My friend, Kaye Wilkinson Barley, refers to these days as “Thursdays at Lesa’s”. I love that. I hope you all feel as if we’re just a group of friends gathered around to talk about books, with a few tidbits of life thrown into the conversation. So, tell me, how are you this week? What are you reading?
Today, I should finish my last book for this month’s journal review. Jim Hanvey, Detective by Octavus Roy Cohen is one of the books I reviewed, but I’m going to mention it. Jeff, you might be interested, unless you’ve already read it. It’s an August release, a collection of short stories written in 1923, and first published in The Saturday Evening Post. The anthology is the latest in the Library of Congress Crime Classics series. Jim Hanvey is possibly the most grotesque appearing detective I’ve ever read about, but appearances are deceiving. The big man is intelligent and shrewd. None of the stories are murders or violent. They’re all about con men and thieves who already know and fear Hanvey. His few friends are criminals, and he’s fair to them. But, his presence alone is enough to make them make mistakes. It’s not an action-packed book, so don’t look for a fast pace. If you enjoyed the Father Brown stories, the slow reveal, you might want to try this book when it comes out. And, I’m always interested in Jeff’s knowledge of the author or the character.
What about you? What are you reading this week?
I’m definitely going to put Jim Hanvey on my TBR list.
I read:
Killer Kung Pao by Viven Chien; When an odious woman is killed in a a hair salon in Cleveland’s Chinatown, Lana Lee tries to find out whodunnit, even though she doesn’t like the victim, or the prime suspect. I’ve been in West coast Chinatowns, and the one in Cleveland seemed very familiar.
Bananas Republic by JJ Macniece; an odd book of verse about the country. It’s weird, yet somehow still manages to be dull.
Old Bones by Preston and Lincoln; Nora Kelly, from the first couple of Pendergast novels shares a novel with former goth Corrie Swanson. There’s murders involving the remains of the Donner Party. The authors totally bought the goth hype of the turn of the century, when they were supposed to be the new hippies, but they just weren’t. I knew goths back then, and aside from wearing black, they were as boring as the rest of us. I guess the two are going to be a tag team from now on.
Enquiry by Dick Francis; A rider and a trainer are framed out of the business. The rider tries to bust the frame and get his job back. At some point the becomes a Mary Sue, and the whole thing sort of falls apart.
Ripped Genes; A sci fi novel about a crew going where no man has gone before, to try to find a cure for a virus ravaging the human race. They find intrigue, aliens, war, romance, and skullduggery. It was a bit odd reading a book where diplomacy wasn’t completely useless.
Man Down; Another tag team of women. A mostly gray hat hacker and a possible serial killer search for a journalist in South Africa. South Africa is generating a lot of crime fiction lately. No goths this time, thank goodness.
I like the sound of Old Bones, Glen.
I listened to one Dick Francis novel on BBC Sounds and enjoyed it (it was mostly about frraud in the wine trade, with nothing bad happening to the animals), but the next one I tried had far too much about cruelty to horses, so I gave up.
I agree, Rosemary. The first, and only Dick Francis book I read had so much violence to the horses that I never read another one.
I think you’d like these stories, Glen. If you read them, I’ll be interested in your summary. Your comments about goths being as boring of the rest of us is funny. I thought that was a good line for Ripped Genes that it was odd reading a book where diplomacy wasn’t completely useless. Love your one-liners.
Morning Lesa and everyone. I love Thursdays at Lesa’s!
I have an electrician working in the house and he ‘may have to turn off some of the power at some point’ – he didn’t seem to be able to say which parts or indeed when, so if this disappears in a puff of smoke, you’ll know why…
I like the sound of the book you mention Lesa, although I’m not usually that keen on short stories. It certainly sounds different.
It has been wet, wet and more wet here – and today is no exception. I am going for a walk at Crathes Castle policies this afternoon so I hope it stops for that. The friend I am meeting lost her husband very suddenly just after Christmas (he was only 60 and very fit, cycled every day, but it seems he had an undiagnosed heart condition) so I really don’t want to have to postpone this. I have my waterproofs ready!
