tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30131142322149231982024-03-19T04:48:55.027-04:00Staircase WitBooks and Other ImpressionsCLMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03595294217111602231noreply@blogger.comBlogger1366125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013114232214923198.post-75760643743708887062024-03-16T23:30:00.003-04:002024-03-17T08:52:32.839-04:00Spell the Month in Books - March<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Spell the Month in Books</span></b> is hosted by <a href="https://reviewsfromthestacks.wordpress.com/2024/03/02/spell-the-month-in-books-march-2024-linkup/">Reviews From the Stacks</a> and occurs on the second Saturday of each month or maybe the third!</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvCMe8oWo8Jg6jCUsxbpWtLaH39Sfwa-2VVhmBSU356l_pB3nJeEFSB-yZdsEF_Gcu55JdpnD2PVo5CTPoGeSvoRfrPcKFEUSUdRQYJOCTxNL2kZXp5wWLirx2M47rf-qbV9BvDafrDSLoJdY4JJs101G36SZ_5q2RArrBMPKYbCWaEHnnBNM5mIouytU/s500/spell-the-month-in-books.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvCMe8oWo8Jg6jCUsxbpWtLaH39Sfwa-2VVhmBSU356l_pB3nJeEFSB-yZdsEF_Gcu55JdpnD2PVo5CTPoGeSvoRfrPcKFEUSUdRQYJOCTxNL2kZXp5wWLirx2M47rf-qbV9BvDafrDSLoJdY4JJs101G36SZ_5q2RArrBMPKYbCWaEHnnBNM5mIouytU/s320/spell-the-month-in-books.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><span><b><span style="color: #e06666; font-size: large;">The </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">M</span><span style="color: #e06666; font-size: large;">idwife</span></b><span style="font-size: large;"> by </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/jul/06/jennifer-worth-obituary"><span style="font-size: large;">Jennifer Worth</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> (2002). In 2013, I watched a season of <i>Call the Midwife</i> and was drawn to the memoir that inspired the series. <span><a name='more'></a></span> It is the first book in Worth's best-selling trilogy about her work as a nurse and midwife practicing in the poverty-stricken East End of London in the 1950s. For those fascinated by the show and interested in midwives, I created a <a href="https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2012/12/call-midwife-suggested-reading-list-for.html">reading list</a>.</span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiIEp7kQj161xpoHqRVONR4dPHFoTuGWANRW4-pHSUQZiYEBd4v6xCSrwTfXB2cepqLzBNs9iOYTr2LyuOi6jy2N3FTt_kj8sCfKmaODAmMs6myd994rXMLSqky-a4wGkuuw_qVKhLQRORhlupbpXWFaa5-WloMdk7-MxuKa7ZKJ9KLyiPKUgBPgyb7wag" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="296" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiIEp7kQj161xpoHqRVONR4dPHFoTuGWANRW4-pHSUQZiYEBd4v6xCSrwTfXB2cepqLzBNs9iOYTr2LyuOi6jy2N3FTt_kj8sCfKmaODAmMs6myd994rXMLSqky-a4wGkuuw_qVKhLQRORhlupbpXWFaa5-WloMdk7-MxuKa7ZKJ9KLyiPKUgBPgyb7wag" width="160" /></a></div><b><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span><span style="color: #e06666; font-size: large;"> Dream of Hunger Moss</span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"> by Mabel Esther Allan (1983). During WWII, Alice and her brother Adam are evacuated from Liverpool to a farm in Oxfordshire where their mother spent summers as a child. Adjusting to country life is challenging but like their mother they are fascinated by Hunger Moss and its Roman tower. I don’t think I read this one until I was an adult; it is memorable for its sense of place and you must know I like evacuation stories.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrvJmWXIy9622zvO2VSK60H_rtiYOGpR0tyRSQSjYGujudavTaEeH6IiUcxGUNW5rjZW7CdqQHoiYH4leiiMWtS6SZ75E9DgOevfkS3k2dKbp-aBTKhczMPNxj0rcr6S2wo3wfEqQv-zeAFLcUNCl3CUh5bJsipBN5OObGVh4LEbcXn9HDXNfjNcZIoJg/s468/Dream%20of%20Hunger%20Moss.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrvJmWXIy9622zvO2VSK60H_rtiYOGpR0tyRSQSjYGujudavTaEeH6IiUcxGUNW5rjZW7CdqQHoiYH4leiiMWtS6SZ75E9DgOevfkS3k2dKbp-aBTKhczMPNxj0rcr6S2wo3wfEqQv-zeAFLcUNCl3CUh5bJsipBN5OObGVh4LEbcXn9HDXNfjNcZIoJg/s320/Dream%20of%20Hunger%20Moss.jpeg" width="217" /></a></div></span><b><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">R</span><span style="color: #e06666; font-size: large;">ebel in Right Field</span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"> by Duane Decker (1961). Danny Redd is a rookie baseball player with great potential in the outfield except he is afraid of getting injured, having once seen his brother carried off the field. His hesitation in going after fly balls angers his coach, his teammates and the fans. Danny has to decide how much he wants an MLB career before he is sent down to the minors (although solving a deep psychological fear is really not that easy!). This is part of the famous <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1964/08/22/archives/duane-decker-author-is-dead-wrote-baseball-books-for-boys.html">Blue Sox series</a> which I discovered in my elementary school library.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbKHtfZ8uog6fIiOfwE1qDe67wtWYe5FKGOAD2IdcLRZ5ZtabcNgq1zNM95vdTxEEwdeRduWpeOTC9YccAzuceNKWOqqt79di1LC8urcImadiI3f4d0HCbYhbghUTUnap7-y6bes2PiFXVedmalVTuhVKgmKeDy0noTafUpxdG6ThO0QEh_2reAsfqAWo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="749" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbKHtfZ8uog6fIiOfwE1qDe67wtWYe5FKGOAD2IdcLRZ5ZtabcNgq1zNM95vdTxEEwdeRduWpeOTC9YccAzuceNKWOqqt79di1LC8urcImadiI3f4d0HCbYhbghUTUnap7-y6bes2PiFXVedmalVTuhVKgmKeDy0noTafUpxdG6ThO0QEh_2reAsfqAWo=w221-h320" width="221" /></a></div><b><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">C</span><span style="color: #e06666; font-size: large;">ircles of Time</span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"> by Phillip Rock (1981). A sequel to <i>The Passing</i> <i>Bells</i> (set during WWI), <i>Circles of Time</i> takes the aristocratic Greville family and their friends through the early1920s. A generation has been lost on the Western Front. The dead have been buried, peace is now guaranteed (ha!), and both upstairs and downstairs want to forget the war and enjoy themselves. This was a good trilogy, republished by HarperCollins to take advantage of Downton Abbey popularity.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5kK6PzJKKdVBlVjRO38U6lKaAvQtSgJ7w39n9tSaSHFDCxUIMIGzxR0JDsnr0HBXAKvlPceSQfjObtjIIQ1zmVn7iiYGXfhqjHPQ-zNvm6ffj1FmHa1c8t90APmdzY7nqd50gD2oP9FZd4xWMkp3gTaVa0pyvjF8PU4zCIqNO91qa_C9EKrAsDkGLJTU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="150" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5kK6PzJKKdVBlVjRO38U6lKaAvQtSgJ7w39n9tSaSHFDCxUIMIGzxR0JDsnr0HBXAKvlPceSQfjObtjIIQ1zmVn7iiYGXfhqjHPQ-zNvm6ffj1FmHa1c8t90APmdzY7nqd50gD2oP9FZd4xWMkp3gTaVa0pyvjF8PU4zCIqNO91qa_C9EKrAsDkGLJTU" width="160" /></a></div><b><span><span style="color: #e06666; font-size: large;">The </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">H</span><span style="color: #e06666; font-size: large;">eritage</span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"> by Frances Parkinson Keyes (1968). On his way to Ireland in the 1800s to learn about his inheritance, Peter Bradford falls in love and spends a magical night with a beautiful stranger, who disappears and cannot be found. But when he arrives at his deceased uncle’s estate, he finds the woman he met is his uncle’s widow, so of course neither can admit they have met before. I am a big fan of Keyes; this book is dated and improbable but entertaining. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-heritage-book-review.html">My review</a><span>.</span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe9jFsaa7g5qdUgIcRamIXQszoom6fp8LP5-eqP05IK8105IpvwSzyUou_Zvn4g4dUtfvmqxlBdYHLLJIE9HY1PoChMTgXFAw3aXUGv7L_U2PJdYAJlJDlXi9j7N5vx1neb5Ajt1LCXcX4R-tEKCxD6RyEoYvUhsgr8sJhgzO58-Jw5QIcRAtvgeIzwH8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="215" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe9jFsaa7g5qdUgIcRamIXQszoom6fp8LP5-eqP05IK8105IpvwSzyUou_Zvn4g4dUtfvmqxlBdYHLLJIE9HY1PoChMTgXFAw3aXUGv7L_U2PJdYAJlJDlXi9j7N5vx1neb5Ajt1LCXcX4R-tEKCxD6RyEoYvUhsgr8sJhgzO58-Jw5QIcRAtvgeIzwH8=w215-h320" width="215" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: large;">Have you read any of these authors? </span></p>CLMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03595294217111602231noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013114232214923198.post-58960581717830866382024-03-14T07:30:00.003-04:002024-03-15T22:29:12.248-04:00The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie #ReadChristie24 <span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Title</span></b>: The Mystery of the Blue Train <br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Author</span></b>: Agatha Christie<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Publication</span></b>: Dodd, Mead & Co., hardcover, originally published in 1928<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Genre</span></b>: Mystery<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Setting</span></b>: France and England<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgY0K2QxYqV92SdSj_OZvxlEaFyoTHw4EUqx4OIvohOsyI00Emc2Tw32BGdw6-cU8wV0AbVsx_75l_fZgZc57NJ2-sak-ptAGegrvMhQ2oKj7en3vnFhfKCrN4-l--dbu6SanR-Uc0kQer3isBY8BGDB1Y92q8_96ZRVIg5B7DAM9mrJAsvJ8meum9a7lY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="278" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgY0K2QxYqV92SdSj_OZvxlEaFyoTHw4EUqx4OIvohOsyI00Emc2Tw32BGdw6-cU8wV0AbVsx_75l_fZgZc57NJ2-sak-ptAGegrvMhQ2oKj7en3vnFhfKCrN4-l--dbu6SanR-Uc0kQer3isBY8BGDB1Y92q8_96ZRVIg5B7DAM9mrJAsvJ8meum9a7lY=w200-h320" width="200" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Description</span></b>: An American millionaire, Rufus Van Aldin, has purchased priceless rubies for his only child, Ruthie, which distracts her temporarily from annoyance with her philandering husband. She is heading to France to rendezvous with her first love (dismissed as a fortune hunter by her father years earlier) and takes the famous Blue Train, which brings affluent travelers to the Riviera. <span><a name='more'></a></span> On the train, she meets Katherine Grey, a former lady’s companion who recently inherited a fortune from her employer (this is the kind of employer we all need). Later that night, Ruthie is murdered in her compartment and the rubies are stolen. In the dining car, Katherine encounters fellow traveler, Hercule Poirot, conveniently on the scene to help solve the murder, although it takes him longer than usual; in fact, several weeks, due to all the suspicious characters – including Ruthie’s husband, now interested in Katherine – who were interested in the rubies. Van Aldin thinks Poirot has lost his touch but the diminutive detective is always just waiting until he has all the facts.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjoNA3G8T2vuQz5TuS_yCNV-TUFHlpvBYUpwAhjecotfOmsiUr-01tB0rttsmjMDAez-GOszULStmBC3tN3JETXpzLkNqgcFVFafaxKo-Dwg16PMsPru3cannbAxz6hZtrF6WALTIPoQ60MohDiLmlDL6xZSqfRSr-3jnEoq6zXhjHNWyHvBIqbRVE4RSE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="180" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjoNA3G8T2vuQz5TuS_yCNV-TUFHlpvBYUpwAhjecotfOmsiUr-01tB0rttsmjMDAez-GOszULStmBC3tN3JETXpzLkNqgcFVFafaxKo-Dwg16PMsPru3cannbAxz6hZtrF6WALTIPoQ60MohDiLmlDL6xZSqfRSr-3jnEoq6zXhjHNWyHvBIqbRVE4RSE" width="146" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;">My Impression</span></b>: It doesn’t take a detective to know that Christie enjoyed setting books in isolated places where the victim and the murderer share the same space, whether it is an island or (as in my last Christie) a hotel cut off by the tide or – perhaps her favorite – a train. Here, Ruthie, Katherine (going to visit distant relatives on the Riviera), and Poirot have been traveling more or less together by train from Victoria Station in London to Dover, where they took a three hour boat to Calais, and then boarded the luxurious Blue Train to Nice. Katherine has developed such good listening skills as a companion that Ruthie confides in her: second thoughts about her illicit assignation, deceiving her father, and a premonition of disaster. Katherine later encounters Poirot when she brings a mystery to the dining car:<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;"><blockquote>She found the little man’s eyes fixed upon it with a kind of twinkling amusement.<br /><br />“I see, madame, that you have a <i>roman policier</i>. You are fond of such things?”<br /><br />“They amuse me,” Katherine admitted.<br /><br />The little man nodded with an air of complete understanding.<br /><br />“They have a good sale always, so I am told. Now why is that, eh, mademoiselle? I ask it of you as a student of human nature – why should that be?”</blockquote></span></b>It’s a nice touch that Katherine is enjoying a crime novel, telling Poirot nothing ever happens to her but, hours later, as one of the last people to see Ruthie alive, she is entangled in the murder, first as a witness and then when she becomes acquainted with Ruthie’s fortune-hunting husband. As well, she and Poirot have become friends and, astute herself, she is able to help solve the mystery.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIojVg5GXaCe40vTNsCb84mnZybak2FE4rynjbqEYnveM-sksCNqoLW_5nLVaa_T-gSjp8zP9WKR6Vky4wcJ1tSduQmidqx_sXJ7wppOFVA0ShuYNZAuvW9FTs6dQ-kKBiIEB71Rjhwjw3bYI7gXipNiikzfnDcHScwCxZ7hWQVKCT0nJEA53SsDQ96-Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="184" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIojVg5GXaCe40vTNsCb84mnZybak2FE4rynjbqEYnveM-sksCNqoLW_5nLVaa_T-gSjp8zP9WKR6Vky4wcJ1tSduQmidqx_sXJ7wppOFVA0ShuYNZAuvW9FTs6dQ-kKBiIEB71Rjhwjw3bYI7gXipNiikzfnDcHScwCxZ7hWQVKCT0nJEA53SsDQ96-Q" width="162" /></a></div>There is a lot of murky activity before the action begins taking place on the train: mysterious jewel thieves (the identity of the “Marquis” sought by the police seemed pretty obvious), spiteful ex-girlfriends, and jewelers operating outside the law. This is not a Christie you hear readers discuss much and I am not surprised to read that it was not a favorite of the author: she thought “it commonplace, full of clichés, with an uninteresting plot” (<i>The Agatha Christie Companion</i>, 42). It was also the first book she wrote after her husband left her as she was recovering from their divorce (and her mysterious - and embarrassing - <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/11/books/agatha-christie-vanished-11-days-1926.html">disappearance</a>), which may be a partial reason for her dislike of it. I am sorry to read he lived happily ever after with his second wife, but Agatha also remarried and this marriage, to a distinguished young archeologist, was successful and lasted until her death.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_-5-NELx6heFneyXLsYVX8Vr1HQz9M4rjgr8ijCoVeq3js_BV9JFyL8W8MNvRJEraBfLL73XXCvHo1FSJxAPAWSYjCKG8C6y1XLYrCyF8urDAN-WEy7mRAWsVaPV_ULdt16xEQn0bbXNJ8PLI_1ZhAoe1vCExGYnNWjzZVcImgWakUKmlsAPp5yBXxVs" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="181" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_-5-NELx6heFneyXLsYVX8Vr1HQz9M4rjgr8ijCoVeq3js_BV9JFyL8W8MNvRJEraBfLL73XXCvHo1FSJxAPAWSYjCKG8C6y1XLYrCyF8urDAN-WEy7mRAWsVaPV_ULdt16xEQn0bbXNJ8PLI_1ZhAoe1vCExGYnNWjzZVcImgWakUKmlsAPp5yBXxVs" width="156" /></a></div>This is the March selection for #<a href="https://www.agathachristie.com/news/2024/read-christie-2024">ReadChristie24</a> and it is also my fifth book for Carol’s <a href="https://carolsnotebook.com/2024/03/01/march-cloak-and-dagger-link-up-4/">Cloak and Dagger Challenge</a>. My copy of this book is an omnibus called <i>Murder on Board</i> and I think it was a good marketing to include two that take place on a train and one on a plane, given Christie’s enjoyment of such set-ups.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMNBlP3mbr0v8Xz_jDUgzWbOxLxoQNvlD0jx0K2PdXlaiC2GQiGUOUy86CB8oiYlg6D7QcFzgVgZGXjRSQtsccEKD5vvdtvXJb6j0whD6tXubJTTtq7Rf0LLpvQzdpNvkrH8C4O4MOYkMdKxVg8ifTMVs4gncws9hyphenhyphena9SkEgshbjPWfQ9A_Ui8ykTYYsQ/s800/Cloak-and-dagger-square.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMNBlP3mbr0v8Xz_jDUgzWbOxLxoQNvlD0jx0K2PdXlaiC2GQiGUOUy86CB8oiYlg6D7QcFzgVgZGXjRSQtsccEKD5vvdtvXJb6j0whD6tXubJTTtq7Rf0LLpvQzdpNvkrH8C4O4MOYkMdKxVg8ifTMVs4gncws9hyphenhyphena9SkEgshbjPWfQ9A_Ui8ykTYYsQ/w200-h200/Cloak-and-dagger-square.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Source</span></b>: Personal copy</span><div><br /></div>CLMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03595294217111602231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013114232214923198.post-54793938806804884262024-03-11T07:00:00.013-04:002024-03-14T07:44:46.032-04:00Daughter of Lir by Diana Norman - Reading Ireland Month 2024<span style="font-family: Open Sans; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Title</span></b>: Daughter of Lir<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Author</span></b>: Diana Norman<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Publication</span></b>: Headline Books, paperback, 1988<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Genre</span></b>: Historical Fiction<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Setting</span></b>: 12th century Ireland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7nT25uySg5NWS3V32BoTZjSK804vicHeLZvxzUb9UQXEtUALybkxqhkD-qIUhFGuzZOIOsh24DSrdO8iDmRkJKinRsE4GO1-zcCU8kJ8cdVo97h6sPLUlT5DAjnqHNNCW97LgKYh0uyT3j1onUARiRC8ontrzx8mgXu5-yCk24HGnMA6ws-GQNmvTso/s1000/Daughter%20of%20Lir.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="668" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7nT25uySg5NWS3V32BoTZjSK804vicHeLZvxzUb9UQXEtUALybkxqhkD-qIUhFGuzZOIOsh24DSrdO8iDmRkJKinRsE4GO1-zcCU8kJ8cdVo97h6sPLUlT5DAjnqHNNCW97LgKYh0uyT3j1onUARiRC8ontrzx8mgXu5-yCk24HGnMA6ws-GQNmvTso/s320/Daughter%20of%20Lir.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Description</span></b>: Taken from Ireland and abandoned at a French convent in the Loire Valley at 6, Finola is renamed Sister Boniface and brought up by the nuns, then at 18 is chosen to be Abbess of Kildare in Ireland. Her focus on her new Abbey and not the warring factions around it is disastrous and she makes a serious enemy, Dermot of Leinster. <span><a name='more'></a></span> Too clever to kill a nun, he has her raped and thus made powerless. Somehow, she finds her way to Lough Mask where she was born and there she begins to plot her revenge. This requires gaining political knowledge not only of Ireland but also of Henry II and his spies, one of whom is the man who saved her life. While at first Finola merely wants revenge on Dermot, she becomes more concerned about the threat of Norman invasion of Ireland.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">My Impression</span></b>: There is no doubt that one of the signs of a great historical novel is for the reader to feel transported to another world. In <i>Daughter of Lir</i>, Norman succeeds in capturing the pageantry and brutality of the 12th century in a way that is frighteningly immediate – it is painful but convincing and I couldn’t stop reading. Norman reminds me of Dorothy Dunnett in her ability to depict violence and political machinations and humor at the same time. Finola is prepared by upbringing to manage a convent but she is not equipped to cope with the political realities and fatally offends upon her arrival in Ireland, leading to the attack that kills 170 and ends in her being raped by a mercenary.<br /><br /> Rejected by the Church, sick and bitter, her recovery is slow but fueled by her desire for revenge, Finola somehow finds her own kin and begins to plan her revenge. Her biggest realization is understanding that without being able to write, she has been at the mercy of men who disapprove of and censor her; needless to say, they refuse to teach a woman how to write. Although she feels hard-hearted and has difficulty expressing kindness, she attracts a found family of misfits devoted to her and settles near Lough Mask, a lake in the Western region of Ireland (County Mayo), shrouded in mystery and beauty:<br /><blockquote><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Once their summer lands had extended over most of Connemara, but now the encroachments of more modern, vigorous clans had confined the Partraige to thin stretches of fields on the east of the Lough and the mountains in the west which bore their name, and where they ran their herds of horses. Mainly they were lake dwellers, the people of upper Lough Mask, using its water as a thoroughfare and an inexhaustible larder, and its many island as pasture and refuge.</span></b></blockquote>Finola could have returned to her convent in France but she no longer is interested in the contemplative life. Her new life begins at Lough Mask as she reclaims her Irish heritage.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBK8uR8LCUbPII5IX_2189ZvZDbqNyz7nTz6K_hT0UlmeOTktpXCeC0DSOAHfu9rcUX5ir1PxOh6aAdtTtmHxy_LVQZD7WGkI2EMxkzRgYxTr9TWz_qlKwbRnWxOkx2hP5QcIIUOFuCzkmI5mkYjNI-5Xwo1oqIz6SaYcQzwTn2p4TFh1GlgDSk4RapRQ" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBK8uR8LCUbPII5IX_2189ZvZDbqNyz7nTz6K_hT0UlmeOTktpXCeC0DSOAHfu9rcUX5ir1PxOh6aAdtTtmHxy_LVQZD7WGkI2EMxkzRgYxTr9TWz_qlKwbRnWxOkx2hP5QcIIUOFuCzkmI5mkYjNI-5Xwo1oqIz6SaYcQzwTn2p4TFh1GlgDSk4RapRQ=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fontevraud</td></tr></tbody></table>The Royal Abbey of Fontevraud, where Finola was brought up, is located where the three regions of Poitou, Anjou and Touraine meet, and is one of the largest surviving monastic cities from the Middle Ages. From its beginning, it was under royal patronage and Eleanor of Aquitaine was its patron and returned here after the death of her husband. Henry II, Eleanor, and their son, Richard the Lionheart, are all buried there. It is located near Saumur, home of the Dukes of Anjou and the French cavalry academy (which I remember from <i><a href="https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1947/10/26/99277606.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0">Came a Cavalier</a></i> by Frances Parkinson Keyes). It sounds well worth visiting. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgU4ElhF0NCVPZs9KoJsztjDcYjgemobNVdHLcFhIMRvV_FFRxeZNHMANPPYgdBYocGqcUN3YIQjwhBoro8aYYDeP5os820SZ-lMOfxhz1F2GBbDccviorc5fRxCJXMc9OtcRJw32PkalnQ83m7627uokc92hxZ1pvfB-V1n_2uO3JnOcmRtAvyFtGHeDE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="600" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgU4ElhF0NCVPZs9KoJsztjDcYjgemobNVdHLcFhIMRvV_FFRxeZNHMANPPYgdBYocGqcUN3YIQjwhBoro8aYYDeP5os820SZ-lMOfxhz1F2GBbDccviorc5fRxCJXMc9OtcRJw32PkalnQ83m7627uokc92hxZ1pvfB-V1n_2uO3JnOcmRtAvyFtGHeDE=w400-h333" width="400" /></a></div>This is my sixth book for Marg's <a href="http://www.theintrepidreader.com/2024/03/historical-fiction-reading-challenge.html">2024 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge</a> but I also chose it for <a href="https://746books.com/2024/03/01/reading-ireland-month-2024-is-here/">Reading Ireland Month</a> with Cathy at <a href="https://746books.com/">746Books</a>. I had bought the book years ago because I so enjoyed Norman’s trilogy that begins with <i>A Catch of Consequence</i> but I suppose the description scared me from reading it until my friend Sara mentioned last week that it is a favorite. I thank her for the recommendation! I can understand why Sara rereads it every few years because Norman’s research and attention to detail is so vast I think it would be impossible to fully absorb the richness in a single read. However, it would benefit from a list of characters because I could not always remember who was on which side or keep track of those known by multiple names – but maybe Norman was making a point about shifting alliances!<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Title</span></b>: In Irish legend, the Children of Lir, three brothers and a sister – named Finola – were associated with the remote terrain of north County Mayo where they were destined to spend 300 years as swans under a spell by their evil stepmother.</span><span style="font-family: Open Sans; font-size: large;"> Finola warns her stepmother there will be retribution, which presumably inspired Norman when she was setting an important part of the book in Lough Mask. Ah, being an armchair traveler is better than nothing but there are certainly many places I would like to see – in the present. Don’t time travel me to medieval Ireland; it is much too violent for me! Like Dunnett, Norman is not sentimental about the past.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI5FEz7gWJ7yjFt0psQkGM_DPMFnbW_KdufTOFbWFbqT-XwBCE_siZd1a83TJL6nkAthQRzDRXc55gacvXl8eAUc0TZBeIhjTEOi30nGdvM25l45lijuMeZjQsWDESbmitEsMU0rHdyjg8H_6ircO0vzEFLGTD7mjEOGa4rquxrhr08uzglCbfGc3vUlY/s400/Hist24.