2021 Reading List: August

 

YTD:  120 Books Read, 1238 Hours Spent

Goal: 100 books and 1500 hours

 

MTD: 13 Books Read.   125 Hours Spent

 

 

 

 

Another slow month for reading but some interesting  titles came my way. I found Accidental Presidents in a sale pile and I finally found that I could borrow The Nine Tailors from the library.  The latter was the an early ACCC side read, that I wanted to read but could not  get from Audible.

The Sittaford Mystery-- Agatha Christie  -- Re-read

Great Courses: Books That Matter: The Federalist Papers --  Joseph L. Hoffman -- NEW78

The Monks Hood Murders --  Karen Baugh Menuhin --  NEW79

Igniting the American Revolution -- Derek W. Beck -- NEW80

Pastoral  --  Nevil Shute --  Re-read

Proof  --  Dick Francis  --  Re-read

Colour Scheme  --  Ngaio Marsh  --  Re-read

A Bad Day for Sunshine  --  Darynda Jones  --  NEW81

The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken   --  Tarquin Hall  --  NEW82

Accidental Presidents  --  Jared Cohen  --  NEW83

The Nine Tailors  -- Josephine Tey  --  NEW84

The Quiet Gentleman  --  Georgette Heyer  --  Re-read

The Sittaford Mystery  --  Agatha Christie  --  Re-read

The Quiet Gentleman

 

by Georgette Heyer (read by Cornelius Garrett)

No longer available on Audible 

 

 

 

Someone is trying to bump off the *Heyero

Gervase Frant, heir to Stanyon Castle and the family title, was pretty much disowned by his father, for no fault of his own. Now Pop has died and Gervase has returned from the war to assume his rightful place as head of the family, owner of Stanyon Castle and Earl of St. Erth.    But, someone is out to kill him and St. Erth has to figure out who and why. The book was written and published as a Regency Romance (a genre created by Heyer, who has been imitated but never equaled), so all of this intrigue is sprinkled among the budding romances and the merry dance of who will end up with whom.

Heyer is known for her secondary characters and in this tale , Gervase's valet/former batman  and his stepmother are the two stand-outs. I just love the valet's  Spanglish-- his blue collar, for want of a better word, English mixed with words and phrases picked up  on campaign in Spain (somewhat in the mode of the educated nobility and gentility littering  their speech with Gallicisms). Stepmother is the quintessential  Heyer dowager.

The Quiet Gentleman is one of a handful of Heyer Regencies that mixes romance and intrigue .

Not quite four star Heyer.

Definitely a contender for Halloween bingo:  Genre: Mystery, Cozy Mystery,  Murder Most Foul,Romantic Suspense

*  A fandom conflation of Heyer and hero.  There are also Heyeroines.

The Sittaford Mystery

 

by Agatha Christie ( read by Hugh Fraser) c. 1931

An "Agatha Christie Centenary Celebration" Read

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grumpy old men

At last, perhaps, Christie has found her stride.

Lots of interesting interpersonal politics in this one. The victim is a rich, antisocial bachelor (Asperger's perhaps?), living in a very small community of shut-ins and social misfits near Dartmoor (what a setting!). The sleuth is a very capable woman who needs to be needed but at the same time is a user of people, especially men.  The culprit... well let's not go there and spoil the book -- although I will say that I would have liked to have known more about the murderer.

I liked the story very much. The characters were interesting and made me think (which really doesn't happen as often these days). Why so many bachelors and why so much misogyny among them? Why are these guys hiding themselves on the moor? Is this more post-war damage? Are they not able to face a world that is changing so rapidly? I won't even go down the homosexual road, because I think that it is much more of a current concern that it was when the book was written. Things were different in the 1930s and it is unfair to judge by today's standards. I have decided that one learn a lot more about social history, what things were like in those days, by accepting that things were different rather than by interpreting things through the narrow lens of todays standards. How else do we know how far we have come, if we don't know where we started?

If we are ranking the reads so far, this one is at the top of the list along with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and Murder at the Vicarage. It is so clear that she is in her element when she writes about country villages and the murderers who live there -- and avoids world conspiracy and megalomania.

Three and three-quarters stars

Halloween Bingo: Genre: Mystery, Amateur Sleuth, Lethal Games, Vintage Mystery, Country House Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Murder Most Foul, Supernatural(?), When Mother Nature Strikes (?)

Accidental Presidents: Eight Men Who Changed America

 

by Jared Cohen (read by Arthur Morey)

 

 

 

 

August has been American History Month

 

In the almost 250 years of the Republic, eight men have been catapulted into the presidency of the United States upon the death of their predecessor:  John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Chester Arthur, Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson.

