The Briar Club by Kate Quinn (2024). Set in a 1950s boarding house in DC, this started dramatically with a murder, then flashed back to Grace March’s arrival and her ability to bring the women residents together – although she never says a word about her own past or current situation. This was slower-paced than Quinn’s other books (my sister texted me last night to ask if she should go on reading) but I found it appealing. I especially enjoyed a cameo by Margaret Chase Smith and vaguely remembered researching her for elementary school long ago.
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (2022). I know everyone except me loved this — I found it endless and depressing. For those who have not read it, it’s about a poor, neglected orphan born in a trailer in one of the most poverty-stricken areas of Appalachia. Every time you think his life might get better, it gets even worse! I pity these people but many of them vote against policies that are or would help them, which is infuriating (if that isn’t deplorable, what is?).
Mystery/Suspense
Gunpowder Plot by Carola Dunn (2006)*. In this historical mystery, Daisy Dalrymple, now married and in an interesting condition as the saying goes, is visiting a school friend to write up the local Guy Fawkes celebration. When her host is killed, Daisy’s husband, a Scotland Yard detective, is summoned to investigate. My review.
Vanishing Edge by Claire Kells (2021). Felicity Harland, a former FBI agent who left the service in the wake of a personal tragedy, is brought in as chief investigator when a camper disappears from Sequoia National Park. I never got into Nevada Barr’s books even when I was working for her publisher but this was intriguing and I think I will read more in the series.
Dog on It by Spencer Quinn (2008), Narrated by Jim Frangione (audio). This is a rollicking series launch featuring Chet, the wise and lovable canine narrator, sidekick to Bernie, who is not the brightest private investigator. I wished Chet could figure out how to communicate like the dog in The Watchers by Dean Koontz, given he knew where the missing girl was and who had taken her. It was cute but probably one was enough. I hope he writes more standalones like Mrs. Plansky's Revenge.
The Truth About the Devlins by Lisa Scottoline (2024) (audio). TJ Devlin is a disappointment in a family of lawyers. After a stint in prison and rehab for alcoholism, TJ can’t get hired anywhere except at the firm, in a make-work job with the title of investigator. However, when his perfect brother John (the most annoying character of the month – should this be a regular thing?) wonders if he has murdered someone, it is TJ who tries to find out what is going on.
Nonfiction
Romance
The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center (2024). Emma Wheeler desperately longs to be a screenwriter. So when she gets a chance to re-write a script for famous screenwriter Charlie Yates it’s a break too big to pass up. But when she get there, she learns he didn’t know anything about this plan and flat out rejects her involvement. This was extremely fun, if predictable, and makes up for Center’s disappointing previous book about face recognition (or lack thereof).
Spring Dream by Rosamund Hunt (1963). When Carolyn’s aunt is hospitalized, she rushes upstate to help, dragging her reluctant mother along. When Aunt Blanche begs Carolyn to manage her hat store while she is out of commission, Carolyn gamely takes it on and learns a lot about small business, depressed mill communities, and whom one can count on in a crisis. It was predictable but I loved all the hats! My review.
Children’s and YA
Tik-Tok of Oz (1914) and Rinkitink in Oz (1916) by L. Frank Baum. Ozathon24 continues with two rereads. Tik-Tok is mostly about the Shaggy Man and Betsy Bobbin, an intrepid American girl like Dorothy, and their adventures outside Oz and run-in with the Nomes. I preferred Rinkitink in Oz, which features brave Prince Inga, trying to save his country after it is conquered with three magic pearls. My review.
* * * *
Update on my 20 Books of Summer: I read 47 books over the three summer months (a few long weekends made all the difference) but just 17 from my 20 Books of Summer (marked with asterisk above). I am determined to finish my list, although I am a bit stuck on book 18.
7 comments:
What a lovely lot of books! I read about 43 over the summer but did manage my 20 with one swap. I did admire Demon Copperhead but agree it was terribly depressing.
Every review I've read or seen of Demon Copperhead describes it as depressing and, as you said, just when you think it can't get any worse... So I've not been remotely tempted to give it a try, brilliant though it might be. I somehow missed your original review of the Daisy Dalrymple book and, although there's some character development in that her and Alec get slowly closer, it's not exactly fraught with complications, so no, you haven't missed a lot. I've read up to Superfluous Women, which is book twenty something I think, and that was actually one of the best of them though it does owe a bit to Dorothy L. Sayers' Busman's Holiday in my opinion. I only read one of Spencer Quinn's dog series too, it was fine but I didn't feel enthused to seek out more.
This summer was a busy reading one for me, too: sometimes the heat makes me stop reading and sometimes it makes me start! I loved the Oz books, most of which I read a few summers ago, because as a girl I simply reread my favourites and just the first few pages of all the rest. I've not read the newest Barbara Kingsolver, yet, but that's something which interests me greatly, how differently people think about how their own lives could be impacted by poliical decisions. In 2016, I started listening to a variety of podcasts and shows that wouldn't normally be my choice, to try to understand how that kind of situation you've described arises (how people you'd think would benefit from and support left-leaning policies actually are right-leaning in the voting booth)...it's so interesting how different people's thoughts and perspectives are. Fiction should be a great way to explore this, but maybe the emotional toll was just too overwhelming?
I enjoyed The Briar Club, but I found some of the women's stories much more interesting than others so I thought it was quite uneven. I started to read Demon Copperhead a while ago but didn't get very far with it before I decided it wasn't for me and abandoned it. It sounds like that was the right decision!
After enjoying The Rom-Commers earlier this summer, I went down a Katherine Center rabbit hole and read absolutely everything the library had available by her. A very fun way to spend a couple of weeks!
You read a lot on your summer list ... but too bad about Briar Club -- I think I will pass on it. I'm not as a big a Kate Quinn reader as others are, but I was interested in it for its DC setting (since I lived there once for 15 years). kudos on finishing Copperhead ... it was depressing but I had to see it thru. Happy reading in September. I finished 10 off my summer list (update in my latest post). I bit off a bit more than I could chew. You were right, lol.
I really liked The Briar Club, just did not find it as riveting as some of her other books. As Helen pointed out, some of the women's stories were not as interesting as others. Overall, however, I think her depiction of boarding house life and 1950s DC was well done.
Claire, that might be a bit too much at once! I started with the one about the fire fighters but I enjoyed them all.
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