CBL's musical categories, part 1

Welcome to my thread! I took a year off from the category challenge while I was in the midst of sorting and moving. I have missed all my friends here and I'm ready to get back in the swing of things in 2019. This year's categories reflect my current reading aspirations for the year. I'm not going to set a numerical goal for each category, though. If I end up with a fairly balanced list at the end of the year I will be happy. I've chosen song titles for this year's categories:

Born in the USA - American Authors Challenge (75 Book group)
Penny Lane - British Isles Challenge (75 Book group)
Never Been to Spain - International authors/books set outside the US & UK
I Shot the Sheriff - Crime & mystery
I'm My Own Grandpa - Family history/Genealogy
Paperback Writer - Reading projects
Tell It Like It Is - Nonfiction
I Write the Songs - Poetry
Listen to What the Man Said - Audiobooks
Carefree Highway - Whatever I feel like reading

Born in the USA - American Authors

1. The Chosen by Chaim Potok (5) - completed 1/29/19
2. Hospital Sketches by Louisa May Alcott (4) - completed 3/18/19
3. The Thief of Auschwitz by Jon Clinch (5) - completed 3/23/19
4. Promised Land: Thirteen Books That Changed America by Jay Parini (4) - completed 5/27/19

Penny Lane - British Isles

1. Rain: Four Walks in English Weather by Melissa Harrison (4.5) - completed 1/5/19
2. The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker (4) - completed 2/17/19
3. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (4) - completed 3/26/19
4. The Grave Tattoo by Val McDermid (3.5) - completed 3/31/19
5. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (5) - completed 5/3/19
6. Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie (4) - completed 5/31/19

Never Been to Spain - International authors/books set outside the US/UK

1. The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg (3) - completed 1/4/19
2. The Preacher by Camilla Lackberg (3.5) - completed 3/12/19
3. Homes: A Refugee Story by Abu Bakr al Rabeeah with Winnie Yeung (4) - completed 4/13/19
4. Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal (3.5) - completed 4/21/19
5. The Lily Pond by Annika Thor (3.5) - completed 4/30/19
6. The Stonecutter by Camilla Lackberg (4) - completed 5/18/19

I Shot the Sheriff - Crime & mystery

1. Nerve by Dick Francis (4.5) - completed 1/13/19
2. Fatal Remedies by Donna Leon (4) - completed 2/9/19
3. Forfeit by Dick Francis (3.5) - completed 3/4/19
4. They Do It with Mirrors by Agatha Christie (4) - completed 4/19/19
5. Reflex by Dick Francis (4) - completed 5/5/19
6. Clue written by Paul Allor, art by Nelson Daniel, letters by Neil Uyetake & Gilberto Lascano (4) - completed 5/24/19
7. Big Sky by Kate Atkinson (4) - completed 6/3/19
8. Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny (3.5) - completed 6/21/19

I'm My Own Grandpa - Family history/genealogy

1. She's My Dad: A Father's Transition and a Son's Redemption by Jonathan S. Williams with Paula Stone Williams (2.5) - completed 2/3/19
2. Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. & Ernestine Gilbreth Carey (4.5) - completed 4/7/19
3. Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward (3.5) - completed 4/10/19
4. Digest of the Laws of Indiana of Special Application to Women and Children (5) - completed 6/15/19

Paperback Writer - Reading projects
1. The Bafut Beagles by Gerald Durrell (3.5) - completed 1/11/19 - Commonwealth Challenge
2. The Children of Willesden Lane by Mona Golabek and Lee Cohen - completed 2/20/19 - Holocaust literature
3. The Kellys and the O'Kellys by Anthony Trollope (3) - completed 3/25/19 (Trollope's novels)
4. Island Exiles by Jemima Garrett (3.5) - completed 4/29/19 - Commonwealth Challenge
5. Singapore Sapphire by A. M. Stuart (4.5) - completed 6/23/19 - Commonwealth Challenge
6. The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman (4.5) - completed 6/29/19 - Holocaust literature

Tell It Like It Is - Nonfiction

1. Dog Tales & Pup Parables: 31 Devotions for a Dog Lover's Heart by Janet DeCaster Perrin (4) - competed 1/31/19
2. Conan Doyle, Detective by Peter Costello (2) - completed 3/29/19
3. The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold (4) - completed 5/13/19
4. A Jane Austen Devotional by Steffany Woolsey (4.5) - completed 5/19/19
5. Art of the State: Illinois by Joanne Trestrail (3) - completed 6/4/19

I Write the Songs - Poetry

1. Poems of Robert Burns by Robert Burns; selected & introduced by Ian Rankin (4.5) - completed 1/15/19
2. When Poets Pray by Marilyn McEntyre (5) - completed 6/22/19

Listen to What the Man Said - Audiobooks

1. Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde (4) - completed 1/17/19
2. Friends in High Places by Donna Leon (3.5) - completed 4/11/19
3. Tramp for the Lord by Corrie ten Boom (3.5) - completed 5/6/19
4. Some Buried Caesar by Rex Stout (3.5) - completed 5/13/19
5. To Die but Once by Jacqueline Winspear (3.5) - completed 5/22/19
7. A Sea of Troubles by Donna Leon (3) - completed 6/16/19
8. The Just Men of Cordova by Edgar Wallace (3) - completed 6/27/19

Carefree Highway - Whatever I feel like reading!

1. Good Dog, McTavish by Meg Rosoff, illustrated by Grace Easton (3.5) - completed 2/9/19
2. Betsy-Tacy and Tib by Maud Hart Lovelace (4) - completed 2/10/19
3. Belinda by Maria Edgeworth (4) - completed 2/19/19
4. A Piglet Named Mercy by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen (3.5) - completed 4/4/19
5. Emmeline, the Orphan of the Castle by Charlotte Turner Smith (2.5) - completed 6/20/19

I'm glad to see you back and I love the categories!

Yay, welcome back! :D I hope the move went well and that you're all settled in to the new place. Looking forward to following your reading again this year. Great choices of song titles!

Lovely to see you back, Carrie!

I'm singing along with you!

Love your categories! Hope you have a wonderful year of reading in 2019!

What creative categories--some of my favorite songs! Happy reading in 2019~

I'm glad you're back! I'm hoping that you'll include a few pictures of Adrian as well as tales of his adventures in with the books, please.

>12 clue: >13 rabbitprincess: >14 lkernagh: >15 thornton37814: >16 jlshall: >17 Tess_W: >18 RidgewayGirl: Thank you all!

>18 RidgewayGirl: And here is a recent photo of Adrian. He has a love/hate relationship with books. He loves to sit on my lap when I read, but he doesn't want me to be too absorbed in a book so that I don't cater to his demands (scratching his belly, playing fetch with his favorite toys, feeding him--you get the picture!)

>19 cbl_tn: Our new kitten, Melmoth, likes to stand on my chest, which makes reading more and more difficult as she gets bigger. Eventually, she tucks herself under my chin, but it does slow my reading pace.

Glad to see you and Adrian back, Carrie. Happy New Year!

So happy to see you back! Happy 2019!

Love your categories!

Great song choices and categories! I'm especially interested in your family history/genealogy category.

>20 RidgewayGirl: Is that Melmoth in your profile picture? Reading is definitely more of a challenge when our pets try to help!

>21 VivienneR: >22 LittleTaiko: >23 countrylife: >24 staci426: Thank you all!

>24 staci426: I don't have any specific books planned for that category, but I'll likely read several this year.

>20 RidgewayGirl: Barney likes to stand up between me and the book (or computer). He wants me to pet him by stroking his back when he's doing that. He'll eventually curl up so I just pet for awhile.

>26 thornton37814: Adrian used to worm his way between me and the book. He hasn’t done that in a while.

>25 cbl_tn: No, that's my daughter's cat, AJ. I believe that "getting between a human and the thing they're looking at" is something cats are compelled to do, like finding upholstery or carpet when they feel ill and choosing 2 am as the ideal time to run around the house like a maniac. Dogs are far too sensible to engage in shenanigans.

Welcome back, Carrie. I'm glad to see Adrian looks as gorgeous as ever!

>28 RidgewayGirl: I've sometimes suspected that Adrian is part feline. He has a few of their mannerisms. But he's mostly a sensible dog.

>29 MissWatson: Thank you! I'll tell him you said so!

Great songs and categories, Carrie! I hope you and Adrian are having a wonderful start to the new year!

>31 Dejah_Thoris: Thanks Dejah! Yes, the year is off to a good start so far!

Never Been to Spain #1 The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg
SeriesCAT - Series in translation

Writer Erica Falck is back in her Swedish hometown, Fjällbacka, to sort through her parents’ effects after their sudden death. As the result of being the wrong place at the wrong time, she is the first to discover the body of her childhood friend, Alex, in a frozen bath in a freezing house. This brings her back into contact with Alex’s family and with an old schoolmate, Patrik Hedström, who is now a policeman. As Erica learns more about Alex’s life, she determines to write a book about her old friend to make sense out of the tragedy. And as she spends more time with Patrik, their interest in each other quickly develops into intimacy. Erica also must come to terms with her sister, Anna, and brother-in-law, Lucas, and their desire to sell her parents’ home for the money it would bring in. Erica has sentimental ties to the home and can’t imagine living anywhere else.

I quickly fell in love with the setting for this novel (and for future books in the series). The characters are likable. The plot and pace had some weaknesses. Most of the revelations at the end of the book didn’t have their intended shock value for me because I had figured them out early on. However, what most frustrated me was the information that was withheld from the reader. Erica or Patrik would discover a significant piece of information, but that discovery is withheld from the reader for dozens of pages. All in all, it’s not a bad first effort at a crime novel, and I’m curious to see where the series will go from here.

3 stars

Fun categories. I hope you have a great reading year.

I'm glad to see that you (and Adrian) are back. Have a good 2019.

>34 Zozette: >35 hailelib: Thank you! The same to you!

I am very happy to see you (and Adrian) back here, Carrie. I've dropped my star and look forward to following along.

>36 cbl_tn: Thanks, Judy!

Great to see you back here, Carrie! Enjoy the books you choose for your lovely categories.

>39 Chrischi_HH: Thank you!

