Clue Has A Laid Back Year in 2021

Hi, I'm Luanne. Welcome to my laid back thread. In February I reach my 13th year with LT!

I've discovered over the last few years that I enjoy making reading plans but not necessarily following them every month. So this year I'm not going to plan ahead, I'll read KITS and CATS when I have something on my shelves that appeals to me, and I'm not setting ANY goals. I'm still committed to reading the TBR down though and did pretty well last year, 75% of what I read came from my shelves. I have the same no frills categories I've had the last few years and they work well for going with the flow!

Fiction

1. The Women in Black by Madeleine St. John
2. Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian
3. The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan
4. The Dig by John Preston
5. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
6. Sooley by John Grisham
7. The Courtyard by Marcia Willett
8. The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans
9. The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
10. Frederica by Georgette Heyer
11. Ribbons of Scarlet by Kate Quinn
12. Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
13. The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
14. Painting the Light by Sally Cabot Gunning
15. Still Life by Sarah Winman
16. The Marseille Caper by Peter Mayle
17. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

Mystery and Thrillers

1. A Coffin for Dimitrios by Eric Ambler
2. The Devil's Cave by Martin Walker
3. The Resistance Man by Martin Walker
4. An Extravagant Death by Charles Finch
5. Payment in Blood by Elizabeth George
6. Murder in Old Bombay by Nev March
7. Death Undercover by Martin Walker
8. The Gauguin Connection by Estelle Ryan
9. The House at Baker Street by Michelle Birkby
10. Heat Wave by Richard Castle
11. A Death of No Importance by Mariah Fredericks
12. Pleading Guilty by Scott Turow
13. The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gillman
14. The Dante Connection by Estelle Ryan
15. The Steal by C.W. Gortner
16. The Broken Spine by Dorothy St. James
18. The Miser of Mayfair by M.C. Beaton
19. The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny
20. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
21. The Women of Baker Street by Michelle Birkby
22. The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
23. The Judge's List by John Grisham
24. A Play of Knaves by Margaret Frazer
25. The Ides of April by Lindsey Davis
26. Mrs.Pollifax Pursued by Dorothy Gilman

Biography and Memoirs

1. Memorial Drive by Natasha Trethewey
2. Nella's Last War by Nella Last
3. Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill by Sonia Purnell
4. Crazy Brave: A Memoir by Joy Harjo
5. Sobremesa by Josephine Caminos Oria
6. Notes from the Firehouse: Seventeen Firefighting Stories from a Retired Firefighter by D.E. McCourt
7. Forever Young by Hayley Mills

Nonfiction

1. The Barbizon by Paulina Bren
2. I Feel Bad About My Neck and Other Thoughts on Being A Woman by Nora Ephron
3. The Miss Dennis School of Writing by Alice Steinbach
4. Tiny Love Stories: Tales of Love in 100 Words or Less by Daniel Jones
5. The Vanished Collection by Pauline Baer de Periagnon

Books Bought
Thingaversary (Feb 13, 2007) plus a tiny few more:

I'm going to spread my Thingaversary buying over the year (14 + 1) and attempt to hold my total buying to 2 a month. January isn't included because I was spending Christmas gift cards and they don't count!

February
1. Two Trees Make a Forest by Jessica Lee
2. The Dig by John Preston (Read in February)

March
3. Death Undercover by Martin Walker (Read in April)
4. Monkeewrench by J. P. Tracy

April
5. Crazy Brave: A Memoir by Jo Harjo (Read in April)
6. Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
7. The Women of Chateau Lafayette by Stephanie Dray

May
8. Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
9. The Patriarch by Martin Walker (Read in June)
10. The Bookseller of Florence by Ross King

June
11. The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
12. Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachael Beanland

July
13. Arabella by Georgette Heyer
14. Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy
15. Another Brooklyn by Jacquline Woodson

JANUARY

Origin - Net Galley
CAT - Genre CAT
TBR - No
My Rating - 4.0

The Barbizon by Paulina Bren

The Barbizon was a hotel located on the Upper Eastside of Manhattan. Built in 1927 as a residential hotel for women, it offered a safe place to stay and amenities that men’s residential hotels had long considered necessary. At the Barbizon women could enjoy a small charmingly decorated room, daily maid service, a private dining room, cultural programs, a swimming pool, and a library with the newest bestsellers.

In the years between the wars most women still expected to marry but some wanted to experience independence first. The Depression caused others to have to start supporting themselves. For those that came to New York City the Barbizon was the ideal place to live. Some businesses including Gibbs Secretarial School and Ford Modeling Agency required residence there. Many young women hoping to become professional models, actors, musicians and artists lived there as well. It remained a residential hotel for women until 1981 when occupancy was opened to men. In 2002 it became a hotel and in 2005 the building was converted to luxury condos called Barbizon 63.

The first portion of the book covering the history of working women early in the twentieth century was the most interesting to me. Understandably the experiences of specific woman became more common in the Barbizon’s later years, the 1950s through the 1970s, and chapters were devoted to both Sylvia Plath and Joan Didion. There were many other young residents during those years whose names are now well known including Candice Bergan, Barbara Chase-Riboud and Grace Kelly. A historian and professor at Vassar, Bren has written a well researched and enlightning social history of the Barbizon and the women who lived there.

To be released March 2nd, 2021 (no touchstone yet).
Thanks to NetGalley for a prepublication copy.

Good to see you back! Happy reading for 2021!

Happy new year and I hope your 2021 is enjoyable, Luanne!

Have a great 2021 and lots of good books to read.

I really like your 'un-plan' and hope you have a fun, low stress year of reading.

Welcome back and enjoy your laid-back reading year!

Glad to see you here. Hope you have a good year of reading.

Welcome back, Luanne! Hope your 2021 reading is spectacular!

No planning and just reading what appeals sounds like the perfect approach to your 2021 reading! Wishing you a Happy New Year and a year filled with wonderful reading.

Happy New Year, Luanne. I am looking forward to following along with your reading this year.

>9 Jackie_K:, >10 Tess_W:, >11 hailelib:, >12 This-n-That:, >13 rabbitprincess:, >14 dudes22:, >15 thornton37814:, >16 lkernagh:, >17 DeltaQueen50:

Thanks for the well wishes, I hope we all have a stellar year!

Happy New Year, Luanne! Have a fun year of reading!

Welcome back!

>8 clue: sounds like an interesting book. I like the concept of tracing history through tracing a building or other object -- it gives some grounding.

Happy reading in 2021!

Origin - Library
CAT - Mystery CAT
TBR - No
My Rating - 4.5

A Coffin for Dimitrios by Eric Ambler

Charles Latimer is a writer of detective novels. Grappling for a plot for his next book, he is intrigued wth a story a Turkish colonel tells him about an actual criminal, Dimitrios Marrukakis. The story of Marrukakis is not totally known, he operates in different countries and changes names as needed. Certain to be the leader of a large drug gang operating in Eastern Europe it is likely there are many crimes that could be attributed to him.

Latimer decides to investigate Marrukakis and travels over the next weeks in Turkey and Greece as he trails his suspect. His interest becomes an obsession and he puts himself at great risk when he begins to circulate among treacherous people as if he were one of them.

Ambler is credited with raising the thriller to a literary level and based on this one book, published in 1939, I can see how that would be true. Although the plot is complex it flows smoothly and I thought it was quite easy to follow. The murky atmosphere, the delivish characters and Latimer's naivete are deliciously done. The one criticism I have is that I would have liked for the ending to have a bigger bang but overall for me it was great reading.

>19 Chrischi_HH:, >20 pammab:, >21 MissWatson: Thanks and best wishes for a great year to you as well. I was burned out with last year and I'm so glad that even with reading I'm turning a page.

>22 clue: I'm a big Ambler fan. Cause for Alarm is another good one.

Also Journey into Fear and Epitaph for a Spy.

> 24 Thanks for letting me know, I'm definately reading more. I can't think why I haven't read anything by him before now!

>22 clue: Nice review - adding this one to The List.

>26 Crazymamie: I hope you like it, obviously I did and I don't think I've seen many, if any, negative comments. Since it was published in 1939, there are definately differences between the genre now and then but of course that's expected.

Origin - Library
CAT - Random CAT
TBR - No
My Rating - 2.5

I Feel Bad About My Neck And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman by Nora Ephron

Nora Ephron's book is composed of 15 short pieces about her life. This Ephron is the one that wrote the screenplay for When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle, so even if the publisher hadn't described it as "hilarious" and "wickedly funny" I would have expected it to be. It isn't though and what a disappointment! Maybe it's outdated, it was published in 2006 and I like to think women have moved on from ranking the condition of their necks above national security.

