Monday, October 16, 2023 ~ Books & More

 

 THOUGHTS

Sorry I'm late with this edition. I kept going down these rabbit holes as I was checking details and completely lost track of time. It will be Tuesday before this is actually published. C'est la vie!

TICKETS

The Foolers -- A magic show. Family-oriented fun on a school night -- hey, but no problem 'coz we are empty-nesters. All kidding aside, it was a good show and we really enjoyed it -- even if we thought we were buying Penn & Teller tickets, because it was not immediately clear that P&T were not the performers but the producers. Also helped that the theater is a 10 minute drive. We'll be back in our seats in November when the band Chicago comes to town. Can't wait.

Becky Nurse of Salem by Sarah Ruhl. My goodness what a difference a week makes. This performance was head and shoulders above the one we saw last week. Strong acting. Stronger vehicle. Darkly funny. The lead actress, Angela Brazil, did a great job -- had to do a great job, because the way the play is written, the whole play hangs entirely on the lead. But then again, Angela is always a pleasure to see on stage, no matter what role she is playing.

 

HALLOWEEN BINGO

All over but the shouting. I finished my last book on Tuesday (10 Oct) and now am impatiently waiting each day's call.  As of publication, I  stand at 4 Bingos and 5 calls needed for Blackout. The reads this year were a mixed bag, with only two real disappointments. I was frustrated by having both "Halloween" and "Home for the Horror Days" on my card, for the second year in a row.  I used wild cards to get me out of three squares that I have no joy in reading: Gothic, Genre:Thriller and Home for the Horror Days. At the same time, I got to read a couple of mystery classics that I have been thinking about reading for a while -- a John Dickson Carr locked room and two Anthony Berkeleys  -- all of which I truly enjoyed. Now I have to give some thought to what Squares I would like to have on my card next year.   All in all, a good 2023HB.

 

THE BOOKS

An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good by Helene Turstein
An Elderly Lady Must Not be Crossed by Helene Turstein

From MikeFinn's Novels About Old People: links to reviews of twenty-one novels by nineteen authors https://www.secretreadingroom.com/2023/08/10/novels-about-old-people-links-to-reviews-of-twenty-one-novels-by-nineteen-authors/

From the 21 novels that Mike listed, I walked away with four titles added to my wish-list -- after deleting what I had read already , anything Mike judged 3 stars or less and what I could not find on audio in the US. I needed something to keep me busy while I decided what to do about the last titles I need for my bingo card.I turned to my wishlist to see what I could get immediately and settled on Turstein.

I read them one after another and loved them both. She was an Elderly Lady with moxie! And I agree with Mike that they are top-notch stories. I took a look at the blurbs for other Turstein books and decided that her other titles are going to be a bit too intense for me.

NOTE: Audible has 7 Turstein titles available to read for free in its Plus Catalog
Not read for HB but would fit for: Genre: Mystery, Psych, In Translation, Ice Cold (because it is mostly set in Sweden), Noir
4 stars

The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis

No sooner was I settled in with Maud than one of my holds came in, one that I needed for Bingo. Still, I stuck with Maud. The light-hearted alien story would have to wait. Actually, I had the book on hold long before I decided that I would use it for HB. It was the Connie Willis name on the cover that did it. I knew that I was in for a treat even without reading a single review or commentary. In the end, it was aliens at my own speed -- funny, kind, free of paranoia and mindless violence and funny. In other words, I really enjoyed the book. I hope all you Willis fans will, too.
HB: Lost in Space
4 stars

Three Kisses, One Midnight by Roshani Chokshi, Sandhya Menon, Evelyn Skye
My last HB read for 2023

No. No. No. Indubitably I have outgrown teen romance stories. Indeed, I gave up Harlequins and Nora Roberts et al. over 30 years ago and now avoid anything that is primarily a genre romance -- too much formula and too much fantasy.

So why the heck did I choose to read this book -- much less read it cover to cover? It's simple. I needed a "Halloween" title and was having trouble finding anything that sounded even halfway tolerable. I Was Desperate and I Was Impatient!! When I saw WhiskeyintheJar's post, I just gave in to my frustration and decided to read it, especially since I could get it at the library immediately. Right! Not good decision-making. It was a bad choice for me but I was too stubborn to ditch it and try again.

What irked me most about the book was that I found it trite and boring times three. The premise had promise. But the execution was weak. I felt no sparkle or pizzazz. YA readers (kiddie-lit readers, as well) deserve to enjoy the best writing out there -- and not to be fobbed off with a dismissive, "It's only YA," "It's only kiddie-lit." That is just selling our youth short.
Works for Halloween, casting spells, witches and maybe supernatural (I can't remember.
2.5 stars

Great Courses: The Black Death by Dorsey Armstrong

I did not read this for HB but certainly could have if I had had the right squares. I loved the lecturer and thought that she did an excellent job of research and of laying out her theses. Most fascinating thing about the whole lecture series is that Armstrong is a lit major, PhD in Medieval Literature and Professor in the English Department at Perdue AND not a historian, even though this series of lectures is more history than literature. Her talk about pandemics (of which the Black Death the most deadly) was eerily prescient. Great Courses & Armstrong released a follow-up series of lectures in 2022, which is waiting in my library. Thank you, Elenaterri for this one.
HB: plagues (Bubonic), creepy crawlies (fleas)
4 stars

Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart

Ugh. DNF. Life's too short. The abusive male characters were more than I was willing to sit through. I may try the next in the series. Loved the cover art.

I just read on the Audible blurb that this series is actual a True Crime book, that the characters actually existed and the events actually.  So how come the quote on the cover calls it a novel? Too confusing and no time to investigate further.
No rating

Pilgrim's Rest by Patricia Wentworth

Working my way through the series. The more I think about this one, the more I like it. Twists and turns, dead-ends and red herrings.  But why does the cover art have to be so depressing?
HB: Amateur Sleuth?, Genre:Mystery, Vintage Mystery, Home is where the hurt is?, Country House
3.75 stars