It’s Thursday! My favorite day of the week, thanks to all of you. I know it sounds weird to say Thursday is a favorite day, but it is. I’m looking forward to reading about your books this week.
I read a book that doesn’t come out until July, but someone else was also given it to review for a journal. That means I can talk about it. I will be reviewing Garry Disher’s Under the Cold Bright Lights here on my blog in early July, but at least I can mention it now.
Garry Disher is an Australian author, winner of the Ned Kelly Lifetime Achievement Award, which is equivalent to being named a Grand Master here in this country. I met him in 2009 when he toured the U.S. on book tour. He’s written over fifty books; police procedurals, cult favorites, juvenile books. His new one is a standalone, but I wish it was the first in a series. I think you’d like it, Glen. You’ll have to watch for it because I’ve promised my copy to my brother-in-law.
Under the Cold Bright Lights features Alan Auhl, a cop who was retired from Homicide for five years, and goes back to work on cold cases. And, he’s determined that there will be justice for the victims. I like the police investigations, but I also like the community Auhl has built for himself. He has a large sprawling house, and he takes in waifs and misfits. His college-age daughter lives there. His ex-wife comes back once in a while. But, there are also international students, women and children who have left abusive men, and even a co-worker for a short time. He’s an interesting character.
What about you? What did you read this week? What attracted you to the book you read? I’m looking forward to seeing what you’ve been reading.
Sounds good. I have tried a couple of times in the past with Disher, but for some reason haven't read one.
After reading a good review, we watched the movie version of Winifred Watson's 1938 novel MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY, with Amy Adams and Frances McDormand. It was delightful and charming. Since the library had a copy of the reprinted book, I picked it up and raced through it. If you've seen the movie, it follows the book very closely. If not, I recommend both, highly. (I must add that there is one highly offensive line in the book I wish she didn't have, but there was a lot of anti-Semitism in British books of that era, including Agatha Christie.)
I've been a big fan of Andrea Camilleri's Insp. Salvo Montalbano series since the first book, and the latest – THE OVERNIGHT KIDNAPPER – is no exception, but…it is darker than most of them with not quite as much humor. Still, well worth your time.
I'm more than halfway through the anthology DARK CITY LIGHTS: NEW YORK STORIES, edited by Lawrence Block, which I am enjoying, though so far no stories are outstanding in my opinion. I have a few other collections on hand, including one by Mollie Panter-Downes of her WWII-era short stories that ran in the New Yorker from 1939-1944 and have been reprinted by Persephone Books, which did MISS PETTIGREW and has a very interesting list of reprints.
I am also reading David Browne's group biography of CROSBY, STILLS, NASH & YOUNG. And I have started the first of Terry Shames' Samuel Craddock books that you recommended, A KILLING AT COTTON HILL. I hope to get that read on our trip to New Orleans. We leave this afternoon and will be home on Tuesday.
This week I started THE BINDING by Bridget Collins. Emmet is an apprentice to Seredith who is a binder after The Crusades. A binder is someone who can erase your pain, horrifying secrets, etc. The memories are bound into a book and sealed into a vault. So far so good right? I read until page 150 or so where (sorry if it is a spoiler) where Seredith dies and Emmet becomes an apprentice to DeHavilland who uses his binding for more mercenary purposes. Emmet is dispatched to finally do his first binding. He is so disturbed that he tries to leave the house without payment. But he finds a bound book with his name on it. Instead of the story continuing on the way I thought it would part 2 starts with Emmet back on his family's farm with no mention of the binding or the apprenticeship. I got to page 200 last night and decided this wasn't the book I signed on for as there still is no mention of binding or books. So I stopped reading with over 200 pages to go. I really struggle with giving up on books…
Now I am reading THE MOTHER-IN-LAW by Sally Hepworth. Hopefully that will bring me more enjoyment. If not, I have a few cozy mysteries in the pile. You can't go wrong with a cozy mystery 🙂
Happy Reading and Mother's Day!
I finished WHITE SAND BLUES by Vicki Delany. It’s the first book in her Ashley Grant series about a paramedic from Canada who’s working on a Caribbean island. It’s a very short book so it was a quick read.
I’m halfway through COLD WRATH by Peter Turnbull. It’s the latest book in his Hennessy and Yellich British police procedural series which I’m enjoying
Thanks, Jeff. I'm glad to know the Andrea Camilleri is darker than others in the series. That's the only one I've read, and I didn't see it as humorous as you said the series is. I'm happy to know that it's a little different.
