What are you reading the week of March 5, 2022?

Not much reading this week. I'm starting Lock No. 1 by Georges Simenon. It's the 18th Inspector Maigret mystery. I really need some light reading right now.

I'm about to start The Tenth Man by Graham Greene.

Listening to this audio via hoopla ~

Calder Brand by Janet Dailey
(book #1 in a stream of new Calder books written under the Janet Dailey brand)

The Duke and I – Julia Quinn
3.5***

Book one in the Bridgertons series. First, I’ll note that I have not seen any of the TV miniseries episodes, so had little idea of why it (and the Bridgerton family) is so popular. Now I do.

This was everything a regency romance should be. There is a young marriageable lady in need of a husband, an aloof, dashingly handsome but rakish duke, and enough sexual tension and plot twists to keep things interesting and the pages turning.

Daphne Bridgerton is the fourth child and eldest daughter of Lady Violet and the late Lord Edmund Bridgerton. She’s attractive and accomplished but doesn’t seem to attract the attention of eligible bachelors. Oh, they like her well enough, she’s friends will almost everyone, but no one seems to be falling in love with her. Could it be that her three older brothers are scaring them off? Enter Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings, a confirmed bachelor recently returned to England from several years abroad. He’s determined to shun marriage and society in general, until he meets up with his best friend, Anthony Bridgerton and his charming sister, Daphne. Before they’ve shared even two dances, Daphne and Simon have agreed to fake an attachment so that they can each avoid the majority of the season’s requirements. But their plan doesn’t quite work out the way they intended.

I was charmed by both of them, though I thought some of Simon’s backstory was pretty melodramatic. Still, it served the purpose and I enjoyed watching the two of them work through the obstacles to achieve their happily ever after. I may actually watch the TV adaptation now.

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit– Jeanette Winterson
Audible audiobook read by the author
3***

Winterson’s semi-autobiographical debut novel has a protagonist who is also named Jeanette. She’s the adopted child of a fervent believer in an evangelical church, and is being raised to become an evangelical preacher. But Jeaneatte is attracted to girls, and this is viewed by her mother, her pastor and followers of her church as a sign that she is possessed of demons and cannot possibly be trusted to “speak the truth.” Her struggles to balance her faith, her love of God and her budding sexuality form the basis of the story.

Winterson’s novel is a glimpse at one teenager’s path out of childhood and into adulthood. Oh, the angst of teen years! The confusion and questions that adults don’t seem to want to answer (heck, they don’t want you to even ask), the emotional roller coaster of attraction vs guilt. The first time one realizes that other people – people who seem like perfectly nice people – live differently that one’s own family.

First published in 1985, I can see why it became so popular. But I’m long past this stage of life and I’ve read many books treating coming-of-age, including those featuring LGBTQ characters. I thought it was fine for its genre, but not particularly memorable to me.

The author narrates the audio version herself, and does a fine job of it.

Will finish The German Army and the Defense of the Reich in the course of the day. Axiom's End is next up. Will also start Sand and Steel, as I expect to be picking at it the rest of the month; the book is certainly too large to really lug around!

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-02-18/duvall-hecht-books-on-tape-g...
Duvall Hecht, whose daily grind to L.A. led to Books on Tape, dies at 91

RIP

Thanks to this pioneer, I have been enjoying audiobooks for about twenty years. Multi-tasking is a daily joy because of audiobooks and the electronic devices which have been introduced over the years.

>7 Molly3028: Thanks for sharing!

I'm still reading A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. It's been a good mystery, I just had a busy week.
Next up is Skeleton Crew by Stephen King for a readalong on Instagram.

I just finished Secret to Superhuman Strength by Alison Bechdel. I thought it was great. Timely and beautifully done.

I'll finish up George V Never a Dull Moment and The Quest for Queen Mary today and tomorrow. I think both biographies are fascinating in their own way, mostly because of the different styles and tone of the biographers. George V is treated sympathetically by Jane Ridley but James Pope-Hennessy is waspish, almost malicious at times about Queen Mary.

