DeltaQueen's 2024 Tea Party - Part 2

My on-going tea party continues! Welcome all. My name is Judy and please join me in 2024 as we celebrate good books and good conversation with an inviting cup of tea. As C.S. Lewis said, “You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me” - books and tea blend together to enhance the reading experience. My categories this year will all have a reference to tea. I have been participating in the Category Challenge since 2009 and I am looking forward to returning to the traditional categories after a year away from my usual style.

I live in the suburbs of Vancouver, B.C. with my husband. We are retired and although we have had a few health scares recently, we have become quite used to doing exactly what we please, when we please. We have two daughters and 2 grandchildren and we are very lucky that all live within a 30 minute drive. I read a variety of books from mysteries to romance, contemporary to historical, classics to zombie thrillers. I like a good story.

My reading goals stay pretty constant from year to year, I am always working on down-sizing my library of real books, e-books and audio books (of course I seem to be equally working just as hard to continue to fill my shelves and Kindles). I intend to continue to concentrate on mysteries and series reading this year as I have quite the backlog. I am reading a number of books each year from the 1,001 Books to Read Before You Die list and I love participating in various reading challenges, from the ones we do here at the Category Challenge to others that I come across.

I have 14 categories to fit this year’s theme of “Tea” and I plan on reading at least 10 books in each category – if I read less or more – so be it. Reading, talking about books, getting and giving “book bullets” are all part of the fun of the Category Challenge and I look forward to another year of doing just that.

2024 Tickers

Categories:

1. High Tea – This elegant and classic tea event is the perfect place to house my 1,001 reads.

2. Imported Teas – Oolong, Chai, Mint, Sencha and Rosibos Teas are all examples of teas from around the world. This is where I will place my global reading – books with a global setting or written by an author from a country other than Canada, America or the United Kingdom.

3. Boston Tea Party – This famous historical event is the perfect name for my historical fiction category as decided by the Reading Thru Time Challenge Themes.

4. Polly Put the Kettle On – Is making tea only a woman’s job? Not hardly. I will list books by female authors here.

5. Tea For Two - As the song says, twosomes are made for romance so this spot will be for romance fiction

6. A Cup of Tea Will Solve it - This sounds exactly like what Miss Marple would say, so this is where I will place my vintage mysteries

7. Badly Made Tea Is A Criminal Offense - A well made cup of tea is a matter of pride. Many tea lovers declare that tea that is too milky or too watery is a criminal offence. This sounds like a good place for crime and mystery stories.

8. One Lump or Two – Hopefully it won’t come to fisticuffs but this sounds like the perfect place to list my crime series and police procedurals.

9. Mad Hatter’s Tea Party - Where else would I place my fantasy reading?

10. The Dregs - Most people look away from the dark and gritty remains in the bottom of the cup, personally I like dark and gritty so this is where I will place my horror and darker reading.

11. The Formula For Your Cuppa – Is there a perfect scientific formula for a cup of tea? We can only hope so. This will be where I place my science fiction reading.

12. Mul-Tea-Tasking – My idea of multitasking is a cup of tea, a cookie (or two), and a good book! One of my reading tasks this year is going to be ensuring that I am reading the Kindle Unlimited books that I borrow in a timely fashion and I will place those reads here.

13. Cup or Mug? It’s great to have choices and that’s exactly what you get at the library. This will be where I place a selection of library books.

14. My Cup Runneth Over - I always need a place for extras

My Various 2024 Reading Challenges

I will be allowing myself a certain amount of overlap with my various challenges and I will only participate in the Cats/Kits if I currently have a book that fits.

1. Rainbow Reading Challenge – 12 prompts

2. Personal Reading Challenge – 40 prompts

3. Category Challenge Bingo – 25 prompts

4. AlphaKit

5. CalendarCat

6. RandomKit

7. SFFKit

8. MysteryKit

9. ScaredyKit

10. Reading Through Time Monthly Challenges

11. TIOLI Challenges – I participate in these challenges that are posted monthly at the 75 Challenge

2024 Bingo



1. Food or Cooking
2. Ugly Cover: Mouse and Dragon by Sharon Lee
3. Only Title and Author on Cover
4. Featuring Twins: Cassandra At the Wedding by Dorothy Baker
5. Topic Which You Have Specific Knowledge: The Typewriter Girl by Alison Atlee
6. Published in a Year Ending in 24
7. Epistolary or Diary: The Which Way Tree by Elizabeth Crook
8. "Big" or "Little" in Title
9. Book From an "LT Similar" Library: The Witch Elm by Tana French
10. About Friendship: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
11. Three Word Title
12. Paper Based Item in Plot
13. Read A Cat: Providence by Max Barry
14. Short Story Collection
15. Person's Name in Title: Mrs. March by Virginia Feito
16. Set in a City: Girl on the Stairs by Louise Welsh
17. Less Than 100 Copies Listed on LT: Escape of the Amethyst by C. E. Lucas Phillips
18. POC author: Citizens Creek by Lalita Tademy
19. Author 65 or older
20. Featuring Water
21. Warriors or Mercenaries: A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie
22. Reread a Favorite Book
23. Written in another Cultural Tradition
24. Set in Multiple Countries
25. Current or Recent Bestseller

2024 Rainbow Reading Challenge

Based on the colors of the Rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo & violet) plus shades of black/white, grey, brown/sepia and pink. Each month a different color will be chosen and I will read a book where the cover reflects the chosen color. I have added a twelfth for December, that of Christmas colors – a festive combination of holiday colors.

Month - Color - Book

January - Black/White: A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie
February - Red: Providence by Max Barry
March - Green: Citizens Creek by Lalita Tademy
April - Yellow
May - Indigo
June - Pink
July - Violet
August - Brown/Sepia
September - Orange
October - Blue
November - Grey
December - Festive Colors

2024 Personal Reading Challenge

1. Cover shows a large body of water: The Sea Gate by Jane Johnson
2. Award Nominated
3. A Memoir
4. The Sun is shown on the cover
5. Set in the 1950s: The Incredible Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson
6. Set on an Island
7. A book with snow on the cover: A Winter Away by Elizabeth Fair
8. A book by an author that you have read once before
9. A book about or with Royalty
10. An audio book
11. A new-to-you author
12. A book that has been translated: Garden of the Finzi-Continis by Giorgio Bassani
13. A book set in Scotland
14. A book that is fairy-tale inspired
15. Flowers are on the cover
16. A book that is longer than 400 pages: The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
17. A book that is shorter than 200 pages: Mojave Crossing by Louis L'Amour
18. Part of a trilogy
19. A book that was a book bullet
20. Set in the American south
21. A historical fantasy novel: A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie
22. A science fiction novel
23. Set in Africa
24. A collection of short stories
25. A book by an Australian author
26. A Romance story: A Scandal in Spring by Lisa Kleypas
27. A Survival story
28. A Horror story
29. Character wearing a hat is on the cover
30. A Color in the title
31. A Family saga: Citizens Creek by Lalita Tademy
32. A mystery/crime novel written by a woman
33. An animal is on the cover: Destry Rides Again by Max Brand
34. Written by an indigenous Author
35. Dystopian fiction
36. Title Consists of a Name: Fay by Larry Brown
37. Cover is mostly sky
38. In the style of “Fact-ion”
39. A book you’ve had far too long: High Midnight by Stuart Kaminsky
40. Set in Asia: Island of a Thousand Mirrors by Nayomi Munaweera

2024 AlphaKit



A January: A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie
B June:
C September:
D October:
E February: The Solace of Open Spaces by Gretel Ehrlich
F February: A Winter Away by Elizabeth Fair
G August:
H March: Undead With Benefits by Jeff Hart
I July:
J June:
K December:
L November:
M August:
N May:
O April:
P May:
Q December:
R March: The Fairacre Festival by Miss Read
S July:
T October:
U April:
V September:
W November:
Y January: Speak For The Dead by Margaret Yorke

High Tea: 1,001 Books List



Books Read

1. The Birds by Tarjei Vesaas - 5.0 ★
2. The Garden of the Finzi-Continis - 3.8 ★
3. Perfume: The Story of A Murderer by Patrick Suskind - 4.0 ★

Imported Tea: Global Reading



Books Read

1. The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian - 3.5 ★
2. Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa - 3.7 ★
3. Island of a Thousand Mirrors by Nayomi Munaweera - 4.3 ★

Boston Tea Party: Historical Fiction



Books Read

1. The Sea Gate by Jane Johnson - 4.1 ★
2. Three Hours in Paris by Cara Black - 2.8 ★
3. The Which Way Tree by Elizabeth Crook - 4.5 ★
4. Escape of the Amethyst by C.E. Lucas Phillips - 3.5 ★
5. Dead Mountain by Donnie Eichar - 4.0 ★
6. The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh - 4.5 ★

Polly Put the Kettle On: Female Authors



Books Read

1. The Typewriter Girl by Alison Atlee - 3.5 ★
2. The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman - 4.0 ★
3. A Winter Away by Elizabeth Fair - 3.0 ★
4. Red Hair by Elinor Glyn - 3.0 ★
5. Lady-in-Waiting by Anne Glenconner - 4.0 ★
6. The Witch Elm by Tana French - 3.6 ★

Tea for Two: Romance



Books Read

1. Salt Bride by Lucinda Brant - 3.7 ★
2. Sally-Ann by Susan Scarlett - 4.0 ★
3. A Scandal in Spring by Lisa Kleypas - 3.7 ★
4. The Dressmaker's Gift by Fiona Valpy - 3.7 ★
5. Bright Day Dawning by Anna Jacobs - 3.4 ★

A Cup of Tea Will Solve It: Vintage Mysteries



Books Read

1. Speak For The Dead by Margaret Yorke - 4.0 ★
2. Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers - 4.5 ★
3. To Hunt a Killer by Julie MacKay - 4.0 ★

Badly Made Tea is a Criminal Offense: Crime/Mystery



Books Read

1. After-Dinner Story by Cornell Woolrich - 4.0 ★
2. Fay by Larry Brown - 4.0 ★
3. The Girl on the Stairs by Louise Welsh - 4.2 ★
4. The Missing Place by Sophie Littlefield - 4.0 ★

One Lump or Two: Crime Series/Police Procedurals



Books Read

1. Insidious Intent by Val McDermid - 3.8 ★
2. From the Dead by Mark Billingham - 4.0 ★
3. High Midnight by Stuart Kaminsky - 3.8 ★
4. Chill Factor by Stuart Pawson - 3.8 ★

Mad Hatter's Tea Party: Fantasy



Books Read

1. A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie - 4.2 ★
2. Hero At the Fall by Alwyn Hamilton - 4.0 ★
3. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden - 4.3 ★

The Dregs: Horror



Books Read

1. Wanderers by Chuck Wendig - 4.0 ★
2. Devolution by Max Brooks - 4.2 ★
3. After Siege by Rhiannon Frater - 2.5 ★
4. Undead With Benefits by Jeff Hart - 3.4 ★

The Formula for Your Cuppa: Science Fiction



Books Read

1. Mouse and Dragon by Sharon Lee - 4.0 ★
2. Providence by Max Barry - 4.0 ★
3. The Incredible Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson - 4.0 ★
4. Stars Uncharted by S. K. Dunstall - 4.3 ★

Mul-Tea-Tasking - Kindle Unlimited Books



Books Read

1. World Between by Sarah Lyons Fleming - 4.2 ★
2. The Solace of Open Spaces by Gretel Ehrlich - 4.0 ★
3. The Mugger by Ed McBain - 4.0 ★
4. Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon - 4.2 ★

Cup or Mug: Library



Books Read

1. Mrs. March by Virginia Feito - 4.0 ★
2. The Beautiful Dead by Belinda Bauer - 3.8 ★
3. The Fur Person by May Sarton - 4.0 ★
4. Citizens Creek by Lalita Tademy - 4.2 ★

My Cup Runneth Over: Extras



Books Read

1. Cassandra At the Wedding by Dorothy Baker - 4.0 ★
2. The Bee Sting by Paul Murray - 4.5 ★
3. Fairy Water by Charlotte Riddell - 3.2 ★
4. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate - 5.0 ★
5. Mojave Crossing by Louis L'Amour - 3.6 ★
6. The Fairacre Festival by Miss Read - 4.0 ★
7. Destry Rides Again by Max Brand - 3.3 ★

2024 Hosting



March - SFFKit: Space Opera
April - MysteryKit: Series
May - Calendar Cat: May
June - RandomKit
July - ScaredyKit: The Corporeal Undead (Zombies, Vampires, Mummies, Ghouls)
September - Reading Through Time: Royal to the Bone

Welcome to my 2024 Category Challenge!

