Monday Mash Up

 June 19, 2023 ~ Books & More

THOUGHTS
Though surrounded by trees, we live in a city. Not for the first time since moving in, this week we got an e-mail that a bear had been spotted on the condo property. Oh, great! We were told to eliminate all food sources and to take down our bird feeders.  We also have bobcats, coyotes, foxes, deer, hawks -- and plenty of rabbits, squirrels, chippies and turkeys to keep them very well fed.  I just wonder how long we have to wait for Fozzy Bear to move on.

MUSEUM-ING
DH had no meetings to clutter up his schedule, so we headed out for lunch and a museum (after 40 years a road warrior, gotta love this working from home regime). Our timing was great. We got to see three temporary exhibitions:   the annual AP Art History class year-end show, the about-to-close "Frontiers of Impressionism" and the just-opened "Watercolors Unboxed."  Lots of eye candy and lots from the museum's own collection. (The photos are from the museum's website).

 

100 DAYS OF SUMMER

Book between 250 and 500 pages in length.
The Western Star by Craig Johnson
Pts: 11    RT: 64    Avg:  6.4

Cozy mystery set in a bookstore, bakery, brewery or coffee shop.
Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder by Valerie Burns
Pts: 4    RT: 68    Avg: 6.1

Book with a cover image that would make a good post-card or appealing vacation destination.
Brunelleschi's Dome by Ross King
Pts: 3    RT: 71    Avg:  5.91

Mystery/thriller with a coastal or seaside setting.
A Line to Kill by Anthony Horowitz
Pts: 2    RT: 73     Avg Pts: 5.61

Book by an author who publishes under a pseudonym.
The Clock Strikes Twelve by Patricia Wentworth (aka Dora Amy Turnbull (formerly Dillon, née Elles))
Pts: 8    RT: 81  Avg: 5.78

 

THE BOOKS

The Western Star by Craig Johnson (and read by the rather stellar George Guidall)

MikeFinn's recent review of the book prompted a re-read. Oh, my goodness what an ending and what a twisted, twisted story. 
Four stars 

 

Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder by Valerie Burns (writes also as V.M. Burns)

DD walked in today saying that she just finished reading a book I might like. She got the first two words out of her mouth; we had both been reading this very same title probably concurrently. Less sugar, more murder. So much potential in the characters but poorly constructed and executed mystery did not leave me begging for more.
Three stars

Brunelleschi's Dome by Ross King

The story behind the building of the dome of Duomo in Florence. Somewhere between ancient Rome and medieval Europe the art and science of the dome with no visible supports was lost. Brunelleschi found them.  While the book is full of interesting details about life in Florence, it is not taxing and no knowledge of engineering is need. The dome was built between 1420 and 1436  and is still the largest masonry vault in the world.
Three and a half stars.

A Line to Kill by Anthony Horowitz

It ain't over 'til it's over.  This one has as many twists and turns as a bowl of spaghetti. I don't remember what got me started on this series but I am really glad that I did.  I hope he keeps writing more Hawthorne & Horowitz stories because I love the main characters and I enjoy the mysteries they get involved in. You do need to read them in order because they refer back to previous key events.
Three and three-quarters stars.

The Clock Strikes Twelve by Patricia Wentworth

Clickclickclickclick. Another Miss Silver mystery. I just bought a whole bunch of them in the Audible site-wide sale a few weeks ago. I'm getting used to the damned knitting needles. If it weren't for 100 Days of Summer, I think that I would be binge reading the whole stack of new books (37 titles in all). Not much else to say about the series.
Three and a half stars.