Sandy's 2021 Reading Odyssey ~ #4 ~

September, already??!! I haven't read very many books this past month, but most were really wonderful mysteries (although some were of the silliest romps).

I'm going to be very lazy and add some topper photos later of my happy trip last week to New Westminster (that's wedged between Burnaby and Coquitlam in the metro Vancouver area of B. C., for the uninitiated).

A few favourite views, New Westminster (metro Vancouver, BC)

Curly witch hazel tree; a peace rose in full bloom a tree Rhododendron

The gardens of the Sapperton area
❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉

My fave small house in Queen's Park area
1920's cottage style

Riverside quay on a smoky-hazy day

Neighbourhood views - hilly walking everywhere

Currently blooming in my Saskatoon garden

Morden Sunrise


Astilboides tabularis (12" leaves!)

August titles and mini-reviews
→→→

→→→→

1. Helen MacInnes ~ While Still We Live ~
→ somewhat implausible, otherwise, good espionage-chase-and-escape story.

2. Guy Gavriel Kay ~ DNF graveyard after 80p. ~
→ too slow to develop a theme; the characters were never engaging.

3. Lucy Foley ~ The Guest List ~
→ adroitly handled Agatha Christie trope; subtly-escalating tension and menace; excellent characterization.

4. Sara Rosett ~ The Egyptian Antiquities Murder ~
→ mild suspense; engaging character development; a cheerful romp with period flavour during the Egyptology craze in Britain.

5. Anthony Veasna So ~ Afterparties: Stories ~
→ Cambodian immigrant stories, related from the American-born children's point of view; rather sad and often desperately poignant related to the difficult integration into a white North American society.

6. Sara Rosett ~ Murder in Black Tie ~
→ a sketchy fiancé and family dysfunction in high society coupled with the lady detective, Olive Belgrave, a strong female protagonist.

7. Helen MacInnes ~ Message from Málaga ~ →
well-developed plot and engaging character development; vintage espionage adventure.

8. Sara Rosett ~ Murder at Archly Manor ~
→ Book 1 and sets the scene for how Olive Belgrave became a society-detective. Rosett is an accomplished author and manages her historical murder mysteries very well. I should have read it first!

The Goblin Emperor (Book 1, Katherine Addison)
Summoning of Demons (Book 3 in Cate Glass' Chimera series)

Welcome, looking forward to seeing visitors

~ the coffee is here...

Did someone mention coffee?!

Happy new thread, Sandy.

Happy new thread!

>7 PaulCranswick: Indeed and you can have the special coffee mug 'cause
you're !!

>8 quondame: Thanks Susan.
Did you like the neon dachshund? I thought of you and Gertie when I posted it. So cute...

Do you serve herbal tea? Happy new thread Sandy!

>10 SandyAMcPherson: It is cute. I do miss the wee monster.

Happy new thread, Sandy!

Just in time for my next cup of coffee :-)

Happy new thread, Sandy. And welcome back. Finally, we are getting some of the cooler weather coming from the west. The past month has been brutally hot and humid and I, for one, am sick of it. Bring on the autumn!

Hi Sandy! Thanks for the coffee, it's just what I needed this morning.

Sweet Thursday, Sandy. Happy New Thread. I hope you are doing well and I hope those books are treating you fine.

Hi Sandy, and happy new thread! I'm glad that you had a good time in New Westminster.

>6 SandyAMcPherson: I love the neon dachshund.

Happy new thread! Coffee greatly appreciated this morning... 😀

Happy new thread!

I love the neon weiner dog! I brought my own coffee, since I already had a mug in hand. It's a bright clear morning here, and actually almost feels like September.

>11 mdoris: Indeed... I like Egyptian chamomile, steeped in not-quite to boiling water

>13 FAMeulstee: >15 lauralkeet: Thanks for dropping by. My coffee is served fresh from a Rancilio machine!

>14 jessibud2: Hi Shelley, we're plunged into chilly overnights already. It was 10 oC last night and we had to close the bedroom window!

>17 karenmarie:, >18 drneutron:, >19 foggidawn:, >20 laytonwoman3rd: So nice to see everyone dropping by.
Pardon me while I brew up some more coffee!

And I have to wear warmer clothes already. In a few weeks, +15 oC (which it is at this moment) will feel warm.

So my elder daughter is smack in the middle of a swath of hurricane alerts. She's fortunately up the hill from the potentially flooding areas in Providence, RI (teaches at RISD).

How are all you folks doing in NC and VT? I guess the rains have really swept through the whole south.

My part of NC was, thank goodness, a non-event, and it's much, much cooler today.

I hope your daughter stays safe and sound. Being up hill is a good thing.

>26 karenmarie: Thank you Karen. I was very relieved that she's in an area called 'College Hill' and that it is really a decent hill. So glad you're okay, too.

>25 SandyAMcPherson: Sadly for NY/NJ, there were flash floods with lots of property damage...Katie's home was one of the affected...and the gift of cooler, drier weather is a little kind-of apology from Mother Nature I suppose.

Normally I am a person who Knows My Own Mind. Startling, I realize, for you to hear this...as I've always been such a soft-spoken crowd-goer-alonger.

Stop laughing.

Anyway. I need help. The wisdom of the crowd is sought to help be decide between two equally strong contenders for Read of the Month. I am simply incapable to unparalyzing myself from the FOMO I get thinking about this problem.

Please vote on the poll or you will be directly responsible for my re-admission to the Goofy Garage this birthmonth.

>29 richardderus: Hmmm, is this a ploy to compete for the most posts on your thread in one evening? (Just kidding)... but if I never heard of either author, I believe my opinion is rubbish. I'll pop over now.

^^Are you mad at me? Did I say something wrong? Grins...

>31 msf59: Mark, I am bewildered... what are you talking about?
Does the "you" refer to Richard?

Oh wait! I missed your comment at >16 msf59:. Your tender little feelings feel trampled on do they? I have had some fairly decent to totally enjoyable silly romps in the reading department.
The hardest book to absorb was Afterparties (Anthony Veasna So). I was (am) quite ignorant of what being Khmer entailed.

>32 SandyAMcPherson: Nope, just goofing around, Sandy. You just missed me up there, is all.

>33 msf59: we cross posted! ha.

And the LT algo has given us both #32! Not yet changed, I see.

Happy new one!

>32 SandyAMcPherson: Like Richard, I also loved Afterparties. I knew just enough about Cambodia, to find that element interesting. What a talented writer. Sorry, that will be the last we hear from him.

>35 figsfromthistle: Thanks Anita! I'm slow to keep up with LT these days and not reading as much as I'd like.

September review #1

This is the 66th book which I've read so far this year. W00t! After all that's happened in 2021, I'm surprised to have read this many stories!

~The Goblin Emperor

An amazing story that drew me in almost instantly. The main character, Maia, is an engaging, three-dimensional personality, having an unusual back-story of being completely ignored by his emperor-father and 3 older half-brothers. Yet he becomes the heir to the throne with next-to-no training or education in Imperial behaviours and governance. Maia was especially on a steep learning curve in managing court intrigues and self-interested power grabs by the nobles surrounding the royal hierarchy.

The saga was amusing and heart-felt, with the characters distinctive and the theme of kindness, honour and fairness in the Imperial court Maia's trademark. Make no mistake that the narrative is soggy schmaltz, however.

Be warned that the author has devised a rather confusing system of Elven and Goblin names and forms of address, along with unusual geographical place names. The glossary at the end was incomplete and a reader is easily lost as to the significance and political role of many of the supporting players.