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="164" data-original-width="400" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI5FEz7gWJ7yjFt0psQkGM_DPMFnbW_KdufTOFbWFbqT-XwBCE_siZd1a83TJL6nkAthQRzDRXc55gacvXl8eAUc0TZBeIhjTEOi30nGdvM25l45lijuMeZjQsWDESbmitEsMU0rHdyjg8H_6ircO0vzEFLGTD7mjEOGa4rquxrhr08uzglCbfGc3vUlY/s320/Hist24.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Source</span></b>: Personal copy. I was reminded of a childhood favorite, <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/73298.A_Proud_Taste_for_Scarlet_and_Miniver">A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver</a></i>. It is a National Book Award Finalist for children’s books in which Eleanor of Aquitaine is in heaven, waiting to learn whether or not Henry II of England, will be released from purgatory to join her; my second favorite of Konigsburg’s books.</span><br />CLMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03595294217111602231noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013114232214923198.post-63565214127522659592024-03-09T06:00:00.001-05:002024-03-09T06:00:00.269-05:00My February 2024 Reading<span style="font-size: large;">February was a great month of reading for me with two five-star books, <i><b><span style="color: #e06666;">First Lie Wins</span></b></i>, which was extremely suspenseful and entertaining, and <b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">The Women</span></i></b>, which was harrowing (set in the Vietnam era) yet impossible to put down. I also really enjoyed <b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">The Cheat Sheet</span></i></b>, a contemporary romance with a friends to lovers theme. There were quite a few books that made a very good impression on me, as you will see below:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-rpkntXLdZHGcX9ylsrtubEHZB1jHoC1MQLoCWdPYUWDc38_7m-pN1qv_0zJGH3sQvrb4G8t5HC7xHwT0Ef3qUaNPEI_IXg7rWKcGaHNAtGNDD88zbL_1uqAtEzLPMmxmUAvtjjwpbwP4380eTGzc5TTPDV3N726ctZZ0LhaE2ATWk5EZ1WPqlW4RQ0g/s278/Outsider.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="181" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-rpkntXLdZHGcX9ylsrtubEHZB1jHoC1MQLoCWdPYUWDc38_7m-pN1qv_0zJGH3sQvrb4G8t5HC7xHwT0Ef3qUaNPEI_IXg7rWKcGaHNAtGNDD88zbL_1uqAtEzLPMmxmUAvtjjwpbwP4380eTGzc5TTPDV3N726ctZZ0LhaE2ATWk5EZ1WPqlW4RQ0g/s1600/Outsider.jpeg" width="181" /></a></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><b><i>Mystery/Suspense</i></b><br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">The Outsider</span></i></b> by Jane Casey (2023)(ebook). This is a novella about readers’ beloved character Rob who was written out of the series when he took on an undercover assignment (perhaps we were misled? – unreliable narrator and all that). Casey used this story as a way to reveal what Rob has been doing and also to show whether he and Maeve have a future. I can’t decide how I feel about this except to urge you to start this series at the beginning with <a href="http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-burning-book-review.html"><i>The Burning</i></a>. <br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">First Lie Wins</span></i></b> by Ashley Elston (2023)(audio). Loved this suspenseful story about a con artist sent to a small town in Louisiana to infiltrate herself into the life of a small businessman. <a href="http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2024/02/first-lie-wins-by-ashley-elston.html">My review</a>.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhfE1hBDp1V76RsvIruhjTWaT-kWqU6qo5Z1N1fLpsGt6qzVqOnOQHjcNVEgSwlvWZM-_IQnzV8OPYmGMckA3lRzGs5jRDpKNX6RauUs6jk-fCHnwbApVJS57adu_3LgydIk8d9rC3MoIXkeIR902UpVysAkY9r4Bug4wC5n36nKI5IX8kEghf1rY0fd-w" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="212" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhfE1hBDp1V76RsvIruhjTWaT-kWqU6qo5Z1N1fLpsGt6qzVqOnOQHjcNVEgSwlvWZM-_IQnzV8OPYmGMckA3lRzGs5jRDpKNX6RauUs6jk-fCHnwbApVJS57adu_3LgydIk8d9rC3MoIXkeIR902UpVysAkY9r4Bug4wC5n36nKI5IX8kEghf1rY0fd-w" width="159" /></a></div><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">The Last Devil to Die</span></i></b> by Richard Osman (2023). In the fourth Thursday Murder Club installment, Elizabeth is facing a more serious challenge than just the mysterious death of the antiques dealer who appeared in the last book, but her friends will investigate while she deals with other issues. This series is so good I almost hate to start reading each book because then it will be over. It is also impressive how Osman can combine humor and heartbreak. <br /><br /><i><b><span style="color: #e06666;">The Helsinki Affair</span></b> </i>by Anna Pitoniak (2003)(audio). When a Russian walks into the US Embassy in Rome to reveal an assassination attempt, Amanda Cole, the CIA’s Deputy Station Chief is plunged into multiple conspiracies – the challenge she has longed for – but finds them more disturbing than anticipated. <a href="http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-helsinki-affair-by-anna-pitoniak.html">My review</a>.<br /><br /><i><b>Historical Fiction</b></i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwZl8AOeIa6oggTFk4BuFNPWz-6vs3mbtSFujrNzUle_GCVFJPammEuhC4OLoLhJRAK9Qv-7WStxqwSG7Gp6tWgP2xPR7Qc2T3xH764p2kkqlZGugEdvV92Q1W7RfD9D_J41vjMIAhUF8I6e0pNZQbnI-lpCk0k86tAFE-uJy6-Vl43ybLvLE4arILo6w" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="181" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwZl8AOeIa6oggTFk4BuFNPWz-6vs3mbtSFujrNzUle_GCVFJPammEuhC4OLoLhJRAK9Qv-7WStxqwSG7Gp6tWgP2xPR7Qc2T3xH764p2kkqlZGugEdvV92Q1W7RfD9D_J41vjMIAhUF8I6e0pNZQbnI-lpCk0k86tAFE-uJy6-Vl43ybLvLE4arILo6w" width="156" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;"><i>China Court</i></span></b> by Rumer Godden (1979/reprint 2023). This is a nonlinear family saga set in Cornwall that begins when its main character dies! The beautiful new edition published by Manderley Press is a good reason to buy this unusual story. <a href="http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2024/02/china-court-by-rumer-godden.html">My review</a> for #ReadIndies month.<br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">The Women</span></i></b> by Kristin Hannah (2024). Frankie enlists as a nurse to get sent to Vietnam where her brother is already fighting. The reality of combat nursing is a harsh adjustment but the most difficult assignment for Frankie is adjusting to civilian life when she returns to 1960s America. <a href="http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-women-by-kristin-hannah.html">My review</a>.<br /><br /><b><i>Fiction</i></b><br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">The Door-to-Door Bookstore</span></i></b> by Carsten Henn (2023). Carl has been pushed out of his job at a venerable bookstore in Germany but he still selects and hand delivers carefully curated books for a small group of customers who prefer not to leave their homes. His routine is upended when a young girl decides to join him on his rounds. <a href="http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-door-to-door-bookstore-by-carsten.html">My review</a>.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKr4XTd2e2Tu30MMnW8J7rO_RwhT-hwpXTEwMC9F2Shyphenhyphengw7fGOTy6sa557m2KYUVvJKodGkX3BsEyZEXzySbrzTGZffbIbcmYyn8Rini9nxvUbsrsVNQvsvghxhPNQ_I9pR5xK41hfz8ZorwV0V45Blk4IGS23q-auUjga9eUjmFRzdp-Jjh9wos3Dfdc/s445/door.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="294" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKr4XTd2e2Tu30MMnW8J7rO_RwhT-hwpXTEwMC9F2Shyphenhyphengw7fGOTy6sa557m2KYUVvJKodGkX3BsEyZEXzySbrzTGZffbIbcmYyn8Rini9nxvUbsrsVNQvsvghxhPNQ_I9pR5xK41hfz8ZorwV0V45Blk4IGS23q-auUjga9eUjmFRzdp-Jjh9wos3Dfdc/s320/door.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><b><i>Romance</i></b><br /><br /><i><b><span style="color: #e06666;">The Cheat Sheet</span></b></i> by Sarah Adams (2021). Loved this story of best friends since high school – dance teacher Bree who is in love with star quarterback Nathan but he only thinks of her as a buddy, or does he? Three weeks of fake dating might change how they see each other . . .<br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">A Rose Petal Summer</span></i></b> by Katie Fforde (2019). When she was a teen, Caro Swanson spent a magical evening with Alec and she remembers everything he told her. Twenty years later she sees an ad for a companion in the remote town in Scotland he came from so it only makes sense to apply – wouldn’t you? Not as strong as her early books, unfortunately, but at least the reunion wasn’t a coincidence as in <i>Summer of Love</i>.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggFqVZw8-MH1ZD-tS_Gv2lAB6O_s8J8FOR9kX5BuBLK8Lc3H5RKmdD0JKKtQioo9lsXHX6T7La37cJZ58QdsfuqIYolwQ-2cWxSz32losuHVHusWuXt7KUCex0gyGLH7O9HLeTzRaXl7ymSDWoqoTN4yrmgT3APREB5JZ35aoranOqZ3KE2te3iWniIfs" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="623" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggFqVZw8-MH1ZD-tS_Gv2lAB6O_s8J8FOR9kX5BuBLK8Lc3H5RKmdD0JKKtQioo9lsXHX6T7La37cJZ58QdsfuqIYolwQ-2cWxSz32losuHVHusWuXt7KUCex0gyGLH7O9HLeTzRaXl7ymSDWoqoTN4yrmgT3APREB5JZ35aoranOqZ3KE2te3iWniIfs" width="150" /></a></div><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">Run the Risk</span></i></b> by Lori Foster (2012) (audio). In book 1 of this romantic suspense series, Detective Logan Riske has gone undercover to find Pepper Yates, a potential link to his best friend's unsolved murder, by renting the apartment next door to her, and is determined to seduce her into cooperation. I was curious about this author but the book was disappointing.<br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">Simply the Best</span></i></b> by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (2024). I am a longtime fan of SEP from back when Jennifer Enderlin handed me the manuscript of It Had to Be You in 1993. In this book, she returns to the world of the Chicago Stars: the heroine is the insecure older sister of the Stars quarterback and is mistaken for an escort by Brett Rivers, his high-powered agent. Brett knows it would be a conflict of interest to get involved with a client’s family member but that might not stop either one of them. I enjoyed the tribute at the end to my former coworker, editor par excellence, Carrie Feron.<br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">The Breakup Tour</span></i></b> by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka (2024). This was highly recommended but seemed like a very mean-spirited contemporary romance about a pop star who writes bestselling breakup songs about every man she dates, but finally has a second chance with the first guy who broke her heart. Although how can you hold a grudge against someone who left the music world to keep his family’s retirement home business going? This book is aimed at Swifties – I am not one but sympathized with their annoyance.<br /><br /><b><i>Juvenile<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVPqEMmYeuRDkR4eHqokwhp3EY94jT9JzOs_wm7_ubs9h1i8shITNsMZ3g1Si1gTWj9oqzZWefSLgl3dVtEDiX9Ml5OVI3cgJCIcqAbe2HEvoWhU9IHHv9P_pOPN_mz9vyuki4GkFVzpw-YpwfUdPW0XiY6MDudyKTYBpb0IAQGNIG6hT-jugYjAcaZAo/s2788/ozma%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2788" data-original-width="1997" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVPqEMmYeuRDkR4eHqokwhp3EY94jT9JzOs_wm7_ubs9h1i8shITNsMZ3g1Si1gTWj9oqzZWefSLgl3dVtEDiX9Ml5OVI3cgJCIcqAbe2HEvoWhU9IHHv9P_pOPN_mz9vyuki4GkFVzpw-YpwfUdPW0XiY6MDudyKTYBpb0IAQGNIG6hT-jugYjAcaZAo/s320/ozma%20cover.jpg" width="229" /></a></div></i></b><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">Ozma of Oz</span></i></b> by L. Frank Baum (1907). In the third (and my favorite) Oz book, Dorothy finds her way back to Oz when she goes overboard on a sea voyage. Clinging to a chicken coop with Billina, a talking hen, Dorothy washes up in the country of Ev where she is menaced by the Wheelers and imprisoned by Princess Languidere before Ozma comes to the rescue. But the adventures aren’t over yet! <a href="http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2024/02/ozma-of-oz-by-l-frank-baum-third-and-my.html">My review</a>.<br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">The House on the Hill</span></i></b> by Eileen Dunlop (1987). When Philip temporarily moves in with his Great Aunt Jane and cousin Susan, he learns the old family mansion in suburban Glasgow is haunted. As he and Susan untangle family secrets, Philip matures and learns to appreciate his mother’s family. <a href="http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-house-on-hill-by-eileen-dunlop.html">My review</a>. <br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">Yours From the Tower</span></i></b> by Sally Nicholls (2023). This charming epistolary YA historical novel follows three close friends after they leave school: Polly to work in a Liverpool orphanage; Sophia to make her debut in London, hoping to marry well; and Tirzah to become – very reluctantly – a companion to her strict grandmother in Scotland.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi38Gr34LaINdvudcaMmXLbsBW5UG7VN4EXnARsP029Tw4kCqV4sL_He24OuHCQcyIBryGgP-lUVL-d6dYl9ishmLquqpSQFIKokO_pZKIxZE_MaGVXprBtXwYrBoRm0HhlIS9bX9EniHAyS1ueXvmohzbis0TYa3N4Fq_PbViJZtO_FixrvDKg46qNHJc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="668" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi38Gr34LaINdvudcaMmXLbsBW5UG7VN4EXnARsP029Tw4kCqV4sL_He24OuHCQcyIBryGgP-lUVL-d6dYl9ishmLquqpSQFIKokO_pZKIxZE_MaGVXprBtXwYrBoRm0HhlIS9bX9EniHAyS1ueXvmohzbis0TYa3N4Fq_PbViJZtO_FixrvDKg46qNHJc" width="160" /></a></div><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">Sing for Your Supper</span></i></b> by Leonora Mattingly Weber (1941). This hard-to-find historical novel is about a troupe of actors in the Rocky Mountains, trying to eke out a living. It may be 1865 but practical (and appealing) sister Dora will remind every reader of Beany Malone and the way the family creatively makes do is typical of all Weber’s families (<a href="http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2024/03/sing-for-your-supper-by-lenora.html">my review</a>):<br /><blockquote><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Mother was thinking aloud, “I can use that lining out of King Lear’s cape – the purple one that Mitie singed with a candle. Um-hmm, I’m sure I can cut around the singed part to make new sleeves. Now which trunk is that in, Dora?”<br /><br />Dora said after a moment’s thought, “It’s in the bottom of the one with the trundle-tray. Dora began tugging at the clasp of a big trunk with a rounded top. This was the trundle-tray trunk. Beginning with Dora, each one of them, as babies, had slept in the tray of this old battered trunk.</span></b></blockquote><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">Tea and Hot Bombs</span></i></b> by Lorna Lewis (1943/reprint 2023). Jackie Lawrence, a jolly teen who has just left school, joins the emergency Mobile Canteen Corps until she is old enough to join the WAAF and is immediately in the thick of WWII bombing in London. Who knew delivering tea and cake in the middle of the Blitz could be so fun?</span>CLMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03595294217111602231noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013114232214923198.post-5008750461291298342024-03-07T07:00:00.007-05:002024-03-14T07:44:21.798-04:00Sing for Your Supper by Lenora Mattingly Weber - treading the boards in 19th century Colorado<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Title</span></b>: Sing for Your Supper<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Author</span></b>: Lenora Mattingly Weber<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Illustrator</span></b>: Ninon MacKnight<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Publication</span></b>: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, hardcover, 1941<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Genre</span></b>: Juvenile Historical<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBC83lBCO4gkbbZ5dmJQcfi3dRGXuLq-O4IjN6Oi-s00qqeweqNYuYqvHGvIwsdu7lbUSjTeEcTFFSn22JzY3rl7W8fvb-LsSL7JD8oL93EQfgTrENeRhspPG4Q3C5-v34zVyNse-82p8z6MY1NChL1XWSPYXdba3Hqe-51D5uuGvrh8FGUczVMlx4mXw/s258/Sing.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="195" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBC83lBCO4gkbbZ5dmJQcfi3dRGXuLq-O4IjN6Oi-s00qqeweqNYuYqvHGvIwsdu7lbUSjTeEcTFFSn22JzY3rl7W8fvb-LsSL7JD8oL93EQfgTrENeRhspPG4Q3C5-v34zVyNse-82p8z6MY1NChL1XWSPYXdba3Hqe-51D5uuGvrh8FGUczVMlx4mXw/s1600/Sing.jpeg" width="195" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Description</span></b>: The Dramatic Company of the Rockies is a traveling theatrical company that has been successful with a small, all-family cast. <span><a name='more'></a></span> Miss Nell, the eldest Gordon sister, is the headliner, playing opposite their leading man, McKean More, who happens to also be her new husband. Dora (16), Mitie (14), and Hittybelle (12) are her younger sisters; Mary Mallory Gordon is Nell and Dora’s stepmother: she married actor Bellamy Gordon (now deceased) and they had the two younger girls. <span></span>The girls’ grandfather Patrick is also part of the troupe. <br /><br />However, the Dramatic Company has been challenged lately by a rival production, led by the so-called Countess of Braganza, with fancier costumes and sturdier scenery, which beats them into new towns, securing the theater first. Dora is the family conscience and scolds her mother for taking in a forlorn young man, Phineas, when they can barely feed themselves. As Phineas becomes part of the family, she regrets her harshness but is distracted by the arrival of her disapproving aunt Hitty from Ohio, who disapproves of play-acting and wants Dora to come live with her. The Gordons sometimes talk about retiring, once they have enough money, to a chicken farm but the advent of Aunt Hitty forces them to prove they can raise the funds to settle down.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">My Impression</span></b>: Dora may be approximately 100 years older than Beany Malone but she is recognizably the same character – in this warm and vivid story of theatrical life in 19th century Colorado, she keeps her head and is the glue who keeps the family together, even when disaster strikes:<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;"><blockquote>Dora felt her own heart sinking down into the pit of her empty stomach. The Countess of Braganza again! And here they were – tired, hungry, broke and with no opera house to put on their show.<br /><br />Mitie began to swallow sickly. She dropped down on a hub of one of the gilded wheels of the wagon and Dora said mechanically, “No, no, Mitie, you’ll be all over tar.” Miss Nell, who had already parted her hair in the middle in order to dress it in a fashion appropriate to Juliet, young daughter of the house of Capulet, said angrily, “I just wish the Countess would fall off a balcony,” and Hittybelle added vindictively, “She would if I was anywhere near.”<br /><br />McKean, who could always find a line to fit either the joy or tragedy of the moment, muttered, “I have a soul of lead – so stakes me to the ground.”</blockquote></span></b>Part of the appeal of the Gordons is their ability to bounce back cheerfully from setbacks. If the opera house is taken, they set up elsewhere and try to drum up a crowd for a performance and sell hair tonic so they can afford or barter supper. They are a tight-knit group yet kind to strangers. Mary lends their savings to an old gold prospector who will almost certainly lose it but explains to disapproving Dora that God has given her so much that she can “never be small and miserly with others.” The reader knows that the Gordons are barely getting by themselves, which makes her generosity all the more impressive and shows how happy the family has been despite the challenges of a peripatetic lifestyle. Readers of Weber’s later books will recognize this family and their willingness to make others welcome, just like the Malones and Belfords. This was the last book she wrote before <i>Meet the Malones</i> and the success of that series meant she stuck with contemporary books for girls and wrote no more historical fiction – understandable but also a pity as this book is quite charming.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3q1dzPYEo3hC5iMlPfWjljT5DzSmFs0_Bqgu-cq1aHTq51i05jpuS6PIv2obIuSa9fnoYSjYcVZQyX3K15F3b0qXdNaNjnI-sB30Cb0YcnnHQTp77GWpHXgox4CmcCVEtxMU9FAwy9M8v8St6VZvQNArUkSaA_b5OUQNQH6lZsjCHTGL6000WvhFTpvI/s400/Hist24.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="164" data-original-width="400" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3q1dzPYEo3hC5iMlPfWjljT5DzSmFs0_Bqgu-cq1aHTq51i05jpuS6PIv2obIuSa9fnoYSjYcVZQyX3K15F3b0qXdNaNjnI-sB30Cb0YcnnHQTp77GWpHXgox4CmcCVEtxMU9FAwy9M8v8St6VZvQNArUkSaA_b5OUQNQH6lZsjCHTGL6000WvhFTpvI/s320/Hist24.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>I checked <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/504379.Nonie?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=9iYUpegcR3&rank=1">Nonie</a></i>, a memoir started by Weber and finished by her son, to see what was said about this little-known book but there is just one mention: “‘Heard from Crowell,’ she wrote on March 6, 1941 . . . . ‘They think Sing for Your Supper is a superb story!’”<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Source</span></b>: Personal copy. This is my fifth book for Marg's <a href="http://www.theintrepidreader.com/2024/03/historical-fiction-reading-challenge.html">2024 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge</a>.</span>CLMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03595294217111602231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013114232214923198.post-32267532742043415972024-03-04T08:00:00.002-05:002024-03-05T07:24:42.137-05:00The Birthday Girl by Sarah Ward - Reading Wales 2024<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">Title</span></b>: The Birthday Girl<br /><b><span style="color: #38761d;">Author</span></b>: Sarah Ward<br /><b><span style="color: #38761d;">Publication</span></b>: Canelo Crime, paperback, 2023<br /><b><span style="color: #38761d;">Genre</span></b>: Mystery<br /><b><span style="color: #38761d;">Setting</span></b>: Wales<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0NEA5TOLrlT3l4gJVB8rzoS74OnoUxBLJyWXUDUsba05KNv0vTTA0-P8AvpWe9aDLazKMGmOiBnAllb08Bh-q2tIKrrzaxxeZL2JbIKldly28w4IMkqUoYRNBCYbAlRrD6qe0Vhl3VGL7nLWkbq1NKqdY2Rjna-OZ66Fm96-Z-7HT6Y-X3ZrUQzJs12Y/s500/bday%20girl.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="326" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0NEA5TOLrlT3l4gJVB8rzoS74OnoUxBLJyWXUDUsba05KNv0vTTA0-P8AvpWe9aDLazKMGmOiBnAllb08Bh-q2tIKrrzaxxeZL2JbIKldly28w4IMkqUoYRNBCYbAlRrD6qe0Vhl3VGL7nLWkbq1NKqdY2Rjna-OZ66Fm96-Z-7HT6Y-X3ZrUQzJs12Y/s320/bday%20girl.jpeg" width="209" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #38761d;">Description</span></b>: Still recovering from an injury and a bad divorce, Malory Dawson retired from her job in London as a police detective and has taken on a temporary job as night manager of a boutique hotel on Eldey, an isolated island in Wales. <span><a name='more'></a></span> Unbeknownst to Mallory, a group of guests is about to check in, including a child murderer, now grown up, with revenge on her mind. As a storm hits and Eldey is cut off from the mainland, it is up to Mallory to try to stay a step ahead of a serial killer – before it is too late.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #38761d;">My Impression</span></b>: I really enjoyed the four books Ward wrote about Detective Constable Connie Childs and her aloof but intriguing Detective Inspector Francis Sadler, and thought Minotaur could have done more to promote the two that were published in the US. The fourth book, <i>The Shrouded Path</i>, had a dual timeline of 1957 and the present that was extremely well done. I was hoping for more and maybe Ward will return to these characters some time; however, recently I learned from Moira of <a href="http://clothesinbooks.blogspot.com/">Clothes in Books</a> about this new series <a href="https://clothesinbooks.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-birthday-girl-by-sarah-ward-author.html">in an interview with Ms. Ward</a> so ordered book 1 from the UK.