The book tells us a bit about the political situation at the time the VP succeed to the oval Office, the swearing in of the new president and the legal/constitutional issues in regard to the swearing in and then finally a bit about the successors time in office. When Tyler took over, officials weren't even sure if he could carry the POTUS title. The Constitution was not very clear on these matters and it took over a century to get the details straightened out.

Four and a quarter stars

Proof

 

by Dick Francis (read by Tony Britton)

 

 

Classic Dick Francis

I have been reading this book once a year for the past several years. I love it!! I love the way Francis draws us through the story as the investigators slowly piece the clues together and solve the puzzle.

Wine merchant and taster Tony Beach becomes enmeshed in a murder investigation when he is asked by two different investigators for help with cases that need the expertise of his discriminating palate, cases which turn out to be related.

Four star Dick Francis.

Halloween Bingo:  Amateur Sleuth,  Genre: Mystery,  Genre: Suspense,  Murder Most Foul,  Lethal Games

The Nine Tailors

 

by Dorothy L. Sayers (read by Ian Carmichael)

Library Loan

At last I was able to get my hands on this book

 

Oh, my goodness, did I enjoy this book. All twists and turns.  It was so good and so enjoyable that I don't want to say anything about the plot because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone. The narrator was wonderful -- especially when he had to read the bell by bell ringing of the "Nine Tailors" -- yes, the Nine Tailors are the 9 bells in the church tower -- and major players in this tale.

The Nine Tailors was the March, 2021 side-read for the Christie Centenary read which I have been doing with a group of friends from the old BookLikes website (now convened on GoodReads). It wasn't available on Audible but when I finally joined the library, I was able to borrow it.

Definite a four star read. I really wish that I had more access to Dorothy L. Sayer titles on audio.

Halloween Bingo: Genre: Mystery,  Amateur Sleuth,  Vintage Mysteries,  Cozy Mystery, Murder Most Foul, 

The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken

 

by Tarquin Hall (read by Sam Dastor)

Book 3: Vish Puri

 

 

 

 

Wherein Vish Puri faces his prejudices

I found this series a few years ago but did not rush to finish it. With the help of the library, I have now read the first four of five and will wait until the fifth becomes available at the library. The writing is good. The characters are interesting and developing over time. Hall is taking his time, letting us know what we need to know when we need to know it, not rushing like some insecure speed-dater trying to tell everything in three minutes. Character development is more like peeling an onion, one layer at time, and we are now beyond the pompous middle-aged detective we met in the first case.

For a cozy mystery series, the stories have a bit of a hard edge. In this episode, the author delves a bit into the India-Pakistan situation and the discontent sown when Pakistan separated from India and became an independent country. Vish Puri must confront his own fears, prejudices and misconceptions when a case requires him to make his first trip to Pakistan. I can't say much more without spoilers--and I don't want to spoil the book for anyone.

Three and half stars for this one, I think, because of the way Hall was able to weave a history lesson into the story without being preachy or judgemental.

 

Halloween Bingo:  Genre: Mystery, Lethal Games, Cozy Mystery,  Murder Most Foul

 

< Fade to black as music swells 𝅘𝅥𝅮 "He Had It Coming"𝅘𝅥𝅮 >

Pastoral

 

by Nevil Shute (read by Roger Davis)

 

 

 

  

 

 

Young men and women go to war

A few random thoughts about a book  I have read a number of times over the past few years from an author whose work I enjoy enough to read over and over again.

First thought.The book is not historical fiction. It was published in 1944; it is set in the same time period as it was published.  To all those who are looking for World War II stories, I highly recommend those written by Nevil Shute because they were written either during the war or shortly thereafter.  Consider Landfall, Pied Piper, The Chequer Board, Requiem for  a Wren, and Most Secret (which I have yet to read). Shute writes about people during the war and particular about people getting the job done. 

Second thought. The book is about World War II but the title is Pastoral,  a term I encountered as a lit major many, many years ago-- and which has nothing to do with war. Why this title?

Britannica.com

Pastoral literature, class of literature that presents the society of shepherds as free from the complexity and corruption of city life. Many of the idylls written in its name are far remote from the realities of any life, rustic or urban.

wikipedia.com

In literature, the adjective 'pastoral' refers to rural subjects and aspects of life in the countryside among shepherds, cowherds and other farm workers that are often romanticized and depicted in a highly unrealistic manner.

I am intrigued by the juxtaposition of the title of the book --  and all that it implies, countryside, romantic, idyllic, carefree --  and the  World War II setting and plot.  It is ironic.  Even an idyllic setting and country pursuits cannot hide the fact that there is a war going on and that men are dying or being seriously injured.  Nonetheless, the story is about a bomber pilot and a WREN  and their rocky road to love and hopefully marriage in the midst of the war.

Third thought: What I like most about Shute's work is that he is not a cookie-cutter author. Even within his WWII stories, every book is different. The settings are different. The characters are different. The resolution is different.

