The Night in Question by Susan Fletcher

Florrie Butterfield has cherished her independence all her life, so losing a leg in her mid-80s was devastating. Forced to leave the cottage she loved, she found a residential community in Oxfordshire that accepted people in wheelchairs, Babbington Hall. But just as Florrie has settled in, things start to go wrong. When the story begins, she is mourning Arthur Potts, a friend who fell out a window and died four weeks earlier.

The Trap by Ava Glass: a race against time in Edinburgh

Emma Makepeace works for an espionage organization so secret it has no name but The Agency. There is no mistaking its role, however: to hunt Russian spies. Emma has her own motivation for this work – her father was Russian and was killed before she was born for being an informer.

Falling for Provence by Alison Roberts

When Ellie, Laura, and Fiona Gilchrist inherit a house in Provence from an uncle they never knew, Laura organizes a trip to inspect it and brings Ellie along. Ellie is recovering from the tragedy of losing her infant son and her family wants her to try to move on. The little house has been empty for years but artistic Ellie is intrigued by terracotta tiles and the neglected garden; impulsively, she decides to stay behind to get the property into shape so it can be sold.

Conrad's Fate by Diana Wynne Jones, a Chrestomanci novel

When Anthea Tesdinic turns her back on her family and leaves for university, her brother Conrad is left at the mercy of his magician uncle Alfred and his distracted mother. Conrad helps out at the bookstore his father and uncle founded in the English alps and hopes to attend high school until Uncle Alfred says he has bad karma, likely due to something he did in a previous life. 

Spell the Month in Books – September

Spell the Month in Books is hosted by Reviews From the Stacks and occurs on the first Saturday of each month or maybe later! 

Sushi for Beginners by Marian Keyes (2000). I originally thought of Keyes as a Maeve Binchy wannabe but I have enjoyed her books and this was a pleasant story about three women, two of whom work for a fancy magazine in Dublin.

Ordeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie – #ReadChristie2024

Two years ago, Jacko Argyle was convicted of murdering his adoptive mother, despite his denial. He died in prison. His family is still recovering from the horror of these events when they are visited by Dr. Calgary, a geophysicist who has just returned to England and explains that he was Jacko’s alibi: the young man was innocent! 

The Scarecrow of Oz by L. Frank Baum - Ozathon24

Trot, a serious little girl, and her devoted friend, Cap’n Bill, are exploring the California coast when their boat hits a whirlpool. They are brought down, down, down into the depths of the ocean and eventually resurface in a cave where they are temporarily safe (if you are like Alec Ramsey and can survive on seaweed). 

Radio Girls by Sarah-Jane Stratford

It’s 1926 and Maisie Musgrave is desperately down to one pound, thirteen shillings, and ninepence when she finally gets offered a job. It’s at the new British Broadcasting Company where she is interviewed by the Director General’s dragonlike assistant to provide additional secretarial support to the legendary John Reith. 

My August 2024 Reading

No 5s this month: I liked The Briar Club but not as much as Kate Quinn's other books. I enjoyed Long Island and will suggest my book group reads it but his style is very understated and I wasn’t sure I understood the ending. The Rom-Commers was fun and I’ve decided I like Center’s books much better than Emily Henry’s: although their styles are not dissimilar, I think Center demonstrates more sense of humor.

Six Degrees of Separation – from After Story to A Springtime Affair

It’s time for #6degrees, inspired by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best. We all start at the same place as other readers, add six books, and see where it ends up. This month’s starting point is After Story by Larissa Behrendt. It sounds like something I would enjoy: When Indigenous lawyer Jasmine decides to take her mother Della on a tour of England's most revered literary sites, Jasmine hopes it will bring them closer together and help them reconcile the past.

Good Night, Irene by Luis Aleberto Urrea - 17/20 of Books of Summer

Title: Good Night, Irene
Author: Luis Aleberto Urrea
Publication: Little, Brown & Co., hardcover, 2023
Genre: Historical Fiction
Setting: WWII

There are books about wartime nurses and an abundance (at least, recently) of stories about female spies and even a few aviators, but this was the first book I came across about Donut Dollies!

What to Read - Fall 2024

I started thinking about Fall 2024 books today and there are quite a few that sound appealing:

Mystery/Suspense

Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson (September). I am a big fan of Yorkshire-based PI Brodie. In this sixth book, Jackson is pursuing some mysterious art thefts when he gets stranded in a snowstorm with a vicar, a soldier, and a dowager at a hotel hosting Murder Mystery weekends.  You know such weekends are an invitation to commit actual murder!