Sandy's Books: the Fourth☔️ in 2020

Welcome to thread #4:

APRIL & MAY ~ two months of fluctuating weather between snowstorms, or frosts overnight, T-shirt-temperatures by mid-afternoon, and needing a sunhat.

Anemones, "Prairie crocus" ~ bloom in all the wild places this month

The gardens thaw, creating mini-floods and marshy ground,

which the neighbour's cats dislike.

My 2020 reading by the month ~

JANUARY
1. Smoke & Mirrors (Elly Griffiths)
2. A Dream of Death (Connie Berry)
3. Same Place, More Space (Karl Champley, Karen Kelly, Arthur Mount)
4. Syllabus: Notes from an Accidental Professor (Lynda Barry)
5. Finding Moon (Tony Hillerman
6. A Legacy of Murder (Connie Berry)
7. The Codfish Dream (David Giblin)
8. A History of the County of Antigonish, Nova Scotia (DJ Rankin)
9. Liquid Rules (Mark Miodownik)
10. Echo in Onyx (Sharon Shinn)
11. Still Waters (Viveca Sten)
12. Echo in Emerald (Sharon Shinn)
13. Echo in Amethyst (Sharon Shinn)
14. The Minimalist Cooks at Home (Mark Bittman)

FEBRUARY
15. A Death in Chelsea (Lynn Brittney)
16. After the Hector (Lucille Campey)
17. Inevitable Illusions (Massimo Piattelli-Palmarini)
18. Harpist in the Wind (Patricia McKillip)
19. The Clairvoyant Countess (Dorothy Gilman)
20. The Unravelled Knot (Baroness Orczy)
21. Kaleidoscope (Dorothy Gilman)
22. Polar Bears: Survival on the Ice (Jason Viola)
23. Armada Boy (Kate Ellis)
24. Deep Secret (Diana Wynne Jones)
25. Back to Blakeney (Editors: McGrane, Romanow et al.)
26. The Merchant's House (Kate Ellis)
27. The Gauguin Connection (Estelle Ryan)

MARCH
28. Steal Like An Artist (Austin Kleon)
29. The Bodies in the Library (Marty Wingate)
30. Lost Future of Pepperharrow (Natasha Pulley)
31. Safecracker (Ryan Wick)
32. Hotel du Lac (Anita Brookner)
33. The Dante Connection (Estelle Ryan)
34. Kissing the Demons (Kate Ellis)
35. The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax (Dorothy Gilman)

APRIL
36. And Dangerous to Know (Darcie Wilde)
37. Watching the Ghosts (Kate Ellis)
38. Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore (Matthew Sullivan)
39. The Cow in the Parking Lot (Leonard Scheff)
40. Lessons in Enchantment (Patricia Rice)
41. A Killer in King's Cove (Iona Whishaw)
42. Me and Banksy (Tanya L. Kyi)
43. Death in a Darkening Mist (Iona Whishaw)
44. Maisie Dobbs (Jacqueline Winspear)
45. Indian in the Cupboard (Lynne Reid Banks)
46. The Secret of the Indian (Lynne Reid Banks)
47. The Mystery of the Cupboard (Lynne Reid Banks)
48. The Key to the Indian (Lynne Reid Banks)
49. The Paper Garden (Molly Peacock)
50. Case Histories (Kate Atkinson)

MAY
51. A Darker Shade of Magic (VE Schwab)
52. Books Can Be Deceiving (Jenn McKinlay)
53. The Dangerous River (RM Patterson)
54. Life in the Open (CF Holder)

I originally set my reading objective at 110. That was before the crazy pandemic was proclaimed. I'm still aiming to get there...



Maybe... ~ Because too much on the TBR list...

The Life and Work of Theodore Roosevelt, published 1919 by Thomas H. Russell

gilt lettering ~ ~

While the cover is restrained, it has a very military-khaki appeal. Somewhat sober, perhaps.
Inside, there are many portraits and campaign photographs that would delight the history buffs. I found the pages oddly like cream-coloured, rigid paper stock, not quite like cardboard. I'm completely uneducated about this aspect in books.

Book #38 ~ Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore (Matthew Sullivan)

~

Sullivan has written a murder mystery that has some deeply psychological-thriller aspects. The intriguing feature of the psychological state of the main characters was often chilling, though beguiling. I enjoyed the evocative writing style.

The story is seen through the eyes of Lydia, a very likeable persona, but horrendously affected by early childhood trauma. Joey, Raj and David were filled out as part of the interconnectedness of the plot. Overall, the novel was incisive and well-executed ~ until the very end.

Trying not to reveal the final twists ~ the narrative falls flat with a sense that the writer surely had more to say. While the reader will very likely decipher, well-before the final chapter, knowing who probably committed the murders didn't interfere with the building suspense. It was definitely the case of What?! That's all? when you get to the last page. "Then what happened next" is left out. I had come to really admire Raj's mother a lot. I wanted to know more. No, don't peek! Such a reaction on my part sunk the book's rating but I awarded 4★s instead of 3, because the author's writing style was paced in a way that suits me and theme of family, trauma and life afterwards was well done.