Four stars

Igniting the American Revolution:1773-1775

 

by Derek W. Beck  (read by Jonathan Davis)

 

 

 

 

 

Where a few zealots push the colonies into rebellion

So, here's a question for you. Had you been alive in the 1770s and living in the British colonies of North America would you have sided with the Sons of Liberty or remained loyal to the Crown? Not that the author was really asking that question, but it is something that has popped into my mind as I sit down to write this blurb.

I have never really given it much thought. I was raised on the "creation myth" (Independence good, Crown bad) and have never really looked at it or talked about in any other way.  I grew up in the Philadelphia area, visited Independence Hall many times, so the War of Independence was local history. I have read a number of books about the Founding Fathers but I have never really given much thought to the Loyalists or to their position. 

So, to answer my own question, where would my sympathies have lain, I don't really have an answer.  I suppose that a lot of it would have to do with my own position in the community and what my life was like. Was I a city dweller or farmer? Was I rich or poor? Which colony was I living in? Etc., etc.

But back to the book. This is the first of a couple of books that Beck has written about the American Revolution. It covers mostly events in and around Boston from the Boston Tea party to Lexington & Concord -- but does not fail to mention the Boston Massacre or spend some time  with the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. It covers the political issues of that period as well as a fairly detailed account of events in and around Lexington & Concord in April 19, 1775.

All in all, three and half stars

The Monks Hood Murders

 

by Karen Baugh Menuhin (read by Sam Dewhurst-Phillips)

Book 5: Heathcliff Lennox

 

 

 

 

Dying words, an Abbey and the Yorkshire moors

Each book gets better and better! Maybe before I tackle Book 6, I will have a marathon re-read of the first five. Major Heathcliff Lennox is a hoot but honestly, it is his butler, Greggs, who steals the scene every time.  With each book, we are learning more and more about Lennox and about his experience as a pilot in World War I -- in other words, with each book, he is becoming less a Sir Peter Wimsey and more an Ian Rutledge.

Fours stars

Books That Matter: The Federalist Papers

by Joseph L. Hoffman

The Great Courses series

 

 

 

 

Tying together our past and our present

It is one thing to read the Federalist Papers; it is another to understand them and their significance in the founding of the republic and its subsequent development. I need to have this kind of stuff explained to me and Great Courses has rounded up some really good teachers who are willing to do the explaining.

If nothing else, the lectures explain just how new and unique was the system of government  being created by our Founding Fathers. Interesting to note that they weren't sure it would last even fifty years, let alone two hundred and fifty.

Three and a three-quarters stars -- and a place on the re-read pile.

 

Colour Scheme

 

by Ngaio Marsh (read by Nadia May)

Book 12: Roderick Alleyn

Audible Plus Catalog

 

 

Spies and murders

I am definitely running out of things to say about Ngaio Marsh, but since I like her books, I expect that there are going to be a lot more short and sweet blog entries just cataloging the fact that I have read the book.

During World War II, Inspector Alleyn is in New Zealand ferreting out enemy spies when he gets sucked into the murder investigation of one of these possible agents.  The setting of the book at a run-down hotel at a hot spring in northern New Zealand is charming -- that is, if anything about a murder mystery should ever be considered charming. 

Three and a half stars

A Bad Day for Sunshine

 

by Darynda Jones (read by Lorelei King)

Book 1: Sunshine Vicram

Library loan • Suggested by a BL buddy

 

 

Harlequin romance + police procedural + YA with a bit of supernatural thrown in for good measure

One of the reviews I read called this a "cheesy romance" and they were spot on.  But, dang, I read right through to the last page and will probably  read the next book in the series if it ever becomes available  at the library -- and if at that point I still remember that I want to read it.

In spite of the cheesy romance and the teen angst, Jones plots a good mystery -- and that is what kept my attention. I want to know who kidnapped the MC when she was seventeen and I want to know who the father of her daughter is.  I liked the spunk of the main character, even if I found her somewhat unbelievable -- county sheriff at age 33??

Solidly just under three stars

 

Fun cover!

2021 Reading List: July

 

YTD:  107 Books Read, 1010 Hours Spent

Goal: 100 books and 1500 hours

 

MTD: 12 Books Read.   111 Hours Spent

It was a slow month and not much reading got done. Partially because we were away for 10 days and I don't get much reading done on vacation. If I have to choose the best read of the month, I would say Pied Piper by Nevil Shute. After that, all hell breaks loose and trying to pick what came in next, with so many favorite series and authors on the list, is impossible. The truth is that what I missed in quantity, I made up for in quality. Not a single DNF this month. I just need to read more!

