I’ve been grumpy this week. Fortunately, I vented to a friend, so I don’t have to tell you all the reasons I’m out of sorts. But, I’m never out of sorts when we get to talk about books.
I hope you’re in a better mood than I am, but if you’re not, feel free to vent here. We all need someone to listen. Thinking of some of you like Mark. How are you this week? Are you all okay?
What are you reading this week? I’m reading Meg Cabot’s romantic comedy, No Offense. Like her previous novel, No Judgments, it’s set on Little Bridge Island in South Florida. This time, it features a children’s librarian and the local sheriff. Molly Montgomery, the children’s librarian, finds an abandoned baby in the restroom. The sheriff sees it as a crime, and he’s going to look for the mother. Molly believes the woman must need help. Will their differences override their mutual attraction?
Good morning. I hope whatever’s making you grumpy goes away soon.
My mom who’s 93 has been having an inner ear problem that was making her dizzy and she fell on Monday so I’ve been dealing with that all week. At least this time she only bruised her leg and didn’t wind up in the hospital. Her leg is feeling better today and I got her to try Flonase which seems to have cleared up her sinuses and helped with her dizziness. Since I’ve been mostly stuck in the house I got a lot of reading done.
A NIGHT IN THE LONESOME OCTOBER by Roger Zelazny. Jack The Ripper and his dog Snuff (who narrates the book) are trying to save the world. Along the way the meet Frankenstein, Dracula, Sherlock Holmes and other literary characters.
TEA AND TREACHERY by Vicki Delany. I feel like I’ve read a lot of tea shop cozies lately but I like her writing style and characters so I enjoyed this one.
A DARK TRAVELING by Roger Zelazny. A YA book about parallel worlds. This one felt more like the idea for a book than a complete book.
BEWITCHED by Darynda Jones. A Paranormal Women’s Fiction story about a 44 year old who finds out she’s a powerful witch. This is the second book in a series. If you haven’t read or don’t remember the first book it won’t make any sense.
THE UNLIKELY THRU-HIKER by Derrick Lugo. It’s the memoir of a man from New York City who’s never hiked or gone camping but decides to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. It was interesting.
Hi Lesa
You should always feel free to vent! Or if you want to DM me or message me I'm here! I've just been venting at great length to another friend in the US – I don't think she'll mind (fingers crossed…) Politics, families…it was all in there!
Having so much enjoyed the Mary Stewart novel I read, I have to say i am struggling with the Katie Fforde. You'd think it would be an easy read, and it is, so maybe I'm just not in the right frame of mind, but it is so predictable. Single PR exec Gina finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her and has also taken her money, so she moves back to the countryside near her artsy sister (married to another ditsy artist, beautiful blond little twins…). The two of then receive a letter written to them by their Bohemian aunt before she died, asking them to take over her stall in an antiques centre. They go to meet the owner/manager of the centre, who is – surprise! – tall, dark, handsome and (of course) Troubled. He says the aunt asked him to teach the women how to deal in antiques, so he'll have to (far too grumpy actually to want to.) And need I tell you this guy has an adorable Irish wolfhound called Oscar? And that Gina is determined not to get involved with another man ever again? I'm sure you can guess the rest….I see that some reviewers have said that Fforde's early books were better – I feel the same about Joanna Trollope's and Jilly Cooper's. I wonder if publishers start to pressurise their successful authors to churn things out fast and to stick to the same thinly disguised plots?
Sandy, I also have a 93 year old mother with balance problems, though hers are more long term. It's a worry. I do hope your mother feels better soon.
Rosemary
Thanks Rosemary. She’s feeling a lot better this morning. I hope your mom does well.
Sandy, It's kind of odd about all the tea shop cozies. I certainly don't see tea shops themselves popping up here, but, then Evansville is always 5-10 years behind. So maybe sometime in the future. But, we do have 4 doughnut shops within a 2 mile radius. I like Vicki Delany's writing, too. As a matter of fact, I'm reading the next Sherlock Holmes one right now.I'll have to try the new series.
I hope your mother feels better soon.
Thank you, Rosemary. I may take you up on that someday.
You're right about Katie Fforde's books. Although I like them, they did start to feel the same. I still love her book, Love Letters, though. I own that one. Books & a book fair and Ireland. That one spoke to my heart. I agree, though. I don't think publishers want authors to break out of a groove.
I've just been feeling really rushed this week. I didn't get anything done last weekend, when my older son was visiting and we did a lot of stuff with our immediate family (6 of us)–which was wonderful, I'm not complaining–and on Monday, when I made a 2-hour drive to get my hair cut. So I've been catching up with Toastmasters, my Sisters in Crime newsletter, a family cookbook my sister-in-law originated, cleaning, and the like. Now it'll be Bouchercon for the next 2 days! But I did manage to do some reading.
