Monday Mash-Up

 Monday, January 15, 2024

Monday Mash Up

 

Monday, December 18, 2023 ~ Books & More

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THOUGHTS

I have been trying not to think too much this week. It only gets me into trouble.

While I have not been thinking, I have decided that my 'necessary roughage' tagline needs a logo. I started looking but I won't have time to find what I am really looking for before I go to press. So, the logo debut is going to have to wait until next week. And no, Archimboldo is not in the running. He's just here to attract your attention.

 

TICKETS

We went en famille to see A Christmas Carol. This was the grandson's first time to seeing a stage play. Given the nature of the show (ghosts, loud noises, etc.) my daughter decided that we should go to the sensory-friendly performance. That and the fact that the 1pm curtain time is perfect for a little guy with an early bedtime. We made a day of it -- lunch before the show and hot chocolate & cookies after.

THE BOOKS

Wings Above the Diamantina by Arthur W. Upfield

Published 1936. Third in the series. Still introducing us to the MC and what life was like in the Australian outback.
3.5 stars

Some Tame Gazelle by Barbara Pym

DNF.  Killed by the narrator. She was a-w-f-u-l. Like finger nails on a blackboard. Less than10 minutes and I was done. Apparently I'm not the only one to say so; in fact, every single review on Audible complains about the narrator. Unfortunately, except for Excellent Women read by Jayne Entwhistle, the same wretched narrator reads the remaining four titles available on Audible. In other words, I am shit out of luck and may never get to read any more Pym.
No rating

It's A Wonderful Woof by Spencer Quinn
A Christmas/Hanukkah read

It has been a few years since I last read a Chet & Bernie mystery. Either you love this series or you don't, there doesn't seem to be an in between -- and I love it. The opening of this story was a hoot: the local Hell's Angels annual holiday party, motorcycle races up the stairs, motorcycles dancing the hora. I was rolling on the floor. But, the humor aside and in spite of a canine narrator, Quinn weaves a baroque plot of kidnapping, family feuds and art history. IMHO, this was one of the best of the series.
4 stars

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson
(Recommended by DD1 and Wanda)

"Family is not whose blood runs in your veins, it's who you'd spill it for."

It was so much fun to read. Stevenson boldly goes where no author has gone before. Australian noir? An oxymoron, right? The narrator is constantly breaking the fourth wall -- and I like it; it builds a rapport with the reader and sucks us in even further. I also like how he builds the Detection Club's 10 commandments into the story.

He has a second book in this series and honestly, I'm afraid to read it. On one hand, I want to see what jiggery-pokery he has up his sleeve for this tale. On the other, what if it isn't as good as the first.
4+ stars -- for creativity and for breaking the rules of good writing as they are currently imagined

Eternity Ring by Patricia Wentworth

The only thing I want to comment on is the cover. How many different ways can I say that I like the Miss Silver series, knitting needles not withstanding? I do want to say that the cover really does not fit the material yet it was so typical of the competition.

3.25 Stars

The Yellow Dog by Georges Simenon

I enjoy Maigret but some days it is necessary to poke fun at the books. There is no doubt that Simenon cranked them out like sausage and some days you just have to call it as you see it. This one was really a case of Maigret being cranky and bouncing from pillar to post and then sitting down at the very end and explaining to everyone what really happened, because there weren't really any clues in the story. It felt like one big deus ex machina.
3 stars

Death on the Downs by Simon Brett

Book two of the Fethering series. Not quite as good as the first but still a delightfully complicated puzzle of murder and mayhem. We are slowly getting to know our MC's and the secrets they keep.
3.5 stars

Murder by Milk Bottle by LynneTruss

Definitely filed under "necessary roughage." Pure farce. Wicked satire.
3.25 stars

With this last book, my reading list is as long as it was last for all of last year. Sadly I am nowhere near having read as many hours as I did last year. I've started the recording breaking book and I look forward to telling you all about it next week.

Monday Mash Up

 

Monday, August 21, 2023 ~ Books, Halloween Bingo & More...

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THOUGHTS

Halloween Bingo. The great escape! I am so looking forward to it.

I have wanted to read a John Carr Dickson Carr story for a while now. Since Locked Room is one of my squares, I decided this year that I would spend a credit on one of the 4 JDC titles on Audible (since my libraries don't have any). My first choice, The Hallows, is not available as audio. To help me choose which one to read, I did a little quick research and come up with these two articles by Gigi Pandian on Crimereads.com. They were marginally helpful quick reads that I thought others might enjoy -- and might even find helpful.