Penny Lane #1 Rain: Four Walks in English Weather by Melissa Harrison

In this brief book, the author describes in almost poetic language four walks through the English countryside in rainy weather. Each walk was in a different season and a different county. The Eastern fens are January’s destination, Shropshire is April’s destination, Kent’s Darent Valley is the August destination, and Dartmoor in Devon is October’s destination. The author had personal connections to the region in three out of the four areas, and her familiarity with the landscape allowed her to compare her present experience with her memories of prior observations. The author’s reflections touch on geology, geography, zoology, history, literature, and, of course, meteorology. Each essay is illustrated by a Paul Binnie print. This book would be a welcome gift for almost any reader on any occasion.

4.5 stars

Next up: The Bafut Beagles by Gerald Durrell

>41 cbl_tn: I am a total pluviophile, so this book is right up my alley! Thanks for the BB!

And I love Gerald Durrell's works.

>42 JayneCM: The only other book I've read by Gerald Durrell is Two in the Bush, about a trip he made to Australia, NZ, and Malaya in connection with a documentary on endangered species in those locations. Have you read that one?

>Funnily, no! He has so many books and they are hard to get hold of.

>44 JayneCM: Fortunately the public library here has several of his books. Since it's a fairly good-sized metropolitan library system, they're able to hang onto older works longer than smaller public libraries can.

>41 cbl_tn: taking a book bullet for that one.

My favourite books by Gerald Durrell are Birds, beasts and relatives and My family and other animals. Both are written from the young Durrell's point of view when his family lived on a Greek island (Corfu?) and are tremendously entertaining. They give a good indication of the man he became.

>47 VivienneR: I love the Corfu trilogy! And due to the series coming out, these are the books that are readily available now. But I love all his works - and he certainly was prolific.

My boys watched some of the series and are desperate to grow up as Gerry did!

Somehow I keep thinking of Lawrence Durrell when I read the name Gerald Durrell. Lawrence was one of those we read for British Author Challenge at some point. I don't think I've read anything by Gerald.

>49 thornton37814: Lawrence was his older brother and until I read Gerald's books, I was unaware of Lawrence being an author!
I have the Alexandria Quartet on my list as well.

>46 Helenliz: It's a lovely book! I hope you enjoy it when you get to it!

>47 VivienneR: >48 JayneCM: I haven't read either of those yet. I have watched a couple of episodes of the PBS series based on the books. I think I might like the books better than the TV series.

>49 thornton37814: >50 JayneCM: I think I heard of Lawrence first, but I knew they were brothers. I read one of Lawrence Durrell's books for one of the countries in the European challenge several years ago. Serbia, I think.

When I pulled into the garage this afternoon, I noticed water coming out of the pressure valve in my hot water heater. This is the second time I've had a problem with it since I moved in. Last time it was still under warranty so the builder took care of it. This time I was on my own. I called a retired friend from church who knows all about these things. He came over and adjusted the pressure valve, then he and his wife took me out to dinner. I am so thankful for good friends!

>51 cbl_tn: Maybe I read it for the Europe Endless Challenge instead of the British Author Challenge. I just remember reading it for a challenge.

Paperback Writer #1. The Bafut Beagles by Gerald Durrell

This book is an account of naturalist/zookeeper Gerald Durrell’s trip to Cameroon to collect animal specimens. An official suggests that Bafut would be a good place to collect specimens, so Durrell contacts the Fon of Bafut, who proves to be an eager host. Durrell employs several local hunters who become known as the Bafut Beagles. Durrell and the Beagles hunt for several species on Durrell’s wishlist. Many of the locals also bring wildlife to sell to Durrell. By the end of his stay, he has dozens of specimens to transport back to England, including monkeys, large cats, rodents, and frogs, and snakes.

Durrell and the Africans converse in pidgin English, and the dialogue in the book uses pidgin. The book reflects the colonial era in which it was lived and written. 21st century readers will cringe when Durrell is addressed as Masa by his African colleagues. I can’t wholeheartedly recommend the book for this reason.

3.5 stars

Next up: Nerve by Dick Francis

>51 cbl_tn: I liked the books much better than the tv series, in fact I didn't finish watching the series.

>52 cbl_tn: Isn't it wonderful to have people around who know how to do things - and dinner as well! Bonus!

>55 VivienneR: I watched a couple of episodes of the TV series and didn't really enjoy it very much. I'm glad to know I'm not alone!

I Shot the Sheriff #1 - Nerve by Dick Francis

Jockey Rob Finn is just breaking in to steeplechase racing. Trainers and owners are beginning to notice the up-and-comer and take a chance on him with their second-rate horses. Another jockey’s bad break (literally) becomes Finn’s lucky break. Finn is puzzled by rumors about other jockeys that seem to circulate so rapidly with seemingly little foundation. When he becomes the target of rumors that he’s lost his nerve, Finn sets out to trace the rumors back to their source, no matter what the cost. Francis gives his readers a page-turning plot, a hero with depth, and a strong setting within racing circles. It’s just the kind of thriller to make time fly on a cold and rainy winter afternoon!

4.5 stars

Next up: The Chosen by Chaim Potok

>57 cbl_tn: Oh, wow! 4.5 stars! I guess I'm in for a treat when I get to that one. I need to finish a couple of things first, but I think I'll drop that one in my tote so it will be convenient when I finish the others.

>58 thornton37814: It's more thriller than mystery so you might not like it as much as I did.

I'm glad to see there are other Dick Francis readers here! This must have been reissued, I saw it at the library last week on the new book shelves and remembered it as an older title. I haven't read it though because I have a bunch of his books waiting. I'm bring one home from every used bookstore I go to!

>60 clue: @rosalita is hosting a year-long group read of six selected Francis novels in the 75 Books group. You are welcome to join in the discussion whether or not you're re-reading the books! https://www.librarything.com/topic/301134

I Write the Songs #1 - Poems of Robert Burns by Robert Burns; selected & introduced by Ian Rankin

This collection of poems and songs by Robert Burns was selected and introduced by Scottish novelist Ian Rankin. The collection showcases Burns’ versatility, with poems written in different styles, with themes ranging from trivial to international importance, and with moods ranging from joy to lament. Prospective readers shouldn’t let themselves be put off by the Scots dialect used in most of the poems. The glossary at the end of the book will help readers understand the unfamiliar words, but I discovered that listening to the words in my head (or reading aloud) helped me make sense of the dialect without needing to consult the glossary.

4.5 stars

I heard some good news when I was walking Adrian this afternoon. A couple of weeks ago, my neighbor was dog sitting and one of the two guest dogs got away from her when she was getting ready to take her out very early in the morning. She spent all day driving around looking for the dog without any success, and continued searching through the weekend. My neighbor stopped as she drove by this afternoon to tell me that the dog has been found and is back with her owners! Sadly, it appears that she was hit by a car early on. She has a broken hip that is starting to heal.

>63 cbl_tn: What a relief that the pup was found! Poor baby - I hope they'll be able to get the hip healing correctly.

>64 Dejah_Thoris: I know! Apparently would be an option if it wasn't so expensive. But the vet thought it might heal OK even without the surgery.

Listen to What the Man Said #1 - Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde

As the book opens, Thursday Next is preparing to return to Swindon and the real world after a two-year stint in Jurisfiction. Her husband Landen is still eradicated, and she is determined to get him back. Hamlet has been granted leave to visit the Outland, and he accompanies Thursday on her return to Swindon. They arrive to find that England’s chancellor, Yorrick Kaine, is blaming the country’s economic problems on the Danes. It’s not a good time to be seen with a Danish prince. Swindon is awaiting the return of its patron saint, Zvlkx, whose Seventh Revealment concerns the 1988 SuperHoop croquet match. Thursday learns from her father, a time-traveling member of the ChronoGuard, that a SuperHoop win by Swindon will avert Armageddon. No pressure there.

Fforde’s alternate England and the book world are as delightful as ever. It’s a parody of classic fiction, history, and pop culture, with humor along the lines of the films Airplane! and The Naked Gun. There were lots of references to Mel Gibson’s portrayal of Hamlet, but this movie wasn’t released until two years after the book is set. (Yes, I know the book is alternate history, but it still bothered me!) I agree with other reviewers that this book feels like an ending point for the series. All of the plot threads that were developed over the course of the series thus far seem to have been neatly wrapped up. I’m not sure I would be motivated to continue reading the series if I didn’t already have the next book in my collection.

4 stars

Next up in audio: The Devil's Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea

>66 cbl_tn: I'll be interested in hearing how The Devil's Highway does as an audiobook. Does Urrea read it himself?

>67 RidgewayGirl: Yes, he does. Sometimes that's not a good thing. I guess I'll see!

I recently read and quite enjoyed The House of Broken Angels by Urrea and am interested in reading more by him someday. Obviously I'll be really interested in seeing what you think of The Devil's Highway.

I hope it's good! It's not the kind of book I usually listen to, so we'll see how I get along with it.

I hope you like it better than I did in audio.

>71 thornton37814: I guess we'll see!

I have had a pain in the neck (literally!) for at least a couple of weeks. Since it wasn't getting better on its own, I finally went to the chiropractor this morning. That helped a lot, but I am not happy with his advice. No reading or anything else that would cause me to bend my neck downward. I guess I'll be mostly listening to audiobooks the next few days. I also checked out Acorn TV from the public library on Saturday and I have access for 7 days. I'm not sure exactly how it works if I want to check it out again. I think maybe I would get a discount on a subscription. They weren't real clear about it in the library.

>73 cbl_tn: My husband and I are Acorn subscribers and we love it. We especially like the series Foyle's War and Vera. We pay $5.95 per month. Since we don't have cable and this is our only expense, we are ok with that.

>74 Tess_W: I noticed a lot of shows that used to be on Netflix but aren’t any longer. I don’t watch Netflix nearly as much as I used to. I’m thinking about dropping it and picking up Acorn, especially if I can get a discounted rate through the library.

>74 Tess_W: - Love AcornTV! We have been subscribers for 4-5 years now. My most recent binge watches were "The Good Kharma Hospital" and "The Heart Guy". ;-)

My 7-day checkout expired this morning. Acorn offered me a monthly or annual subscription option. I logged into RBDigital at the library and checked it out again for another 7 days. So far I haven't run into a down side of the library option! I don't know if there is a checkout limit that I'll run into at some point. I'll update here when I find out!

