never seen anyone who mentions it compare it to another book.
You’re smart turning off your device before bedtime reading!
Lesa, I think you’d really like I CAPTURE THE CASTLE. The movie did a pretty good job, but the book was better (of course).
I think I’d like it, too, Jeff. Time! It’s just I need extra time!
I Capture the Castle is one of my favourite books! I’ve read others by Dodie Smith but they come nowhere near this. Of course her other famous book is 101 Dalmatians.
I also read a very good biography of Smith by Valerie Grove.
I’m trying to think of novels that compare to ICTC, but you’re right, nothing springs to mind.
I need to pick that book up next week at the library.
Just finished Troubles in Paradise. Onto Sold on A Monday. Talk about opposite ends of a spectrum. Have three new WWII books to add to my list. I am a really eclectic reader. Love your informative blog, Lesa.
Thank you, Carol Jeanne! Being an eclectic reader keeps your reading from becoming boring. Lots of WWII books featuring women in the last couple years. Mom told me one day she needed to read something other than WWII just for a break. Hugs!
Good morning from NE Dallas where it is 75 as of 10:45 AM, weeds are green in the yard, I have fire ant mounds, and Tuesday night the crickets were having a block party out in the yard. Still not sure if the trees and bushes in my yard survived the 0 degree weather last month, but a neighbor down the street has one of her trees in bloom now. Severe storms are in the forecast for Saturday night and Sunday morning. How bad it is going to be is a bit uncertain at this point.
Still no shots here for us. Texas opened up everything yesterday and the video from the clubs and such at ten last night was scary. So many unmasked people assembling. All we can do is to keep protecting ourselves by staying home and away from everyone.
My current read is the library book, THE HUNDREDTH MAN by Jack Kerley. It is a police procedural set down in Mobile, Alabama. I will be reading along and hit something that seems like I might have read the book before many years ago. I read some more and then I think not. I read so much, it may be nothing more than flickers of remembrance of other times something in this book has been used elsewhere.
You’re right, Kevin. You and Scott need to take care. Stay safe! I’m sorry that Texas is such a mess, in so many ways.
Jack Kerley’s name sounds familiar. I just looked him up in SYKM, and I recognize the characters. I read one of the books in the series, but I don’t remember which one. And, I guess I never cared enough to go back and read any more.
It was raining and hailing the last couple of days, but today is sunny, if a bit chilly.
I reread Encyclopedia Brown Gets His Man off my niece’s bookshelf. I solved all the mysteries. I was struck by how much freedom these 10 year old kids had. They could go traipsing all over town, and even go camping in the woods without an adult. Today’s kids are lucky to get out of the house.
The Mystery of The Dead Man’s Riddle; The Three Investigators try to find a treasure hidden by an eccentric rich guy by solving a bunch of riddles. More topical today than ever, since that rich guy hid a treasure out in the desert and several people died looking for it.
Under The Cover of Murder by Lauren Elliot; When the step mother of the groom of one of the sleuth’s friends takes over the wedding, a small ceremony becomes a big extravaganza on a yacht. A dead man washes ashore with the page of book in his pocket. Then a lady reporter is also found dead. Not bad, but I never heard so much complaining about hanging out on a yacht, and this is before the murders.
Marauder by Clive Cussler and Co. The good ship Oregon hits the sea again. This time there’s a crazy scheme of biological warfare to allow China to get a foothold on Australia, but the super-boat’s crew stands in the way. The standard opening chapter set in the distant past is gone. I wonder if that’s one of the things those taking over for Cussler has jettisoned.
Horror from Below; Zombies from a WWII era Japanese Sub attack San Diego, and only a hard bitten female detective and a rock star horror writer can stop them. Would they have even noticed in San Francisco?
Glen, I’m glad I grew up when I did. During the summers, we might be gone on bikes or on feet from early morning, until dinner time, with woods near us. As long as we were home at dinner. Or, if we went to a friend’s house during the school year before Mom was home from work, as long as we left a note as to where we had gone. My Mom and I have had that talk about the freedom we had, and I’m so glad we did. We’ve even talked about the bus stop. Times do not always change for the better.
I either know or know about some of the authors that took over from Clive Cussler. Did you like the opening chapter set in the past, or not? Just curious.
Love your comment about the zombies and San Francisco!
Hate the thought of hail!
I definitely liked some more than others. They were usually enjoyable. I suspect that those chapters were about all Cussler wrote himself, there toward the end.