I re-read THE READERS OF THE BROKEN WHEEL RECOMMEND by Katarina Bivald for a book club and enjoyed it once again, but perhaps not quite as much as the first time around. And I'm sure that's because of the state of the world right now. I am less tolerant of things that might have otherwise seemed charming. Sara left Sweden after losing her job to meet and spend time talking about books and learning about the tiny, dying town of Broken Wheel, Iowa with her elderly pen pal, Amy, only to find that Amy had died before she arrived. The townspeople urged her to stay at Amy's house and even to open a bookshop with Amy's books (although she couldn't work for money because of her visa category). They tried to push her toward Tom, but there was resistance on both sides. The whole idea of the book shop and what happens in the end with Tom seems unlikely and, therefore, was not all that satisfying (to me).
HIS ONLY WIFE by Peace Adzo Media has been compared to Crazy Rich Asians, but I don't buy it. In Ghana, beautiful seamstress Afi and her mother are impoverished when her father dies and have to rely on their family for support. Eli is a successful, handsome businessman, but his family is upset by his refusal to give up his unsuitable Liberian girlfriend and their young child. A match between Afi and Eli would solve two problems. Yes, there is a lavish wedding, but Eli can't be bothered to attend and sends his brother to sit in for him. What follows is Afi's new life as a wealthy woman who attends design school and dreams of opening her own boutique, while Eli houses her in one of his many homes and drops in when he feels like it. There isn't much plot here, and while the book has a high rating on Amazon, I feel the few hours I spent reading it were wasted time.
Fredrik Backman is a major talent who surprises with every release. In ANXIOUS PEOPLE, a would-be bank robber fails in a robbery attempt when it turns out to be a no-cash bank and, wielding a gun and wearing a ski mask, inadvertently runs into an apartment where several prospective buyers are participating in an open house. It turns into a hostage situation, and a father-and-son pair of policemen are called in to make sure no one is hurt and the criminal apprehended. In the process, much is revealed about the robber, the policemen, the real estate agent, and the hostages. It must be said that most of the hostages come off as superficial and annoying when interviewed by police after the situation has ended, but their stories evolve throughout the book, as does the story of the policemen. There is also an important connection to a bridge visible from the window of the apartment. Hard to avoid spoilers, so I'll just say that some of the characters wore on me a bit, but the resolution of the story made it all worthwhile.
You know you can always vent my way, Lesa. It has been an odd week and I am out of sorts too.
I also think if the television is supposed to be "smart" it should know that I already voted and thus just go with a beach scene or some other nature scene during all political ads. Between those ads, the robo calls, and all the mailings, a lot of money is being wasted trying to get my vote that was already cast.
Anyway, I finished one that I have to write a review on and I am too lazy to get up and make absolutely sure about that title. So, I will close with saying I am now reading CODE FOUR by Frank Zafiro and Colin Conway. The book is due to be published early next month.
Oh, and the new book in the Walt Longmire series awaits me when I go brave the curbside pickup at my library. That place is also a early voting location and I do not want to deal with the swarms of campaign propagandists that come up to the car and harass one for the vote.
First – a hug.
Next – books. I finished V. E. Schwab's "The Invisible World of Addie LaRue." I loved it, but it's not a book everyone is going to love as much as I did. I'm a pushover for this type of magical realism/historical fantasy book so I knew I was going to sink right in. The dual timeline was very well done and interesting to this historical fiction fan. Addie is a strong, sympathetic character. People are immediately drawn to her but as soon as she walks out the door – they forget her. She's clever enough to figure out a way to leave her own mark on the world and I was fascinated by her.
And now I'm reading another magical realism novel; an ARC. "The Memory Collectors" by Kim Neville. Two women who share an ability that affects them differently – feeling emotions through objects – meet and a very twisty journey for the two of them begins.
Magical realism seems to be my escape hatch right now. That and having good sister-friends to vent with.
xxoo
Kevin, I think you'll enjoy the Longmire. I did.
We're doing OK this week. Just made a trip downtown to Trader Joe's, where we spent $75 for the first time ever. The line was surprisingly long for Senior Hour, but that was mainly due to social distancing.
A friend recommended a first novel (can't remember if you read this one) by 70 year old Anne Youngson, MEET ME AT THE MUSEUM. It is a charming epistolary novel about a farm wife in England and a widowed museum curator in Denmark, whose correspondence maybe blooms into something more. It reminded me a little of 84, CHARING CROSS ROAD, and that was a real favorite.
Also reading FUNERAL IN THE FOG, a collection of Simon Ark short stories by the late Edward D. Hoch. Ark is an interesting character (though not nearly my favorite of Hoch's many series characters), as he sometimes claims to be 2000 years old, and he is always looking for Satan. The "impossible" stories here tend to have a supernatural theme, though each has a rational explanation in the end. One has a man claiming the Devil is trying to kill him after he saw a woman strangled by an invisible hand. Another has a knife disappear after it was thrown at someone in 1755, only to turn up in the same room 225 years later, in the neck of a victim.