• John Dickson Carr: The Master of the Locked Room-Mystery
• For those looking for a Gothic entry for HB, Pandian remarks, "I’ve noticed a convergence of two elements in Carr’s fiction: he constructs truly ingenious puzzle plots and he sets the scene with a Gothic atmosphere."  See Locked-Room Mysteries: A Beginner's Guide 

In the end, I settled on Castle Skull but I might treat myself to a second JDC for the Gothic square (instead of using a wild card to get rid of it).

 

OUGHTTOBIOGRAPHY

I ought to be reading more up-beat books these days. RL is rocky enough without borrowing the fictional troubles of others. I will definitely be working on this one and not just whining about it.

100 DAYS OF SUMMER

Only two of the four books I read this week fit into any of the game prompts, which happens when you choose a book and then try to make it fit one of the prompts instead of choosing books based on the prompts. Still with 10 days left to read, I hope to get a few more game books in before the close of business -- and maybe get my point average up a little. I have no idea where I stand compared to other players; I've been paying more attention to what you all are reading (looking for good reads) than what you are rolling.

81. Book that you acquired for free.
Great Courses: American Ideals: Founding a "Republic of Virtue"
Pts: 6 RT: 380 Avg: 7.17

7. Historical fiction novel with war as a theme.
A Fatal Lie by Charles Todd
Pts: 5 RT: 385 Avg: 7.13

 

THE BOOKS

Great Courses: American Ideals: Founding a "Republic of Virtue" Lectures by Professor Daniel N. Robinson

From the Audible Plus Catalog (titles available to members for free).  Political philosophy. The lecturer has a huge store of relevant knowledge that he brings to bear
3.25 starts

The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown by Vaseem Khan

A cute cozy series set in Mumbai.
3.25 stars

 

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby VanPelt

I can't make up my mind about this one. Is it schmaltzy? Or does it just have a rather strange narrative voice?  Is this an example of magical realism? I still can't seem to come to terms with what magical realism means and how it manifests. Definitely bittersweet with a happy ending. Do I recommend it? Not sure.  Not rant-worthy but just not raving about this one.
3.25

A Fatal Lie by Charles Todd

War is an ongoing theme in this series, war and how it has destroyed so many young men. After WWI, the term was "shell-shocked" and it was a stigma. There was no sympathy for or understanding of the damage done to the psyches of these men who spent the rest of their lives hiding their nightmares, pretending that everything was okay. My grandfather was one of these damaged men, and he served as a non-combatant

Too many readers complain about the ghost that haunts the the MC. They are tired of the voice in the MC's head and they think that it is time to get rid of that affectation. Those readers simply don't get it. That voice will never disappear. It will haunt Ian Rutledge until the day he dies. To remove it from the series and from Rutledge's life would be counter to the reality faced by soldiers. The damage never goes away.

Nonetheless, as much as I love this series and the less than perfect MC, I have decided that I will read one more and then it will be time to end our relationship on a high note, before the series jumps the shark. Charles Todd was a mother-son team of authors. Sadly, the mother passed away in 2021. The next book in the series was written by the son alone. I plan to read it and then put the series away.

3.75 stars

Monday Mash Up

 

Monday, July 3, 2023 ~ Books & ...

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THOUGHTS

 

 

100 DAYS OF SUMMER

4. Book with either the title or author name written in the color yellow.
Artifacts by Gigi Pandian
Pts: 11    RT: 135   Avg: 6.4

21. Book with a cover that is predominantly blue, green or yellow.
The Horse You Came in On by Martha Grimes
Pts: 1    RT: 136    Avg: 6.1

67. Book set in a city of over a million people.
The Detective Wore Silk Drawers by Peter Lovesey
Pts: 11    RT: 147    Avg:  6.39

69. Humorous memoir by comedian, actor or writer.
What's So Funny? by Tim Conway
Pts: 6    RT: 153    Avg: 6.37

53. Book written or set during the interwar period (1919 through 1939).
The Black Ascot by Charles Todd
Pts: 10     RT: 163    Avg: 6.52

95. Book categorized crime, either true crime or fiction.
Toward Zero by Agatha Christie
Pts: 12    RT: 175    Avg: 6.73

3. Book with a title that starts with a letter in the word B-E-A-C-H
Cècile Is Dead by Georges Simenon
Pts: 11 RT: 186 Avg: 6.88

 