The words are often very long and unpronounceable (try this one, for example, Ulistheileise Court). If the writing otherwise had not been so accomplished and the plotting excellent, I would have awarded 3 or less stars. The struggle to place the characters as they were mentioned took me out of the narrative too often.

However, I highly recommend the novel for its captivating adventure and likeable main characters and the effectively nasty villains. It is a book I plan to buy, since the Tom Doherty Associates group has apparently continued reprints of the paperback. Count on it ~ I will be scanning the glossary to keep with the book for a quicker reference!

Glad you loved The Goblin Emperor. Sorry you didn't get absorbed by Sailing to Sarantium -- not my tip top Kay, (which is the stand-alone Tigana) but I loved the premise of an alternate uni with the remnants of a fallen power (Rome/Rhodes) and a less powerful Roman church and a Western version based in Byzantium/Sarantium and the sheer skill and passion of the artist, Crispin -- I only have little vignettes still in my mind. Had to go back and read my review!

>39 sibylline: Hi Lucy. I'm allowing myself the grace to recognize that pandemic reading is different for me. My taste in what I enjoy being immersed is less flexible than what I consider my usual limits.
Thus the Penric novels by Bujold and these Addison novels about elves and goblins suited me so very much (I'm into The Witness for the Dead now).

I remember loving Tigana, but have never revisited that story. After re-reading The Fionavar Tapestry (only books 1 and 2) last year, and being very disappointed, I think rereads have made me very wary of ruining cherished stories.

Of course I may also have changed (*gasp*)! I know that the high fantasies of Patricia McKillip don't enthrall me the same way and Tolkien is very boring. I adored The Lord of the Rings back in the 1960's/70's, though. I still have The Hobbit on my fantasy bookshelf.

>40 SandyAMcPherson: I read Tigana quite a while ago...cammeling gave it to me...and was thoroughly ~meh~ about it. Re-read it on a while a few years back and was bowled over. It is as good as everyone said! So there's the counterargument for re-reads.

I got about 15% into The Goblin Emperor and had to return it. I'll re-check it someday.

>41 richardderus: I've never had a 'sense' of what genre appeal to you, RD.
Certainly eclectic. On a guess-only basis, I wouldn't have thought the Goblin Emperor story was your jam.

Me neither (would not think that Goblin Emp would be your cuppa, Richard).

And it is true indeed that a book you would love at one moment is not the right thing at all at another. You might want to keep Sarantium in mind for when times are less fraught. I couldn't bear Fionavar and nothing will ever change that! I totally get that at present Sarantium is too stately (or something) for your current needs. I'm a little more able in the last couple of months to read some more challenging stuff -- prose or content or what have you -- but that ability is a fragile thing, I'm easily exhausted or something like that.

>43 sibylline: ... ability is a fragile thing, I'm easily exhausted or something like that.
Well written. I think this fragility explains exactly where I'm at these days.

September review #2

~ The Witness for the Dead

I dithered about whether this was a 3½- or 4-star novel ~ partially influenced by my disappointment that this was technically not a genuine sequel, other than it featured the same world (and one character) from The Goblin Emperor. I had wanted more of Maia, the half-goblin emperor. However, this story is a well-written murder mystery along with several side episodes requiring the 'Witness' (Thara Celehar, whom we first met in the Imperial court of Edrehasivar VII).

I found the central murder mystery the most interesting part of the tale, that being the strange death of an opera singer. The other sagas that developed were a missing sister (likely murdered by a serial killer), a forged will, and an eruption of ghouls in the distant town of Tanvero. For my tastes, other than the surprising twist in one of these other cases, this side-action of rather diverse situations detracted from moving the story forward.

I enjoy Addison's writing (except for her penchant in creating complex names and titles). This novel showed potential storylines that were strongly promising, perhaps could have been enlarged as the plot in other books, rather than used here. I do recommend the Witness book, but for myself, I would also like to read more about how Maia fares and see his evolution as the ultimate ruler, how this develops and then, perhaps might achieve a strong dynasty in this kingdom.

PS. Forgot to mention that this title (as was TGE) were BBs from sybilline.
Thanks, Lucy!

>45 SandyAMcPherson: The additional half star I gave it was probably because of the multiple cases, something I completely adored about the Judge Dee mysteries I've loved for 50+ years.

Hi Sandy!

Just passing through. I hope you're staying safe and doing as well as possible with the Covid numbers in Saskatchewan. I like the way the numbers are broken out by Variant of Concern.

>46 quondame: Glad the 'multiple cases' plot was a hit for you. I have never come across the Judge Dee mysteries. Sounds quite fascinating.

>47 karenmarie: Hi Karen. I try not to look at the Covid news, TBH. We are staying in a very small bubble for now and definitely wearing masks in retail spaces and busy sidewalks. Now I'm curious! I'll have to hunt out that data you've found on variants.

As most North Americans may have heard, our idiot PM called an election. It's a shameful grab at trying for more power, since his term has two more years to go.



Says it all, doesn't it?

>49 SandyAMcPherson: *chuckle*

>50 richardderus: I did laugh, in a cynical, black humour sort of way..
because, holding this election is estimated to cost $610 million of taxpayer-derived funds.

Happy new thread, Sandy. >49 SandyAMcPherson: It did seem like the last election was not that long ago but we had a provincial election which was called in a similar manner so it's hard to keep track.

>49 SandyAMcPherson: That really made me laugh.

Did you see any of the debates? I have to watch it today after work as I missed it yesterday. I am quite undecided so I still have a lot of political searching to do. * sigh*

Have a great Friday!

>52 Familyhistorian: Elections sure are costly, though. I think we need some kind of legislation that allows elections under more specific circumstances than political whim.

>53 figsfromthistle: Glad you were amused, Anita. I don't watch that political posturing... reasons as shown, >49 SandyAMcPherson:.

September review #3
A BB from Joe (jjmcgaffey) with further encouragement from a review by Lucy (sibylline).

~ Evans Above

Set in Llanfair, a small village hamlet in northern Wales, the main character (Evan Evans) returns to his roots as the local constable. The author drew strong portraits of the inhabitants and wrote several amusing sketches which reflected village life and lack of privacy.

The mystery development was rather ponderous, however, although I found it a calm distraction for my pandemic-anxiety and worries (2021). Despite that, I probably won't read another of these Constable Evans stories. Just saying... Evan's equivocation regarding Bronwen, lack of assertiveness in being pushed around by Betsy and too subtle a handling of the domineering cleric's wife, Mrs. Powell-Jones added up to such an indecisive persona which I disliked. My personal preferences aside, the characterizations carried the day and made this a 3-star read instead of 2½. Recommended for a light mystery with local flavour.

>55 SandyAMcPherson: You liked it better than I liked Inseparable:, at least. Overheated adolescent girl-crush. *shudder*

>56 richardderus: TBH, I would have awarded only 2½-stars except I did enjoy the depiction of the various villagers. So I thought maybe it was worth a small bump of a ½-star.

It will be a forgettable book by next month. The mystery was pretty lame which was why I said I'd not read another one of the series. I have to accept that Rhys Bowen simply isn't writing in a style that I respect or like.

I'm halfway through a library loan that's non-renewable, so I'm focusing all my self-indulgent time on finishing A Summoning of Demons. This is book 3 of the Chimera series and I'm reserving my whiny comments until I actually finish the story. I just know y'all are waiting with bated breath.

September review #4 (Book 69 in 2021)
A Summoning of Demons

~

The third episode of Cate Glass’ series (Chimera) was not up to the standard I expected from my enjoyment of the first two books. The individual characters do not progress further, there was stop-and-go action without developing the interpersonal relationships of the Chimera group, and often very confusing action by unrelated participants in the kidnapping schemes. Ultimately the story dragged on and on and the most important details (resolution of the corruption in the Confraternity; Teo’s tie-in to the Antigonean Bronze) were never elucidated.

