Happy Thursday! It’s time to get together and talk about books and what we’re reading.
I’m writing this post on a break at work on Wednesday morning because my Internet is out at home. Actually, after eight and a half years, my modem died. I’m getting a new one this afternoon. But, that means, I’m writing this before I’ve had a chance to start Wendy Wax’ The Break-Up Book Club. Four women, with very little in common, bond at book club meetings in a historic carriage house turned bookstore. They bond over books, laughter, and the joys of friendship. Each woman is given the opportunity to speak in their own chapters. I’m looking forward to this one.
What about you? What are you reading this week?
Good morning. It’s been cooler this week which has been nice since we’ve been able to get out for walks but it’s supposed to start heating up again this weekend. Our flowers are blooming like crazy but my vegetable garden doesn’t seem to know what to do with the yo-yo-ing temperature. Fortunately we joined a CSA this year and planted less so we’re still getting lots of vegetables to eat.
This week I read:
An ARC of A PUMPKIN SPICE KILLING by Lynn Cahoon. It’s the new annual corporate retreat novella in her Country Seat mystery series. I don’t usually like it when characters leave their normal location but these work for me since the whole crew goes along.
An ARC of DOGGED TO DEATH by Laura Scott. A veterinarian who’s taking on any job until her practice gets up and running finds one of her dog walking customer’s body. My favorite character was the vet’s grandfather- he’s stubborn, knows everybody in town, and is determined to investigate the murder.
A DEADLY TURN by Claire Booth. Six teenagers are killed in a car crash and when the police attempted to notify one of the teen’s parents they find an empty apartment and a corpse. Then another teen is injured in a fall. No one except Sheriff Hank Worth believes that everything is connected. I enjoyed this but I meant to read book two in the series and read book three instead.
I read half of THE NINJA DAUGHTER by Tori Eldridge and took it back to the library. I just didn’t really care about the main character enough to finish it.
Good morning, Sandy! Here, too – we’ve had some beautiful days, but now we’re actually going to be getting summer – hot and humid. I’ve never minded the heat; just don’t care for the humidity. That’s why I preferred Arizona over Florida. I liked A Deadly Turn, too.
I know just what you mean about normally not liking a book when the series character goes out of town, and leaves the rest of the familiar cast behind. I’m sorry for the author because they probably feel as if it’s a break from killing everyone off in the small town. But, I miss the familiarity.
RIP, old modem. Weather has been so perfect here the last two days – mid-70s, low humidity, nice breeze, mostly sunny – that it will even more of a bummer when the 80s and humidity return this weekend, but what can you do? Summer in the city, right? I won’t be here next week (though I will try and comment) as we are taking our first post-pandemic trip, to Connecticut to my cousins’, and with them to Boston and the Cape.
But I digress. First, Jackie read SHADOW STORM by Christine Feehan, a favorite writer of hers. Now she is read Virginia Kantra’s BETH AND AMY, the sequel to her MEG AND JO in her updated version of LITTLE WOMEN set in North Carolina.
I have been having a tough time with novels this week. I’ve started three books that I returned – one I was actually enjoying, but at 750 pages it was more of a commitment than I could make, especially on a library download I couldn’t renew. I have mostly been reading short stories and non fiction. I read and really enjoyed Pete Hamill’s DOWNTOWN: MY MANHATTAN, a memoir (mostly) that he wrote a couple of years after 9/11. I’ve read a lot of Hamill’s books (I would particularly recommend A DRINKING LIFE) and I enjoyed this one a lot. I mentioned FINAL PROOF by Roderigues Ottolengui last time. Finished the collection. The first and by far longest story was “The Phoenix of Crime” and it was the most interesting.
Max Allan Collins has written many mystery series over the past 40 years – Nathan Heller in a historical series that brings in many real people and cases; Quarry, a former sniper turned professional hitman; Mallory, a crime solving mystery writer; and Nolan, a professional thief modeled after Richard Stark (Donald Westlake)’s Parker. He’s reprinting the Nolan series and has a new entry, SKIM DEEP. Nolan has made his peace with the Chicago mob and runs a nice restaurant in the Quad Cities area with his much younger girlfriend, Sherry. Now the two are off to Vegas to get married at the same time someone with ties to Nolan’s past wants him dead. And the honeymoon in Vegas doesn’t go so smoothly either. Once you get into this, it is a very fast, entertaining read.