THE BOOKS

The Artifact by Gigi Pandian

A cozy, light read. A palate cleanser when the reading gets tough. Book 1 in the "Jaya Jones" series. They are in the Audible Plus catalog of freebies, so I will be back for more.
3 stars -- that is smack dab in the middle

The Horse You Came In On by Martha Grimes

I like that it is partially set in Baltimore. This is not one of the better Inspector Jury series but I enjoyed it -- and laughed out loud at some of the whacky characters.
3.25 stars

The Detective Wore Silk Drawers by Peter Lovesey

Never met a Peter Lovesey that I didn't like until I read this one. The borderline sadism was more than I want to read --and the stupidity of putting a rookie in danger didn't help either. The plot is weak and a bit more implausible that I am willing to put up in light of its other issues.
DNF at 60%

What's So Funny by Tim Conway

After the last book I needed something light and funny. I was planning to re-read it eventually for the  humorous celebrity memoir prompt in "100 Days" and this seemed like the perfect time to pick it up.
3.5 stars  because it is laugh out loud funny

The  Black Ascot by Charles Todd

Inspector Ian Rutledge  mystery #21. Set in 1920 just after World War I.  I love this series but it is dark, dark, dark. The MC is damaged goods. His war experience was horrific and he will forever carry the scars of his experience. He is also a damned good investigator. Book #21 is a cold-case story and one of the best of the series. This is one for the re-read pile.
A bit more than 4 stars.

Toward Zero by Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie Centenary Read
This is a Superintendent Battle story and a damned good one, until it goes completely off the rails at the reveal with a very made-for-Hollywood ending. Do yourself a favor and quit reading at the reveal. The last few scenes were a pointless and unnecessary disaster.
3 stars -- would have been more had she quit at the reveal.

Cécile is Dead by Georges Simenon

This is the quarterly side-read for the Agatha Christie Centenary Read.
As it turns out, this Simenon goes well with this month's Agatha; they have a lot in common yet are quite, quite different. I like Simenon's uncluttered style and his 'read it in one sitting' attitude. More Maigret, please. Oh,wait, there is more; I bought 3 more titles when I bought this one. ;-)

3.5 stars

Monday Mash-Up

 June 26, 2023 ~ Books &...

 

THOUGHTS
Not a single one! It has been a relatively quiet week. I've saved it all for a couple of book rants further down the page.

 

100 DAYS OF SUMMER

Book with a proper name in the title.
Agatha Christie by Lucy Worsley (performed by the author)
Pts: 10    RT: 91  Avg: 6.5

Book by an author born between 1900 and 1940.
Knockdown by Dick Francis (1920-2010)
Pts: 7    RT: 98    Avg.: 6.12

Book set in, or written by an author born in, Australia or Oceania.
Mr. Jelly's Business by Arthur W. Upfield
Pt:  8    RT: 106    Avg:  6.23

Magical realism.
The Miracles of the Namiya General Store by Keigo Higashino
Pt:  2    RT: 108    Avg: 6

Book title includes all of the letters in P-A-T-I-O or D-E-C-K.
The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
Pt: 4    RT: 112    Avg: 5.8

Book written by an author born in the months of June, July or August.
Interpeter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (born July 11, 1967)
Pts: 12    RT: 124    Avg: 6.2

THE BOOKS

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Kahiri

I finally got around to checking out the work of British-born Bengali-American Jhumpa Lahiri.  Loved it. Each story is a little slice of everyday life, the problems we all face. There will definitely be more JL on my reading list.
Four stars

Agatha Christie by Lucy Worsley (read by the author)

I was not impressed by her research, her writing or her reading of the script. Most of the time I thought I was watching one of those TV exposé shows, the kind that makes a big deal out of a lot of nothing.  As narrator, she came across as disingenuous, that she was going for the hype, the big reveal that turned out to be nothing and whatever titillation she could find. I didn't like her tone and I didn't like her first person interruptions into the story; it all made me trust her research even less. 
Barely 3 stars

Knockdown by Dick Francis

I've been buying Dick Francis novels on Audible since the mid-aughts and I am now one recording shy of all the novels he published through the year 2000 (and not including one novel that I read when it was published and do not wish to revisit ever).  It was great to read a Dick Francis that I hadn't read at least 10 times in the last decade. DF remains my number one favorite  writer of crime fiction.
Four stars.

Mr. Jelly's Business by Arthur W. Upfield

So much going on here. Set in Australia in the 1930s, featuring a bi-racial main character and rife with all the baggage that these days requires a trigger warning. Many thanks to the publisher for not bowdlerizing this edition.  Besides the fact that the mystery is very well done, the last scene in the story is absolutely macabre.
Not quite 4 stars.