Yesterday I finally got to visit another friend, who has moved from the city centre (where we were neighbours before I moved, a long time ago) to a rural property near the village of Kemnay. I put the address into Google maps…and ended up in entirely the wrong place. Fortunately I texted her before knocking on the door of the wrong house. I then found her road, which is a single track dead end – I followed it miles up a hill, and through a farmyard – whereupon it turned into a grass path! i was sandwiched between two derelict farm buildings and had to reverse out – thank goodness no-one was watching, as I am the world’s worst person at that.
Eventually I discovered that my friend’s house was in fact only half way up the road and I had sailed straight past it. I was very glad finally to see her – and her coffee pot. She has bought a property which has – for us – quite a bit of land, including stables. She does not have horses, nor does she intend to have any – in fact the only animals she does have are two spaniels. I am not sure what she will do with all of these fields and outbuildings – it did make me think of a film that my son has recommended to me, and which you have maybe seen, ‘Big Little Farm’ (I haven’t seen it yet.). Although I like living in a rural area, I myself would not want the responsibility and the work that lots of animals bring – but whatever makes you happy!
My reading has very much slowed down this week as I am struggling so much with The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld. I am reading it as the starter book for the next ‘6 Degrees of Separation’ challenge, but I am very close to the point of giving up on it. It is about three women living in East Lothian in different time periods. Sarah, in the 17th century, is persecuted as a witch (the East Lothian Witch Trials are well documented), Ruth, in the 1950s, is the new wife of a wealthy man whose first wife died of pneumonia. He has two young sons, and together they have all moved to the ‘big house’ in North Berwick. They have a full time live-in housekeeper called Betty, and soon also accommodate Betty’s niece, Bernadette, the daughter of her mentally ill sister, who was raped at the age of 13 by the master of another big house in which their mother then worked, and is now in an institution. Ruth moons about the place drinking too much and being miserable. Finally there is Viviane, who is some present day relation of Ruth, possibly the daughter of Bernadette and one of the two sons of the family. She has clearly had Issues, is unemployed, unreliable, and staying at the now otherwise empty big house as a caretaker prior to it being sold.
For me there are two main issues with this book:
(i) It is unrelentingly miserable – honestly, there is not one cheerful or amusing sentence so far, and I am two thirds of the way through it. I appreciate that it is meant to be a feminist text illuminating the position of women and their abuse by certain men, but oh my goodness does it feel like a trudge;
(ii) the three time frames are not clearly delineated, and neither are the relationships, so it is terribly confusing, especially as it jumps back and forth all the time. To me it feels as though this device is being used more to show how clever and Literary the author is than to add anything to the book.
There’s also very little about Sarah (the alleged witch) compared to the acres of dreariness about Ruth, whereas I would have thought the 17th century would, in this context, be far more interesting than some affluent middle-aged woman wandering about being introspective.
I rarely fail to finish a book, and now I don’t know what to do, as I feel I have invested so much of my time in the first 200+ pages that it seems a waste to stop, but at the same time I could be reading something I actually like, and indeed something more uplifting for these grey, damp days.
Do other people have this dilemma with books they don’t like, or do they jusy cut their losses and stop?
I am having much more fun assembling my stack for ’20 Books of Summer’, which begins on 1st June and lasts three months. I found it both enjoyable and useful last year, so i am going to try it again. The only rules are that the books should come from your current shelves, and you must at least try to review all of them. But like most of these challenges it is of course purely personal, so if you give up, or only do half the reviews, or read something not on your list, the only person who need know is you, – no-one is checking up on you. I find this makes it much more pleasant and much less of a chore.
I also have some outstanding reviews to write for publishers and authors – unlike you Lesa, i am terribly slow with these and really need to get them done.
I hope everyone has a good week. I am also very much hoping that the appointment for my second vaccination will drop through the letterbox in the next few days – I think it must be my turn soon!
Rosemary
Rosemary, I have a hard time giving up on books as well which is rather silly since I get most of them from the library rather than purchasing them. It’s not like I am wasting my money by abandoning them. I am getting better at saying this one isn’t for me early on but if I get more than halfway through I usually push on until the end and then tell myself I should have stuck with my instincts and given up regardless how far I’ve gotten into it. Occasionally though, I will get to the end and be glad I finished.