Here's an example of why it may not have resonated with me. After a divorce, Ephron finds a dreamy 5 bedroom apartment in Manhatten for herself and her two boys. She loves living there, but after being there a decade A New York law changes rent-stabiliazation for anyone paying over $2500 a month rent with an income above $250,000 a year and hers was raised. She was offered a three year lease with graduated increases over the three years beginning with $10,000 a month the first year. Year three it would be $12,000 a month. People who can identify with this may love the book. But like some of the other topics I couldn 't even figure out why she was telling us.

My rating is 2.5 and that has nothing to do with the writing. It's boring to me and as a product, which it is, it wasn't as promised.

>28 clue: Everyone I know who has read one of Nora Ephron's books has been disappointed, and I don't think it was by high expectations, so you're definitely in good company.

>28 clue: I must admit that even the title makes me cringe. Yes, I care about my skin and I like to look nice, but it's definitely not what defines womanhood, in my opinion.

>28 clue: I have this on my TBR - I got last year it in a bookbub deal so it was only 99p, so at least if I feel the same as you when I come to read it I won't be too heartbroken that I spent lots of money on it! I probably wouldn't have bothered with it, but I did read a rave review of it a couple of years ago from someone here on LT.

>22 clue: Some books arrived today in the mail and one of them is The Mask of Dimitrios. I was wondering why sometimes it is called A Coffin for Dimitrios and sometimes The Mask of Dimitrios but a little internet searching showed me that it's called A Coffin for Dimitrios in the United States and The Mask of Dimitrios in the U.K. Either way, I am looking forward to reading it!

>32 DeltaQueen50: I had seen the two titles and was totally confused for awhile. I have the same issue with a book I want to read soon, my library has one and not the other and I thought for awhile they didn't have the book I was looking for. So aggravating!

Origin - Shelf
CAT - No
TBR - Yes (2020)
My Rating - 4.0

Nella Last's War by Nella Last



In 1937 the Mass Observation Project in Britain began to archive materials related to everyday life. Nella Last became one of 500 who participated in the writing project, maintaining a diary for 30 years! In book form her diaries cover three periods WWII, post-war, and the 1950s.

Nella was 49 in 1939 and lived in Barrow-in-Furness in Lancashire with her husband and had two grown sons. The WWII diary begins on September 3 when she wrote "Well, we know the worst." England was at war and Nella became a faithful recoreder of the wartime life of an average homemaker. She joined the WVS (Women's Volunteer Service) and became very involved in it and the Red Cross. What I liked most about her diary is that she didn't just tell what she did, she recorded her thoughts as well. As the war goes on and Nella shoulders increasing responsibility for the projects she takes part in, we can see her become more independent and confident. She begins to be frank about her marriage and ponders why she hasn't stood up to her husband in the past. Often her thoughts wandered to the future and she speculated there would be many social changes after the war. It will be interesting to read Nelia's other books and see what she thought of them when they did indeed take place.

*Some of our Australian readers may know of Nella's son. In the Afterward he writes that he lived in Australia after the war. I did a quick search and discovered he was a well-known sculptor living in Melbourne. His name was Clifford Last and he died in 1991. I know that Nella was saddened that Cliff was so far away.

>34 clue: Great review, that sounds really interesting!

>34 clue: This sounds like a very interesting read. I love reading letters and diaries and being allowed a glimpse into other people's lives at different places and times.

>34 clue: Sounds interesting. Most genealogists only wish their ancestors left them diaries of this nature.

>34 clue: Very interesting!

Origin - Shelf
CAT - No
TBR - Yes (2020)
My Rating - 2.5

The Miss Dennis School of Writing and Other Lessons from A Woman's Life by Alice Steinbach



In 2009 I read a book, Without Reservations:The Travels of An Independent Woman, by Alice Steinbach that I absolutely loved. She was a journalist and had won a Pulitzer while working at the Baltmore Sun. She wrote Reservations about a rough time in her life when she was suddenly both an empty nester and an ex-wife. She had an option for recovery that not many of us have, she decided to take a year's sabatical and travel in Europe. The book is an account of that year.

I put the title of her frst book, The Miss Dennis School of Writing and Other Lessons from A Woman's Life, on my list then, and unbelievably ran across a copy just before Christmas 2020! Its a collection of pieces that were published in the Sun between 1985 and 1995. I so wanted to love them and probably would have if I had read them then, but many are just not relatable now, women's lives have changed so much. Those that are still timely are primarily about children.

In case you're curious about the title, Miss Dennis was Steinbach's creative writing teacher in the ninth grade and she gave Alice the inspiration and encourgament to become a writer. Alice died in 2012 and it makes me sad, I feel like I knew her. Isn't it amazing that writers can do that?

Touchstones - this is so crazy. This is the second post I've made in recent days where touchstones worked until I made an edit and then the touchstones went away. All I did in this case was insert a comma. Am I only one that has seen this?

From what I've figured out, if you want to make a change, first refresh the page and then make the edit. Otherwise the touchstones go weird.

>35 Jackie_K:,>36 MissBrangwen:,>38 Tess_W: It was very intersting to me and I really liked Nella.

It surprised me to learn that the Last's ordered an indoor shelter. It was steel and they assembled it in their dining room. It was just big enough for a mattress, although 3 of them slept in it occassionaly, and they felt quite safe when bombs dropped nearby. I had never heard of this!

>37 thornton37814: Lori I totally agree. When I was growing up my Great Aunt Ray (Rachael) showed me some letters from her husband before they were married. He was teaching school about 30 miles away and in one told that he was planning on coming home for a party but if the weather was bad he wouldn't be able to because he was coming by mule. It must have been winter. After Aunt Ray died, well into her nineties, I asked her daughter-in-law if she and her husband found the letters. They hadn't and never did. After Aunt Ray married they lived on the family farm which had been homesteaded in the 1850s. We have all been so sorry not to have found the letters and supposed Aunt Ray threw them away, probably not realizing how much they would mean to anyone else.

Origin - Shelf
CAT - Yes, Mystery CAT
TBR - Yes (2020)
My Rating - 4.0

The Devil's Cave by Martin Walker



The village of St. Denis is very fortunate to have Bruno Courreges as its policeman. Orphaned as a child and a former soldier without roots, he is also lucky to have found St. Denis. In only a few years he has acquired a network of friends and built a true home for himself. But St. Denis, charming as it can sometimes be, is not without crime and on occasion Bruno’s skills, particularly his political skills, are tested.

In this fifth book of the Bruno, Chief of Police series, Bruno is standing at the back of the church listening to the choir bravely attempt to master Bach’s St. Matthew Passion for an upcoming service. Even here Bruno is found and urgently summoned. A boy has seen a flat boat coming down the river with a nude woman lying on it.

Even before the boat is pulled from the river Bruno knows she is dead. To add to that horror, her body is marked with symbols Father Sentout will describe as satanic, and black candles and the head of a cockerel surround her. Have they found a suicide or a murder?

Before an answer is determined Bruno learns that a company with a dubious reputation has proposed a project that will bring jobs and tourists to St. Denis. The company is said to have a connection to a very elderly woman that lives in St. Denis and is known as the Red Countess. Highly regarded, she is a hero of the Resistance but living so quietly most didn’t even know she had come back to her childhood home. There will be another death, a local man’s motorcycle goes off a bridge in a questionable accident and he is killed.

The characters, the French setting, and food are the stars of Walker’s series. Bruno is such a likeable person, good at heart, a fine French country cook and continually muddled about his love life, always wondering why he’s drawn to independent women. There’s a lot to love here.

>43 clue: I’ve only read the first two, but I adore Bruno. Really want him to cook for me sometime. 😀

>43 clue: I'm going to be reading my very first Bruno for the group read this month. I just downloaded it today from the library. I'd intended to listen to the audio book which was available the last time I checked; however, there is now a 10-week wait on it. I decided I'd better grab the e-book while it was available.

<44 Since Bruno doesn't actually exist, I've been thinking I might let the author cook me a meal. He's done a cookbook but I haven't taken time to look at it yet.

>43 clue: I hope you like it Lori. As you can guess the first book isn't the best in the series but I rated it 3.5 so I did like it. I've just reread my review and I mentioned that I didn't like the romance because it didn't fit smoothly in the story. I think when it comes to writing romance for Bruno Walker has improved.

Origin - Library
CAT - Yes, Alpha CAT P
TBR - No
My Rating - 4.5

Memorial Drive by Natasha Trethewey



Natasha Trethewey's mother was a victim of domestic violence that ended with her murder. I hope that everyone reads this beautifully written book and takes it as a cautionary tale. Domestic abuse often follows an escalating pattern and it's clearly and frighteningly explained in this memoir. I know, because one of my friends died the same way. She told her husband she was going to St. Louis with her brother to visit another relative. That's not why she died of course, it's just when.