Happy new thread, Judy!

Happy New Thread, Judy. Finally fumbled my way over here. Sorry for the delay. Duh! I hope all is well with you and your family. I am nearing the halfway point in The Bee Sting, probably nearing the end of the Imelda section which has been excellent. I am assuming you might be close to finishing. I hope it has been a good read for you.

Happy new one, Judy!

Happy new thread, Judy! As I read through your categories again, I am in awe at your creativity. This is always a fun thread to visit.

Happy new thread! I hope you're keeping well.

Hi and Happy New Thread! Stay safe and well!

Good morning, everyone. It's not raining here which makes it a day for getting out and about. We are going out for some shopping and to have lunch at a pub-restaurant that we enjoy.

>25 MissWatson: Thanks, Birgit.

>26 msf59: Hi Mark. I am enjoying The Bee Sting and although I probably won't get much time with it today, I expect I will finish it tomorrow or the next day. The author is so good at bringing his characters to life, it's difficult not to think of them as real.

>27 katiekrug: >28 BLBera: >29 Jackie_K: Thanks, Katie, Beth and Jackie. I am feeling quite well and looking forward to my outing today! :)

>30 LadyoftheLodge: Thanks, Cheryl!

Happy new thread!
I saw the cup of tea at >15 DeltaQueen50: before I saw the title, but right away I thought "I would not drink that dishwater."

Happy New Thread, Judy.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread, Judy!

My favourite picture is in the cup at post >21 DeltaQueen50: - only because of the colour though. I've never developed any liking for tea.

Happy new thread! It's barely February and you've had to start a new one.

I'm eager to find out what you think of The Bee Sting.

Happy New Thread

Happy new thread. Getting on book in each category already is impressive, mine often seem to clump!

>33 mstrust: Jennifer, if I served you tea like that - you would be entirely within your rights to make a citizen's arrest!

>34 dudes22: & >35 LisaMorr: Thanks, Betty and Lisa.

>36 VivienneR: I think you are missing out, Vivienne. Sometimes there is nothing better than a good cup of tea!

>37 RidgewayGirl: Hi Kay. I am really enjoying The Bee Sting. I loved Skippy Dies so I guess this author agrees with me. I should finish the book later today.

>38 lowelibrary: Thanks, April.

>39 Helenliz: I usually try to make sure to read at least one book from each category per month, and after that I read what I feel like.

Book Number 25:

Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers - 4.5 ★
Category: A Cup of Tea Wil Solve It
February TIOLI #2: Book has an LT Rating of 4.0 or Better



Busman’s Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers has sat on my shelf for some time but was certainly well worth the wait. This book will be remembered as my favorite of the series highlighting as it does both the author’s style and her wonderful characters. We are celebrating the marriage of Lord Peter and Harriet Vane but I have to admit I was most thrilled that Lord Peter’s manservant, Bunther, was front and center in this offering.

Instead of going somewhere exotic for their honeymoon, Peter and Harriet slip away from their wedding and go to their newly purchased country home bringing Bunther along with them. Much to their surprise and although they had sent instructions, the house was far from ready for them. When the previous owner is discovered dead and most likely murdered, Harriet, Peter, and of course, Bunther have a mystery to solve.

In Busman’s Honeymoon we get to really appreciate the relationship between Harriet and Peter and can see that this is going to be a very successful marriage. The mixture of romance and murder mystery was very well done, and we also got to see a softer, more sensitive side to Lord Peter than he usually shows. My favorite line of the book was when Harriet declared her love for Peter but said she could happily marry Bunther. Of course Lord Peter totally agreed with her. This is the final book in the series and I am going to miss reading about these characters.

Hi, Judy. I am at the 440 page mark in The Bee Sting. I should finish it on Saturday. I am definitely warming up to Dickie. He was my least favorite before starting his section.

>41 DeltaQueen50: It took me a long time to get to Busman's Honeymoon too, Judy. I think it was because I didn't want the series to end.

>42 msf59: I am just the opposite, Mark. I liked Dickie much better before I read his section. I think he is a weak, ineffectual person who just let's things happen around him. He doesn't try to help anyone or even himself. He just seems to hope that someone else will come along and take care of things. I also didn't have much use for his father either. Still, I love the book and I will be sorry to see it end. But I am now off to curl up with the final pages and finish the book. :)

>43 Familyhistorian: I do this all the time, Meg. I hung onto the last John Rebus book so long that the author had gone back and started the series up again before I finally read the one that was meant to be the last of the series! I hate saying goodbye to my favorite characters.

I think - am quite sure you will enjoy The Last List of Mabel Beaumont. I'm really enjoying it. I think I'll finish it tomorrow. I'm am enjoying The Bee Sting discussion here on your thread. I felt sympathetic to all of the characters once I had their back stories. Such a great read!

>45 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, I finished The Bee Sting last night and the ending was, well surprising I guess is the word. Not sure how I feel about it, but overall this was an excellent read.

Book Number 26:

The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
Category: My Cup Runneth Over
2024 Reading Challenge: Longer than 400 pages
February Group Read
February TIOLI #6: Changing 1 letter makes a new title



The Bee Sting by Paul Murray is an Irish family saga, told from the point of view of the four members of the Barnes household. We are given a vivid portrayal of this hapless family and at first I had sympathy for all members, but as I read on, it grew more difficult for me to empathize in any way with the father. While wife, Imelda came across as selfish and unfeeling, her past story explained much. It’s was easy to care about 12 year old PJ and his concerns and older sister Cassandra, preparing to leave home for university, was struggling to find any empathy between herself and her family.

For me the biggest surprise in characterization was that of Dickie, the father. Originally he comes across as a rather bland and ineffectual businessman, father and husband but as we dig a little deeper we discover a very weak man with many secrets. His defense is to simply ignore his troubles and hope that they fade away or that someone else will fix them. I found The Bee Sting lacked the lighter touch and humour that Murray’s previous book, Skippy Dies delivered so well. In this book Murray seems to relish the flaws and anxieties of his characters who all appear on the brink of a break down.

The Bee Sting is an ambitious and imaginative novel that reached out and grabbed me from the first page. The Barnes are not a conventional family, and the author exposes them with apparently no regard for structure or punctuation, even his past and present tenses tend to run together. But I did enjoy reading about this absolute mess of a family in a book where everything and everybody appears to be on a collision course. That said I do have to mention the ending which both surprised and frustrated me somewhat.

>47 DeltaQueen50: That ending. I love when a book doesn't stick around, tying up unnecessary loose threads and making the last pages an extraneous slog, but this was too far in the other direction.

>47 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy, nice review of The Bee Sting. I think you and Kay rated the book higher than me. The ending left me frustrated.

>48 RidgewayGirl: I thought the ending suited the story. Throughout the book the author continuously built up to a climax but then steered the story in another direction so perhaps what we think was going to happen - didn't. After all Dickie had a habit of not following through!

>49 lsh63: I can certainly understand the frustration - I felt a little cheated at first until I thought it through.

Happy new(ish) thread, Judy!

>50 DeltaQueen50: That is the most hopeful guess on what happens next that I've seen.

>51 Storeetllr: Thanks, Mary!

>52 RidgewayGirl: Chuckles...

Book Number 27:

Fay by Larry Brown - 4.0 ★
Category: Badly Made Tea is a Criminal Offense
2024 Reading Challenge: Title Consists of a Name
February TIOLI #5: Rolling Challenge - Hearts and Flowers



Fay by Larry Brown is an intense coming-of-age story of a young woman who is forced to run away from her backwoods home by the unwanted advances of her father. Unfortunately she is destined to have men constantly watching her and trying to take advantage of her. This is not a pleasant story revolving as it does in the degradation and violence toward women but it is a very powerful one. Often labelled as Southern “Grit-Lit” I found that I was quickly caught up in unsavoury situation.

Like watching a car accident, we can see how Fay’s life is constantly going from bad to worse. We would like to root for her but it becomes obvious that as the author ups the tension and speed of the story, it is doubtful that we will see any redemption. Fay is naive and ignorant in that she has never had the opportunity to go to school but on the other hand she is very clever and is trying to improve her life. The men she meets along her way are not helpful, even the state trooper who tries to help her goes about it in the wrong way. Others, like the bar bouncer/drug pusher who deludes himself into thinking that he loves Fay, really just wants to control her.

The author builds his story around a strong sense of place. You can smell the barbecue, the salt of the ocean, the cigarettes and the cheap liquor. I did find that the pacing of the story was a little uneven but this is a Southern Gothic tale that is very dark, dangerous and damned. Violence hovers over every page of this noir thriller that exposes the seamier side of life in the strip clubs and bars of Biloxi, Mississippi. Sadly, we will never see the total potential of this author as he unfortunately passed away in 2004.

Wow, you're on your second thread already! Your tea party surely is a great success! :-)

>41 DeltaQueen50: I haven't read anything by Dorothy L. Sayers so far, although I have Whose Body? on my kindle. I'm looking forward to reading it, although I don't know when I will do so.

>55 MissBrangwen: I think my age has something to do with me reading and communicating as much as I can. Every time I think of how old I am and the thousands of books that I would like to get read - I open another book! Whose Body is the first of the Lord Peter books and I envy you having the whole series in front of you. He is a great character!

>54 DeltaQueen50: It's been a long time since I read a book by Larry Brown. I always struggled when I did, his characters were so real and so desperate. I liked his biography by Jean W. Cash.

>57 clue: I felt the same about his characters. I had to keep telling myself that they were fictional. I will definitely be looking for something else by this author - any recommendations?

The ending of The Bee Sting was somewhat frustrating, Judy, I have to agree. I found some peace and thoughts on the ending with this book-tuber https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rqf2XM3P9Sc . I hope that helps, it did for me. I finished The Last List of Mabel Beaumont and I really loved it. My comments are on my thread.

>59 vancouverdeb: Morning, Deb. Well, whatever one thinks about the ending of The Bee Sting, it certainly gets people talking! I'm ok with being able to put my own spin on it. I have a copy of The Last List of Mabel Beaumont on my Kindle now and hopefully will fit it in at some point this year.

Book Number 28:

The Solace of Open Spaces by Gretel Ehrlich - 4.0 ★
Category: Mul-Tea-Tasking
February AlphaKit: E
February TIOLI #2: An LT rating of 4.0 or Better



The Solace of Open Spaces by Gretel Ehrlich is a set of descriptive essays about the American West, in particular Wyoming, and the ranching way of life. My husband and I spent many of our holidays on driving trips throughout the west, and Wyoming, was one of our favorite destinations so I loved reading about the natural beauty and isolation of this magnificent state. Ehrlich was grieving the death of her partner when she came to Wyoming and found this a perfect place to recover. As a poet and a filmmaker she has both the eye and the words to paint a vivid picture of the place and the way of life that she found there.

