I have a full day of meetings today, so I’ll be catching up with you here and there. But, let’s talk about what we’re reading this week.
I’ve often said I learn more from fiction titles and mysteries than I learn from nonfiction books. Case in point, C.M. Gleason’s January release, Murder at the Capitol. It’s the third Lincoln’s White House mystery. But, what’s fascinating is the setting. It’s set in July, 1861 in Washington, D.C. I never really thought of D.C. as a small town, filled with southerners. It was a town with only twenty-five constables. Then, tens of thousands of Union troops massed there, with nothing really to do before the first battles of the Civil War. This mystery has made me think of D.C. as it was, rather than as the city I know.
So, what are you reading this week? Before we get into the rush of holidays, I hope you’ve found some books to enjoy. Please tell us about them.
Yes, Washington during the Civil War was quite an interesting place. I recommend Margaret Leech's REVEILLE IN WASHINGTON 1860-1865. It won the 1942 Pulitzer Prize for History. I have a 1980 trade paperback edition.
Current reading? I raced through the latest Michael Connelly, THE NIGHT FIRE, with Harry Bosch and Renee Ballard, plus occasional appearances from Harry's brother Mickey Haller. It took a little while to come together but then the 400 pages sped by.
I think I mentioned SECRET SERVICE by Tom Bradby last week, finished last Thursday. This I followed with Ken Bruen's GALWAY GIRL, latest in his Jack Taylor series. By coincidence, we had just heard Steve Earle sing his "Galway Girl" in concert a couple of weeks earlier, and the song plays a role in the book, as the titlw indicates. As always with Bruen, the book was an incredibly fast read, though the unaware should know his books are very dark with a lot of murders (offstage, generally).
Currently reading the first in a new Ann Cleeves series, THE LONG CALL, with a new detective and setting. Insp. Matthew Venn is married (to a man) and estranged from his super-religious family, working in North Devon, where a dead man is discovered on the beach near where he lives. So far, so good.
Thank you for the recommendation, Jeff!
Oh, that's interesting about "Galway Girl" and a role in the book. I need to read that book, as much as I like Ireland, even the dark history.
I liked The Long Call. I liked Matthew Venn, and, as Ann Cleeves said in her interview, she thinks he'll gain more confidence, and hopefully a sense of humor as time goes on.
I read two mysteries this week. MURDER AND MERINGUE, the latest in Rosie A Point’s bakery food tuck series set in Maine. And, NEWLY WED AND SLIGHTLY DEAD by Danielle Garrett is a so so mystery featuring a wedding planner and a human who’s marrying a vampire.
I also read two nonfiction books this week, both of which I enjoyed.
An ARC of THE POLLINATOR VICTORY GARDEN by Kim Eierman is about creating gardens to help pollinators. I liked that it covered the things that pollinators need to thrive besides just flowers.
THE GREAT SWAMP: NJ’S NATIONAL TREASURE by Steven Richman. The book covers historical information about the swamp as well as plenty of photos. This is only about 20 minutes from our house and I’ve been going there since I was a kid so I really enjoyed the book.
Lesa, you changed your profile picture. Very nice.
Well, good news‼️ My two books that I put on hold so long ago, so long ago can’t recall the date. They were on a slow ship from somewhere on the other side of the world. The two books finally arrived at the library. They will be picked up today.
I will say, I am thankful for all libraries everywhere. They offer so much to the needs of each community.
Hugs~~
Sandy, It's always interesting to see what mysteries you're reading because they're almost always titles and authors I've never heard of. I guess I should say I'm just always curious about what people are reading.
I did, Charlotte! Or, I should say, a good friend changed it for me because there was a formatting problem & my other one was squashed.
Well, I'm thankful those books finally arrived, even if they did take quite a trip to get there. Thank you for your beautiful comment about libraries.
Hugs!
This week I finished TUESDAY MOONEY TALKS TO GHOSTS. It was so clever and the writing reminded me of Quuens of Mystery on Acorn TV. I just loved it.
Next I read APPLE CIDER SLAYING by Julie Anne Lyndsey. I liked the characters but after a while I got bored with Winnie and her cider shop decorating. There really was only one option for the killer. And it looks like the author is setting up a love triangle plot with Winnie, The sheriff and her ex so I won't be continuing on.
Now I am reading THE HOUSE OF Brides by Jane Cockram. It was recommended by Sally Hepworth, author of THE MOTHER-IN-LAW. So far I am enjoying it.
Happy Reading and Happy Thanksgiving!
Oh, good, Sharon! I'm glad you loved Tuesday Mooney.
I'm with you on those love triangles. I can pass. One of my pet peeves.
Happy Reading & Happy Thanksgiving to you as well!
The Somebody's Bound to Wind up Dead Mysteries by Annie Hogsett are breezy and fun. In the third entry, THE DEVIL'S OWN GAME, blind Tom and partner Allie still have enemies trying to help themselves to the multi-million dollars Tom won in the lottery and taking revenge for earlier defeats. Tom and Allie, along with others in their T&A Detective Agency, are doing everything to stay safe, but it's a losing battle. They've moved into a "smaller" house (7K+ square feet) and have the best security possible, but it isn't enough. At the same time, they've taken on a case of their own, which turns out quite differently than they expected. I'm hoping that in subsequent stories they will be able to focus more on their agency's cases, funded by Tom's windfall. It looks like a young boy who played a big role in the first book may need the agency's help finding a relative. If you haven't read this series, start with Too Lucky to Live and happy reading!