I’m reading 100 YEARS OF THE BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES, a collection of 40 stories (I’d previously read a dozen or so of them) published 1915-2015, edited by Lorrie Moore. Some good stuff I hadn’t read before, by people like Edna Ferber, Tillie Olsen, James Baldwin, Stanley Elkin, and Flannery O’Connor. Good book.
While waiting for a few things on hold at the library, I have finally started Kenneth Cook’s highly praised WAKE IN FRIGHT, set in the Australian outback. It was published in 1961 and made into a great film 10 years later, called OUTBACK.
Jeff, Sometimes, the digressions are my favorite parts of our conversations. Enjoy your trip to visit family – always special. And, even if it’s not far, it will feel like a trip!
I think we’re all appreciating the cooler temperatures the last couple days. And, as you said, now we’re getting that heat and humidity. We’re supposed to have high 80s, maybe 90 today. And, here in southwestern Indiana, that means humidity.
I read several Nathan Heller books. I enjoyed the one based on the Lindbergh kidnapping.
Even when you’re having trouble getting into novels, I like to see what you’re reading.
Jeff, I liked Skim Deep, although I think the Nolan series actually works best when set between 1970 and 1975.
Busy week for me. Only one book but I enjoyed it very much. THE BOOKSHOP OF SECOND Chances by Jackie Fraser. Forty something Thea is made redundant by her job and discovers her husband is having an affair. She conveniently inherits a lodge and money from a great uncle in Scotland. She decides to spend a couple months and gets a job at a used bookstore working for curmudgeon Edward. Predictability ensues but I really liked the characters and found it entertaining.
Cooler at my house this week too. Finally got to see daughter #2 in person on Tuesday after a year. Today we are making the 6 plus hour drive to Chicagoland to see daughter #1, our son-in-law, AND grandsons!! First time since November 2019.
Happy Reading!
Oh, Sharon! I liked to hear about The Bookshop of Second Chances because it’s on a pile at home, and my best friend is reading it right now. But, even more, I liked to read that you’re getting the chance to see your family. Enjoy every minute of your time together!
In a bit of a book hangover after Project Hail Mary AND the wicked Arizona heat but a nice cool monsoon came through I am finding my groove again. Enjoying The Kitchen Front this morning. Hope your modem issues aren’t complicated!
thanks, Gaye. I think my modem is just dead, and it shouldn’t take him too long to replace it with a new one. Thank you.
Oh, book hangovers are tough. I’m glad you’re enjoying your current book, though. We’ve had mixed reactions to The Kitchen Front here.
I’m still working on the Tricia Field’s Josie Gray mysteries. Firebreak is the 4th in the series. This is the first time in years I’ve picked a series and read from book one straight on through to the most recent release. Kind of fun!
I love it, Patricia! I just hope you don’t tire of the series, reading it straight through. The latest book was very good.
Good morning! I had more luck with NetGalley this week–I found two books not on the Dashboard (available to read) list that I could download and review. One author sent me her book through NetGalley, and yesterday I was finally approved for one of my requests! It was a busy reading week, and again I apologize for the length of my post. I’m spending a little more time on my reviews now that I am courting both NetGalley and Goodreads (for the giveaways!).
Emily Henry is a big talent, in my opinion. Last year’s Beach Read was a charmer and a huge success. PEOPLE YOU MEET ON VACATION is a bit of a roller coaster, and the last third or so made it all worthwhile for me. Poppy and Alex, who met in high school, have little in common. She is a free spirit who didn’t fit in at school. Poppy isn’t happy unless she is wearing colorful outfits, traveling the globe, having new experiences, and meeting new people. Alex is more staid. He doesn’t like to stand out so he dresses like his father. A popular high school teacher, he yearns for the traditional wife-and-children family. Against all odds they become best friends who live far apart–Poppy in NYC and Alex in their Midwestern home town. They communicate through texts throughout the year, and they both look forward to their annual trip together during Alex’s break from school. Chapters covering each of their trips for the past 11 years alternate with their present day relationship. There were a lot of disappointing trips, which made me sometimes feel claustrophobic and uneasy, but they were unfailingly interesting. In between trips, they had romantic relationships with other partners. But this book is successful in examining how two people who are so different can decide whether their mutual attraction means they should be together for life. I particularly love the rhythm of Henry’s prose, especially in dialogue, and the way she never ceases to surprise me with her original choices.