There are twelve essays that comprise the book, each one dealing with a different aspect or adventure that she experienced. Sheep herding, attending rodeo, or Indigenous events all come to life under her pen. Personally my favorite essays were the ones that found her describing the scenery, nature and unexpected weather conditions. From the Wind River to the Big Horn Mountains, this is a special place and she captures the uniqueness of both the land and the people who live there with depth and humor.

Both meditative and descriptive, The Solace of Open Spaces explores a region of breathtaking mountains and colorful high plains. The author knows Wyoming and we, the readers, are invited to visit and soak up these open spaces for a short while.

>61 DeltaQueen50: Since I am from Wyoming this book worked very well for me last year. Thank you for this excellent and very descriptive review of the locale and the people. I wasn't part of the sheepherder, or cattle world but we encountered them often during our adventures around the state. We spent a lot of time in the high deserts and backpacking in the Wind River range and had numerous visits with sheepherders. What a life!

62 Joe, I envy that you got to live in that beautiful state. I fell in love with the country on the Big Horn Mountains - just beautiful. One of my favorite memories is having breakfast in Buffalo, Wyoming and watching the cowboys drive the cattle down the main street.

>56 DeltaQueen50: I'm inspired by your reading and reviews. Just had a milestone birthday myself last year, and it's part of my push to break through the reading impasse I've had over the last few years - I have quite a few years to catch up on!

>64 LisaMorr: Before I joined LT I most probably averaged about 50 books read per year - working, raising a family and housekeeping took up a good deal of time but now with retirement, family raised and leaving most of the housekeeping to others, I have lots of reading time - I would guess that my average now is around 110 books a year. I know I will never get to all the books I would like to - but I'll give it a pretty good try!

>65 DeltaQueen50: I love your attitude. I started really tracking my reading after joining LT in 2008 and averaged ~35 books (max 65) a year until 2021 when my reading just dropped off a cliff. Now I am looking very seriously at retirement this year and want to really up my reading game. I'd be really happy to read 50 books this year. I need to think about what I can do to read 50-100% more!

>66 LisaMorr: I would try and pick books that you really want to read, that will read quickly and hold your attention. For me that is often mysteries, romance or horror. In between the quick reads I schedule the more series reads - 1,001 books list, prize winners, books that I know I should read or have committed to. I am a fast reader which helps but I don't retain what I read like a slower reader. Writing my thoughts down on each book, really helps with my memory of the book. Reading challenges and setting strange goals also help me. One of my weird goals right now is to read and write a review for at least three books on every one of my LT book pages.

Happy Saturday, Judy. Very good review of The Bee Sting. An "absolute mess of a family" is a good way to describe it. I just finished it myself. I think I ended up liking it a little less than you but I really appreciated the last 50-60 pages as the narrative hurtled toward its tense conclusion. The main characters all seem to have come to a brighter place just before the blackout.

>68 msf59: I enjoyed The Bee Sting but I would say that I enjoyed Skippy Dies a little more. I can't wait to see what this author does next!

>58 DeltaQueen50: Of the ones I've read Joe by Larry Brown was my favorite.

>70 clue: Thanks, I will make note of that title. I see it's available for the Kindle.

>44 DeltaQueen50: I have only read a few of the Reebus mysteries so I have most of the series to look forward to, Judy. At least it is fairly long. The Wimsey series is relatively short by today's standards.

>61 DeltaQueen50: Judy, I’ve just started The Solace of Open Spaces to match you in TIOLI. I have never travelled to that part of the country but I am looking forward to reading about Wyoming.

>72 Familyhistorian: You're right about the length, Meg, before I knew it I was behind a number of books. Finishing off a series is hard work! :)

>73 lindapanzo: Hi Linda, I feel such an affinity with that state that I can't imagine reading The Solace of Open Spaces without having been there. I hope the essays appeal and if you ever get the chance to travel around Wyoming - go for it!

Book Number 29:

Devolution by Max Brooks - 4.2 ★
Category: The Dregs
February SFFKit: Critters & Creatures
February TIOLI #1: Book title starts with the same letter as my screen name



Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks is set in the deep Pacific Northwest forests near Mount Rainier in Washington State. The story is set in a small, isolated community developed specifically for technologically-dependent people. They are suddenly cut off from the rest of the world by a volcanic eruption. Then in addition to lacking outdoor survival skills and resources, they find themselves being attacked by a group of Bigfoot. While usually any writing about the legendary Sasquatch emphasizes that they are shy, solitary creatures, in this book they are like a tribe of chimpanzee, following a female leader and working together as a cohesive unit.

The story is dark and violent so words like “fun” and “enjoy” seem rather inappropriate but this stylish, dark, and captivating tale certainly pleased me. This isn’t a slow build up to excitement, the imaginative story quickly became disturbing and frightening. I live in the Pacific Northwest and do not for a moment believe in the Sasquatch but as a scary monster story, Devolution is very well done.

The author doesn’t bother with questions like “how did they get here?” or “where did they originate?” he simply jumps into this story of super-predators driven by hunger, stalking and hunting a group of lessor beings. As horror stories go, this one is a good one.

Hi Judy! Look at you, already on your second thread. And congrats on 29 books read already this year.

>47 DeltaQueen50: I appreciate your honesty about this book. I find myself sometimes in the mood for reading about families and their struggles, so I'll look for this one when the mood hits me.

>61 DeltaQueen50: This sounds wonderful and very descriptive. I've been thru much of the American West, including Utah and Montana, but only briefly and only as a tourist. Maybe I should put Wyoming on my list??

>67 DeltaQueen50: That's good advice. I do blaze through my favorite genres like SF, fantasy and horror, and the 1001 books, non-fiction and prize winners usually take longer. I do want to read those books too though! I'll find a balance! Making sure I write a review for the book on LT helps me as well.

>75 DeltaQueen50: This one goes on my list - I really enjoyed World War Z, and sounds like I will enjoy this one too.

Hi, Judy!
>75 DeltaQueen50: Sounds like a winner!

>76 threadnsong: Hi Threadnsong, I would say yes, give Wyoming a visit - there is lots to see there - from Yellowstone Park, the rodeo at Cody, the beautiful Big Horn Mountains and the Devil's Tower. It's worth the visit.

>77 LisaMorr: & >78 LisaMorr: Enjoy your reading, Lisa. Just be sure not to burn yourself out - keep it fun not a chore. :) Devolution is a fun read - not to be taken too seriously.

>79 mstrust: If you are looking for scary critters, Devolution is the book for you. The description of the smell was something that really got to me as I have been out in the woods and smelt something very similar - like garbage and sulfur mixed together - we assumed that a bear was close by but maybe it was something different ...

Book Number 30:

Escape of the Amethyst by C.E. Lucas Phillips - 3.5 ★
Category: Boston Tea Party
February Reading Thru Time: Aquarius & Amethyst
Bingo: Less Than 100 Copies on LT
February RandomCat: Escape or Rescue
February CalendarCat: Birthstone in Title
February TIOLI #5: Rolling Challenge - Hearts and Flowers



In April of 1949 H.M.S. frigate Amethyst proceeded peacefully up the Yangtze River in China. Her mission was to park at Nanking as serve as guard for the British Embassy. The country was in turmoil with the Nationalist Party under Chiang Kai-Shek fighting against the Communist Party led by Mao Tse-tung. By October of that year, the Communists would emerge victorious.

As they sailed upriver on April 20th the frigate suddenly came under devastating fire from a Communist shore battery. Over the next few days there was continuous attacks and 22 British were killed, including the Captain of the ship with another 45 wounded. Author C. E. Lucas Phillips offers his book, Escape of the Amethyst as a detailed explanation of how this incident came to be and how, as the Communists would never admit to making a mistake, three months later it was decided that the only way for the ship to gain freedom was to make a run for the ocean, 200 miles downriver.

Escape of the Amethyst fills in the political background and gives us a picture of how the frigate was set up and who was serving on her. Although this part of the book is rather dry, it is necessary to fully understand the implications of this incident. The book becomes exciting when he describes the original attacks and the dangerous escape. I suspect this is a book that would most appeal to fans of true war stories and naval buffs.

Hi Judy - You are plugging right along! I have The Solace of Open Spaces on my shelves and hope to read it soon. I've read a lot of comments about The Bee Sting and am still not sure I want to pick it up.

>82 BLBera: Hi Beth. I really enjoyed Paul Murray's writing with Skippy Dies a number of years ago. So I knew that I would be reading The Bee Sting no matter what. I did enjoy it but I can see that perhaps not everyone would. It's a long book so quite a time investment.

Happy Valentine's Day!

>84 DeltaQueen50: We just had Fortnum & Mason Royal Blend tea, accompanied by clotted cream, lemon curd, and Swedish Cloudberry Jam. Placed on plain butter croissants to each person's choice. Using Maria Theresa China. Yummy!

>85 JoeB1934: Wow, that does sound good. You got my mouth watering!

Book Number 31:

A Winter Away by Elizabeth Fair - 3.0 ★
Category: Polly Put the Kettle On
February AlphaKit: F
2024 Reading Challenge: Snow on Cover
February TIOLI #5: Rolling Challenge: Hearts And Flowers



A Winter Away by Elizabeth Fair is set in a small English village and is partly a love story featuring Maud Ansdell as she arrives to stay with her elder cousin Alice and take on a secretarial position at a nearby country house. I was fully expecting to love this story but unfortunately I just couldn’t get into it. Although this was meant to be a gentle satire on post-war rural English life, the slow moving plot did little to draw me in.

The romance aspect was light and felt almost like an afterthought and the author’s attempt at humor fell flat with me. The characters were meant to be a group of misfits but, I found the characterizations were overdone and unbelievable. I had previously read Bramton Wick by this author and enjoyed it so was surprised that I didn’t have the same reaction to A Winter Away.

As always I love the cover that Furrowed Middlebrow used and I do plan on reading more from this author in the future as I have a couple more of her books on my Kindle.

Book Number 32:

From the Dead by Mark Billingham - 4.0 ★
Category: One Lump or Two
February TIOLI #9: Title Conveys Menace



From the Dead by Mark Billingham is the 9th book in his police procedural series that features DI Tom Thorne. The book opens with a woman, Donna Langford, being released from prison after having spent 10 years there for the murder of her gangster husband. She is distraught because her eighteen year old daughter has disappeared and by a series of photographs sent to her of that show her dead husband alive and well.

Thorne is assigned to look into what happened both 10 years ago and to find out who died, burnt to death in a car in Langford’s place. Hunting for Alan Langford’s current location finds Thorne having to travel to Spain. This is a tough case as whenever he interviews a witness they turn up murdered shortly after. The bodies mount and at one point even Thorne comes under fire but instead of killing him, they kill the woman he was working with on the case.

While From the Dead isn’t a particularly puzzling mystery, the author does highlight police and prison corruption and gives us more insight into the character of Tom Thorne. I have enjoyed all the books in this entertaining and intelligent series and look forward to continuing on.

>88 DeltaQueen50: Although I'm not going to pick up his books, I do like Mark Billingham the person whenever I've heard him interviewed. He has a background in standup comedy, I believe, and it definitely comes across. He also manages the England team for the annual English v Scottish crime writers football match at the Bloody Scotland festival, and plays in the Fun Lovin' Crime Writers band.