The Miracles of the Namiya General Store by Keigo Higashino

The guy is known for his mystery stories not for novels of magical realism and yet here we are.  Multiple threads of interconnected stories that neatly braid themselves into a whole. Sorry, no spoilers, no hints, nothing given away. Put this one on your list for a cozy Halloween Bingo read.

The Little Paris Bookstore by Nina George

I can't believe that I actually stuck with this one to the very end. I was not impressed. Slow start. Slow narrator. Slow book. Too much introspection. Nothing new. No surprises. Maudlin.  I'm the first to admit that sometimes a book is not about getting there but about what you see along way, but this time, even the scenery was not that enticing.
3 stars at best.

 

March, 2023: Reads & Review

 

 

Goal: 100 books and 1500 hours
YTD: 54 Books Read, 455 Hours Spent
This Month: 24 Books Read, 214 Hours Spent

 

At the beginning of March, we finally moved my folks into their new apartment. My sister and brother handled the actual move while DH, DD and I babysat my parents at a nearby hotel for three nights. They are now slowly but surely settling into the new routine but are still overwhelmed by the number of new things they have to learn. Glad it is finally accomplished. The rest of the month was tame in comparison.

Reading-wise, it was a pretty good month. Two books were DNF -- one because I was not thrilled by the characters and the other because the voice of the lecturer was driving me crazy. I met a few new authors this month, a couple of whom I look forward to reading more of. Many thanks to my book buddies for pointing me in new directions. I am slowly making my way through all of your faves.

 

 

Best of the Month: The Daughter of Time, Chasing History, Empress of the Nile, The Long Fall
Worst of the Month: Notorious London, Finlay Donovan is Killing It

Books still on hold:
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. Since Feb 10. Now 380th in line (from 808) on 85 copies. Estimated wait, 9 weeks.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. Since Feb 22. Now 29th (from 91) on 13 copies. EW, 5 weeks
Witches Abroad. Since Mar 16. Now 9th (from 15).on 3copies. EW, 6 weeks.

 

THE READS

•  Proof of Guilt -- Charles Todd -- NEW28
Love the series. Love the MC. Loved the book.
4 stars.

•  N or M? -- Agatha Christie -- NEW29
Enjoyed the mature Tommy and Tuppence. They have aged well.
3.5 stars

•  The Stargazey -- Martha Grimes -- NEW30
Another series I am enjoying working my through piecemeal and in no specific order.
3.5 stars

•  Wyrd Sisters -- Terry Pratchett -- NEW31
Brush up your Shakespeare. I have to go back and read this one again. It did not have my full attention and I lost a lot.
3.5 stars.

•  Whistlestop -- John Dickerson -- NEW32
On the campaign trail (US presidential, that is). An easy listen.
3.5 stars

•  Magnificent Rebels -- Andrea Wulf -- NEW33
Just too 'up-close-and-personal' with a group of people I would never want to spend that much time with.
3 stars

•  The Daughter of Time -- Josephine Tey -- NEW34
At last I have gotten my hands on this one. Loved it. Loved that it broke out of the mold of the typical crime investigation.
4 stars.

•  Fortune Favors the Dead -- Stephen Spotswood -- NEW35
•  Murder Under Her Skin -- Stephen Spotswood -- NEW37
The same applies to both books. The anachronisms and modern language drove me up a wall. The use of Ms was not in vogue until the 60s. Up until that point, it was used in writing when the choice of Miss or Mrs. was unknown to the writer. Bagels did not go mainstream until the 1970s. Air-conditioned office and government building were not the norm in the 1940. One has "fetishes", not "fetishisms". Two was enough, thank you; I'm done.
3 stars

•  Open Season -- CJ Box -- NEW36
Good but frustrating. I'll try another one eventually. Maybe.
3.25 stars

•  The Case of the Canterfell Codicil -- PJ Fitzsimmons -- NEW38
Finely-honed sense of humor. No one is left unscathed.
3.75 stars

•  Finley Donovan Is Killing It -- Elle Cosimano -- NEW39 -- DNF
I could not get past the set up. Nasty exes are too hard to deal with. I lasted 15 minutes before moving on.
DNF

•  The Old Contemptibles -- Martha Grimes -- NEW40
She drags us from Wodehousian character descriptions to down right heart-break. Delightfully twisted plot.
3.5 stars.