Vicky Delany’s latest (Jan. 2022) in the Sherlock Holmes Mystery series, A THREE BOOK PROBLEM, is a worthy successor to the others–it’s a cozy mystery that will resonate with Sherlockians and those who appreciate a vivid setting and interesting characters. Gemma Doyle and Jayne Wilson, proprietors of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium and the neighboring Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room, respectively, have been engaged to cater a Holmes-themed weekend event at Suffolk Gardens House in their town on Cape Cod. Their host has rented the house and invited seven friends for what he hopes will be lively discussions, games, tours, movies, and themed meals. He has also hired his reluctant niece and nephew to play the roles of housekeeper and butler. Little does he know that the mansion will become a murder scene, with Gemma’s detective beau leading the investigation. Gemma, who has similar deductive skills to Sherlock’s, is eager to help, and almost everyone seems to have a motive–from the victim’s errant wife and secret mistress to a rare book dealer and a struggling musician. As always, Delany’s mysteries are light, fun, and filled with twists and surprises.
Hank Phillippi Ryan was kind enough to send me a link on NetGalley to her latest thriller (Sept. 2021), HER PERFECT LIFE, and I polished it off in less than a day. Lily Atwood seems to have a perfect life—never mind that she’s never told her 7-year-old daughter, Rowen, who or where her father is. Or that her own older sister, Cassie, disappeared at age 18 while attending college and has never been found. Lily is a well-respected TV investigative journalist in Boston with multiple Emmys to prove it. Her “producer-researcher-admin-fixer,” Greer, considers it her job to help Lily maintain her perfect image, although she doesn’t feel she gets enough credit for it. And their careers are aided by the successful leads they receive from a mysterious man on the phone who identifies himself as “Mr. Smith.” Things start to heat up when they both meet Mr. Smith in person and realize that his latest leads are related more to Lily’s life—and Cassie’s disappearance—than they ever anticipated. They get caught up in a tangled web of long-buried secrets, mistaken identity, avarice, intrigue, and—ultimately—personal danger. There is no graphic violence here. The intricate plotting, twists and turns are enough to satisfy any lover of thrilling stories, masterfully written and delivered with finesse and flair.
(August 2021) Barbara O’Neal never fails to engage me with her emotional standalones, populated with unique characters, including her next book, WRITE MY NAME ACROSS THE SKY. Sisters Sam (40) and Willow (35) have never gotten along, mostly due to Sam’s poor treatment of her half-sister. Maybe that’s because their mother, troubled rock star Billie, cheated on Sam’s father while on tour and Willow was the result, leading Sam’s father to abandon the family. Or perhaps it’s because Sam feels everything in life has come more easily to Willow. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. A talented violinist, composer and folk singer, Willow was discouraged by the poor response to her first album, and financial problems are leading her to consider less artistic work. At the same time, videogame designer Sam’s company has fallen on hard times, with her most recent release garnering little interest from the public. And their 70ish Aunt Gloria, a well-to-do lifestyle blogger and former flight attendant, fears she may be in trouble with the law when her former lover is jailed for art theft and forgery. Willow has come to live with her to save money on rent, and Sam, who lives nearby in her own apartment, suddenly faces health issues and the unexpected reappearance of two men who had been major players in her former life. At times, O’Neal’s prose is downright lyrical, and she excels at expressing emotions while telling a compelling story.
I love a “found family” book, and Eileen Garvin’s debut novel, THE MUSIC OF BEES, is a sterling example of what makes me happy about this type of story. Three people with almost nothing in common are struggling to make something of their lonely lives. Alice is 44, suffering panic attacks from the untimely death of her husband and stuck in an unsatisfying job. Jake, 18, was a bad boy in high school, although a talented musician. After an avoidable accident left him in a wheelchair for life, Jake’s only claim to fame is a 16-inch blue mohawk. And Harry, 24, finds it difficult to find a job because a youthful indiscretion left him with a prison record, and because of his sometimes crippling social skills. Alice’s passion is beekeeping, and her ambition to more than double the number of her hives leads her to seek help on her farm. Circumstances bring both Jake and Harry into her life, and although there isn’t much money to spare, they form a unit from which they all ultimately benefit. Garvin’s writing is self-assured, accessible, and often moving, and the beekeeping details are fascinating. I highly recommend it.
