Pandemic. Fires and smoke, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes. Wyoming had snow. Pestilence is next. I’m more concerned with all of you. I know some of you are dealing with the fires and smoke. How is everyone? This week, I’m available to catch up with all of you. I’m back from visiting my family in Ohio.
This week, I can talk about the book I’m reading. I’m moderating the mystery panel for Library Journal‘s Day of Dialog next Friday morning. Five authors are talking about their 2021 forthcoming books. Right now, I’m reading a fun one, S.J. Bennett’s debut adult mystery, The Windsor Knot. There’s a murder at Windsor Castle, and the 90-year-old Queen Elizabeth II is the amateur sleuth. I’ve only read the first three chapters, but it’s witty. I’m enjoying it. It’s a March release.
(Until I get the hang of this stupid new blogger format, you might see images in odd places.)
Anyways, please tell us what you’re reading. And, even more important, let us know how you’re doing.
Pretty good. Today is Jackie's birthday. Glad you got to see your family and had a good visit.
I read Carl Hiaasen's new book, SQUEEZE ME, which was fast and fun and very entertaining, despite the appearance of a certain President addicted to tanning beds.
I read Laurie Colwin's first short story collection, PASSION AND AFFECT, and I'm reading her second, THE LONE PILGRIM, now. Also reading Joe Hill's first collection of horror stories, 20th CENTURY GHOST. I've read his more recent ones but was finally able to get this one (online came first) from the library.
SHADOWS OF THE DEAD was the third Magnus "Steps" Craig book by Spencer Kope, and I liked it despite it being a serial killer book. It probably helped that the killer was offstage the whole book, rather than having to watch his crimes. Steps technically "died" in the woods when he was 8, and when he was revived he could see a "shine" left by people – which helps him follow and capture (with his FBI partner Jimmy Donovan) killers. The villains are dastardly but the books are fast reads and Steps and Jimmy are good people.
Currently reading Jo Nesbo's third Insp. Harry Hole book, REDBREAST, the first actually set in Norway. I just started it last night but it involves World War II and Norway's shameful accommodation with the Nazis.
The weather in NJ hasn’t been to bad other than the smoke from the west coast fires which is bothering my allergies.
I read PSYCHIC DREAMS by Elizabeth Hunter. A paranormal mystery set in a small town in California.
An ARC of CANDY SLAIN MURDER by Maddie Day. I enjoyed this one a lot more than the last since this book is set back at Robbie’s restaurant.
I’m about halfway through ONE FOR THE BOOKS by Jenn McKinlay. I feel like the upcoming wedding is taking up a lot of the book and the mystery is taking second place.
We are socked in with fog this morning and it was only 55 degrees on my walk. Perfect walking weather.
This week I finished THE FALCON ALWAYS WINGS TWICE by Donna Andrews. It took place at a Renaissance Faire. I really enjoyed it-there weren't all the shirt tail relatives to have to keep track of and the mystery was fairly straight forward. It was my favorite book to finish this week.
Next I read ONE FOR THE BOOKS by Jenn McKinlay. Nice to see Sully and Lindsey tie the knot. I don't think I enjoyed it as much as you, Lesa but it was a for me a nice ending to the series. I am not sure I would continue if there are more in the series.
Despite all the glowing "best book of the year so far" and 5 star reviews on Goodreads and bookstagram, I gave up on 28 SUMMERS by Elin Hilderbrand when Jake when proposed to his lawyer girlfriend. I wanted Mallory to have some self respect, It didn't make any sense to me why she and Jake could not be together. Everybody is different in their reading tastes.
Now I am reading THE LAST BATHING BEAUTY by Amy Sue Nathan. So far so good!
So glad you got to visit your Mom and sisters, Lesa. Today is two years since I lost my Mom.
Happy Reading!
Jeff, Please wish Jackie a happy birthday for me. I hope she has a great day.
It sounds like a good reading week. And, I'm so happy the two of you are doing pretty good. Hugs to both of you!
That smoke is just so weird, Sandy. You're the second person to mention it. I haven't noticed it here, but we're overcast due to our regular weather. We're probably going to receive rain from the storms down south.
I'm with you. I'm happier with my book series when the characters stay home.
Nope, Sharon. Louise Penny's The Devils Are All Here is the best book I've read this year. I may or may not read 28 Summers, but I know it won't surpass Penny's book.
It did feel as if Jenn was ending the series, didn't it?
Believe it or not, the smoke has made it all the way to New York via the jet stream. Fortunately for us, it is at 25-30,000 feet, but it is providing a layer of light haze over the sun that has kept the temperatures down about five degrees from original predictions (not that that's a bad thing). It will finally be pushed out tomorrow.
I've seen close-up pictures of Portland from my brother and a friend and it is really bad, and scary.