•  The Messy Lives of Book People -- Phaedra Patrick -- NEW40
Published by Harlequin. Reads like a Hallmark movie.
3 stars

•  The Word is Murder -- Anthony Horowitz -- NEW41
Loved it. Fun plus homage to AC Doyle and the writers. Love that the author is his own Watson. Looking forward to more.
3.5 stars

•  Chasing History -- Carl Bernstein -- NEW42
Memoir. What is was like breaking into the world of print journalism in the early 1960s.
4 stars

•  N or M? -- Agatha Christie -- Re-read

•  A Fine Summer's Day -- Charles Todd -- NEW43
I liked the mystery but I was not interested in the MCs back-story and would have preferred to have it remain shrouded in mystery.
4 stars nonetheless.

•  Great Courses: Notorious London -- Paul Deslandes -- NEW44 -- DNF
Regardless of the topic, I could not bear his lecture style.

•  Great Courses: Reconsidering JFK -- Michael Shelden -- NEW45
Nothing new here. The man warts and all.
3.5 stars

•  The Inugami Curse -- Seishi Yokomizo -- NEW46
I am fascinated by this series: Golden Age mystery style for the Japanese audience.
3.5 stars.

•  The Wife of Bath -- Marion Turner -- NEW47
Scholarly but approachable. Where was this when I was in high school?
3.5 stars

•  Empress of the Nile -- Lynne Olson -- NEW48
So sorry that I could not have read this before we went to Egypt (but it was published just after we got home). Fascinating. Engaging. Easy read.
4 stars.

•  The Long Fall -- Walter Moseley -- NEW49
Meet Leonid McGill! Interesting dude. Morally complicated but basically on the side of the angels.
4 stars

 

One Hundred Years of Solitude

 

By: Gabriel García Márquez, (Gregory Rabassa, translator)
Narrated by: John Lee
Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 01-28-14

 

 

 

Editorial Review

Already a journalist and writer of literary fiction, lauded Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez made his true debut into magical realism with One Hundred Years of Solitude. This piece of literature is a treasure of Latin America's 20th-century literary scene and a strong piece of Colombian history.

The character-driven story of the mythical town of Macondo showcases all aspects of the human race. From the introspective and haunted patriarch, José Arcadio Buendía, and his wife, Úrsula Iguarán, to illegitimate son Aureliano José, one of the many Aureliano Buendía's fathered by Colonel Aureliano Buendía, each character is unique and emblematic of the spectrum of humanity housed in this fictional town.

Gabriel García Márquez did more than launch his own foray into magic realism with this piece of classic literature. He was also one of the first four authors from South America named as part of the Latin American Boom, a literary movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Alongside Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, Argentine writer Julio Cortázar, and Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes, the Colombian icon’s work was circulated worldwide. To date, One Hundred Years of Solitude has sold 50 million copies in 46 languages and counting.

John Lee adds his voice to this brilliant chronicle of life for Latin Americans, making the audiobook come to life for the listener. He brings the art of García Márquez’s fiction and the lyrical magic of the town of Macondo to the forefront with a strong delivery, worthy of patriarch José Arcadio Buendía, all the way down to Aureliano Babilonia of the sixth generation. — Audible Latino Editor

 

This will be short

I have always been enthralled by and in awe of Garcia M's imagination. He leaves me speechless each time I read his work. Where do these words and images come from? The truth is that I am not as interested in the story arc or deeper meanings as I am in spending time with the characters, the setting and the language -- even in translation.

 

The Woman in the Library

 

 

 

By: Sulari Gentill
Narrated by: Katherine Littrell
Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 06-09-22

 

 

Publisher's Summary
Ned Kelly award winning author Sulari Gentill sets this mystery-within-a-mystery in motion with a deceptively simple, Dear Hannah, What are you writing? pulling us into the ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library.

In every person's story, there is something to hide...

The  tranquility is shattered by a woman's terrified scream. Security guards  take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until  the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the  all-clear, four strangers, who'd happened to sit at the same table, pass  the time in conversation and friendships are struck. Each has his or  her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning―it just  happens that one is a murderer.

Sulari Gentill delivers a sharply thrilling read with The Woman in the Library, an unexpectedly twisty literary adventure that examines the complicated  nature of friendship and shows us that words can be the most treacherous  weapons of all.