My other criticism is in regard to the dangling relationship between Romy and Sandro (il Padroné). The author subtly indicates that their relationship has not completely disappeared, at least on Sandro’s part. Where is Glass going with this? The Romy character established a solid choice in Book 1 to go her own way, yet there’s always a hint in the subsequent books that indicates ambivalence on both her and Sandro’s part. I find the dithering artificial and what point is there in this imagined future scenario?

Curiosity, along the lines of “what happens next” in the lives of the main protagonists, was the major motivation to read this 3rd book in the series. If that’s what you’re looking for, you may find this instalment a bit of a let down.

I discovered the Cate Glass books on Susan's thread (quondame). I think we both agree about the progress of this story, having just now read her succinct review on the book page (up-thumbed it because it was so perfectly pointed: we end up knowing more about sniffers that we don't like)!

Glad to see you enjoyed The Goblin Emperor and Witness for the Dead - I liked both a smidge more than you, I think.

Hope your next book is better than the last one.

>59 bell7: Hi Mary. Thanks for popping by.
I did rate Addison's books with 4/5 stars, so I shall likely be checking out whether she writes another in that world. "Four-stars" is an accolade rating in my world and you might like knowing I ordered The Goblin Emperor so I can have it handy on my shelf for re-reading.
I think Summoning of Demons was okay, just not what I expected given the strength of An Illusion of Thieves. I'm doing fairly well for decent reading this year, despite some less than 3-star ratings. I'm very frugal with stars, that's for sure (although Richard has yet to name me "Starless No. 2" ~ thinking of his name for quondame from time to as Starless).

>58 SandyAMcPherson: True that one didn't ring my Cate Glass/Carol Berg bell.

>61 quondame: 👍 Indeed.

And now, here's another reason (besides pandemic-mind synergy)
~

I've been a slow-poke in the reading department for the 75-books group,
This piece is "teenager-chosen", the theme for a twin bed for a horse-riding enthusiast. Said teen visited to choose the central panel. I added borders and horse-head quilting motifs (with help from a friend). This is made from a vintage Laurel Burch design, Mythical Horses.

Edited to say that I had help with the overall quilting pattern, see >68 SandyAMcPherson:

>63 SandyAMcPherson: Beautiful! The teen in question is fortunate, indeed!

>63 SandyAMcPherson: Thank you Foggi. I took a rather long time to finish the work.

>60 SandyAMcPherson: Well in that case, maybe we liked them about the same. I gave them both 4.5 stars, which is my automatic rating for anything I would reread.

>63 SandyAMcPherson: That's beautiful, Sandy! Not surprising it would've taken awhile and eaten into reading time.

>63 SandyAMcPherson: that is absolutely stunning, Sandy!

>66 bell7: >67 lauralkeet: Thank you both Mary and Laura.
I was thrilled with how it turned out (I forgot to acknowledge that a friend with a long-arm quilting set up helped with the horse head motif).
In fact, I liked the result so much, I almost wished I wasn't giving it away. But the happiness of the recipient was very satisfying.

My next project is for me! I will post when that one is completed.
(Yes, I know this isn't a sewing blog...)

>63 SandyAMcPherson: It's *stunning* in the good way. Wow! What a great gift to receive.

I'm slumping in the pleasures of reading, or was until I got Rough-Hewn and All Star Cast going. Both are delighting me. Both are stories told for the pleasure of the reader, and both are successful at the task. TC Boyle OTOH is really, really, really not on form.

>63 SandyAMcPherson: - It's beautiful, Sandy. The colours are lovely and vibrant.

>63 SandyAMcPherson: Wow, that's gorgeous!

>69 richardderus:, >70 jessibud2:, >71 mdoris: Thanks for the comments about the textile work.
I think the fabric designer (Laurel Burch) deserves the credit for the interesting patterns depicting the first-nations flavour of artwork.

>63 SandyAMcPherson: What fabulous and powerful color combinations! I love the horse head quilting.

Beautiful quilt!

Yeah, Evans is nothing great -- but that level of cosy works for long car trips or when I'm doing something where half my brain is idle and bored. Anything that requires serious listening or is upsetting or where I am anxious about what is going to happen is too much for both those circs. Bowen fits that category-of-ned very nicely! I think I should make that more clear in my comments.

HI Sandy!

>63 SandyAMcPherson: Absolutely gorgeous. I love the colors and the horses and the obvious skill in putting it all together! Lucky recipient.

>74 sibylline: Hi Lucy, I think you did make it clear about the light-reading aspect of Rhys Bowen's stories with the Evans character. And as I said, "I found it a calm distraction" which dovetails with that notion. Re-reading Georgette Heyer is another example of light reading with panache, and I think that's what I was looking for.

Glad you liked my quilt crafting. I'm whittling down my fabric stash because there's too much good material so I'm loving the satisfaction of giving my projects away.

>75 karenmarie: Hi Karen. Thank you for your comments. I wish I could work a little faster because I have a Christmas-themed hanging I promised someone *last year* at about this time... but somehow had trouble with motivation.
I blame pandemic anxiety, but really, I should be moving beyond that now. Not that there's nothing worrying about this 4th wave with variants and the un-vaxed, simply that I can do things to stay well (avoid crowds, wear my mask etc.) It's a lonely time, though, so that alone may add to the stress.

First overnight of light frost, sparkling on the nearby rooftops. One of the shortest growing seasons we've experienced in years. Now there's about 30-pounds of green tomatoes to give away because we have enough ripening for our own needs.

Note to self, don't grow so many plants next year!

>77 SandyAMcPherson: I'm glad that you're doing all the right things to avoid getting Covid, sad that it's lonely for you. I'm beginning to realize that Thanksgiving (4th Thursday in November) is probably just going to be Bill and me again without Jenna and extended family at our house. Probably Christmas without Jenna, too. I also miss seeing friends in person again, after a brief bit of socializing in June and July. And my sister was going to come visit in November, but now that's off the table.

Too bad we don't live closer together - I'd love some home-grown tomatoes ripening on my counter!

Do you make fried green tomatoes? They're a great way to 'use up' green tomatoes when you have an overabundance.

>78 SandyAMcPherson: Heh...I'm looking out the window at 28C and sunstruck. A tiny, tiny bit warmer than our accustomed 25C.

Frost doesn't usually arrive before mid-November.

>79 karenmarie: It is hard to miss those annual celebrations with family, isn't it?

Most years, we haven't celebrated Christmas with any family (since our kids were young) for the simple reason that the flu season was always so prevalent and everyone became ill. Maybe the airlines will smarten up a keep that filtered HEPA air in place. I'll certainly travel with a mask going forward whenever I fly.

I was never a fan of fried green tomatoes, but I used to make green tomato relish. Now I just make a red relish. Low sodium diets are a thing. So we use much less relish over the year.

>80 richardderus: 😍 lucky you...
Weird today, we now have 32 oC and smoke from grass fires in the southwest.

>63 SandyAMcPherson: Quite beautiful!

>83 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita... thanks for dropping by and admiring the decor 😊

I hope Monday comes and goes and I don't look at the news... how about you? I dread the outcome.

And here we are, September 20th.

A few thoughts (maybe a rant?) prompted by reading a National Post opinion:
This (election in a pandemic) looks like putting personal fortune over national welfare.

It takes the USA more than six months to warm up to an election, even a minor one. Canada had to do it in a few lickety-split weeks while getting the kids back to school. No one could figure out what to talk about, let alone what to vote about.