<br /><br />Part of being a crime fiction fan is appreciating complicated characters and Mallory Dawson is one of them. It takes a while to learn her backstory – attacked on the job by a criminal, still not fully recovered, dreadful ex-husband (some would say, is there any other kind), somewhat estranged from her son – and there is clearly more to learn. Mallory takes a job on an isolated island in Wales, warned in advance by the ferryman that the two previous applicants didn’t work out but the island likes her. She has a harder time adjusting to a place where the elements play an enormous part:<br /><b><span style="color: #38761d;"><blockquote>Mallory grimaced. She hadn’t yet settled into night working and was finding it impossible to sleep. Weather was the main issue. A cold wind blew across the bay, its gusts keeping her awake at night. She worried about the boats on the sea and the safety of the guests. Now it was promising to be what Elsa called a sticky night. A gale was coming across the Irish Sea. It would miss the island but Eldey was likely to feel the tail of the storm. Even across the noise of the kitchen, Mallory could hear the thump of the sea hitting rocks.</blockquote></span></b>This is not the first island any of us have read about with a killer on the loose and Ward creates a gothic element even before the storm maroons the guests and staff – the hotel was once a convent with a deadly mystery of its own to lure tourists. There are secrets everywhere on the island, even before the first death, and a comparison to Agatha Christie is fair. Eldey Island is full of menace from the beginning and the mention a bell tower that is stoppered but still functions was a warning that it would be needed. In an afterward, Ward explains she spent her childhood in South Wales and this book was inspired by a visit to “atmospheric and slightly frightening Caldey Island,” which is home to a Cistercian Monastery and also attracts tourists like the island she invented.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKI0WwmzM_4fAHaq2wlThe3TYoLg5eGz6OJ-O0CMdFrWaFxXBWTkop4mFSL3kPN0mAB38pqRHeIbY2HIx4fGsWQIBmzdMC-P2p8iyMUrCndVz-3BKy0Y6IQuvlRnUes2B32b_UtlRnyAvorHl3BfsxIMjxSo56vSqPLboXedA2EsKWpglK3DjJLKqq4oM" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="300" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKI0WwmzM_4fAHaq2wlThe3TYoLg5eGz6OJ-O0CMdFrWaFxXBWTkop4mFSL3kPN0mAB38pqRHeIbY2HIx4fGsWQIBmzdMC-P2p8iyMUrCndVz-3BKy0Y6IQuvlRnUes2B32b_UtlRnyAvorHl3BfsxIMjxSo56vSqPLboXedA2EsKWpglK3DjJLKqq4oM" width="320" /></a></div>The setting of this book made it perfect for <a href="https://bookjotter.com/2024/02/28/reading-wales-2024/">Reading Wales 2024</a>, which is hosted by Paula at <a href="https://bookjotter.com/">Book Jotter</a> every March. It is also my fourth book for Carol’s <a href="https://carolsnotebook.com/2024/03/01/march-cloak-and-dagger-link-up-4/">Cloak and Dagger Challenge</a>. I am looking forward to more about Mallory in book 2 in the series, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195188582-the-sixth-lie"><i>The Sixth Lie</i></a>, which is already out.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC3VwFx9KX28xUF72fsc0Mo8WJnOE6jQ1ZQOoRbEA5EB2MCx1sHQPaOrFlHI8qmNkE0PFiIIVVmbDZSqoEbX67WgSEL37A7vY6jmPgxIh2JsCf7yY-Bi__Nk0QKe3z_sVduuelYu2C2VutqS_LtyAF3ZPhe5wdyniA8Z4Mu9y2K5XXXDDUfxrq5NR8oVI/s800/Cloak-and-dagger-square.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC3VwFx9KX28xUF72fsc0Mo8WJnOE6jQ1ZQOoRbEA5EB2MCx1sHQPaOrFlHI8qmNkE0PFiIIVVmbDZSqoEbX67WgSEL37A7vY6jmPgxIh2JsCf7yY-Bi__Nk0QKe3z_sVduuelYu2C2VutqS_LtyAF3ZPhe5wdyniA8Z4Mu9y2K5XXXDDUfxrq5NR8oVI/w200-h200/Cloak-and-dagger-square.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #274e13;">Source</span></b>: Personal copy</span><div><div><br /></div></div>CLMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03595294217111602231noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013114232214923198.post-29921791693225004482024-03-02T08:04:00.001-05:002024-03-02T17:02:25.480-05:00Six Degrees of Separation – from Tom Lake to Some Writer!<span style="font-size: large;">It’s time for #6degrees, inspired by Kate at <a href="https://booksaremyfavouriteandbest.com/2024/03/02/six-degrees-of-separation-from-tom-lake-to-the-librarianist/#more-36920">Books Are My Favourite and Best</a>. We all start at the same place, add six books, and see where we end up. This month’s starting point is <a href="https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2023/09/tom-lake-by-ann-patchett.html"><b><i>Tom Lake</i></b></a> by Ann Patchett, which I reviewed in September and liked so much it made my <a href="https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2024/01/favorite-reads-of-2023.html">Best of 2023 list</a>.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipULJZAj1-NjGFu7bxIITSMuosC20EJZupgamqnNmEUoiR83UB6Hc_9h2QLGYl-sqNb4X8SJdLUBd8edDk2mIrP8l42fuNf1W7yFj0f5KhD5BfLu1P8s9-pqZKQSiBvcxSnrqMwjTzG5eOmStRdVs8Z48KNNnvMDfzF-57loFhyCU14BEnxLCatHsu9lI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="214" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipULJZAj1-NjGFu7bxIITSMuosC20EJZupgamqnNmEUoiR83UB6Hc_9h2QLGYl-sqNb4X8SJdLUBd8edDk2mIrP8l42fuNf1W7yFj0f5KhD5BfLu1P8s9-pqZKQSiBvcxSnrqMwjTzG5eOmStRdVs8Z48KNNnvMDfzF-57loFhyCU14BEnxLCatHsu9lI" width="161" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;"><span><a name='more'></a></span>First Degree</span></b><br /><br />My book group also read Patchett’s <b><i>State of Wonder</i></b> (2011), in which the heroine embarks upon an uncertain odyssey into the insect-infested Amazon (there were definitely too many snakes and bugs for me to fully enjoy this book). <a href="https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2011/07/state-of-wonder-review.html">My review</a>.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhkuqsQxOcd4iceIYNr1vufTgcLu4fPbvBq-EIOSCLrwWLYVE-5DUPNJEi9vDRdR3ABbPQNlApA3nE4QIqyP5EuquhEvY0UNoUwsz-MXqS4C310m7wkEEnugaHrb826_ZawUNgWY2g96gCP4vQr9K6WhOU8DO2hENzzZ2LoiZ2nWHgr-fcvVmCZ0zbDPA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="347" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhkuqsQxOcd4iceIYNr1vufTgcLu4fPbvBq-EIOSCLrwWLYVE-5DUPNJEi9vDRdR3ABbPQNlApA3nE4QIqyP5EuquhEvY0UNoUwsz-MXqS4C310m7wkEEnugaHrb826_ZawUNgWY2g96gCP4vQr9K6WhOU8DO2hENzzZ2LoiZ2nWHgr-fcvVmCZ0zbDPA" width="157" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Second Degree</span></b><br /><br />In <b><i>Journey to the River Sea</i></b> by <a href="https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2020/07/bookshelf-traveling-july-17.html">Eva Ibbotson</a> (2001), an English orphan, early 20th century, is sent to live with distant relatives who own a rubber plantation along the Amazon River. The relatives turn out to be dreadful and forbid her from exploring but Maia finds her own adventures – which include a triumphant voyage down the Amazon. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi7ZkR40B0BU9K0NO9OIRpUZT0qGMF2RaExMAR6I9CHZCn8RN2FHfA5Lzu8oSedmhfhjGFGO9_NdCz1XU8aTzuU8dYrt_8IWzkZcHhqkQ6VbLJvxQlVEnkiBGMHFd2b1pDrzYOPVcvn3Oh2DkGp03iRivQXhmIanfA_4CbpkjPDfSMYCdzJ4OFGnyZoiNA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="311" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi7ZkR40B0BU9K0NO9OIRpUZT0qGMF2RaExMAR6I9CHZCn8RN2FHfA5Lzu8oSedmhfhjGFGO9_NdCz1XU8aTzuU8dYrt_8IWzkZcHhqkQ6VbLJvxQlVEnkiBGMHFd2b1pDrzYOPVcvn3Oh2DkGp03iRivQXhmIanfA_4CbpkjPDfSMYCdzJ4OFGnyZoiNA" width="157" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Third Degree</span></b><br /><br />The river in <b><i>Long Bright River</i></b> by Liz Moore (2020) is metaphorical:<br /><blockquote><i>“All of them children, all of them gone. People with promise, people dependent and depended upon, people loving and beloved, one after another, in a line, in a river, no fount and no outlet, a long bright river of departed souls.”</i></blockquote>It’s a novel about the pain of opiate addiction and sisters who chose different paths (with some suspense thrown in): Mickey is a police officer and feels incredible guilt because her sister Kasey is a drug addict/prostitute who can’t stay clean. <a href="https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2021/01/long-bright-river-by-liz-moore-dark.html">My review</a>. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhg5GXEFWYKWAD8mH6Ni-Vwy1L9HNqCnKuy6mmDMkaySgbfeTmTCghwHzHoMi4bt1yG60e1MSzBQoo2FItVD7PT8YASseDaClxfSaqqOmJ8RRTsjtkr4muNxqJAndH8WXeQAujSHpqS6Qkl2PYl6QIlVdjzewUqTOPV8AdvrIEikYB1ISuFQmmD2Orinow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="255" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhg5GXEFWYKWAD8mH6Ni-Vwy1L9HNqCnKuy6mmDMkaySgbfeTmTCghwHzHoMi4bt1yG60e1MSzBQoo2FItVD7PT8YASseDaClxfSaqqOmJ8RRTsjtkr4muNxqJAndH8WXeQAujSHpqS6Qkl2PYl6QIlVdjzewUqTOPV8AdvrIEikYB1ISuFQmmD2Orinow" width="159" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Fourth Degree</span></b><br /><br />Our old friends Jack, Dinah, Philip, Lucy-Ann (and Kiki the parrot) are recovering from flu on a river cruise in <b><i>The River of Adventure</i></b> by Enid Blyton (1955) and, of course, run into danger – when they get trapped beneath a forgotten temple where no one has set foot for 7,000 years. This Blyton series was written for older children than the Famous Five or Secret Seven and always seemed of higher quality to me.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil945AhYJzIFe5CE9KhjW_1KpA9NAjyIz_K-fk8Sr9ooXegV7GRrgd8dNuglT4JBDP_uefawu-xVoqgnKV8RJG59ctr-2u_igyxrNUX4JgkuwNqCn3CbJu3-sD4oa_WwBUqSap6o61FQ22hGV9nB2Laaxz9zoagNewrKlfTHYcj6iRhzcWeVOoqKPKmLw/s620/River%20of%20Adv.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="417" data-original-width="620" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil945AhYJzIFe5CE9KhjW_1KpA9NAjyIz_K-fk8Sr9ooXegV7GRrgd8dNuglT4JBDP_uefawu-xVoqgnKV8RJG59ctr-2u_igyxrNUX4JgkuwNqCn3CbJu3-sD4oa_WwBUqSap6o61FQ22hGV9nB2Laaxz9zoagNewrKlfTHYcj6iRhzcWeVOoqKPKmLw/s320/River%20of%20Adv.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Fifth Degree</span></b><br /><br />When Nicola sets off in her car for a vacation in <b><i>Sweet Adventure</i></b> by Mary Burchell (1952), she has no specific destination in mind but is hoping for adventure. So she should not be surprised when a wrong turn has dramatic results - including her becoming the temporary guardian to a little girl she doesn’t know and falling for a man who is engaged to someone else. Burchell has always been my favorite M&B/Harlequin writer.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwHy73mR7wlWuW8jvJkkK3zfzJtabQocJJIxIEnQOCCsQysqh5Naaj5AT3UlIKn11ct5wXAYAKz_-Kt7zi2iZtHywPMJddaNOQR0QOcNMxJxEDqf_JQLUM3m-ya5nKmvO5T1GIk8CZ34712jpg-b0WOLt-pRWcXkPLYw5B1XmcMV0MscGAWFsZTl8FHBw/s475/Sweet.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="285" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwHy73mR7wlWuW8jvJkkK3zfzJtabQocJJIxIEnQOCCsQysqh5Naaj5AT3UlIKn11ct5wXAYAKz_-Kt7zi2iZtHywPMJddaNOQR0QOcNMxJxEDqf_JQLUM3m-ya5nKmvO5T1GIk8CZ34712jpg-b0WOLt-pRWcXkPLYw5B1XmcMV0MscGAWFsZTl8FHBw/s320/Sweet.jpeg" width="192" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Sixth Degree</span></b><br /><br /><b><i>Some Writer!: The Story of E.B. White</i></b> (2016) is a children’s biography of the author, known for his writing for the New Yorker and of course, his children’s books. My link here is not the title but the author’s name - Melissa <i>Sweet</i>. She is a gifted artist who mixed White’s personal letters, photos, and family ephemera with her own appealing artwork to tell his story. <a href="https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2016/12/some-writer-story-of-e-b-white-book.html">My review</a>. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhOEaZHqOzVrHga6ph6fZIc5_fuPDwAyVYyJZgAv-qRJNyJiDgdFHvoS9ZGWXimJb-YL__Ac8H9bL6fNJ92_4WJgWj2OkOQ0009dsOiinmsNX7DW4SGqdoU1M2svuPIuuLSE39ZjsuBylaVBoSeaCBte1ElRKBR-Ndtn2WVD-oKaKobmIRHJxbqrFno-og" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="253" data-original-width="199" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhOEaZHqOzVrHga6ph6fZIc5_fuPDwAyVYyJZgAv-qRJNyJiDgdFHvoS9ZGWXimJb-YL__Ac8H9bL6fNJ92_4WJgWj2OkOQ0009dsOiinmsNX7DW4SGqdoU1M2svuPIuuLSE39ZjsuBylaVBoSeaCBte1ElRKBR-Ndtn2WVD-oKaKobmIRHJxbqrFno-og" width="189" /></a></div>So I managed to travel from Michigan to the Amazon and Philadelphia, to the Middle East and England, and finally to the <a href="https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/real-estate/g10403557/eb-white-house-maine/">farm in Maine</a> where E.B. White lived with his wife, a New Yorker editor, and stepson Roger, future writer. How do they connect? Well, Ann Patchett is not only a gifted writer but also owns a bookstore in Nashville that brings authors and readers together and has inspired some of her essays and <a href="https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/real-estate/g10403557/eb-white-house-maine/">E.B. White's farm</a> was the inspiration for his best-known work, <i>Charlotte's Web</i>. How is that?<br /><br />Next month (April 6, 2024), Kate says to pick a travel guide from our bookshelves. Did you play #6Degrees this month? Please share your link! </span><div><br /></div>CLMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03595294217111602231noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013114232214923198.post-54289518328910131862024-02-29T01:00:00.011-05:002024-03-03T20:58:49.134-05:00First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Title</span></b>: First Lie Wins<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Author</span></b>: Ashley Elston<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Narrator</span></b>: Saskia Maarleveld<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Publication</span></b>: Penguin, audiobook, 2024<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Genre</span></b>: Suspense<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Setting</span></b>: United States<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibHpk31lbfMmfS1PQD0OxfXdHTcCxQGHO7Wi_RHDPGX-iWiOnpB54VMShx1-mIL60KWIOW8gheDU_MVQ8rGyYNNFgDJKpmlc2GTkZtbkNpxQDpTxJWXvS-hL4rGapqpHvJ5QwqJOAdrsYk2N9vEht-TeHrSmDMWNNqU4RQFQJ81x5YDx7nCv8P4Cs2Q-M/s445/FirstLieWins.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="295" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibHpk31lbfMmfS1PQD0OxfXdHTcCxQGHO7Wi_RHDPGX-iWiOnpB54VMShx1-mIL60KWIOW8gheDU_MVQ8rGyYNNFgDJKpmlc2GTkZtbkNpxQDpTxJWXvS-hL4rGapqpHvJ5QwqJOAdrsYk2N9vEht-TeHrSmDMWNNqU4RQFQJ81x5YDx7nCv8P4Cs2Q-M/s320/FirstLieWins.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Description</span></b>: Evie Porter is Ryan Sumner’s new girlfriend, and he just invited her to move in with him. They seem like the perfect couple - except that Evie is not her real name. <span><a name='more'></a></span> She is a con artist sent to Lake Forbing, LA to cozy up to Ryan, although she doesn’t know why. Yet. She has worked for a mysterious Mr. Smith since high school, getting sent on specific missions with a new identity every time and a nice paycheck at the end, once she gets him what he needs. She guesses she is not his only operative but she is sure she is the best, although the last assignment did not turn out as planned and Mr. Smith was seriously displeased. So she can’t fail with Ryan, although she sometimes wishes they were a real couple despite not knowing what it is about the handsome young businessman that has drawn Mr. Smith’s interest. As always, she will try to stay a step ahead of her boss because she doesn’t trust him any more than he trusts her . . . .<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">My Impression</span></b>: I was so mesmerized by this book I didn’t want to return it to the library! Evie Porter drew me in from the first page when I thought she was merely a new girlfriend hoping her boyfriend’s friend group would like her despite her not having gone to college or grown up with them. They ask how she and Ryan met and Evie says he helped change her flat tire, and one of the husbands jokes that Ryan probably flattened her tire just to meet her:<b><span style="color: #e06666;"><blockquote>I smile and laugh, not too loud and not too long, to show that I, too, am amused at the thought that Ryan would go to such extremes to meet me.<br /><br />Amused that any person would have watched another long enough to know that he always filled up at that truck stop for gas on Thursday evenings after spending the day at his East Texas office. That someone knew he favored the pumps on the west side of the building, and that his eyes almost always lingered a little too long on any female who crossed his path, especially those dressed in short skirts. And that same someone would pick up on little things, like the LSU baseball cap in the back seat or the frat tee showing through his white dress shirt, to ensure when they did meet there would be things to talk about. That someone would hold a nail just so in a valve while the air whistled away.<br /><br />I mean, it’s amusing to believe one person would go to those lengths just to meet another.</blockquote></span></b>Yes, because it is clear that Evie did plot their meeting and soon we know it was not for the first time! The story is incredibly suspenseful and it is also intricately plotted. The narrative goes back and forth from Evie’s current assignment with Ryan to some of her past scams – how she managed to make them work as well as the dangers she faced along the way. It takes a lot of skill to make the reader care about a character who is a criminal but Elston succeeds in making Evie a very sympathetic figure. Her original ventures into questionable activity were to support a mother dying of cancer; all Evie and her mother wanted was to get away from their trailer home and live in a nice house with a garden. After her mother is gone, and Evie has been sucked into one after another sleazy assignment for Mr. Smith, she realizes she can’t even take the money she has earned and buy that dream home with her ill-gotten gains because he will never let her escape from the cons – she knows too much. And Evie starts to worry about what happens when Mr. Smith thinks his operatives are too knowledgeable about his business.<br /><br />I won’t say more because I don’t want to spoil it but I recommend that you get the book or audiobook if you enjoy suspense and great storytelling. After I finished, I went back to the beginning and read most of it a second time to see what I had missed. This is Elston’s first book for adults and it got a fair amount of attention because Reese Witherspoon selected it for her January book club pick. However, it had caught my eye on <a href="https://libraryreads.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/January24.pdf">LibraryRead’s January list</a> and I noticed it was published by my former colleague Pam Dorman’s imprint at Penguin. I usually like books she has edited/chosen so I put it on reserve immediately.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzkg09xx3F2SYSzKFcDPnWST8QfyuxUj8IGJVjGxMzyR64DDgvkqKSzZ8dgMrjSNLCzmQokK2I28DMSr_zOE9H0YS-bjfakMzmpTJs_Wyp2FBDR_UlmC9PuVFlOz6uk1Q9nUznBo4R6xjPseJ6RKU643u85PFlzNeoWZXM5giAt1u5kzbd_kj1HS7NdCg/s800/Cloak-and-dagger-square.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzkg09xx3F2SYSzKFcDPnWST8QfyuxUj8IGJVjGxMzyR64DDgvkqKSzZ8dgMrjSNLCzmQokK2I28DMSr_zOE9H0YS-bjfakMzmpTJs_Wyp2FBDR_UlmC9PuVFlOz6uk1Q9nUznBo4R6xjPseJ6RKU643u85PFlzNeoWZXM5giAt1u5kzbd_kj1HS7NdCg/w200-h200/Cloak-and-dagger-square.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Source</span></b>: Library/Libby. <i>First Lie Wins</i> is my third book for Carol’s <a href="https://carolsnotebook.com/2024/02/01/february-cloak-and-dagger-link-up-4/">Cloak and Dagger Challenge</a> - and my second 5/5 rating of the year. I should also mention the outstanding narrator greatly added to my enjoyment of the book. Her inflections were perfect. By an odd coincidence, my next audiobook, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156735951-the-phoenix-crown"><i>The Phoenix Crown</i></a>, has the same narrator, </span><span style="font-size: large;">Saskia Maarleveld. </span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: large;">Happy Leap Day!</span></div></div>CLMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03595294217111602231noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013114232214923198.post-76795263561967982682024-02-26T21:00:00.004-05:002024-02-26T21:17:53.719-05:00Miss Manners can always be relied upon<p><span style="font-size: medium;">(or as she would probably phrase it, "Miss Manners, upon whom one can always rely")</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzBjKQcJl8zszeEKagr-c0qIsNsz7HaIygBSrHmtcVIj7xCJctyOvLcv27DK1k5lTjP61BGtTPNP79cwRpSlHuthV8f-YxL57LpHblvXOztak8c7OHtgyrPnGjLpPx2DUA894IKczgrk2uTiJfASgwux4y2ku00rCGFNp5r53xFtKH-Iu1P27rX3mdF7I" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzBjKQcJl8zszeEKagr-c0qIsNsz7HaIygBSrHmtcVIj7xCJctyOvLcv27DK1k5lTjP61BGtTPNP79cwRpSlHuthV8f-YxL57LpHblvXOztak8c7OHtgyrPnGjLpPx2DUA894IKczgrk2uTiJfASgwux4y2ku00rCGFNp5r53xFtKH-Iu1P27rX3mdF7I" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Divine Miss M</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/advice/2024/02/26/miss-manners-older-grad-student/">Dear Miss Manners</a>: Could you please educate us on the difference between a living room, sitting room, drawing room, saloon, library, lounge, parlor and boudoir?<span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">These distinctions have gone out of use, as they refer to activities that have disappeared now that people need only their own devices for company. But for the sake of social history, Miss Manners will try:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Boudoir</b>: a bedroom, or antechamber to one, where a lady receives her intimates. No, not necessarily those intimates, but her confidantes, her hairdresser, her social secretary and, briefly, her young children.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Library</b>: a room lined with books, whether or not they are read.*</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Lounge</b>: where people retreat in a commercial establishment — say, the smoking area or the ladies' bathroom.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Saloon</b>: a rowdy drinking place, probably with gambling and the occasional shootout. Or did you mean “salon?” In that case, please see below.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Living room</b>: kept empty so it would be clean for company.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sitting room</b>: where the family was allowed to be if banished from the living room — and where they often gathered when there was only one household television set.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Drawing room</b>: reserved for distinguished company.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Salon</b>: reserved for guests who would be expected to wittily ponder the meaning of life.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Parlor</b>: where you would be on view before your funeral.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">New Miss Manners columns are posted Monday through Saturday on washingtonpost.com/advice. You can send questions to Miss Manners at her website, missmanners.com. You can also follow her @RealMissManners.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">* Editor's note - this would not apply to any of us!</span></p>CLMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03595294217111602231noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013114232214923198.post-29466841527492976592024-02-25T12:13:00.000-05:002024-02-25T12:13:36.976-05:00Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum - third and my favorite of the series<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Title</span></b>: Ozma of Oz<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Author</span></b>: L. Frank Baum<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Illustrator</span></b>: John R. Neill<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Publication</span></b>: The Reilly & Lee Co., hardcover, 1907<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Genre</span></b>: Juvenile fantasy/series<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAvrMrOhkkea9ydCFTImLtzG7Pfywe0aSNCe0T7D75o03XS2Ic8KW9U1xAHYccykARwFLUIrt3Ec5y36Ij03WSl_lnz8Q4Nj2yKWcK0NWkqQ_YSlZXgY7E4wzRMN7aoZXC0Ja8oBrvGhJUHEydObwkT1opQDPUbWrClgXEvyLpDMFyhUxsc_Nl1yU5uv8/s2788/ozma%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2788" data-original-width="1997" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAvrMrOhkkea9ydCFTImLtzG7Pfywe0aSNCe0T7D75o03XS2Ic8KW9U1xAHYccykARwFLUIrt3Ec5y36Ij03WSl_lnz8Q4Nj2yKWcK0NWkqQ_YSlZXgY7E4wzRMN7aoZXC0Ja8oBrvGhJUHEydObwkT1opQDPUbWrClgXEvyLpDMFyhUxsc_Nl1yU5uv8/s320/ozma%20cover.jpg" width="229" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Description</span></b>: Dorothy Gale is accompanying her Uncle Henry on a voyage to Australia, traveling for his health, when she is swept overboard during a storm. Floating on a chicken coop with a talking chicken she names Billina, Dorothy does not despair, knowing she has survived dangerous situations in the past. <span><a name='more'></a></span>When they wash up on a sandy beach, Dorothy and Billina are grateful to be on land, and Dorothy is glad to find food, lunch-boxes growing on trees, and they rescue a mechanical man called Tiktok. He reveals they are in Ev and describes how the former king sold his family to the cruel Nome King. There are dangers in this land: first, they are menaced by the Wheelers, creatures that look like men with wheels instead of hands or feet, and then they seek help from Princess Langwidere, she imprisons them.