>85 JoeB1934: Cloudberry jam, yum! I'll be visiting Sweden in July and will definitely be looking to stock up on cloudberry jam.

>90 LisaMorr: Good time to buy there as in US it is $25 for 14.5 oz jar!
P.S. I notice that we share many of my favorite mystery authors, like Tana French

>89 Jackie_K: His humor comes out in the Tom Thorne books and help to offset the darker side. He sounds like an interesting guy over and beyond his writing.
>90 LisaMorr: & >91 JoeB1934: Wow, Cloudberry Jam is expensive. I have never tasted it and know nothing about Cloudberries so I Googled and was surprised to find they are golden in color and compared in taste to blackberries. I was expecting something more like a wild blueberry.

Book Number 33:

Red Hair by Elinor Glyn - 3.0 ★
Category: Polly Put the Kettle On
February TIOLI #4: Connection to Hair



***Spoiler Alert: If you are planning on reading this book, please skip this review as there are spoilers included***

Red Hair by Elinor Glyn is a vintage romance story that was originally published in 1905. I suspect that the author had her tongue firmly in her cheek when she wrote about Evangeline Travers, a young, ravishing redhead who has been brought up by a rich guardian, Mrs. Carruthers. Upon Mrs. Carruthers death, her nephew and heir, Christopher arrives but he rejects the arranged marriage that the older woman desired. He then changes his mind, tries to contain Evangeline and marry her. His friend Lord Robert arrives and all too soon both men are dancing to the tune that Evangeline plays.

Evangeline is rather a provoking heroine, she appears to be amusing herself with these men, flirting outrageously and threatening to become an adventuress. It appears that because of her red hair everyone expects her to be trouble but with no connections or money there is not a lot she can do. Christopher eventually appears to forget about her but Lord Robert stays near and eventually wins Evangeline as his wife.

I found Red Hair to be rather dated and silly. It was originally published under the title “The Vicissitudes of Evangeline” which seems a much more fitting title. This was a light and quick read but I couldn’t help but think that the author originally meant for the romance to have been Evangeline and Christopher as they seemed to have much more chemistry and she and Lord Robert had. But Evangeline was very clever and perhaps becoming a duchess is exactly what she planned for.

>92 DeltaQueen50: I've never actually looked for it in the US - and I'm not surprised that it is expensive. I also hope to find some cloudberry cheese while we're in Helsinki, which we discovered on a tour during lunch the first time we visited. I have a friend in Norway who told me that his father had a secret bog to pick cloudberries and he didn't disclose the location until he was no longer able to go pick them himself!
>91 JoeB1934: Yes, we do, and also lots of classics, and others like Auster, Atwood and Ishiguro!

>92 DeltaQueen50: I would say the color was a little more on the reddish ting, with more of a raspberry oriented flavor. Different than anything I have tasted.

By the way if you are going to Sweden my favorite jam brand is Scandinavian Delights. All flavors, but especially my favorite black current, apricot, strawberry, etc.

They also cost about $25 each in US but we discovered last year that Marshalls sells leftovers from somebody at about $6 each.

>95 JoeB1934: I'll look for that brand!

>88 DeltaQueen50: The Tom Thorne novel sounds like a good one, Judy. I have a few books by Mark Billingham books on the shelves and really should get to them soon.

>98 DeltaQueen50: They are good, Meg, and another one of my many, many series that I am hooked on.

Book Number 34:

Dead Mountain by Donnie Eichar - 4.0 ★
Category: Boston Tea Party
February Mystery Kit: Unsolved Mystery
February TIOLI #1: Book title starts with the same letter as my screen name



Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident by Donnie Eichar tells of the 1959 Russian student hiking expedition where all 9 participants lost their lives in an unexplained and brutal manner. Eichar took up his quest to find answers in 2009 and intensive research and two trips to Russia eventually gave him a working theory on what happened the night of February 1, 1959. Although his theory hasn’t been totally accepted, it does seem to have the ring of truth to it and certainly makes more sense than aliens or mass murder.

The author is a film and TV director and producer. He came across the 50 year-old mystery of the Russian hikers and was so intrigued that he spent the next few years in following the information and in interviewing anyone who had a connection to the incident. The seven men and two women of the expedition were expert hikers, used to both the type of terrain and the fierce weather conditions that they found in the Ural Mountains. There were many theories swirling around including that of aliens, government conspiracy, escaped political prisoners and freak weather conditions that the author needed to explore and discard. But the fact remained that all nine hikers seemed to have left the tent in a frenzy that night and wandered off with no shoes and barely clothed in the sub-zero temperature.

I wasn’t expecting a lot from this book, but the author managed to totally intrigue me and I couldn’t put it down. The questions just seem to keep mounting and I believe the author did a thorough job of sorting though the information and not sensationalizing the events. This was an overwhelming tragedy at the time and even today stirs the emotions and baffles the mind.

>99 DeltaQueen50: A BB for me!

>100 Tess_W: I picked up Dead Mountain for my Kindle at a reduced price and wasn't expecting it to be very good but it was both better written and more interesting than expected.

>99 DeltaQueen50: That does sound interesting, Judy.

>99 DeltaQueen50: That was an interesting book, but I do question your timing. Shouldn't books like this be read when there's a heat wave?

>99 DeltaQueen50: Oooh, that sounds like a good one! I've yet to delve into this mystery, only listened to a podcast about it.

>102 BLBera: It totally hooked me, Beth. :)

>103 RidgewayGirl: You are so right - it would have been much better to read about the snow, ice and temperatures of 30 below if it was sweltering out!

>104 mstrust: It is a good one, Jennifer and as Kay points out - a good read for you when your Arizona weather gets too hot!

>87 DeltaQueen50: That cover screamed "read me" to me, but your review made me reconsider. I'll think on it.

>106 thornton37814: It did to me too, Lori. I was disappointed but I will certainly give this author another try as I did really enjoy Bramton Wick by her.

Book Number 35:

Providence by Max Barry - 4.0 ★
Category: The Formula for your Cuppa
Rainbow Reading Challenge: February - Red Cover
Bingo: Read a Cat
February CalendarCat: Red Cover
February TIOLI #7: The name of a city is in the title



I found Providence by Max Barry an interesting read, a science fiction story about space combat, aliens, survival and getting along with one’s fellow space warriors. As a heavily armed “Providence” spaceship heads into deep space for a two year stint battling an alien race of salamander type creatures we find out that there is only a small crew of four people. We quickly learn that the AI of the ship makes all the decisions and the people are simply along for media coverage.

After a series of successful engagements, the ship heads deep into enemy territory and a number of things go awry. The ship’s AI experiences a slight malfunction, the crew are stressed and having a difficult time with both the situation and each other, and the enemy is experimenting with different attack methods. Now struggling to survive and about to lose the ship, the last third of the book is rife with tension, action and surprises.

My one complaint about the book was that I found the characters to be rather tiresome. I don’t mind reading about characters that I dislike, but there were times with these characters that I wanted to bump their heads together. Perhaps that was the author’s intention and meant to add to the claustrophobic atmosphere and the feeling of isolation. I haven’t read very many military space operas so for me, Providence was original, intense and compelling.

>107 DeltaQueen50: I had enough Kindle credits to get Bramton Wick free for Kindle, so I'll try it! I think I'll count it as my first book for my upcoming Thingaversary!

>108 DeltaQueen50: You got me with a BB for Providence--thanks!

Karen O

>109 thornton37814: I hope you enjoy Bramton Wick, Lori. There are a number of books by various authors published by The Furrowed Middlebrow that are very appealing and hard to resist!

>110 klobrien2: You are most welcome. I hope you enjoy Providence when you get to it.

Providence sounds like my kind of book.

Finally got to your second thread and read it through. Some good book discussion here.

>112 hailelib: Hi Trisha! It's a fun read.

Book Number 36:

After Siege by Rhiannon Frater - 2.5 ★
Category: The Dregs
February TIOLI #14: A Two or Three Word Title



After Siege by Rhiannon Frater is the 4th book in an on-going series entitled “As the World Dies” about a zombie apocalypse and the group of Texans who have fortified a small town and are making an attempt to carry on with life. While I really enjoyed the first two books of the series, it has progressively gotten weaker and although there is at least one more book in the series, I am finished with it.

In this particular volume a new character is introduced. Emma has come to the fort after being on her own for some time. Her son became a zombie and until she had found him and put him to rest, she couldn’t move on with her own life. Now, as a member of the fort she is ready to join this new community and help to keep it safe. After rescuing three people who had left the fort, they realize that there are more zombies on the outskirts of town than they realized. They also learn of a right wing military force who could possibly be a threat.

Personally I think it’s unfortunate that the author didn’t let this series stand after the first two books. She seemed to write herself into a corner by killing off the best character and in order to move the story along she brought her back as a ghost, along with others who would appear and pass messages along. I guess if you are writing about zombies, then ghosts shouldn’t be too much of a stretch, but it has proved to be too much for me.

Book Number 37:

Fairy Water by Charlotte Riddell - 3.2 ★
Category: My Cup Runneth Over
February ScaredyKit: Gothic
February TIOLI #6: Changing one letter makes a new title



Fairy Water by Victorian author Charlotte Riddell is a rather short novel that encompasses a quiet ghost story as well as the trials of a young widow. The narrator, Stafford Trevor, recounts how his elderly cousin marries a girl young enough to be his granddaughter. When the cousin dies he leaves his young widow and her children tied to the house called Fairy Water and makes it impossible for her to ever marry again. Stafford befriends the widow and vows to act as her and her children's protector.

Meanwhile he purchases a country house for himself called Crow Hall from a young friend, Valentine, and this home appears to be haunted. Valentine reports how his own father was driven mad by the ghostly apparition at Crow Hall. Stafford again vows to help him lay the ghost to rest. At first the two plot lines appeared to have no connection, but eventually they are tied together and Stafford has his hands full trying to help both Mary and Valentine.

While Fairy Water was an easy read, I took neither a liking nor a disliking to it. I love a good ghost story but this one was pretty mild. The best part of the book was the narrator, Stafford Trevor. His delivery was earnest, caring and at times quite humorous.

>115 DeltaQueen50: I haven't heard of Charlotte Riddell before - have you read anything else by her?

>116 MissBrangwen: I haven't read anything else by Charlotte Riddell (1832 - 1906) before this one. She apparently specialized in writing ghost stories and was also part-owner and editor of St. James Magazine, a popular literary journal of the time.

Happy Wednesday, Judy. Just checking in. It looks like those books have been hit or miss for you lately. Hoping for more hits.

>118 msf59: Thanks, Mark. My latest books are much, much better. :)

Book Number 38:

Lady-in-Waiting by Anne Glenconner - 4.0 ★
Category: Polly Put the Kettle On
February TIOLI #5: Rolling Challenge - Hearts and Flowers



Lady-in-Waiting by Anne Glenconner is a fascinating memoir about her life. As the daughter of an Earl and wife of a Baron her life was interesting and varied. Growing up on a huge estate in Norfolk she was playmates with the future Queen and her sister. She was one of Queen Elizabeth’s Maids of Honor for the Queen’s coronation and Lady-in-Waiting to Princess Margaret for over twenty years.

Her life was one of both magic and despair. Her husband was extremely difficult and tragedy struck her family more than once. At the same time she was of a privileged class and her friendship with Princess Margaret granted her access to many secrets, affairs and events. She and her husband were the owners of the island of Mustique and he, in particular, worked hard at developing the island into a glamorous retreat for the rich and famous.

Lady-in-Waiting is chock full of interesting incidents told in a conversational style and regardless of whether she tells the whole truth, the book is an absorbing read with it’s glimpses into royal life and the aristocracy who truly are different from the rest of us.