I finished The Art Detectives last night and watched the first episode of Walks with My Dog, where celebrities take their dogs on a walk in scenic parts of Britain. Today I'm watching Agatha Raisin. I tried a couple of the books years ago and didn't take to them. I like the TV version much better. The beautiful village scenery helps!

>77 cbl_tn: I know I preferred the audio versions of the Agatha Raisin series. I might try some of those when I check out Acorn TV. I need to go to Walmart and get the right kind of cable for the cable before I try anything else.

Is your neck improved from the other day? Things like that sometimes seem to take forever to go away.

>77 cbl_tn: - The Agatha Raisin TV series is fabulous! I am sitting on tender hooks waiting for January 28th so I can watch the most recent Agatha Raisin.

Have you watched the Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries? I just sit and drool over the house she has and her wardrobe, but the whole series is really well put toghether.

>79 hailelib: The chiropractor got it back into alignment on Monday. I’ve been careful not to lean my head forward this week so,it has stayed in place. I am still pain free!

>80 lkernagh: Sounds like I found Agatha Raisin at just the right time! Miss Fisher Mysteries are also on Netflix and I’ve watched them all. Netflix has an additional season. It looks like Acorn has just the first two. Another show I see on Acorn that I watched on Netflix disc (back when I had it) is Pie in the Sky. My dad loved that one.

Snow day today! I have 3+ inches in the yard and an inch on the road in front of the house. Still snowing, but seems to be tapering off.

>82 cbl_tn: The last I looked, you all were on a delay, so I'm glad to know they changed it to closed. All the TV sites changed things to tomorrow's closures/delays.

>83 thornton37814: It would be nice to have a delay tomorrow morning. I'm a little worried about driving through the gap.

>84 cbl_tn: C-N has already told us we will begin on time but to use caution as there may be black ice on the sidewalks or parking lots. They also told us that if conditions in our neighborhoods were too bad to just notify our supervisors (or students notify professors).

Born in the USA #1 The Chosen by Chaim Potok

Chaim Potok writes about the unlikely friendship between two Jewish teens. Reuven/Bobby is a math whiz who wants to be a rabbi. Danny is Hasidic, and as the son of a tzaddik he is destined to inherit this leadership position from his father. However, Danny wants to be a psychologist. This book illustrates the deep cultural divides within the Jewish faith. It is set in the final years of the Second World War and the beginning of the post-war years, and touches on the Holocaust and Zionism. It explores the relationship between fathers and sons, and differences in parenting philosophies. It explores the nature of giftedness and the responsibility and even burden that places on parents and teachers of gifted children and teens.

One thing that struck me as I read was how considerate and courteous the characters are. For example, Reuven was in a hospital ward between an adult and a young boy. His father brought him a radio because he wasn’t allowed to read, and Reuven was very considerate about keeping the volume down and not playing the radio when it might disturb his neighbors. I can’t help wondering if consideration for others is something we’ve lost (or are in the process of losing) with society’s encouragement to stand up for our right to do whatever we want in our own space. Reuven learned to appreciate and communicate with others who held a different worldview. That gives me hope for our present time.

5 stars

Tell It Like It Is #1 Dog Tales & Pup Parables: 31 Devotions for a Dog Lover's Heart by Janet DeCaster Perrin

I received this devotional book for Christmas from a friend who knows how much I like dogs. With 31 devotions in the book, it was a perfect fit for the 31 days of January! The author ties experiences with her dogs and her observations of doggie behavior to scriptures about our relationship to God—his love, care, and protection—and our response to God—obedience, trust, patience, persistence in prayer. The devotions on grief after the death of a beloved dog and hope after loss were particular timely since I read them on the anniversary of my late father’s birth. I can tell that the author is of a Pentecostal/charismatic persuasion and I am not, so the devotions that incorporate that theology fell a little flat for me.

4 stars

January Recap

Born in the USA - American Authors Challenge (75 Book group)
The Chosen by Chaim Potok (5)

Penny Lane - British Isles Challenge (75 Book group)
Rain: Four Walks in English Weather by Melissa Harrison (4.5)

Been to Spain - International authors/books set outside the US & UK
The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg (3)

I Shot the Sheriff - Crime & mystery
Nerve by Dick Francis (4.5)

I'm My Own Grandpa - Family history/Genealogy

Paperback Writer - Reading projects
The Bafut Beagles by Gerald Durrell (3.5)

Tell It Like It Is – Nonfiction
Dog Tales & Pup Parables: 31 Devotions for a Dog Lover’s Heart by Janet DeCaster Perrin (4)

I Write the Songs – Poetry
Poems of Robert Burns by Robert Burns; selected & introduced by Ian Rankin (4.5)

Listen to What the Man Said – Audiobooks
Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde (4)

Carefree Highway - Whatever I feel like reading

Books owned - 1
Books borrowed - 5
Ebooks borrowed - 1
Audiobooks borrowed -1

Best of the month: The Chosen by Chaim Potok

Currently reading/listening:



Many Long Years Ago by Ogden Nash
Fatal Remedies by Donna Leon
She's My Dad: A Father's Transition and a Son's Redemption by Jonathan S. Williams with Paula Stone Williams
A Jane Austen Devotional by Steffany Woolsey
Little Men by Louisa May Alcott; read by C. M. Hebert

I successfully checked out Acorn TV from the library for yet another week. I finished all of the Agatha Raisin episodes and I've started on an Australian crime series, Mr. and Mrs. Murder, about a married couple who clean crime scenes and solve the crimes in the process. It's a fun show.

I'm My Own Grandpa #1. She's My Dad: A Father's Transition and a Son's Redemption by Jonathan S. Williams with Paula Stone Williams

Jonathan Williams, lead pastor of Forefront Church in Brooklyn, writes about the effect his father’s transition to female had upon the son’s life and ministry. Jonathan’s father had been the leader of the church planting organization that provided financial support for the church Jonathan had just launched. He describes the emotional turmoil he experienced as he grieved the loss of his father and his gradual acceptance of his father’s new female identity. He ultimately had to choose between the church planting organization and affirming his father’s new identity, and he chose his father. This book describes that process. Reader reactions to this book will likely split along political lines as much as religious affiliation. It probably won’t change any reader’s mind about this issue, although it will add to their understanding of the complexities involved.

This review is based on an electronic advanced reading copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

2.5 stars

A friend and I tried to watch the new ABC Murders on Amazon Prime with John Malkovich playing Poirot. We barely made it through the first of three episodes. It's just wrong. Agatha Christie must be spinning in her grave. Fortunately I had the David Suchet version on DVD to cleanse the palate.

Carefree Highway #1: Good Dog, McTavish by Meg Rosoff, illustrated by Grace Easton

When Ma Peachey goes on strike, the household falls apart. Laundry and dishes pile up, and no one gets anywhere on time. Youngest child Betty decides that a dog would improve things, so the family heads to the local shelter to look for a dog. They choose McTavish—or does McTavish choose them? Slowly, McTavish trains the Peachey family so that the household becomes organized, they’re eating real food instead of takeout, and everyone gets up on time.

Anyone who has ever gone through the process of adopting a dog will enjoy this cute story. However, it seems a bit too advanced for its intended reading level. Emerging readers may struggle with some of the vocabulary and themes (such as Ma Peachey contemplating running off to India with her handsome young yoga instructor). Some mothers might rejoice at first at a story that shows readers that they shouldn’t take for granted all the things that mothers do for their families. But then, the thought that a dog can more successfully raise a family than an educated woman/mother is really more sad than happy. I’d buy this book without hesitation for a school library, but I’d be careful about gifting it to a child unless I knew the family very well and was sure that mom wouldn’t take offense at the story line.

This review is based on an advance reading copy provided by the publisher through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers program.

3.5 stars

I Shot the Sheriff #2: Fatal Remedies by Donna Leon

Commissario Brunetti is not prepared for the phone call that leads to his discovery that his beloved Paola has taken to crime. Her desire to put a stop to the sex tourism industry led her to throw a stone through the window of a local travel agency that arranges for these tours. Before the building’s owner could decide whether he wanted to press charges, he was murdered. Did Paola’s actions motivate the murder, or was there another reason that someone might have wanted to kill Dottor Mitri?

The series seemed to hit its stride again with this book. The investigation of the crime was more satisfactory than that in the previous book in the series. Paola’s vandalism and the motive behind it provided a means to explore the relationship between Guido and Paola. The investigation took an unexpected turn, and the murder was wrapped up more satisfactorily than is typical for the series. The series shows no sign yet of growing stale.

4 stars

Carefree Highway #2: Betsy-Tacy and Tib by Maud Hart Lovelace

Betsy, Tacy, and Tib are eight-year-old Minnesota girls who are best friends. Betsy is the one with the ideas, and Tacy and Tib usually go along with whatever she suggests. They try to learn to fly and form a secret club. It’s all innocent fun, and the stories of their escapades will make many readers nostalgic for the carefree days of their own childhood.

4 stars

Hi Carrie, I find it amazing that any actor today would want to tackle the role of Poirot given the excellence of David Suchet's recent performances!

>96 DeltaQueen50: I know! I can't imagine Kenneth Brannagh as Poirot, either. I haven't seen his version of Murder on the Orient Express yet and I'm not sure I want to. Although I have to say, Murder on the Orient Express was one of the rare adaptations with David Suchet that I didn't like.

Penny Lane #2: The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

Novelist Barker takes on a retelling of The Iliad from a woman’s point of view. Briseis was a queen when her city fell to the Greeks. She was awarded to Achilles as his war prize, becoming his concubine. From her position as a slave, Briseis describes life within the Greek’s war camp and the conversations she overhears as she serves at Achilles’ table and later listens to his conversations with Patroclus. While the men in both camps are focused on winning the war, Briseis wants to recover her identity as a person that was taken from her when she became a slave. The outcome of the war is never in doubt since Barker is faithful to the legend of the fall of Troy. Briseis finally realizes that she and the other Trojan women have not been silenced forever when she overhears a Trojan woman singing to her son by her Greek captor. “We’re going to survive—our songs, our stories. They’ll never be able to forget us. Decades after the last man who fought at Troy is dead, their sons will remember the songs their Trojan mothers sang to them. We’ll be in their dreams—and in their worst nightmares, too.