</div><br />As Dorothy gazes out from her tower prison, she sees rescue coming: a great lion, a tiger, a lovely girl who can only be Ozma of Oz, followed by her two old friends, the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman. They have come to investigate the disappearing of King Evoldo’s family but persuade the princess to release Dorothy and Billina, who can then assist with their mission. When they reach the Nome King, he refuses to release the royal family of Ev and persuades his visitors to make a bargain with him: each will have to opportunity to search his palace, find the family members he has enchanted into bric-a-brac, and transform them back. However, if 11 guesses does not reveal a captive, the seekers themselves will be turned into ornaments. “Don’t do it!” exclaimed Dorothy. “If you guess wrong, you will be enslaved yourself.”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgk3pBt2Cq0kMHOG2nUYvDpuO-QWy_pOFPUgf5SCfL3MeAkCaX1QQJRewe4whRxA18VxXPOs480DvMytKxiFjTjWCSeWnmnPey-CakZvkbqDr8bIT5Pm_hSi_te-jQeIm-OyVmYlYWDesutai3hTBVriFxUmaVLzCM2egxKLChWQ9t-Y7ZCD8-RK56Lnzc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="188" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgk3pBt2Cq0kMHOG2nUYvDpuO-QWy_pOFPUgf5SCfL3MeAkCaX1QQJRewe4whRxA18VxXPOs480DvMytKxiFjTjWCSeWnmnPey-CakZvkbqDr8bIT5Pm_hSi_te-jQeIm-OyVmYlYWDesutai3hTBVriFxUmaVLzCM2egxKLChWQ9t-Y7ZCD8-RK56Lnzc=w225-h320" width="225" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It is an unexpected member of the party who saves the day and, later, Glinda the Good is again asked to send Dorothy home to her family.</div><br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">My Impression</span></b>: Oz fans were delighted when their two favorites – Dorothy and Ozma – became friends in this book, and it is full of memorable characters such as the Wheelers, Tiktok, and Princess Langwidere with her 30 heads – she wants Dorothy to be the 31s, which leads to the lock-up. While it is still hard to reconcile Tip from The Land of Oz morphing into the dainty girl ruler Ozma, she has acquired wisdom and dignity sufficient not only to rule Oz but also to undertake a rescue in a neighboring country. Unfortunately, Ozma is accompanied by a particularly ineffective army, consisting of twenty-six officers and one private, so it is lucky she has the Scarecrow and his brains to come up with a non-military strategy.<br /><br />Baum’s biographer, Katherine Rogers, points out that Dorothy is older and more confident in this book but continues her American “unselfconscious egalitarianism: she will soon be talking as an equal to a hen, a robot, and a princess” (158). Rogers also contrasts the benign efficiency of Tiktok, whose loyalty to Dorothy is very different from the cowardly behavior of Ozma’s human army, to the Giant with the Hammer, a deadly machine that blocks the way to the Nome King’s realm (159).<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV0gLjiNReCKvPz384SPvE_i68ISWZQDw1Z_fLmg9YlOjyLcjoO-hgqB-YDE26AcwvHzKnRTQ2ziAKHFqv1MrT-nQyW33hSBC3_eVoZJst6foUwSvujii_9JzJVpRYXyAyh6q7j7aO193Ytgm1Y9FsH1Id8-mxTTJsdMfi4VlUf8yjazvHDNaUYiqW_r0/s2377/Princess%20L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2377" data-original-width="1644" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV0gLjiNReCKvPz384SPvE_i68ISWZQDw1Z_fLmg9YlOjyLcjoO-hgqB-YDE26AcwvHzKnRTQ2ziAKHFqv1MrT-nQyW33hSBC3_eVoZJst6foUwSvujii_9JzJVpRYXyAyh6q7j7aO193Ytgm1Y9FsH1Id8-mxTTJsdMfi4VlUf8yjazvHDNaUYiqW_r0/s320/Princess%20L.jpg" width="221" /></a></div>There are at least two family stories relating to <i>Ozma of Oz</i>. As I mentioned previously, my great-grandfather brought the Oz books home to his children and read them aloud when they were first published. It was my grandmother’s favorite in the series but instead of identifying with Ozma or Dorothy, her favorite character was the devious Nome King. In the most dramatic part of the book, he offers them the chance to save the royal family if they are willing to take a risk. They can survey everything in his palace and make eleven guesses as to what is enchanted:<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;"><blockquote>"Oh, thank you! Thank you for this kind offer!" said Ozma eagerly. </blockquote><blockquote>"I make but one condition," added the Nome King, his eyes twinkling. </blockquote><blockquote>"What is it?" she inquired.</blockquote><blockquote>"If none of the eleven objects you touch proves to be the transformation of any of the royal family of Ev, then, instead of freeing them, you will yourself become enchanted, and transformed into an article of bric-a-brac or an ornament. This is only fair and just, and is the risk you declared you are willing to take." </blockquote></span></b>Someone gave my grandmother a jeweled belt when she was a child and she liked to wear it, pretending it was the Nome King’s magic belt so she could boss her younger siblings around. We still have the fragments of that first edition of <i>Ozma of Oz</i>; it was well loved as she was one of seven and my mother was one of four.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMFhJi7CIT2ltSttc-oQtnY4lzQHbR-Y1y9XB6SZae4FSpL7TStdsBAuisXVA5CU2CNKs1a1ltWo44ofnN27MEZo9FsAK1Fa5rfEh6CjaUdXcwPENqnAc2nqUqKtgu-KDwJjId_gWVIXQq0FOqV7VgfNgK7JhRKE9WNTJIcib5C_vEQLU8h314X09V1s/s2219/Giant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2219" data-original-width="1676" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMFhJi7CIT2ltSttc-oQtnY4lzQHbR-Y1y9XB6SZae4FSpL7TStdsBAuisXVA5CU2CNKs1a1ltWo44ofnN27MEZo9FsAK1Fa5rfEh6CjaUdXcwPENqnAc2nqUqKtgu-KDwJjId_gWVIXQq0FOqV7VgfNgK7JhRKE9WNTJIcib5C_vEQLU8h314X09V1s/s320/Giant.jpg" width="242" /></a></div>It is also my favorite Oz book, with its mixture of new and familiar characters and their various adventures (and not as many puns). Before I could read, when my parents read me chapter books, at the end of each chapter they would intone, “And the next chapter is . . .” and whoever was reading would add it impressively. So, of course, I noticed in Ozma, halfway through the book, when my mother failed to tell me a chapter title. She explained that it was because that chapter had scared her as a child but that made me all the more curious. I couldn’t sleep that night. Finally, I woke my father up about 2 am and got him to read it to me: <i>The Giant with the Hammer</i>. He was puzzled that my request could not wait until morning. I decided I had to learn how to read the very first week of first grade! Who knew what other information was out there waiting for me? And here I am, still thinking about books at 2 am, lo these many years later . . . .<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3ns9Eh16cssnkddOt-bVvO3uEXCjTLNVaDkJRcimVB75GHmWZ29CzrfEJ8Pt5xkn7GprNDcx5yzOoFVsXxfCZzDl-7KAlC8qv6X9QtbBJSd7NaZ32t-TMg9HL0xhb6StfF-kN-ByoasxxmiKPxTgYuLJ_1lsLieXFmuA5j0GaImUA8JzRasQgJYKbeU4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="656" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3ns9Eh16cssnkddOt-bVvO3uEXCjTLNVaDkJRcimVB75GHmWZ29CzrfEJ8Pt5xkn7GprNDcx5yzOoFVsXxfCZzDl-7KAlC8qv6X9QtbBJSd7NaZ32t-TMg9HL0xhb6StfF-kN-ByoasxxmiKPxTgYuLJ_1lsLieXFmuA5j0GaImUA8JzRasQgJYKbeU4" width="320" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Source</span></b>: Family copy. Please visit Lory at <a href="https://enterenchanted.com/">Entering the Enchanted Castle</a> who is hosting Ozathon24 and join in if you can! Here is <a href="https://enterenchanted.com/ozathon24-bringing-the-sun-underground/">Lory’s review</a> of <i>Ozma.</i></span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Illustrations copyright to the publisher</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>CLMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03595294217111602231noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013114232214923198.post-41966218768235656922024-02-23T07:00:00.015-05:002024-03-06T19:18:52.238-05:00China Court by Rumer Godden<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Title</span></b>: China Court<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Author</span></b>: <a href="https://www.rumergodden.com/biography/">Rumer Godden</a><br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Publication</span></b>: <a href="https://www.manderleypress.com/shop/p/chinacourt">Manderley Press</a>, hardcover, 2023 (originally 1979)<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Genre</span></b>: Historical Fiction<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Setting</span></b>: Cornwall<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjsWgkPFgm9EeBr2i3nXV1OLVLtAokmEExkfC5Q7-O3IAEl_QnDGMTChFVppbs_VuDlmdCboPthpQQxGiib1rmMg6-bpRbAMTa0xLzI6G5rk-EkFbKJepCIyqqeAK_jIRFbaoPYisF6WmmeDUoOSioUMHH6mZd54iJawp_MhvQds3sCEncLtZDvvWuN0-E" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="181" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjsWgkPFgm9EeBr2i3nXV1OLVLtAokmEExkfC5Q7-O3IAEl_QnDGMTChFVppbs_VuDlmdCboPthpQQxGiib1rmMg6-bpRbAMTa0xLzI6G5rk-EkFbKJepCIyqqeAK_jIRFbaoPYisF6WmmeDUoOSioUMHH6mZd54iJawp_MhvQds3sCEncLtZDvvWuN0-E" width="156" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Description</span></b>: When Deborah Quin dies, it is the end of an era. Although she was once Ripsie, a waif from the village, she married one of the sons of the house and has lived in and maintained both China Court and its impressive gardens since then. <span><a name='more'></a></span> Now as her daughters and granddaughter return to China Court to bury her and quarrel over the house and its furnishings, the story of China Court is told from the original Eustace Quin and his brood of children to Tracy, his great-great granddaughter, who loves the house despite its lack of mod cons, but arrived a day too late to say goodbye. There is not enough money to update the house but that does not prevent everyone involved from having an opinion about its disposal.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">My Impression</span></b>: I have read and enjoyed a fair number of Godden’s books, ranging from the children’s books about dolls to <a href="https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2020/12/black-narcissus-by-rumer-godden.html"><i>Black Narcissus</i></a> to her memoir about growing up in India, but this multigenerational family saga about a house and those who lived there since 1840 is unlike any other. She brilliantly captures the rivalries among siblings, the family quarrels that subside but are never truly forgotten and, especially, the yearning of the outsider to belong. The central character, although she dies in the first sentence, is Mrs. Quin, once known as Ripsie, a neglected child fascinated by China Court and the two sons of the house, brothers slightly older than she:<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;"><blockquote>China Court has always been a halcyon place for children, but the only one of them who realizes this is Ripsie, because she is shut out.<br /><br />“Don’t let the boys play with her, milady,” Polly cautions Lady Patrick.<br /><br />“Do you think they will get an accent?” asks Lady Patrick . . . .<br /><br />It is not the accent that worries Polly. “Better have tears now than later,” she says wisely and does not think of their being Ripsie’s tears. It is strange that Mrs. Quin, mistress of China Court, known and respected through the whole county, was once that outcast child.</blockquote></span></b>The story is told in the most non-linear way imaginable, going from past to present and back - sometimes in the same paragraph. I groped desperately for a family tree, which was hidden in the back of the book, thank goodness, and referred to it frequently until I had really grasped the family relationships. I found the rambling annoying at first but later I decided to be charmed by Godden’s stream of consciousness, which parallels the way Mrs. Quin talked about the past to her impressionable granddaughter. The narrative is interspersed by quotations from a Book of Hours Mrs. Quin cherished, which only makes sense at the end.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTftjGz5o5FoN9IBwjuyinvFkobco9pPEk_KWyVzC3TD2UUta-CcMsLgJQv-OR4RskMvGFt33ypl-3uOwYtSxuV3ileB7ZOwHl0PcyZuy2PLncpjHNk0aEsaY2U8JlEYsxfqaVcRALM4NgfG_G4I9WnTSmW0qD09QK8hHpRglLZOnUAD6a8C33fDSl8-8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="318" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTftjGz5o5FoN9IBwjuyinvFkobco9pPEk_KWyVzC3TD2UUta-CcMsLgJQv-OR4RskMvGFt33ypl-3uOwYtSxuV3ileB7ZOwHl0PcyZuy2PLncpjHNk0aEsaY2U8JlEYsxfqaVcRALM4NgfG_G4I9WnTSmW0qD09QK8hHpRglLZOnUAD6a8C33fDSl8-8" width="153" /></a></div>There were aspects of the book that reminded me of another great chronicler of Cornwall, Rosamond Pilcher – the love of a garden and a house, the unpleasant adult children who care only about their inheritance, and their criticism of their mother’s friends (erroneously assumed to be as greedy as they).<br /><br />It is made clear that Ripsie is the illegitimate child of the Quins’ once-mighty neighbor, Lord Harry St. Omer, and that may be one reason why a friendship grows much later between Mrs. Quin and St. Omer’s grandson Peter. Peter is estranged from his family, which has lost its wealth and sold its lands in the intervening years, and become the tenant of Penbarrow, a small farm attached to China Court. Ripsie is ignored by the St. Omers (although the vicar forces Lord Harry to pay for Ripsie's education) and her fate is entangled with the Quin brothers, Borowis and John Henry, one bright and charismatic and one loyal but plodding. John Henry proposed in order to protect Ripsie when Borowis married an affluent cousin, realizing that she was pregnant with his brother's child.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKoNS-KP2JHvQzsF4jufNYn8Ug8dkOCL9u0eyFyqNfL0v_ogsxLnXzmnfcpEH0CSnBlnksAF_1WyEEEE96CmC3CffweLodJY15ETHUJfHvOM1p9vj3c3B136xXRUKMGNmM3e4DhZILupvXlBQW15HSlB6pt3Su-qsp70kVSaO1A6CrNJ2Qi8vdRuNrVok/s400/Hist24.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="164" data-original-width="400" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKoNS-KP2JHvQzsF4jufNYn8Ug8dkOCL9u0eyFyqNfL0v_ogsxLnXzmnfcpEH0CSnBlnksAF_1WyEEEE96CmC3CffweLodJY15ETHUJfHvOM1p9vj3c3B136xXRUKMGNmM3e4DhZILupvXlBQW15HSlB6pt3Su-qsp70kVSaO1A6CrNJ2Qi8vdRuNrVok/s320/Hist24.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">This is my fourth book for the <a href="http://www.theintrepidreader.com/2024/02/historical-fiction-reading-challenge.html">2024 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge</a> and it is also a good choice for <a href="https://hamlette.blogspot.com/2024/02/we-love-sibling-stories-week-kickoff.html">Siblings Week</a>! The first generation of this family consists of nine siblings, followed by two sons (Borowis and John Henry), then one son and four sisters (three of whom don’t have names). It had a very disturbing conclusion but having read <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7807909-the-dolls-house">The Dolls’ House</a></i> when I was about eight, you could say I was primed not to expect otherwise from Godden! She’s almost like Daphne du Maurier in her determination to leave the reader disturbed. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidgA8ZRAoIweh-QNwjscpzFPb-y_ncAUR3jbWgfYH0v0P2W43ew0ZlTjTcUUnfNeN3naOZdGbC2YZoPkHflEhJelFm7EcmDSw_Erv9z5S1Z0ADtkm4qNjXUiGdWooy90B5i7Tzd-Kolud_994gfP8u2CxQXYqMvU8q7_hL_wCvvIf9v-jyqSWBWVjJ4vA/s320/We-love-sibling-stories-week.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidgA8ZRAoIweh-QNwjscpzFPb-y_ncAUR3jbWgfYH0v0P2W43ew0ZlTjTcUUnfNeN3naOZdGbC2YZoPkHflEhJelFm7EcmDSw_Erv9z5S1Z0ADtkm4qNjXUiGdWooy90B5i7Tzd-Kolud_994gfP8u2CxQXYqMvU8q7_hL_wCvvIf9v-jyqSWBWVjJ4vA/w200-h200/We-love-sibling-stories-week.png" width="200" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;"><div>Source<span style="color: black; font-weight: 400;">: This book has been reprinted by an independent publisher, Manderley Press, in a lovely new edition and, coincidentally, I had always wanted to participate in #ReadIndies month, hosted by Karen at <a href="https://kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2024/02/01/welcome-to-readindies-2024/">Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings</a> and Lizzy at <a href="https://lizzysiddal2.wordpress.com/2024/02/01/welcome-to-readindies-2024/">Lizzy's Literary Life</a>.</span></div><div><span style="color: black; font-weight: 400;"></span></div></span></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjj37A6T-q67Syc-33BcQliAuiRiaDbD77hTql8GobkJtLolcXFHs2WmSYZ19DhGe_zdIfpsCGweYQSEtnWmXs8avSi72kcz2HwfdCqoRFAQ1IAn2caCn9PGnK8oL90OVnEh_tJfNyWwgU7go6K91L3gtB1Fkh-_DCecNnewlVZx68Q4Xb92Pkdxsz4KV0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="816" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjj37A6T-q67Syc-33BcQliAuiRiaDbD77hTql8GobkJtLolcXFHs2WmSYZ19DhGe_zdIfpsCGweYQSEtnWmXs8avSi72kcz2HwfdCqoRFAQ1IAn2caCn9PGnK8oL90OVnEh_tJfNyWwgU7go6K91L3gtB1Fkh-_DCecNnewlVZx68Q4Xb92Pkdxsz4KV0=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div>Note that Scott from <a href="http://furrowedmiddlebrow.blogspot.com/">Furrowed Middlebrow</a> liked <i>China Court </i>even more than I did: <a href="http://furrowedmiddlebrow.blogspot.com/2017/02/rumer-godden-china-court-1960-fugue-in.html">here is his review</a>.</span></div>CLMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03595294217111602231noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013114232214923198.post-89230382210470247062024-02-20T07:00:00.022-05:002024-02-20T19:08:18.166-05:00Five Things including a Book Sale<span style="font-size: large;">Last week, my mother and I attended an author event at Boston College featuring Celeste Ng, which we enjoyed. BC has a freshman seminar in which many read Ng’s first novel, <i>Everything I Never Told You</i>. It was great to see several hundred students listening to Ng describe her writing process, including her habit of beginning her books with a very dramatic sentence. I had to check this out:<span><a name='more'></a></span><br /><br /><b>Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet</b>. <i>Everything I Never Told You</i> (2014).<br /><br /><b>Everyone in Shaker Heights was talking about it that summer: how Isabelle, the last of the Richardson children, had finally gone around the bend and burned the house down</b>. <i>Little Fires Everywhere</i> (2017)<br /><br /><b>The letter arrives on a Friday. Slit and resealed with a sticker, of course, as all their letters are:<i> Inspected for Your Safety – PACT</i></b>. <i>Our Missing Hearts</i> (2022)<br /><br />I don't think the third one is quite as dramatic, do you? But I am now interested in reading the two I missed.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3wjjSK68-SXZBlTFCFik7fc9V3Kpn5BmBig0cIjvYt7-KGloSyMBgsg8pXn9AEGtAuOMF9WCMyO-0btr-B8-9ZWJG5tkstEB1jdLIVIKFk3zgi_OiCA1QOujJISFQn13kLHVZb2ovduEdjHyaMsoLZh0RprJBak2xCmquj23yFVfkNt41s6eGLVKhYw/s640/IMG_1214%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="640" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3wjjSK68-SXZBlTFCFik7fc9V3Kpn5BmBig0cIjvYt7-KGloSyMBgsg8pXn9AEGtAuOMF9WCMyO-0btr-B8-9ZWJG5tkstEB1jdLIVIKFk3zgi_OiCA1QOujJISFQn13kLHVZb2ovduEdjHyaMsoLZh0RprJBak2xCmquj23yFVfkNt41s6eGLVKhYw/s320/IMG_1214%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Today I organized a lot of books and decided it was time for <a href="https://clmsalelist.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-2013-book-sale.html"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">my own sale</span></b></a>! These are books I am trying to find a new home for, mostly duplicates or books for which I no longer have room.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhhDaLZVeWBlXewMS832FKjXD4CZhdJ3Mh4crdfWZBnJJ5-mGwFiQz3LeINhZUuBG3-5OBDflOyCkn5m37qXH9KZ7w6MMv76sP-sEkzEsms-qXMD-jMIpzHmm-42cvOIxREbuSqccl0hBTuPht76bAhlpU1xDWIB91hQMsV8E-3lj_dXJICltRoviTpj9w" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="214" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhhDaLZVeWBlXewMS832FKjXD4CZhdJ3Mh4crdfWZBnJJ5-mGwFiQz3LeINhZUuBG3-5OBDflOyCkn5m37qXH9KZ7w6MMv76sP-sEkzEsms-qXMD-jMIpzHmm-42cvOIxREbuSqccl0hBTuPht76bAhlpU1xDWIB91hQMsV8E-3lj_dXJICltRoviTpj9w" width="161" /></a></div>My book group read <i><a href="https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2023/09/tom-lake-by-ann-patchett.html">Tom Lake</a></i> by Ann Patchett this month, which I reviewed back in September. <a href="https://www.pbs.org/video/tom-lake-1692298811/">Here is a brief interview with the author on the inspiration for her book</a>. Everyone liked this book, which sometimes hurts the discussion, but there was still lots to talk about and I was glad I had persuaded us to read <i>Our Town</i> first.<br /><br />Nonfiction book publishing is dominated by men. <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/nonfiction-book-publishing-dominated-men-new-prize-hopes-107267531">ABC News says a new prize hopes to help change that</a>.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgM_db3gJWSdE6AqneOFr0LRYHjMxXbK6B89kXqOEEoJSCgyf7TaUS0pDs3jGdjhqEJ9-USMgmduLT5txY96fI80wwPylVLIiypwrpmHCMQXh-wyG_raEqyAu0ebYUaWjRVeRick-M5UXCTxhyLsq50RbNuhtvJo6wMCkcG_mUiYgGOh4owm_o3BwPf8BY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="176" data-original-width="287" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgM_db3gJWSdE6AqneOFr0LRYHjMxXbK6B89kXqOEEoJSCgyf7TaUS0pDs3jGdjhqEJ9-USMgmduLT5txY96fI80wwPylVLIiypwrpmHCMQXh-wyG_raEqyAu0ebYUaWjRVeRick-M5UXCTxhyLsq50RbNuhtvJo6wMCkcG_mUiYgGOh4owm_o3BwPf8BY" width="320" /></a></div>Usually, I work one weekend day in a nearby library each month. I am amazed by the demand for graphic novels – more than half of the children seeking books on their own. Some just like the format and others say they are easier to read. Certainly, all reading is good but I do occasionally coax them to add a traditional chapter book to their piles, hoping they won’t miss out on other great books. <i>The New York Times</i> stated recently that “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/24/books/french-nonfiction-comic-books.html">[o]ne in four books sold in France is a graphic novel. Increasingly, those include nonfiction works by journalists and historians.</a>” But publishers need demand for backlist books of all genres in order to survive.</span><br />CLMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03595294217111602231noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013114232214923198.post-10888462212915753162024-02-18T05:00:00.003-05:002024-02-19T12:36:29.588-05:00The Helsinki Affair by Anna Pitoniak<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Title</span></b>: The Helsinki Affair<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Author</span></b>: Anna Pitoniak<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Narrator</span></b>: Amanda Dolan<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Publication</span></b>: Simon & Schuster, audiobook, 2023<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Genre</span></b>: Suspense/Espionage<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinfmL6DQbPHo9-DpUV8j1Lgwx49Tu35zRZqOvptHqVRORNlyQl1o5fTU5BqbeDHmgiOb0y1lmKQBf6QMD8p5FMFBIT3hi8q6eBkorZLFsB4vWBf4pf58i3UutikqTq5Vp2WUdvXOTR18KDWmnYH9tEA68bfR4N8i0t5GSb2cKu5_mMIBescMDIvTTd2cM" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinfmL6DQbPHo9-DpUV8j1Lgwx49Tu35zRZqOvptHqVRORNlyQl1o5fTU5BqbeDHmgiOb0y1lmKQBf6QMD8p5FMFBIT3hi8q6eBkorZLFsB4vWBf4pf58i3UutikqTq5Vp2WUdvXOTR18KDWmnYH9tEA68bfR4N8i0t5GSb2cKu5_mMIBescMDIvTTd2cM" width="240" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Description</span></b>: Amanda Cole is the CIA’s Deputy Station Chief in Rome and longs for a more exciting assignment. She gets her wish when a Russian comes to the embassy to share information on a plot to kill a prominent American senator. <span><a name='more'></a></span> Amanda believes him but her boss, Osmond, is skeptical and forbids her to take action. When the senator dies and the CIA Director learns about the ignored warning, Amanda is promoted to Station Chief and starts trying to decipher a complicated financial plot created by the Russians to damage the US economy and a tangled history that stretches back to when her father, also CIA, was stationed in Helsinki years ago.