What are you reading the week of September 8, 2018?

I'm moving along and should finish Tristram Shandy this weekend. I just learned that Carlos Ruiz Zafon's new book The Labyrinth of Spirits is coming out this month, so I'm looking forward to that.

On a side note, my local Barnes and Noble seems determined to go out of business. They've changed their store so much this past year that I hardly ever leave with anything. They keep reducing the amount of floor space devoted to books, so that their inventory is significantly smaller than it was. But the worst thing they've done is to stop displaying newly published books of a subject area in a special display area. Instead, new books are immediately mixed in with the existing inventory. I'm sure that their thought process runs something along the lines of, "Most of our sales are from new books while older inventory moves slowly. Let's encourage shoppers to browse the inventory by mixing new books in with the older ones."

I don't know about you, but I have limited time to browse through the bookstore. I don't want to go on an easter egg hunt. The result is that I buy maybe a quarter of the books from them that I used to. Their policy seems to have backfired in my opinion. But perhaps this is just me.

I am currently reading Book Girl by Sarah Clarkson. Very interesting read and great ideas of things to read. Also some good points in what reading does for you and the effects of the lack of reading.

Our Barnes and Noble has done the same thing. In fact much of the inventory is now being devoted to games, gifts, and supplies.

Hit a reading slump which has been aggravated by the A/C going out late yesterday afternoon so I'm still working my way thru The Westing Game, Heresy, and Engineering Infinity.

I'm reading South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami for my Monthly Keyword Reading Challenge. I've had it for a year and I'm excited for the excuse to read it - I love everything I've read by Murakami so far. It's off to a great start...

I am currently rereading Robin Hobb's Assassin's Apprentice. I am nearly finished. I plan to read Agatha Christie's Ordeal by Innocence next.

I'm reading The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon.

Been reading Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney. It's good but not a page-turner for me.

Before that, I finished A Simple Favor by Darcey Bell in a day during my layover getting home from vacation. That was an exciting, quick read and I'm looking forward to seeing the movie.

I hate that!! My B&N did the same thing and I told them how I hate it. I must not have been the only one because now I see more displays of new releases. Not quite the same but an improvement

Greetings, all! I'm currently in Boston enjoying a long guys' weekend with three buddies. I didn't bring Elmo Zumwalt's memoir, On Watch, with me, although I'm about 60% through it, because it's too big a book to travel with. So I brought, and have started, The Incarnations, by Susan Barker. It takes place in Beijing and is about a cab driver who starts to have mysterious, unsigned letters left for him in his cab. I haven't had much reading time, but expect to get some reading done during the flight home tomorrow (Boston to San Francisco non-stop flight).

>6 ahef1963: Quirky book. I enjoyed it.

The Blue Castle
By L.M. Montgomery
4/5 stars
A young woman lives a miserable life with her family. She has always had some issues with her heart and she goes to the doctor to have a checkup. After the visit, she receives a note from her doctor that tells her that she has a heart condition and only has a few months to live. She throws caution to the wind, does not tell her family and decides what she wants to do. She leaves her family to help a friend who is gravely ill. Her family is appalled and refuses to have anything to do with her. When the young woman dies, she decides to propose to Barney, someone who she cares deeply for and tells him of her health issue. They marry and have a wonderful life enjoying each other till an incident occurs and she leaves him. For a romance novel, I thought this was thoroughly compelling. Montgomery has always been one of my favorite authors and this hasn’t diminished that feeling.

I have been a big fan of Barnes and Noble purchasing books for classes, business and pleasure. I agree that what stores are left pale in comparison to the good old days. Also, I have gift cards for Barnes and Noble that I have almost given up since I do not find their website any where near as easy to navigate as Amazon. Sad story.

The Hasty Marriage
by Betty Neels
2.5/5 stars
Laura, an accomplished single nurse meets her spoiled sister Joyce’s wonderful fiancé Rielof who is also a surgeon from Holland. Circumstances change quickly when Joyce decides to marry a rich American and runs out leaving her sister to tell him that she was not going to marry him. Just as quickly Rielof decides to marry Laura since he needs a wife. Laura accepts, quits her job and they leave for Holland. I thought this was a pretty silly story. I do love a good romance and I would like to read more of Neels but I don’t think this was very realistic even for it being published in 1957.

Finished The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. A decent juvenile mystery.

Next into my rotation is a re-read of The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay.

Finished Heresy by Melissa Lenhardt.

Next into the reading mix is The Stone Sky by N. K. Jemisin.

After the Funeral – Agatha Christie
Audiobook read by Hugh Fraser
3***

Originally published as Funerals Are Fatal

From the book jacket: When Cora Lansquenet is savagely murdered with a hatchet, the extraordinary remark she made the previous day at her brother Richard’s funeral suddenly takes on a chilling significance. At the reading of Richard’s will, Cora was clearly heard to say, “It’s been hushed up very nicely, hasn’t it… But he was murdered, wasn’t he?” In desperation the family solicitor turns to Hercule Poirot to unravel the mystery.

My reactions
Oh, I love Hercule Poirot and his little grey cells. Always entertaining and always keeping me guessing. Here we have quite a number of characters, all of whom seem to have some motive for killing Cora Lansquenet and/or Richard Abernathie. I’m glad I had a text copy along, because it has a family tree printed in it, which is a great help in keeping these various Abernathie relations straight. What a family! Hardly a likeable person in the bunch. I’d have been happy to have any one of them be the murderer. But that’s the joy of a Christie mystery.