>46 clue: I'm not sure why so many mystery authors try to incorporate romance.

>43 clue: I love that series!

>47 clue: This one is already on my radar from last year, I have heard only good things about the quality of the writing.

Origin - Shelf
CAT - Reading Through Time
TBR - Yes
My Rating - 3.5

Women in Black by Madeleine St. John



This little book is just over 200 pages long. It covers six weeks in the lives of five women who work in a Department Store in Sydney Australia in the 1950s. Three work in the department where party gowns are sold, one is nearby selling formal gowns, and one has just graduated from school and works back and forth between the two departments.

Stepping into their daily lives, we learn one wants a baby badly, one wants an attentive husband, one is single and wants a relationship with a good man. Glamorous Magdna, who sells the limited design formal dresses, is a war immigrant from Slovinia. Young Lisa wants to go to college and be a poet. Their lives ebb and flow over the six weeks, as they change a little or a lot. I would have liked to stay with them longer.

>50 clue: I felt the same way, I wanted the story to go on so I could find out what happened in these women's lives next.

Origin - Shelf
CAT - Alpha T
TBR - Yes
My Rating - 3.0

Tiny Love Stories: Tales of Love in 100 Words or Less by Daniel Jones



This small book, 209 pages, is a collection of 175 true stories originally published in the New York Times Modern Love Story column. As the title says, each story is 100 words or less and stories are written about many different kinds of relationships from which love might kindle.

Unfortunately, I expected to like the stories more overall than I did. Most seemed devoid of emotion to me and many were not particularly interesting. Maybe I expected too much out of so few words or too much from writers who aren't professional? Since these were originally written to be read one at a time that may be a factor in my discontent because I read all of them in one setting. I don't know, I was just rather bored by it.

Origin - Shelf
CAT - Reading Through Time and Random CAT
TBR - Yes
My Rating - 4.5

Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill by Sonia Purnell



I've read other books and articles about Clementine Churchill but never one as comprehensive as this. The author reveals Clementine's complexity and the depth of her influence on her husband in a way nothing else I've read has. Clementine had her shortcomings as we all do, but she was nonetheless an amazing woman who has been largely forgotten.

Clementine Churchill (1885 – 1977) didn’t have the traditional childhood that would be expected of the wife of one of the most important men of the twentieth century. Her mother and father, having both been involved in extramarital affairs, decided to separate rather than divorce when Clementine was young. Although her mother was the daughter of an Earl she and the children moved frequently, usually living in depravation.

Undoubtedly her unconventional upbringing caused Clementine to have a different outlook than her peers. When she met Winston Churchill at a dinner party he was surprised and impressed when she ably took part in the political discussions at the table. Four years later they were married.

Although she had five children, Clementine was not maternal and generally handed her children over to nannies. It was her self-absorbed husband and his work that received her devotion. She had an astonishing level of involvement in his work, essentially serving as his most trusted aide. She read and improved his speeches and even routinely advised him on policy.

In her own right, Clementine, unlike her husband, had a genuine interest in common people and unofficially served as the face of government to them particularly during the wars. Her interest in their welfare earned respect and admiration and she would sometimes be applauded as she walked down the street.

A fascinating life and a fascinating book that appears to rest throughly on thorough research.

Origin - Shelf
CAT - No
TBR - No
My Rating - 4.0

Resistance Man by Martin Walker



The sixth book in the Bruno, Chief of Police series has more than one crime for Bruno to solve. This time he's juggling three. There is evidence that a deceased veteran of the French Resistance was unknowingly tied to a notorious train robbery, a former British spymaster's home is robbed of valuable antiques, and a visiting antiques dealer is murdered. As Bruno goes about working all three crimes he becomes more and more convinced that they are related, but how? Once again the setting of St. Denis, the citizens we know from previous books, and the inclusion of French cooking provide some delightful reading.

>54 clue: - I just ordered the third book in the series and hope to slowly but surely catch up during the year. So far they've been quite enjoyable.

Origin - Library
CAT - No
TBR - No
My Rating - 4.5

An Extravagant Death by Charles Finch



To his chagrin the newspapers in America are announcing the arrival of Charles Lennox by calling him "the best detective in the world." Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli has convinced Lennox to undertake the journey on a mission for the Queen. While Lennox is in New York, an appeal is made by a wealthy businessman to come to Newport, Rhode Island and investigate the death of a beautiful debutante who appears to have jumped from a cliff to her death.

In addition to a good mystery and very good writing, we get Lennox's thoughts on the extravagance of the Golden Age, the impact of the Civil War on American society and of historical figures of the time. Near the end there is a hint to a major change for Lennox and I'm looking forward (I think) to seeing what it is!

>56 clue: - I skipped your review because I'm only up to book #9, which I expect to read this year for the Alpha Kit when month "F" gets here. I do like this series but I wish the covers continued in the same format as the early books.

>57 dudes22: I agree. What is odd is that I've seen that pattern of 3 of one item on covers of other books recently.

>56 clue: I read one or two in that series, but I'm so behind on them. Maybe I can catch up on them after I catch up on another series.

>59 thornton37814: I know how it is, I was just thinking about how I've ignored Donna Leon's books the last few years. I stared reading them when the first one came out and I'm only up to book 12!

>60 clue: Joining the group read of the Brunetti books helped me on that series! We won't finish this year, but I suspect we will next.

Origin - Library
CAT - GenreCAT, Reading Through Time
TBR - No
My Rating - 4.0

Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian



Jack Aubrey, at sea since he was nine, received his first appointment as a commander when he became "Commander of His Majesty's Sloop Sophie" April 1, 1800. The day he learned of this joyous appointment he also met, seemingly by accident, the man who will become his ship surgeon and close friend, Stephen Maturin. Uknown to Aubrey, Maturin is more than a doctor, he's also a spy.

Britian is at war with France and as Aubrey and his crew patrol the Mediterranean they engage in many battles, often with ships much larger than Sophie. A naval historian, in his notes O'Brian writes that every battle he has written was taken from log-books, official letters, contemporary accounts or memoirs. He earned my esteem by saying his characters are "best celebrated in their own splendid actions rather than in imaginary contests; that authenticity is a jewel and that the echo of their words has an abiding value." Of course, there is much more to the book than fighting. O'Brian writes of comaraderie, what life was like both on and off the sea two hundred years ago, and the thoughts and fears of a young brash commander with dozens of lives in his hands. By doing so, he deserves the high praise he has received over more than fifty years.

Origin - Library
CAT - No
TBR - No
My Rating - 3.5

The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan



The Kitchen Front begins in 1942 and follows the lives of four women. Audrey has been widowed by the war, has three young sons and lives in the ramshakle house she grew up in. Because she grows vegetables and herbs, raises chickens for eggs and forages for berries and mushrooms, she is able to sell baked goods and fresh produce from her kitchen, just barely providing for the four of them.

While Audrey struggles, her sister Gwendoline, lives large in Fenley Hall. She is married to the wealthiest man in the area and takes full advantage of his standing in the community. During the war she sees it as her duty to work for the Food Ministery, often giving demonstrations to housewives on how to prepare healthy meals while complying with food rationing. Meanwhile she and her husband secretly obtain whatever they want on the black market and though Gwendoline can cook, she doesn't. While she appears strong in public, in private she is bullied and abused by her husband.

Nell works as a kitchen maid in the Fenley Hall kitchen. She grew up in an orphanage and has little confidence in herself. The cook she works under, Mrs. Quince, is legendary as a cook and sees much more in Nell than Nell sees in herself. In fact, though Nell doesn't realize it, Mrs. Quince sees her young self in Nell.

Zelda is head chef of the staff canteen at Finley Pie Canteen. After years of proving herself over and over, she had been employed two years as deputy to the head chef at the prestigious Darlington Hotel before it was destroyed in the blitz. Now she has been assigned by the conscription office to this humilating job and desperately unhappy, takes it out on everyone she meets. An even greater worry is that she is pregnant, deserted by the child's father.

When the BBC announces it is seeking contestants for a cooking competition in the Finley area, all five (Nell and Mrs. Quince together) enter. The contest takes place one night a month for three months. Who wins and what happens in the women's private lives during the competition is the basis of the book.

There are a couple of things I didn't like, the "bad" people are rather stereotypical and I often knew where the plot was leading but I loved the cooking aspect. Ryan clearly researched cooking, food rationing and the scarcity of food during the war and in this novel has written a factual account of what home cooks went through trying to provide for their families. Each chapter focuses on a character and a recipe is given at the end of the chapter. I'd like to try a few of these just for fun, although I don't relish seeking out a sheep's head as an ingredient, what a mess that would make in the car!

>63 clue: "I don't relish seeking out a sheep's head as an ingredient"

My mum used to make brawn between two old enamelled tin plates. She was very glad when she could afford to stop! :-)

>63 clue: That is a BB for me, if for nothing else that its historiocity!