>120 DeltaQueen50: I enjoyed Anne Glenconner's book too. While her life sounded glamorous I wouldn't wish for any part of it - especially the husband - although I think she enjoyed his "eccentricities"!

>120 DeltaQueen50: I am pretty sure that this is on my WL somewhere, but taking note again just to be sure!

>121 VivienneR: Yes, it seemed that people of that class relished being different - even if it meant looking ridiculous. I think he had more money than sense but at least their lavish life style meant that she could spend most of the time away from him.

>122 MissBrangwen: It is an interesting read and one that shows money and rank don't help when it come to happiness.

Book Number 39:

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate - 5.0 ★
Category: My Cup Runneth Over
Bingo: Friendship
February TIOLI #8: Published in a Year of the Dragon (2012)



The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate and illustrated by Patricia Castelao is a Newberry Medal children’s book that will appeal to all ages. We meet a silverback gorilla named Ivan who has lived in a cage in a shopping mall for most of his life. Ivan considers himself an artist and indeed, his crayon pictures are sold for $25.00. He lives with his friends, Stella the Elephant and Bob the dog. While Ivan and Stella are part of the show that the mall puts on three times a day, Bob is a homeless dog who has taken up residency with them.

Ivan is an easygoing gorilla, mostly content with his life but when a young elephant called Ruby is brought into their midst and Stella becomes her protector, Ivan makes a promise to help Ruby get away from the mall and find a better home where she won’t be chained up and has other elephants for company. Ivan eventually comes up with a plan that sees huge changes come about for all the animals.

I absolutely loved this story and Ivan is such a memorable character. The One and Only Ivan is a wonderful book for elementary children and animal lovers of all ages. The story is narrated by Ivan and is in turns funny, sad, loving and uplifting. An absolute children’s classic!

>124 DeltaQueen50: Oh, you hit me with a BB for The One and Only Ivan! Thanks!

Karen O

>125 klobrien2: The One and Only Ivan is a special book and I am sure you will love it when you get to it. :)

Book Number 40:

The Girl on the Stairs by Louise Welsh - 4.2 ★
Category: Badly Made Tea is a Criminal Offense
Bingo: Set in a City
February TIOLI#13: Set in an European Capitol City



The Girl on the Stairs is a psychological crime thriller by Scottish author Louise Welsh. Jane and Petra are a lesbian couple who are expecting a baby. Jane is pregnant and has just moved to Berlin to join Petra. She is feeling a little isolated as she has no friends in Berlin and speaks little of the language. Petra is a successful businesswoman who often has to travel for her job. With little to keep her occupied, Jane becomes obsessed with the father and daughter who live next door. She hears arguments in the middle of the night and sees bruises on the 13 year old’s face and becomes insistent that the father is abusing his daughter. She also becomes involved with an older couple who live downstairs, although the woman is suffering from dementia and the man isn’t very welcoming. She hears rumors about the mother of the family next door being either missing or murdered.

The story is gripping and keeps the reader guessing whether any of what Jane suspects is true. Jane is obviously damaged in many ways herself but as soon as one starts to doubt Jane, something happens to escalate her suspicions and bring us back to her side. The atmosphere is dark and tense as Jane explores her neighbourhood that includes a derelict building that overlooks the apartment. Everyone in the book appears to be lying and keeping secrets. Who to believe – who to trust?

The Girl on the Stairs had me rooting for Jane one minute and wanting to force her to give up her poking and prying ways the next. The author maintains a claustrophobic tension throughout the book and the many twists and turns keep the pages turning. The book is unsettling and disturbing to the point that many readers will be uncomfortable. Personally, I give it a big thumbs up!

>127 DeltaQueen50: I think that this book is a bit too disturbing for me personally, but it does sound like a gripping story!

>128 MissBrangwen: It was almost too disturbing for me as well!

Book Number 41:

Mojave Crossing by Louis L'Amour - 3.6 ★
Category: My Cup Runneth Over
2024 Reading Challenge: Book has less than 200 pages
February TIOLI #15: Author was born and died in the 20th century



Mojave Crossing by Louis L’Amour is part of the on-going Sackett Family series. In this outing we once again join Tell Sackett as he packs his hard earned gold to California. He plans to see the gold for a better price than he can get in Arizona. On his return he hopes to buy land and start a cattle ranch. His romance with Ange has been put on hold as she went back east to visit relatives and he hasn’t heard from her.

He meets a lady and agrees to help her in crossing the Mojave Desert and reaching Los Angeles, this good deed opens a can of worms as before he knows it they are being tailed through the desert and shot at. This gang eventually catches them, take the woman and the gold and leave Tell for dead. Of course, Tell vows to find them and retrieve his gold. As he battles a number of bad guys for his gold, he meets up with a cousin, Nolan Sackett, and although he has been working on the wrong side of the law, when push comes to shove, blood is thicker than water.

A quick, action packed read that I thought was a good addition to the series.

Great books you're reading (and some, well, not so great), Judy.

>99 DeltaQueen50: sounds fascinating and would fit in with The Terror and Into Thin Air, both of which make me grateful for the comfort of a well-heated home.

>127 DeltaQueen50: Ooooh, creepy! Would need to be in the right mood for this book but it sounds very, very interesting.

>131 threadnsong: Quantity wise, I have had a very good reading month. And the quality hasn't been too bad either. Both Dead Mountain and The Girl on the Stairs were good reads although rather dark.

>130 DeltaQueen50: Loved L'Amour's book of poetry, Smoke From This Alter!

>133 mysterymax: Oh, I didn't know he wrote poetry as well - will have to keep an eye out for that!

Book Number 42:

The Mugger by Ed McBain - 4.0 ★
Category: Mul-Tea-Tasking
February TIOLI #14: A Two or Three Word Title



The Mugger by Ed McBain is the second book in his 87th Precinct series about the day-to-day job of detectives that work out of a distinct precinct in a large city. In this outing we mostly follow Patrolman Bert Kling and see how he got his promotion to detective.

The precinct has been plagued by a mugger who brutally targets women. The violence is escalating with each crime and now they have a murdered young woman who appears to be his latest victim. Bert Kling is a family friend of the victim and agrees to look into what happened. Meanwhile Detectives Willis and Hallivand are able to find and arrest the mugger but evidence shows that he did not commit the murder. Bert puts all the pieces together, earns his promotion and the precinct can put two cases to rest.

I know that I read many of these books when I was younger but I am really enjoying working my way through the series again. This unique series follows many different characters and certainly gives us a strong idea of how cops worked in the 1950s. We also get a glimpse of their home life and in Bert’s case it could be that he has met the love of his life. A short and satisfying read.

>127 DeltaQueen50: oooh, I'll take a BB for The girl on the Stairs!

Hi, Judy!
>135 DeltaQueen50: I have a few McBain's on the shelf and even took one with me when I went away for this past weekend but didn't get a chance to open it. I've been meaning to start this series for a few years now ;-c

>136 LisaMorr: Lisa, I hope you enjoy The Girl on the Stairs when you get to it. My introduction to this author was a dystopian trilogy called "Plague Times" (1. A Lovely Way to Burn, 2. Death is a Welcome Guest and 3. No Dominion) which I really liked.

>137 mstrust: I am loving this series, it has that 1950s feel and the stories so far have been really good. Of course there are some pretty dated attitudes especially towards women but that is pretty authentic to the times. So far I have been able to get the books through Kindle Unlimited so that is a big plus as well.

Book Number 43:

The Dressmaker's Gift by Fiona Valpy - 3.7 ★
Category: Tea for Two
February TIOLI #3: Read a Love Story



The Dressmaker’s Gift by Fiona Valpy is a historical fiction novel set in nazi occupied Paris during WW II. It is the story of three young women who work as seamstresses for a designer. They live together in a small apartment on the 5th floor of the building that houses the designer’s workshop. While on the surface the three are going about their lives as best as they can in the difficult times but in actuality, all three have secrets as some are working for the Resistance and one is dating a German officer.

The author does an admirable job in her descriptions of 1940s occupied Paris and the plot although rather familiar in feel, is gripping. As with many historical novels today, we follow two timelines, one set in the 1940s and one set in modern times. In this book, I thought the double timeline worked quite well as a way to recount the past, as a granddaughter traces her family history through her grandmother’s war time activities. On the other hand I felt the book got a little clunky in the telling of the modern story as the author tried to make parallels between the two stories that just didn’t work.

Nevertheless, I thought The Dressmaker’s Gift was interesting and certainly held my attention with the details about the French fashion industry and the war-time conditions in Paris. Overall the book was a well-told account of survival and friendship.

>130 DeltaQueen50: I really want to read more westerns this year. For March, I've got a Louis L'Amour slotted in TIOLI.

>140 lindapanzo: I read two westerns in February and was beginning to regret not having a category just for westerns this year. I find they are usually great escape reads.

>141 DeltaQueen50: - I agree. I just Finished Montana, 1948 which I took a BB from you 10 (!) years ago and wondered why I hadn't read it sooner. Seems I've read a few westerns from your recommendations.

>142 dudes22: Betty, you made me feel better about the BBs that I have had for years. It's good to hear that you enjoyed the book.

>139 DeltaQueen50: You liked this one much better than I. I thought the dual time line was poorly done. I think the story about Harriet could have been done away with altogether.

>144 Tess_W: I think you are right - Harriet's story felt forced. I think the author was trying to draw parallels that just weren't there.

Book Number 44:

The Incredible Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson - 4.0 ★
Category: The Formula for Your Cuppa
2024 Reading Challenge: Set in the 1950s
March TIOLI #3: Celebrating Alcottacre's Birthday



When I was a kid, I remember watching a lot of older B Movies on television and I always enjoyed the science fiction movies where radiation turned small insects into giant ants or spiders but my absolute favorite was the one about a man exposed to radiation that caused him to become The Incredible Shrinking Man. Now I have finally read the book that was written by author Richard Matheson.

I found the book quite different from how I remember the movie. In the book Scott Carey is less of the stalwart hero and more of the flawed leading man who is frustrated, angry and self-pitying, in actuality much more believable. He strikes out at those closest to him and resents any gesture that he thinks is pity. The book does become more cerebral toward the end as he contemplates the meaning of his life – but for those action lovers, don’t worry, he still has battles with the giant (to him) spider.

The Incredible Shrinking Man is very much a product of the 1950s with it’s reference to radiation and it’s assignment of the roles that men and women play. Along with his disappearing height and self-esteem, Scott very much feels that his shrinking body is shedding his masculinity as well. He loses confidence and becomes estranged from his family. Although sad, this is a well-written, imaginative survival story of one man’s emotional and psychological journey.

>127 DeltaQueen50: Thank you for that BB! Louise Welsh is one of my fave authors! The Girl on the Stairs is a must-read for me.

>146 DeltaQueen50: Sounds intriguing. Worth a second look.

Hello Judy! I enjoyed Lady In Waiting too - it is a very different life indeed. Your total for the year so far is amazing - 44 books!

>147 VivienneR: Louise Welsh is fast becoming a favorite author of mine as well. I really enjoyed her apocalyptic trilogy "Plague Times" as well.

>148 susanj67: Hi Susan. The older I get the more books I find that I want to read - so I am trying to get through as many as possible!

>87 DeltaQueen50: I've not read any of Elizabeth Fair's works but I've enjoyed the other Furrowed Middlebrow books I've read, and I too love the covers!