I agree, Jeff. So sad.
We've had a lot of smoke and haze lately (I'm in northern California) so I haven't been able to read in the morning on my covered patio. But yesterday was a brief exception. Air quality was back to moderate, so I took advantage of it. Today, back to unhealthy for sensitive groups. Higher winds will blow some of that away this weekend, but it could also ignite or spread fires.
In Beth O'Leary's second engaging novel, THE SWITCH, Eileen (late 70s) and her granddaughter Leena (late 20s) are both facing crossroads in their lives. Eileen's husband has cheated and left her, so she is looking to meet and date a new man (or men), although the pickings are sparse in her small English town. Leena had a major meltdown at work in London, where she is a high-level consultant, and is forced to take two months of paid leave to figure out how to finally deal with the death of her younger sister from cancer and the estrangement from her mother. Leena pays her grandmother a much-delayed visit, and they ultimately decide to temporarily switch lives. Leena will take on Eileen's motley group of friends and projects, while Eileen meets Leena's roommates and coworkers and ventures into the dating world. It's a great setup for a fun and fulfilling story.
In WHAT YOU WISH FOR by R.L. Maizes, Samantha, the librarian at a progressive, creative elementary school considers its founders the closest thing she has to parents. But when her surrogate father drops dead, the couple's officious son, who is chairman of the board of the school, chooses a coworker of Sam's at an earlier school job as the new principal. Sam knew Duncan as a goofy, fun-loving type on whom she’d had a big unrequited crush, and she’s worried she won’t be able to handle the new proximity. But Duncan has changed in a big way. He doesn’t seem to recognize her, and he wastes no time dismantling most of what makes the school fun and unique in order to bolster the school’s security measures. When Sam discovers what has led to the change in Duncan, she and her coworkers embark on a project to change him back into what he used to be. I enjoyed this much more than Center's last book.
When animals are hurting, veterinary student La La hurts as well in R.L. Maizes' fiction debut, OTHER PEOPLE'S PETS. That makes her an animal empath, definitely a boon for someone seeking a career working with animals. But La La has a difficult family life. Her mother abandoned her because she never really wanted children, and her father is a locksmith by day, a house burglar by night. He took La La along on some of his burglaries when she was a child, and she learned his skills. He says he's gone straight, but when he is caught burglarizing yet another house and causing an elderly inhabitant to have a stroke, La La needs money to pay for an expensive lawyer. She knows she can earn what she needs stealing jewelry and the like, but she will need to drop out of school, and her fiance may not be able to deal with the situation. It's an interesting story, but a bleak one, and I wanted to yell at La La not to even think about jeopardizing her plans and her very life. I couldn't really relate to her, which was disappointing.
Correction: WHAT YOU WISH FOR is by Katherine Center, not R.L. Maizes.
Hi Lesa
Your new book sounds interesting – I have read the Alan Bennett one about the Queen coming across a mobile library and starting to borrow books, 'The Uncommon Reader', but I have yet to read one about her becoming a detective!
I have just finished 'The Future Homemakers of America' by Laurie Graham, which I loved. You've probably already seen it, it's not new. It begins on an American Air Force base in the Fens (remote part of East Anglia) in the Cold War, and follows five of the military wives and one of the local women through the next 30+ years of their lives, when most of the American girls are back in the US. It is well written, easy to read, and has some great plot lines. I found all the characters very convincing too.
And I had no idea the Future Homemakers of America was actually a thing, a club girls could join in senior school. I thought my all-girls school was bad enough – but 'future homemakers'?!!! It reminded me a little bit of that teacher in Mona Lisa Smile, who explains to the girls how to cope if their husband is landed with hosting a dinner party for two couples who hate each other or something. (That's where the similarities end, the book is definitely not about girls from Wellesley!)
Now I have just started a Katie Fforde book 'A French Affair' – Katie is usually good for a bit of light romance reading.
Our weather here has been mostly good. This morning I went into town for my flu injection and when I got back it was glorious sunshine, so I walked by the river for a while. The rest of the week has disappeared somehow! I attended a local art exhibition – it was good to go to a 'real' thing again, and it was held in the ballroom of a local hotel, which was a very nice venue.
I am so sorry for all the people having those terrible fires.
Rosemary
Margie, I worried about you. Take care of yourself. I know you will.
I have The Switch, and, someday, I'll get to it.
Sending hugs!
Rosemary, I am enjoying this book so much. I read "The Uncommon Reader" when it first came out. Funny, this book mentions that the queen reads as well. She's read Dick Francis (of course) & spy novels.
I wonder if I read The Future Homemakers of America. It sounds so familiar. Oh, yes, FHA was a high school group in the U.S.
I love Katie Fforde. You're right. Such good light romance.
A walk. An art exhibition. It sounds almost normal!