> I'm not familiar with the word brawn but when I was growing up headcheese was still being made by some of the older members of my family and I think it's probably the same thing.

>65 Tess_W: Yes, I think you'll like it from that angle.

>66 clue: Yes, I think headcheese and brawn are the same or very similar.

I, too, am intrigued by the cooking aspect of this book and am adding it to my wish list. Jennifer Ryan also wrote The Chilbury Ladies Choir which I have but haven't read yet so I guess I should start with that one first.

>69 DeltaQueen50: I think you'll like The Chilbury Ladies Choir, I gave it a 3.5. The book revolves around a mistake the vicar made, he thought that since the men were going to war the choir should be dissolved. He came to regret that.

>70 clue: I have THe Chilbury Ladies Choir as an audio book--- I need to get to it~

>63 clue: That one just arrived at our library. I added it to my TBR list. Not sure when I'll get to it.

I see my book covers all died overnight! I wonder what got them this time??

I'm seeing them.

Origin - Library
CAT - Mystery CAT
TBR - No
My Rating - 3.5

Payment in Blood by Elizabeth George



A theater company retreats to a remote estate in the Highlands to prepare for the opening of an upcoming play. As work begins it quickly becomes clear proposed changes will be hotly contested.

When the playwright gets a knife in her neck while in her locked bedroom, Scottish authorities call the Yard for assistance. Much to their displeasure Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and Seargant Barbara Havers are sent to investigate. When Lynley arrives he is astounded to find his close friend Helen Clyde with a man she's entered a new relationship with. The fact that jealousy affects Lynley's investigation goes a long way in humanizing the great detective.

Though there are many characters and plot twists the author handles them smoothly and continues to sublety develop her recurring characters. This is just the second in the Lynley series and I'm more interested in following Lynley and Havers through the remaining eighteen than I was after reading the first.

> 74 Oh good, I'm only seeing the one I just did!

>76 clue: I can also see all the cover images.

>73 clue: I noticed that, but it was just the book covers that I'd got from amazon. I think they do that occasionally, more than the other sites I use for pictures (to the extent that I now only use amazon for covers if they can't be found anywhere else).

>78 Jackie_K: Thanks, I'll have to check that out, all of my covers are Amaon.

>79 clue: I can see all your covers today. And I've just checked, my amazon covers seem to be back today too.

>63 clue: Nice review! It's a BB for me!

>63 clue: I hope you like it!

Origin - Shelf
CAT - Random CAT
TBR - Yes
My Rating - 3.5

The Dig by John Preston



When I saw the movie adaptation of this novel, which is based on an actual event, I wanted to read it right away. Now I can say the movie version stays close to the book with the exception of a love affair that was unnecessarily written into the movie. Regardless of where you get the story, it's a good one.

Edith Pretty and her young son lived in Suffolk in a home she and her husband bought before his death. On the property are mounds that the Pretty's had often talked about excavating. In the spring of 1939 the Director of the Ipswich Museum suggested Mrs. Pretty contact Basil Brown, who although not recognized as a professional archaeologist is a self taught excavator. He had experience working on numerous archaeological sites including those excavated by the Ispwich Museum. Mr. Brown accepts Mrs. Pretty's offer and he and two of her farm employees begin work.

The story of the excavation is told in the alternating voices of Mrs. Pretty and Mr. Brown over the summer. After abandoning the first mound when nothing is found, discoveries began with the second when one of the farm hands found a small piece of metal that resembles a bolt. From that find, with slow and exacting work Brown discovers one of the most important archaeological discoveries of all time, a 6th century burial ship. When he reports what he has likely found to Guy Maynard, the curator of Ipswich Museum, Maynard reports the find upwards. Immediately Brown is told to stop work and others are brought in to take over.

The last half of the book revolves around the personalities of the archeologists that were brought in, the treatment of Mr. Brown, and the continuing discovery of treasure that proved Mr. Brown's theory. When I came to the end I had one question. What happened next? An epilogue, a piece written in 1965 by Robert Pretty, Mrs. Pretty's son, helps answer at least some of that question.

>83 clue: - I saw the movie too and thought my husband would enjoy the book. I just got a notice that it's ready to be picked up at the library. Nice to know the movie wasn't much different.

>83 clue: Great review! I watched the trailer a few weeks ago and had no idea the film was adapted from a book. Now I'd like to read the book first!

>83 clue: a BB for me!

>84 dudes22: The movie has such beautiful shots of the Suffolk countryside that I think it would be good to both read and see as your husband will do.

>87 clue: - I picked it up from the library yesterday and it's a fairly slim book so I may try to read it too. I never got an adventure book done this month but I might use this.

Origin - Shelf
CAT - Reading Through Time
TBR - Yes
My Rating - 3.5

Murder in Old Bombay by Nev March



This was a fun book to read. It takes place in India, primarly Bombay, during the late 19th century and there is mystery, adventure and romance.

Jim Agnihotri is a former soldier who left the military due to disability. While working for a newspaper he is hired by a wealthy Bombay family to determine why two young women in the family committed suicide. The plot is complicated and the book a little long but the author writes very well about that period in that place. There is buzz this may become a series and I'm in if it does. Agnihotri is a good character for a series, though he's on his way to America at the end and I really liked the Bombay setting.

>89 clue: That's on my TBR list already. We have a copy at the library. I just haven't worked my way down the list to it yet.

>89 clue: Placed on my wish list!

Origin - Shelf
CAT - Genre CAT, Random CAT
TBR - Yes
My Rating - 4.0

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee



This is an epic family tale that spans four generations, beginning in 1910 in Korea and ending in 1989 in Japan.

Sunja is the naive daughter of a lowly disabled fisherman in Korea when she becomes pregnant. After learning her illicit lover is married, she marries a kind English missionary she barely knows. They will travel to Osaka, Japan where he has been encouraged to come by his brother. Sunja will remain a Korean living in Japan for the rest of her life.

Pachinko excels as a well researched historical novel. It excels as well as a novel based on the life of a woman and mother who had to fight with determination against racisim and sexism to provide for her family. Unfortunately as a character driven novel I thought there was weakness. The characters didn't breathe for me, they were always characters on a page. Still I learned a lot from Lee, I knew nothing about the history of Koreans in Japan and I was always engaged by the story.

Last year I enjoyed The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See. Another historical novel about amazing women set in Korea during this same time period.

>92 clue: I'm glad you liked it. I also rated it a 4 star read.

>89 clue: I'm taking a BB for this one. I love historical mysteries and this sounds a good one!

>89 clue: Hi Paulina, I liked Murder in Old Bombay partly because it was different from what I had been reading. It seems a little old fasioned to me and that may be because so much I've read recently has moved between time periods and this is linear. It has all the elements of a classic mystery too with a little adventure and romance thrown in. I hope you enjoy it too!

Origin - Shelf
CAT - Mystery CAT
TBR - Yes
My Rating - 3.5

Thirty-Three Teeth by Colin Cotterill



Dr. Siri Paibourn at 72 is the national coroner of Laos after the Communist takeover. When a corpse comes into his makeshift morgue Dr. Siri, an intelligent and curious man, begins to wonder if the wounds found on this unfortunate person are bear bites. Knowing there are no bears in Laos, it might be hard to convince anyone else, so what can he do but begin an investigation himself?

Soon the mysteries are piling up. Why did two pilots fall to their deaths from the sky and why did a government official fall to his death from a window? Dr. Siri has his hands full, even with the help of the spirits of the dead who he would like to be rid of.

The mysterious setting of Laos, the danger of continually making it clear he doesn't support the government, and spiritualism all combine to make this series like no other! I throughly enjoy it and look forward to the next misadventure.

>96 clue: I've been searching for books on southeast Asia--thank you for your review! I just bought the first book in the series on Kindle. Hope to get to it soon!

>97 Tess_W: I hope you like Siri Tess, he's a very unusual character!

Origin - Shelf
CAT - No
TBR - Yes
My Rating - 3.5
Note: Read in April

Crazy Brave by Jo Harjo



Jo Harjo was the first Native American (Creek/Muscokgee) to be chosen as U.S. Poet Laureate (2019). I have admired her as a poet so it came as a surprise to me that I didn't like her prose. Although many reviewers mention that the flow is beautiful, for me some sentences had so rough a flow that the choice of words was distracting to the thought. This memoir covers Harjo's life from a terrible childhood to her early thirties. Although I struggled with the style, I'm interested in her story and if a following book is published I'll want to read it.

Origin - Shelf
CAT - Mystery CAT
TBR - Yes
My Rating - 4.0

Death Undercover by Estelle Ryan



First, be aware that this book has at least one other title, and I think I found three!