If you like psychological thrillers that are quick reads and don’t involve character development, Linwood Barclay’s FIND YOU FIRST may be for you. Billionaire Miles is only in his forties but just learned that he has a terminal illness–an illness that has a 50% chance of being inherited by his children. Miles never married or sired any children, but he can’t forget donating to a sperm bank when he was younger. By devious means, he manages to get a list of nine children born to mothers who received his sperm, and he makes it his mission to let each of them know their risk, and to make them heirs to part of his fortune. Of course, his brother and his wife might have something to say about that. There are some characters to root for in this story, which is not always the case with a thriller. And there’s also a character who will remind you of Jeffrey Epstein.
Reading “a peculiar combination “ as well as “brAt: an 80s story. Just finished “Venice Notebook “. It was excellent
I’m glad you liked Venice Notebook, Carol Jeanne. I haven’t heard whether Mom read and liked it, or not.
Good morning, Margie! You have several books on our list that I’m anticipating, although not FIND YOU FIRST. I’ll read the Vicki Delany, and I have the Barbara O’Neal on NetGalley. I just couldn’t get into this year’s Emily Henry book, though. I loved BEACH READ, but I didn’t like the style of skipping back and forth in the years of the relationship between Poppy and Alex. I just gave up on that book. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Cool and breezy in the NC mountains and I’m loving it. Breaking records for low temps for this time of year. I’d be happy for an entire summer just like this.
Happily continuing my Anne Rivers Siddons binge.
I’d be happy, Kaye, with the temperatures in the high 70s that we were having, but we’re about to go to 90 and humid. Blah on the humidity.
I’m glad you’re enjoying that binge of a favorite author!
Good Morning!
Our weather has been beautiful as well, but now the humidity is creeping up.
This week I finished The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie. I had not read this one before and loved it! I can see why it is highly recommended.
I am almost finished with Murder, She Wrote: A Deadly Judgment by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain – Jessica is asked to serve as a Jury Consultant by a lawyer friend. This takes her to Boston. Her publisher has suggested that her next book should involve a murder trial. She feels this would be a good way to learn about the trial process. However, once she becomes involved in the trial, she is not so sure she is up to the task. I enjoy how the author gives us a tour of the city Jessica is visiting. I have never been to Boston and this book gives me feel for the city with its descriptions of the parks, museums and restaurants.
I am looking forward to a trip to the library this afternoon. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Hi Gretchen, Oh, a library trip! I hope you find some good books.
I love it when I feel as if I know a place just a little better after visiting through a book.
A secret – I’ve never read The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. I’m not sure I’d appreciate it, since I know “whodunnit”. (sigh) That’s the problem with a classic, especially that one.
I have to admit that I also knew “whodunnit”. I was frustrated when watching a movie and that book was mentioned as well as the culprit. But, it didn’t take away from the story for me. I kept thinking maybe I was wrong about who the culprit was.
I recently reread The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, which I had put off doing for years because I knew how it ended. But it had been so long since I read it, I had forgotten all of the rest of the story, and I loved it. Probably much more than I did the first time.
I should be finishing up MURDER ON AMERSTERDAM AVENUE by Victoria Thompson. This one has felt a little slower than normal to me, and I can’t quite put my finger on why. It might be because I think I have the twist figured out. We’ll see if I am right.
I believe next up will be PINT OF NO RETURN by Dana Mentink.
Oh, I liked Pint of No Return, Mark. I hope you enjoy it.
That is a question, isn’t it, when an author’s book moves slower than their earlier ones. Why?
Hi All, Recently read Malibu Rising. Was good but for me it fell flat at the end. Anti-climatic. It was a fast read though. Enjoyed the historical figures in the Hellfire Club by Jake Tapper enough so to acquire his new one The Devil May Dance. It is in my TBR pile. Currently reading While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams. I like it, but then I like political conspiracies. Well written. Looking forward to the new Sarah Stewart Taylor book. Loved The Mountains Wild.