I did finish and (mostly) enjoy Stephen Graham Jones's THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS, mentioned previously.
Feel better!
Margie – I read The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend last year and I got really fed up with it even then! Predictable, and also ridiculous. I do know it's fiction but it just pushed the boundaries of what could really be expected to happen far too far for me. Just open a bookshop, tell people who never open a book what to read – and hey presto, success, and romance, and money as well. Hummpf.
Kevin – I had no idea US voters could be hassled at the door of the polling station. We have VERY strict rules about that here – the party faithful are allowed to stand there with their posters, but that is all, anything else would be harassment unless the voter engaged with them first. They are also allowed to ask people leaving the station for their polling card – this is the card we get sent with our voter number on, it has absolutely NO information about how we voted. The reason they want these is that they have lists of people who have already, voluntarily, told them they will be voting for them. Later in the day, party supporters do what used to be called 'knocking up' (maybe an unfortunate term now!), when supporters will call on those committed people and ask them to make sure they vote before the stations close. If they have the numbers of the people who have already voted, they can cross them off their lists, as whatever those people voted for, they can't vote twice, so there is no point in reminding them. But that is it – no other engagement is allowed unless, as I say, the voters want to ask them questions or chat to them – it must not be initiated by the party activists. Where I vote is very quiet and untroubled, but at larger inner city stations there will be a police officer posted outside if they think it might be necessary. I don't think there often is though. In the Scottish Independence Referendum in 2014 many people were not able to vote because they arrived late, had to queue, and the time for closing came before they had got in. Very frustrating, but they really should have gone earlier, the stations are open very long hours (we can only vote in person on the day, if you can't or don't want to vote in person you can apply for a postal or a proxy vote; the postal ones can be returned any day up to the time the stations close, so you can send them in well in advance.)
Rosemary
Thanks for thinking of me. I'm actually doing okay today. I vented to several friends on Tuesday night. Yesterday, I found out we are getting help which should make the new demands from management easier to meet. I'm hopefully that the light at the end of the tunnel isn't a train.
I'm working on MURDER COMES TO CALL by Jessica Ellicott. I'm enjoying it as always with this series.
Margie! I hope you enjoy Bouchercon.
I think a lot of us have a low tolerance nowadays, and that's why it's sometimes hard to find anything worth finishing. I understand. Sounds as if you're really busy, too. Great, but that also makes it hard to concentrate. Hugs!
Kevin, I don't have a smart TV, but I agree. I voted. Now, all those adds and robocalls should know it, and disappear. I like your idea. It sounds as if the Scots have the right idea, according to Rosemary. Quit calling!
I do have one thing going for me. I have a landline, but I never figured out how to get the new phone to work. So, most of my robocalls go to that phone, which never even rings. Anyone I really want to talk to has my cell number.
Jeff's right. You're going to enjoy the Longmire when you get a chance to get it.
Thank you, Kaye! I'll always take a hug. I'm glad you liked Addie Larue. I want to read it, but there are a lot of people waiting at the library, so I'm going to bring my copy back and go back on the waiting list. It makes the bestseller list one of these upcoming Sundays, so others will be waiting, too.
Magical realism is a perfect escape right now!
Jeff, I know I mentioned Meet Me at the Museum when it first came out, but I never had the chance to read it. I took it back so others could read it. I agree with you. 84, Charing Cross Road is still a favorite. I may have to try that again sometime.
Tell Jackie I said hi. Wish we had a Trader Joe's, even though the lines and the parking can get bad.
Rosemary, Unlike Kevin, I've never been hassled. Actually, they're supposed to stay a certain distance away from the polling places. But, your methods sound so much more reasonable than ours.
Mark, I'm so glad to hear you're going to be getting help. I seriously was worried about you. Take care of yourself. And, I'm glad you vented to friends. Sometimes, just telling someone helps me.
I liked the first Jessica Ellicott. I just haven't found my way back.
Lesa, our Trader Joe's is on a major street (two, actually) with street parking. It was a bank for many years, and earlier was the site of a fort in the Revolutionary War. We have alternate side parking still, but in that neighborhood it starts at 9:30 am on Thursdays. By getting there before 9:00 there are several free spots, as people have moved to the "right" side of the street, and by getting to the store before 9 am, we avoided the lines out in the street waiting to get it.
Street smart Brooklynites need to know how to work the system.
I love it, Jeff!
This week I only read one book, ANXIOUS PEOPLE by Fredrik Bachman because we were visiting Knoxville, TN. So much was tourist type things were closed due to Covid. It was just weird being in a state where masks are optional. People acted like there was no virus in Tennessee. We ended up coming home a day early to get back in our comfort zone.