This is the seventh in the Dordogne Mysteries series and is one of my favorites so far. Another note, the series title used to be Bruno, Chief of Police!

Bruno receives a call from a former Army buddy who is in Afghanistan. An autistic Muslim teen from St. Denis has shown up at a base asking for help getting back to France. The two manage to sneak Sami back on a military flight but his return can't be kept secret until all questions about his disappearance two years previously are answered. Bruno and other St. Denis citizens are quickly caught up in a very dangerous and international political storm.

For those of you who read the series, a friend and I decided that even if we didn't know a man was writing this series we could easily tell. How? Well, primarily because Bruno has become involved with yet another beautiful and overall fabulous new woman! St. Denis is a man's dream and it's not all about the food! LOL!

Origin - Shelf
CAT - Mystery CAT
TBR - Yes
My Rating - 4.0

The Gauguin Connection by Estelle Ryan



This is the first in the Genevieve Lenard series and I thought the chactacter and plot were intriging though there are a lot of elements to keep track of.

Dr. Genevieve Lenard is an investigator with an insurance company that often insures high value art. Dr. Lenard is austitic and an expert in non-verbal communication. Because her investigations are primarily done using electronic sources she is accustomed to working alone in an environment she controls. When her boss, her strongest supporter, asks her to help the authorities identify the murderer of a young artist she quickly rebels. After much encouragement she finally agrees to help but she doesn't work long before she realizes the murder is far more complex than anyone knows. Eventually the investigtion will encompass missing government high powered weapons, money-laundering, a notable and highly financed charity, forged art, and many more murdered artists than one.

Dr. Lenard becomes the target of ruthless players who intend to put an end to her investigations and an end to her if necessary. When she comes under the protection of an assortment of men she learns working with other people isn't necessarily as bad as she always thought.

I definately want to continue the series. Unfortunately the second and third book haven't gotten reviews as good as the first. After the third book the reviews soar. I really like Dr. Lenard and the men she worked with in this one and I'm curious to see where they all go.

>101 clue: - This is one of my favorite series. I like the way the author stays "true" to the voice of Genevieve's character. I did notice that I rated book #2 a little lower than one. I've only read through book 4 so I still have a few to look forward to reading.

>101 clue: I really like that book, also. I have a few more series to finish before I embark on book #2.

Origin - Shelf
CAT - No
TBR - No (Library)
My Rating - 4.0

Sooley by John Grisham



This new book by John Grisham is disappointing some of his readers because as the publisher exlpains, it is about "a different kind of court." Grisham is a sports fan and has written Sooley around college basketball. Sooley is a seventeen year old brought from South Sudan with other young players to play in showcase games. He may catch the attentiion of college scouts or he may not. No promises made. If he doesn't, he goes back to his home.

When Sooley arrives in the U.S. he is 6'2" and excels at moving the ball and jumping. At making baskets he needs work. Like other young African players he is accustomed to playing on a dirt court in his village and has never been coached.

South Sudan is in civil war. While playing a game at the end of the tour Sooley learns his village has been sacked by rebel troops. His father is dead and his older sister has been taken. His mother and younger brothers have found their way to a refugee camp in Uganda. A good son, now Sooley just wants to go home.

I haven't read all of Grisham's books but of those I have this is probably my favorite. It's driven by various issues including those in college and pro sports, immigration, and of war and displacement. The characters are well deveoped and include strong female characters and this boy/man who is so easy to love. A lot happens to Sooley although the book just covers a year in his life.

Origin - Shelf
CAT - Random CAT
TBR - Yes
My Rating - 3.5

The Courtyard by Marcia Willett



Written in 1995 this is a feel good story similar to those that Maeve Binchy and Rosamund Pilcher wrote. Like Binchy, Willett creates a group of interconnected people and follows them through the ups and downs in their lives. She begins building the group when Gussie, an older single woman, and Nell, a young married woman, meet in a tea shop. At first they don't seem to be particularly compatible but beginning with the loan of a hat for a wedding they become stalwart friends, bringing the foibles of friends and family with them.

This is the first book I've read by Willett and one of her earliiest. I have a trilogy she wrote on the TBR as well. It will be awhile before I'm ready for another neat and tied with a bow ending but one of these days when in need of a comfort read it I'll give it a try.

Origin - Library
CAT - Reading Through Time
TBR - No
My Rating - 4.0

Our Women on the Ground by Zahra Hankir



Nineteen essays by Arab women journalists telling their stories. Understanding what they do and why they have made the choices they have gives a new perspective of women in the Arab world. The introduction by editor Zahra Hankir is also excellant.

>106 clue: Certainly a new perspective. Goes on my WL!

Origin - Shelf
CAT - Genre CAT
TBR - Yes
My Rating - 4.0

The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans



This was a bookclub read but did double duty as a short story collection for a CAT. Included are 6 short stories and a novella. The author is very good though as with most short story collections I liked some better than others. I'm not a big short story fan so it's not surprising I liked the novella best of all. The author is in her thirties and has won numerous major awards, primarily for short stories, and I look forward to following her.

Origin - Shelf
CAT - Mystery CAT
TBR - Yes
My Rating - 3.5

Thirteen Guests by A Jefferson Farjeon



Originally published in 1936 this British Crime Classic has all the elements we expect from a country house mystery. Twelve guests are invited for a weekend at a country manor. When a stranger is injured on the train platform one of the guests, the beautiful Mrs. Leveridge, insists he come with her to the manor where he is kindly welcomed and looked after. That means of course that there is now the unlucky number of 13 guests. Mrs. Leveridge and the stranger, John Foss, have fun watching the front door to see who the last guest to enter will be.

The doctor decides Foss needs to stay off his foot for a few days and is placed in a small room off the main hallway and next to the drawing-room. From there he is a witness to the comings and goings of the guests and to their conversations. Later when it becomes likely that one of the guests is a murderer, his observations will be a valuable resource.

I liked this Farjeon, it's my third of the 80 novels he wrote! Although the plot becomes rather convoluted and we don’t really know what happened until the inspector gives a summary, I liked it and have no reason not to read more by him.

Origin - Shelf
CAT - Reading Through Time
TBR - Yes
My Rating - 4.0

Miss Austen by Gill Hornby



Taking place twenty years after Jane Austen's death Miss Austen follows her sister Cassandra, the only sister still living, as she hunts for personal letters Jane had written to a close friend. Her purpose in finding the letters is to destroy them to protect Jane's privacy and reputation.

This is the first novel I've read based on Jane Austen and I thought it was well done.

Origin - Shelf
CAT - Random CAT
TBR - Yes
My Rating - 4.0

The House At Baker Street by Michelle Birkby



I've read The House at Baker Street by Michelle Birkby. Mrs. Hudson and Mary Watson decide to help a young woman Sherlock Holmes turned away. Told in Mrs. Hudson's voice, it has the same feel as the original books, is well written, and includes help for the two from the Irregulars. I approached it with some trepidation but it was very good.

>109 clue: Great review! I have this on my tbr and will move it up closer to the top.

Origin - Shelf
CAT - Genre CAT
TBR - Yes
My Rating - 4.5

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams



The author says she began this book with two simple questions: Do words mean different things to men and women? And if they do, is it possible that we have lost something in the process of defining them?

In 1887 work begins on the first Oxford English Dictionary. Esme's father is one of the lexicographers. She goes along to work with him because her mother has died and she is too young to be left alone. She often sits on her father's lap as he works but eventually begins to spend most of her day under the table the lexicographers work around. The words under consideration for the dictionary are written on individual pieces of paper and in addition to the name of the submitter, a definition and a sentence showing it's use will be included.

Esme enjoys being under the table because words that won't be included will come floating down under it as they are discarded. After the word bondsmaid comes down Esme realizes this word could apply to a kind woman who among other things, makes their lunch. Esme begins saving the discarded slips and hides them in a trunk. As she becomes older she realizes that a large number of the words that won't be included are related to women or common people.

Esme begins to think about publishing her own dictionary and begins to search for words that would not be included in the Oxford Dictionary. She talks to market vendors and other common people, collecting their words. The plot follows Esme through experiences all young women did and still do experience, friendships, relationships with men, war, pregnancy, death, and women's rights including suffrage.

There are so many reasons I like this book. It was well researched and learning the process the lexicographers used and the dedication they had to this incredible undertaking was fascinating. Some characters were drawn from actual people although Esme and her father were not. The author successfully captured the time and the social restraints placed on women from the late 1880s through the early 1900s. For sure this will be one of my favorite books this year.

>112 VivienneR: One of the things the book does is create a more indepth profile of Mrs. Hudson. I liked her coming into her own but some reviewers were disappointed in that. There is only one other book in the series so far.

Unfortunately this title has been issued again as a different title and with a different name for the series! I look forward to the second one and hope we see more come along.