4 stars

>97 cbl_tn: Urgh, that moustache on Branagh-Poirot turned me right off that adaptation. I didn't even watch the trailer. "If they can't get the moustache right, I don't trust them to do anything else right."

And I agree, I wasn't crazy about the David Suchet one either.

>99 rabbitprincess: You should avoid the Malkovich adaptation at all costs then. The moustache is all wrong! And he has a goatee. And he dyes his facial hair.

With the wet winter we're having, the outdoor mold level is extremely high and it's been giving me fits with allergies and asthma. Acorn TV continues to be my friend. This afternoon I binge watched an Acorn original crime drama, Loch Ness. I think anyone who loves Broadchurch will like this one. And the scenic backdrop is amazing!

>101 cbl_tn: sorry to hear of you allergies....I have them too put mine is pollen so I'm bad in August-Sept.

I have watched all of Loch Ness. Have you watched Vera and Foyles War?

>102 Tess_W: I have watched all of Foyle's War, I think. I haven't watched Vera yet, but I intend to. Pie in the Sky is another Acorn crime series I look forward to revisiting. I watched it with my father years ago and we both loved it.

>100 cbl_tn: A goatee?! EW. Thanks for the warning!

Carefree Highway #3: Belinda by Maria Edgeworth

Belinda Portman has come of age, and her Aunt Stanhope has made arrangements for her to stay in London with Lady Delacour. Aunt Stanhope has a reputation as a matchmaker for the young female relations, and Belinda is to be her next success story. Lady Delacour is an odd choice of chaperon. Lord and Lady Delacour lead largely separate lives, and Lady Delacour has a reputation as a flirt. Belinda is on her guard after she overhears a conversation not meant for her ears, and she comes to realize that it’s up to her to guard her own reputation and her own heart.

This early 19th century novel reads like a mashup of Shaw’s Pygmalion and Austen’s Emma, occasionally wandering into a Dickens novel. Perhaps this is an indication of Edgeworth’s influence on later generations of authors.

4 stars

Paperback Writer #2: The Children of Willesden Lane by Mona Golabek & Lee Cohen

Lisa Jura’s dream of becoming a concert pianist seemed to be out of reach when Hitler’s forces occupied Vienna. Because she was Jewish, 14-year-old Lisa was no longer permitted to take lessons. Lisa’s parents were able to place her on the Kindertransport to England. Lisa eventually ended up in a group home on Willesden Lane in Northwest London. Here she found a support group among the other Jewish teens who lived in the home, the home’s guardian, Mrs. Cohen, and the neighbors. With the encouragement of her friends, Lisa found a way to fulfill her dream of studying piano performance. The book is filled with suspense as Lisa awaits news of the family she left behind in Vienna and as she prepares for an audition that could change her life.

The author, Lisa’s daughter, supplemented her mother’s memories of this time with additional research. An author’s note explains that a couple of the characters are amalgamations of several individuals. While this isn’t uncommon in memoirs, it’s a practice I dislike as it makes it difficult for researchers to separate fact from fiction. This would otherwise have been a 5-star read for me.

4.5 stars

February Recap

Born in the USA - American Authors Challenge (75 Book group)

Penny Lane - British Isles Challenge (75 Book group)
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker (4)

Never Been to Spain - International authors/books set outside the US & UK

I Shot the Sheriff - Crime & mystery
Fatal Remedies by Donna Leon (4)

I'm My Own Grandpa - Family history/Genealogy
She’s My Dad: A Father’s Transition and a Son’s Redemption by Jonathan S. Williams with Paula Stone Williams (2.5)

Paperback Writer - Reading projects
The Children of Willesden Lane by Mona Golabek & Lee Cohen (4.5)

Tell It Like It Is – Nonfiction

I Write the Songs – Poetry

Listen to What the Man Said – Audiobooks

Carefree Highway - Whatever I feel like reading
Good Dog, McTavish by Meg Rosoff, illustrated by Grace Easton (3.5)
Betsy-Tacy and Tib by Maud Hart Lovelace (4)
Belinda by Maria Edgeworth (4)

Books owned - 2
Books borrowed – 1
Ebooks owned - 1
Ebooks borrowed - 3
ARCs - 2

Best of the month: The Children of Willesden Lane by Mona Golabek & Lee Cohen
Worst of the month: She’s My Dad by Jonathan S. Williamsm with Paula Stone Williams

I Shot the Sheriff #3:

Forfeit by Dick Francis

Fleet Street sportswriter James Tyrone accepts a commission to write a feature story for a magazine about the upcoming Lamplighter race. Ty is the last person to speak to a sports columnist for a rival paper before he falls to his death from his office window. Ty notices connections between the dead man’s recent columns and the outcomes of races that have to be more than coincidence. His pursuit of this story leads him into danger that threatens not just his own life but also the life of his exceptionally vulnerable wife.

In Ty, Francis gives his readers a hero with feet of clay. Ty has considerable demands on his time and money that force him to make moral decisions much more often than the average person has to do. He’s not always able to withstand little temptations, but he holds firm when it counts the most. I suspect that Ty won’t be my favorite Francis hero, but he may well be the most memorable for me.

3.5 stars

Never Been to Spain #2: The Preacher by Camilla Lackberg

The discovery of the body of a German tourist in the King’s Cleft cuts short Patrik Hedström’s summer vacation. His boss, Mellburg, puts Patrik in charge of the investigation. The murder is apparently connected to two 24-year-old murders, but the primary suspect in those murders had committed suicide shortly afterward. Did the police have the wrong suspect all those years ago? That’s something Patrik and his team will need to consider. As their investigation gets underway, the disappearance of another young tourist adds a new level of urgency. All roads seem to lead to the Hult family, the children and grandchildren of free church faith healer Ephraim Hult. On the home front, Patrik’s wife, Erica, is 8 months pregnant with their first child. Her forced idleness, the extreme heat of the July weather, and a string of univited and unwelcome guests leave Erica out of sorts.

Despite the length of the book, some aspects of the plot seem underdeveloped. The Hult family’s odd religious beliefs are dealt with only superficially, when the plot would have benefited from more detail. Patrik and Erica worked well as a team in the first book in the series, so it’s surprising that the author chose to place Erica on the sidelines in the follow-up novel. The strong sense of place continues to be the biggest draw for this series. I googled pictures of the King’s Cleft and it’s a magnificent sight. If I ever visit Sweden, Fjallbacka will be at the top of my list of places to visit.

3.5 stars

>109 cbl_tn: You liked that one far better than I.

>106 cbl_tn: That's a BB for me!

>110 thornton37814: Sorry it didn't work for you.

>111 christina_reads: :-) Hope you enjoy it!

Born in the USA #2: Hospital Sketches by Louisa May Alcott

This little book is the result of the month that Louisa May Alcott spent as a volunteer nurse in a Civil War hospital in Washington, D.C. In addition to describing her duties, her patients, and the hospital staff, Alcott also provides an account of her journey to Washington and of the sights she saw during her day off. Alcott was in Washington at the right time to see the Statue of Freedom while it was on display before being placed on the dome of the Capitol. Alcott’s lively writing style may appeal to reluctant teen readers, making it a good choice for supplemental reading for U.S. history units on the Civil War.

4 stars

>113 cbl_tn: I read that one back in 2011 and gave it the same rating you did.

Born in the USA #3: The Thief of Auschwitz by Jon Clinch

Barber Jacob Rosen, his artist wife Eidel, and their children, Max and Lydia, live an idyllic life in a mountain town in Poland. It’s remote, but not remote enough to escape the Nazi drive to exterminate the Jews of Europe. The Rosens are transported to Auschwitz, where the men and women are immediately separated. Since Max looks older than his years, Jacob instructs him to lie about his age so that he doesn’t go straight to the gas chambers with the other children. On the women’s side of the camp, Eidel assumes that her son is dead. Eventually, word reaches Eidel that her husband and son are still alive, and Jacob learns that Eidel is still alive as well. This knowledge gives them hope, but it also increases the danger for all of them. Any one of them could make a mistake that will end all of their lives, since their connection is known to the guards.

Holocaust fiction often disappoints since it’s hard to find the right balance between credibility and sentimentality. Clinch strikes the right balance. It’s a grim story, yet it doesn’t leave the reader feeling hopeless. Clinch chose to publish this book independently, and as a result it’s not available in many public libraries. This book is well worth any extra effort to acquire it. Highly recommended.

5 stars

Paperback Writer #3: The Kellys and the O'Kellys by Anthony Trollope

This early Trollope novel concerns two romances – that of Francis O’Kelly, Lord Ballindine, and Fanny Wyndham, and of Lord Ballindine’s tenant, Martin Kelly, and Anastasia “Anty” Lynch. At the instigation of her guardian, Lord Cashel, Fanny has broken off her engagement with Frank. Fanny is hurt that Frank seems to show more interest in race horses than in herself, not realizing that his apparent neglect is at least partly due to her guardian’s interference. It’s not smooth sailing for Martin and Anty, either. Anty’s father’s will gave her an equal share with her brother in their father’s estate. Barry Lynch will stop at nothing to get his hands on his sister’s inheritance.

Trollope is already exploring themes that he will develop better in his Barsetshire and Palliser novels. This isn’t the place to start with Trollope, but it’s interesting to compare this with his later and better works to trace his development as an author.

3 stars

Penny Lane #3: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

This collection of a dozen short stories recorded by Dr. Watson showcases the deductive skills of Sherlock Holmes. The crimes range from murder to blackmail, robbery, and missing persons. They’re not in chronological order. Watson is married in some stories, and in others he is a bachelor sharing rooms with Holmes. The impression one gets is that Watson is writing up cases from his notes as something triggers his memory of a particular case. This time around I listened to the audio by Ralph Cosham. I prefer Edward Hardwicke’s narration of the Holmes stories, perhaps because he played Watson in the Granada TV series.

4 stars

Tell It Like it Is #2: Conan Doyle, Detective by Peter Costello

The subtitle of this book is misleading. Arthur Conan Doyle was not a real-life Sherlock Holmes. His fame as the creator of brilliant detective Sherlock Holmes led people to write to him about missing persons and other personal tragedies, and others to ask him for his opinion on headline crimes. In most cases, he didn’t investigate in the way that his character, Holmes, would investigate. He offered opinions. Sometimes his opinion was correct and sometimes it wasn’t. In some cases, it’s unknown whether he was right or not because the crime is still unsolved. The book seems randomly organized because the crimes are presented as Doyle became interested in them in his lifetime rather than in chronological order. The author does succeed in documenting Doyle’s lifelong interest in vindicating the wrongly accused, and it might be of use to readers or researchers with an interest in this topic.