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">My Impression</span></b>: <i>The Helsinki Affair</i> was one of the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/11/12/best-thrillers-2023-cosby-mckinty/">Washington Post’s best thrillers of 2023</a>, and the review pointed out it was about two women who weren’t objectified, as was often the case in older books of the genre, which interested me. I enjoyed the way the story went back and forth from Amanda in the present to her father, Charlie, on assignment in Helsinki in the 80s. As Amanda digs into the mystery of the senator’s death, her father’s name comes up but he has merely been working in PR at the CIA for many years so she doesn’t see how he could be involved. Helping her brainstorm and sift through documents is Kath Frost, a long-time CIA professional whose knowledge of the Soviets is extensive and is expert at extracting information from documents. Although Kath intimidates many of her CIA colleagues with her gravelly voice and big personality, she and Amanda hit it off, feeding off each other as they try to unravel the conspiracy with their different strengths. Kath is also the only person Amanda can confide worries about her father’s involvement and, in turn, Kath provides candid feedback when she thinks Amanda is making mistakes. They work backwards from the Senator’s death to identify the source of the information that killed him:<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;"><blockquote>“This isn’t easy to say, Mrs. Vogel, but I want to get right to the point. We have reason to believe Senator Vogel didn’t die of a stroke.”<br /><br />She blinked at Gasko once, then twice.<br /><br />“More specifically, he continued, “we have intelligence suggesting that Russian operatives in Cairo administered a lethal chemical agent, which caused symptoms that are designed to mimic those of a stroke. We are reasonably certain this was an assassination.”<br /><br />She was silent for a while. Then she said, “That makes sense.”</blockquote></span></b>Two things that puzzled me: first, the Russian whistleblower thinks Amanda’s surname is Clarkson, because embassy cover is Amanda Clarkson, an economic specialist for the State Department. Fine, but surely if the Russians investigated her, they could have found out her real name and identity? If they were watching her father, they would already know her occupation or at least be more than ordinarily suspicious of her when she enters Russia, especially as she has once entered as herself. Second, Amanda tells her Russian whistleblower, Semenov, she does not speak Russian (7), and that if he wants to speak to her in Russian, they’ll have to wait for an interpreter. It is surprising she did not pick it up after living in Russia in her 20s for several months before joining the CIA but there wasn't any need to lie. However, by page 311, she speaks Russian well enough to understand angry people yelling. Nor do I know how Amanda manages to read Cyrillic (probably harder than conversational Russian) but when Semenov sends her “emails, memos, other bureaucratic flotsam and jetsam” (100), she is able to skim memos in Russian. Hmmm. In other areas, however, the author did tie up a lot of loose ends very satisfactorily.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9IzKOzpoiU6tfLQtq6yr6lqNBNXZ7PmO7VhQRbFwAovz0XtEtBI5oK_-csk3HPguHXTfRTI-yg4rnJE4KtlBGz8_Ci8915cj2De_iJ9bDn-uVngWFgvLWZBXk24XKQIX_Qs7lc5fNoi-GutSCw1bp6II8oGk5vwWQoJJt0ITkI3X9QuaOree12SyBUP0/s800/Cloak-and-dagger-square.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9IzKOzpoiU6tfLQtq6yr6lqNBNXZ7PmO7VhQRbFwAovz0XtEtBI5oK_-csk3HPguHXTfRTI-yg4rnJE4KtlBGz8_Ci8915cj2De_iJ9bDn-uVngWFgvLWZBXk24XKQIX_Qs7lc5fNoi-GutSCw1bp6II8oGk5vwWQoJJt0ITkI3X9QuaOree12SyBUP0/s320/Cloak-and-dagger-square.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This was a fast-paced and enjoyable book with layers upon layers of espionage, conspiracy, betrayal, terror, and some very well-developed characters. <i>The Helsinki Affair</i> is my second book of the year for Carol’s <a href="https://carolsnotebook.com/2024/02/01/february-cloak-and-dagger-link-up-4/">Cloak and Dagger Challenge</a>.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Source</span></b>: Library. </span><div><br /></div>CLMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03595294217111602231noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013114232214923198.post-60544019249844906352024-02-15T09:00:00.002-05:002024-02-19T12:38:11.953-05:00The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Title</span></b>: The Door-to-Door Bookstore<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Author</span></b>: Carsten Henn<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Translator</span></b>: Melody Shaw<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Publication</span></b>: Hanover Square Press, hardcover, 2023 <br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Genre</span></b>: Fiction<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Setting</span></b>: Present-day Southern Germany<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZGMj1mPviGfothKJrMRZyT8BGEW78ciThq5jH4p1WOALjmObEoKPqAr-h_0bFwG2N4HshkNZLPrxX2bhhzoBE2Mj7Ou0o2IP7Dwcw10B2v8LbBRkL-kkanDDyLp2NGhwJFUa6pjOwVK77ADENC6n2BwgNODEXUe5aGIBcMOqb7kG7G8_rMwGjxXcA7pA/s445/door.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="294" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZGMj1mPviGfothKJrMRZyT8BGEW78ciThq5jH4p1WOALjmObEoKPqAr-h_0bFwG2N4HshkNZLPrxX2bhhzoBE2Mj7Ou0o2IP7Dwcw10B2v8LbBRkL-kkanDDyLp2NGhwJFUa6pjOwVK77ADENC6n2BwgNODEXUe5aGIBcMOqb7kG7G8_rMwGjxXcA7pA/s320/door.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Description</span></b>: Carl Kollhoff worked for many years at an old, established bookstore called City Gate. After his mentor, Gustav Gruber, the bookstore owner, retired and his jealous daughter Sabine took over, the bookstore changed. Sabine pushed Carl off the selling floor and his only activity now is hand-delivering special requests to a handful of clients. <span><a name='more'></a></span> These evening hours are the happiest part of Carl’s day as he knows exactly what each person wants in a book and takes pride in producing what is needed. Then a nine-year-old girl who has been watching Carl decides to accompany him on his rounds. Unused to children, Carl tries to discourage her but, despite himself, he comes to enjoy her questions and commentary. Schascha is a fixer and her energy and determination to solve the problems of all the stay-at-home readers worries Carl, who is more apt to respect others’ privacy. But everything goes wrong when the elderly Carl is attacked one evening and it will take all of Schascha’s ingenuity to repair the situation.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">My Impression</span></b>: There is a sappy genre of fiction like <i>A Man Called Ove</i>, which this book resembles, that involves taming a curmudgeon. <i>The Door-to-Door Bookstore </i>was somewhat sappy and predictable yet still surprisingly appealing. Carl is far from curmudgeonly: he is kindhearted if not very discerning about other people. He lives for his books and those who require his literary expertise:<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;"><blockquote>“This book,” said Carl, taking one from the pile next to the till, “has been waiting for you since the moment it was unpacked. Set in Provence, and every word scented with lavender.”<br /><br />“Oh, Bordeaux-red books are the best! Does it end with a kiss?”<br /><br />“Have I ever given an ending away?”<br /><br />“No!” she pouted, but took the book out of his hand.<br /><br />Carl would never dream of recommending a nvel without a happy end to her, but on no account would he rob Ursel Schafer of the tiny thrill of wondering whether this one would be different.<br /><br />“I’m so glad there are books in the world,” she said. “I hope that’s one thing that never changes!”</blockquote></span></b>Carl is too good-hearted to resent Sabine, whose jealousy took away his livelihood and most of his pleasure; instead, he has created an evening routine where he brings carefully curated books to a small group of people, each of whom has a reason for staying home. Making the rounds gives him great satisfaction. Carl meets their reading needs but it is Schascha with questions and a notebook who tries to understand the why - their emotional needs. She figures out ways to help these individuals out of their ruts, which is good practice for when Carl has a crisis and she is the only person who can harness the power of his many friends to support him. <br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Source</span></b>: Library. I read this for the de Grummond Book Group. While I wouldn’t advise running out to purchase it, I enjoyed spending a few hours with Carl and his book-loving acquaintances.</span>CLMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03595294217111602231noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013114232214923198.post-81089142840190486202024-02-13T07:00:00.018-05:002024-02-13T08:45:43.202-05:00The Women by Kristin Hannah<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Title</span></b>: The Women<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Author</span></b>: Kristin Hannah<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Publication</span></b>: St. Martin’s, hardcover, 2024<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Genre</span></b>: Historical Fiction<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Setting</span></b>: United States and Vietnam<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEixmX50CWuhIRJ9Z0s1pugCQw1Ar2PZv54AOBOMpKkmxJ2-jdqEvOzfumSiT8EiRKxYyED9mj2Hwmk-mYlr4QKitRk0cmdfklFPuG1XyEgJUDxenf_Mqx3_P_2v6r3YzTNqT2C1lyw_GLXy3_pWwH76Il-96gY2ZHQbx3rE__WcD7SOsC3CkpKZAEPhPMk" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="296" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEixmX50CWuhIRJ9Z0s1pugCQw1Ar2PZv54AOBOMpKkmxJ2-jdqEvOzfumSiT8EiRKxYyED9mj2Hwmk-mYlr4QKitRk0cmdfklFPuG1XyEgJUDxenf_Mqx3_P_2v6r3YzTNqT2C1lyw_GLXy3_pWwH76Il-96gY2ZHQbx3rE__WcD7SOsC3CkpKZAEPhPMk" width="160" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Description</span></b>: Frances “Frankie” McGrath has grown up in a conservative Catholic home near San Diego that reveres military service. When her beloved older brother graduates from the Naval Academy and leaves to fight in Vietnam, Frankie accelerates her nursing degree and enlists with the army herself. <span><a name='more'></a></span> Her parents are horrified and do not consider her determination to serve as a nurse to be part of the family tradition. Frankie realizes when she arrives in Vietnam that she is woefully unprepared, that the conditions for nurses and medical care are appalling, and that the news of the war promulgated by the government at home is deliberately inaccurate. Still, she tries to make the best of the chaos and is aided by the two nurses with whom she shares quarters, one from a farm in Virginia and the other a black woman from Georgia. Their friendship, despite very different backgrounds, as well as support from other medical staff, will get Frankie past the first difficult weeks and help turn her into a combat nurse who saves lives. As importantly, Ethel and Barb will be there for Frankie time and again when she returns from Vietnam and tries to cope with a world that ignores the two most important years of her life and thinks she should just move on from her pain.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">My Impression</span></b>: This is an epic historical novel that focuses on the women who served in Vietnam and the challenges they faced after returning, as seen by a young idealistic woman from Coronado Island outside San Diego. Frankie grew up in a house with a wall of heroes, photos of family members who served their country, and after her brother leaves for Vietnam, she yearns to make her family as proud of her and to earn her place on that wall, as well as to share her brother’s experience. The Navy and Air Force are not willing to send a young nurse without experience straight to Vietnam but the Army promises to ship her out right after basic training. However, her parents are appalled by her enlistment and in a cruel twist of fate (and not the last Frankie will experience), her brother is killed in action before she even leaves California. This is a spoiler but it happens on page 20 in a 464 page book so I knew the suffering had just begun!<br /><br /> I don’t know if nurses who couldn’t cope with the brutal hours, endless casualties, and dangerous conditions (the recruiter promised Frankie would be at a big hospital far from the front; instead, the helicopter she arrives in gets shot at and the emergency room is a Quonset hut) got reassigned if they couldn’t handle the conditions. Thanks to new friends and her own determination, Frankie <i>is</i> able to cope with the horrors she sees (at least, short term), saving some lives and gently easing others’ passage into death. One thing that makes this story so vivid is how the exhausted nurses and officers relax by partying because they so desperately need to connect with people who are alive.<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;"><blockquote>“That’s our ride?” Frankie said, frowning as they approached the helipad. Choppers might be big and maneuverable, but they were targets too. The enemy loved to shoot them out of the sky, and when a chopper exploded midair, there were often no remains to be found. She knew that all too well . . . .<br /><br />Barb and Ethel each sat in one of the open doorframes, their feet swinging over the edge, laughing at the helicopter rose into the air and shot forward, nose down, tail up.<br /><br />The noise inside the chopper was earsplitting.<br /><br />As they banked left, Frankie saw Vietnam through the open doorway. The flat green swath of jungle, a brown ribbon of water, dotted with boats. White sand beaches bordered the turquoise waters of the South China Sea. Verdant mountains in the distance reached up into the blue cloud-strewn sky.</blockquote></span></b>Inevitably, Frankie falls disastrously in love, more than once. <br /><br />As painful as it is to read about casualties and gruesome operations, that is nothing compared to the welcome these nurses experience when they return stateside. Returning veterans are blamed for having served in an unpopular war while Frankie finds the average person doesn’t know women nurses were in Vietnam at all and veterans offices tell her to get lost. She doesn’t fit in at a traditional hospital, after having been given enormous responsibility in Vietnam, and has no support system other than Ethel and Barb at the other side of the country. Frankie’s situation is not unique but I was too young to appreciate what was happening in the United States, so learned a lot from this book. My only memory of Vietnam is a family trip to Cape Cod to say goodbye to one of my father’s closest friends who was being deployed. As we drove home, I heard my parents worrying that his size would make him an easy target. Amazingly, he survived two tours in Vietnam, serving in combat with ARVN engineers and with the U.S. First Cavalry Division, and ultimately retired as a Brigadier General.<br /><br /><i>The Women</i> is an emotional read, with perhaps more tragedy and coincidence than is absolutely necessary, but Frankie is a convincing and all-too-human heroine about whom I enjoyed reading. The research and care that went into writing this book is very impressive – it feels like a labor of love to these undervalued nurses and a testament to female friendship. I haven't been a huge fan of Hannah's recent books (too melodramatic or unrelentlessly miserable) so it was the topic rather than the author that interested me but I think it is the best book she has written. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoYkkYh0ylRXC9_qrAbwK4ZjBMzxLcS7rZATvvVl3fWY8cRTp7zGe1hYVQ6vDTduxvWTsRa5gIlRxtuBN6DS6AG0FiiKH1K89zXHGL3ihMQrfv69dIWAlQXhE7nFYeBzIO6Ur55KQHzRJrvN3_YEPiLNpAP4Hj_XyZjqYxrQI46BdJEgtJ8rA8FFM8BEs/s400/Hist24.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="164" data-original-width="400" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoYkkYh0ylRXC9_qrAbwK4ZjBMzxLcS7rZATvvVl3fWY8cRTp7zGe1hYVQ6vDTduxvWTsRa5gIlRxtuBN6DS6AG0FiiKH1K89zXHGL3ihMQrfv69dIWAlQXhE7nFYeBzIO6Ur55KQHzRJrvN3_YEPiLNpAP4Hj_XyZjqYxrQI46BdJEgtJ8rA8FFM8BEs/w400-h164/Hist24.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Source</span></b>: Library. <i>The Women </i>is my third book for the <a href="http://www.theintrepidreader.com/2024/02/historical-fiction-reading-challenge.html">2024 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge</a> and my first 5-star review of the year.</span><div><br /></div>CLMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03595294217111602231noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013114232214923198.post-60468257084910238892024-02-10T07:00:00.005-05:002024-02-11T00:44:53.763-05:00The House on the Hill by Eileen Dunlop<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Title</span></b>: The House on the Hill<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Author</span></b>: <a href="https://www.walterscottclub.com/blog/eileen-dunlop-scott-in-the-primary-school-past-and-future">Eileen Dunlop</a><br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Publication</span></b>: Holiday House, hardcover, 1987<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Genre</span></b>: Juvenile fantasy<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Setting</span></b>: Glasgow<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgN7zYo8xGwVen311XO5f-rsrUpvd-XG671i2sJvVf5ngLpRboMfO1uWNtXrSQN1VVmRiSE1yzEp-zMvdx-MIWRrAiRq6QhUCnWU49nuSjXiX-zsh2aG0qimCYOgYkLXNJuvnlquZWteCbUQQZwZymlHm7NvuSvzV2UnQvwIT2V8MCyCxORoKnPUAu_rOg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="184" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgN7zYo8xGwVen311XO5f-rsrUpvd-XG671i2sJvVf5ngLpRboMfO1uWNtXrSQN1VVmRiSE1yzEp-zMvdx-MIWRrAiRq6QhUCnWU49nuSjXiX-zsh2aG0qimCYOgYkLXNJuvnlquZWteCbUQQZwZymlHm7NvuSvzV2UnQvwIT2V8MCyCxORoKnPUAu_rOg" width="162" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Description</span></b>: Philip has always heard that his great-aunt Jane is proud and unfriendly, and although she lives just a mile away in suburban Glasgow, he barely knows her. But after his father dies, his mother decides to train as a nurse in London and asks her aunt if Philip can stay with her at The Mount, the family mansion on Wisteria Avenue. <span><a name='more'></a></span> His first cousin Susan, about his age, already lives with Aunt Jane, having been sent from Kenya to attend school. Philip is prepared to dislike them both but slowly realizes that Jane is quiet rather than snobbish and he and Susan become allies when they realize both can see a disquieting light in a room that has been dark and empty for years. Despite their fear of the haunted room, Philip and Susan are determined to dig into the past to solve the family secrets hidden in the old house.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">My Impression</span></b>: I think Fen Crosbie recommended this not only because Dunlop is a skilled writer but also because it portrays Glasgow so vividly. The Mount is the last house on Wisteria Avenue that has not been turned into flats. Contrary to Philip’s belief, the family money is long gone and Aunt Jane is forced to sell her furnishings to cover her expenses. The garden is overgrown and obscures the house. Developers are interested but something prevents Jane from giving in and selling. And less than a mile away is the tidy little house Philip usually lives in with his mother, which he takes for granted but Susan yearns for its convenience. And in Philip’s home are two items his mother must have brought with her from The Mount, her grandfather’s desk and an inlaid box in which he kept special papers. <br /><br />Susan explains to Philip (who is almost as disagreeable as Eustace Scrubb in the first third of the book) that Jane was forced to leave university when her mother died to keep house for her father. Later, her fiancée died at Dunkirk, and she remained home to be bullied by her father until he died. Learning about Jane’s misfortune forces Philip to start thinking empathetically about someone else and is the beginning of his evolution into a nicer boy; he also realizes that his father had a chip on his shoulder about being disapproved of by the Gilmore family. But he and Susan have a mystery to solve – why is the light always on in the bedroom that belonged to their great-grandfather William Gilmore?<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;"><blockquote>“Listen, Philip. I’ll have to finish my homework now, or there’ll be hell to pay tomorrow. But before you go – what are we going to do about that queer room downstairs?”<br /><br />Philip was pleased, afterwards, that he had risen immediately to the challenge.<br /><br />“Investigate,” he replied firmly. “Tomorrow, after school.”<br /><br />“Great,” said Susan, well satisfied. “There’s no hockey so I’ll be home early.”</blockquote></span></b>The growing friendship between Philip and Susan, his increasing affection for his quiet aunt, his determination to make his mother understand that she was wrong about Jane’s standoffishness, and the mystery all make this book appealing. It takes courage to visit the haunted room but once the children guess that their great-grandfather was instrumental in destroying Jane’s happiness they are determined to learn the secret he tried to hide. Philip is a much kinder and more mature person at the end, having earned Susan and Jane’s friendship. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZvT_g04zFIZxydVa7_zbv4xGZVs8Qj4WBSxX0aD9JmHzrQFpr1wAcAnFQDL2CG6PiWe8AVHJRG1SsYVb5zrisY4DKwq3-JUU64Sz6Af2_jVB3TojvoEAdg7Ib98rA28zbJ0nBGmZum35vS5tUVV9RZKwjZ8XjshArteqPFSXlw4bZ6o2QKyZPyQzgT-I" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="292" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZvT_g04zFIZxydVa7_zbv4xGZVs8Qj4WBSxX0aD9JmHzrQFpr1wAcAnFQDL2CG6PiWe8AVHJRG1SsYVb5zrisY4DKwq3-JUU64Sz6Af2_jVB3TojvoEAdg7Ib98rA28zbJ0nBGmZum35vS5tUVV9RZKwjZ8XjshArteqPFSXlw4bZ6o2QKyZPyQzgT-I" width="148" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Source</span></b>: Library. I own three of Dunlop’s books and they are all worth reading, should your library have them. I had never come across this one and had to request it from Interlibrary Loan. Here is Pining from the West's review of <a href="https://piningforthewest.co.uk/2023/09/27/robinsheugh-by-eileen-dunlop/"><i>Robinsheugh</i></a>, a timeslip published in the US as <i>Elizabeth Elizabeth</i>.</span>CLMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03595294217111602231noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013114232214923198.post-8932558248950292742024-02-07T07:02:00.017-05:002024-02-19T12:39:16.160-05:00WWW Wednesday – February 7<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>WWW Wednesday</i></b> is hosted by <a href="https://samannelizabeth.wordpress.com/2024/02/07/www-wednesday-31-january-2024/">Taking on a World of Words</a>.<br /><br />The Three Ws are:<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">What are you currently reading?<br />What did you recently finish reading?<br />What do you think you’ll read next?</span></b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3LtiprThMZIESQmjEeymzfzAymhA_VHu0G6TV-7F58FdOIrzr6fLm12ri15SXbv3znJWM9Ux0FaMH2FtmdKznScoY63WvpgOEmEzM08rkWR07v2p7XAjf8_CBxU2afrsoKSbAgeaEdgZsrDFrKXZNdjzFpHDVJ5C64uHib76L2R8nKZOcgymFCdxMYdA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="295" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3LtiprThMZIESQmjEeymzfzAymhA_VHu0G6TV-7F58FdOIrzr6fLm12ri15SXbv3znJWM9Ux0FaMH2FtmdKznScoY63WvpgOEmEzM08rkWR07v2p7XAjf8_CBxU2afrsoKSbAgeaEdgZsrDFrKXZNdjzFpHDVJ5C64uHib76L2R8nKZOcgymFCdxMYdA" width="159" /></a></div><i><b><span><a name='more'></a></span>Just finished</b></i>:<br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">The Last Devil to Die</span></i></b> by Richard Osman (2023). This is the fourth in a delightful series and although just as amusing as the first three (especially in one place where Joyce is channeling Elizabeth and another where Donna is criticizing Chris’ Christmas present to her mother) it also has some very sad moments. I have really enjoyed recommending this series to people who are instantly hooked.