So Cal recently had a heat wave. Living at the coast it was what heat wave? Holding our breaths for fire season. Very dry inland.
Doreen, I hope fire season treats California gently this year. It’s a cruel season. I loved The Mountains Wild, too, and watched the virtual event last night from The Poisoned Pen with Sarah Stewart Taylor to hear her talk about her new book, but they talked about The Mountains Wild just as much.
Mark, I have been reading Victoria Thompson’s series as well and it seems as if every few books, the pace is slower and the guilty person is readily identifiable early in the story. This was true with her latest release in the series as well. Will continue to read for the characters, but am now waiting for the book at the library instead of rushing off to the bookstore.
Finishing House of Sticks by Ly Tran, a win from Library Thing, I love that book, she grew up in extreme poverty in Vietnam and here. Her father was very controlling, and he forbid her to have glasses for her bad eyesight. But she knew about his experiences as a prisoner for almost a decade and never hated him. Her mother held back her emotions a lot, and she was able to get some emotional comfort encouragement from her older brothers. When she got to college on a full scholarship. she fell apart, she felt guilty for having her own room, her own clothes that she bought out of the scholarship funds and under the guidance of a friend. Before that, she was wearing her brother’s hand me down jeans which were either donated to the family or bought at used clothing store and worn tops.
She was entering a new world and felt guilty of her new things and also for the glasses a teacher bought, and she had to hide from her parents. When books talk of poverty, they never discuss the adjustment that is needed when their basic needs are met. I really don’t want to finish the book, just the book and acknowledge her.
In contrast, my audiobook is slowly getting to the end. “Summer of ’69 by Elin Hildernrand. I am a fan of her books, but this one. Most of the characters are rich, self-centered, and I feel likI am only there for the description of scenery, which I love! There is an exception. Tiger,a son who has been sent to Viet Nam.
Carolee, You’re right. Books don’t discuss the adjustment needed, and I wouldn’t have thought of the guilt. Very interesting.
I am really looking forward to the Break-Up Book Club also. I am listening to Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby on audio courtesy of NetGalley. In print, I am reading An Amish Surprise by Shelley Shepard Gray.
I’ll be curious, Katherine, to know how Razorblade Tears is working for you as an audio. I read it, and loved it. It’s going on my list of favorites of the first half of 2021. But, I always wonder if it translates to audio.
Lesa, I am enjoying it. The same narrator did Blacktop Wasteland and I thought he did a fantastic with it. I am glad he came back for Razorblade.
Not much to report. I have been gardening more than usual, and I have allergies (normal for Santa Barbara). Which is why I forgot this was Thursday.
I read one book this week, BEL CANTO. I enjoyed it very much. Very sad ending. I had had the book a long time, so glad I finally got to it.
Now I have returned to one of my favorite vintage mystery authors, Patricia Wentworth and her Miss Silver series. I am reading SHE CAME BACK, published in 1945. About a woman who returns to England after her husband thought she died in France three years earlier, during the war.
Isn’t it nice to finish a book that has been waiting for you for quite a while, Tracy?
Oh, that’s okay! It’s Thursday all day, so we’re always interested in what you’re reading!
Tracy, I have heard those Patricia Wentworth books recommended very often – I have one or two of them myself, but I’ve never actually got round to them. The one I can see from here on my shelf is The Clock Strikes Twelve. Have you read that, and are there any you would especially recommend?
Rosemary, The Clock Strikes Twelve was the first Miss Silver book I read after I started blogging. I had read some of the books when I was younger but not for many years. I enjoyed it a lot. It has a World War II setting, and the characters are interesting. In that one Miss Silver doesn’t show up until in the middle of the book, and that happens fairly often in the series. It takes a while to set up the story. I think that book would be a fine place to start because if you like that one you will probably like others in the series.
It seems to me I have read a lot of Patricia Wentworth books in the last few years but really I haven’t. Only four or five. Another favorite is Miss Silver Deals with Death, which also has a World War II setting.
I tried to leave a link to my review but WordPress did not like that.