I hope you enjoy it!

>113 clue: Ooh, that sounds fascinating! BB for me.

>113 clue: Also a BB for me!

>113 clue: A BB for me!

>113 clue: - I was going to take a BB only to find out that it was already on my list of book to check out.

>113 clue: I've only heard good things about this book, it sounds great!

Just catching up on your thread and saying Hello :)

>115 christina_reads: >116 DeltaQueen50: >117 Tess_W: >118 dudes22: >119 Jackie_K:

I think most readers share a love of and curiosity about words and how they're used. If you read it I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

>120 VictoriaPL: It's great to see you back, if you are with us or if you can't be, I hope you have some great summer reading!

>121 clue: thanks! I am getting back into the flow!

Origin - Shelf
CAT - No
TBR - Yes
My Rating - 4.0

The Patriarch by Martin Walker touchstone under The Dying Season



When Bruno is invited to the birthday party of a much admired wartime hero known as the Patriarch he is surprised and thrilled. Unfortunately a long time friend of the Patriarch dies during the celebration. It is assumed many years of excessive drinking has caused the untimely death. Everyone that knew Gilbert thinks that, but Bruno didn't know him and has niggling doubts. Doubts that will almost lead to his death.

I always enjoy the books in this series and I think the mysteries have gotten much better over time. As usual there are recurring characters but new characters as well, friends we know gathering around a table of good food and the lovely French countryside.

This was also published under the title The Dying Season and I don't find a touchstone for The Patriarch.

Origin - Library
CAT - No
TBR - No
My Rating - 2.5

Heat Wave by Richard Castle



I read Heat Wave by Richard Castle in a few hours, it's under 200 pages. Dectective Nikki Heat is with the NYPD and working a case that involves the death of a high profile NYC citizen who fell to his death from a six story balcony. The investigation will expand beyond the death when his very valuable art collection disappears from his walls a few days later.

I like the character of Nikki Heat but I have a big problem with another one. Jameson Rook, a journalist who has won the Pulitzer, is riding with her so that he can gather information for an article on NYC police. His relationship with Heat is ridiculous as is the sex scene that ensues. One hundred ninety-eight pages was enough for me, I won't continue this series.

>124 clue: I too thought the dynamic between Rook and Heat was ridiculous. I felt like it was written that way primarily to be a source of cheap jokes for Castle to make to Beckett on the TV show.

Origin - Shelf
CAT - Genre CAT
TBR - Yes
My Rating - 4.0

Frederica by Georgette Heyer



I have reread Frederica by Georgette Heyer. I've had this copy a long time, it is a 1965 edition (1st, third printing) a friend of my mother gave me. This is not the original cover but one I especially like. I have several other books still on my shelf that were hers and I cherish them all. I've had them hmmmm, almost 50 years!

>126 clue: I agree, wonderful cover! I have that Heyer on my TBR pile.

>126 clue: That's one of my favourite Heyers. Felix is such a delight.

>127 Tess_W: I think you'll like it, it's one of her best.

>128 MissWatson: Isn't he a great characcter! I hope he never lost his curiosity.

>129 clue: So he is. I hope he didn't blow up anything in experiments!

Origin - Shelf
CAT - Mystery CAT
TBR - Yes
My Rating - 3.5

A Death of No Importance by Mariah Fredericks



In 1910, Jane Prescott is out of a job as ladies maid when her elderly employer dies. When she is recommended to a new family to NYC, the Benchley's, she becomes ladies maid to their daughters who are at the age to be introduced to NY society. When Charlotte, the oldest daughter and a stunning young woman, becomes engaged to one of the wealthest playboys in NY society, it causes a backlash for the Benchley family. When he is found dead at a party, Charlotte becomes a suspect. Jane realizes she is uniquely situated to find the truth and soon learns more than she bargained for.

This is the first in a series and I think it's a bit above average. I probably won't continue to the next one because I have too many series going now to keep up!

Origin - Shelf
CAT - Reading Through Time
TBR - Yes
My Rating - 4.5*

Ribbons of Scarlet by Kate Quinn, Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie, E. Knight, Sophie Perinot, Helen Webb.



I have completed Ribbons of Scarlet by Kate Quinn and Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie, E. Knight, Sophie Perinot and Helen Webb. A novel of the French Revolution, the story is told in the voices of six historical women in chronological order. They are The Philosopher (Sophie de Grouchy Condorcet), The Revolutionary (Louise Reine Audu), The Princess (Madame Elisabeth, sister to King Louis XVI), The Politician (Manon Roland), The Assassin (Charlotte Corday) and The Beauty (Emile de Sainte-Amaranthe). Four will be executed, one will die in a hospital after becoming insane in prison. One will live to see the future.

Each of the writers above wrote one of the sections, each section moving the story along. It is an astounding accomplishment, the original idea came from Stephanie Dray. The authors call themselves the Scarlet Sisters.

The Dedication reads: This novel is dedicated to the women who fight, to the women who stand on principle. It is an homage to the women who refuse to back down even in the face of repression, slander, and death. History is replete with you, even if we are not taught that, and the present moment is full of you - brave, determined and laudable.

>132 clue: definitely a BB for me!

>133 Tess_W: I think you will like it Tess. You will know more than I do about the Revolution but this book grabbed me and wouldn't let go! Maybe I should write won't let go, I'm thinking of it still.

>132 clue: I borrowed this from the library earlier in the year but didn't get to it before it was due back. I think I will need to reborrow it!

Origin - Shelf
CAT - Random CAT
TBR - Yes
My Rating - 3.5*

Summer at the Comfort Food Cafe by Debbie Johnson



I think this book should have a cover that screams comfort rather than romance. It won't win any awards but for me it was the ideal light summer escape.

Laura is thirty-five, the mother of a fourteen year old daughter, a twelve year old son, owns a black lab near the end of his life and is a widow of 2 years. She's a good cook but goes out of character when she applies for a summer a cooking job. It isn't in Manchester where they live but in Dorset near a small village on the coast.

The cafe has a distinctive name, The Comfort Food Cafe, and the advertisement was titled Cook Wanted - Must Be Comforting. There was no application to send, those interested had to "send your heart and soul" in a letter. Laura spilled her heart out and got the job. Her children were furious they would be spending summer away from their friends and didn't make the four hour drive from Manchester to the seaside of Dorset quietly.

What follows is pretty predictable. The cafe, it's owner, and the regular customers turn out to be quirky but very likable rather than ridiculous. The summer romance is with a perfect man but he's a kind veterinarian and likeable too. By the end of summer a lot has changed and life ahead doesn't look as daunting to Larua as it had before. In the end we're set up for the next in the series but this stands alone fine. A quick read, I found it very enjoyable.

Origin - Shelf
CAT - Reading Through Time
TBR - Yes
My Rating - 3.0

Sobremesa: A Memoir of Food and Love in Thirteen Courses by Josephine Caminos Oria



The author's family came to the U.S. from Argentina when she was a small child. They settled in Pittsburg where her father practiced medicine as a cardiologist. Because they owned houses and several cattle ranches in Argentina they made frequent trips back and forth during the 40 plus years the book covers.

It was important to the older family members to continue Argentinian dining traditions. That included the food as well as sobremesa, tableside discussions that included everyone and sometimes continued for hours. It is the traditional food and cooking that I found most intresting and there is at least one receipe in each of the 13 chapters. Although the author writes about both her life and that of other members of her family, for me the personal stories were not of great interest.

I received this book through the Early Review program.

Origin - Shelf
CAT - Genre CAT
TBR - Yes
My Rating - 2.5

Someone is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe by Nan Lyons



I have seen this on many “best mystery” lists over the years, it was originally published in 1976. I read about 75% of it and scanned the rest. As you can guess, the Great Chefs of Europe are being murdered one after another. There are some funny lines and sometimes the irreverence is humorous but its generally outdated in my opinion. The mystery isn’t very good and the female primary character isn’t very likeable. So, the only thing I can say to recommend it is that the food talk is good!

There was a movie made with some of the popular actors of the time, George Segal, Jacqueline Bisset and Robert Morley. It’s still available and although I particularly liked George Segal, I’ll probably pass. I’ll also pass on Someone is Killing the Great Chefs of America.

Origin - Library
CAT - Random CAT
TBR - No
My Rating - 3.5

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman



This is another book I've heard of for years. Mrs. Pollifax, a widow whose children live in other parts of the country, begins to feel useless. She starts thinking about the exciting adult life she expected to lead and decides its not too late for adventure. Off she goes to apply with the CIA for a job spying. That's what she thought as a child she would like to do.