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh90DUlER9qyrqoQg6SXHPCkCUUMt1LrckmRFx9KZ5BAOhlMzVBiGwcyxpXJWENTO7UnUU-t6nwtcDzJBWPox9k_JFwSDPHISqCHw1GVaRU7B6nz3CkWiCUEJaZDO71HUeBnRh-buCPY7VuSa2sNHzDNQWqicXIVeYhrGL0VKfRREPopa1jts8lkf_b_Nw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="141" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh90DUlER9qyrqoQg6SXHPCkCUUMt1LrckmRFx9KZ5BAOhlMzVBiGwcyxpXJWENTO7UnUU-t6nwtcDzJBWPox9k_JFwSDPHISqCHw1GVaRU7B6nz3CkWiCUEJaZDO71HUeBnRh-buCPY7VuSa2sNHzDNQWqicXIVeYhrGL0VKfRREPopa1jts8lkf_b_Nw" width="155" /></a></div>I also enjoyed <i><b><span style="color: #e06666;">The Cheat Sheet</span></b></i> by Sarah Adams (2021), one of the best contemporary romances I have read in a while. It is a fake relationship trope involving best friends since high school, Bree, a dance teacher, and Nathan, a star quarterback on his way to the Super Bowl. I especially appreciated the secondary characters. I knew how it would end but it was fun to see how the author got there and I will definitely be checking out her other books.<br /><br /><i><b>Currently Reading</b></i>:<br /><br />Fen Crosbie recently recommended <i><b><span style="color: #e06666;">The House on the Hill</span></b></i> by Eileen Dunlop (1987) and although I own and have enjoyed some of her other books, this had to be borrowed via Interlibrary Loan. It’s about cousins in Glasgow, staying with an aunt in a mysterious old house that may be haunted. Of course, it made me want to plan a vacation in Scotland!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj670yCJiNKE9ayb-DOVBs5ay-ll3J9bDqgrlf6Beok0kS-N1bHMe2QTL1e3r4wVqQHLDrA0MJVEu5X4nrFGN6eC2dupcpJDHXNkav-zJ0MPcg0XTrc6BiqJVuY_XaI_DppVg_sp5FpJbofTPtpb0795hkJBgNXedBGsPM5Q5dQ44CRK9p3yL3ZODrmtIw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="209" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj670yCJiNKE9ayb-DOVBs5ay-ll3J9bDqgrlf6Beok0kS-N1bHMe2QTL1e3r4wVqQHLDrA0MJVEu5X4nrFGN6eC2dupcpJDHXNkav-zJ0MPcg0XTrc6BiqJVuY_XaI_DppVg_sp5FpJbofTPtpb0795hkJBgNXedBGsPM5Q5dQ44CRK9p3yL3ZODrmtIw" width="167" /></a></div>I am also reading <i><b><span style="color: #e06666;">The Outsider</span></b></i> by Jane Casey (2023), a short story about Rob Langton who has been mostly written out of the Maeve Kerrigan series while he is away from London and undercover.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQke1eNzD1DjuOTpmYB9IbqKpvMwVH_V6GJIWl0K86N2osOs4NpT4H6Xmc6az0itWznFgawwKgjQL2wUjyjROI9nIwD9TvCpO6BfJUlDtdkqIWeYOD8UD7ED9tMb6YBJd_VKrY00FlyGrQXHDdZX3uG-uJdASQiUY6paq_6kZJXY3_CuqnszMK81A8qkA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="326" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQke1eNzD1DjuOTpmYB9IbqKpvMwVH_V6GJIWl0K86N2osOs4NpT4H6Xmc6az0itWznFgawwKgjQL2wUjyjROI9nIwD9TvCpO6BfJUlDtdkqIWeYOD8UD7ED9tMb6YBJd_VKrY00FlyGrQXHDdZX3uG-uJdASQiUY6paq_6kZJXY3_CuqnszMK81A8qkA" width="156" /></a></div><b><i>Next Up</i></b>:<br /><br />I have opined on all the recent books about books – it’s not that I don’t like them but I don’t need to drown in them! And yet here are two more I’m planning to read:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;"><a href="https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-door-to-door-bookstore-by-carsten.html"><span style="color: #e06666;">The Door-to-Door Bookstore</span></a> </span></i></b>by Carsten Henn (2020 in German, 2023 in English). This is about a small town German bookseller and is the February choice of my de Grummond Book Group. We'll see if I am in the mood for "an unlikely friendship between an elderly door-to-door bookseller and a nine-year-old girl that changes his life." I’ve missed the last two discussions due to lunch-time meetings so I hope to catch up with them on the 15th.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdeFJUPV8SVndjZLU28JAkjb8rY87WLJj5sDwVuzFyzeRWY2Fl-cdp0jeHMmI3rO212WHp1O3ziI5krNvzNzMnCqt-hwWbMPHTgmGCGJKuuaTKI9nIJGABFo21AE_xmzwF75BvI-FkC6j1HfVGpXfjCcLQ3N956J610Ojuse6YGW2exHemOJ28B7-1078/s445/door.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="294" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdeFJUPV8SVndjZLU28JAkjb8rY87WLJj5sDwVuzFyzeRWY2Fl-cdp0jeHMmI3rO212WHp1O3ziI5krNvzNzMnCqt-hwWbMPHTgmGCGJKuuaTKI9nIJGABFo21AE_xmzwF75BvI-FkC6j1HfVGpXfjCcLQ3N956J610Ojuse6YGW2exHemOJ28B7-1078/w211-h320/door.jpg" width="211" /></a></div></span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade </span></i></b>by Janet Skeslian Charles (2024) sounds right up my alley. The heroine leaves the New York Public Library in 1918 to go to France to establish children’s libraries. She turns ambulances into bookmobiles and trains the first French female librarians. Then she disappears.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihD4TzXskIZZhVY45EppBUJPlilM8JV8HJUiSMkO_tc8FD1JRyHDetIYdC_NAeVVyjgHfYmGw3lMs2b1zF_Jfutb6aWnQ0sRcz0-zH_CH3z-p7u2S3rLMtsIl65lh_eMWSsUt4NAz-SGuyuewm0qRcMUKel3HtBsZdKLkD0BkgF-N-b4C6--Xy4cCFQ0s" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="994" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihD4TzXskIZZhVY45EppBUJPlilM8JV8HJUiSMkO_tc8FD1JRyHDetIYdC_NAeVVyjgHfYmGw3lMs2b1zF_Jfutb6aWnQ0sRcz0-zH_CH3z-p7u2S3rLMtsIl65lh_eMWSsUt4NAz-SGuyuewm0qRcMUKel3HtBsZdKLkD0BkgF-N-b4C6--Xy4cCFQ0s" width="159" /></a></div>I may need a violent crime novel as a palate cleanser!</span></div>CLMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03595294217111602231noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013114232214923198.post-32560516646149605842024-02-05T08:00:00.000-05:002024-02-05T08:00:18.181-05:00My January 2024 Reading<span style="font-size: large;">My favorites this month were <i>The Violin Conspiracy</i>; <i>Harbour Street</i>; <i>Turning Pages</i>, a publishing memoir; and a reread of <i>Charlotte Fairlie</i>. Now that I am taking public transportation to work after several pandemic years of driving, my audiobook usage has declined but I can read actual books as I sit on the bus and subway. It has been downright freezing waiting for them to arrive, however!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjxOnbbHGvBQNna9aajHQ20sSn1Txzb85ocROk66qL9f2U1-8DC80Y6bDKCAj52a973N4CnxrcgmwPp4SDOKOY7dRyCmooy60239Ul-WHFMcvPzLM0frtFwyk1L9SrOV_bUr3Pvn9QmOt7hscYHU_co88F7sppNT2w0MVPQI7G6rr0s_7Id9uJRnglQg08" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjxOnbbHGvBQNna9aajHQ20sSn1Txzb85ocROk66qL9f2U1-8DC80Y6bDKCAj52a973N4CnxrcgmwPp4SDOKOY7dRyCmooy60239Ul-WHFMcvPzLM0frtFwyk1L9SrOV_bUr3Pvn9QmOt7hscYHU_co88F7sppNT2w0MVPQI7G6rr0s_7Id9uJRnglQg08" width="160" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Mystery/Suspense</span></b><br /><br /><b><i>The Edge</i></b> by David Baldacci (2023). I do enjoy Baldacci’s suspense novels but it is a bad sign if you don’t remember anything about a book just a month later! In fact, in this sequel to <i>The 6:20 Man</i>, former ex-Army Ranger Travis Devine is sent by the government to a small coastal town in Maine to investigate the murder of a CIA agent. Travis does not have as much personality as some of Baldacci’s protagonists, which is probably why it was relatively forgettable.<br /><br /><b><i>Harbour Street</i></b> by Ann Cleeves (2014) (audio). In the sixth Vera Stanhope mystery, her trusted Detective Sergeant Joe Ashworth and his daughter are on a train when an elderly women is murdered several yards away. Vera and the team are convinced the case involves someone from Harbour Street where the victim lived but there are many secrets to be unraveled before the case is solved. Vera is happy to be distracted from shopping for the Secret Santa planned by her staff by a murder investigation.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhcNJ13ru51pWrBxmOu37d6ri7ZoUpFaZn6TRwinRtY_iUT2esr69Z_Io_enm9l1ODyIm8eutiNAZquNARWI7VPN2mbj2_ENytvxU3SJKxzgLKfs0h16va92xnY6hC7jRc_sIfoB-zZd8bbD1JKUyMMR0buNmQBejrwlUtgOzf5PeraUobLT1GPvwHTam0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="661" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhcNJ13ru51pWrBxmOu37d6ri7ZoUpFaZn6TRwinRtY_iUT2esr69Z_Io_enm9l1ODyIm8eutiNAZquNARWI7VPN2mbj2_ENytvxU3SJKxzgLKfs0h16va92xnY6hC7jRc_sIfoB-zZd8bbD1JKUyMMR0buNmQBejrwlUtgOzf5PeraUobLT1GPvwHTam0=w212-h320" width="212" /></a></div><b><i>The Couple in the Photo</i></b> by Helen Cooper (2023). Lucy is appalled when a coworker’s holiday picture reveals a happily married friend with a strange woman. She agonizes about what to do – the obvious thing is to find out if it is really Scott – but that leads to danger for Lucy and her family. I found this fast-paced psychological thriller entertaining, with some unexpected twists. <a href="https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-couple-in-photo-by-helen-cooper.html">My review</a>.<br /><br /><b><i>The Traitor</i></b> by Ava Glass (2023). In this sequel to <a href="https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2023/02/alias-emma-by-ava-glass-breakneck-chase.html"><i>Alias Emma</i></a>, which I really enjoyed, Emma goes undercover on a yacht in pursuit of a Russian oligarch. I didn’t find this as suspenseful as the first book and it was obvious who the bad guy was.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMl67UHdmr8c05oiMlFx5248CVvzwL5d4o8EPFb5bBasfdwQ5swoGRE-49rc05iWD9zBamE4KZ41eBRAA9R4srvqvAh0TMmezkSKdjaQAkhXe8-_GAlm1s8OCqjEUTbRBGmL5Zh9DWcRWxTU-Zj25zczrHdpyQixVpkdKt7ib30EgxLmxgPeTtPCarng/s445/Violin%20better.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="293" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMl67UHdmr8c05oiMlFx5248CVvzwL5d4o8EPFb5bBasfdwQ5swoGRE-49rc05iWD9zBamE4KZ41eBRAA9R4srvqvAh0TMmezkSKdjaQAkhXe8-_GAlm1s8OCqjEUTbRBGmL5Zh9DWcRWxTU-Zj25zczrHdpyQixVpkdKt7ib30EgxLmxgPeTtPCarng/s320/Violin%20better.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><b><i>The Violin Conspiracy</i></b> by Brendan Slocumb (2022). Ray McMillian is a gifted black violinist who is often treated as an outsider in the privileged world of classical music. When his violin is stolen weeks before the biggest competition of his life, Ray realizes bitterly there are many possible suspects. My mother enjoyed this book so much, she persuaded me and my sister Andrea to read it, then I had my book group read it in January. It was the rare book that everyone liked! <a href="https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2023/11/guest-review-violin-conspiracy-by.html">Review</a>.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Fiction</span></b><br /><br /><b><i>Maybe Next Time</i></b> by Cesca Major (2023). London literary agent Emma has a terrible day at work, followed by a stressful volunteer committee meeting, neglecting her husband on their anniversary, and failing to notice her children are in trouble at school. When the day ends in disaster, Emma is devastated. But the next day she wakes up – and it’s Monday again. And she has chance to repair the previous day’s mistakes – or does she? This book was much hyped but I got tired of the characters and repetition.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqbHGURZdTG4gPw1TwlRQtu4f1Nsnxu8ErdN1piKFVuC7YEeDqFzyd-wLORV17Bf5okrQhM71Am8LlHUULdsPna0gm2VqXF_5591kEhYDSxRVVV0pTQb-DacLM88aloWfX29pbVBzvc4-klhxTvQ8NQpqmfvjEKE0bhTrJNMkPdHYUlYtYJcfvazfYOA4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="181" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqbHGURZdTG4gPw1TwlRQtu4f1Nsnxu8ErdN1piKFVuC7YEeDqFzyd-wLORV17Bf5okrQhM71Am8LlHUULdsPna0gm2VqXF_5591kEhYDSxRVVV0pTQb-DacLM88aloWfX29pbVBzvc4-klhxTvQ8NQpqmfvjEKE0bhTrJNMkPdHYUlYtYJcfvazfYOA4" width="156" /></a></div><b><i>Charlotte Fairlie</i></b> by D.E. Stevenson (1954) (reread). Charlotte is the young, attractive – and lonely – headmistress of a girls’ school. When a new student tries to run away, Charlotte is reminded of her own adolescent angst and befriends her. Tessa then persuades Charlotte to visit her in Scotland over the summer holidays, which changes Charlotte’s life. <a href="http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2024/01/charlotte-fairlie-by-de-stevenson.html">My review</a>.<br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">Historical Fiction </span></i></b><br /><br /><b><i>Hazardous Spirits</i></b> by Anbara Salam (2023). In this historical novel set in 1920s Edinburgh, a young couple’s life is changed when Robert Hazard tells his wife Evelyn he can communicate with ghosts. She is appalled but does find herself enjoying their new life, traveling around Scotland and being welcomed by the rich and powerful, although her discomfort at her husband’s enthusiasm for spirtualism continues to unnerve her. <a href="http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2024/01/hazardous-spirits-by-anbara-salam.html">My review</a>.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjPuH0hTrZEJO1S-ma_qOvywLvk9cZHr_Cb0wzRkv0C8Wipk9Gs8LGu5kQY4AHqAy_I_7W6iqc-ISqfvt2sKeN6xgTQwGIkVG69Epjw85REkOanJSkdrUQgxj3Xqtek4ED7kpy7zzjnpSxDe0GayHvYrKTN5l9AUG7mal7bKvaZPbbR5aVieGDNAJ4zh1Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="647" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjPuH0hTrZEJO1S-ma_qOvywLvk9cZHr_Cb0wzRkv0C8Wipk9Gs8LGu5kQY4AHqAy_I_7W6iqc-ISqfvt2sKeN6xgTQwGIkVG69Epjw85REkOanJSkdrUQgxj3Xqtek4ED7kpy7zzjnpSxDe0GayHvYrKTN5l9AUG7mal7bKvaZPbbR5aVieGDNAJ4zh1Q" width="155" /></a></div><span><div style="color: #e06666; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;"><br /></span></i></b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span><b><i>The Radcliffe Ladies Reading Club</i> </b>by Julia Bryan Thomas (2023). I was looking forward to this book for months but it was extremely disappointing. It focuses on four young women who are freshmen at Radcliffe in the 50s and an older woman who has just opened a bookshop nearby who befriends them. It seems unlikely that freshmen new to Harvard would have time or interest in a book club but what I found offensive was the author's lack of research and abundance unpleasant characters. Going to football games in dungarees when Radcliffe students weren't allowed to leave their dorms in pants! Getting raped in a car by one's boyfriend's roommate (I suppose it could have happened but it seemed way too sensational). Admittedly, I have the advantage over this author in being the daughter of two 50s alumni but she could easily have found someone from this era to proofread her manuscript for verisimilitude. The final insult was that not one of the four makes it to sophomore year, although only one for the reason the author posits frequently - that they are only at Radcliffe to find a husband. No, <i>my</i> Radcliffe Reading Group will not be reading this one!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8ENv9ULuACf-ysGJldlM6EJDHz5jjPp2rDab55wnyK3b5M6fn5PAzsIfJV89EfpQnLgrhDxW-GD8uCrGnH1f28Rmhj76AIWVKgDQcvj17ZyON8hBFIpx8Q8db2b7SUWBycdX1kLdyVrekqia63SQGP2hCu6rbXwpR8G3JjN5INtBUa7iTLQtrEP-gpQ/s400/rad.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8ENv9ULuACf-ysGJldlM6EJDHz5jjPp2rDab55wnyK3b5M6fn5PAzsIfJV89EfpQnLgrhDxW-GD8uCrGnH1f28Rmhj76AIWVKgDQcvj17ZyON8hBFIpx8Q8db2b7SUWBycdX1kLdyVrekqia63SQGP2hCu6rbXwpR8G3JjN5INtBUa7iTLQtrEP-gpQ/s320/rad.jpeg" width="214" /></a></div></span></span></div><span style="color: #e06666; font-weight: bold;"><i>Nonfiction</i></span></span><br /><br /><b><i><a href="https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780393060911">Coach</a></i></b> by Michael Lewis (2005). This novella is both a tribute to Lewis’ high school baseball coach in New Orleans and also a critique of the overprotective parents who think Coach Fitz’s character-building tough love is too much for their children to take.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b><i>Turning Pages</i></b>: <b><i>The Adventures and Misadventures of a Publisher</i></b> by John Sargent (2023). I never worked with the charismatic John Sargent, former CEO of Macmillan, but enough of my friends did that I was curious about his memoir, which I greatly enjoyed. I think anyone interested in books would be entertained by his breezy descriptions of working with celebrities as well as the ordinary challenges of running a publishing business. <br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">Children’s Books</span></i></b><br /><br /><b><i>A Spoonful of Time</i></b> by Flora Ahn (2023). This is an appealing time travel novel intended for middle-graders in which Maya learns about her Korean culture by cooking – and time traveling – with her grandmother. <a href="http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2024/01/a-spoonful-of-time-by-flora-ahn.html">My review</a>.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJpqjLCXgHCqDBROlQ7cswhveVuIu6NsfboO7SyNjB5HXSTBOW53pto55Tq0x8woYh5CpNbFxj1R1Mo7-U1rwJZ0-QnxGudfu7OqefC3hGF_6W5OBFZv5y6CrYBj9sTRRNpnVJLCVJzhZ-3H5tbzi1Vs35l44S86IDb3ry03XrU2Ke6ab-CEshdaeSM-8/s1000/Love.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><i><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1000" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJpqjLCXgHCqDBROlQ7cswhveVuIu6NsfboO7SyNjB5HXSTBOW53pto55Tq0x8woYh5CpNbFxj1R1Mo7-U1rwJZ0-QnxGudfu7OqefC3hGF_6W5OBFZv5y6CrYBj9sTRRNpnVJLCVJzhZ-3H5tbzi1Vs35l44S86IDb3ry03XrU2Ke6ab-CEshdaeSM-8/s320/Love.jpeg" width="320" /></i></b></a></div></span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Love in the Library</i></b> by Maggie Tokuda-Hall (2022). The shameful internment of Japanese Americans is a surprising topic for this lovely picture book but I hope elementary school teachers use it as a way to share this history. <a href="http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2024/01/love-in-library-by-maggie-tokuda-hall.html">My review</a>.<br /><br /><b>The Land of Oz</b> by L. Frank Baum. In this sequel to <i>The Wizard of Oz</i>, the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman team up with a mischievous boy named Tip to find right rightful ruler of Oz. My family were big fans of the 14 Oz books so I was happy to join Lory from Enchanted the Enchanted Castle in her Ozathon24 readalong. <a href="http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-land-of-oz-by-l-frank-baum-ozathon24.html">My review</a>.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHuWikURZ8xs5ZFyuHpNhSpgUAwgdOLB50ABj6nco9Y4e1Ep6HoFiXQnvH3dgsnY0-b0Aacj3qS8sPGkG4D81vDNGrOjKhhcEVBQxxiNI8b4F7zu-uYP7b8plgA9tUJuSR_lWofAe4HBPtsMSI2RAOb_1iGcefO9bQYfWV7q1LbJznMpWdseDH1ebkqU/s267/Land%20of%20Oz.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="189" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHuWikURZ8xs5ZFyuHpNhSpgUAwgdOLB50ABj6nco9Y4e1Ep6HoFiXQnvH3dgsnY0-b0Aacj3qS8sPGkG4D81vDNGrOjKhhcEVBQxxiNI8b4F7zu-uYP7b8plgA9tUJuSR_lWofAe4HBPtsMSI2RAOb_1iGcefO9bQYfWV7q1LbJznMpWdseDH1ebkqU/s1600/Land%20of%20Oz.jpeg" width="189" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Contemporary Romance</span></b><br /><br /><b><i>Bare It All</i></b> by Lori Foster (2013 ). This was an extremely lame second in a romantic suspense series, with an unconvincing heroine and her swoony neighbor, a detective with a cute dog. I am not very impressed by this author although I do want to know how the series turns out . . .<br /><br /><b><i>Weekends With You</i></b> by Alexandra Paige (2024). In this contemporary romance, an impecunious florist moves into a converted warehouse with a haphazard group of young people. Despite having little in common, they plan one weekend of low-budget activities every month to stay involved in each other’s lives. This concept was appealing but I found the two main characters too immature to care about much.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsNEHCVQN3tCOfcARCJ0hUpkE4He_kDjbjAbYAVWGcU_zSSXuD4vKWdmBiypcq9N3KFyrinx_yvmgq6qU4aGQid_cyNBnb4B4U9Jhc0zzU682qhKBCFidoYi6YhOo0am96ktTm9meF2ZUjRF_OwTXmY_OBrUy-cWLxLSKsi2qppfoNkKrBP2aL1T9AvIo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsNEHCVQN3tCOfcARCJ0hUpkE4He_kDjbjAbYAVWGcU_zSSXuD4vKWdmBiypcq9N3KFyrinx_yvmgq6qU4aGQid_cyNBnb4B4U9Jhc0zzU682qhKBCFidoYi6YhOo0am96ktTm9meF2ZUjRF_OwTXmY_OBrUy-cWLxLSKsi2qppfoNkKrBP2aL1T9AvIo" width="160" /></a></div><b><i>The Boyfriend Candidate</i></b> by Ashley Winstead (2023). Had I realized this was the same author as wrote <i>The Last Housewife</i>, which was vile, I would never have checked it out of the library. That would have been a pity because it was an entertaining book. Heroine Alexis (a cliched shy librarian with glasses) goes to a bar looking for a one night stand, stung by criticism by her ex, and encounters Logan, a handsome political candidate. When they are photographed together, his campaign staff asks her to pretend to be his girlfriend so people don’t dismiss him as a playboy. While pretending, Alexis develops a political conscience and start to develop her own voice. I liked Logan and his idealism but I was irritated by Alexis who did not keep her part of their bargain.</span></div>CLMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03595294217111602231noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013114232214923198.post-87571173338658841592024-02-03T00:50:00.008-05:002024-02-06T07:56:21.939-05:00Six Degrees of Separation – from Coach to Marry in Haste<span style="font-size: large;">It’s time for #6degrees, inspired by Kate at <a href="https://booksaremyfavouriteandbest.com/2024/02/03/six-degrees-of-separation-from-the-empathy-exams-to-eurovision/#more-37224">Books Are My Favourite and Best</a>. We all start at the same place, add six books, and see where we end up. This month’s starting point is the last book I read in January, which is <b><i>Coach</i></b> by Michael Lewis (2005). It’s a novella about an influential baseball coach at the school Lewis attended in New Orleans but it’s really about the generational divide – how modern parents coddle their children and “protect” them from character building experiences and Coach Fitz’s more acerbic approach had upset current parents who wanted him fired. <span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjENFjPnVkKZ2CpRxJSMUO3K-JdrOogrO1rOarsr-TlGSpkT9RVzYkqPc2za-OcLQocLD7qkEfxU4STdm9XsHI3sKREKnvFCF8ajypJlKjlQSYlmeBt7gREwMl8p1nHBGATKhvGtFOq8_LIDPFFTrRPuxtN24POnxX10rt5YAtUYPsOifr6LFU6I4CWVEo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="160" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjENFjPnVkKZ2CpRxJSMUO3K-JdrOogrO1rOarsr-TlGSpkT9RVzYkqPc2za-OcLQocLD7qkEfxU4STdm9XsHI3sKREKnvFCF8ajypJlKjlQSYlmeBt7gREwMl8p1nHBGATKhvGtFOq8_LIDPFFTrRPuxtN24POnxX10rt5YAtUYPsOifr6LFU6I4CWVEo=w190-h190" width="190" /></a></div><a name='more'></a></span></span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">I read this for one of my book groups and enjoyed it, especially one anecdote about Peyton Manning who went to the same well-known school, Isadore Newman (which my parents once visited), and also had a run-in with the coach.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidNlhMnQoBcrgig7EMNBxa4WKXEL4-YtZnVv1Jkru_yAm6bmbdIoBaA8_V_9TzCYb2kTr2jl5Sioz6QAn0gpl8Jl7b5SJp-ujhSjTJ7T3ztuovjZW5588KMwpu-bkjcCjkh0desLJvluDUw-GR0mgoRDSzIfM_Ynnr1sgWE57xVXTkkOiwmh-KCdH38gA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidNlhMnQoBcrgig7EMNBxa4WKXEL4-YtZnVv1Jkru_yAm6bmbdIoBaA8_V_9TzCYb2kTr2jl5Sioz6QAn0gpl8Jl7b5SJp-ujhSjTJ7T3ztuovjZW5588KMwpu-bkjcCjkh0desLJvluDUw-GR0mgoRDSzIfM_Ynnr1sgWE57xVXTkkOiwmh-KCdH38gA" width="158" /></a></div>My first link also involves<b><span style="color: #e06666;"> baseball</span></b>. <i>Honus & Me</i> by Dan Gutman (1997) is a children’s book in which a boy finds a valuable baseball card and time travels back to see Honus Wagner's time and visit the last game of the World Series of 1909. I helped promote this book when my company published it and feel I did a lot to help this author establish a series for boys.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpmKZxqOYVc6zterYqWZAHQK8nQ9YFgCTmQnRfschUnDViow-brkiHm7MVKTfQbiug6sF7um9LNiTAiJQEFPzb1euiy5yf5Od2O68PFMEsRjg3tOlOiAFIhY4YVlRp0Q10bVooQ_5BKh9QdK0beRSGb9RDm3ua917eGtmBNQPGHerVjDFHOLCwp9w6tY4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="183" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpmKZxqOYVc6zterYqWZAHQK8nQ9YFgCTmQnRfschUnDViow-brkiHm7MVKTfQbiug6sF7um9LNiTAiJQEFPzb1euiy5yf5Od2O68PFMEsRjg3tOlOiAFIhY4YVlRp0Q10bVooQ_5BKh9QdK0beRSGb9RDm3ua917eGtmBNQPGHerVjDFHOLCwp9w6tY4" width="159" /></a></div>A different kind of <b><span style="color: #e06666;">card</span></b> is the backdrop for Agatha Christie’s <i>Cards on the Table</i> (1936). A murder takes place in front of a group of bridge players, including several well-known detectives, but only Hercule Poirot can untangle the mystery. <a href="https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2021/04/cards-on-table-by-agatha-christie-for.html">My review</a>.