Thanks Tracy, that’s very helpful. What is the address of your blog? I would love to read it.
The title of my blog is Bitter Tea and Mystery.
It will not let me put in the address… I tried again. I have that problem with some but not all WordPress sites.
That’s great Tracy, I’ve found your blog! – what was the approxiate date of your review?
Sorry, cancel that – I’ve just found the search facility and found the post! I’ll read it later tonight.
It cooled down a lot from the weekend, but was still pretty warm. Supposed to get hot again. We’re already starting to get fires all over.
I read:
White Shark by Peter Benchley; a book where nothing quite works, but Benchley’s guilt over Jaws comes out in every page.
Guilty Not Guilty by Felix Francis; Not a lot of horse racing stuff, as a man’s depressed wife is found strangled, and he is the natural primary suspect. I feel like Felix is trying to get out of his father’s shadow, and not sure this really worked.
Amira by Michael Betley; I guess he lost his publisher for the Logan West books. This is a short story based in that universe, as the love interest of West’s side kick goes on a solo mission. Very exciting.
If She Dies by Erik Therme; When her daughter is killed by a drunk driver, and he only gets two years in jail, she starts stalking his daughter. When the daughter disappears, guess who everybody thinks done it?
Shutter by Melissa Larsen; A young woman goes to Maine with a cult movie director to make a film, and everybody gets in way over their heads. When she lets the director cut and dye her hair blonde, you know bad things are going to happen.
Toshiden: Exploring Japanese Urban Legends by Tara A. Devlin is just what it sounds like. I studied urban legends in college, and find them fascinating. I remember writing a report on the evidence of Paul McCartney’s alleged death. All these years later, and some people still think it’s an impostor singing Egypt Station.
Wet Work by Scott Harrington; Like one of those 80’s ninja movies starring Bruce Baron.
What an interesting collection of books this week, Glen. Shutter sounds awful (in a good way). Love the comment about Benchley and Jaws.
I hope the fire season isn’t too bad there. Stay safe!
Japanese Urban Myths sounds fascinating, and what a great subject to study in college. I do think McCartney is still with us (and still singing, though my husband would say ‘more’s the pity’ about that….)
I’d planned to have this all ready to go last night and just paste it in first thing this morning, but best laid plans…
Your new router will no doubt give you a better, stronger signal, which should make you happy. Hope so. It’s usually just a plug-in, turn on, reset deal.
Portland OR Is hot and getting hotter. Mid-80s yesterday and today, 90s tomorrow, triple digits Saturday through Tuesday. Then back to 90s. We’re at Moderate Drought level already and water restrictions are being discussed, probably by the end of the month. Arrrgh! The good news is the garden is in full bloom, especially the Roses like the heat. We have AC, thank goodness, but it means staying inside, which brings me to reading.
Rhys Bowen’s THE VENICE SKETCHBOOK was interesting and well-written, but I’m not a fan of jumping among time periods, which this does, beginning before WW1, then between the wars, then 2001, then back… I’d have liked it better if it had been told straight through, but the time jumps are a big part of the plot.
I read three more Thinking Machine stories, then A SOLITUDE OF WOLVERINES by Alice Henderson. It’s the beginning of a new series which has been compared to Nevada Barr, and I can see why. I liked it well enough, but not enough to get the next one coming out later this year, as there was too much ecological preaching for my taste.
I finished William Shaw’s SALT LANE, and had mixed feelings about the lead character, but have gone ahead and bought (no libraries seem to have his books!) the next in the series, DEADLAND.
The library has been slow to provide books I have on hold (I’m still waiting for WINTER COUNTS and THE ROSE CODE), so I’ve started A SEIGE OF BITTERNS by Steve Burrows, the first in his birding mysteries series featuring DCI Jejune, set In the Norfolk UK marshlands. Good so far.
Made Key Lime pie Tuesday, and there’s one slice left, which just might be lunch, along with a glass of sun tea. Lots of ice, please.
Rick, I am glad you are reading A SEIGE OF BITTERNS. I am interested in reading that also and I can wait and see what you think of it.