2 stars

Penny Lane #4: The Grave Tattoo by Val McDermid

What if mutineer Fletcher Christian didn’t die on Pitcairn island, but returned to his native England? Worsdworth scholar Jane Gresham secures a leave of absence from her job at a London university to explore the connection between a 200-year-old body discovered in the peat near her Lake District home and a Wordsworth manuscript that may have been hidden nearly as long. Jane isn’t the only person with an interest in the manuscript. As the deaths pile up, Jane herself may be in danger.

McDermid combines elements I love in a good mystery – history, literature, a strong sense of place, with a little bit of genealogy. I wasn’t surprised by the revelation of the villain’s identity near the end of the book. There were so few suspects that it was easy to figure out who it must be. And Jane really didn’t do much investigating. She mostly reacted to events as they unfolded. I was happy enough to go along with the ride.

3.5 stars

>119 cbl_tn: Hi Carrie. I've got The Grave Tattoo on my shelves and it sounds like a good one!

>119 cbl_tn: I read that one years ago and would agree with your review, from what little I remember of the story.

>120 DeltaQueen50: It's a good vacation read!

>121 rabbitprincess: I saw your review! It's about what I expected. Not great literature, but well written genre fiction.

March Recap

Born in the USA - American Authors Challenge (75 Book group)
Hospital Sketches by Louisa May Alcott (4)
The Thief of Auschwitz by Jon Clinch (5)

Penny Lane - British Isles Challenge (75 Book group)
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (4)
The Grave Tattoo by Val McDermid (3.5)

Never Been to Spain - International authors/books set outside the US & UK
The Preacher by Camilla Lackberg (3.5)

I Shot the Sheriff - Crime & mystery
Forfeit by Dick Francis (3.5)

I'm My Own Grandpa - Family history/Genealogy

Paperback Writer - Reading projects
The Kellys and the O’Kellys by Anthony Trollope (3)

Tell It Like It Is – Nonfiction
Conan Doyle, Detective by Peter Costello (2)

I Write the Songs – Poetry

Listen to What the Man Said – Audiobooks

Carefree Highway - Whatever I feel like reading

Books owned - 3
Books borrowed – 1
Ebooks owned - 2
Ebooks borrowed – 1
E-audiobooks owned - 1

Best of the month: The Thief of Auschwitz by Jon Clinch (5)
Worst of the month: Conan Doyle, Detective by Peter Costello (2)

Carefree Highway #4: A Piglet Named Mercy by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen

This picture book for young children is a prequel to the Mercy Watson series of chapter books for early readers. It tells the story of how Mercy came to live with Mr. and Mrs. Watson as a piglet and how she got her name. The story seemed flat on my first reading, but I haven’t read any of the Mercy Watson chapter books. Perhaps readers who are already familiar with Mercy, the Watsons, and their neighbors, the Lincoln sisters, would react differently to the book. The colorful, cartoon-like illustrations are more appealing than the story. Children will probably enjoy this story more in a one-on-one reading session with an adult than in a group story time setting.

This review is based on a complimentary copy provided by the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.

3.5 stars

I'm My Own Grandpa #2: Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. & Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

In my first management course in graduate school I learned about scientific management and motion study. This wasn’t my first introduction to Frank Gilbreth, Sr., and Lillian Moller Gilbreth, though. I had already met them as the parents of a dozen children through the memoir written by two of their children and the movie based on the book. It’s been long enough since I’ve read the book that it was a fresh experience for me. The brother and sister who co-authored the book tell stories from their childhood episodically rather than chronologically. They write of parents and siblings with genuine affection. Many of the stories are laugh-out-loud funny. I had a happy childhood myself, and yet I found myself wishing I could have been among the Gilbreth dozen.

4.5 stars

>125 cbl_tn: I have always loved that book and the movie!

>125 cbl_tn: I loved that book as a child! And the sequel is great, too.

>126 Tess_W: Me too!

>127 RidgewayGirl: I have seen the movie of the sequel but I don't think I've read it. It's on my wishlist, though!

I'm My Own Grandpa #3: Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward

During a 5-year period beginning in 2000, Jesmyn Ward lost her brother and four close friends from DeLisle, Mississippi. Ward weaves the story of these five men with the story of her childhood and young adulthood. She tells her life story chronologically, and the men’s stories in reverse chronological order. The two threads finally intersect with the tragic death of Ward’s only full brother in 2000. Ward’s brother and another of the young men died in car accidents, another young man died of a drug overdose, a fourth took his own life, and the last was murdered. For Ward, these tragic losses are indicative of the problems of poverty and racism that affect the lives of so many African Americans in the South. It’s a difficult book to read, and I could only manage a chapter or two at a time. It must have been infinitely more difficult to live.

3.5 stars

Listen to What the Man Said #2: Friends in High Places by Donna Leon

Venice’s Commissario Brunetti is surprised when a young man from the Ufficio Catasto shows up at his apartment. The bureau is converting it records to computer and they’re following up in person with the owners of properties that have documentation problems. After Brunetti’s initial worries about the status of his home, it recedes to the back of his mind when he doesn’t hear any more from the Ufficio Catasto. Then one day he receives a call from Rossi, the young man who had visited him. He’s concerned about something going on at the bureau, but dies in a fall before he can tell Brunetti what’s worrying him. Although the death is ruled accidental, Brunetti suspects murder. He knows something that others do not. Rossi was afraid of heights, and he wouldn’t willingly have put himself in the position to fall to his death.

Brunetti’s investigation is more satisfying than many of the others in the series. With very few initial clues, he and his team manage to solve the crime. However, the plot is weighed down by the very detailed explanation of the bureaucracy of the Ufficio Catasto, the Guardia di Finanza, and other Venetian or Italian government agencies. And once again justice eludes Brunetti, as the perpetrator will not have to pay for his crime.

3.5 stars

Never Been to Spain #3: Homes: A Refugee Story by Abu Bakr al Rabeeah with Winnie Yeung

This book is currently featured as OverDrive’s latest Big Library Read. It tells the story of a refugee family from the perspective of a young man who was nine years old at the beginning of the family’s journey. Abu Bakr and his family lived in Iraq at a time when Sunni Muslims were persecuted by the Shia Muslims in power. Abu Bakr and one of his sisters had distinctly Sunni names so it was difficult for them to escape the bullying of other children and the disfavor of teachers. The family relocated to Syria, intending for this to be a brief stopping point before emigrating to Europe or North America. They arrived in Syria just before the Arab spring and endured several years of shootings in mosques and in the streets, car bombings, and mortar shellings. Several years later, the family received approval to emigrate to Canada. Before he left Syria, Abu Bakr’s friends and cousins asked him to tell their story. Abu Bakr’s ESL teacher helped him realize this dream. The plight of Syrian refugees has been in the news for several years. For those who want to dig deeper into this issue, this book is well worth the read.

4 stars

>131 cbl_tn: sounds like a fantastic read! On my wish list it goes!

>132 Tess_W: If your library has OverDrive, it should be available for download through tomorrow when the Big Library Read ends.

I Shot the Sheriff #4: They Do It with Mirrorsby Agatha Christie

At a reunion with a friend from her youth, Jane Marple learns that her friend is very worried about her sister, Carrie Louise, whom Miss Marple hasn’t seen in decades. Miss Marple agrees to accept an invitation to stay with Carrie Louise should she offer an invitation, and she soon finds herself ensconced at Stonygates, the estate where Carrie Louise and her third husband rehabilitate juvenile delinquents. Miss Marple’s presence isn’t enough to avert the murder of Carrie Louise’s stepson from her first marriage. The murder occurred while the household feared another was taking place in a locked room. One member of the household must have viewed the goings-on in the locked room as a distraction to cover the murder. But which one? The spoiled granddaughter, her sullen American husband, the daughter with a chip on her shoulder, one of the stepsons from the second marriage, or one of the many troubled inmates?

I have a soft spot for this book since it was the first of Agatha Christie’s novels I read many years ago. Miss Marple uses excellent deductive reasoning in figuring out what must have happened. “They do it with mirrors.” Of course, there are also the village parallels that make Miss Marple such a discerning judge of character.

4 stars

Just saw a news report that about 600 people in East TN have been contacted by the health department because they may have been exposed to measles earlier this month. It reminded me that I actually had measles in a local outbreak when I was in 8th grade. I got them despite being vaccinated twice. It was the sickest I remember being during my childhood. I was sick for 2 weeks but only missed 5 days of school because we had so many snow days. (It was January.) When I was well enough to go back to school, I went only half days for a week or so. My first full day back at school we had a minor fire in the boiler area and were evacuated to the high school auditorium across the street. Without our coats. In January. For months after I recovered I would see purple spots on my skin whenever I got cold.

>135 cbl_tn: Measles, so dangerous; especially the Old Fashioned (German) measles. I had a cousin who had them and had to stay in a room for 2 weeks with the drapes closed, etc. He lost 50% of his vision and is also was told he is sterile 20 years later when he and his wife went to the Dr. to find out why they couldn't conceive. I have had both kinds of measles because back in the 50's there were no vaccinations. There was a big outbreak of measles at The Ohio State University a couple of years ago--but mainly just affected the Korean students who they found out were not vaccinated before they came here.

>136 Tess_W: I had German measles, too, but I was too young to remember it. My mother, brother and I all had them when my brother was a baby. This was just before the vaccine became available.

Never Been to Spain #4: Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal

Alys was talking to an ex-student, Sarah… At the moment she and Alys were discussing potential thesis topics.

“You can,” Alys suggested, “ask if friendships in Austen are more complex between friends or sisters. Or explore who jumps class in Austen and whose class cannot be forgiven, overlooked, or worked around. Or compare colonizer Babington Macaulay and Kipling’s ‘England’s Jane’ with a ‘World’s Jane,’ a ‘Pakistani Jane,’ a ‘Post-Colonial Jane,’ Edward Said’s Jane. What might Jane make of all these Janes? Discuss empire writing back, weaving its own stories.”