I hope you like the Samuel Craddock book, but no one agrees on every book, so we'll see.
Enjoy your trip! At least you got a short getaway this year, even if it wasn't winter in Florida.
Sharon, You might have just saved me from a frustrating book. I have The Binding on a TBR pile. So, thank you.
Sandy, You keep reminding me about Peter Turnbull. Someday!
Peter Turnbull has several things going for him (IMHO). His books are set in places I know – the first, shorter series in Glasgow, the current one in York. They are more procedural than most series. You get a little about the personal lives of the series characters in each book, but no great detail. And they are short, a good thing in a day where so many books seem over inflated. I've read the 10 set in Glasgow and the first 6 of the York series (there are also occasional short stories published in EQMM). I have another dozen of the latter (!) on the shelf. I bought them all quite cheaply (they are ex-library copies) on ABE.
Just finished The Good Detective by John McMahon – it got good reviews but I just didn't find it compelling. I very rarely give up on a book but this one had me thinking of doing that a number of times. I made it through but I really wouldn't recommend it. Am looking forward to this weekend as I have some on my TBR pile that I know will be good!
Lesa, what a week my husband and I have had . We found out on April 25th that our handsome West Highland Terrier had a Hugh tumor and they couldn’t decide just where it was, even with all the test. Had to go to another Vet, fifty miles away. More test. Muffus had surgery on Monday. The tumor weight 31/2 pounds. He came home yesterday. God answered our prayers and it wasn’t on the spleen or liver. It was on a retained testicle (meaning the testicular did not descend to outside the body as is normal during early puppyhood and remained within the
abdominal cavity). The tumor has been sent off to the lab. Now we wait to hear from that. Maybe two weeks from now we will know. He is doing real well. So thankful for him being home and doing so well.
No book reading of any kind at this time.
Have a great week. Pet and hug those three fur babies.
Hugs ~~
I did finish LOST ROSES by Martha Hall Kelly and attended the Barnes & Noble book club meeting, where I met some nice people and learned about another book club I might want to join. The book did put me in a depressed mood for several days, with its account of how the Russian Revolution and World War I affected three women and their families. Fortunately, the chapters alternated between the characters. The ones narrated by a wealthy American young woman, Eliza, were a welcome escape. In the last 50 or so pages of the book, ends were tied up and good things actually happened. But this is not my preferred type of read–I guess I prefer escapism, or at least something a little more uplifting.
NANAVILLE by Anna Quindlen is a beautiful extended essay (160 pages or so) about the supreme joys of being a first-time grandmother, and some cautions as well–before offering advice, ask yourself, "Did they ask you?" Well worth reading if you're a fairly new grandmother, as I am.
Lesa already reviewed A DREAM OF DEATH, Connie Berry's debut Kate Hamilton Mystery that takes American antiques dealer Kate to an island in the Scottish Hebrides, where her beloved late husband's sister has asked her for help. It was actually more like a command performance from Elenor, who runs a historic guest hotel on the island and had never been friendly with Kate. A murder quickly ensues, followed by another, and Kate looks to the surrounding island characters and antiques–and a possibly too-friendly but undeniably handsome police inspector–for help with solving the tragedies. The series has potential, as Berry continues to flesh out her characters.
THE BOOK OF DREAMS is my least favorite of Nina George's three "novels about mortality" (her words) because I'm not crazy about the way the chapter narrators careen back and forth. Usually that doesn't bother me, but I often had to stop and figure out whether Henri Skinner, in a coma after an accident, was dreaming or just reflecting back on his previous life. However, I liked hearing from Henri's young son, Sam. They had never interacted, but Henri was on his way to a school function at Sam's invitation when the accident occurred. Then there were Eddie (Edwina), Henri's former love, with whom he had inexplicably split and who still carried a torch for him, and Maddie, an 11-year-old dancer who was in a coma in the same hospital after losing her whole family. The various treatments the two coma victims receive from the caring medical staff (and others) to try to revive them and the relationships that develop between Eddie, Sam, and Maddie make this book worth reading.