Sounds like everyone is doing okay and reading some good stuff.
I've read some very good books this past week:
The Paris Secret by Natasha Lester (one your mom will like, Lesa)
The French Widow by Mark Pryor
The Sweet Taste of Muscadines by Pamela Terry (ARC)
The Chocolatier by Jan Moran
The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux by Samantha Verant
Vanessa Yu’s Magical Paris Tea Shop by Roselle Lim
Excellent, every one and I feel good about recommending them.
Donald and I ventured out on Monday and got our flu shots. It's earlier than usual for us to do this but we wanted to make sure we were able to get the enhanced vaccine. It was an easy process; made our appointment on-line, drove up and called the pharmacist and someone (masked) came out and gave us our shots curbside.
Take care, guys – stay safe.
And Lesa? I agree about Louise's book. It's going to be tough to beat this year
Kaye, I know I'm on hold for the last two on your list – The Secret French Recipes and Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop. Now that you said they're all excellent, I can't wait! I'll let my Mom know about The Paris Secret.
I'm glad you had curbside flu shots & I'm happy you two got them early!
Stay safe, Kaye. Love to you, Donald & Annabelle!
Work is stressing me out. I'm not sleeping, I'm yelling at my monitors. This week has been ugly.
And the new Blogger format is not helping. I spent forever last night fighting with the formatting of today's blog post and I finally gave up. I'm sure no one else cares, but it is slightly off, and I know it.
Reading is one of the only things keeping me sane right now. Today, I should be finishing off DYING IN A WINTER WONDERLAND, the newest Year-Round Christmas mystery from Vicki Delaney. It's my third Christmas themed mystery in a row, and I might be slipping a few Christmas songs in with the rest of my music right now as a result.
Mark, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry about your work, the stress and not sleeping.
However, I can totally relate with the new Blogger format. I hate it as well, and I think I've told them that 3 times, not that they care. I think my Treasures in the Closet post will be a mess this month unless I can get it figured out. Most of my posts take 2 tries, and I give up on the placement of the images. That's the real mess for me. So, I'm sorry for you. I do care. And, those of us who want our blogs to look good all care.
Thank heavens for Christmas mysteries and music. I haven't started reading them yet, but I've been ordering them for the library for the last 2 days.
I'd say take care of yourself, but I know it's rough when work and blogging aren't cooperating. Sending hugs. That's all I can do.
Today was the best day in a week for air quality here in Long Beach, CA. Ocean breeze should keep helping.
I finished ATDAH and I agree best book of 2020. Fantastic! Currently reading the new Vera book by Ann Cleves. Love Vera, Pet.
Received Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith (JKR). It is huge. I can barely pick it up. 900 pages. That will take a minute or two to read.I also read the Guest Book by Lucy Foley. I liked it. The characters were relatable.
Stay safe.
Oh, I love Vera, too, DJ. I have the new book, but haven't had a chance to read it yet. I have hopes for this weekend! I like your phrasing – "Love Vera, Pet."
Enjoy your several minutes with Troubled Blood!
Currently (and happily) about a quarter of the way into ATDAH, and it certainly doesn't disappoint.
I'm well enough, but cranky.
Oh, Cyranetta. Sorry about the crankiness. At least you have a good book. And, I hope the crankiness passes.
Thanks for doing this, Lesa, and thanks to your readers for their suggestions.
As to Mark’s comment – I hear ya brother. New Blogger is a pain.
You're welcome, Elgin. Happy to have you here. And, yes. The new Blogger is a pain.
I'm in pretty much the same boat as Margie. Occasionally, the isn't unhealthy for a couple of hours.
This week I read one physical book:
A Crime of Poison by Nancy Haddock; The usual female sleuth gets involved in the usual small town murder. At least the pets aren't too annoying.
On the kindle I read a couple of fantasies I've already forgotten about.
I've been thinking of you, too, Glen, because I read last week's post when you mentioned the air. I'm sorry. Take care of yourself. It's just not good for you, I know.
Even here in New England we are having hazy sunshine from the West Coast fires. I am about finished A Murder in Time. I had to adjust to it's slower pace, but I like the lead character and will give the 2nd book in the series a try as it sounds even more interesting. I received the newest J D Robb Shadows in Death from the library and it fast-paced and so far so "in Death". I decided to start the Alex Delaware series by Jonathan Kellerman from the beginning and am reading book #1. I have never read that one. I also read cookbooks in between the others too.
Gram, It never even occurred to me until everyone said it that our hazy mornings were from the fires. I've been trying not to watch the news, so I guess my head was stuck down that ostrich hole.
Oh, Kaye Barley has read every one of those "In Death" books, and loves them. It's always good to have a new series waiting.
Take care of yourself.
Thanks Lesa! You take care as well.