 

I don't want to talk about this book

 I liked this book too much to spoil it for others by talking about what happens in the story or by talking about the characters or the plot twists; there is enough already in the publisher's summaries to figure out if it is your kind of story.  I liked the structure -- a novel within an epistolary novel (this much I am willing to spoil, just to get you hooked).  It is what makes this novel a stand-out. It is not your everyday cookie-cutter murder mystery.  

Lean Mean Thirteen

 

 

 

By: Janet Evanovich
Narrated by: Lorelei King
Series: Stephanie Plum, Book 13
Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 06-01-07

 

 

Summary

New secrets, old flames, and hidden agendas are about to send bounty hunter Stephanie Plum on her most outrageous adventure yet!

MISTAKE #1 Dickie  Orr. Stephanie was married to him for about fifteen minutes before she  caught him cheating on her with her arch-nemesis Joyce Barnhardt.  Another fifteen minutes after that Stephanie filed for divorce, hoping  to never see either one of them again.

MISTAKE #2 Doing  favors for super bounty hunter Carlos Manoso (a.k.a. Ranger). Ranger  needs her to meet with Dickie and find out if he's doing something  shady. Turns out, he is. Turns out, he's also back to doing Joyce  Barnhardt. And it turns out Ranger's favors always come with a price...

MISTAKE #3 Going  completely nutso while doing the favor for Ranger, and trying to apply  bodily injury to Dickie in front of the entire office. Now Dickie  has disappeared and Stephanie is the natural suspect in his  disappearance. Is Dickie dead? Can he be found? And can she stay one  step ahead in this new, dangerous game? Joe Morelli, the hottest cop in  Trenton, NJ is also keeping Stephanie on her toes―and he may know more  than lets on about her…It's a cat-and-mouse game for Stephanie Plum,  where the ultimate prize might be her life.

 

 

A fun 7 hours

Evanovich is the antithesis to Sue Grafton (which I stopped reading somewhere around K; lost interest). Where Grafton is dark and edgy,  Evanovich is laugh out-loud funny, like reading a comic book. The "Stephanie Plum" series  is "cozy" without the heavy dose of saccharine I find in a lot of the hard-core cozies; too much sugar in the diet is not a good thing. The characters are a hoot, caricatures, really but good people when all is said and done (except for the bad guys, who are rotten to the core, of course). Fun to read every now and then but don't look for me to be binge-reading the entire series -- even if I do have two Stephanie Plum's scheduled for Halloween Bingo. File this one under "necessary roughage."

Three stars

 

The Appeal

 

 

 

By Janice Hallett
Narrated by Daniel Philpott, Aysha Kala, Rachel Adedeji, Sid Sagar
Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 01-25-22

 

 

The Fairway Players, a local theatre group, is in the midst of rehearsals when tragedy strikes the family of director Martin Hayward and his wife Helen, the play’s star. Their young granddaughter has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, and with an experimental treatment costing a tremendous sum, their castmates rally to raise the money to give her a chance at survival.
 
But not everybody is convinced of the experimental treatment’s efficacy—nor of the good intentions of those involved. As tension grows within the community, things come to a shocking head at the explosive dress rehearsal. The next day, a dead body is found, and soon, an arrest is made. In the run-up to an appeal, two young lawyers sift through the material—emails, messages, letters—with a growing suspicion that the killer may be hiding in plain sight. The evidence is all there, between the lines, waiting to be uncovered.

 

JUST WHO IS THE BAD GUY IN THIS STORY? Glad I stuck with it
 
My daughter recommended this one. It the only reason why I didn't quit after the first 20 minutes because this book doesn't work well as an audiobook. I had to accept that fact and move on. It helped that in spite of the medium issues, the book was well written and caught my interest.

The Appeal is an interesting twist on the epistolary novel, told in e-mails rather than actually letters, there being a difference in the conventions between the two modes of communication, length being the most noteworthy. My immediate reaction was that the author chose the epistolary style out of laziness. That's what I thought when I was looking for excuses to downgrade the book. Still, listening to e-mails read out loud headers and all can be tedious. Where a reader would skim the headers, an audiobook has to read out all of the words on the page-- and it gets repetitive very quickly.

As I said, I quickly came to see just how wrong I was about the author being lazy. It's harder to do character development well, not easier, when you are limited to the words your characters would put down on paper and what other people have to say about those characters in their e-mails. There are multiple narrators, some of who are reliable and others of who are not. The reader has to work out who is reliable and who isn't, even as the characters in the book have to work out who is reliable and who isn't as they exchange e-mails.