Dump the book! Move on, though the six degrees thing may not work, and for heaven’s sake read something you enjoy. Life’s too short. I give any book 40-50 pages, then if I’m not enjoying it, away it goes.
I forgot to say that I have also started listening to Barry Lyndon by William Makepeace Thackeray on BBC Sounds, I had been avoiding it a bit (even though I’d downloaded it) as i thought it might be hard work, but in fact it is great – very fast moving and funny. I read Vanity Fair years ago, and had forgotten what an entertaining writer Thackeray is.
On TV I’m still watching Emily Mortimer’s new, and very different, adaptation of Nancy Mitford’s The Pursuit of Love. I have some issues with what she has done with it, but it’s certainly innovative, and it does grow on you. The main attraction – for me and for my elder daughter, who is also following it – is Andrew Scott as Lord Merlin. (If you saw Sherlock, he was Moriarty in that – but he’s been in lots of things and he’s always wonderful.) What a great actor.
Just the opposite of you, Rosemary. I cut my losses, and I would have quit reading that book long before 200 pages.
And, Barry Lyndon! Oh, that brings back memories. I can no longer say it was the worst movie I ever saw, but it was the worst movie I ever sat through at a theater. Somehow, they must have cut out all the humor from the book, making it just into a costume drama. My sister and I went to see it on Feb. 14, 1976. It had been heavily advertised during the Olympics, and the theater was so full that they actually had ushers with flashlights finding seats for people. But, nothing happened in the entire movie! The smart people walked out. When the film was over, the rest of us walked out, saying we couldn’t believe we just sat through that.
I know the book must have aspects that the film totally lacked.
Thanks, Lesa. I have heard of Cohen and the Hanvey book, but I have never read it. I can’t remember ever reading one of the stories either, so I will definitely put it on my list (which is ever growing). Lately, I have been reading all “straight” fiction collections of stories rather than mysteries (or other genres), though occasionally a story crosses over, so the mystery collections are starting to pile up a little and I will have to get to them soon. But for now, I read Jean Thompson’s WHO DO YOU LOVE and I’m currently reading Michael Chabon’s WEREWOLVES IN THEIR YOUTH. I read a review the other day of a book by Jim Shepard which sounded very appealing to me, so I went online to the library site and downloaded his earliest available collection, LOVE AND HYDROGEN. If the first story, “The Gun Lobby,” is an example, it was the right choice. I also picked up the last three collections (online at $4.50 each) of stories I hadn’t read by Antonya Nelson, one of my 2021 discoveries.
Also this week, I read STARGAZER, the sixth book in Anne Hillerman’s continuation of her father’s series, now centering more on Bernie Manuelito and Jim Chee rather than Joe Leaphorn. I think her plotting has improved since the first one, and Leaphorn’s recovery from a gunshot to the head has allowed the retired Lieutenant to participate more than in previous books. It’s hard to even picture the immensity of the Navajo reservation in Arizona and New Mexico, and the enormous distances tribal cops have to drive daily while investigating crimes. Good book.
THE SURVIVORS is Jane Harper’s fourth mystery, set in a totally different part of Australia than her previous books. This one is set on the small island state of Tasmania, off the southeast coast of the continent, at a beach community. Kieran Elliott is back for the first time since a careless mistake twelve years earlier when he was 18 led to two deaths (and a disappearance), include that of his beloved older brother. Now he has to help his parents pack up and move as his father’s dementia is too much to handle. There is a shocking murder, and it will all come back to the storm and what really happened all those years ago. Harper is a very good writer, and as long as you aren’t looking for a lot of action, she is always worth your time in reading.
Currently reading Chris Hauty’s second book (after DEEP STATE) about Hayley Chill, SAVAGE ROAD. Hayley is seemingly a low level White House intern, but as we learned in the first book, she is so much more. Definitely read DEEP STATE first.
A few more things:
1. Love the idea of Thursdays at Lesa’s! It’s definitely something I look forward to every week.
2. The Library of Congress series, much like the British Library series, is bringing back some worthwhile books well worth seeking out and reading, like the Octavus Roy Cohen.