Unmarriageable, a Pakistani Pride and Prejudice, is empire writing back. The novel is written primarily from the perspective of Alysba “Alys” Binat, the second of five daughters of Barkat and “Pinkie” Binat. Alys and her older sister, Jenazba (“Jena”) are thirty-something teachers at the British School of Dilipabad, a fictional town located about a two-hour drive from Lahore. The Binat family have been invited to attend a wedding which is Dilipabad’s event of the season. At the festivities, they meet Fahad “Bungles” Bingla, his sisters, and his aloof friend, Valentine Darsee. Readers who are familiar with Pride and Prejudice can guess where the story goes from here.

Some aspects of Austen’s original translate well to early 21st century Pakistan, such as issues of class and Mary’s piety (with Kamal’s Mari aspiring to Islamic piety). I was less persuaded by the feminist Alys of the novel. Austen’s Elizabeth Bennet was unconventional for her time, but not disrespectful, selfish, or unkind. I often found Alys hard to like and her behavior difficult to condone.

3.5 stars

Paperback Writer #4: Island Exiles by Jemima Garrett

Pacific island Nauru is one of the smallest nations in the world. At the beginning of World War II, Nauru was under Australian administration. It was occupied by the Japanese during the war. The Japanese deported about two thirds of Nauru’s indigenous population to Truk, where Japan had a large base. Nauruans in both locations suffered during the war years, both from ill treatment by the Japanese and from malnourishment due to severe food shortages. Australian journalist Garrett interviewed survivors about their memories of the war years. Most of the Nauruans who spoke to Garrett were children or young adults during the war. Those who survived the war relied on the older generation’s memory of traditional methods of gathering and preparing local foods. One wonders if reliance on outside food sources has grown to the extent that the loss of life would be much greater under similar circumstances today.

3.5 stars

Never Been to Spain #5: The Lily Pond by Annika Thor

The Lily Pond continues the story of Stephie Steiner, who was introduced in A Faraway Island. Stephie and her younger sister, Nellie, are Jewish children from Vienna who have been taken in by families on a Swedish island during World War II. As the second book in the series opens, Stephie is going to the mainland to continue her schooling since the island school only goes through sixth grade. Stephie has been offered a room in the apartment of the Soderberg family, who had rented Aunt Marta and Uncle Evert’s home on the island the previous summer. Stephie makes friends with another scholarship student, May. Stephie has a secret crush on 17-year-old Sven Soderberg. Not everyone is as welcoming as May and Sven. Stephie’s German teacher, Miss Krantz, is prejudiced against Jews, and a classmate, Alice, seems to hate her for no reason. And Stephie is worried about her parents, who are still in Vienna but hoping to get visas to emigrate to America. A secluded lily pond is Stephie’s retreat when things get to be too much for her.

The first book in the series reminded me of the Anne of Green Gables books. This one didn’t so much. This book rehashes several themes from the first book, with Stephie trying to fit in with a new family, a new group of children, and a new “city” culture. Stephie’s unrequited crush on Sven is the only really new theme. This book didn’t have enough of Nellie, Aunt Marta, and Uncle Evert to suit me. Even though I didn’t like this book as much as I did the first book in the series, I still want to finish the series to find out what happens to Stephie and Nellie. Will they be reunited with their parents in the end, or will they be among the 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust?

3.5 stars

April Recap

Born in the USA - American Authors Challenge (75 Book group)

Penny Lane - British Isles Challenge (75 Book group)

Never Been to Spain - International authors/books set outside the US & UK
Homes: A Refugee Story by Abu Bakr al Rabeeah with Winnie Yeung (4)
Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal (3.5)
The Lily Pond by Annika Thor (3.5)

I Shot the Sheriff - Crime & mystery
They Do It with Mirrors by Agatha Christie (4)

I'm My Own Grandpa - Family history/Genealogy
Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. & Ernestine Gilbreth Carey (4.5)
Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward (3.5)

Paperback Writer - Reading projects
Island Exiles by Jemima Garrett (3.5)

Tell It Like It Is – Nonfiction

I Write the Songs – Poetry

Listen to What the Man Said – Audiobooks
Friends in High Places by Donna Leon (3.5)

Carefree Highway - Whatever I feel like reading
A Piglet Named Mercy by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen (3.5)

Books owned - 3
Ebooks borrowed – 3
E-audiobooks borrowed - 3

Best of the month: Cheaper by the Dozen (4.5)

>140 cbl_tn: I liked it a little better than you did.

Penny Lane #5: The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

This is a beautifully crafted novel about regret, about the road not taken. Stevens has been the butler at Darlington Hall for several decades. Its current owner, an American, urges Stevens to use his car for a short holiday and Stevens takes him up on the offer. He drives west where he plans to visit Darlington Hall’s former housekeeper, whom he still thinks of as Miss Kenton. As he travels, he reflects on the past and his relations with his father, with Miss Kenton, and with his previous employer, Lord Darlington. The journey to the west keeps the momentum going forward, while Stevens’s reminiscences of the past fill in character and the complex motivations for the journey and for Stevens’s self-reflection. Greatness is one of the novel’s themes. The novel itself is exemplary of literary greatness.

5 stars

I Shot the Sheriff #5: Reflex by Dick Francis

Against his better judgment, jockey Philip Nore gets involved with the aftermath of the death of sports photographer George Millace. Although Nore didn’t like Millace, he does like Millace’s son, Steve, a fellow jockey. A series of burglaries in Millace’s home suggests that Millace had photographs that someone wanted to keep hidden. Nore’s amateur photography skills help him to spot things the police and insurance investigators missed, but he’ll have to figure out the right techniques to reveal what Millace has so carefully concealed. In a parallel story, Nore meets his dying grandmother for the first time, and he reluctantly agrees to help her lawyers search for a long-lost family member.

This is a satisfying crime novel that gives readers two mysteries - a murder and a missing persons investigation. Philip is at a turning point in his life, and his interest in the puzzles he solves helps him make decisions about his future. As in the last Francis novel I read, the hero is basically good but flawed. Adversity brings out the best in his character.

4 stars

Listen to What the Man Said #3: Tramp for the Lord by Corrie ten Boom

Corrie ten Boom spent several months in Ravensbruck during World War II after the Germans discovered that she and her family had been hiding Jews in their home. After the war, she became an evangelist and traveled to many countries around the world. This book recounts some of her experiences in nearly 30 years of worldwide ministry. It’s not what one would expect from a typical memoir since the reminiscences and meditations are not presented in chronological order. However, it would work well for daily devotional reading since each chapter is preceded by a verse or two of Scripture and contains a spiritual lesson.

3.5 stars

>145 cbl_tn: Looking for a new devotional. I'll "shop" for this book!

>143 cbl_tn: - That one was not for me but yet I can see why most people like it. It just doesn't suit my reading temperament - way too slow paced. The only thing that kept me going was picturing the butler and housekeeper as Carson and Mrs. Hughes from Downton Abbey. :)

>146 Tess_W: I hope you enjoy it!

>147 LittleTaiko: I kept thinking of Carson and Mrs. Hughes, too! But picturing Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson since I've seen the movie. :-)

>143 cbl_tn: - Great review! I loved the movie adaptation and it has now been long enough since I last saw it that I could probably enjoy Ishiguro's story without constantly comparing it to the movie. ;-)

>149 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori!

Listen to What the Man Said #4: Some Buried Caesar by Rex Stout

Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin are on their way to an agricultural fair where Wolfe will exhibit orchids when a car accident strands them in a rural area. They head for the nearest house they can see using the most direct route through a field, only to be stranded by a fierce-looking bull. When they’re finally rescued, they learn that the bull is a national champion, Hickory Caesar Grindon. The bull is the center of controversy since his current owner, Pratt, intends to barbecue him later in the week to generate publicity for his restaurant. Pratt has a long-standing feud with the neighboring cattleman, Osgood. Soon Osgood’s son is dead, apparently gored by the bull. But what was he doing in the bull’s pasture during the night? Was his death truly accidental, or was it murder? If it was murder, the culprit made a big mistake by carrying it out right under Wolfe’s nose.

I listened to the audio version, and I probably would have enjoyed it more in print format. The plot is complicated enough that it was sometimes difficult to follow in the audio version. And I kept confusing the two “B” characters, Bennett and Bronson. Finally, the reader sounded like the television announcers from my childhood. The best part of the book is that it introduces Lily Rowan, who will have a recurring role in the series as Archie’s girlfriend.

3.5 stars

>131 cbl_tn: Nice review of Homes: a refugee story. I really enjoyed Abu Bakr's story too and hope his family settled well in Edmonton, Alberta. I used to live there and many people find the long cold winters are hard to bear, although the people are extremely friendly and welcoming.

>152 VivienneR: Thanks, Vivienne! I think I'd have a hard time in Edmonton in the winter. I don't handle cold weather very well.

Tell It Like It Is #3: The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold

“The Five” of the title are the five women most researchers agree were murdered by the serial killer known as “Jack the Ripper” in 1888: Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elisabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly. If you’re looking for a book about the murders, this isn’t it. There are plenty of those available. Rubenhold focuses on the biography of the five women from their earliest days up to the date of their murders. She makes extensive use of primary sources to piece together the personal history of each woman. The common thread linking the five women is not prostitution. Although all five women have been labeled as prostitutes, Rubenhold found no concrete evidence linking three of the women to prostitution. What they do have in common is alcoholism and homelessness. This book should serve as a starting point for researchers and curious readers who want to know more about the Ripper’s victims.

This review is based on an electronic advance reading copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

4 stars

>154 cbl_tn: that sounds interesting.

>155 Helenliz: It was! And it's safe for squeamish readers since it doesn't dwell on the murder scenes.

Never Been to Spain #6: The Stonecutter by Camilla Lackberg

It’s tragic when a Fjällbacka fisherman hauls in the body of a drowned child. It’s even more tragic when the medical examiner determines that the drowning wasn’t accidental. The evidence points to murder. The girl’s mother, Charlotte, is a friend of new mother Erica Falck, whose partner Patrik is the police detective assigned to the murder. The present-day murder investigation is interwoven with the story of a stonecutter and his family. The two threads will eventually connect.

Although I liked the first two books in the series, they had problems with pacing, or maybe with translation. Läckberg and her translator hit their stride in this third book in the series. The pacing is much improved, with less awkward dialog. I still don’t like Läckberg’s habit of withholding information from the reader for several pages after a character learns of it.