For Trudeau to call a pandemic election because "he was up in the polls was calculating and self-serving" (quoting Jeffrey B. Meyers, a law professor at Thompson Rivers University). Meyers remarked that people often get angry at minority governments when they call elections anyway (Trudeau's mandate was to run for 2 more years). The real annoyance is the potential futility of it all, he said, and "that Canada might end with what looks like the most likely outcome, an expensive and divisive near-reproduction of the previous Parliament".

Joseph Brean (writing in the NP) claimed that the Canadian political media, with its single-minded focus on party leaders and ignorance of the local candidates people actually vote for and elect, is at fault.

I disagree: what's at fault is the poor democratic principle upon which the Canadian Federal government is elected ('first past the post'). We desperately need a proportional representation so that our western provinces can be represented, so that who your local candidates are have the opportunity to speak for their constituents.

Instead, we have a dictatorial PMO (prime minster's office) run by unelected clerks and supposedly the cabinet ministers. However, we have seen stellar disregard and corrupt behaviour in the PMO which saw the ousting of cabinet ministers who had the vision of justice and the good of Canada as a country. We have sycophants set in powerful ministries (Finance for example) with no experience. I don't believe today will change that.

/rant

>85 SandyAMcPherson: Good wishes, however ineffective, for real improvement!

>86 quondame: Thank you so much.
I do not plan to look at the news until about Wednesday morning because apparently there are 1.2 million mail-in ballots (across the whole country) which won't be counted until Tuesday. In many ridings, I doubt that will make a difference. But still, bad news can wait...

I'm fooling around here looking at the new Genre page and clicking the categories to see how book titles are allocated. My hunch is that it is very dependent on one's tags for picking up the books in "Your Library".

Does it look useful to you? I'm thinking it might help with discovering new titles I might be interested.

>85 SandyAMcPherson: - Thanks for pointing me to the article, Sandy. I responded on my thread. Like you, I don't plan to watch anything on tv tonight except Jeopardy and the ball game. Then I will read and go to bed. At least it was a perfect weather day here to stand in line waiting to vote: not hot, not cold, lovely sunshine and I had my book. That was the best part. And, for me anyhow, not a very long line or wait. The rest can wait, as you say.

>88 jessibud2: Hi Shelley, I guess we cross-posted. I'm glad you had a nice day to stand in a line up. What book did you take?

Your Monday might even trump my Monday for sheer unadulterated nasty-mean-Mondayness, Sandy.

>90 richardderus: Yoicks! I saw you had your gift card thrown out by some busybody idiot (or so they claim). Then had scads of computer woes.
Sending soothing vibes and some fellow-feeling from the depths of the computer frustration hole.

>87 SandyAMcPherson: Oh, I didn't notice anything about GenreThing until this. Like other LT features it seems that one has to go a couple of layers down to find it. I added the entry for my books to see how I like it there.

>89 SandyAMcPherson: - I am currently reading The Words I Never Wrote. Interesting, WWII story, 2 time frames but mostly in the 1936 period. So far, so good, not fluff but not too heavy. Yet, anyhow...

This week...it will not win an award for my favoritest ever, but as problems go having two mice to dispose of on their gluey Calvarys doesn't move the needle too far.

>94 richardderus: gluey Calvarys?
Okaaay, whatever makes your place mouse-free is all good.

September review #5 (Book 70 in 2021)
The Lamplighters (Emma Stonex)

~

This was a very atmospheric narrative loosely based on an early 1900's incident at the Flannan Isles Lighthouse in the Outer Hebrides. The story alternates between the 1970's and the 1990's, with different characters narrating (lighthouse keepers, their wives and families).

While this novel was basically a locked-door mystery, the author didn't develop much of a mystery, writing excessively about the bitterness and rather mean-spirited behaviour of the surviving spouses. This formula didn't work for me, especially since the backstory monologues about the afterlives of the women intruded on what I perceived the main theme, namely whatever happened to the missing keepers. By the end of the novel, I was confused as to what was really going on in the lighthouse or what the author intended to achieve with a slightly paranormal sequence that sent the Keepers into some sort of madness. So just not my style of story telling.

September review #6 (Book 71 in 2021)
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (Paul Torday)

~

The first third of this novel was reaching a 4-star rating ~ incisive character sketches that really nailed the various persona categories (social-climbing, unreliable government employee, irresponsible, publicity-seeking politician, scientist focused exclusively on research while oblivious to the politics swirling around, bitchy-career-oriented, me-first, spouse).

The plot was intriguingly set-up, despite its scientifically implausible basis. Alfred, his boss David Sugden, wife Mary, colleague Harriet and the Sheik were well-characterized players and it was fun to follow their antics. However, the epistolary format descended into confusing Hansard bulletins, boring long-winded drivel by Peter Maxwell, and disconnected interviews from an investigative panel to discover how the whole sorry house of cards came tumbling down. Some of the narrative was understandable only after the fact, a disruptive device in keeping the reader engaged.

It was worth the read for me because the author brilliantly captured these persona and the the magic of the desert so very well. The ending, however, was rather naive (anyone familiar with Middle Eastern wadis in the rainy season would never have been caught so disastrously). As well, the fate of Alfred and his relationships with Mary and Harriet was markedly unsatisfying. This final resolution in an intricate plot deserved better.

Thanks to Richard for suggesting the title. I wonder what else Paul Torday wrote that might be similarly incisive? He has a flavour that Tom Holt and Terry Pratchett imparted to their novels: cutting and remorseless in showing societal types in British hierarchies.

>97 SandyAMcPherson: I'm glad it was as successful a read as it was, Sandy. I found it charming and poignant...though re: spoiler, yeup! That was...dim.

September review #7 (Books read in 2021, 74)
Murder at Blackburn Hall (Sara Rosett)

~

I haven't been reading this series in order but that hasn't made a great deal of difference to enjoying each story. This instalment was not quite as compelling as Book 1, because there was a little too much focus on the horrible Lady Holt's authorship ambitions and the somewhat ambiguous details concerning the murders.

The final scenes were a bit rushed for the conclusion and the unexpected twist appeared very perfunctorily. Despite these difficulties with the plot development, it was a good story for moving the saga of Olive Belgrave forward. Jasper as her main companion-investigator is amusing and very likeable. I prefer Rosett's period detective stories much, much more than Rhys Bowen's style.

While I haven't reviewed or commented on everything I've read so far (on these Talk threads), I was surprised to see that this book is #74. A bit of a deceptive count because at least two of these books were abandoned without finishing. However, I devoted enough time to know they were not to my liking, so they're in the 2021 list on my profile. Fortunately, drneutron says I can make my own rules because there are no official counting standards.

>68 SandyAMcPherson: love, love, LOVE the quilt!

Post all the pictures you want, it's YOUR thread (unintended pun!).

Hi fuzzi. Thanks for the quilt-love. Great pun!
I haven't been very active on threads this year, so I guess I should delurk over at your "house".

Murder on a Midnight Clear (Sara Rosett)
Amazing: book #75 for 2021.
I honestly didn't think I'd have the brain-space to read that many before year end (although a couple were skimmed more than read).

~

I'm certainly enjoying Sara Rosett's novels in this series. The author has moved our heroine, Olive, into an improved living arrangement and filled in a little more of the back story of her friend, Jasper. It's not a top-heavy romance story fortunately (heavy romance and passion are not my 'jam' as the saying goes).