3. Jackie read the second Paula Munier book (BLIND SEARCH) and had my download the third (THE HIDING PLACE) to read next. After that, a new J.R. Ward book just came in from the library.
4. Glen, please give us the authors’ names.
5. Rosemary, yes. If I dislike all the characters in a book, the odds are I will just stop reading it. Another problem I have is, is the book too long? That is, if it is 500 pages or so and I am enjoying it, fine. But if it is a slog to get through 50 or 100 pages, and there is another 500 to go, pass. In my younger years, I didn’t often quit a book, but these days there are just too many books and not enough time. I agree ont he 50 page rule, generally speaking, but I’ve gotten 3/4 of the way through a book and just thought to myself, “I’m really not enjoying this, I don’t like the characters, why am I reading it?”
Jeff, I agree with you on not finishing a book if I’m not enjoying it. I’ll never get through all of the books on my kindle as it is so I don’t feel like I need to finish every book I try anymore.
Jeff, I’m enjoying both the Library of Congress and the British Library collections, which is why I’ve jumped at the chance to read and review some of them. Not that anthologies are easy to review, but it gives me the opportunity to read books I might otherwise miss.
I’m glad Jackie’s enjoying the Paula Munier books.
Right there with you, Jeff, on dropping books when I don’t like the characters.
I have a copy of The Survivors, and just never seem to find my way to it. Someday.
The thing is, I like her writing, but I wouldn’t call it an exciting book. It’s hard to put into words.
Good morning. I found my copy of MAGGIE FINDS HER MUSE by Dee Ernst so that was my first read for the week. I did enjoy it although the bits about her feeling like crying every time she ate something in Paris got a bit tedious. But maybe that’s because I’ve never been there. I have been to The Office in Morristown, which is overpriced for what it is, and the Barnes and Noble in NYC though, both of which are in the book. I also have a couple of the author’s mysteries that I have to get around to.
An ARC of SHOT CALLER by Jen J Danna. It’s the second book in her Gemma Capello NYPD negotiator series. Prisoners have taken over a wing at Rikers Island and are holding a number of corrections officers hostage. I had a hard time putting this one down.
An ARC of SEE SOMETHING by Carol J Perry. It’s the next book in her WICH-TV mystery series set in Salem. I always enjoy these and this one adds a women with amnesia, a clown and a cowboy to the cast of characters.
Oh, good, Sandy. I received the ARC of Shot Caller. I’m happy to see you had a hard time putting it down. The first one was fast-paced. I’ll look forward to this one now that you said it.
I didn’t cry over the food in Paris, but there are a couple pictures of me glowing over food. The hot chocolate and macarons at Angelina! The profiteroles. Oh, my gosh, the profiteroles! The crepes! Just the smell from the bakeries. Well, not crying, but I never had such gorgeous food.
Oh my gosh, the croissants! They are to die for! I can never eat a croissant from Shoprite again!!
Kathleen! You are so right! I knew there was something I was missing. Oh, the croissants!
Lesa, I’m glad you enjoyed Exit Strategy, the first NYPD Negotiators book by Jen. I’ve got Shot Caller, too, but it may be a bit before I get to read it. Jen is one of my authors that I met at my first Bouchercon and have been a supporter of since then.
Sandy, I’m so happy that you mentioned Jen Danna’s Shot Caller. I love this new series by Jen, and I love all the books she and Ann Vanderlaan have written together. Their first series was the Abbott and Lowell :Forensic Mysteries, of which there are five, and I’m not sure that there will be more of these. Their second and ongoing series is written as Sara Driscoll and is the fantastic F.B.I. K-9 books, of which there are five, with number six coming out this November (Under Pressure). You may already know about these books, but I thought I’d mention them for others, too.
Sandy, you say “…so that was my first read for the week.” My goodness! For some of us, the first read of the week is the only one. If about all I do in a week is errands, chores and read, I get ONE a week. **Sigh**. You fast readers are lucky!