Book Number 45:

The Witch Elm by Tana French - 3.6 ★
Category: Polly Put the Kettle On
March Calendar Cat: Irish Author for Saint Patrick's Day
Bingo: A Book From a Similar Library at LT (lsh63)
March TIOLI #5: Embedded Word in Author's Name



I am a fan of author Tana French and I look forward to reading her series, "The Dublin Murder Squad" so I was excited about the stand alone novel, The Witch Elm. Unfortunately it didn’t come up to the level I am used to getting from this author. The author does tend to write very long books but usually they hold my attention. In this case I thought the story was way too long and could easily have been shortened by 100 pages or more. The author went on and on with details that I didn’t feel needed to be explored at such great length. Eventually though the story took off and for me, the last third of the book was the best.

Part of the problem I had with this book was my own fault. I had high expectations and was disappointed when they weren’t met. I was expecting an exciting mystery but this book is a combination character study, family drama and mystery. Obviously the author felt that the mystery was the least important aspect and so put more time into the main character’s development and the family dynamics.

I have no quibbles with the actual writing, Tana French presents well developed characters that are believable in the situations that she places them. And while the book didn’t totally work for me as I was expecting more of a page-turner, The Witch Elm is a well done study of perception, family loyalties and how our memory serves us.

>151 DeltaQueen50: Ah! This was my first (and only) Tana French. I had not picked up anything else because I thought they might all be in this vein. I also agree that about 100 pages could be removed from this book. In my review I wrote that "90 pages of dialogue between the protagonist and his cousin was not necessary!" I may try one of her murder squad books.

>152 Tess_W: Hi Tess. I really enjoy her "Murder Squad" books and I hope you give her a try with those.

I looked up what the library holds of Tana French, and it has multiple copies of The Wych Elm. Maybe not if it is overlong. They don't have book 1 of the Dublin Murder squad though.

>154 Helenliz: I'm surprised that your library doesn't have all of her "Murder Squad" books as they are very popular. They probably don't have that book as their original copy got worn out - maybe a request to resupply the book would work.

Book Number 46:

The Missing Place by Sophie Littlefield - 4.0 ★
Category: Badly Made Tea is a Criminal Offense
March TIOLI #5: Embedded Word in Author's Name



The Missing Place by Sophie Littlefield is an intense story set against the backdrop of North Dakota’s oil boom as two very different mothers join together to search for their missing sons. The author totally caught the feel of the boom-town with it’s lively nightlife, bustling traffic, and how everyone is out is make money while it lasts and not very interested in two twenty-something boys who have disappeared. This lack of interest even seems to apply to the police as they are more than ready to brush off the mother’s concern. They suggest that the two boys, Paul Mitchell and Taylor Capparelli have taken off looking for a warmer climate.

But these mothers know their sons, and know that they wouldn’t just pick up and leave all their things behind. They start their own investigation, not caring who they disturb or what information they bring to light. Even though these mothers are totally mismatched, Shay being a street-smart single mother who has toughened over the years and Colleen being a pampered well-to-do housewife, their search for their sons ties them together. But will the worry, fear and exhaustion tear these two women apart or will they be able to find a way to work together.

I was totally absorbed by The Missing Place and the interaction between the two women. As more information is slowly revealed, I was in awe of what these women were willing to take on in order to find out what happened. I thought the author did an excellent job with the setting as a number of years ago my husband and I landed in Williston, North Dakota while on a road trip and experienced the hustle and bustle of the oil boom ourselves. I will definitely be on the look-out for more by this author.

>156 DeltaQueen50: Taking a BB for this one.

>157 lowelibrary: I hope you enjoy it when you get to it. :)

Book Number 47:

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden - 4.3 ★
Category: The Mad Hatter's Tea Party
March RandomCat: World Wildlife Day
March TIOLI #5: Embedded Word in Author's Name



The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden is a rich fantasy novel that makes one remember the fairy tales told to them when young. Mostly set in the far northern woods of Russia, we read of Vasilisa Petrovna, daughter of a wealthy boyar and heir to her dead mother’s magic.

Vasya, as she is called, can see spirits, the small creatures that guard their hearth, their stables and live in the woods and lakes that form their land. When her father remarries Vasya realizes that her new stepmom can see the spirits as well, but she is afraid of them and calls them demons. She also dislikes her stepdaughter and wishes to be rid of her. The new priest who has come to their northern lands is obsessed with Vasya but also wishes to tame and control her. Furthermore there is something out in the woods that is watching Vasya with hungry eyes.

The Bear and the Nightingale is an excellent story. The author has woven together Russian folklore and fairy tale magic to come up with a beautiful tale of feudal Russia. The details are deep, colorful and exotic. The story did drag a little here and there as the author was very thorough in her descriptions but she has certainly left me craving more of this story.

>159 DeltaQueen50: I loved this one! Vasya's adventures continue in the sequels, The Girl in the Tower and The Winter of the Witch.

>159 DeltaQueen50: Got me again. Taking a BB for this one.

>159 DeltaQueen50: Oh I loved this book! this has all the things I love about fairy tales, and folk tales. You could feel how cold it was during a windter in Russia, you could almowt see the woods and little people watching over the oven. you must continue and read the next two books:girl in a tower and the winter of the witch I need to check to see if shes got something new

>160 christina_reads: I have the next two books in the trilogy - now I just have to find space to fit them in!

>161 lowelibrary: The Bear and the Nightingale is the first book in a trilogy - better make room on your shelves!

>162 cindydavid4: She does have a new book out. It's called The Warm Hands of Ghosts and I have already added it to my Thingaversary list.

oh great, thanks!

Book Number 48:

Undead With Benefits by Jeff Hart - 3.4 ★
Category: The Dregs
March AlphaKit: H
March TIOLI #5: Embedded Word in Author's Name



Undead With Benefits by Jeff Hart is a sequel to Eat, Brains, Love, a YA zombie story that was an equal combination of grossness, horror and humor. Basically this second book offers more of the same but I found that this time I quickly grew tired of the repetitive teen humor and angst.

The story continues with Jake, Amanda and Cass off on a road trip to Iowa as they search for the rumored zombie cure. They do get separated and have different adventures but overall I didn’t think this book brought anything new to the table. Personally I am fine with the ending but I have seen that many felt that it didn’t answer all the questions they had and were left hoping for another book.

While I enjoyed the awkward love triangle between the three main characters and the mindless ghouls that came out of the cornfields, I did find that the zombie warlord who ruled Des Moines was a little too much. Of course I realize that I am not the target audience for this offbeat adventure, but unfortunately I found most of this book rather boring.

At first I thought, hooray, a sequel! But maybe not cheer-worthy.

>159 DeltaQueen50: This one sounds good to me. Also, thanks for reminding me of the L’Amour books earlier on the thread.

>166 mstrust: Let's just say that I am glad that I borrowed the book from the library so didn't have to pay for it. It could have just been my mood as there are plenty of positive reviews.

>167 hailelib: I am looking forward to continuing on with the trilogy!

>163 DeltaQueen50: Duly noted. I am working on clearing out another room so I can buy more shelves.

>159 DeltaQueen50: BB for me!

>169 lowelibrary: More bookshelves sounds like the right way to go! :)

>170 LisaMorr: Hooray!

Book Number 49:

Citizens Creek by Lalita Tademy - 4.2 ★
Category: Cup or Mug
Bingo: A POC Author
2024 Reading Challenge: A Family Saga
March Rainbow Challenge: Green Cover
March TIOLI #6: Rolling Challenge - Shamrock



Citizens Creek by Lalita Tademy is a historical fiction novel based on the real lives of a black man, Cow Tom, and his granddaughter, Rose.

Cow Tom showed a gift for languages and acted as the translator for his owner as well as being hired out to the US military during the war with the Seminoles in Florida. This service did not prevent him from being part of the “Remove” when the Creek Indians were moved to Indian Territory in Oklahoma. Eventually Cow Tom was responsible for the negotiation of the treaty of 1866 for the inclusion of the Black Creeks in the Creek Tribe.

The second part of the book deals with the life of Rose, the granddaughter of Cow Tom. She keeps Cow Tom’s legacy alive and rises to a position of authority. She ensures that both the Indians and the Blacks receive protection in regards to their lands and their freedom, and are ultimately to be regarded as Americans.

Citizens Creek covers a lot of little-known history and the author delivers her story in a lyrical prose that brings this story to life. While I preferred the first half of book which told of Cow Tom, this is ultimately a story of the importance of family, identity, and community.

You are really reading up a storm, Judy!

Happy Saturday, Judy. The Secret Place & The Witch Elm didn't work for me, so I stepped back from French. I have heard good things about The Searcher so I may pick her back up again. I also really liked The Bear and the Nightingale.

>172 DeltaQueen50: I have added Citizens Creek to my wishlist at the library.

>172 DeltaQueen50: Citizens Creek is a BB for me, too!

>173 katiekrug: Hi Katie. My computer hasn't been working very well the last little while and so I am spending even more time reading. Also my husband and I are heading over to Vancouver Island next week and I wanted to get a few books finished so I can take them over to my brother and sister.

>174 msf59: I am still enjoying the Murder Squad books but The Witch Elm didn't entirely work for me either. My next Tana French will take me back to the Murder Squad with The Trespasser and I have heard mostly good things about the two Cal Hooper books as well.

>175 hailelib: & >176 MissBrangwen: Hi Trisha & Mirjam, I hope you enjoy Citizens Creek when you get to it. I am pretty sure it was a book bullet that I took from Clue some time ago - so it's nice to see the book bullet get passed along. :)

>159 DeltaQueen50: Adding this to my wishlist :)

>178 bookworm3091: Enjoy! :)

>177 DeltaQueen50: The first Cal Hooper book was pretty good, but this new one is fantastic.

>180 RidgewayGirl: Good to know. I have the first book but I am sure that I will be picking up the second one as well.

Oh, I so enjoyed the Bear and the Nightingale trilogy. I was looking at them in their shelf yesterday. I remember how vividly the cold was described and the family sleeping o their giant stove/oven in the front room. Hope you enjoy the other 2 (3?) in the series.

Judy, you are reading up a storm. I really liked the first Cal Hooper book, haven't read the second one yet. The Bear and the Nightingale sounds good.

>182 threadnsong: Hi Threadnsong. I think the author did an excellent job with her descriptions and I am looking forward to continuing with the trilogy.

>183 BLBera: I have really been enjoying my reading this year. Fantasy is often a hit or miss with me - luckily The Bear and the Nightingale is a hit! Now I just have to try and fit in both the rest of the trilogy and get stated with the Cal Hooper books as well!

Book Number 50:

Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon - 4.2 ★
Category: Mul-Tea-Tasking
March TIOLI #5: Embedded Word in Author's Name



I thoroughly enjoyed Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon. It is the story of Naomi May, a young woman who is travelling the Overland Trail in 1853 with her family. They are headed to California to start a new life. While waiting to cross the Missouri at St. Joseph she meets John Lowry, a half-Pawnee man who is accompanying the wagon train as a guide.

While the trip is difficult and dangerous, John and Naomi are drawn to each other and John, who was planning on returning to Missouri decides to continue on to California with Naomi’s family. At Fort Bridger they are separated while John purchases a wagon and supplies. He plans to catch up with the wagon train in a few days. Unfortunately while separated, tragedy strikes when Indians attack. Naomi is taken and John vows to get her back.

This story of adventure and survival immediately drew me in and although I didn’t always agree with the decisions that Naomi made, the story certainly tugged at my emotions. The author describes the difficulty of pioneer life and I was interested to discover at the end of the book that many of these characters are based on real people. The slow burning romance, the hardships encountered and the hope for a better future combined to make Where the Lost Wander a memorable read.