I've started Stephen King's Billy Summers but I may return it to the library. This isn't the best time for me to be reading something that will make me uneasy. I'm enjoying it though so it may be too late to stop. ;)

Still reading The Quarter Storm and The Cipher.

I finished Graham Greene's short, absorbing novel, The Tenth Man. I've posted a review on my 50-Book Challenge thread. Next up for me will be the month's selection for my reading group, The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of his Theory of Evolution by David Quammen. Happily for me, this is not the doorstop-size book that my group-mates have been in the habit of selecting lately, so I'll be able to take it along on the short vacation my wife and I are about to leave on.

Finished The Cipher by Isabella Maldonado. Really enjoyed it. Next up is Cross Her Heart by Melinda Leigh.

>3 Molly3028: Thanks for the heads-up about the "Calder" books. I remember reading the original series waybackwhen and was surprised to see new titles popping up. I thought perhaps they were re-issues -- it's good to know they are "under the Janet Dailey brand" and not part of the original author's work.

Atul Gawande's 'Being Mortal' is absorbing all of my attention at the moment. How modern western culture approaches the terminally ill, and the aged is something I think about a lot and this book uses many anecdotal cases to prove the point that what matters most is living a good and valuable life and the truth is that this is defined differently by people.

FINALLY ground through Tesla: Inventor of the Modern and don't know why I didn't bail out sooner. He was a fascinating man, but this particular bio was incredibly slow and difficult to get through, focussing mainly on his financial woes and his feuds with other scientific minds of the era.

I'm reading several books right now.

Physical, paper book: Artemis by Andy Weir, which I'm liking. I enjoy the hard but approachable science fiction.

E-book: Forget Me Not by Kierney Scott - I've just started this, so I can't comment yet.

Audiobook: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte - I am absolutely dazzled by this book. I've been listening to audiobooks a lot this year as I can't seem to focus much on reading. I've listened to books by George Eliot, Henry James, Nella Larsen, Oliver Goldsmith, Edith Wharton, and others. More and more I am remembering how much I enjoy Victorian literature; out of the authors I've read for the first time since grad school centuries ago, the Victorians win hands-down again. That being said, I'm also really liking Edith Wharton. The House of Mirth in particular is excellent, although it broke my heart.

Started this OverDrive audio ~

The Paris Apartment: A Novel by Lucy Foley
(ensemble narration)

The Rest of Us Just Live Here
Patrick Ness
3/5 stars
"This" is the story of Mikey and his friends, ordinary kids living in times that are no longer ordinary. Indie students at their school are trying to prevent an Immortal invasion. Mikey does not want to accept that he is simply average but ultimately finds that having good friends is what makes life important."
https://www.supersummary.com/the-rest-of-us-just-live-here/summary/
I read Ness' A Monster Calls and loved it but this book was just only okay for me.

Finished the excellent Mayflower Murders.

Next up for listening is China Room by Sunjeev Sahota

Just finished the Ian Tyson autobiography, The Long Trail. Picked up a few insights about where some of his lyrics came from, heard a lot about his affection for and interest in horses, but really didn't learn much about the man, except that he is "cantankerous" and probably hard to live with (witness two failed marriages and a string of brief love affairs, none of which gets much introspective examination here).

Off for a weeked at the Oregon coast, where I intend to watch the waves, read, sit in front of a fireplace and drink red wine, and generally decompress from a truly hellish month just passed. Grabbed an adapted audio version of War of the Worlds (can't get it to link, but it's an abridged dramatization with Leonard Nimoy), and Have a Nice Guilt Trip by Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella to listen to on the road.

I finished the confusing Cowboy Graves. It was presented as three novellas but to me it read as a collection of confusing disjointed stories of poets in Chile and Mexico. I imagine there was a deeper message presented but it escaped me.

>20 LyndaInOregon: Enjoy.

Still reading Dracula by Bram Stoker. Not what I expected, and I am liking it.

Cold-Hearted Rake – Lisa Kleypas
Book on CD performed by Mary Jane Wells
3***

Book number one in The Ravenels series. Devon Ravenel has inherited an earldom that comes with a lot of debt and more complications that the charmingly wicked bachelor cares to deal with. First there are the late earl’s three unmarried sisters, who still live at the manor house, and secondly, there’s the beautiful, headstrong young widow, Kathleen, Lady Trenear. Sparks fly and passion overcomes sensibility and rules of propriety.