All in all, it turned out to be a twisting, turning mare's nest of a well written mystery. It is halfway through the story before the name of the victim is revealed and even further into it until you learn whose conviction is being appealed. Janice Hallett, while a first time novelist, is a former magazine editor, a journalist, a playwright (NetherBard) and a screenwriter (Retreat). Her maturity and experience showed.

I'm giving this one just shy of four stars -- and can't wait until January for her second novel to be published.

Taking Out the Trash -- July

 

 

No wonder my trash can is overflowing! I have read thirty books in the past six weeks and not written about a single one of them. Time to remedy that -- and hopefully in a manner that will inflict the least amount of pain on both reader and writer.

A lot of comfort reading in this lot, making it impossible to name best and worst reads of the month. Nothing stood out one way or another. No dents in the plaster but no blue ribbons either.  Am I mellowing with age? Still, a whole lot of reading going on and that's what counts.

I'm starting with the non-fiction reads, since there were only a handful of them. 

The Library Book
Written and read by : Susan Orleans

An enjoyable meander through a topic I find interesting books about libraries. I think this one was touted as "true crime" just to attract an audience -- and because no one really knew where to pigeon-hole it.  The author starts with the story of the 1986 Los Angeles Public Library fire but actually writes a history of the L.A. Country Public Library system. In the process, she also writes about how the idea of the role of the library in the community has changed, particularly over the 40 years. (Found in Murder by Death's stacks)

 

Home Work:  A Memoir of My Hollywood Years
By: Julie Andrews, Emma Walton Hamilton
Narrated by: Julie Andrews

Taste: My Life Through Food
Written and read by Stanley Tucci

 

I generally avoid celebrity memoirs but I will read books by actors I respect. Andrews and Tucci meet that criteria -- normal people who happen to work in show business, people who are role models.  Andrews dragged after a bit, interesting but repetitive. On the other hand, as a lover of good home cooked food and local "mom and pop" eateries that feature really good cooking, I enjoyed Tucci's story -- even the sad parts. 

The Great Courses: The Late Middle Ages
Taught by Philip Daileader

One of the best courses I have listened to.  Daileader talks in broad themes, not boring details -- and he is a pleasure to listen to. I wish they had taught this way when I was in school all those many years ago.

I want to call this next section, "Because You Liked It."  These are books or authors I have tried because my reading buddies have waxed poetic.

Two books from Canadian author Roberston Davies, both read by Frederick  Davidson:
The Lyre of Orpheus
Tempest-Tost

I have Wanda to thank for this author. I love Davies and I am taking my good old time getting through his oeuvre. He is a cynic par excellence. His pen is poisoned and no one is spared but it is done ever so gently. I like his story-telling. It is obvious that he is enjoying poking fun at his characters while he spins their tale.  To boot, I very much enjoy Davidson's narration because it is so clear that he gets Davies and never overplays him; he is delightfully subtly whenever he needs to be.

 

Murder by Death got me started on M.L. Longworth's  Verlaques and Bonnet series and I am working my through it as quickly as the library will let me. It isn't perfect but it is for the most part enjoyable. I started in the middle and then went back to the beginning to read it in order.  It is set in Aix-en-Provence, a delightfully snooty old city in the south of Provence. I got a little bit annoyed with her in book four when she decided to add some wholly gratuitous explicit sex. It was so out of place and awkward, and had nothing to do with the story. And, I got super-annoyed in book five when the author started making up facts. Her historical timeline was so far off that her story was entirely implausible. Then she said that one of her characters had to sell her parents entire art collection to pay the inheritance taxes. Really? Were her parents that stupid not to have take precautions to prevent that from happening. The whole collection just to pay the taxes? Really, a tax bill of  100% of the realized value? Yep, the eyeballs are just rolling.  A few more dumb mistakes like these and I may have to ditch the series before the end.

Longworth makes a good transition into the next grouping. I've been slowly pecking away at the various series that I have started. They fill the gaps when I don't know what I want to read -- and I have seemed to be rather ignorant the past few months.

 

I learned that Peter Grainger added another book to his D.C. Smith series, The Truth.  As much as I liked Smith and was sad to see him go, I think that this coda was unnecessary. I don't have a problem with Smith appearing in the new Kings Lake series  as a supporting character but I think that his story has been told and it is time to move on. His new role as mentor and confidante to the newly formed Kings Lake "Murder Squad" works far better than DC Smith private investigator.

I've started buying up Ngaio Marsh books. I have read a bunch already but I want to read more so I decided to start at book one and start filling in the gaps.  I have 10 in my library and there are 32 of them available: I have a ways to go. I enjoy her stories and I find her output to be a lot more even than Christie.  I just hope I get them all bought up before Audible stops selling them.