Good morning. I just finished Eternal by Lisa Scottoline. The beginning read like a YA romance. At about the half way point it picked up for me and in the end I enjoyed it. Most WWII books are set in France or England. This one is set in Rome. It speaks of Fascism and Mussolini and his aligning with Hilter altering life in Italy especially for it’s Jewish citizens.
On audio I am listening to Murder in Mayfair by D.M. Quincy which has been recommended on here. I am enjoying it and plan to continue with the series.
Next up for me will be The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews and on audio The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan (this will be my last WWII book for a few months. As much as I love them, I am starting to get burned out).
Wishing you all a wonderful week!
Kathleen, You’re not the only person lately who has said they’re burned out on World War II novels. I think I’ve seen two other people, including my mother, say the same thing. I’m sure D.M. Quincy and Mary Kay Andrews are good palate cleansers from those novels!
Good morning! I am nearly through Ice Cold Heart by P. J. Tracy, Monkeewrench #10, and I started The Sentinel by Lee Child & Andrew Child last night. I always love the Monkeewrench books but they are so intense that I can only read them in small doses. The Sentinel uses the standard Reacher tropes but seems to have been injected with some new life. I thought they were getting stale a few books ago and didn’t bother to read the last half dozen or so. Mentally composing tomorrow’s review as I dial into work calls. I usually have a draft written sooner than this.
Like you, Aubrey, I love the Monkeewrench novels. Fortunately, I read all of them as they came out, so I did only read one every year or so. Some are better than others, of course, as in any series. In fact, you said that about the Reacher books. Maybe writing with his brother has brought a new feel to the Reacher books. I do that as well, mentally compose my reviews before I write them.
Hi Lesa — I’m just finishing Win by Harlan Coben. I’ve liked the story’s plot but I’m not real fond of the main character. I suspect Coben wrote him as a caricature with all the characteristics most criticized in today’s culture. There are a couple of things that point toward Win (the main character) becoming a better, more likable person over time, however, so I’ll probably continue reading the series.
Patricia, I’m sure there’s a difference in having Win as a sidekick, and having him as the main character. He probably did things as a sidekick that just don’t work for the protagonist of his own book.
Good morning. I’m happy to say my older son has recovered from about 3 weeks with Covid and had his first vaccine dose on Tuesday! He only missed a week of work, but he still hasn’t recovered his sense of taste. He never lost his sense of smell, fortunately. He missed coming up to celebrate a couple of birthdays and Mother’s Day, but we’re looking forward to having him here for a long Memorial Day weekend.
I tried to read Lori Gottlieb’s MAYBE YOU SHOULD TALK TO SOMEONE a year or two ago, but the timing wasn’t right. I’m glad I borrowed it from the library again because I found it a thoroughly fascinating and, in some cases, heartbreaking book. The author is a psychotherapist who shares the stories of three of her patients, along with her own. One patient is a young woman with a terminal illness, another is a highly successful TV writer who thinks everyone he encounters is an “idiot” and hasn’t yet come to terms with something that happened in his family years ago, and the third has promised to commit suicide on her next (70th) birthday if her life doesn’t improve. At the same time, the author seeks out a therapist for herself when she is having a difficult time recovering from a sudden and unexpected breakup from a man who has decided that although he loves her and wants to marry her, he doesn’t want to live with a child for the next 10 years (her son is 8). I felt I learned a lot about what therapists do and how they do it, and I couldn’t help but get caught up in the lives of the three patients.
Ellery Adams’ Book Retreat Mystery series is one of my favorites. In MURDER IN THE COOKBOOK NOOK, Storyton Hall resort in Virginia is hosting a televised cooking competition featuring six celebrity chefs and fronted by a young female billionaire–everything she touches turns to gold. Some of the chefs, along with some crew members and even other visitors to the resort, have troubling secrets, and accidents start happening. Among other things, a grill explodes during the filming, sending one person to the hospital, and one of the more obnoxious chefs meets an untimely end late at night in the hotel. It’s a fun premise, and the mystery is pleasingly convoluted. But what I enjoy most is spending time at Storyton Hall with my favorite characters–proprietor Jane, her adorable twin sons Hem(ingway) and Fitz(gerald), Jane’s beau Edwin, her close friends from the town, the hotel’s head chef, and the security staff that protects the rare literary treasures hidden away at the resort and is like a family to Jane. There’s always a literary theme to what goes on at Storyton, and this time the focus is on cookbooks, of course. This is comfort food for me.