A highlight for me are the very engaging character sketches of the main players. I loved the little twists and turns, gentle progression in solving the murder mystery and the fact that some aspects remain unsolved. I certainly would like to see these dangling threads of mystery taken up again in later stories. There's so much scope for character development, an aspect in writing style I particulary enjoy.

I've caught up all the published ones now and this title was one of the best so far. Not a deep and clever mystery, being more about the development of a romantic liaison rather than a suspenseful detective story. I highly recommend this author if you're a fan of the historical setting for cosy mysteries.

Congrats on reaching 75!

>103 foggidawn: Foggi! Thank you. I was surprised I made it to that milestone.

I vowed that 2021 would not obsessively overwhelm me in the reading department, so I deliberately set to to simply read without regarding the absolute quantity. I did keep track on my profile list but didn't post about every book read in 2021 (some were simply bad choices for my pandemic-reading brain).

My next reading objective is to start Beloved, my very first venture in reading a Toni Morrison novel. I think it was one recommended by either Laura or Roni as a good title to start with. The book is currently on my e-holds list and it appears I am now in #1 for the next available copy. That will give me some breathing space to finish a Hallowe'en costume I'm in the middle of making.

>104 SandyAMcPherson: Yeah, it's easy to get caught up in the numbers. Sounds like you made a good choice for your own mental health!

Congrats on hitting the goal!

>102 SandyAMcPherson: Congratulations on reaching 75, Sandy!

Yay for 75! It already feels like it's been a year, and we've a quarter left to go.

Congrats on reading 75 books!

Congrats on hitting 75, Sandy and a 4 star book to boot. Sweet Thursday, indeed.

>102 SandyAMcPherson:
Happy to see you reach the magic number in September! A major achievement.

I'm back to normal slug-a-bedness and eating my normal, plain diet. No more expensive lobster rolls...no more riding around in the (comfy!) car...but a LOT more rest! I've had such a great time visiting with my old friend that I feel inclined to be charitable toward all.

Except T*ump...The New Yorker had a piece on his "pervasive tax fraud" court case in New York that makes me so so so happy.

Congrats on #75, Sandy!

Thank you all for visiting >106 drneutron:, >107 FAMeulstee:, >108 quondame: (yeah, sure does feel like a year and half to me!), >109 figsfromthistle:, >110 msf59: (it was totally a fluffy book but just what I needed), >111 richardderus: (nice 75 image; and I hope the tax fraud case puts you-know-who in jail), >112 karenmarie:.

Optimists Die First (Susin Nielsen) (Book #76)

~

I couldn't fall asleep last night, largely due to some cancelled trips related to the on-goingness of the pandemic ~ no eating indoors thankyouverymuch. Trips planned for October but reserved in July when the realities appeared so much better, now required more cautious thinking.

Anyway, at 11 p.m. I gave up and chose a Susin Nielsen title off my "half-read" (unfinished) stack. I seem to have accumulated more Half-Read-Unfinisheds than TBRs this year.

Mistake. Disappointing. I slogged through to the end anyway and what a downer. I felt glum and glummer (and still awake at 2 am-ish). Nielsen is one of the best authors for the 12 to 16 year-old set, using an articulate, genuine teen voice.

Normally I don't post these bomb-out titles on Talk, but I decided to do so because I wanted to draw attention to Susin Nielsen. Normally she writes so very well about the difficult societal swamp in Vancouver. I think this book needs a warning, since, IMHO, it sure would be seriously unhelpful for young teenagers to read if (when!) they are in a life is tough stage.

The review is on the LT book page, if you want to see what I said (without all the personal moaning).

I am moving on to my next Half-Read-Unfinished title tonight, a compilation of Philip Pullman's non-fiction work on writing, fantasy, and children's lit, Daemon Voices: On Stories and Storytelling. This was a birthday gift in January so rather overdue to finish.

So glad I came here today! Congrats on reaching 75! It's been a tough year for finding the 'right' books to read, hasn't it?

I've wishlisted Sarah Rosett, she looks like good fun if I can find her on audio.

>115 sibylline: Hi Lucy, you are absolutely correct in saying, "It's been a tough year for finding the 'right' books"!

I looked on our Overdrive holdings (in SK) and Sara Rosett does indeed come in audio format. Not all the titles, just as not all her work is in ePub format. FYI, the first one, Murder at Archly Manor shows as available as an audio.

>115 sibylline: I visited your Autumn thread when it first appeared, but have developed a bad habit of not posting. This has been me all of September. It feels as if I have nothing new to say, unless I post about a recently read book.

To continue on about Sara Rosett, I was curious about her Ellie Avery series (yes, the surname made me smile). The e-Book was available so I started it yesterday. Book 1 was released in 2007, some 10 years earlier than her High Society Lady Detective. Strangely, the voice is so different and the writing is not nearly as accomplished in the Avery series. I was curious whether the author is even the same person, rather like the Carolyn Keene nom de plume (of Nancy Drew fame).

I'll finish Moving Is Murder because I am curious how the story turns out, with no plans to read another.

A great sadness for me today was reading that our beloved Robert Munsch has had a last hurrah. Some members of my family knew him well and I wished I'd had a part of that knowing. His stories were always so enchanting, humourous and spoke to the vibrant child that hides within us all.

In an interview today, he reflects on his career (a fantastic, brilliant storyteller) as he reveals he has dementia.

Some of our family's favourite titles, which appeal to adults reading them to children as much as the kids love hearing them ~
*The Paper Bag Princess
*Pigs
*Jonathan Cleaned Up -- Then He Heard a Sound...
*Mortimer
*The Boy in the Drawer
*Stephanie's Ponytail
*David's Father

>118 SandyAMcPherson: - Oh, no! This is very sad and such a loss! I had not heard this on the news so thank you for letting us know. I am listening to the Shelagh Rogers interview now as I type. His books were a staple in my classroom over the years and I have given many as gifts to friends and family, too.

Edited to add, Sandy, has he actually died? In rereading your post, I wonder if I am misinterpreting. Maybe you only meant that his writing days are over. I am asking because I can't find anything online saying he has died. Surely, it would have made the news.

Oh, I see now that he hasn't! I hadn't paid attention to the date of the interview. Whew! I thought it was an older interview. Still, it is sad news but not as grim as I first thought

>119 jessibud2: Shelley, I personally believe that dementia is a living hell.

I listened to interviews when Terry Pratchett said he had to give up writing for the same reason. Losing your memory is heartbreaking at the best of times. I can see that for a writer, with a whole career being memory-based, dementia (cognitive impairment) is worse than anything.

>120 SandyAMcPherson: - So true, Sandy. I am watching my mother go through it now, among other stuff. It was always her worst nightmare, too. Munsch sounded fairly coherent in the interview but the pauses were quite revealing.

Oh I'm sorry to hear that about Robert Munsch. I discovered The Paper Bag Princess as an adult, and it made me laugh out loud (I promptly gave it to my niece).

OMIGOSH
I don't know that I even knew who wrote The Paper Bag Princess but I sure as heck know Princess Elizabeth from many re-re-re-re-reads!

This is very sad news indeed. *unhappy sigh*

Shelley, Mary and Richard, thanks for sharing your thoughts.
My SIL grew up with books given to him personally by Robert. I only came to know about Munsch as an adult. Fortunately, my grandkids have a great legacy of personally inscribed stories. We laugh and laugh over the antics that kids relate to so well.

>124 SandyAMcPherson: - There is one Munsch book that has a Shelley as the main character, even spelled *correctly*. I always got a kick out of that as my name doesn't often (in my experience, anyhow) make it into books. I can't recall the title off the top of my head but I do remember it. The Jonathan Cleaned up Then He Heard a Sound was always a class favourite as the subway was a familiar landmark in Toronto. And while many think of Love You Forever as too sappy, it feels even more relevant to me as I age than it did when I was giving it as part of a baby gift to friends, years ago.