They were a part of the Cussler package. I certainly noticed the absence.
I was just curious. Thanks!
When I grew up in the late 1940s and 1950s, I was allowed complete freedom as long as my mother knew roughly where I’d be (at a specific friends, hiking in the hills by our house, hanging out in the grove birdwatching, etc.). Today’s bubble wrap parents take so much away. I’m glad I grew up when I did!
Right there with you, Rick. Since I don’t have kids, it only hit me what was going on when I was going to work one day (years ago), and I saw parents at every bus stop. The only time my mother ever took us to the bus stop was when it was pouring, and then we all sat in the car. Otherwise, as you said, Mom needed to know about where we were.
Good Morning,
We have 9 days to go until we can count ourselves fully vaccinated. We live in Plano which is north of Dallas. My husband is getting the groceries and people here are starting to go without masks. I cannot refrain from glaring at the people who are not doing it. Now in Texas, you can get the vaccination if you are 50 or older. I am hoping that more people at our retirement apartment decided to get them.
s
Invisible by Daniel Aleman is hard to put down. ICE took away the parents of the high boy and his grade school sister. Now, he has taken over taking the laundry to the laundromat, going to the fruit shop and groceries at the bodega. His father has been transferred to a prison in New Jersey and his mother to a detention center in Brooklyn. Now wondering how he can pay the rent at the end of the month. I remember from the blizzard of ’79 existing on cold cereal and nothing else. He and his little sister had the same until the weekend came.
Also started ” The Day That I Was Erased “which will have some magical realism later on.
rr
Both books make me very thankful for my parents! We were poor but we always had a way to something to share when people in our neighborhood had nothing to eat. I was bringing home kids my age to share our supper. I remember a girl named Crystal who invited me into her house, she had a single mother who would be working until late. Crystal opened her fridge and the only thing in it was one lonely hot dog. I took her home to eat homemade soup with us. Childhood hunger is terrible and it is enduring. That was back in the 1950s, but it happens today.
Carolee, There is nothing I hate more than the thought of childhood hunger. Good for you, even as a child, for taking other kids home so they could share your meals. It sounds as if you were raised with love. You’re right. I’m thankful for my parents as well. Invisible sounds as if it was a tough book to read, even if it was not easy to put down.
Unfortunately, there is so much that is random as to the vaccine, depending on where you live. I’m getting my second one Saturday, as I said, but I know of others who can’t get it yet (Kevin, who commented earlier), or people who just have a hard time making that appointment.
And, I agree. People need to wear masks yet.
Thank you, Lesa, I think we both had great parents, although, I think you said your mother is still alive. Next time that you see her, please give her a hug from me!.
I hope that Kevin will be able to get vaccinated. I know that eventually the third vaccine will be in the drugstores.
You’re right, Carolee. I plan to see my Mom in June for her birthday.
MONDAY is when allTexans 50 to 64 can start being vaccinated. Hopefully, I can as well since I am disabled and high risk and was denied under the current programs as I am 59.
I hope you can, Kevin.
Good Luck, Kevin, I hope that you can get it next week!
Registered. I doubt if it happens next week, but, one hopes.
Ugh! It’s Friday for me this week because I am taking tomorrow off. However, it feels more like a Monday. Everything that can go wrong is going wrong. And I have too much work to do today.
Reading wise, I’m about a quarter of the way through Murder by Page One by Olivia Matthews, which I am enjoying.
Oh, good! I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying Murder by Page One, Mark. It’s on my virtual pile on NetGalley.
Sorry about today. I hope you have a decent weekend planned!
Congratulations to everyone who has gotten vaccinated, and to those who will soon be vaccinated. We are now two weeks past our second shots and feeling happy and relieved.
I’m seeing light as opposed to all the darkness in these new days, and life is good.
Lots of interesting books here today. Two of my old favorites; Encyclopedia Brown rocks. I was lucky enough to grow up in a small town where we were free to ride our bikes and explore until we were due home for supper. You’re right, Glen, it was a different time. And I Capture the Castle. I may have to pull it off a shelf for a re-read.
I, like Jackie, wonder how people can read multiple books at the same time. If I try to read more than one novel my characters seem to jump between books! One novel/one non-fiction is pretty standard for me.
What i have read this week:
Off the Wild Coast of Brittany by Juliet Blackwell
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
Who is Maud Dixon by Alexandra Andrews
A Summer to Remember by Erika Montgomery (ARC)
Happy Reading!