Richard, your weather sounds just awful to someone like me, to whom anything over 70 is torture! But how lovely to have roses. My mother used to grow them, but any time I have bought one it has not done well – too many greenfly, too much blackspot…they do seem to take a lot of work. I have sweet peas growing though, and I do so love the scent.
I have heard of those birdwatching mysteries but I’d forgotten the author’s name, so thank you for reminding me of that – I will write it down this time, they sound good.
Love the smell of Sweet Pea in bloom!
Oh, key lime pie! Mmmm.
I know you don’t usually have those temperatures. Not fun. and, drought sounds bad. Roses, though. My mother loves and has success with her roses.
You’re right. Your library is a little slow. I’m sorry, Richard.
Hello everyone, from a dampish Scotland. We have had some lovely sunny days, with a cool breeze – this morning I was walking around the fields and it was baking (by our standards,,,) but now the rain has started. It’s that drippy, neither-here-nor-there, sort that brings out all the midges, but at least it’s good for watering the garden, so I get an evening off from that one.
Our youngest daughter Madeleine was supposed to be coming to stay this week. She wanted to spend a couple of days with her best friend first. The friend, Imogen, had just been down to London to close up her student flat (she was at Central St Martin’s School of Art). Imogen has been so careful about covid all year, as her mother is currently undergoing chemotherapy. On Saturday Madeleine went over to their house. On Sunday one of Imogen’s London friends, whom she had seen while there, called to say she has tested positive. Both girls went to the testing centre. Madeleine tested negative but unfortunately Imogen was positive. So now both girls plus Imogen’s mother have to quarantine in their house for 10 days. So far only Imogen has symptoms, and she is staying in her room and using a separate bathroom, so she is doing all she can. I do feel so sorry for her. Luckily her Mum has already been double vaccinated, so that’s something. Now we just have to wait and see till next week, fingers firmly crossed. And Madeleine will come to see us later in July. Sometimes it does feel like this will never go away, doesn’t it?
Today I started Dana Stabenow’s Play with Fire, which is, I think, the fifth Kate Shugak mystery. I always enjoy this series; Stabenow is so good at describing life in the national park, but in a subtle, oblique way, so that you have to work at it.
In this book, Kate and her Vietnam veteran friend Bobby have gone mushroom picking near the small setllement of Chistona. A major forest fire the year before has led to a bumper crop of morels, and just about all the residents of the park are picking them to sell to markets and restaurants. Along the way they have hooked up with Dinah, a young film maker who’s picking to make some money for petrol. Chistona is in the grip of a fundamentalist pastor, who came to Chistona with his son and grandson some years before. The grandson, Matthew, asks Kate to find his father, Daniel Seabolt, who was a teacher at the local school and who got into trouble for teaching the children about dinosaurs and evolution. Daniel has not been seen since the previous summer, but no-one has reported him missing. When Kate and Dinah come across Daniel’s naked body in the forest, Kate soon becomes involved in the investigation – even though Matthew orders her to stop, and her on-off lover Jack Morgan wants her to leave it to the police. But the police believe Daniel died of natural causes, and of course Kate disagrees; she presses on, despite the creepy Pastor Simon Seabolt doing his best to intimidate her.
I also finished Mammon in Malmo, the Torquil MacLeod book I mentioned last week; the ending was, I thought, satisfying and I’ll read some more of this series (starting this time at the beginning instead of the end!)
On BBC Sounds I listened to a wonderful audiobook, In The Mountains by Elizabeth von Arnim. At the end of the First World War, an unnamed young English woman returns to her house in the Alps. She is grief stricken and shattered by the many losses she has suffered, and at first spends her time just lying on the grass, watching the clouds. But after a while she starts to feel lonely and uselss – then along come two sisters, also English. They say that they are on holiday, but are poor widows and can find nowhere to stay. They end up spending the night at the narrator’s house, and she invites them to become her guests for as long as she remains there herself (it’s not that much of a burden when you have servants!) The older sister, Kitty, is protective of the younger, Dolly, who seems far more light-hearted. The narrator enjoys their company, especially Dolly’s, and gradually she starts to work out what has happened to them, and what their real story must be. This is a short novella, beautifully written. Its themes are nature, healing, friendship and love. I enjoyed it very much.