And yes, Princess Elizabeth is a hero!

>118 SandyAMcPherson: >122 bell7: I didn't know about The Paper Bag Princess until my daughter's pre-school, at the insistence of the 4yr olds, put it on as a play, with parts for otherwise non-sentient beings they added so there would be more parts. My daughter was Fire and Smoke and managed to upstage both the princess and the dragon with her glowing orange pillowcase costume and her absolute exuberance.

I was also saddened by the Munsch news, Sandy. I grew up loving his books as a kid. 50 Below Zero still sits on my shelf and I have fond memories of Purple, Green, and Yellow. And of course, I gifted The Paperbag Princess to my oldest niece.

The Shelagh Rogers interview aired today, too. And on the CBC website, I found this today:

https://www.cbc.ca/books/76-things-you-might-not-know-about-robert-munsch-1.4093...

I guess he's on my mind a lot since you posted.

Hi Sandy!

>125 jessibud2: I didn’t think I knew anything by Robert Munsch, but Love You Forever always, always makes me cry. I think I still have a copy upstairs in Jenna’s not-cataloged-in-LT childrens books.

>120 SandyAMcPherson: I am sorry to hear about Mr. Munsch.

Yes, dementia is a living hell, for the person with it and their loved ones. I speak from experience.

Such sad news. What an amazing writer he is! I looked it up and R. Munch has written 147 books. Incredible. I love the parting words the princess gives to the prince to put him in his place in the Paperbag Princess. I remember the reaction I had when I first read it a million years ago. Good on ya girl!

>126 quondame:, >127 MickyFine:, >128 jessibud2:, >129 karenmarie:, >130 fuzzi:, >131 mdoris: ~ Thanks everyone for dropping by and expressing the reader-love for Munsch.

For the last several days, I haven't been able to access the LT website. I don't believe it was either my computer or our internet access, because all other bookmarks loaded just fine. The LT one, despite computer restart, sat there with that little circular arrow loading... loading ... loading and then timing out. Anyone else have this happen?

Now I'm loaded up with the Talk threads having about a zillion new-to-me comments and new thread-contines started. I feel so wearied, so if you don't see any posts from me, you know why.

We are off to visit some family this coming week and again I'll be away from LT for a couple weeks. I never take my computer travelling anymore. That was a decision I made after retirement and it is a very freeing feeling, like no tether, you know?

In the meantime, I have been reading and posted a couple of book reviews on the book pages. They were very 'meh' stories, but that is more likely Me rather than the book. As >115 sibylline: Lucy said, "It's been a tough year for finding the 'right' books to read".

Beloved finally came in on my e-book hold requests, but I suspended it until I get back from the visiting. I never read much during family visit-times, except in the airports and on the plane.

>132 SandyAMcPherson: I didn't notice any problems with loading LT lately, but of course they have multiple servers, and you're probably not accessing the one I'm accessing...maybe there was a localized problem.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving break, Sandy!

I hope your Thanksgiving visits are lovely, Sandy! Enjoy the time away from the maddening crowd.

Enjoy the time with family, Sandy.

Happy Thanksgiving to you Sandy! Enjoy your time away.

Have a good Thanksgiving and easy travels.

Enjoy your visit with family and Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Chiming in with Happy Thanksgiving wishes too, Sandy!

HI Sandy , just heading over for a visit and wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving.

You'll see it after, but I'm wishing you and all yours a happy Thanksgiving celebration.

Happy Thanksgiving Sandy!

Hi Sandy! Hoping you're still having a terrific time. *smooch*

Hi Everyone who has lurked, delurked and sent me best wishes.
I've been home just one week and it's taken until tonight to find a sane moment to post on LT (at least as sane as I ever manage!).

My trip to the coast was just about the best thing, after such a long, hot summer. I loved the 'clean-green' smell of the rain and fresh-growing gardens, even tho autumn is in full swing. It was fabulous to see family and I'll tell you more in the coming week.

I have several book reviews to post here (a couple are on the book page but I want to chatter more), including *finally* getting to read Book 1 in the time travel series by Jodi Taylor. What a hoot!

Hope y'all have had a safe Hallowe'en.

>146 SandyAMcPherson: Glad you had such a good trip. And that you are back among the LT threads!

Isn't observing history in contemporary time a hoot!

>146 SandyAMcPherson: Nice to see you safe at home, Sandy.

I do miss the seasons from my tropical seat here in Malaysia.

Just a question though. I am updating my stats and I noticed you posted:

>97 SandyAMcPherson: and recorded your 71st book read and then
>99 SandyAMcPherson: you jumped straight to 74th book read ?

Have you miscalculated or did you leave something out?

Welcome back Sandy!

Glad you had a good trip!

Welcome home! Always so hard to get caught up on LT after a break.

Welcome back, Sandy!

Welcome back :)

Glad that you enjoyed your trip to the we(s)t coast!

Thanks everyone for the welcome back. As Linda (>152 laytonwoman3rd:) mentioned, it is always challenging to pick up the threads and have some idea what's going on and with whom.

My additional difficulty, in the catching-up, relates to log in and access to LT. My WiFi access has become incredibly unstable, even though we supposedly have a fast (fibreoptics) cable with a reasonable bandwidth. So staying connected has sucked big time and surfing LT too reminiscent of dial-up. I have had no sensible assistance from our provider, and I'm not techie enough to unravel the problem.

To answer Paul (>149 PaulCranswick:), I am not posting about every book that I read ~ only mentioned the books-read number at the point I passed 75. My objective was to quit obsessing about how many and simply share thoughts on what was outstandingly fun, great or abysmal. It is a public service to call out the atrocious (in my tastes, admittedly) in order to spare like-minded folks from wasting whatever is left of our time for reading.

Hi Sandy and welcome back. I also don't post every book I read even though I do log them in a paper journal I have, as I have done for eons. I just write the title and authors there and save reviews, such as they are, for my thread here, if and when the spirit moves me.

>157 jessibud2: Very manageable approach. Took me this year to realize that, for my mentality, it was better to treat my thread like a "person" instead of school homework. 🙄

>147 quondame: Yes, it was a fairly reasonable time travel story (maybe reasonable is the wrong word, 'cause the plot was not all that plausible, but I liked it anyhow).
Here are few more thoughts on Just One Damned Thing After Another

~
I'm not much of a time travel fan, but this story really gelled for me.
I think it was the strong, idiosyncratic characterizations that drew me in and the main characters (Max and Leon Farrell) were appealing. The baddies were done well, too.

Overall, it was a crazy, chaotic romp; I needed the slight silliness in my reading at that point and I didn't obsess over the sci-fi details. I liked how the author conceived the travel modules and the care she took with small details. For me, the events that developed out of the blue, and were logistically fuzzy, detracted from how well the plot was finessed.

When a talented writer leaves me out of the loop, I simply feel cross, which takes me out of the narrative (what did happen in the Egyptian desert between Max and "Bitch (Izzie) Barclay"?). Dangling action that's explained in a book sequel is clumsy. Not impressed.

Many times, the story was rollicking along just fine and then suddenly, the plot was away with the fairies, for all the connection it should have made for the reader at that point in the story. (what was the set up with The Boss and Chief Farrell? Why was Farrell so quick to castigate Max over the pregnancy bit? the anomaly part ~ with Shakespeare’s unknown play, and sonnets ~ totally escaped me).