The character development and story arcs that span several books in the series make this a series to read in order. Even so, this might be a good place for readers new to the series to start since the writing has improved. Once a reader is hooked on the series, they can always go back to the beginning to fill in the gaps.

4 stars

>157 cbl_tn: I recall liking this installment of the series as well. Though the books vary in quality, I find myself compelled to read them. You've reminded me that I really should pick up the latest one soon.

>158 mathgirl40: The cliffhanger ending is a good hook for the next book in the series. I'll read the next one in July. A few of us in the 75 Books group are reading this series in alternate months with Donna Leon's Guido Brunetti procedurals.

I'll have to wait until Adrian is finished with my book:

Some books seem to have been written just to fall asleep over!

>161 clue: Yes. I've noticed that Adrian seems to prefer nonfiction, maybe for that reason!

>160 cbl_tn: - Awe, love that picture!

>163 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori!

Tell It Like It Is #4: A Jane Austen Devotional by Steffany Woolsey

A Jane Austen Devotional consists of excerpts from six Austen novels with devotional commentary by Steffany Woolsey, concluding with a relevant Bible verse. While Austen doesn’t explicitly address religion and theology in her novels, they are under-girded by a Christian ethic. Austen’s heroines weigh their own conduct and that of others against a biblical moral standard. Close reading of passages from the novels provides the reader with deeper insight into Austen’s characters, as well as with encouragement to develop virtues such as kindness, respect for others, contentment, and forgiveness, and with caution to avoid negative traits such as envy, worry, self-centeredness, and a critical spirit. The primary audience appears to be young adult women, with some devotions assuming that the readers are or will be wives and mothers. However, most of the devotions will apply to readers in any stage of life.

4.5 stars

Listen to What the Man Said #5: To Die but Once by Jacqueline Winspear

The Second World War is underway as this installment of the Maisie Dobbs series opens. The landlord of the pub across the street from Maisie’s office approaches her about locating his missing son. Joe Coombes is still too young for military service, but old enough to work in a civil support role away from home. Joe is part of a work crew contracted to paint military air fields with a special fire retardant paint. Joe’s parents are concerned because his personality seems to have changed in recent weeks, and he’s complaining of severe headaches. Joe’s parents haven’t heard from him in more than a week, and their worry motivates them to ask Maisie to find out where he is and if he’s alright. Meanwhile, Maisie’s friend, Priscilla, continues to worry about her three sons as they serve as a constant reminder of the three brothers she lost in the last war. Middle son Tim gives all who love him a scare as he sets out to do something both incredibly brave and incredibly foolish. Finally, Maisie begins the process to gain permanent custody of her orphaned ward, Anna, who is recuperating from measles.

I always look forward to spending time with Maisie, but I didn’t enjoy this book as much as others because the various threads weren’t tied up as neatly as I’ve come to expect in this series. Maisie’s desire to adopt Anna and the vetting she’s undergoing of her suitability as a parent affects the way she conducts her investigation. Even her assistant, Billy, notices this and comments on it. In this instance, the case took a backseat to Maisie’s personal life and the lives of her friends and associates.

3.5 stars

I Shot the Sheriff #6: Clue written by Paul Allor, art by Nelson Daniel, letters by Neil Uyetake and Gilberto Lazcano

If you’re a fan of the board game, Clue, you’ll enjoy this graphic novel based on the game. The familiar characters are all there, with a modern twist. For instance, the cook/maid, Mrs. White, has become Senator White, who made a fortune as the CEO of a maid service. The additional characters Dr. Orchid, Detective Ochre, Detective Amarillo, and the butler, Upton, round out the diverse cast. Mr. Boddy (who “enjoys leaving weapons in random rooms”) has invited guests to dinner at his mansion. It’s a dark, stormy night, and the guests are stranded when the bridge washes out. Soon the deaths begin. The butler, Upton, does his best to narrate the story, but the comic’s creators keep putting him in his place. The creators have done a nice job with creating a back story that links all of the characters and makes use of the familiar rooms in the mansion.

4 stars

>167 cbl_tn: I'm not a fan of the graphic novel; but I need to fill in that space on my Bingo card. I'm going to request this from my library.

>167 cbl_tn: - That was such a fun read for me! I should reread it this year since it's such a quick and easy book.

Hi Carrie, it's nice to see a picture of Adrian and to know that he takes an interest in reading!

>168 Tess_W: I hope you enjoy it!

>169 LittleTaiko: I sent it home with Lori when she came over this afternoon. I hope she has as much fun with it as we did!

>170 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy! Adrian seems to like nonfiction, but it seems to make him sleepy. He can't manage to finish a page without falling asleep. ;-)

Born in the USA #4: Promised Land: Thirteen Books That Changed America by Jay Parini

Parini has selected a baker’s dozen of books that significantly impacted U.S. history and culture, beginning with William Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation and concluding with Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique. For each book, Parini provides a brief introduction, a biographical profile of the writer and the historical context of the book, a detailed description of the book, and a discussion of the book’s legacy. The appendix includes a list of 100 more books that didn’t make Parini’s top thirteen.

I heard my high school English teacher in this passage about the Adventure of Huckleberry Finn:

Huckleberry Finn is a book one reads in childhood for the adventure itself, the thrill of imagining a wild boy who runs away from home, lighting out for the territory. In young adulthood, the novel must be read again, for the questions it poses about the meaning of maturity, for the directions for living it offers. In middle age, the novel works magic in other ways, by dislodging us from our comfortable lives, offering alternative visions, including the vision of nature as a resource for rehabilitation. The hypocrisies of “civilized” life strike us freshly and force us to rethink our assumptions about what matters. In later life, it must be read again, for what it says about the ultimate nature of reality. A noel of this complexity and strength cannot be digested in a single reading or at one stage of life. It requires a lifelong devotion to its fluttering pages, to the shifting images of Huck and Jim in their encounters with the world in their experience of the big river and woods that sustain it, and with their own ample, contradictory natures. One rides the river with them, again and again, and the journey is never complete, as another bend in the river always appears. There is, indeed, the final lighting out for the territory, but this destination ultimately lies beyond human comprehension or confines, a glimmer on the horizon.

When I read The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn in high school, my English teacher told the class that we should reread it every five or ten years to see how much we’ve grown. Parini reminded me that it’s been too long since I’ve read Huck Finn, and that there are even more treasures to discover in the other books that have shaped America.

4 stars

>171 cbl_tn: I know that feeling well!

>172 cbl_tn: I must keep this in mind and return to Huck Finn some day.

>172 cbl_tn: That book goes on my wish list! Huck Finn is on my shelves, not read for 30+ years, but I now feel the need to revisit it!

>173 DeltaQueen50: :-)

>174 MissWatson: >175 Tess_W: Maybe a group read is in order at some point?

Penny Lane #6: Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie

Although the story was very familiar to me, I don’t recall ever reading the book before. I saw the Mary Martin version on TV as a child. It struck me this time around how odd the plot is, with everyone expecting Wendy to assume the role of mother to Peter and the Lost Boys. Things have changed in the century since this book was written. Infant and child mortality was a lot higher in the early 20th century than it is now. Women’s mortality from childbirth (or other causes) was also a lot higher then. Children who had lost their mothers, or who had friends or relations who had lost their mothers, might see themselves among the motherless children of Neverland. The story may not resonate with 21st century children in the same way, and that’s a good thing.

4 stars

May Recap

Born in the USA - American Authors Challenge (75 Book group)
Promised Land: Thirteen Books that Changed America by Jay Parini (4)

Penny Lane - British Isles Challenge (75 Book group)
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (5)
Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie (4)

Never Been to Spain - International authors/books set outside the US & UK
The Stonecutter by Camilla Lackberg (4)

I Shot the Sheriff - Crime & mystery
Reflex by Dick Francis (4)
Clue written by Paul Allor, art by Nelson Daniel, letters by Neil Uyetake & Gilberto Lascano (4)

I'm My Own Grandpa - Family history/Genealogy

Paperback Writer - Reading projects

Tell It Like It Is – Nonfiction
The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold (4)
A Jane Austen Devotional by Steffany Woolsey (4)

I Write the Songs – Poetry

Listen to What the Man Said – Audiobooks
Tramp for the Lord by Corrie ten Boom (3.5)
Some Buried Caesar by Rex Stout (3.5)
To Die But Once by Jacqueline Winspear (3.5)

Carefree Highway - Whatever I feel like reading

Books owned – 4
Ebooks borrowed – 3
E-audiobooks owned - 1
E-audiobooks borrowed – 3
ARCs - 1

Best of the month: The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

>177 cbl_tn: - Like you, I have never read the book before. Your comment (and my recent read of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, another book I have never read before now), makes me think I need to consider a "Children's Classics I have not Read" category for next year!

>179 lkernagh: Hi Lori! "Children's Classics I haven't Read" sounds like a great category idea!

I Shot the Sheriff #7: Big Sky by Kate Atkinson

It’s been a long time since the last Jackson Brodie novel. Jackson has aged. His daughter, Marlee, is grown, and his son, Nathan, has turned into a surly teenager. Jackson currently lives near the Yorkshire coast to be within a reasonable distance of his ex, Julia, with whom he shares custody of Nathan and Julia’s elderly dog, Dido. Jackson gets caught up in an investigation of a decades-old human trafficking operation involving rich and powerful people. In the process, he meets with someone from his past – my favorite character from the previous Jackson Brodie novels.

Atkinson seems to have based characters in this novel on Jimmy Savile, the disgraced British entertainer who was never called to account for sexual abuse and child molestation. Atkinson has a gift for creating quirky but sympathetic characters, especially children and teenagers. Although they’re presently down on their luck, readers know that, with the right breaks, these characters can make something of their lives. Crystal Holroyd and her stepson, Harry, are standouts in this series installment. Jackson Brodie’s many fans will be happy to find that he hasn’t lost his touch. Nor has Atkinson!

This review is based on an electronic advance reading copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

4 stars

Tell It Like It Is #5: Art of the State: Illinois by Joanne Trestrail

This book should really have been titled Art of Chicago, but then it wouldn’t have been published in the Art of the State series. It’s more of a general state/city history using art works as illustrations than it is a book about art. The illustrations are nice, though. I probably wouldn’t have been disappointed if the title and jacket info matched the actual content of the book.