I heard about LAUNDRY LOVE by Patric Richardson from Modern Mrs. Darcy, and I am enjoying it. It is, believe it or not, an entertaining book about the right way to do your laundry. For example: Wash everything on short wash, and don’t use fabric softener (there are other solutions). Never dry clean anything again. And here’s how you can get almost any stain out of almost any fabric. I know I will be taking copious notes from this small book that I borrowed from the library. I probably won’t take every suggestion, but I will definitely put quite a few of them to use.
THE LOST APOTHECARY takes place in two alternating timelines–1791 and present-day London. In the earlier timeline, Nella is an apothecary who deals exclusively with women’s ills–from tinctures to make one feel better to deadly mixtures that can kill one’s spouse or another dangerous male. One day, 12-year-old servant Eliza visits her to obtain a potion on behalf of her mistress, who feels she must do away with her husband. That transaction goes as planned, but soon thereafter a careless error endangers the lives of both Nella and Eliza. In the present, Caroline anticipates an anniversary trip to London with her husband of 10 years but ends up going alone when she uncovers evidence of his infidelity. When she joins a mudlarking group one day and finds an interesting apothecary jar in the muck, she eagerly embarks on research to learn more about an apothecary more than two centuries ago who dealt in poisons. Caroline finds herself becoming obsessed with the challenge she has set for herself and the opportunity to leave behind a boring job, while dealing with her husband, who has come to London, unannounced and uninvited, to win her back. The juxtaposition of Caroline’s quest and dilemma with Nella’s and Eliza’s run for their very lives makes for very interesting reading.
I scored a Netgalley freebie from the Book Club Girls for THE LAST GOODBYE by Fiona Lucas.. Anna hasn’t been able to move on–at all–almost 3 years after her husband, Spencer, was killed in a car accident. Despite urging from her best friend Gabi to take on some social interactions, she can’t see herself with anyone but Spencer, ever. Sometimes she calls Spencer’s cell phone just to hear his recorded greeting, and to “talk” with him. But one time . . . someone talks back. It’s a man named Brody who has inherited Spencer’s phone number, and he has his own tragedy he’s trying to overcome. They strike up a tentative conversation, and over time they become friends and mutual supporters, although Brody is not at all forthcoming with Anna about his life. And we don’t know any details about his tragedy until very late in the book. This is a simple story about two people trying to come to terms with sadness in their lives, played out over many months. As readers we get to see what’s happening to Anna with regard to her social life and career, as well as glimpses into Spencer’s agonizing attempts to overcome panic attacks, agoraphobia, and his abandonment of a career that once meant the world to him.. It is a debut novel, and I believe the author shows a lot of promise. It’s a quick read, with some tear-inducing moments and a satisfying conclusion.
Margie, I love your notes this week. There’s quite a variety of books there. I’m glad, though, that you enjoyed The Lost Apothecary. Different, wasn’t it? Once in a while, I enjoy something a little different. I’m sure Laundry Love is different and has great hints, but I don’t think I’ll be looking for that one, as practical as it sounds.
This sounds really weird, but I just couldn’t get into the Book Retreat Mysteries.
I just got a “buck ebook” of the first in Ellery Adams’ Book Retreat Mystery series, Murder In the Mystery Suite, and have read about a dozen pages. Problem is I’m hip-deep in another book, and don’t want to stop it. So, soon. Good to hear you like the series.
Here we are! Thursdays at Lesa’s! Hail, hail, the gang’s all here! It’s a happy place to be.
Regarding reading books that don’t “speak” to us. Nope. I can walk away from a book I’m not enjoying very easily and never look back.
Regarding Maggie crying over the food in Paris. I think I may have come close to doing that with a taste of Grand Marnier souffle we had at Cafe Josephine – remember, Lesa?
I agree with Rosemary and Lesa about Dick Francis. I read some of one book many years ago. NOT for me.