I dithered between 3½ stars and 4 due to the choppy pace.
Did I love the writing?
Did I gobble up the read?
Will I read the next book?
Yes, yes and yes.

>159 SandyAMcPherson: ...and those last three are the reason the series has lasted twelve novels, eight novellas, and shows no signs of limping off into the sunset.

It's just *fun*.

>160 richardderus: Indeed, it was and is fun, a short commodity in these parts, lately.

To clarify, since maybe-perhaps I have mislead >162 richardderus:, in that fun reading was less prevalent of late (and not reviewed here). The DNF list has expanded more than previous years.

Everybody can always see my complete reading list on my profile, if curiosity is overwhelming.

>161 SandyAMcPherson: Ayup. Short. Like undertall, not flaky and buttery, short.

I've decided to post one of the books I characterize as ugly (related to my idea of posting only The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly).
This year, I decided not to diss books that were 'Meh', or books wildly loved elsewhere but missed the mark for me. Unless I felt a compelling reason to say something here... like this one ~ read in early October ~

Daemon Voices: On Stories and Storytelling
~

Caveat: An extremely personal perspective on Pullman's writerly advice and insights.
Very philosophical and scholarly. However: oh-so-worthy. As an informative chronicle on writing, the book failed in that specific narrative.

The references to authors such as Milton, Blake, and so forth came across as preachy and just a bit smug. There were some unattractive overtones where Pullman pulled out what I could only wonder as "unperceptive white privilege", for want of a better descriptor.

I suspect that some of the glaring flaws in this book are editorial faults. The essays drew heavily on a wide variety of lectures, speeches and short non-fiction articles that were published elsewhere. As a compendium, this arrangement did not make for an interesting insight on writing or storytelling.

I suspect that, individually, the public-speaking material was probably very engaging for the live audience. These were not essays penned for a book, and made for too much repetition gathered together. An additional aspect which the editor(s) seem to have ignored: a combination of the different talks and lectures brought forward a feeling that Philip Pullman is rather full of himself. And that perception may very well reflect reading so many 'essays' on his opinions.

>159 SandyAMcPherson: Ooh! That looks like a good one. BB for me.

>161 SandyAMcPherson: But it gets pretty heartrending too. Max isn't being offered a bouquet of pansies with the job at St. Mary's. But the time travel episodes are just great.

>163 SandyAMcPherson: Somehow, full of himself always seemed probable as a description for Pullman, just from what I've read of his books.

Happy weekend, Sandy! Happy to see you back!

>164 figsfromthistle: It was a BB via Lucy (sybilline).
Several folks in this group have read the series. I'm going to get in the request line up at our local PL so the next couple of titles arrive when I've finished the current book cascade.

>165 quondame: it gets pretty heartrending too. Yes indeed, it does.
👀 Nota bene ~ 👀
Possible spoilers following on here, for folks who haven't read the beginning of this series (The Chronicles of St Mary's).

I think that's why I was cross with the reappearance of Izzie. I mean I understand why Farrell let her go in order to reappear when she was needed in a historical time frame, but jeez.

I was also frustrated that Max saw a connection way back between her partner and Izzie. Then never discussed it with anyone. It was one of the few times I guessed a twist in the story.

>141 alcottacre:, >150 lauralkeet:, >151 drneutron:, >153 MickyFine:, BTW, I did see you up there! Thanks for peeking in at the chaos‼️ We didn't really do Cdn T-Giving on the traditional weekend, but I hope everyone used the Canadian date as a reason to eat a fantastic dinner. We celebrate with extra-special food for the American observance (the 25th this year, yes?).

I usually make a pumpkin pie (with a real {no store-bought}, buttery pie crust) and splurge with whipped cream. The cholesterol levels soar at the end of November for sure.

The Serpent's Tale (Book 2, Series: Mistress of the Art of Death)

~

After thoroughly enjoying books 1 and 3 (reading out of order didn't matter too much to me in this series), I was rather 'meh' about book 2. The plot felt more contrived compared to the other two books, with an overload of backstory.

There were some delightful passages reflective of the times (12th century) and a sympathetic viewpoint of Henry II. Admirably, the author wove in historical accuracy along with her fiction. Her afterword definitely explained where she took liberties and confirmed how society was in medieval Britain.

HOWEVER. Book 2 was a tad plodding and while the initial murder was very interesting, the subsequent falderol around Rosamund's death was tedious. I realize Franklin wanted to write about Eleanor of Aquitaine and her role in Henry's life as a rebel Queen of England, but the prolonged details and convoluted plotting involving Henry's mistress, Rosamund, were tiresome.

The aspect that really ditched my favour were the reveals that appeared with no clues for the reader about who Rosamund's assassin was. In addition, I'm generally exasperated by loose ends that seemed important and then became irrelevant. For example, why bother injecting suspense by mentioning Rosamund's cache of letters to Eleanor, when it was ultimately never pertinent to the plot? The take away here is that this particular narrative was about 150-pages too long and Franklin needed to follow Stephen King's writing advice: My dear, kill your darlings.

>170 SandyAMcPherson: I honestly think that book 2 is one of the weakest in the series. Normally I think that the initial book in the series is. The series does improve from here, Sandy.

>171 alcottacre: Hi Stasia,
I often find that book 2 in a series is the weakest, almost like the author needed to find her/his feet. Elly Griffiths' books were like that.

>172 SandyAMcPherson: Thanks for the heads up regarding Elly Griffiths' books. I still do not think I have read anything by her even though I own at least 2.

>170 SandyAMcPherson: This is a series that might interest me. Hmm, how should I remind myself to look into it without putting it into the queue this year, especially this month which seems to be spilling volumes out the sides and back as fast as I've been adding them...

Matrix had a couple of appearances by Eleanor of Aquitaine, who has interested me at least since I read The Devil's Brood back in my larval stage. Though I admit it was William Marshall that was my first love from that book.

>174 quondame: I think Ariana's writing style quite accomplished and her plotting is certainly suspenseful!

I am especially drawn to stories where the author has created strong female leads, developed an intriguing cast of characters with none of that cardboard-cutout dimension, and fulfills my liking of idiosyncratic themes that defy conventional tropes.

I had Grave Goods on my TBR e-reader-shelf for at least two years (not knowing it was part of a series). I finally read it at the beginning of last month. I fell in "love" with Adelia.

Now I've read two more in the series, so indicates my paean to Franklin and her Mistress of the Art of Death character.

>175 SandyAMcPherson: Ah, Glastonbury and Arthur. The Hidden Treasure of Glaston was the one Scholastic book from my school days that I still have, though it is in sad, sad, shape. It starts with the aftermath of Beckett's murder.

>176 quondame: Interesting that you have a copy of The Hidden Treasure of Glaston.
My younger daughter's Grade 5 teacher assigned that book to the whole class as a required "outside" reading assignment (around 1990).

Anecdote ~
It was an unobtainable book from the entire provincial resources in both elementary school and public library systems. Ridiculous to assign to a class of 25 or more students!

I lucked out finding it in the College of Education's "Curriculum Studies" library (U of SK). Since I was working at the university, I was able to ask a friend in the appropriate department at the college if she could check it out (I wasn't a student, nor academically-affiliated), so I needed an intermediary. Apparently copies were very scarce (pre-internet days and all).

It is still rarely available, based on looking for a copy myself in secondhand shops, anyway. It turned out to be a great little story. Of course I can't really remember the story at all now and probably wouldn't buy it if I saw it going by.

>177 SandyAMcPherson: Basically, boy is left by fugitive father at monastery and gets to appreciate life there. A discovery is made.