As unlikely as it seems, the CIA hires her, not as a spy but as a courier who looks like a tourist. She makes her first airplane flight going to Mexico City where she is to take possession of a package and bring it back. Instead, she is kidnapped by others interested in the package and taken to a prison in Albania! To say she is naive is an understatement, but she is in prison with another American, an actual CIA spy. She assumes they will escape and he assumes they are as good as dead.

I enjoyed this so much and since Mrs. Pollifax eventually does get back to the U.S., I look forward to her next dangerous adventure.

>139 clue: This book has been on my radar for years as well...looks like I'll have to finally read it!

>139 clue: I've always wanted to read a Mrs. Polifax.......

>139 clue: I, too, have wondered about Mrs. Polifax ...

>141 Tess_W:, >142 DeltaQueen50: Mrs. Pollifax is different than I expected. She hasn't been out in the world much but at the same time is intellegient, resourceful, and curious enough to get herself out of trouble. This book is the first in the series and is short. I was able to get from Overdrive.

>139 clue: When I saw this Kindle book for $1.99, I had to buy it. It has started off well.

>144 pamelad: What a bargain! Hope you like it.

I haven't posted in a long time due to a hand injury that is waiting for surgery. I limit time on the computer because it's painful. Although the surgery will be routine and can be done in less than an hour the Dr. can't work me in until the last week in October! It's going to be done in an orthopedic hospital so I don't think Covid, which is still very much a problem here, will keep me from having it then.

I'm pretty much sticking to Kindle reading. It's easier to hold but unfortunately I still have to limit my time, so I'm cleaning up short books:

The Miser of Mayfair by M.C. Beaton
The first in a Regency romance series that I thought was new but actually has 6 books. The story line is pretty typical, a beautiful young but poor woman is brought to London to be introduced to society. The servants of the London rented house where she is staying come to cherish her and when she makes a stupid decision to elope to Greta Greene with a scoundrel they're determined to save her. Finding her gone they all jump in a carriage themselves and race after her. I see them like the keystone cops, hanging off the sides of the carriage as it speeds down the road. A lot of fun here and the servants are unique and charming characters. 4.0*

The Broken Spine by Dorothy St. John
A cozy mystery where a librarian is being told by city managers to get rid of everything (no books!) and go totally electronic because in their feeble minds businesses will want to locate in this ultra progressive environment. When the manager pushing the project is killed in the library, a staff member is singled out as suspect. Short and enjoyable though not memorable. 3.5*

The Steal by CW. Gortner (can't get touchstone to work.)
Hmmm. This is very short, takes place in the 1950s and seems more like a serial (this is the first and only so far) than a series. Ania owns a business that makes exclusive jewelry. When she comes to Cannes with some especially expensive pieces to loan to stars who will be appearing there, there is a theft. A handsome and experienced investigator with the insurance company adds interest. 3.5*

I'm going to stop here and pick up two more tomorrow.

>146 clue: Nice to see you're posting—hope the hand doesn't complain too kuch about it later.

>146 clue: Wishing you all the best for your upcoming surgery! It's a long time to wait, be sure you don't do any further damage in the meantime by holding a book or reader. Take care!

>146 clue: That's a long wait. Take care of yourself until then!

>146 clue: Sorry to hear about your injury and the problems it's causing. Hoping the surgery will clear it all up.

>146 clue: Echoing all the others - wishing you all the best for your upcoming surgery, and I hope that it sorts out the problem.

I am sorry to hear about your injury but hopefully the surgery will help. Having to limited both computer and reading time is a real pain - hopefully there's lots of good stuff on TV!

Sorry your hand is hurt. I hope your surgery will go well and you heal quickly. Have you thought of putting a pillow in your lap to hold the book so you just have to turn the pages?

Ouch! Good luck with the surgery, and in the meantime I hope your hand gets well rested.

Oh no! Hopes for the best possible outcome. You take care of you and we'll be here once you've healed, read to hear all about your reads

Thanks for the well wishes, I look forward to the 29th!

A few more I've finished:

The Steal by C. W. Gortner
A novella and the first in an apparent series taking place in the 1950s. A well known jewelry designer takes some of her creations to Cannes for celebrities to wear. A theft takes place and an investigator for the insurance comes to verify the jewels were in fact stolen. 3*

Well Schooled in Murder by Elizabeth George
Third in the Lynley/Havers mystery series. A missing boy from a prestigious private school is found to be the victim of a particularly horrendous murder. 4*

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
The setting is a luxury retirement village where some of the residents have formed a club to study murders. When one occurs right under their noses, of course they decide they must be the ones that solve it. 4*

The Madness of the Crowds by Louise Penny
I think this is the best in the Armand Gamache series. It isn't about the Covic pandemic, that's over in Canada when this book takes place, but it does revolve around the issue of group behavior and a divided population. An academic comes to speak in Three Pines about her statistical evaluation of the high cost of some groups of people. Those that are ill, disabled, old. How much money could be saved if they were no longer with us! Statistics prove it and a mad crowd supports it. 4*

Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
A children's chapter book that takes place during WWI. At sixteen Hattie is an orphan that has been shuttled here and there so much she calls herself Hattie-Here-and-There. When she inherits land from an uncle in Montana, off she goes to become a homesteader all by herself but strong resolve. The story follows her through the first year of the homesteading life. A Newberry winner ,I loved this story about a strong and determined young woman. 4.5*

Glad you are "back." Looks like a bunch o good reading!

I had the hand surgery last week and I can type for awhile with no pain at all. I'm looking forward to having stitiches out a week from today! Now to begin catching up:

I have read a memoir, Notes from the Firehouse by D.E. McCourt. At the age of 29 McCourt joined the fire department in Melrose, Ma. where he would work until retirement. He came from a family of firefighters, his grandfather, father and brother were firefighters too. These seventeen stories are told in an engaging conversational style by a man who was dedicated, introspective and kind. He doesn't rely on drama or action to entertain his readers, he just tells us what he experienced both in the firehouse and out and I enjoyed every one. We learn about things we might not think about, particularly the thoughts and emotions of firefighters and rescue team members on their sometimes harrowing job. When I finished the last story, my first thought was that I wish I had known him.

And a few more:

The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman follows the popular The Thursday Murder Club. Overall I liked this even better than Murder Club. The plot places a focus on Elizabeth. The others are all there but play a supporting role, sometimes rather small, but the book is still a good read and I hope there is a third on the way. So, who will be casted in the movie?

https://culturedvultures.com/steven-spielberg-the-thursday-murder-club-cast/

>158 clue: Congratulations on the successful hand surgery.

Good news about your surgery. Hopefully once the stitches come out you will be back in business!

Great news and progress about your surgery!

Great news about the surgery! I'm so glad to hear it seems to have gone well.

Glad you'll have your hand back soon.

>158 clue: I'm glad your hand is mostly pain free.

>161 DeltaQueen50:, >162 Tess_W:, >163 Jackie_K:, >164 dudes22:, >165 RidgewayGirl:

Thanks, it's great to have the use of both hands again!

I'm way behind posting and plan to catch up over the next few days. I have a shelf set aside for books I've started but not finished and like the TBR, it just keeps growing! There were over 20 unfinished a few weeks ago and I've made a pretty good dent in them so that's where a lot of my time has gone.

Origin - Library
CAT - No
TBR - No
My Rating - 4.0

Still Life by Sarah Winman



This isn't a perfect book but I loved it and suffered the misery of deciding whether to read it fast to see what happens or read it slow to make it last.

In 1944 Ulysses Temper, a young British soldier, is in Tuscany. In a chance meeting in the wine cellar of a deserted villa, he meets Evelyn Skinner, a middle-aged art historian who is there to salvage paintings and to recall memories of her own youth. He will long remember their conversations about love, art, and truth and beauty though he won't see her again for decades.

When Ulysses returns to London, he goes back to the pub where he worked before the war. The Stoat and Parrot has a handful of eccentric regulars that caused the TV show Cheers with Ted Danson to come to my mind. He also continues to love the wife he left behind, beautiful but damaged Peg, who upon his return introduced him to her five year old daughter, her father an American soldier Peg is sure will return.

Years after returning to London Ulysses will be astonished to learn he has inherited a home in Florence. Rather than tempt fate, he goes to Florence accompanied by one of the pub's regulars and Peg's daughter who will remain with him. As he builds a life there he also builds a family. A few of the chosen family members he meets in Florence and some come from the pub in London.

The things I didn't like about the book include no quotation marks and a few too silly characters like a parrot that can answer questions with quotes from Shakespeare (though they can be funny). Evelyn was lesbian and the last chapter in the book, when Ulysses' story was over, told about her past loves and experiences. I thought it was very odd to tack on this chapter rather then to weave it somehow into the book. One reader reviewer said she felt like she had read two books and I can say that this chapter gave me a similar feeling. Had this been written differently I would have rated it 4.5*.