I also listened to another Paul Temple mystery by Frances Durbridge, Paul Temple and the Gilbert Case. A young man has a row with her fiance outside a London theatre. The next day she is found murdered; one of her shoes is missing. The man, Howard Gilbert, is convicted of her murder and is in prison, waiting to be hanged (this was written in the 1950s), when the father of the dead girl visits Temple to tell him that he doesn’t believe Howard did it. There follows the usual story, with Paul Temple and his wife Steve running around the country, finding corpses, being shot at, etc, and liaising with Sir Graham Forbes of Scotland Yard (the Yard inevitably needing Temple’s help though he has no qualifications whatsoever for the job), until the villain is unmasked and Temple explains the convoluted plot to the police and Steve.
I quite like listening to this nonsense, but I do bristle at the patronising way in which Paul treats Steve (ie as a total dimwit whose only real areas of expertise are buying hats and lunching out) and the very similar way in which Steve talks down to their manservant, Charlie. However, this is 1950s’ England; the Temples are wealthy, women are not expected to have a brain, and one simply has to suspend both disbelief and political correctness to enjoy these things! (The other thing we notice these days, I think, is how much they all drink! And smoke. And of course there is no issue whatsoever with drink driving – after all, only posh people can afford cars, and *they* can’t possibly be affected by their constant intake of sherry, gin and tonics, whisky and sodas….)
I also finally finished my review of Artemis Cooper’s biography of Elizabeth David – then I had so much trouble with Blogger when I tried to post it. I know you abandoned Blogger in the end Lesa, and I am sorely tempted, but I don’t know anyone to ask to design a website for me. My problem this time was that whenever I tried to see a preview, the whole thing locked up – I couldn’t even move away from the site, as it froze so that even the mouse would not work. I don’t think it was a problem with the actual computer, as once I finally did get out of Blogger, everything else worked fine. In the end it turned my entire draft into HTML and would not let me change it back. My husband had a look at it but he couldn’t understand what its problem was either. Fortunately when I pressed ‘publish’ it did publish the post in ‘normal’ English, but from now on I will prepare drafts in Word, as I would have been furious if I’d lost all of that work.
I’ve just seen the time, and I haven’t even thought about dinner yet. So I’ll leave you all in peace. Have a good week – and Jeff, and Sharon, have great visits!
Rosemary
Oh, Rosemary. So disappointing for you that you can’t see your daughter. But, how worrying for Imogene and her mother. I agree with you. It feels as if it will never be over. I did buy a ticket to a Christmas program today. I’ve been fully vaccinated, and I’m hoping everything is okay.
You’re right. Blogger just got to me. I reached the point where I couldn’t get most things to work for me. I wasted too much time working on it. I hope you can get it to work for you again.
I love to read your comments about the books I’ve never heard of. Thank you for sharing them. I love the discovery!
Good luck with dinner!
There are always so many great books discussed here! Today I finished up Death in the Rectory after reading about it one Thursday. First I read the other books in the series in order, which was very satisfying. I am also reading and enjoying Alison Bechdel’s latest. Good luck with the new modem!
Oh, the old modem just died. The tech took care of installing the new one, but he had to work with them on the other end of the phone, taking old numbers off and adding the new equipment. It wasn’t just a plug-in, but I’m all set.
I’m so glad, Trisha, that you’re finding new books to read!
You’re not the only one with computer woes this week, I’m sad to share. My hard drive crashed entirely. Since it was an old machine and entirely too slow, Bill decided to treat me with a whole new laptop! Lovely but now I have the tedious task of making it mine. At the pace I’m going, I may be doing this all summer!
Oh, I think that’s great, Sandie, that you have a new laptop. I know it will take time to get what you want, though. Good luck!
Just finished “Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch,” by Rivka Galchen, which I cannot recommend highly enough! Read it way too fast. Started “The Other Black Girl,” but had to put it aside because I’ve got a deadline approaching for a review of “All’s Well,” by Mona Awad (and that looks like it’ll be fun too). Don’t even ask about my TBR pile!
Oh, I know what you mean, Clea. I also know what you mean about reading a book way too fast. I stayed up last night and read the entire Break-Up Book Club. Great characters. Actually, it’s good I only worked until 12:30 today. I might have fallen asleep at my desk.