In the summer I collected quite a few Book Bullets from reading reviews in this group.
About 40% have made it through the request/hold library system to me and I've read several that were, as expected, very fun, very engaging and occasionally gripping, as in being nagged, "Turn out the light woman. It's 2 am".

I have been skipping reviews on my thread when I didn't have an axe to grind, or laudatory glee to impart. However, with Abrams' novel (below), I wondered, what did I miss? Laura hit me with this one and I hope she will comment on my review, considering It should have been a stellar read, no? And the author, so worthy of support and admiration.

While Justice Sleeps ~ ~

A legal thriller with a fairly plausible basis for political mayhem, based on an American constitutional loop hole for replacing Supreme Court judges. With a murder or two thrown into the mix along with unscrupulous senior government officials plus an ethical law clerk with an unexpected Power-of-Attorney, this story is laden with action, suspense and many twists to the plot.

In fact, the complexity of the plot rather obscured the theme and, as an all-action thriller, left scant room for considered character development. While the author is certainly very knowledgeable with regard to both the functioning of the courts and procedural practices, the novel could have cut to the chase in a few places instead of teasing the reader with side trips that dead ended.

I found myself comparing Abrams' story to a couple of my favourite early John Grisham novels. My preference for some respite in the action as the progress of the mystery gallops on a tear-away course, was largely absent. Eventually I wasn't engaged enough to read as a completely-involved participant. Less action, a tighter plot? I don't know, but obviously I didn't find the narrative enthralling. Other readers evidently did, so I say go ahead and try this book!

>179 SandyAMcPherson: I think I will give that one a pass. Legal thrillers are just not for me. I still have not read a single John Grisham title other than his nonfiction The Innocent Man.

>179 SandyAMcPherson: Nice review, Sandy. I agree with your thoughts on the complexity of the plot and that Abrams could have "cut to the chase" a few times. I enjoyed this book but also felt it could have been better. Having just reread my review, here are a couple of points to add to your comments:
* Avery’s unique problem-solving abilities seemed a bit of a stretch, requiring some suspension of disbelief.
* Too many characters which, when coupled with a complex plot, can make this book hard to follow.
* Abrams can do whatever she wants with her life but I for one hope that most of her time is spent working for justice in the US political system, where she truly excels.

>181 lauralkeet: "... I for one hope that most of her time is spent working for justice in the US political system, where she truly excels."

Amen for that, Laura. The best part of this novel (for me) was discovering who Stacey Abrams is. I (politically) love her already!
I did ponder about her writing novels (and under a pseudonym, some romances) as a relaxing outlet for her. I admire her work for voters' rights and such activism must take an emotional toll.

That's a good point, Sandy.

Hi Sandy!

Yikes. I haven’t visited in a month, but I’ve lurked.

>163 SandyAMcPherson: I was immediately reminded of On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King, which is a memoir and a good sharing of his philosophy and discipline of writing. Even if you don’t like books by King, you might find the bits about writing fascinating.

>179 SandyAMcPherson: I immediately thought of Pelican Brief even before I read your comment about Grisham. I re-read Pelican Brief every few years.

>179 SandyAMcPherson: I bought it more as an act of solidarity than to read it. Now I don't think I'll make the effort.

Happy reading, Sandy!

>184 karenmarie: hiya Karen, I totally understand about lurking. All good, and happy to know you visited.

Re your comment about >163 SandyAMcPherson:. I guess you missed my discussion here. That's where I reviewed The Serpent's Tale, November 7th post. I quoted King, there.

Happy Wednesday!

>177 SandyAMcPherson: Considering you had such a hard time to find that book, I wonder how the other 24 students found it :)

>175 SandyAMcPherson: Yes, books with a strong female protagonist are usually excellent reads for me.

>99 SandyAMcPherson: >102 SandyAMcPherson: Not sure when I'll get around to trying this series, but it's a new one to me.

Hi Sandy!

>186 SandyAMcPherson: To be perfectly candid, I completely skipped your review when I saw that it was the 2nd in the Mistress of the Art of Death series. I actively disliked that book. However, I just went back and read your review, and see your King quote and link to On Writing. i love it although I don't remember it in the book - My dear, kill your darlings.

>189 karenmarie: Hi Karen.
I love "candid". It's why I have a thread, so folks can provide the inside, unvarnished scoop!

TBH, I only read the 2nd in the Mistress of the Art of Death series because the third book was pretty good and Book 1, while horrifically graphic in places (skimmed judiciously), seemed intriguing. However, I have now abandoned the 4th book, A Murderous Procession.

I was rather mercilous in my review (on the book page). I said:
"Abandoned. The theme has become tedious and I really, really do not want to read about old Scarry. That was a side-saga part of Book 3's plot and I wasn't going to tolerate the chase and killing and blah, blah, blah. So I'm done with this set of characters."

Now that I'm done and dusted with the Ariana Franklin books, what's next?
I have no idea.

Maybe I'll start a new thread and leave this vale of tears and toil behind.

Edited to say, I decided to soldier on with this thread, since I'm rather weary of trying to keep up with everything.I think someone suggested this is currently typical across many activities: pandemic burn out.

>187 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita, I missed your comment up there...
in reply to your comment: I have no idea what the other students did, but there were other parents who could have arranged to borrow the book from the same (restricted) library. I never thought to ask whether every student even read it.

Is it my browser or computer?
Or are everybody's star images greyed-out, broken page icons?

The star gif images were working this morning...

It's Thursday. They call it "Thanksgiving" but I get gassy when I think about what they're giving thanks for.

So I decided a visit to Canada was in order. Happy Thursday.

I know your Thanksgiving is past, but this is how it is around here today:



Posey's dream.

Happy Friday, Sandy!

Hi Sandy!

I hope you've got a good book going. I'm very slowly reading The Ruin, a mystery set in Galway. Irish mysteries are rarely my thing, and although I'm liking this book, I'm not loving it.

Delighted to see some visitors. I've been lurking but largely looking after the seasonal baking (Christmas, not Thanksgiving) because that's what we send to family sprinkled across North America these days.

>194 richardderus: Hi Richard. I hope you've soldiered through the Thanksgiving part and enjoyed the repast(s) instead.
>195 sibylline:, Lucy I just adored that photo of Posey. Or perhaps it was a photoshopped equivalent. Made me smile anyhow. Thanks!
>196 alcottacre: Hi Stasia. I adored that you dropped by. I've lurked on your thread but had nothing to add until today.
>197 karenmarie: Hi Karen. Happy to see you are up to your usual standard again, for keeping up on the threads. I do have a good book going! I am about to post a few reviews today, in fact.

I noticed you showing up today. Baking sounds like a good way to spend non-reading time, assuming there's enough of that to do more than pop premade pastry into the oven so as to get back to reading.

Happy Tuesday, aka Joplin Meet Up Day, Sandy! Thank you for stopping by the Acre.

>199 quondame: Hi Susan. That was nice, seeing that I "showed up" and then visiting here. Thank you.

You're right, the baking was especially satisfying because I made most of the traditional favourite family recipes (cheese crunchies, shortbread-type cookies and 2 types of biscotti). All these varieties are robust enough for mailing. Theoretically, they store well, assuming the younger set doesn't discover the goods. In fact, these specific baked treats taste better if they age a bit. Somehow (back in the day) in our house, that aspect was never able to be tested.

I will post some reviews tonight. Then you can see what I have been reading.

>200 alcottacre: Stasia, I did see reference to Joplin on your thread, and I kept thinking folks were talking Janis Joplin. :D

Seeing as how we've hit the 200 mark... I think it's time to start a new thread.
That's where I'll post some book reviews and maybe a few wintery scenes.