The Vanishing of Carolyn Wells by Rebecca Rego Barry – 16/20 of Books of Summer

When a former colleague, Deb Englander, mentioned this book early in 2024, the subtitle – Investigations Into A Forgotten Mystery Author – immediately caught my attention and I asked the Boston Public Library to order a copy.

Maine

I am in Maine for a few days with my sister and niece. I am always entranced by the ocean and would be happy to sit with my book and look at the water all day.  But occasionally it is nice to explore the area!  We were staying in Rockport, Maine (which was about a four hour drive from Boston) and one of the things we did was go to nearby Mount Battie.

Two's Company - set during the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg

Whe Claire Farrell left New York, heading south in her new convertible, it was ostensibly to visit her grandparents in Williamsburg, but really to pursue a handsome actor, Whit Bowdon, performing in summer theater. Whit is sophisticated and willing to do whatever it takes to advance his career, in contrast to Philip Young, a young architect boarding with the Farrells, who is focused on the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg – and enjoys teasing Claire about her lack of interest in history.

Long Island by Colm Tóibín – 15/20 Books of Summer

In Brooklyn (2009), Eilis Lacey was encouraged by her sister Rose to leave her small town in Ireland for better employment prospects in New York. She finds a job in a department store and takes bookkeeping classes at night but is lonely. Eventually, she began attending Friday night dances with a friend and meets an Italian-American plumber. When she gets bad news from home that Rose has died, Tony persuades her to get married secretly before she returns to Ireland to be with her mother.

Tik-Tok of Oz and Rinkitink of Oz #Ozathon24

I got a little behind with Lory’s group read of the Oz books but here are two more, slightly out of order:

Tik-Tok of Oz (1914). This book starts off in an obscure part of Oz called Oogaboo, where a dissatisfied young woman called Ann Soforth decides to muster an army and go conquer the rest of Oz. Elsewhere, Betsy Bobbin and Hank the mule, wash up from Oklahoma into the Rose Kingdom, a land bordering Ev (see Ozma of Oz) and the Nonestic Ocean, where they meet our old acquaintance, the Shaggy Man, searching for his brother who was captured by the Nome King.

Spring Dream by Rosamund Hunt

Carolyn Chandler is an attractive young woman (auburn hair, creamy skin, green eyes) who lives in Manhattan with her widowed mother, Vivian. Vivian’s life is a round of parties and it has been up to Carolyn to manage their home and finances since she was 16. Now, although Vivian is reluctant to leave her social life and Carolyn does not want to leave handsome Whit Dryden, her new beau, they travel 200 miles north when they get the news that Vivian’s sister, Blanche Storrow, had been hospitalized.

My July 2024 Reading

My two favorite books this month were Mrs. Plansky's Revenge by Spencer Quinn and Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane - one light-hearted and amusing and the other dark and compelling - both memorable.  

Mystery/Suspense

The Risk of Darkness by Susan Hill (2006). I really liked the first two Simon Serrallier books I read in June so read three more in July – compelling police procedurals set in a small cathedral town with a lot about Simon’s family as part of the plot, which adds to their appeal, in my opinion.

A Stranger in the Family by Jane Casey: A Maeve Kerrigan Mystery

Helena and Bruce Marshall have not been the same since their nine-year-old daughter Rosalie disappeared 16 years ago, so when they are murdered Detective Sergeant Maeve Kerrigan and Inspector Josh Derwent have to investigate both incidents to determine if there is a connection. Maeve and Josh have not worked a case together recently, following their undercover work together in The Close, and his live-in girlfriend is jealous of Maeve, who tries to concentrate on the case at hand.

Two More Mysteries from My 20 Books of Summer

Gunpowder Plot by Carola Dunn

The Honorable Daisy Dalrymple is now married to Alec Fletcher, whom she (and we) met in Death at Wentwater Court, and is now a Detective Chief Inspector at Scotland Yard. She has not forgotten her first love, who died in the Great War, but she has built a new life with Alec and his daughter. 

Six Degrees of Separation – from The Museum of Modern Love to Demon Copperhead

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 The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose (2016). It’s about a man who becomes mesmerized by a performance art exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. I used to work around the corner from MOMA so have been there fairly often (before it cost $30 per visit) but I kept my obsessions under control.