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj9sgzfo1ZcrKhlnbS9EyWoV-y8Zpky689zNgxMA2hptIYseDIFEAk-6mBz7fUjFb2FeGrmL-UXCh0hYncBwQl35TbsOzAQjO31mgdp4Lki3Qpyu9N1zOmWwDWW8xr-AvraKEs-QsOu4x0QBgkbDBLBRMOgIsZmPv_rXdtP8Jqr_eCAAHD4LpAxp-dVraU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj9sgzfo1ZcrKhlnbS9EyWoV-y8Zpky689zNgxMA2hptIYseDIFEAk-6mBz7fUjFb2FeGrmL-UXCh0hYncBwQl35TbsOzAQjO31mgdp4Lki3Qpyu9N1zOmWwDWW8xr-AvraKEs-QsOu4x0QBgkbDBLBRMOgIsZmPv_rXdtP8Jqr_eCAAHD4LpAxp-dVraU" width="149" /></a></div>It is 1940 in London and the Ministry of Foreign Information has been created to translate foreign documents and letters, and Anne is assigned to the Translation Department’s <i><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Table</span></b> Two</i> in this novel by Marjorie Wilenski (1942), recently reprinted by <a href="https://www.deanstreetpress.co.uk/pages/book_page/326">Dean Street Press</a>. <a href="https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2022/12/table-two-by-marjorie-wilenski.html">My review</a>.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheZlN7_9tcspfOVcUjBb82FyvxzpgAZamOVMJPjjuSK6OJebhNwao7fg6W_xgQacPDpmRqRZzXqQqryP7tl8u9xh5OEtOtKysgnU3pICz_FYAT_lQ04hoB96sXJeX_tRzWunoncJGDCL8VKtUmIjMyypL79i2NIaQoRU6MYCe-HdGd9kjyCyxiffTykaQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="230" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheZlN7_9tcspfOVcUjBb82FyvxzpgAZamOVMJPjjuSK6OJebhNwao7fg6W_xgQacPDpmRqRZzXqQqryP7tl8u9xh5OEtOtKysgnU3pICz_FYAT_lQ04hoB96sXJeX_tRzWunoncJGDCL8VKtUmIjMyypL79i2NIaQoRU6MYCe-HdGd9kjyCyxiffTykaQ" width="158" /></a></div>In contrast to the rivalry and gossip of the women translators, <b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">Two</span></i></b> <i>Are Better Than One</i> by Carol Ryrie Brink (1968) is about best friends, Cordelia and Chrystal, and is one of my top ten favorites. One of my favorite parts is when the girls, taking an exam, are asked to describe a place well known to them. As they have been writing a novel together, without hesitating one describes a castle on the Rhine and one describes a desert island, much to the confusion of their teacher who knows they have never left Idaho! This book is a hit with Betsy-Tacy fans.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3RMeoThawaE-2UR_pl4Cyir7DOmIGg34vrWpvxjZgO1FPsXgHwx71w85qRnqn8f0zIFZnxwCrLhmZUFejk3743-DhKLtr8nI_z0-o02WZH0ddewJQ1b3mpifw7YjCT2b8P7rvgE_u5pwAMmyipl20JV55UIIit2mkSiUOKe7SHs_-KEAF2UEhxy8tZ60/s997/2%20are%20better.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="997" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3RMeoThawaE-2UR_pl4Cyir7DOmIGg34vrWpvxjZgO1FPsXgHwx71w85qRnqn8f0zIFZnxwCrLhmZUFejk3743-DhKLtr8nI_z0-o02WZH0ddewJQ1b3mpifw7YjCT2b8P7rvgE_u5pwAMmyipl20JV55UIIit2mkSiUOKe7SHs_-KEAF2UEhxy8tZ60/s320/2%20are%20better.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>After Ariel’s husband goes missing from their Portugal hotel in <i>Two Nights in Lisbon</i> by Chris Pavone (2022), she spends <b><span style="color: #e06666;">two</span></b> frantic nights trying to find him, while realizing she knows very little about him. <a href="https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2023/04/two-nights-in-lisbon-by-chris-pavone.html">My review</a>.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhovzqsWnTkDvM3jB_RlklVLNkfW3acGZEM6wb2yda73wB1hQcF0lSXmaAZBNdJMuBe-JmTXfKl8B8MTwtx9XWUwArurwI398_MUoHPmschJpzP5NHQspM4Ru9mJfkjkkiV83CDB4KPB09sLG48hvgHwgepyWKgqBvDL0Db80LIaktAUBBba5B49i0Tg8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="213" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhovzqsWnTkDvM3jB_RlklVLNkfW3acGZEM6wb2yda73wB1hQcF0lSXmaAZBNdJMuBe-JmTXfKl8B8MTwtx9XWUwArurwI398_MUoHPmschJpzP5NHQspM4Ru9mJfkjkkiV83CDB4KPB09sLG48hvgHwgepyWKgqBvDL0Db80LIaktAUBBba5B49i0Tg8" width="160" /></a></div>My final link is another book set in <b><span style="color: #e06666;">Portugal</span></b>, <i>Marry in Haste</i> by Jane Aiken Hodge (older sister of Joan), published in 1961, about a penniless governess who agrees to a marriage of convenience out of necessity during the Napoleonic Wars. She accompanies her handsome diplomat husband on an assignment to Portugal, where misunderstandings keep them apart until the final page.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgoSIrepZ-YblrmvW59b_9k1bXzvEs-i04B6iza1WwhYrYZDumD8orBv77wKPlZrxDIvs5ag0J3t6N4OGtsU2qgWrIUsKaOfHBMl1wUP02Nhbq-K9RpzoU_-Bcnk2L4qduwRgkdMJAwiFU7xYPTOxExYmkHfODD3O7qMivmEl7HfRBMt0CH_5Jc1xk2suM" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="318" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgoSIrepZ-YblrmvW59b_9k1bXzvEs-i04B6iza1WwhYrYZDumD8orBv77wKPlZrxDIvs5ag0J3t6N4OGtsU2qgWrIUsKaOfHBMl1wUP02Nhbq-K9RpzoU_-Bcnk2L4qduwRgkdMJAwiFU7xYPTOxExYmkHfODD3O7qMivmEl7HfRBMt0CH_5Jc1xk2suM" width="162" /></a></div>So I managed to go from New Orleans, 1909 Detroit, two in London, one in Idaho, and finally two in Portugal. Next month (March 2, 2024), Kate has chosen <i>Tom Lake</i> by Ann Patchett, which I enjoyed several months ago.</span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />Did you play 6 Degrees this month? Please share your link!</span><div><br /></div></div>CLMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03595294217111602231noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013114232214923198.post-76862958210497582272024-01-31T01:11:00.003-05:002024-01-31T07:42:59.343-05:00The Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum #Ozathon24<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Title</span></b>: The Land of Oz<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Author</span></b>: L. Frank Baum<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Illustrator</span></b>: John R. Neill<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Publication</span></b>: Reilly & Lee Co., hardcover, 1904<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Genre</span></b>: Juvenile fantasy/series<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipB-ETh8Z_1G9pt1yPl6KcIFHwf9vNoQ8GqPLYrvE7zPCFPuJx7LJEjbuM90DrFaQwHnPybttlLIkO48q0L_tSLzsoyh1v0T0GOp8b54jhxc88tAMpLH-8nuxPxeF3Zvn9RKOj5zRQacvssqAF3-Xk0xduYrfYP5m0INv9Rd4ldkjBf6jC_b1bmbG3Yvs/s267/Land%20of%20Oz.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="189" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipB-ETh8Z_1G9pt1yPl6KcIFHwf9vNoQ8GqPLYrvE7zPCFPuJx7LJEjbuM90DrFaQwHnPybttlLIkO48q0L_tSLzsoyh1v0T0GOp8b54jhxc88tAMpLH-8nuxPxeF3Zvn9RKOj5zRQacvssqAF3-Xk0xduYrfYP5m0INv9Rd4ldkjBf6jC_b1bmbG3Yvs/s1600/Land%20of%20Oz.jpeg" width="189" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Description</span></b>: In this sequel to <i>The Wizard of Oz</i>, Baum returns to the magical realm to describe what happened to Dorothy’s companions, the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman, as well as introducing several new characters. The most important is Tip, a boy brought up by old Mombi, a witch.<span><a name='more'></a></span> When mischievous Tip puts together a lifelike creature with a pumpkin head to scare her, the witch brings the figure to life with magic powder and threatens to turn Tip into a marble statue. He runs away instead, bringing the newly animate Jack Pumpkinhead with him. Having helped himself to the magic powder, Tip also brings a saw horse to life and the threesome escape various dangers before reaching the Emerald City where the Scarecrow currently rules, having succeeded the Wizard.<br /><br />The Scarecrow’s reign is unexpectedly threatened by an army of girls, led by General Jinjur and armed with knitting needles. He escapes with Tip and Jack Pumpkinhead on the Saw-Horse and seeks help from the Tin Woodman. Their return – with a new companion, the Woggle-Bug – to reclaim the Emerald City is unsuccessful but leads to the creation of the magical Gump, a flying machine made of two sofas with an antlered head attached. Our friends escape from the palace roof on the Gump and go to Glinda, the good witch, although not without difficulty. Glinda saves the day by persuading old Mombi to reveal the whereabouts of the rightful ruler of Oz.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">My Impression</span></b>: Once <i>The Wizard of Oz</i> was a huge success, Baum was emboldened write more of what he considered fairy tales between 1900 and 1904 but did not originally plan to return to Oz or make create a series. However, a new publishing company promised to make him its lead author so he suggested a sequel which was originally called <i>The Marvelous Land of Oz</i>, and shortened after publication to <i>The Land of Oz</i> (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/316112.L_Frank_Baum"><i>Creator of Oz</i></a>, 121). A new illustrator was necessary because Baum and Denslow had quarreled. A lively adventure story resulted featuring Tip and a varied cast of the quirky characters Baum created throughout his career. Jack Pumpkinhead is always good-natured due to his wide grin despite constant worry that his head will spoil and the Saw-Horse has an irascible wit that is unexpected. The Woggle-Bug is not one of my favorites but the flying Gump makes up for him. </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhd_7ing_dnDnz9DUhfBEm80pn16GcyfUWcn3yRHfLZq-oj0ZEv34Po-e6rf1sfwMmBigCjgTl25HTmJipvYwAjiRerKi7GqCm-p55hzh1YqKZ-x7gw6IS9m_nSXYPz7Aedb1IWBSEO6bSwUbFaLt9FwWGi8fMm_1ZlI7-tU2MbamdEtvkeVsuLI1BJnlI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="656" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhd_7ing_dnDnz9DUhfBEm80pn16GcyfUWcn3yRHfLZq-oj0ZEv34Po-e6rf1sfwMmBigCjgTl25HTmJipvYwAjiRerKi7GqCm-p55hzh1YqKZ-x7gw6IS9m_nSXYPz7Aedb1IWBSEO6bSwUbFaLt9FwWGi8fMm_1ZlI7-tU2MbamdEtvkeVsuLI1BJnlI=w640-h293" width="640" /></a></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Surprisingly, the book is sexist in a way that <i>The Wizard of Oz</i> was not, despite the fact that Baum's family included ardent suffragettes whom he supported. Dorothy is back in Kansas so does not appear and although General Jinjur has assembled an impressive army of young women from all over Oz, their goal in capturing the Emerald City is to help themselves to the jewels and buy a dozen new gowns from the treasury, which doesn’t seem very admirable. They run from mice (well, I would too but I am not in an army) and they are cruel: General Jinjur says she will return Tip to old Mombi, make a bonfire out of the Scarecrow, chop up the Saw-Horse and Tin Woodman, and make tarts out of Jack Pumpkinhead! Obviously, she must be defeated!<br /><br />When Baum wrote this book, he was addicted to puns. The Woggle-Bug is the chief but not only offender:<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;"><blockquote>“It means, my dear friend,” explained the Woggle-Bug, “that our language contains many words having a double meaning; and that to pronounce a joke that allows both meanings of a certain word, proves the joker a person of culture and refinement, who has, moreover, a thorough command of the language.”<br /><br />“I don’t believe that,” said Tip, plainly; “anybody can make a pun.”<br /><br />“Not so,” rejoined the Woggle-Bug, stiffly. “It requires education of a high order. Are you educated, young sir?”<br /><br />“Not especially,” admitted Tip.<br /><br />“Then you cannot judge the matter.”</blockquote></span></b>The Scarecrow begs the Woggle-Bug to spare them his superior education and he subsides, thank goodness. I also remember a lot of puns in <i>The Emerald City of Oz</i> (book 6), which had to be explained to us as children when it was read aloud. Overall, however, this is a fun read with a strong but undeniably unexpected conclusion (which I won’t spoil).<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdwOmnHjXMGSHV9Y8kKKDIXrQdKTREEDxGT3G63NNLUtGDqHB5na374uK4cBvMew9_lHyve87iU_Z2IRPRzKzE7KRw4UKIGBbomoOAD3WuUGOesz1FVzXXUTGJg4LSJCqvF1cEmrwJzGXYALC1VF-f1ytkW4z8YNRBbG61pclUXHW3IGSIUGwRzih9m70" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="320" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdwOmnHjXMGSHV9Y8kKKDIXrQdKTREEDxGT3G63NNLUtGDqHB5na374uK4cBvMew9_lHyve87iU_Z2IRPRzKzE7KRw4UKIGBbomoOAD3WuUGOesz1FVzXXUTGJg4LSJCqvF1cEmrwJzGXYALC1VF-f1ytkW4z8YNRBbG61pclUXHW3IGSIUGwRzih9m70" width="320" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Source</span></b>: Family copy (shh - I didn't tell my sister I was borrowing the first few books). Please visit Lory at <a href="https://enterenchanted.com/">Entering the Enchanted Castle</a> who is hosting Ozathon24 and join in if you can! Here is her review of <a href="https://enterenchanted.com/ozathon24-a-land-of-life/"><i>The Land of Oz</i></a> as well as <a href="https://thebookstop.wordpress.com/2024/01/29/ozathon24-the-marvelous-land-of-oz-by-l-frank-baum/">The Book Stop's review</a>.</span></div>CLMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03595294217111602231noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013114232214923198.post-65603432292214607972024-01-28T22:38:00.001-05:002024-01-28T22:38:17.240-05:00Hazardous Spirits by Anbara Salam - historical fiction set in 1920s Edinburgh<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Title</span></b>: Hazardous Spirits<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Author</span></b>: <a href="https://www.anbarasalam.com/">Anbara Salam</a><br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Publication</span></b>: Tin House Books, trade paperback, 2023<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Genre</span></b>: Historical Fiction<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Setting</span></b>: 1920s Scotland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTPnghhQ6FUTdwiDhpm2kTqUcjXIXsNdAMbJ9I8fq7Ud8JTZDCZC3mEFxQFEqQnXYks4oedzl8VCbGQq22_L_HcNYcS6kU96zyPKW69dSEz8cHkMJAEcA9aO97SHA5tcNO1OEVWNJJ4WlkJh0m3K11UyhvZa3kpUXGJhJKtmSzoUif5EnPmQHdESSzUZY/s1000/Hazardous.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="647" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTPnghhQ6FUTdwiDhpm2kTqUcjXIXsNdAMbJ9I8fq7Ud8JTZDCZC3mEFxQFEqQnXYks4oedzl8VCbGQq22_L_HcNYcS6kU96zyPKW69dSEz8cHkMJAEcA9aO97SHA5tcNO1OEVWNJJ4WlkJh0m3K11UyhvZa3kpUXGJhJKtmSzoUif5EnPmQHdESSzUZY/s320/Hazardous.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Description</span></b>: Although Evelyn’s family experienced difficult times when she was younger, she has now been comfortably married for five years to Robert Hazard, a respectable and reasonably prosperous accountant in Edinburgh. Everything changes when he tells her he can communicate with spirits. <span><a name='more'></a></span> At first, Evelyn is terrified that people will think he is insane but instead, Robert is embraced by a subset of post-WWI society fascinated by the paranormal and eager to make contact with deceased loved ones, and they are whirled into a stream of country weekends and demonstrations. Evelyn finds she enjoys hobnobbing with some of Edinburgh’s elite, even in these odd circumstances, but faces new worries: she has hidden a serious secret for ten years and if Robert and his new acquaintances are not charlatans, is she at risk of exposure? <br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">My Impression</span></b>: This was a very unusual novel which captures the upheaval in the life of an ordinary middle-class couple when Robert Hazard starts seeing ghosts and interpreting their messages to strangers. His wife, Evelyn, is appalled by his refusal to give up what seems like a strange obsession with the occult. She summons a doctor who says:<br /><blockquote><b><span style="color: #e06666;">“Well, for a sustained attack of this nature, I would propose only three alternative explanations.”<br /><br />Evelyn waited politely, but he showed no sign of finishing his diagnosis. “Yes?” She had an urge to shake him, to make his words roll loose like sherbets inside a penny dispensary.<br /><br />“Well,” Dr. Greitzer shot his cuffs. “The first possibility is that he is insane,” and as Evelyn began to babble, he interrupted her – “or, secondly, it is a falsehood.” Evelyn shut her mouth with a snap. Her skin ran cold. That would be even a worse possibility than insanity. . . .<br /><br />“And the third?”<br /><br />Dr. Greitzer gave her the hint of a smile. “The third option,” he said, replacing his hat, “is that he’s telling the truth.”</span></b></blockquote>Evelyn spends most of the book worrying about which possibility is accurate. She is instantly skeptical of Robert’s newfound "talent" but as she sees him in action, conveying messages from the dead with information he could not possibly have guessed (or could he?), she becomes more and more convinced he is an actual medium. She also enjoys the social whirl that has been absent from her life for years and, genuinely fond of her husband, she is glad to see him valued and feted, although she is not completely comfortable with some of the people that are now part of their lives, dictating how he spends his time.<br /><br />Their backgrounds are very different: Robert grew up in an orphanage while Evelyn’s very proper family experienced a change in fortune and lost their estate but still maintains what they would call <i>standards</i> and are horrified by Robert’s behavior. As the Hazards are drawn deeper into the world of mediums and paranormal activity, Evelyn is also afraid her own secret might be revealed, which her elder sister, who died in the flu epidemic, helped her hide from the world ten years ago. </span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">What I most liked about this book is its setting, 1923 Scotland, as people recover from terrible loss of life (in the war and from influenza) in the messy present; the reader soon gathers what happened to Evelyn and her family in the past, and one can also read between the lines. For example, Evelyn clearly married beneath her socially<i>;</i> presumably Robert was acceptable as a prosperous professional when her family was in financial straits, and their marriage has been successful until the story begins. Along with the question of Robert’s authenticity as a medium comes a related issue - how long can Evelyn handle being part of the spiritualist movement?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3XcTB9fUI8vdXlSi1Zut0yk0Eb4qMykKT7AonbLkZA5L6Pn9ybBe9gNXBxsZWsgvklFla3DY9BB2e5D9O__vTbnVqw72P2StgJfBsmj0yMs_VWs2Uk6WFuHBEd4kV05pto6_ADtUcffyMNgxmh9xcemR8WjVSUW1k0e9U9S9YC3OFDWWtAZTKQR3zWTY/s400/Hist24.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="164" data-original-width="400" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3XcTB9fUI8vdXlSi1Zut0yk0Eb4qMykKT7AonbLkZA5L6Pn9ybBe9gNXBxsZWsgvklFla3DY9BB2e5D9O__vTbnVqw72P2StgJfBsmj0yMs_VWs2Uk6WFuHBEd4kV05pto6_ADtUcffyMNgxmh9xcemR8WjVSUW1k0e9U9S9YC3OFDWWtAZTKQR3zWTY/s320/Hist24.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Source</span></b>: Library. Although I was on the fence for a few chapters, I wound up thinking it was very well done with interesting characters and great atmosphere and I recommend it. <i>Hazardous Spirits</i> is my second book for the <a href="http://www.theintrepidreader.com/2024/01/historical-fiction-reading-challenge.html">2024 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge</a>.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #e06666;">New Vocabulary</span></b>: I wondered why the doctor "shot his cuffs" - it means straightening one's arms with a sudden movement to make the cuffs of one's shirt appear beyond the sleeves of one's coat or jacket. </span></div>CLMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03595294217111602231noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013114232214923198.post-40786971068859612412024-01-23T07:00:00.001-05:002024-01-23T07:00:00.133-05:00The Couple in the Photo by Helen Cooper<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Title</span></b>: The Couple in the Photo<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Author</span></b>: Helen Cooper<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Publication</span></b>: Putnam, trade paper, 2023<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Genre</span></b>: Psychological suspense<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Setting</span></b>: Present-day Britain<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihkBxBsYwFscTCvypvdxenHsT0uk7U9W_DCbFJSF-e3aL-cxoBAjCB5JWPE0xH-Zfm_i7248X14i72UiGm2NnJrQgocSg3iN-ANQsZSAPIEOYLzh5P72T3yj3RkOLuAEpREy1HmVbIq52vZrT7LTxe4XpBizng506wAZmUhA0IXAzS9iB7ebVDSpWhA7c" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="181" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihkBxBsYwFscTCvypvdxenHsT0uk7U9W_DCbFJSF-e3aL-cxoBAjCB5JWPE0xH-Zfm_i7248X14i72UiGm2NnJrQgocSg3iN-ANQsZSAPIEOYLzh5P72T3yj3RkOLuAEpREy1HmVbIq52vZrT7LTxe4XpBizng506wAZmUhA0IXAzS9iB7ebVDSpWhA7c" width="156" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Description</span></b>: When Lucy married Adam, his two best friends from university, Cora and Scott, also became her closest companions. The two couples live just minutes apart in Leicester, their four children are inseparable, and they even bought a weekend cottage together and spend all their free time rehabbing it. But one day when Lucy casually glances at a coworker’s honeymoon photos, she sees one of Scott with another woman in the Maldives when he was supposed to be in Tokyo. <span><a name='more'></a></span>Her husband tells her it can’t be Scott and to let it go but Lucy can’t stop worrying, especially when the woman in the photo goes missing. Should she go to the police and risk destroying their happy and comfortable lives?<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">My Impression</span></b>: This is a fast-paced, read-in-one-sitting novel of psychological suspense in which the main character, Lucy, is a sympathetic mother of two whose friendly gesture in the teachers’ lounge at work and subsequent curiosity precipitates a series of disastrous events. One is tempted to agree with her husband that the picture is not really of Scott and certainly Lucy’s determination to find out the truth is over the top but when Scott returns from his business trip and acts suspiciously, she realizes the situation cannot be ignored.<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;"><blockquote>“Secondly,” Adam continued, “you don’t <i>know</i> the woman in the news is the same one as in that photo. The Maldives thing might’ve just made a link in your brain. If they look alike, and there’s the coincidental thing with the location . . . .”<br /><br />Lucy nodded, fiddling with the edge of the duvet. <i>It might not be her. Might not be him. </i>She kept chanting it in her head, hoping it would stick while knowing, deep down, that only something concrete, definitive could make her truly believe it.</blockquote></span></b>Lucy is an outgoing drama teacher but she doesn’t have a lot of close friends and her parents emigrated to New Zealand years ago so Cora and Scott are very important to her. The tag line of the book is "How far would you go to keep a friend's secret?" but that is not the issue for Lucy although it may be for others. She is desperate for Cora not to be hurt so she needs to know if what she saw was true. Her anguish as she delves into Scott’s secrets is real and she can’t stop asking questions. This is kind of my problem with psychological suspense – when I see the protagonist start taking risks (looking for Scott’s boarding passes to see whether he really went to Tokyo or pressing the work colleague to share the photo in question), it starts stressing me out or makes me mad anyone would be so foolhardy or both. </span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">There are many secrets and twists in this novel which would make it a good beach read if it weren’t 18 degrees outside! It’s not as dramatic than Shari LaPena’s books, of which I have read three recently, but she focuses on fewer characters so it is easier to see their development or deterioration. I would describe the book as enjoyable if you come across it but not memorable.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgK0kiXneZaSYTegeslSZ1K8gplkJpwpobvqswfmHz7QgU2HWr1dJkqyq2u6oZs7_7-Yh8T9sE7QF6IYWpdZj0rZpBZL555duIk3Uy2s9FXu5O5DL3QnPKUrbekvX_lQI6tGKyr20mxsrlVN8Ynb1qXh6cOTjqlQovb-Ca9sXUOTvq8Jd-PXz-P4XIm_4/s800/Cloak-and-dagger-square.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgK0kiXneZaSYTegeslSZ1K8gplkJpwpobvqswfmHz7QgU2HWr1dJkqyq2u6oZs7_7-Yh8T9sE7QF6IYWpdZj0rZpBZL555duIk3Uy2s9FXu5O5DL3QnPKUrbekvX_lQI6tGKyr20mxsrlVN8Ynb1qXh6cOTjqlQovb-Ca9sXUOTvq8Jd-PXz-P4XIm_4/s320/Cloak-and-dagger-square.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Source</span></b>: Library. This is my first book of the year for Carol’s <a href="https://carolsnotebook.com/2024/01/02/january-cloak-and-dagger-link-up-4/">Cloak and Dagger Challenge</a>.