Not bad for a regency romance, and after immersing myself in the genre this month I certainly see the reason why they are so popular, even if I’ll probably spend most of my reading time on other genres. Still, not saying I’ll never read another. They are entertaining.

Mary Jane Wells does a fine job of performing the audio. She sets a good pace, and her narration completely held my attention.

Finished Cross Her Heart by Melinda Leigh. Really liked it. Next up is Hammered by Elizabeth Bear.

Finished from the library: An Impossible Imposter by Deanna Raybourn
New and #7 entry in the Veronica Speedwell Mystery series.

Reading The Unkindest Tide by Seanan McGuire

Enjoying this cozy audiobook from hoopla ~

Granny's Got a Gun (Secret Agent Granny Book 1) by Harper Lin
(Barbara is a hoot!)

Last night I finished Elizabeth Taylor’s Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont. I did not expect to like it as much as I did. I’ll spend some time wandering around this morning looking for my next read.

I finished listening to the very good China Room.

Next up for listening is Strange Flowers by Donal Ryan.

Enjoying this audio via hoopla ~

Granny Undercover (Secret Agent Granny Book 2)
by Harper Lin

The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern – Lilian Jackson Braun
Book on CD performed by George Guidall
3***

Book two in the “Cat Who” cozy mystery series, starring journalist James Qwilleran and his Siamese Koko. Much to his chagrin, Qwill has been assigned to write pieces for a new interior design magazine insert for the Fluxion. There’s a tight deadline so he asks a couple of leading interior designers for a lead and goes to the home of a wealthy jade collector and his invalid wife. The home itself is interesting, but the jade collection is spectacular. Unfortunately, right after the story is published there is a burglary at the featured abode, and the wife dies of an apparent heart attack. Qwilleran doesn’t believe the article – or a stranger – was to blame and he begins to look into things.

I like this series, set in an unnamed northern-midwest city (possibly in Michigan, which is where the author lived). I like the way Qwill ferrets out information, and how he’s beginning to notice that his cat is quite astute. Love the dictionary game they play! The plot is full of twists and turns, as well as a colorful assortment of characters, good and bad. Photographer Odd Bunsen is an able sidekick.

I also like that Braun doesn’t anthropomorphize Koko. He’s a cat and behaves like a cat, though he has an uncanny ability to provide clues – like coughing up a bit of fabric, or insisting that Qwill retrieve his toy mouse from under a piece of furniture, where the journalist happens to also find a single gold earring.

I also like that the time frame is before internet or cell phones and old-fashioned detecting is required to solve the case. Qwill’s journalism background provides a great framework.

George Guidall does a reasonably good job of performing the audio. There’s something about his delivery though … perhaps he sounds jaded or bored? … that initially put me off, but once I let myself focus on the plot I didn’t notice this so much.

Something to Hide
Elizabeth George
4/5 stars
Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his partner Detective Sergeant Havers are on a new case which involves the death of a Nigerian colleague, as she was investigating the illegal practice of FGM - Female Genital Mutilation in the Nigerian community in London. Heartbreaking! Mystery

I did not realize this was still going on. How terrible that this is still accepted today. For more information - check out this website. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/female-genital-mutilation

Back from my mini-vacation, decompressed and re-energized. The Scottoline audiobook was a fun companion for the road, but since it's a collection of three- to four-minute vignettes, there's not much continuity or emotional involvement there. Good for a few laughs.

By chance, I picked up The Lost Soldier from my TBR stack. A friend had given me three of Costeloe's books and I had admittedly not prioritized them, since her taste and mine don't always coincide. (Funny how you can be friends with someone, share a lot of common interests, but be left utterly cold by their reading choices.) Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised at this WWI-era tale. It was probably a perfect book for the moment -- engaging but not demanding, and it didn't mind at all when I took long breaks for wave-watching during the read!

Next up is Monkey Love, a debut novel that looks like fun.

The new thread is up over here.