Origin - Shelf
CAT - No
TBR - Yes
My Rating - 4.0

Forever Young by Haley Mills



When I was a girl my friends in the neighborhood loved nothing more than to go together to a Haley Mills movie. The Parent Trap , Pollyanna and The Swiss Family Robinson I remember well. So of course when I read Mills had written a memoir I wanted to read it.

She was the daughter of the famous actor John Mills and her mother the writer Mary Haley Bell. Haley worked with both parents, she and her father worked in several movies together including her first one and she starred in the adaptation of her mother's novel Whistle Down the Wind in 1961. That's one I have no memory of.

Walt Disney was at the zenith of his career when he convinced her father to let Hayley star in her first movie with Disney, Pollyanna . A large portion of the book is about her relationship and work with Disney whom she writes about with fondness though they had some differences as she grew older. Growing older, wanting control of career decisions, and the effort to grow up when the world wanted her to stay young are covered in depth.

Mills was not the first or last child star to be taken advantage of. Her earnings as a child were put in trust but when she turned twenty-one and thought they were hers, she learned her earnings would be taxed at over 90%. Basically nothing became hers.

The memoirs focus on her childhood and her work during those years. She doesn't use the book as a platform for gossip or intimate adult reveals. She does discuss the fallout from her marriage at twenty to a producer thirty years older and their subsequent divorce. One of her two children is from that marriage, she doesn't divulge the father of the second.

Mills has continued to act but doesn't seem the least interested in celebrity. My impression is that she is intelligent, thoughtful and likeable. I'm one that still likes her.

>169 clue: I too spent my movie money on Haley Mills films in my younger years and was a big fan. When I saw this book out, I picked up an audio version as she does the narration. I am looking forward to it, but probably won't get to it until next year.

>170 DeltaQueen50: I'm sure her narration will be great. Since a few of my childhood girlfriends still live near me I'm planning on loaning my copy to them. I think we could all say this was a sweet time in our lives.

>169 clue: Still love Haley Mills movies!

>169 clue: That's a BB for me! I remember Hayley Mills movies too, and The Flame Trees of Thika a favourite tv series (1970s maybe?) where she played Elspeth Huxley.

>173 VivienneR: I was surprised to see she was in that because I remember it, but I don't remember she was in it. I'd like to see it again.

Origin - Shelf
CAT - No
TBR - Yes
My Rating - 3.0

The Marseille Caper by Peter Mayle



Clearly this book, marketed as a caper, was meant to be nothing but fun and that's pretty much all you get. Fortunately I read it at the right time and really enjoyed it (only 209 pages).

Sam Levitt, an American lawyer who no longer practices law, is asked by billionarie Francis Rebout to represent him in an architectural competition in Marseille. A committee will decide who will be awarded the building of a housing development on the last available piece of land there. Rebout needs a front man because he and the person heading the selection committee are not friendly.

Sam takes girlfriend Elena along and they meet up again with a reporter friend in Marseille, Phillipe. For the most part, other characters are Good Guys and Bad Guys, there is a lot of money to be made by the winning developer and the possibility brings out plenty of rogues.

If you've read Mayle before you know he had a love and knowledge of French food and drink and interesting drinking and dining pad the plot. There was a previous book that featured Sam Levitt and Rebout, The Vintage Caper and if I run across it I'll read it too.

Origin - Library
CAT - No
TBR - No
My Rating - 3.5

Painting the Light by Sally Cabot Gunning



Ida Russell is the daughter of wealty Bostonians. After their deaths she enrolls as an art student at the Museum School where she shows promise as a watercolorist. Not that she gets much attention, only one of her instructors gives her encouragement but this is the 1880s and Ida is where few women have been admitted, and none welcomed.

The storyline abruptly jumps five years ahead. Ida is now Ida Pease, the wife of Ezra, and lives and works on a seaside sheep farm on Vineyard Haven. Ezra has sold her townhouse and has control of all of her inherited money. He owns a salvage company and appears to be successful but Ida learns he isn't really interested in salvage or the farm unless he has a scheme that involves them in mind. What Ezra really loves is a winning card game.

When he makes a sudden business trip to Boston, Ezra's ship runs into a storm and can't be found. What Ida comes to know about him and what she discovers about herself come as a surprise to her, though I would think not to most readers. I was taken with the plot, it's interesing and the writing good, but there are some disappointments. The marriage being a surprise is one and another is that near the end of the book a very unlikely event takes place. These cause me to give a lower rating than I would otherwise.

Origin - Shelf
CAT - No
TBR - Yes
My Rating - 4.0

The Judge's List by John Grisham



John Grisham's newest book certainly has it's chilling moments. Lucy Stoltz is a lawyer and works for the Florida Board of Judicial conduct. The work of the Board is similar to that of a grand jury. A complaint can be made to them about a judge and, while the Board doesn't investigate, it does decide if there is enough evidence to warrant a trial.

Lucy becomes exasperated by a caller who apparently has a complaint but won't discuss it over the phone. She will not come to Lucy's office and even uses aliases. Clearly she is very afraid, but continues to call again and again begging Lucy to meet with her, and eventually worn down by the persistance of the caller she does.

Jerri Crosby is obsessed with her father's death. Murdered twenty years ago she has never been able to understand who would want this man, a popular and highly respected professor, dead. Now she's sure she knows. And once Lucy has met Jerri and reviewed her information, she thinks Jerri knows too. But there's more. More murders. More cold cases. A serial killer. A judge's list. But Jerri pushes on and Lucy joins the fray, even though they are placing themselves in the gravest danger.

Lucy Stoltz was the primary character in a previous book but I haven't read it, this is a standalone. I like this book for the plot but also because the two primary characters are strong and smart women. Another reason is that one of them is black but doesn't need to be, race has nothing to do with the plot and I think most often people in novels are only black if that need is there. I like John Grisham, the man, because he is a good man, and has long been a vocal supporter of the unfairly jailed and imprisoned. But just on it's own, this is a good book.

Origin - Library
CAT - Random CAT
TBR - Yes
My Rating - 4.5

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan



I always try a Christmas themed book or two in December but I'm often disappointed in them. Not so with this one. A small book that can be read in an evening, it is beautifully written and will long be remembered.

It takes place in a small Irish town in 1985. Bill Furlong is a businessman and supplies the locals with heating products including wood and coal. The economy is rocky and he sometimes works long days just trying to collect what is owed. The busiest time of year is before Christmas when the business will be closed for two weeks. During the rush he does the deliveries himself and his men stay on the lot preparing them. During an early morning Sunday delivery to a local convent he stumbles upon a disturbing situation with a child that brings to mind his own troubled childhood and causes him to question what kind of man he has become.

Origin - LT
CAT - No
TBR - Yes
My Rating - 3.0

The Vanished Collection by Pauline Baer de Perignon



The author is the great-grandaughter of Jules Strauss (1861-1943) one of the most highly respected art collectors of his time. The list of his acquisitions reads like the syllabus of an art history course.

As the author grew older she became increasingly curious about the fate of the Strauss collection. Her great- grandfather was German, Jewish, and an emigre to France where his apartment was seized during the Occupation. The story told in her family was that the collection had been sold off by Jules. Because she was curious and had a niggling doubt, the author began what became an extensive research project based on the fate of the collection and this book is the result.

The experience is interesting, and certainly should be, but it's rough reading. The information is disorganized and there were times I was looking backward to reread more than I was reading forward. I admire the author for her tenacity and determination to get to the real story but I wish the book was more pleasurable to read.

Origin - ILL
CAT - Reading Through Time
TBR - No
My Rating - 3.5

The Ides of April by Lindsey Davis



The author's first series was based on the experinces of Marcus Didius Falco, an investigtor. This book is the first in a second series based on the experiences of Falco's adopted daughter, Flavia Albi, who as a young widow has taken up her father's line of work. The time is 89AD and the setting Rome.

When a client dies unexpectedly Flavia is asked by the client's son-in-law to investigate the death. Told in first person we get all the ire of Flavia as a woman plying a trade and as an outsider born in Britian. Having learned from her father, she is clever and knows the tricks of the trade. Her character is determined and reckless bordering on foolish. Those traits make her an intersting character though I think the recklessness sometimes overdone. The mystery itself is good enough and the setting adds to the interest. The one problem I have is that I don't like Flavia! I'm interested enough though to read the first in the previous series.

Origin - Shelf
CAT - Mystery
TBR - Yes
My Rating - 3.5

Mrs. Pollifax Pursued by Dorothy Gilman



When Mrs. Polllifax finds a young woman (Kadi) hiding in a closet in her house she quickly learns that Kadi is being pursued. Who is pursuing her is a question Kadi can't answer. Eventually Mrs. Pollifax has to call her sources at the CIA for help and she and Kadi spend an interesting week at their safe place...a carnival.