</span></div>CLMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03595294217111602231noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013114232214923198.post-60852903582612531992024-01-20T07:00:00.004-05:002024-01-20T10:16:23.835-05:00A Spoonful of Time by Flora Ahn - a culinary time travel<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Title</span></b>: A Spoonful of Time<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Author</span></b>: Flora Ahn<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Illustrator</span></b>: Jenny Park<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Publication</span></b>: Quirk Books, hardcover, 2023<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Genre</span></b>: Juvenile Fiction<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Setting</span></b>: Present-day California<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFfICfYWUxW5U_j9NLHyBdYPKqd8oygbOQjdPdNgDhyNusoUpOf7nfVSizlgSnw-2fkFOaeSZpyZeQdpZUv44FjmaSz9GU_oRzndn3sorf5nm3v6Md3PRpiwbL5yDA_Ma23yYWGxtQIdeCUG3r2E3Zv2lU35KJmXVJuKheAmdfe54qUjNHzpLrszk-llI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="271" data-original-width="186" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFfICfYWUxW5U_j9NLHyBdYPKqd8oygbOQjdPdNgDhyNusoUpOf7nfVSizlgSnw-2fkFOaeSZpyZeQdpZUv44FjmaSz9GU_oRzndn3sorf5nm3v6Md3PRpiwbL5yDA_Ma23yYWGxtQIdeCUG3r2E3Zv2lU35KJmXVJuKheAmdfe54qUjNHzpLrszk-llI" width="165" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Description</span></b>: Maya lives with her widowed mother, who works at a law firm, and her grandmother, Halmunee, who moved in with them recently and may be suffering from dementia. Although Halmunee’s memory is erratic, she remembers the traditional cooking she learned as a girl in Korea and is determined to share this with Maya. <span><a name='more'></a></span> Maya enjoys learning about and eating Korean specialties her mother is too busy or tired to make but to her amazement, Halmunee uses each recipe to take Maya back in time to witness special moments in her past in Seoul. Halmunee explains this is a skill some family members have and Maya wonders if she can use her newfound ability to learn more about the father she lost at 3. Her mother is always too stressed to talk about him but Maya longs to know more. This focus on the past causes Maya to neglect her friend Jada and schoolwork in the present. A surprise ending helps Maya and her mother improve their relationship and allows Maya to better understand her family history and how she fits it.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">My Impression</span></b>: This is a delightful story about an ordinary 13-year-old confronted by the impossible when her grandmother transports her to 20th century Korea. The actual time travel is at first triggered by the traditional recipes Halmunee teaches Maya how to make; when they are cooking and touching, Maya is transported back in time to Korea with her grandmother. They can observe but cannot interact with the people they see, mostly Halmunee’s family and others from her childhood. Maya observes her own great-grandmother describing their family’s abilities to her Halmunee, then Hyun Suk:<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;"><blockquote>“Your imo [aunt] has always been upset that our omma’s power passed on to me and my children, and not her. And so now she’s telling her children that it’s all a lie. That it doesn’t exist. She’s turned her back on our family . . . . From this point on, you don’t talk with anyone about what we can do,” her mother said. “Not even your friends or cousins. Not everyone will understand or want to understand. And what we do can be very dangerous.”</blockquote></span></b>Maya is enthralled by the glimpse of the family she has never known and wants to keep going back but Halmunee’s condition is worsening and she is not always in the mood to cook, which seems essential. Eventually Maya figures out how to time travel alone, which I was afraid would end in disaster but did not.<br /><br />Maya is coping with a lot: she yearns to know more about the father she lost when she was three – she barely remembers him but cooking with Halmunee helps her recall a food memory with her father; her grandmother is suffering from dementia which worries Maya and her mother; her new friend Jeff, also a time traveler, is so mysterious it hurts her feelings; her mother is distant; and her distraction from all of the above has caused a rift with her best friend and interfered with her school work. I liked that Maya has challenges in her life that don’t disappear just because she is having an exciting adventure but what really gives this story dimension is the relationship between Maya and her ailing grandmother and the way they connect through Korean culture and food. Of course, I always enjoy a well-done time travel although the relationships confused me at the end. It is great to see a small independent publisher produce such an unusual and appealing book.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Source</span></b>: Library</span>CLMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03595294217111602231noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013114232214923198.post-4788096885583405792024-01-18T07:00:00.014-05:002024-01-20T01:38:19.850-05:00Charlotte Fairlie by D.E. Stevenson<span style="font-size: large;">Charlotte is the relatively new headmistress at St. Elizabeth’s, a well-regarded girls’ boarding school she attended before Oxford - she wore a dowdy hat at her interview so her male interviewers wouldn’t think she was too young. She takes pride in her work and in knowing the girls but she is lonely because befriending the staff would create jealousy. New girl Tessa MacRynne breaks through Charlotte's reserve when her parents get divorced and she tries to run away back to Scotland. Charlotte identifies with Tessa, having gone through a<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeA4j5ImJW7Y7YEQERWXG-4GLdLeQjhSLijiHjKeHH1xLOXYq6FLmbCJ-Q48cBiWeDmInQvmbz0SWIUHpjvKtbouQSdInYg556sx01qe4TjpjIQ8zPafLDINKFvbsc8hgiIRcxunEdVMk7B7YjzUKvCETCqJiGHOZL6xRpB8uJw61qYYHyLJRrdiR_IZ0/s279/Char-1.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="181" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeA4j5ImJW7Y7YEQERWXG-4GLdLeQjhSLijiHjKeHH1xLOXYq6FLmbCJ-Q48cBiWeDmInQvmbz0SWIUHpjvKtbouQSdInYg556sx01qe4TjpjIQ8zPafLDINKFvbsc8hgiIRcxunEdVMk7B7YjzUKvCETCqJiGHOZL6xRpB8uJw61qYYHyLJRrdiR_IZ0/s1600/Char-1.jpeg" width="181" /></a></div><span><a name='more'></a></span>painful experience at the same age when <i>her</i> father remarried. She persuades Tessa to return to school, and her practical advice and kindness help Tessa settles down and make friends. Tessa then invites Charlotte to visit her home during the summer holidays, an island in the Western Isles, where her father is the laird. Tessa is match-making, although Charlotte does not realize this until she has lost her heart but sees obstacles!<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">My Impression</span></b>: This is one of my favorite books by Stevenson and was the perfect comfort read on a chilly night, as it offers a school story, which you know I love – told from the perspective of the headmistress – and a picturesque Scottish setting, the MacRynnes’ beloved island home, Targ. Both venues are full of quirky, memorable characters. Charlotte is accomplished and admired but she is in the wrong job – although St. Elizabeth’s is a highly regarded school (attended by several people from other DES books), it is isolated and after a bleak adolescence she would have been better off as an academic at Oxford or Cambridge, where there would have been plenty of companionship. <br /><br />One of Charlotte's few social events is when she is invited to join a coronation party hosted by the head of St. Elizabeth’s Board of Governors who booked a London hotel room on the course of the festivities. I thought this was particularly interesting because most of Stevenson’s books do not have so specific a timeframe and, of course, because the next coronation did not take place until 2023! However, the spiteful teacher not chosen to be headmistress tricked Charlotte into missing the train, so both Charlotte and I were disappointed not to see Queen Elizabeth’s procession!<br /><br />Fortunately, an encounter with Tessa MacRynne, whose American (yes, blame us) mother was not happy living on an isolated island and has left her handsome laird husband, gets Charlotte involved with the girl and her father. Then Tessa coaxes Charlotte to visit Scotland during the summer holidays:<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;"><blockquote>“It was just that I did want you to see Targ,” added Tessa. “It is so beautiful; I know you’d love it.”<br /><br />“Yes, I’m sure I should,” said Charlotte. She hesitated. She had heard so much about Targ. Why shouldn’t I go? she thought.<br /><br />“Oh, Miss Fairlie, you’re thinking about it!” cried Tessa. “Oh, Miss Fairlie, please come – even just for a fortnight.”<br /><br />“But are you sure you want me? And what about your father?”<br /><br />“You’ll come!” cried her prospective hostess joyously. “Oh, Miss Fairlie, how absolutely gorgeous!”<br /><br />“But your father may not want me –”<br /><br />“Of course he will. He said I could ask a friend.”<br /><br />“I expect he meant a girl,” said Charlotte, alarmed at the idea of being foisted upon the Lord of the Isles against his wishes.</blockquote></span></b>The book consists of two sections – St. Elizabeth’s and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXQuaq_2icU">Blow the Wind Southerly</a>, which Tessa sings to Charlotte as they sail to Targ from the mainland. It is inevitable that Charlotte and Rory MacRynne will fall in love (that divorce came through very quickly!) but Stevenson comes up with a few wrinkles to keep the reader guessing. The book is full of the quiet charm for which Stevenson was known.</span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">If you have read this one, is it also a favorite? If not, do you have a favorite DES book? I am rereading them all, one by one.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblMyq_S5S-frIKJXssZvCOHAhTkfPmTvtVeHk0S54jMx9_JEjunmdQ26P0XFC6_IMcdjZu1KuRCtmAcYXOaDSixbGMS2CplvQnXC9goqQtEvNL_j5AC62svIvcv6JwW66xn_sJ5qY11Crne84rxH1clpQgN-UmzNxe4QlsUDnD8YWzX7u0PYVC9EVs2g/s620/charlotte-fairlie-dj-d-e-stevenson.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="432" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblMyq_S5S-frIKJXssZvCOHAhTkfPmTvtVeHk0S54jMx9_JEjunmdQ26P0XFC6_IMcdjZu1KuRCtmAcYXOaDSixbGMS2CplvQnXC9goqQtEvNL_j5AC62svIvcv6JwW66xn_sJ5qY11Crne84rxH1clpQgN-UmzNxe4QlsUDnD8YWzX7u0PYVC9EVs2g/s320/charlotte-fairlie-dj-d-e-stevenson.jpeg" width="223" /></a></div></span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Title</span></b>: Charlotte Fairlie</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Author</span></b>: D.E. Stevenson<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Publication</span></b>: Collins, hardcover, 1954<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Genre</span></b>: Fiction<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Source</span></b>: Personal copy. My book is a hardcover second printing that came from Melbourne but <i>Charlotte Fairlie</i> is now back in print from Furrowed Middlebrow/Dean Street Press. </span><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #e06666; font-size: large;"><a href="https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/search?q=d.e.+stevenson">Other D.E. Stevenson reviews</a></span></div></div>CLMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03595294217111602231noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013114232214923198.post-74499396110932926702024-01-16T03:00:00.005-05:002024-01-16T03:00:00.144-05:00My December 2023 Reads<span style="font-size: large;">Holiday shopping and planning prevented me from as many December reviews as I had planned but I read some good books, although none that made my top ten for the year. The two best were <i>The Couple Next Door</i> by Shari Lapena and <i>Babbacombe's</i> by Noel Streatfeild, writing as Susan Scarlett:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_0yHgFrCxv6oALzCSrdfBGQSCVrlVNbAOPpKVUlTkurvOoYz0NO0YALxzmecc7E7QmSBEUlnp6II-XdhjAEEhoaO_M-WaOIP56Ss4JXFnKBF0_D82ssd9n1xtdAesIlHw_mYw27uSa3LFutMjWe5zGcpG_UBpLYKHVo5uVvTeobokKkwXuiOrSfC2MNo/s276/Couple.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="183" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_0yHgFrCxv6oALzCSrdfBGQSCVrlVNbAOPpKVUlTkurvOoYz0NO0YALxzmecc7E7QmSBEUlnp6II-XdhjAEEhoaO_M-WaOIP56Ss4JXFnKBF0_D82ssd9n1xtdAesIlHw_mYw27uSa3LFutMjWe5zGcpG_UBpLYKHVo5uVvTeobokKkwXuiOrSfC2MNo/s1600/Couple.jpeg" width="183" /></a></div><i><b><span><a name='more'></a></span>Mystery/Suspense</b></i><br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">Murder on the Christmas Express</span></i></b> by Alexandra Benedict (2023). ‘Twas the Night before Christmas Eve and all through the train, a murderer was plotting and it’s up to retired police detective Roz Parker to explain! <a href="http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2023/12/murder-on-christmas-express-by.html">My review</a>.<br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">The White Priory Murders</span></i></b> by Carter Dickson/John Dickson Carr (1934). This is a classic locked room mystery featuring a noted sleuth from highly regarded author so I expected to like it. Sadly, I found it quite tedious, with mostly unpleasant characters. Even after reading it, I am not sure how the murder was committed but probably I was trying to get through it too quickly.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYUEcXhZlXiMg6FI3m7JJHdH9TR52vOgZ_fgTvtwk9KTaBC8asKl6bgoh6LesvGNsSQ38byzSofAIHRU8Vf3JYzkn4NIICihMRLLzXsE4T5_0aWw1Q7XiHz5RU5s0qyk16vLfLJeaYc9k55YGGzEjlkvXarWSpTaF3LJVFG_Q8cwxvC0RlW01YyPtmyQ/s272/priory.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="186" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYUEcXhZlXiMg6FI3m7JJHdH9TR52vOgZ_fgTvtwk9KTaBC8asKl6bgoh6LesvGNsSQ38byzSofAIHRU8Vf3JYzkn4NIICihMRLLzXsE4T5_0aWw1Q7XiHz5RU5s0qyk16vLfLJeaYc9k55YGGzEjlkvXarWSpTaF3LJVFG_Q8cwxvC0RlW01YyPtmyQ/s1600/priory.jpeg" width="186" /></a></div><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">The Couple Next Door</span></i></b> by Shari Lapena (2016)(audio). As I read this book about a baby abducted while her parents are at a dinner party next door, I remembered how my sister living in an apartment with infants sent the money in an envelope down in the elevator for deliveries rather than leave the children alone for three minutes. Not to be judgmental - it's a plot device! But the parents are so fearful of being judged they are less than candid with the police. However, the book was very entertaining, full of twists, some of which I guessed and some were big surprises. I have decided I like this Canadian author.<br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">The Manor House </span></i></b>by Gilly Macmillan (2023). When Nicole and Tom win the lottery, they build their dream house, buy their dream cars, etc. But when Tom dies unexpectedly, Nicole is the first suspect. She is quite alone because most of their old friends were spiteful about their new riches, but the couple at the Manor House and their housekeeper are there for her. This book was full of vile characters and the plot twists were both predictable and over the top at the same time. Disappointing because I thought I liked her books but looking back, I see I only read <i>I Know You Know</i> and gave it just a 3.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvhhoj_9Gh5LMOcagO4zmsfXDUGhnbBMRkgexJo88LqRguPrkfShEos891NzagTpYGcSAJIJt8K-4E_aMbcc4_VceWQLga1rNS3JWS_MgY0Zl0vdVTTGJSTCY_glu5SknH2IYn4ma_KD4D0mN34pQqj-xoInkUHDkgA1EXRotEHIKbLMUSCnluoiPOL7M/s400/most.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvhhoj_9Gh5LMOcagO4zmsfXDUGhnbBMRkgexJo88LqRguPrkfShEos891NzagTpYGcSAJIJt8K-4E_aMbcc4_VceWQLga1rNS3JWS_MgY0Zl0vdVTTGJSTCY_glu5SknH2IYn4ma_KD4D0mN34pQqj-xoInkUHDkgA1EXRotEHIKbLMUSCnluoiPOL7M/s320/most.jpeg" width="214" /></a></div><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">A Most Agreeable Murder</span></i></b> by Julia Seales (2023) (audio). An appealing cover and concept – a murder takes place at a ball and the unfashionable elder sister, fascinated by crime, decides to investigate; however, it seemed full of anachronisms (harder to document while listening during one’s commute), improbable situations, and holes in the plot (also, how can you have a ball with about 15 people?). I think this is why I don’t usually like historical mysteries – I can’t turn off my editorial eye (ear?) and that can spoil one’s enjoyment. You should see the book I read recently that coined the phrase “martyr’s complex” in the 17th century! No, I will spare you that pleasure!<br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">The Annam Jewel</span></i></b> by Patricia Wentworth (1925). Three conspirators stole a precious jewel from a holy shrine in what is now Vietnam but because there is no honor among thieves this begins a 25-year dispute over ownership that extends to the next generation. I read this for <a href="https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2023/12/01/dean-street-press-december-2023-main-post/">Dean Street December</a>. This is a standalone that does not feature Miss Silver. <a href="http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-annam-jewel-by-patricia-wentworth.html">My review</a>.<br /><br /><b><i>Fiction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiIygozO7VnsEHQg_op0xeZMl614qiAy8RFdjSWcEe6rHmAMF4LQ-YmrXZrlOoRPUBdArzethBfoafM2mEDGAFLBits7mrfaxs_8vsXRANZ1PQ3_rLq40lVnxIab15w77R-PfVrG_DCX5Oowxnujijt_UAnfcVUJIOrcgqM3IeMMjehOwRydeYeJv2h0o/s320/babb.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="207" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiIygozO7VnsEHQg_op0xeZMl614qiAy8RFdjSWcEe6rHmAMF4LQ-YmrXZrlOoRPUBdArzethBfoafM2mEDGAFLBits7mrfaxs_8vsXRANZ1PQ3_rLq40lVnxIab15w77R-PfVrG_DCX5Oowxnujijt_UAnfcVUJIOrcgqM3IeMMjehOwRydeYeJv2h0o/s1600/babb.jpeg" width="207" /></a></div></i></b><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">Babbacombe’s</span></i></b> by Susan Scarlett. (1941). When Beth Carson finishes school, she get a job at Babbacombe’s, the highly regarded department store where her father has worked for many years. A chance meeting with a handsome young man who turns out to be the owner’s son turns out well for both: stung by Beth's work ethic, he is finally motivated to please his father by taking work seriously and Beth now has a friend, although she tells him both fathers would disapprove of a relationship. I bought this for my sister then read it for Dean Street December before wrapping it. <a href="http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2023/12/babbacombes-by-susan-scarlett-aka-noel.html">My review</a>.<br /><br /><b><i>Historical Fiction</i></b><br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">The Little Wartime Library</span></i></b> by Kate Thompson (audio). Clara Button, a recent widow, and her irrepressible friend Ruby Monroe, manage an underground library in the Bethnal Green Tube station during WWII. This story is not only about the two women but also the many families taking refuge from the Blitz underground and how the library changed their lives. <a href="http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-little-wartime-library-by-kate.html">My review</a>.<br /><br /><b><i>Romance/Historical Romance</i></b><br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">Plot Twist</span></i></b> by Erin La Rosa (2023) (audio). Sophie is a romance author with writer’s block and an urgent deadline. Her landlord, Dash Montrose, is a former teen heartthrob who is trying to stay sober. As Sophie decides to contact all her former relationships, male and female, to figure out why she’s never been in love, she wonders if a fling with Dash would get her back on track with her writing. While I liked that the hero had a real problem and was trying hard to avoid relapsing, the story itself dragged.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9gk-b5hBU5nXUrCZz1CamyftZYOwj-ZA-e1-_CWg_dhFBUPcmXJCh8aqHpZdQTfgn1GdJWS_mXBx3jvkgPK-grWCDhuQJJACV_fB4RCUSv0cwDgIAzzq1XfnFs2nGiga0_dzLtvhJIsYtcz4vupR51Ibd7_qdLZ62PrE_9OvzGOG3h8tXpm0_i3cEjXQ/s400/plot.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9gk-b5hBU5nXUrCZz1CamyftZYOwj-ZA-e1-_CWg_dhFBUPcmXJCh8aqHpZdQTfgn1GdJWS_mXBx3jvkgPK-grWCDhuQJJACV_fB4RCUSv0cwDgIAzzq1XfnFs2nGiga0_dzLtvhJIsYtcz4vupR51Ibd7_qdLZ62PrE_9OvzGOG3h8tXpm0_i3cEjXQ/s320/plot.jpeg" width="214" /></a></div><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">The Inheritance </span></i></b>by Nora Roberts (2023). In book one of a new romantic suspense trilogy, graphic designer Sonya MacTavish learns an uncle she never knew existed has died and left her a big house on the Maine coast. Good news: handsome unattached lawyer is there to give her the keys. Bad news: the house is haunted by past brides who lived there and it’s going to take all three books to solve their murders and make the house habitable. I got a little tired of the ghosts and their cutesy way of communicating through music but I enjoyed the descriptions of Sonya’s graphic design work and the best friend who comes to live with her in Maine.<br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">The Poetics of Passion</span></i></b> by Delphine Ross (2023). This historical romance sounded really good: eldest sister forced to support her family by (anonymously) writing salacious poetry and the young artist who collaborates with her on a children’s book and guesses her secret. Only the entire book was ridiculous! The heroine is ostensibly trying to avoid scandal so her sister can make a good match yet behaves recklessly and improperly. I blame Bridgerton for the raft of silly and improbable books it pains me to read (sometimes they are well reviewed so I check them out, start reading, and then discover the flaws).<br /><br /><b><i>Nonfiction</i></b><br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">Spam Tomorrow</span></i></b> by Verily Anderson (1956). Anderson’s lively description of her eccentric family, her brief war work, and her marriage and homemaking during WWII is not merely amusing but offers a different perspective on the Homefront. I read this for Dean Street December. <a href="http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2023/12/spam-tomorrow-by-verily-anderson.html">My review</a>.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm92mlv4_KfvorL2RhvniZsHB4E-A7Ea-qGWx98AAtXlUgNtGnHVWePCx2zOQi8u8HCzn21_8SmQq8B3GXWNi03gKsQzmUehMJLVu3G8zeApwRfA0wZjGno-ki7hdMuCFwGJ_onkUQuyJXc8f8Aw43iROT5EbkNcL_nyKXX8LInSJ_oZDNquzs3sLP7L0/s279/spam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="181" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm92mlv4_KfvorL2RhvniZsHB4E-A7Ea-qGWx98AAtXlUgNtGnHVWePCx2zOQi8u8HCzn21_8SmQq8B3GXWNi03gKsQzmUehMJLVu3G8zeApwRfA0wZjGno-ki7hdMuCFwGJ_onkUQuyJXc8f8Aw43iROT5EbkNcL_nyKXX8LInSJ_oZDNquzs3sLP7L0/s1600/spam.png" width="181" /></a></div><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">These Precious Days</span></i></b> by Ann Patchett (2021). This is a charming collection of essays on family and friendship. The author begins by writing about her three fathers – her birth father and her two stepfathers, and how she persuaded them to pose for a picture together at her sister’s wedding. She is funny and poignant throughout. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-HLxpWGCzc">I keep hearing Natalie Merchant</a> when write about this book.<br /><br /><i><b>Children’s</b></i><br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">The Wizard of Oz </span></i></b>by L. Frank Baum. The ageless classic and first installment of Lory’s <a href="https://enterenchanted.com/will-you-join-us-in-an-ozathon-ozathon24/">Ozathon</a>! <a href="http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-wizard-of-oz-by-l-frank-baum.html">My review</a>.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSf9JnDjAwN8QHgMJFoZMUhuliRj6BugU6Fr8DoypKw5X8wEOovZXV5XMJbNWONlx_ct-qbiWY1qm6FKoNvmJoYFxqjB5pu2krAfDEWlE7fEurLNcLTxfcHsUZaPfDlO3OBX-LBAGNKP-AP00DMEiO2YGHL2j1Viyvgz0pwNDmpJf9oPVtWp2c9NP8_hs/s320/OZ.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="237" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSf9JnDjAwN8QHgMJFoZMUhuliRj6BugU6Fr8DoypKw5X8wEOovZXV5XMJbNWONlx_ct-qbiWY1qm6FKoNvmJoYFxqjB5pu2krAfDEWlE7fEurLNcLTxfcHsUZaPfDlO3OBX-LBAGNKP-AP00DMEiO2YGHL2j1Viyvgz0pwNDmpJf9oPVtWp2c9NP8_hs/s1600/OZ.png" width="237" /></a></div>Stay tuned for <i>The Land of Oz</i>, coming soon!<br /></span><br />CLMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03595294217111602231noreply@blogger.com5