The Man in Lower Ten --  Mary Rinehart Roberts  --  NEW67

On Eden Street  --  Peter Grainger --  NEW68

The Murder at the Vicarage  --  Agatha Christie  --  Re-read

The Man in the Queue --  Josephine Tey  --  NEW69

Once Upon a River  --  Diane Setterfield -- NEW70

The Pied Piper --  Nevil Shute  -- NEW71

The Case of the Love Commandos --  Tarquin Hall  --  NEW72

A Shot in the Dark --  Lynne Truss  --  NEW73

Legacy of the Dead  --  Charles Todd  --  NEW74

The Murder at the Vicarage --  Agatha Christie Re-read

Colour Scheme --  Ngaio Marsh  --  NEW75

An Obvious Fact  --  Craig Johnson -- NEW76

 

An Obvious Fact

by Craig Johnson (read by George Guidall)

Book 12: Walt Longmire

 

 

 

"There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact"

A.C. Doyle (quoted in the book)

Set at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally (which means 'not on their home turf'), Walt Longmire and Henry Standing Bear once again solve the crime and catch the bad guys -- just the way it should be. The setting is a bit light and fluffy, but the mystery is not.

I have been read this series for a few years now, slowly, so that I can enjoy it, and somewhat out of sequence. I don't even remember why I picked it up in the first place. Maybe because Walt, Henry and I are of the same age. Maybe it was because it was narrated by George Guidall. Maybe because it was in an Audible sale pile and just spoke to me (sometimes books do that).

I loved the characters so much that I even broke my own rule and watched one episode of the TV show, hoping that I had found a series I could enjoy. That was a mistake; I did not like it all. Walt and Henry are well into their 60s and built like bricks. They are mellowed and matured by age and experience. They have loved and lost. They have earned their wrinkles and their quirks. At the same time, they are educated, well-read and worldly wise men. They are august yet approachable, respected members of their community. That was not what I saw on the TV screen.

I just hope that Craig Johnson has more stories in him. 

 

Three and a half stars. Perfect narration.

 

The Case of the Love Commandos

 

by Tarquin Hall (read by Sam Dastor)

Book 4: Vish Puri 

Library loan

 

 

 

Necessary Roughage*

Not great literature but certainly an entertaining read, Vish Puri is good choice when I need a palate cleanser.  The characters are fun and the plots are complicated enough to keep me interested.

Solidly three stars.

 

 

 

* -- See https://peregrinationsbooksand.blogspot.com/2021/04/bookish-quote-of-day.html

Legacy of the Dead

 

by Charles Todd (read by Sam Gillies)

Inspector Ian Rutledge, Book 4

 

 

I do love this series

I have not been reading this series in order and am just now getting to some of the early books. I will say that reading the early stories and not completely knowing the MC's backstory at the outset has not diminished my liking of the series in the least. I like it so much that I am running out of things to say about it.

Charles Todd, a mother-son writing team, have been at this series for a while. This book was published in 2000 and they are still writing them --and mom must be in her 90s at this point.  I am intrigued by the developing relationship between Rutledge and Haimish as Rutledge is slowly recovering from his brutal battlefield experiences in WWI.

Looking for more information about the authors, I found a very good interview with them from 2006.

Three and three-quarters stars.

A Shot in the Dark

 

by Lynne Truss (read by Matt Green)

Book 1: Constable Twitten

Library Loan 

 

 

It's the characters, not the mystery

No, not the Peter Sellars movie.

Suspend disbelieve all ye who enter here. While it isn't the best mystery story I have read, how can you not laugh at a Police Chief who has no interest in catching criminals and his rookie constable who is smarter than he is and does have an interest in catching  them. I like her wry humor; it is the saving grace.

The books are free from the library, so I will be back for more.

Three stars

The Murder at the Vicarage

 

by Agatha Christie ( read by Richard E. Grant) c. 1930

An "Agatha Christie Centenary Celebration" Read

 

 

In which we meet Miss Jane Marple

 

When the Colonel's dead body is found in the vicarage, the police investigate but it is Miss Marple, one of the town busybodies, who figures it out. 

This is just the kind of Agatha Christie story that I want to read. I like it when she sticks to mysteries and forgets about international intrigue, conspiracy and spies (which she really does not do well). I hope this is the continuing trend.

Four stars.

Pied Piper

 

by Nevil Shute (read by David Rintoul)

 

 

 

 

 

Once again, a winner

I am not big on fiction set in WWII Europe. I have done my share of reading about it and now I'm done. I have read some of Shute's other WWII stories but they are set in England --and they are excellent.  Nonetheless, in spite of the setting, I had been eyeing this one for a number of years; finding it deeply discounted pushed me off the fence.

Nevil Shute is a very fine story teller and this story is absolutely no exception.  John Howard was caught in France the day the German's invaded. This is the story of how he got home and the 5 children who went with him. Do read it; I think you will like it very much.

 

BTW, this is not historical fiction; Pied Piper was published in 1942.

 

Four and three-quarter stars

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