I agree with what much of Margie said about it. It was interestingly written and lots of pieces to keep straight but there were some real nuggets of wisdom in it.
I read MEET ME AT THE MUSUEM first came out and liked it very much.
Now I am reading THE SECRETS OF LOVE STORY BRIDGE by Phaedra Patrick.
We drove to the County Board of Elections to drop off our absentee ballot today. It was just crazy-the line snaked all the way around the building. Fortunately they were well organized directing traffic and we were able to hand our ballot to a volunteer and watch them place it in the drop off box before pulling out. This election cannot come soon enough.
Happy Reading!
I agree with you, Sharon, that the election can't come soon enough. I'm ready.
I'd feel weird being in a place where masks are optional, too. I'm afraid when some of our cleaning people come in our department without masks, I snap at them. We have a sign on our door saying you must wear a mask in this department. And, our Director says it in every speech he makes. Some men here just won't listen.
I really need to read Meet Me at the Museum sometime.
I think you will like it a lot, Lesa. Try it. I am always inclined to like books written in letters, as this is, anyway.
One of the Trader Joe's associates told an older woman (gently) that she needed to pick her mask up so it covered her nose and mouth, which she did (why do some people think protecting their chin is enough?). but in general it was much, much better downtown than it is around here (which isn't bad). I don't think we saw anyone without a mask even people walking alone on the street.
I am, too, Jeff. I like those novels.
I am currently listening to Past Due for Murder by Victoria Gilbert on audio. In print , I am reading The Librarian of Boone's Hollow by Kim Vogel Sawyer.
Ah, book-related books, katstev. I hope you're enjoying them.
I read Meet Me at the Museum when it came out, and I gave it a pretty high rating (my own rating system). Anne Youngson has a new book coming out in January called Narrowboat Summer, and I'm looking forward to it.
I don't try to go to Trader Joe's during senior hours. I find that anytime in the morning works well–parking available, short lines. Of course, I've only been to the one in my new town once (I happened to see it when I was returning from another store), but the same was true of the one in my old town. The only thing I don't like about Trader Joe's (and I would never do my regular grocery shopping there) is that you never know what you will find, especially if you are looking for something in particular. I was thrilled to find my favorite scallops in mushroom sauce last time so I bought 4 bags!
I have to admit I only ever went to Trader Joe's looking for treats, so I never went with anything in mind. I always spent more than I intended.
Ever since Governor Newsom said that you should pull up your mask between bites while eating with your family, I've actually noticed fewer people wearing masks. A bridge too far, I guess.
I read:
French Kiss by Eric Van Lustbader; EVL tried to recreate lightning in a bottle, but I think he misjudged his audience here. Everybody wanted the MIA's back at that time.
Murder-His and Hers by the Collins; Fairly good collection of short stories, of the kind that might show up in Night Gallery.
The Hunting Wind by Steve Hamilton; Alex McKnight helps an old friend find an old girlfriend, only to learn that everybody is lying to him.
Roses and Radicals by Susan Zimet; Supposedly a history of how women got the vote. I think she knocked this out over a long weekend.
Dragon's Trail; Earth man goes to a medieval planet, hack and slash ensues.
Son't Let Go by Harlan Coben; A cop is still mourning the teenage death of his twin brother and the runaway of his girlfriend 15 years later, and gets caught up in a case that goes back to that time. Does anybody really graduate high school and leave it behind anymore?
Make It Burn, Make it Scream by Leslie Jamison; A collection of essays that demonstrate how 90's rom-coms almost ruined another Ivy Leaguer's life.
Less a, I’m hoping by now you’re feeling better.
I stopped reading GRANT not quite half in, will get back to it. Moved on to THE CONSTANT GOD by Rufus King, a real oldie. It was interesting, but dated. Since, I’m reading mostly short stories, including a collection titled THRILLING STORIES OF THE RAILWAYS, which I learned of from the Pretty Sinister blog. Again, quite old, but entertaining when we need such.
Now I’m attempting to finish up some short story anthologies that I discovered have been sitting with bookmarks in them; so unfinished. Do you ever do that?
Yes, Glen, it sounds like the governor went a little too far for most people. I find it interesting that the best book you read, as well as some others, was a collection of short stories. Do you think it’s because we're all having a hard time concentrating?
Thanks, Rick. Not as grumpy today.
Yes, I do that, especially with anthologies. If I leave a bookmark in a novel or nonfiction title, I eventually give up. But, I tend to quit for a while because stories tend to run together. I have a couple collections of noir stories. I can only read so many dark stories at a time. Then, I need a break. I'll get back to them.
Lesa, That's a good theory about short stories. I think there is at least some truth to it.
Maybe so, Glen. I know I wouldn't have read nearly as many books as I have this year if I wasn't reviewing books for Library Journal. I just can't always concentrate.