In MIRACLE CREEK by Angie Kim, a strange and disturbing story, the Yoo family has emigrated to Virginia from Korea for a better life for their teenage daughter, Mary. Her parents run an experimental medical treatment device called Miracle Submarine, a hyberbaric chamber where children are treated for autism, cerebral palsy, and other conditions, and adults are treated for infertility. The parents of the children being treated put all their hopes in improving the quality of life for their children (and themselves), while protesters argue that the treatments amount to child abuse. And when a fire results in two deaths, it is not the Yoos but the mother of one of the children who is on trial. Did her yearning for freedom from her difficult life lead her to plan her son's death? Fascinating, gripping, and original.
Sure, continue to entice me to read those Peter Turnbull books, Jeff.
Another book to move down on the TBR pile, Donna. I have The Good Detective. I know everyone's taste is different, but I like to see what others think. So, I appreciate it!
Oh, Charlotte. I hope Muffus' results turn out to be good, and that he continues to feel good. I'm sorry for his struggles. Hugs my friend.
I wondered about MIRACLE CREEK, Margie. It still doesn't sound as if it's my type of book. I knew I wasn't the audience for Anna Quindlen's book, although I usually love her essays. It sounds as if you were her targeted audience, though!I'm with you. I'm a fan of escapism.
Yesterday, I finished FORGET ME KNOT, the first Quilting Mystery from Mary Marks. I tend to avoid crafting cozies, but I’m glad I gave it a try. It took a bit of time to grow on my, but in the end I’m glad I picked it up and I’ll be looking for the sequel.
I finished it early enough that I got a good start on MURDER IN LITTLE ITALY. As always, Victoria Thompson is drawing me in to 1890’s New York.
I tend to avoid crafting cozies as well, Mark, but sometimes I do get hooked.
I've been meaning to read Disher for quite some time, but just haven't done it yet. Another Australian author I've been thinking of trying is Tony Berry.
This week I read:
Caribbean Rim by Randy Wayne White; Could well be the last book in the series. Certainly written like a final book.
Gun In Cheek by Bill Pronzini; A supposed classic in criticizing the mystery genre, I didn't much like it. It seemed very clique-ish. I couldn't help but notice that the mystery genre declined precipitously from the time that clique took over until the rise of the cozy, 30 years later.
Murder in Montmartre by Cara Black; A female hard-boiled PI from France. Sort of refreshing, as she doesn't have mother issues, or any of the other cliches so common in America.
Wedding Cake Killer by Livia J. Washburn; Typical cozy set in Texas, on the seuth is a Miss Marple type, instead of a red head in her early 30's.
I think you'd like Dishe, might I might be wrong, Glen.
As I age, I discover I appreciate some of those older sleuths more than the young ones who are so concerned with their love lives and their shoes.
Oh GREAT! Lots to read in the comments today. Anticipating some new-to-me books here.
I LOVE Disher. All caught up with his Inspector Hal Challis series (I think) and I've read a couple of his standalones. For some reason our library had a few of of his series books but I had to scramble to find the rest of them. They really do appeal to me.
Glad to hear there is a new series for me to start.
Diane, I'm glad you enjoy reading all the comments, and making all the discoveries, as I do. This is supposed to be a standalone, but I'm hoping it becomes a series. It certainly could. Have you read Disher's Wyatt books? I haven't, but someday.
My library has one Wyatt book which I did not read. I usually don't like stories about thieves or criminals although once in awhile I do try some (the Dexter books which did appeal to me and I liked until I had enough.)
I hope to finish Tracy Clark's Broken Places this weekend…I just started Stone Cold Heart by Laura Griffin, almost finished Hitting the Books by Jenn McKinlay – her series starring a librarian,..and hope to start Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny.
This morning, I put in Carolyn Hart's Walk On MY Grave, listed to the roll call of maybe 20 characters and endless timeline and then the beginning, I got so digusted with her chewing up of my time that I pulled out! I rummaged my collection and found a gem! Fannie Flagg's "The Whole Town Is Talking. I loved Disc 1, it was perfect way to begin my 73rd birthday! No regrets!
Also have started Todd M. Johnson's The Deposit Slip which is a great page turner. I have been wanting to read it for years and now have the time.
Life is too short to waste on books that try your patience!
I get it, Diane. I was just curious. I've never read any of the Wyatt books.
Gram, You have an ambitious weekend ahead of you. Good luck!
You are so right, Carol. Why bother with those books?