>185 DeltaQueen50: Good review! I’m putting on my “next time I want to read historical fiction and am able to focus” list, along with Chenneville and a few others I’ve recently learned about here and elsewhere in LT.

Have a great week!

>185 DeltaQueen50: I might want to read that and made a note of it.

>186 Storeetllr: I am looking forward to Chenneville as well. I love stories that are set in the American West. Throw in a wagon train and I am overjoyed!

>187 hailelib: It's a Kindle Unlimited book as well or if not a member, than it is offered at a reduced price so well worth it!

>185 DeltaQueen50: - I've gotten quite a few BBs from you for "western" books and here's another one.

>189 dudes22: I definitely have a soft spot for historical fiction that is set in the American West. I hope you enjoy Where the Lost Wander, Betty.

Book Number 51:

The Fairacre Festival by Miss Read - 4.0 ★
Category: My Cup Runneth Over
March AlphaKit: R
March TIOLI #12: Set or Published in the 1960s



The Fairacre Festival by Miss Read is the 7th book in her Fairacre series which is set in a small English village. It is narrated by the village school teacher and the stories are often centred around the school but in this outing we are mostly reading about the church.

When a storm brings a large tree down upon the roof of the church, the villagers of Fairacre need to come together to raise the necessary funds for repairs. They decide to hold a festival, a week long series of events with the help of a few kind-hearted celebrities and many volunteers. There will be a garden show, afternoon teas, a concert by the schoolchildren and the highlight of the festival, a nightly light and sound show, set in the ancient church that details the history of Fairacre. The funds mount but will it be enough to pay for the repairs needed or must they sell off the church treasure, a silver chalice that is brought out for special services.

A simple story that encapsulates village life and expectations. Miss Read obviously knows of what she writes as the village politics and the local characters feel real as they liven up the story and keep it from becoming too sentimental.

My husband and I are heading to Vancouver Island to visit my family. I haven't been over since last Fall so I am excited to see my brother and sister and check out their new house. We will be back on Friday.

Enjoy your trip to Vancouver Island, Judy! I hope you and your husband and family all have a great visit. I think the ferry is always enjoyable, especially if you have good weather. I have a copy of The Searcher on hand, one I purchased used from library sale , so eventually I should try that.

I've thought about reading The Witch Elm as I've seen it mentioned on different threads. If I do pick it up, I'll not to expect too much from it. Enjoy your trip over to the Island, Judy. Hopefully the weather will have warmed up by then.

>192 DeltaQueen50: Have a lovely time with your family, Judy!

Enjoy your trip.

>192 DeltaQueen50: Oh we did a trip awhile back starting from Portland up the coast to Seattle then to Vancouver. Loved it there, would like to go there again some time

>188 DeltaQueen50: Actually my public library has Where the lost wander and I've added it to my list there.

Enjoy your trip.

>189 dudes22: Same for me!

>192 DeltaQueen50: Have a good trip and a lovely time with your family! Vancouver Island is certainly one of the destinations I'd love to travel to one day. I have seen beautiful pictures of it.

>159 DeltaQueen50: I really liked that one when I read it a few years ago.

We are home and getting back into our routine. The trip went well and my brother and sister are nicely settled. The house is only two years old and still has that "new" house feel. My brother's annex is on the ground floor and is large and bright. My sister has the next two floors and has plenty of room so they are both happy. It was a nice break to get away for a couple of days but we are both happy to be back home again.

>193 vancouverdeb: We did enjoy our trip and our eldest daughter is a chief stewart and was working the day we travelled over so we got a quick visit with her as well. I have The Searcher as well but not sure when I will fit it in.

>194 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg, we were lucky with the weather as it was sunny and mild. All the trees have sprung into blossom over the last week and the daffodils are blooming as well so Victoria was looking very pretty.

>195 MissWatson: & >196 Helenliz: Thanks, Birgit and Helen. We did have a great visit.

>197 cindydavid4: Hi Cindy. Not sure if we are up for a long driving trip nowadays but one of our favorite driving trips was going down the West Coast of Washington, Oregon and Northern California. We did that one a few times and it was always beautiful.

>198 hailelib: Thanks, Trisha. I hope you enjoy Where the Lost Wander.

>199 MissBrangwen: Vancouver Island is beautiful, Marjam, and I hope you get a chance to visit one day. Of course, there are so many exciting places in the world that it's hard to get to every one of them!

>200 thornton37814: Hi Lori, The Bear and the Nightingale seems to be a fantasy that appeals to everyone. I don't think I have seen a negative comment about it which makes me very eager to continue on with the trilogy.

Book 52:

High Midnight by Stuart Kaminsky - 3.8 ★
Category: One Lump or Two
2024 Reading Challenge: A Book I Have Had For Far Too Long
March MysteryKit: Historical Mystery
March TIOLI #3: AlcottAcre's Birthday Challenge



For the last few years I have been working my way through the Toby Peters series of mysteries by Stuart Kaminsky. These are not particularly spectacular in any way but I am a sucker for 1940s Hollywood and Toby Peter is a private detective that works in and around the film studios during the 1940s. In this outing, High Midnight, he is assisting Gary Cooper who is being pushed into making a film that he has no interest in. What is interesting is who is doing the pushing as it appears to be a mafia boss.

Toby as always is stuck in the middle between the mafia, Gary Cooper, the desperate film crew that think that making this film with Gary Cooper is their ticket to fame and his surly brother, a cop who thinks that Toby is always in the wrong. Eventually Toby sorts through the beatings and bodies and figures out that this is a giant ruse and what someone really wants is for Gary Cooper to be killed.

While not my favorite of the series, I did enjoy this one. Gary Cooper comes across as a nice man who women loved and that men wanted to be like. As the story advanced we also get to meet Cooper’s friends Ernest Hemingway and Babe Ruth which added to the fun. I am looking forward to continuing on with the series.

Book 53:

Destry Rides Again by Max Brand - 3.3 ★
Category: My Cup Runneth Over
2024 Reading Challenge: An Animal on the Cover
March TIOLI #1: The Name of a Fish is on the Cover



Destry Rides Again by Max Brand was originally published in 1930 and unfortunately, it hasn’t aged well as there were far too many racial slurs to be comfortable with the read. Another thing that threw me off is that the excellent 1939 western comedy film of the same title has absolutely no connection to the story. The film company wisely just used the title and discarded the written story.

The basic plot of the book is Harrison Destry’s quest for revenge against the 12 jurors who allowed their personal feelings to affect their judgment and wrongfully convicted Destry for a robbery. After serving six years Destry is released and comes back to town with plans to get even with anyone who had a hand in sending him away. Destry is not a very likeable person, he thinks he is superior to everyone and was a bully when he was younger. The one person he should be going after is the one that originally set him up to be charged of the robbery and now, pretends friendship but continues to plot against him.

Destry Rides Again could have been a western classic but unfortunately the author delivers his story with some rather clunky writing, unbelievable action and as mentioned above, far to many racial slurs. I would strongly advise anyone to skip the book and watch the 1939 film instead.

Book 54:

The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh - 4.5 ★
Category: Boston Tea Party
March Reading Through Time: Medicines, Epidemics & Plagues



The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh is a novel of historical fiction that is set in South Africa during the 1880s. It is the story of Frances Irvine who, after growing up in a life of privilege, finds herself destitute after the death of her father. She accepts an offer of marriage to a young doctor who she has never particularly cared for. She soon finds herself emigrating to Africa to join him.

On board ship headed for Cape Town, she meets and falls in love with William Westwood but although he declares his love for her, he walks away due to the urging of his wealthy cousin. Her new husband, Dr. Edwin Matthews, is a seemingly cold and unemotional man whose passion seems to be reserved for fighting the epidemic of smallpox that officials in Kimberly are covering up in order not to disturb the flow of diamonds. Frances is ill-prepared for her new life and makes many mistakes, the biggest by far is under-estimating her husband and thinking that William Westwood would be a better match for her.

I was totally absorbed by The Fever Tree finding it compelling, interesting and evocative. The African setting is brought to life vividly and the story of love, betrayal and loss was believable and touching. The descriptions of the smallpox epidemic and the greed of the diamond merchants is brought to life with such powerful images that I found it hard to believe that this is a debut novel. I look forward to reading more from this author.

The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh is a novel of historical fiction that is set in South Africa during the 1880s. It is the story of Frances Irvine who, after growing up in a life of privilege, finds herself destitute after the death of her father. She accepts an offer of marriage to a young doctor who she has never particularly cared for. She soon finds herself emigrating to Africa to join him.

On board ship headed for Cape Town, she meets and falls in love with William Westwood but although he declares his love for her, he walks away due to the urging of his wealthy cousin. Her new husband, Dr. Edwin Matthews, is a seemingly cold and unemotional man whose passion seems to be reserved for fighting the epidemic of smallpox that officials in Kimberly are covering up in order not to disturb the flow of diamonds. Frances is ill-prepared for her new life and makes many mistakes, the biggest by far is under-estimating her husband and thinking that William Westwood would be a better match for her.

I was totally absorbed by The Fever Tree finding it compelling, interesting and evocative. The African setting is brought to life vividly and the story of love, betrayal and loss was believable and touching. The descriptions of the smallpox epidemic and the greed of the diamond merchants is brought to life with such powerful images that I found it hard to believe that this is a debut novel. I look forward to reading more from this author.

>204 DeltaQueen50: - This sounded familiar to me, so I went and checked my BB list, but it wasn't there - but it is now.

>204 DeltaQueen50: The plot sounds similar to The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham.

>205 dudes22: I hope you enjoy The Fever Tree when you get to it, Betty. I have her next book, Leopard at the Door which is set in Kenya in the 1950s and I am looking forward to it.

>206 RidgewayGirl: I haven't read The Painted Veil but I do have it so I should try to get to it when I can.

>207 DeltaQueen50: The Painted Veil is fantastic! And I've definitely taken a BB for The Fever Tree as well.

And the movie is a decent adaptation except they mess with the ending, but its beautifly filmed.

>208 christina_reads: & >209 cindydavid4: I have three of Somerset Maugham books on my Kindles and I really need to get to them! The Painted Veil is the one that seems to appeal to me the most, but I also have The Razor's Edge and Cakes and Ale and I will have to keep my eye open for the movie, The Painted Veil as well.

Razors edge and cakes and ale are very good as well

>204 DeltaQueen50: That is on my TBR and I hope to get to it soon. Thanks for a good review!

>211 cindydavid4: Another author I have overlooked for far too long!

>212 Tess_W: Hope you enjoy it when you get to it, Tess. :)

Book 55:

Stars Uncharted by S. K. Dunstall - 4.3 ★
Category: The formula for your cuppa
March SFFKit: Space Opera
March TIOLI #5: Embedded word in author's name



Written by two Australian sisters who call themselves S. K. Dunstall, Stars Uncharted had all the ingredients I needed for a fun space opera read. Lots of action and humor, space travel, a slow burning love story, and characters that I enjoy rooting for. Although presented as an ensemble cast, there are two characters who do the narrating – Nika Rik Terri who is a skilled body modder (modifier), and Josune Arriola, an engineer, who is living under an assumed identity after the exploration ship she was crewing on was destroyed. These two women are thrown together and form a fast friendship as they and their allies try to escape from a deadly corporation who wants to silence them.

This group of widely assorted characters come together as they are all on the run from the same enemy and although many of our heroes are not exactly who they are pretending to be, together they bond and become a family of misfits with common goals and aspirations. As this is the first book of a duology, not all problems were cleared by the end of the book, but it also didn’t leave us totally hanging, as the immediate problems were addressed.