3 stars

Listen to What the Man Said #6: A Sea of Troubles by Donna Leon

Two clam fisherman, father and son, die in a terrible fire on their fishing boat while moored on the island of Pallestrina, which borders the Venetian lagoon. Although the deaths appear to be accidental, the coroner determines that the men had been murdered before the fire. It’s clear that Commissario Brunetti and his team aren’t going to get any information from the Pallestrinans. Signorina Elettra, secretary to Brunetti’s boss, has relatives on the island, and she insists on going “undercover” to see what she can find out about the murders. Brunetti’s worries about the signorina’s safety raises questions from his wife, Paola.

This isn’t one of the best books in the series. Leon spends more time discussing the environmental and health impact of clam fishing in Venice’s lagoon than she devotes to the investigation of the crime. Brunetti really doesn’t solve the case. He just happens to be in the right place at the right time to apprehend the killer.

I listened to this book on a road trip with a friend. We decided that the recurring characters reminded us from the characters in the classic TV series WKRP in Cincinnati, with Brunetti as station manager Andy, Signorina Elettra as office paragon, Jennifer, and Brunetti’s clueless boss, Patta, as station owner Mr. Carlson. The book seemed more entertaining in that light!

3 stars

I'm My Own Grandpa #4: Digest of the Laws of Indiana of Special Application to Women and Children

My family history research into late 19th century Indiana land records raised some questions about laws regarding women’s property ownership. I found this handy digest of state laws pertaining to women and children that answered my immediate questions and more. I’ve bookmarked it for future reference.

5 stars

I'm deliberately skipping your review of Big Sky as I have pre-ordered my own copy.

>185 RidgewayGirl: Yay for pre-orders! It wasn't my favorite in the series, but it has a great cast of secondary characters.

Carefree Highway #5: Emmeline, the Orphan of the Castle by Charlotte Turner Smith

Emmeline Mowbray is an illegitimate orphan who has been allowed by her uncle to use her father’s name and live in his castle in Wales. When her uncle and her cousin, Delamere, visit the castle, everything changes for young Emmeline. Delamere becomes obsessed with her and places her in physical danger. Instead of restraining his son, Emmeline’s uncle keeps forcing her to move. She makes friends wherever she goes, but the threat of Delamere’s violence continues to hang over her and limits her choices of companions and activities. Emmeline and her acquaintances are members of the class that doesn’t work, and since they have nothing better to do, they worry about who might say what to whom, and how others will react to that, and work themselves up into highly emotional states. The book is interesting as a specimen of the literature of its time, but readers shouldn’t expect writing of Austen’s caliber.

2.5 stars

I Shot the Sheriff #8: Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny

Gamache is on suspicion after the events of the last book, where he allowed the shipment of a new and powerful opioid to enter Quebec in order to capture those higher up in the trafficking chain. He still manages to become involved in a murder investigation when he, Myrna, and a young man who is a stranger to both of them are named as liquidators for the estate of a recently deceased woman who was also unknown to either Gamache or Myrna. The woman was known as the “baroness” and, as they dig into her background, it seems there could be some truth to the wild stories she told her family about their history. When the baroness’s oldest son, an investment manager, is found murdered in the ruins of the old family home, Gamache and his former colleagues at the Sûreté must determine whether his murder is related to his family history or his professional conduct. Meanwhile, Gamache is still trying to recover the last of the drugs that he allowed through before they hit the streets. This is complicated by the relapse of a promising cadet at the academy into her old life of drug addiction.

Penny comes up with creative and intricate plots that capture and hold the reader’s interest. The inheritance plot is no exception. If I described the plot in more detail here it would seem far-fetched, yet Penny has a way of making the implausible seem plausible. I was not as enamored with the drug story. It wasn’t difficult to figure out where Penny was going with Amelia Choquet because she had done the same thing earlier in the series with Agent Nichol.

Penny has an unusual writing style and she frequently uses incomplete sentences as part of the style. Her style translates well to the spoken word. Robert Bathurst has taken up the mantle of the late Ralph Cosham and he provides outstanding narration for this book.

3.5 stars

I Write the Songs #2: When Poets Pray by Marilyn McEntyre

Just some brief comments since I’m reviewing this one for publication. The book consists of a couple dozen poems or excerpts of poems that are about prayer or that can be read as prayers, followed by a 2-3 page meditation/analysis by McEntyre. Poets range from Mary Oliver and Thomas Merton to an anonymous Ghanian truck driver. I used it for daily devotional readings. The poems and reflections spoke to me and I’ll be looking for more of McEntyre’s work.

5 stars

Paperback Writer #5: Singapore Sapphire by A. M Stuart

Widow Harriet Gordon has recently joined her brother in Singapore in 1910, serving as an unpaid secretary to the English boys’ school of which her clergyman brother is headmaster. Needing a source of income, Harriet places a newspaper ad offering her shorthand and typing skills in the evenings and on Saturdays. Her first client doesn’t work out so well. When she returns to his home following her first day of work, she finds that he’s been stabbed to death. The dead man was a noted explorer who discovered gem mines in Burma. Might his murder be connected to something in his past? Harriet’s observational skills contribute to the murder investigation led by the English Inspector Curran.

This is an excellent historical mystery with a strong sense of place. The characters are interesting and well-developed, with a plot that blends adventure with detective work. Harriet is a fairly young widow with a couple of admirers. One is an attractive journalist who traveled aboard the same ship as Harriet from England to Singapore. Harriet and Inspector Curran seem to develop a mutual regard over the course of the book, but this is complicated by the fact that Curran has “gone native” (that era’s euphemism for taking a local mistress). I hope that this is the first book in a series featuring Harriet Gordon. I liked the characters and setting well enough to want to see how they develop over several books.

This review is based on an electronic advance reading copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

4.5 stars

>190 cbl_tn: That sounds very interesting! I love a good historical mystery.

>190 cbl_tn: & >191 christina_reads: - Agreed - that sounds like something I'd really enjoy.

>191 christina_reads: >192 LittleTaiko: It seems to be the first book in a projected historical mystery series, but it's not the author's first book. She writes historical romance as Alison Stuart.

Listen to What the Man Said #8: The Just Men of Cordova by Edgar Wallace

The “Just Men” of the title are vigilantes who bring criminals to justice when the legal system isn’t able to. Think the A-Team or Leverage. Very little of the action takes place in Spain. The Just Men are on the trail of an Englishman, and most of the action takes place in England. There are lots of people in disguises, and characters with enough similarities that it was hard to keep them all straight as I listened to the audio version. And while I had no trouble identifying the really bad characters, I had a hard time sorting out many of the other characters into heroes, villains, and innocent bystanders. I probably would have been better off reading the print version, but then I would have missed out on Bill Homewood’s excellent narration. I don’t know that I’ll seek out any of the other books that feature the Just Men, but I don’t regret the time I spent with them in this book.

3 stars

You've been getting some good reading done! Big Sky and Kingdom of the Blind! Lucky you, I'm still waiting for my holds to come in at the library.

>195 VivienneR: I hope you don't have too long to wait on your holds, and that they don't come in at the same time!

Paperback Writer #6: The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman

Cartoonist Art Spiegelman’s biography of his father might be unconventional in its graphic novel format, but it’s effective. It’s part memoir as well, since Spiegelman incorporates his interviews with his father and his writing process into the work. Both of Spiegelman’s parents survived Auschwitz, although many of their family members perished. The psychological effects of the Holocaust seem to have contributed to Spiegelman’s difficult relationship with his father. Maus seems to have been Spiegelman’s way of working through the complexities of their relationship and coming to an understanding of his father and the experiences that shaped him.

4.5 stars

June Recap

Born in the USA - American Authors Challenge (75 Book group)

Penny Lane - British Isles Challenge (75 Book group)

Never Been to Spain - International authors/books set outside the US & UK

I Shot the Sheriff - Crime & mystery
Big Sky by Kate Atkinson (4)
Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny (3.5)

I'm My Own Grandpa - Family history/Genealogy
Digest of the Laws of Indiana of Special Application to Women and Children (5)

Paperback Writer - Reading projects
Singapore Sapphire by A. M. Stuart (4.5)
The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman (4.5)

Tell It Like It Is – Nonfiction
Art of the State: Illinois by Joanne Trestrail (3)

I Write the Songs – Poetry
When Poets Pray by Marilyn McEntyre (5)

Listen to What the Man Said – Audiobooks
A Sea of Troubles by Donna Leon (3)
The Just Men of Cordova by Edgar Wallace (3)

Carefree Highway - Whatever I feel like reading
Emmeline, the Orphan of the Castle by Charlotte Turner Smith (2.5)

Books owned – 2
Books borrowed – 1
Ebooks owned - 2
Ebooks borrowed – 2
E-audiobooks owned - 1
E-audiobooks borrowed – 2
ARCs - 2

Best of the month: When Poets Pray by Marilyn McEntyre
Worst of the month: Emmeline, the Orphan of the Castle by Charlotte Turner Smith

I took the day off today and spent most of the day shopping with a friend. Our main purpose was to buy shoes, but we also ended up at the big used book store. I came home with the books below.



The Cambridge Companion to Jane Austen edited by Edward Copeland & Juliet McMaster
Book Crush by Nancy Pearl
Among the Janeites by Deborah Yaffe
A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor
Decoding Your Dog by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists
Inside of a Dog by Alexandra Horowitz
Dangerous Davies, the Last Detective by Leslie Thomas

Adrian likes my new covered swing. I think it will be my favorite reading spot!

Adrian has found the best seat in the house!

>201 VivienneR: Yes, as usual!

>200 cbl_tn: I think that's *his* seat now ;)

>203 rabbitprincess: That’s what he says!

I can only applaud any new furniture that results in you sharing more pictures of Adrian!

>205 RidgewayGirl: :-)

>199 cbl_tn: you do know they're not shoes, don't you? Just checking. My best shopping miss has to be the occasion I went shopping (with my mum) for a bra and came back with a wedding hat. >:-)

>207 Helenliz: Literally laughing out loud! :D

>207 Helenliz: We did buy shoes, too! They're not very exciting athletic shoes. The books are much more interesting!

>208 rabbitprincess: Me too!