Kaye! I see that The Lost Apothecary appears on the NYT Bestseller list on March 21. Yay! I’m waiting for Off the Wild Coast of Brittany.
I may just have to pick up I Capture the Castle. I took it home once, but never had time to read it, so I brought it back.
Like you, I’m seeing some light!
We are anxious for Saturday, which will be two weeks after our second Pfizer shots. Hope the younger family members can get vaccinated soon.
I was lucky enough to get DARK SKY by C.J. Box from the Washington digital library already. I almost stopped reading when the first person was killed violently early in the book. But I got drawn in. The plot is good and I could visualize the mountains where the action takes place, but the high body count really bothered me. He does leave one plot thread unresolved laying the groundwork for the next book.
You got that quick, Cindy. I only ordered our digital copies today. I know. I sometimes tire of the high body counts in thrillers.
All of my sisters and their husbands will be vaccinated by the end of April, I hope – both shots. My youngest sister is on a waiting list, but her husband has an appointment.
Just finished Without a Brew by Ellie Alexander, not sure if was me or the book but the first three were great fun reading and this one was pretty tedious. I powered thru and note there is a cliff hanger at the end, just like the previous book. I am currently reading one you wrote about last fall and am loving it – Deception by Gaslight by Kate Belli. Next up will be another one recommended by you – The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss. You do keep the TBR pile filled
Good luck with the second vaccine – hope you do not have an issues. They vary so much.
Yes, I’ve heard lots of people who do fine, and then others have problems with that second shot. At least I’m getting mine on a Saturday morning, so I’ll be home all through Sunday.
I’m glad you’re loving Deception by Gaslight. The Twelve Dates of Christmas is just fun, even though you know where it’s going. I know. Without a Brew wasn’t quite as good as the other three in the series. You’re right, Jeannette.
it just goes to show we’re all different. I just looked back at how I rated the four books in the Ellie Alexander series, and I rated WIthout a Brew slightly higher than the others! I really enjoyed The Twelve Dates of Christmas.
I love it, Margie, that we all are different in our likes and dislikes. Great, isn’t it?
I had reactions to both the first shot and the 2nd, although the 2nd was the lesser of the two…I also read more than one book at a time..different genres and up to 4/5 at a time…I am rereading all of Dell Shannon’s books, and have read all of Kerry Greenwood’s Corinna Chapman books and waiting for the new one. I am in the middle of Cathy Bonadin’s The Lost Manuscript – but as more people join in I have to concentrate to keep them straight…Also in the middle of Population 484 by Michael Perry a writer and EMT in a small town…and just started Jonathan Kellerman’s Serpintine…
I love that I get more books for my t-b-r list on Thursdays…
You have some books there that I like, Gram, beginning with Dell Shannon. Loved The Lost Manuscript. And, really enjoyed Population 484. Isn’t it great to find more books for the TBR? I think my pick up from today is I Capture the Castle.
Th warmer weather has been so wonderful! Like others, I think we are done with the cold and I am looking forward to spring.
I have been reading:
The Hawk and the Dove by Penelope Wilcock – Fictional stories of Benedictine Monks from the 1300’s. The stories are told by a mother to her children.
The Cat Who Played Brahms by Lilian Jackson Braun – The fifth book in The Cat Who series has Qwilleran spending the summer at the cabin of a rich aunt. The story is filled with quirky characters and of course, murder.
I am currently reading a book called Diggin’ Up Bones by Bonnie Wright. The book was written by a woman who attends our church and about her difficult upbringing and how working with animals helped her heal. Fascinating so far.
Have a great weekend!
Hi, Gretchen! Those first Cat Who books by Braun were my favorite ones. The early ones were so good, and so different. I hope you’re enjoying it.
Thank you! Enjoy the weather and the weekend!
This is a lovely post, Lesa. I agree so much with your thought that sharing books and parts of our lives here makes so much difference. It does to me. I finished I Hear the Sirens in the Street by Adrian McKinty for Read Ireland this week, and I am still plugging away on The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox (at page 385 of 700 pages).
Oh, you’re doing Read Ireland as well, Tracy? I wish I’d known about it ahead of time. I could have certainly read about Ireland!
Thank you for your kind note about the post. I know Thursdays, and other days with all of you, make a difference in my life.
BONE CANYON by Lee Goldberg. Started this morning and am about halfway.
A little different, but I liked it, Kevin. I hope you do, too!