I found Stars Uncharted to be a rip-roaring adventure and as this appears to be a resource-run universe, the continuation of space exploration and the search for rare elements and metals was widely hinted at. Of course I can see that this exploration could well cause them to once again become the quarry of these dark companies. I look forward to continuing the adventure in the next book.

>204 DeltaQueen50: BB for The Fever Tree!

>214 DeltaQueen50: And another for Stars Uncharted! So far, I think you will be getting the prize for most BBs for me (and it looks like for lots of others, perhaps!).

>214 DeltaQueen50: Stars Uncharted sounds great but sadly my public library doesn't have it. So on the wishlist for now.

>215 LisaMorr: & >216 LisaMorr: Hi Lisa, I hope you enjoy both of these books. I'm pretty sure Stars Uncharted was a book bullet from someone here at LT but unfortunately I didn't make note of who.

>217 hailelib: Hi Trisha, I hope you are able to find a copy of Stars Uncharted.

>214 DeltaQueen50: Not only a BB; my library has a copy of the audiobook available, and I snagged it! Woohoo!

>219 Storeetllr: I'm looking forward to seeing what you think of Stars Uncharted, Mary.

I'm glad you had a good visit with your family on the Island, Judy. Thanks for the lovely good retirement wishes to my husband. I think it is going to be lovely. He just had to go in for a couple of hours today and so he's all mine!

The Fever Tree sounds very good. I'll keep it in mind.

The set up for your brother and sister sounds ideal, Judy. Nice to have good weather for your trip. There's nothing like a trip to make you appreciate home though!

>221 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah. I remember how great it was when my husband finally retired - it was like we were dating again. Now that it's been a good many years we are used to being together all the time but we still enjoy our time spent together.

>222 Familyhistorian: Yes, their place is perfect for them and yes, we were glad to get back home and into our routines again. :)

Book Number 56:

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind - 4.0 ★
Category: High Tea
March TIOLI #5: Embedded Word in Author's Name



Our sense of smell and how it can trigger emotional feelings and memories is used in Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind as we read about Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, an unloved orphan in 18th century France who is born with an exceptional sense of smell but without a personal scent of his own. This young orphan exhibits all the characteristics of a psychopath as he has no sense of empathy toward people or animals and only cares about how he can use them to his advantage.

After a very difficult young life, he is able to talk his way into becoming apprenticed to one of Paris’ successful perfumers but in his search for new smells he encounters a young girl with a wondrous personal scent. He murders her simply to have access to that scent. Eventually he leaves Paris in an attempt to learn new techniques so that he can preserve an even wider range of odors. Although he becomes increasingly disgusted with people and spends some time living as a hermit, he soon heads to the south of France and works for a perfumer there. He also finds another young girl whose scent makes him believe that he can develop a perfume that would hypnotize people into thinking the wearer is god-like. In his quest for developing this perfume he murders more young women in order to use their body parts to evolve the fragrance that he is working on.

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer is a gruesome, fantasy tale in which the author blends both factual information and fairy-tale story telling about a murderer and his obsessive quest for a perfect perfume. I found the information and facts about the manufacture of perfume to be very interesting but, this was a difficult book to enjoy due to it’s dark themes. However, the author gives us well written prose that elevates the story and makes us ponder upon the importance of fragrance.

Happy Saturday, Judy. I also remember enjoying Perfume. FYI- We are doing a shared read of The Razor's Edge in May, if you would like to join us.

>225 msf59: Hi Mark, I will make note of The Razor's Edge for May. It's time I tried some Somerset Maugham!

Book Number 57:

To Hunt A Killer by Julie MacKay and Robert Murphy - 4.0 ★
Category: A Cup of Tea Will Solve It
March ScaredyKit: True Crime
March TIOLI #5: Embedded Word in Author's Name



To Hunt A Killer by DS Julie MacKay and Robert Murphy is a gripping true crime story of how the 1984 murder of a young girl, Melanie Road was finally solved. The case evolved into a cold case investigation and although they had the murderer’s DNA, finding a fit proved to take years.

Mostly due to a lack of funding, bad luck, politics and a massive amount of paperwork that needed to be sorted through thirty some years passed without a resolution. The murderer seemed to have vanished after committing the crime but he did leave some of his blood behind which provided his DNA. The cold case investigators were dedicated, committed and professional as they continued the hunt over the years. Julie MacKay spent over six years leading the investigation and this book tells her story about both the hunt for the killer and the turmoil in her own personal life during this time.

To Hunt a Killer is a fascinating read and the details that MacKay supplies about her own daily struggles help to bring the story to life and provide a reality to this crime story. Her determination to never give up and her dedication to the victim and her family is commendable. This is a highly readable story that engaged me from the first page.

>225 msf59: id be interesting in that read of Razors Edge. Keep me posted pls

>228 cindydavid4: I will Cindy - so far it seems to be a small group of about 4 and it will be during May - details will be posted at Mark's thread over at the 75 group: https://www.librarything.com/topic/359156#

>224 DeltaQueen50: I remember reading that book when I was in library school, and it was a gruesome read. However, I created a website about it as part of an assignment . . .

>221 vancouverdeb: My husband was retired before I retired from full time work. When I retired, I remember the exhilarating feeling of going with my husband to a matinee movie, and then to eat afterwards. It felt like I was playing hooky or something, and it was a lot of fun. The same thing applied to going to the grocery store during the day when other folks were out working! Even that was almost like a date.

>227 DeltaQueen50: Sounds good and I'm noting that. I'm really interested in these cold cases that go cold until suddenly the DNA profiling gets 'em. I have an article about the Mia Zapata case on my Substack this week. It went cold for 10 years, then the guy got arrested after the laws had changed and authorities could take a cheek swab during processing.

>231 LadyoftheLodge: I was the same when my husband first retired. Suddenly doing so many things together was magical!

>232 mstrust: I read a lot of police procedurals but the real cases are fascinating and a lot of patience and luck is often involved.

Book Number 58:

Island of a Thousand Mirrors by Nayomi Munaweera - 4.3 ★
Category: Imported Teas (Sri Lanka)
2024 Reading Challenge: Set in Asia
March TIOLI #7: Zodiac Challenge



In her literary debut, Island of a Thousand Mirrors, author Nayomi Munaweera gives us a story of two women on opposing sides of the Sri Lankan Civil War, one a Sinhala, the other a Tamil.

The book opens with the story of her Sinhala parents’ peaceful childhood, their arranged marriage and the birth of their two daughters. Raised in Colombo, Yasodhara and her sister were brought up along side a Tamil family whose son, Shiva was their closest playmate. When violence erupted their family emigrated to America while Shiva’s family escaped to England. The two sisters return to Sri Lanka as adults hoping to help young victims of the war, they meet up with Shiva, now a doctor, who has also come to help his native country. But their lives were already linked with a young Tamil girl’s, Saraswathie. She lives in the war zone and although she hoped to become a teacher, she is kidnapped by Sinhala soldiers who rape and terribly abuse her. She then is given over to the Tamil Tigers and is trained to become a killer and eventually a martyr for the Tamil cause.

The author does a masterful job of describing the island with it’s vibrant colors, exotic tastes, and lively sounds making the violence and anger of the Civil War all the more jarring and shocking. Island of a Thousand Mirrors is a painful read, all the more heartbreaking when you learn that a hundred thousand lives were lost in this war.

Book Number 59:

Bright Day Dawning by Anna Jacobs - 3.4 ★
Category: Tea for Two
March TIOLI #5: Embedded Word in Author's Name



Bright Day Dawning by Anna Jacobs is the third book in her Preston Family series. This book picks up immediately after the last book, and with only one more book in the series, a number of story lines were finished with this volume.

Carrie and Eli are rebuilding their music hall which was burnt down at the end of the last book but their inexperience in business finds them hiring a con-man instead of a respectable architect. We also follow the misadventures of another young couple as Gwynna & Lucas must fight to escape the clutches of an evil land-owner who is trying to control Lucas and punish Gwynna for her past. We also follow the story of Maria, the widow of Athol Stott and see her beginning to reclaim her life.

While the plot-lines follow a familiar path of evil men doing nasty things to good people, I still enjoyed the read. There is a comfort in these books, knowing that although bad things are going to happen, you can rely on good triumphing in the end. Although offering nothing particularly new or different, Bright Day Dawning was a comfortable escape read.

I hope everyone is enjoying the Easter weekend!

>236 DeltaQueen50: Thanks! Happy Easter to you and your loved ones.

>227 DeltaQueen50: To Hunt a Killer sounds like an interesting one, Judy. On another note, have a wonderful Easter Weekend!

>237 LadyoftheLodge: & >238 Familyhistorian: We are having a quiet Easter, I will cook a ham dinner tomorrow night as our Grandson is coming over but most of the weekend is mostly reading and watching TV.

Book #60:

Chill Factor by Stuart Pawson - 3.8 ★
Category: One Lump or Two
March TIOLI #6: Rolling Challenge - Shamrock



Chill Factor by Stuart Pawson is the seventh book in his DI Charlie Priest series of police procedurals. In this one a salesman, Tony Silkstone, confesses to murdering the man who raped and killed his wife and Charlie’s bosses are eager to convict and close the case. Silkstone has become a media darling and a sympathetic figure to the public, so a year or two in prison would most likely be all he would get. But DI Charlie Priest is not convinced that things are as simple as it seems.

This was a villain that I was very happy to see Charlie working on as he had been raping and killing for years and often chose quite young victims. His newest method of escaping detection had his leaving traces of other men on the victim and seeing others getting charged for his crimes. His huge ego and feelings of superiority had him very angry that Charlie wasn’t falling for his cover story and was continuing to dig away at his past.

Although not my favorite of the series so far, Chill Factor was still a very readable crime story and spending time with the upbeat Charlie is always fun. Other than working on his case, Charlie is also showing signs of being ready for a new relationship and I am looking forward to seeing how this develops. In this series, author, Stuart Pawson gives us a touch of humour, fully realized characters and interesting story lines that are set against the backdrop of Yorkshire. I, for one, find this a very entertaining series.

Hi Judy! Glad you had a good visit in Vancouver and are continuing to read such a wide variety of books. >224 DeltaQueen50: sounds familiar, either one that I read a review of a number of years back, or read about this villain in an abridged form. And >234 DeltaQueen50: sounds heartbreakingly good. To think that 100,000 people died in a Civil War and all the tumult that resulted from it is so very very sad.

>236 DeltaQueen50: Happy Easter to you, too! Our weekend is similar to yours, quiet and lots of reading and watching a movie.

Happy Easter, Judy. My family gets together on Palm Sunday for an egg hunt and goes in various directions on Easter so we're pretty low-key too. My sister comes over and we do burgers on the grill hoping for spring to arrive.

>240 DeltaQueen50: - I'm only up to book #3 in this series and your post has reminded me I need to get going and read it sooner.

Happy Easter! We're having a rainy day.

yup! fortunately I have nothing to do but enjoy, relax and read!

A quiet Easter here too. Have a good visit with your grandson.

>241 threadnsong:, >242 MissBrangwen:, >243 dudes22:, >244 mstrust:, >245 cindydavid4: & >246 hailelib:
We had a lovely Easter, my grandson came over for dinner and it's always great to see him. He's off to Costa Rica in a couple of weeks with some friends and then he is going to the Okanagan Valley in June to take a course in operating heavy machinery so he won't be around much over the summer and we will miss him.

Have no plans for tomorrow - Easter Monday - so will probably get in some quality reading time!

Since tomorrow is the first of April, I think I will go ahead and set up a new thread.