Adding Chris Hauty to my list, thanks to Jeff.
I was able to read When All Light Fails by Randall Silvis (ARC) thanks to NetGalley. While this may not have been my favorite in the series, I am in love with the cast of characters Mr. Silvis had created. Their bonds to one another are deep, their loyalty strong.
I’ve been enjoying Deborah Harkness’ All Souls series. I’m on Book Three, and again, in love with the characters. It’s pretty much all about the characters for me, which is why I love the Monkeewrench books Aubrey mentioned. And, of course, Louise Penny’s Three Pines series.
Today I get my hair cut. My first haircut in over a year. I am a VERY happy girl.
Kaye! I can’t wait to see your photo after your haircut. I’m sure you’ll feel like a new person.
I agree. Most of the time it’s all about the characters for me, and, if I can’t like any characters, I have to drop the book. I have to have at least one likable one. Monkeewrench and Three Pines definitely have multiple characters to love.
Oh, you are so right about the Grand Marnier souffle at Cafe Josephine. It was almost worth crying over. Paris does offer that kind of food, doesn’t it?
I love spending “Thursdays at Lesa’s”, catching up with everyone and the books. It’s just a comfortable place, and I’m so happy that so many of you want to show up on Thursdays!
Love you, Kaye!
Summer has arrived at my house. We are pushing nearly 90 today and through the rest of the week.
This week I finished EARLY MORNING RISER by Katherine Heiny. . I don’t quite understand all the 5 star reviews on Goodreads but I did enjoy it. Jane falls in love quickly with Duncan despite the age gap of 10+ years and that he has slep with pretty much every single woman in their small Michigan town. They end up breaking up and Jane moves on but then an unexpected event occurs which changes life for both Duncan and Jane. This was more a slice of life type books that spans a couple decades. I came to care about the characters and their unconventional life. I am going to look up her other books when I exhaust my current library hold pile.
Margie, I also finished MURDER IN THE COOKBOOK NOOK by Ellery Adams. I liked this one about the cooking competition at Storyton Hall. I wasn’t wild about the murder reveal because I like to have a chance to figure out who the murderer is but I really read these because of the setting and the characters. Who wouldn’t enjoy belonging to a book club group as special as the cover girls?
Happy Reading!
Sharon, I just never knew if Early Morning Riser was for me. I’m not sure I’d care for Duncan. It’s nice to hear from someone who read it, other than just the reviews.
We’re still in the 80s, heading for 90 this weekend, I think. Bring it on!
Sharon, I have Early Morning Riser on my hold list at the library. I absolutely loved her last book, Standard Deviation, but I haven’t ready any others. Looking forward to this one, but I doubt it will live up to all my expectations.
Listening to an audiobook by Senator Amy Klobucher. I have been comparing to the one Senator Claire McCaskill. Their backgrounds are very different.
Also close to the end of A Chance In The World by Steve Pemberton and it is treasure. I remember a few of the reviews, and they did not sound like the book at all.
Also, making headway on Shearwater, A Bird, An Ocean and A Long Way From Home, The author saw one shearwater when he was on a island near U.K. and it was an amazing experiment that he looked for the bird again for 50 years before he found some of them. The author is reader, hi s grandmother was a unique human being and the shearwater
reminds me of his grandmother’s spirit. They mate only when it is getting very dark, they seem very private. They fly, and fly and fly without stopping. They recorded one of them flying about 800 miles without a stop, and it died. Why, does it fly such a long distance without stopping? They have been seen flying many miles to an island then turning back without a stop to make the long journey back. It is also called the wanderer. I very much want that bird “Why?”!
I agree, Carolee. Why would a shearwater fly all that way, only to die? I never heard of that bird.
Do the senators read their books, or does someone else read them? When you know someone’s voice, it seems odd to think of someone else reading their book. Novels, yes. Most memoirs, yes. I was just curious.
Both of them read their own books. I had the same thought!
I’m working my way through 21st Birthday, the latest Women’s Murder Club book by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. It’s better than many in that the entire team is working on one case instead of having other sub-plots going on. But it is Patterson. Plus, they don’t seem to pay any attention to the fact that most people wouldn’t be working or going to school on a Saturday…. (Yes, I will be calling out the time line on this book when I review it.)