The creepiness in the latest Catriona McPherson thriller, STRANGERS AT THE GATE, doesn't take long to occur. Married couple Finnie and Paddy relocate from big-city Edinburgh to backwoods Simmerton to take new jobs–Paddy's as partner in a law firm and Finnie's as deacon of the local church, jobs which had basically come out of nowhere. Too good to be true? After dinner with Paddy's boss and his wife soon after they arrive, Finnie inadvertently leaves her bag behind, and they return to the house within 10 minutes event to find both spouses dead on the floor from an apparent murder-suicide. Afraid to go to the police since they both have problematic pasts, Finnie and Paddy wait to see if the murdered couple is discovered, but in the meantime, the law firms receives an email indicating they have left on a 3-week vacation to Brazil. Extremely atmospheric and just plain . . . creepy!
For someone who doesn't drink beer, I continue to be fascinated with all of the details surrounding two breweries in a small town in Washington that has modeled itself a "Bavarian" village and tourist destination. In the third entry, BEYOND A REASONABLE STOUT by Ellie Alexander, Former foster child Sloan has left her two-timing husband and his family's brewery and is thriving working for the up-and-coming craft brewery, Nitro. But local councilman Kristopher is vowing to ban all liquor if he wins reelection, endangering most of the businesses in town. Naturally, he turns up dead, with a plethora of "persons of interest." This is a particularly satisfying mystery series for me, and I hope there are more on the way.
Veteran Australian author Gary Disher writes a standalone, UNDER THE COLD BRIGHT LIGHTS, about Alan Auhl, who retired from Homicide at age 50 and returned after 5 years to address cold cases. Auhl has no financial worries because he owns a 3-story home that houses his college-age daughter, a down-at-her-luck single mother and her daughter, assorted other renters and, from time to time, his ex-wife. Auhl becomes involved in the investigation when the body of a long-dead young man is found under a slab in a local farm. And he is even more interested in protecting his mother-and-daughter tenants when the girl's shady father seeks to change the visitation arrangements. What's most attractive here is the writing style and character development, which makes Auhl relatable and interesting, and the intricate cases. I'm uncomfortable with some of the plot elements, but I still applaud Disher's latest novel. Thanks for turning me on to him, Lesa.
I was hoping Cristina Lauren's TWICE IN A BLUE MOON this book would be as much fun as Lauren's The Unhoneymooners, but I was disappointed. It's not nearly as charming, and it takes more than 100 pages to really get the story going. Not to mention that the story doesn't have enough nuance to make it seem at all realistic. Too bad.
I just heard about that series, Lesa, and bout the first at Kensington’s Cozy Con this last weekend.
I’m almost half way through RAIDERS OF THE LOST BARK, by Sparkle Abbey. I’m enjoying it, however there is a bit too much of one of the supporting characters. She’s fun in small doses.
I read:
Happy Trails by Roy Rogers and Dale Evans; It's nice to read a Hollywood biography without the usual drug addiction.
Left to Die by Lisa Jackson; First book in a series. Mismatched woman cops try to find the usual serial killer in Montana. Rural Cagney and Lacey.
The Drifter by Nick Petrie; Jack Reacher-esque left wing action novel about claustrophobic Peter Ash. Nice to see one of these things set in Milwaukee. Strangely enough, it's a book that should have been published in 2008, but was released in 2016. This affects the flow of the book at times. It's an Obama era book set in the time of Trump.
Killing Kennedy by Bill O'Reilly; O'Reilly buys into the Kennedy mystique. Personally, I've always thought LBJ was behind it.
Portland Noir; another anthology, this one set in Portland Oregon. I guess these are making a lot of money for the publisher, because every city seems to have its own book.
Jeff, for a while, I thought Steve Earle was dead, but he turned out to be alive. I saw him in concert in the 90s and he looked terrible.
Thank you, Margie. Based on your review, I'm bring back Twice in a Blue Moon tomorrow. I have no patience with books that take 100 pages to get interesting. Thank you!
Mark, I really like the historical detail in this book. I wasn't familiar with them, but I'll be watching for these books now. I liked the variety of the characters.
Well, that's kind of weird, Glen, about The Drifter and publication. And, I agree. Akashic, publisher of Portland Noir, must do quite well with those books.
Steve Earle may not look great, but his playing and singing are still good. He does an annual concert to benefit his autistic son's school, as well as touring frequently.
I am reading The Quaker by Liam McIlvanney, which won the 2018 McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year. McIlvanney is an excellent writer–fabulous descriptions, dialogue and all done without relying on cliches and tired phrasing. The place (Glasglow) and period (1960s) fascinate me.
And, I see The Quaker is on The Washington Post's list of Top 10 Crime Fiction for 2019, Laurie.
I'm listening to THE BROMANCE BOOK CLUB. It's great! Hearing a guy telling us what it's like to be drunk and distraught had me giggling. Bill was trying to fall asleep the night before surgery when I decided to take my mind off things and start this book. Best thing I could do. There are actually two narrators – one for this book and one for the romance novel the characters are reading in this book. Proper British voice. What a contrast. What he's reading is a how-to novel for the main character. And I can just picture these jocks talking about it. Great recommendation for which I thank you!
You're welcome, Sandie! Just fun, isn't it? I'm so glad you found a good distraction! And, it was interesting to see that from the point of view of men. It looks like it's going to be the first in a series, and I can see it going on with the main character's sister. We'll see.
I am currently reading The Giver of Stars by JoJo Moyes. On audio, it's My Friend Anna by Rachel DeLoache Williams.
I've heard good things about The Giver of Stars, katstev. My mother loved it.
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