October 2025 Reading

This month's reading mostly focused on books published 100 years ago for the 1925 Club.  However, it was fun to see Lisa Scottoline and Maureen Corrigan in conversation, sponsored by a local library, and caused me to check out her second book.  I also spent a weekend in Deep Valley, MN for the Betsy-Tacy Convention, always a good time.

Mystery and Suspense

Grime and Punishment by Jill Churchill (1989). Jane Jeffry, recently widowed and raising three children, is busy with car pools and community commitments (and gossip).

Final Appeal and Lisa Scottoline in Boston

Last month, the Friends of the West Roxbury Library hosted mystery writer, Lisa Scottoline (right), in conversation with Maureen Corrigan, the NPR book critic (left). They chatted about legal thrillers and single motherhood and Lisa’s love of libraries (much appreciation from this audience).  Both were amusing and enjoyable.  Lisa said she has always been an avid reader, starting with Nancy Drew, and reads a lot of suspense fiction as well as many other genres. She joked that being divorced twice and not having a social life means more time to read! She also advised aspiring writers to keep on trying – she got rejected for years before Everywhere That Mary Went was published in 1994. That is about an unappreciated associate (is there any other kind?) in a Philadelphia law firm and was nominated for an Edgar.  That is the major award for crime books.  

Spell the Month in Books – September

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

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

My August 2024 Reading

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

WWW Wednesday - July 31

WWW Wednesday is hosted by Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading: 

I have been reading Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (2022) for what seems like forever but is probably just a week. It is clever but so depressing and seemingly endless; it’s like being trapped in a room with J.D. Vance.