I know exactly what you mean, Mark, when you say, “But it is Patterson.”
Not much new to add since I am still reading THE MIRROR AND THE LIGHT by Mantel and still finding it a difficult read. I like the story, I want to finish it. I suppose one problem is knowing how it ends and it is not fun. I don’t read only light happy books, but I usually get enjoyment from the books I read. Oh well. On the other hand, in this book I have learned so much about British history that I was unaware of.
I did finish CHECKMATE TO MURDER by E.C.R. Lorac and liked it a lot. I am now reading THE MAN IN THE QUEUE by Josephine Tey along with the Mantel book. This is definitely a reread, maybe my second reread of the book. I reread all the Inspector Grant books by Tey sometime in the early 1990s. This is probably not the best in the series but I like the way she writes.
As far as quitting books, I rarely do that. A couple of times when the story included torture. I quit one mystery chick lit book at 200 pages because I could see it was never going to get better. And there was one book by John le Carre that was the same, I knew I was going to dread reading it until I finished so I did give up. I could not believe that happened with a John le Carre book. But I almost always find something to enjoy in the books I read, and want to finish a book to see if it gets better. Mostly that is what happens.
I’m one of those who has too many other books to read, Tracy, to spend time on something or characters that I don’t like. I’m sue I’d get something out of the books, but it probably wouldn’t be enjoyment. I do read for pleasure.
Le Carre can be very, very dense going, Tracy. I can certainly understand a DNF on that.
I forgot to say, the Jim Hanvey, Detective book sounds interesting. For years I rejected short stories, but in the last few years I have grown to appreciate them. So this could be the perfect book for me. I am surprised I have not heard about this author, he spent some of his life in Birmingham, Alabama where I was born and grew up. That was back in the 1920s and 30s.
I understand he did stories that were “blackface” mysteries, but this set of stories had nothing racist in them. I enjoyed them, Tracy. Just shows how authors are forgotten, even in their hometowns.
I’m listening to People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry and The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
As much as I loved Emily Henry’s book last year, Katherine, I just couldn’t get into People We Meet on Vacation. I didn’t like the constant change in timeframes. It didn’t work for me.
Now that I am older and have so many books on my t-b-r list, I quit a book as soon as I know it isn’t for me…
I know, Gram! I’ll never have time to read all the books I’d like to, so I don’t waste my time on something I don’t like.
I’m so late I’ll answer the question first, go back and read everyone else after.
Tuesday I finished Murder Has A Motive by Francis Duncan, yesterday afternoon I started So Pretty A Problem also by Duncan, and am now about 3/4 through. Both are in his five (six?) book series featuring the interesting, different amateur crime investigator Mordecai Tremaine, shabby coat, prince-nez, and good friend Scotland Yard Inspector Boyd.
In Murder, a young woman, soon to be married, is stabbed in a copse late at night. It’s an English Village mystery. In So Pretty, an artist in a seaside town is shot, only his wife is in the house. She says it was an accident, except Tremaine realizes it couldn’t have happened as she said.
These were written in the late 1940s and early Fifties, and are products of their time. Needless to say, since I’m reading two in a row, I enjoy Duncan’s books.
I learn so much about books from previous decades here. Thank you, Richard!
You’re welcome! I’ve now read 4 of the series, and have enjoyed them all. Murder at Christmas is a holiday country house mystery, and In At the Death concerns the killing of a doctor with several patients who had a motive. They are available new in paperback.
I’m going to have to add these to my list, Richard. And, I’m going to mention them to a friend. Thank you!
Sorry to be coming in on this great discussion so late. I need to post a reminder about your Thursday blog, Lesa. I always enjoy it. I’ll be brief tonight. I just finished The Playground Murders by British author Lesley Thomson, #7 in The Detective’s Daughter series. It was such an amazing read. Lesley is a good friend of Elly Griffiths, and they both know how to create and develop great characters.
Hi Kathy, We’ve been having some terrific discussions lately. I never heard of Lesley Thomson, and you’re already reading he seventh book in the series!