The killer and Dame Christie cleverly give us many red herrings, false clues, misleading statements, and seemingly meaningless occurrences to confuse, baffle and thwart any attempts at solving the mystery. But, of course, Hercule Poirot will unveil the person responsible. I was almost as surprised as the culprit when the reveal came.

Hugh Fraser does a commendable job of voicing the audio. There are so many characters that it is hard to keep them straight at time, especially when there is a meeting of two or more women, but Fraser manages quite well. And I do love his interpretation of Hercule Poirot!

I finished Thrity Umrigar’s latest The Secrets Between Us and I liked it quite a bit.

This week I’m reading Dancing at the Rascal Fair by Ivan Doig. I loved English Creek.

I finished The Stone Diaries. I discovered as I began reading it that it was a reread. I thoroughly enjoyed it the second time through as well as the first.

I finished The Traitor's Niche which is a brilliant dark satire on tyranny.

Next up is This Mournable Body by Tsitsi Dangarembga.

Cactus Blood – Lucha Corpi
1*

From the book jacket: Gloria Damasco, the Chicana detective tempered during the civil rights movement, is involved in solving another mystery complete with gruesome murders. Is it a serial killer that is leaving the corpses strewn with artifacts from Native American rituals? Does it have something to do with the farm workers’ union which the victims had worked for in the seventies?

My reactions
There’s just so much going on here that I don’t know where to begin.

First we have all of Gloria’s vivid and violent dreams … a woman crucified on a cactus, being cornered by a large rattlesnake, blood dripping everywhere. Supposedly Gloria has a gift for premonition, but will all her dreams come to life literally? Or are they more allegorical, portending danger, if not actual crucifixion.

Then we have all the political, social justice issues these characters face and faced. Reminders of the struggles for the farm workers in the ‘70s, with grape boycotts, marches, and violent altercations. And the issues of undocumented workers and their constant fear of reprisal.

Ultimately, though, I found these characters too stupid to live. Attacked in her own home, Gloria says, “No don’t call the police.” Instead she goes off in the dark to chase this provenly violent assailant, and potential killer. S*I*G*H.

Maybe my problem is that I never read the first book in the series, so don’t know enough of the back story, but I never connected with Gloria or Justin, and really didn’t care what happened to any of them. I thought the plot was far too convoluted and the resolution was weak and unbelievable. If it weren’t a book-club selection, I would have abandoned it.

Lily and the Octopus
Steven Rowley
3.5/5 stars
Ted Flask, a gay man has been in many relationships but his longest one has been with Lily, a dachshund. She has been with him through thick and thin but now it his turn to help her. One day he notices an odd growth on her head that is shaped like an octopus. It is cancer but he sees it as an adversary that he needs to fight off in this magical realism story line about love, loss and moving on. Sweet story!

Finished listening to the lovely, poignant Tin Man.
Next up for listening is Fear: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward.

The Pearl Thief – Elizabeth E Wein
Book on CD performed by Maggie Service
3.5***

15-year-old Julia-Beaufort Stuart comes home from finishing school for one final summer at the family’s ancestral home: Strathfearn House. She has many fond memories of time spent with her older brothers, Sandy and Jamie, and especially with her grandfather, the recently deceased Earl of Strathfearn. Now the property has been sold and is being converted into a school for boys. The construction workers have pretty much taken over the house and grounds, with the family ensconced in a few upstairs rooms, and the morning room. But a chance encounter by the river, will result in charges of murder and theft.

This is a prequel of sorts to Wein’s Code Name Verity, giving readers a little background on the character of Julia. It’s a good mystery and coming-of-age tale set in 1938 in the Scottish Highlands.

Julia is awakening to the pleasures of love, and she has two somewhat competing crushes. The construction manager, Francis Dunbar, is obviously forbidden. He is “much” older (in his 30s), and has no idea that she’s only fifteen, and she’s rather forward in showing her attraction (at least in private). Then there’s the enigmatic Ellen McEwen. She and her brother Euan are members of a family of Travelers who have worked seasonally on the Strathfearn estate for generations. Ellen is confident, bold, accomplished and angry. But she also immensely attractive to Julia.

The plot focuses on the estates treasure trove of ancient artifacts, including Bronze-age spear points, centuries-old hand-crafted items, and a jar full of Scottish river pearls, some purportedly once belonging to Mary Queen of Scots. When the archeologist hired to inventory the collection goes missing, at about the same time that Julia is found near the river with her head bashed by an unknown solid object, the local officials are quick to suspect the Travelers. Julia is certain they had nothing to do with either event, but she really cannot remember how she came to be injured.

I thought Wein did a good job of moving the plot forward and keeping the reader guessing. There are plenty of suspects and certain bits of evidence point first in one direction and then in another. I figured it out barely ahead of Julia. I was a little disappointed in how the final act played out, but still thoroughly enjoyed the novel.

There are several really good supporting characters in the book. Librarian Mary Kinnaird stands out for her dedication as the curator of the library’s collections, and her accomplishments despite her disabilities. Born with Treacher Collins Syndrome, her facial features are distorted, and she has some hearing loss, but she’s a fierce defender and stands her ground more than once. Julia’s nanny, Solange, who is also the French companion of Julia’s grandmother, stands out as well; although, she is a bit weepy and prone to hysteria. And on the other side of the coin, Sergeant Angus Henderson, the water bailiff, is a power-drunk bully who goes toe-to-toe with Julia one time too many.

The author’s note at the end of the novel gives additional historical information about Travelers as well as Scottish river pearls. Very interesting and makes me want to read more.

Maggie Service does a marvelous job voicing the audiobook. She sets a great pace, and brings Julia, Ellen, Euan and Jamie to life.

The new thread is up over here.