I'm continuing with other series but have nothing in particular to say about any of them that I haven't already said, probably multiple times.  On this list for this outing are Heathcliff Lennox (Menuhin), Vera Stanhope (Cleeves), Inspector Ian Rutledge (Todd), Mrs. Pollifax (Gilman), and Slough House (Herron). 

New author

Colin Dexter:I have no recollection of how he got on to my TBR pile but there he was.  I never did watch the TV series so I went in knowing nothing about Morse and his Watson. Or should I be saying Morse and his Sherlock? I started with The Jewel That Was Ours and enjoyed it enough to want to read more. I think Morse is a hoot. How he got as far in his career as he did is anyone's guess. He's a bit of lush and would never solve a single crime if it weren't for his sergeant.  Next I read Daughters of Cain and I will read more of them as long as I can find them and get them for free.

And that, my friends, is, as C.J. Craig used to say, a full lid.

 

Chief Inspector Gamache/Three Pines: The Whole Series

 

By Louise Penny
Read by Ralph Cosham (Books 1-10) and Robert Bathurst (Books 11-17)
First book in the series was published in 2005. Book 18 is due for publication at the end of 2022

 

Audible Summary

 

A man of deep intellect, quiet  courage, and integrity, Québec Inspector Armand Gamache defies the  stereotype of a macho cop - brilliantly!

 
Chief Inspector  of the Surêté du Québec, Armand Gamache leads a team of investigators  in the Three Pines, a rural village south of Montreal rich in natural  beauty and eccentric residents. In this idyllic setting, Gamache is  continually challenged with baffling murders that demand the full force  of his deductive erudition, and insight into the individuals involved.  Whether taking place in a monastery, an art gallery, or the forest, each  mystery reveals more layers to the people of Three Pines, as well as  Inspector Gamache, his deputy Jean-Guy Beauvoir, and other series  regulars.

 
Author Louise Penny chose two brilliant narrators  to match her thoughtful detective. Ralph Cosham offers a deep reading of  Inspector Gamache, opening the hero’s mind, heart, and soul for  listeners to experience on a visceral level. As one avid listener  declares: “I don’t think I would ever be able to read Louise Penny’s  books as long as I can listen to the wonder Ralph Cosham narrate, since  he IS Inspector Gamache!” Robert Bathurst, Cosham’s successor after his  death, captures the complex personality of the perceptive Chief  Inspector, emphasizing his humanity, compassion, and wit along with his  erudition. Both narrators excel at character studies of the various  players in each case, from an elderly Anglo librarian to a spirited  nine-year-old boy.

 

"I don't know." "I need help." "I'm sorry." "I was wrong."

When I started reading this series (April, 2020), I was not in a rush to finish the series or even to read the books in order. I did start with book #1 and I fell in love with the book, the writing, the characters and the village of Three Pines.  I slowly started acquiring other entries in the series. Audible has them all but I was hoping to get as many as possible on sale, so it would be a slow, slow process. It became a lot easier when I rejoined the Boston Public Library. But, I was not in a rush because I so enjoyed the books that I had already read.

 

Suddenly, this April, I decided that this was one series that really had to be read in order.  The series has an over-arching storyline that is some ways is more important than the individual murders. So I went back not quite to the beginning and I read them all in order, one after another -- like a bag of M&Ms. And it had to be a binge so that I could keep the storyline fresh in my mind. By the time I reached  Book 17,  The Madness of Crowds, I decided that  I was tired of the hell that the author was putting her MC through. She used the same "Mighty Mouse" plot intrigue over and over again -- you know, "Here I am to save the day" -- to the point where it just no longer was plausible.  Mighty Mouse should have exited the scene with book 10 and after that, she needed to take the Gamache arc in an entirely different direction (just don't ask what it should have been, because if I had that answer, I would spend my time writing books, not reading them). 

I kept reading right through to the end of the series, for a couple of reasons. I like the author's writing style. The whole idea of this Brigadoon-like  village and refuge for injured souls is intriguing.  But, mostly, I think it is the secondary characters that keep me coming back, especially the quirky villagers.  These are people I enjoy spending time with, even if we are in the middle of solving yet another murder that somehow or another involves one or more of these people.

 

All that said, book 18 is due out in November. Still no title and no hint as to who will be narrating but I will be on the library wait-list just as soon as I find out it is taking names.