Book # 39 The Cow in the Parking Lot (Leonard Scheff). Subtitled: a Zen approach to overcoming anger.

~

My fascination with the idiosyncratic title was the key motivation in selecting this book, plus an interest in looking for different approaches that deal with the underlying cause of an angry reaction. I didn't consider working through all the exercises because I wanted to find the place where the author talks about "owning your own feelings" and how anger is a secondary emotion that masks underlying primary trigger emotions (fear, anxiety).

I wanted to see what Scheff's strategies were for the mental preparation to make progress in coping with the initial emotions that spark anger. That’s what I think is most important: to have some strategies for tackling the work of behavioural changes. In my experience, anger management workshops, from skilled facilitators, take the class through exercises to learn about themselves first and foremost.

There are myriad personalities in any type of class like this, so it follows that the procedure will have different outcomes which reflect that aspect. Unfortunately, Scheff's book rarely touches on this individual process, choosing instead a rather negative approach by saying "Most people fail at this or at that...".

Compounding this absence of enlightened understanding for the reader, the narrative preaches repetitively that no one needs to choose anger or allow another person to control your feelings. It wasn't clear amongst the stories how a person would find ways to embrace change for themselves, since they'd not done the ground work of "know thyself". The book might be useful for an introductory overview but it wasn't serious in delving into anything but surface anecdotes and then some Buddhist philosophical commentary.

Last time you only needed five spots so here I am at #7.

Happy new one, Sandy. I LOVE that topper! So far, in my tiny garden I have only had 2 white snowdrops open up and they are now lying prone. Lots of green shoots but our balmy weather turned south, too and we had snow yesterday and this morning, though, thankfully, none of it stuck. Bloody windy, though.

I love the kitties on the fence! I have a similar nightstand TBR which I'm hoping to chip away at. But then I say that every year.

>7 richardderus: Oh well, I was maybe more concise back then.
And not planning on putting a book review right away...

And here you are! At #7 when last time it was #30, no?
So... specially for you, Richard ~

some abridged classics

Happy new one!

What a beautiful prairie crocus. When closed it almost looks like a thistle. Very neat!

>8 jessibud2: Hi Shelley. So nice that you popped by.
At least you have flowers. This anemones are out in a community pasture, not in my garden. We have no flower beds clear of snow yet.

And to supplement the classics satire in #10,

>11 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita, I love the grasslands when the "crocus" appear.

I don't know why folks here called the Anemone species 'crocus'. Perhaps because the actual genus Crocus is not hardy here. Neither are snowdrops or Narcissus. I miss those early flowering bulbs...

Happy new thread, Sandy!

>1 SandyAMcPherson: Such a lovely fragile bloom! I hope your yard dries before the mosquitoes find it!

In reply to the cheese bun post, and my subsequent info about the cheese I used, Richard commented that our cheese world is, um, blandly industrial compared to y'all's.

Fair enough. The fix would be to grate some really high-quality sharp cheddar and add some soft butter to make a buttery cheese mix. I'm suggesting this because Imperial is a butter-cheese spread (not soft, though) and melts beautifully. Caveat! I've never tried to mimic the Imperial product, but cheese baked in bread dough? Always turns out to be tasty!

>14 quondame: Hi Susan. Glad you liked the photo.

Faint hope... the mosquitoes will find all kinds of wet places to breed. We usually have a very rainy June, rather than in April. Right now, all the soggy bits are from melting snow which can't sink in because the ground is frozen solid, from about 1/2 a cm down.

The cats on the fence also like sitting there because the migrating songbirds are moving through our area. As you can imagine, the cats are looking to pounce.

Love those abridged classics, lol!

Happy new thread! I love the abridged classics. 😀

>10 SandyAMcPherson:, >12 SandyAMcPherson: Ha! Wonderful summaries, esp. Ulysses!

Happy new thread, Sandy! Wishing you a Happy Easter weekend (I know, this year is so different, but make do as best one can, under the circumstances).

Happy new thread, Sandy.

Happy new thread Sandy. Happy Easter weekend too!

Hi Sandy and Happy New Thread! I love the abridged classics. Grapes of Wrath is perhaps my favorite (the satire, that is).

Peace to you this Easter, Sandy, and Happy New Thread!
I'm a fan of those abridged classics too.
Our spring here in NC was over almost before we noticed it. If we were going to take flowers to decorate our church cross on Sunday, we'd be hard pressed to find any because all the blooming is finished: azaleas, dogwood, wisteria, bulbs - all gone. It's lovely and green though, and we're enjoying the Easter cold snap before hot weather hits with a vengeance.
I look forward to your reading and reflecting!

Just realised! I forgot to post Book #40 back up near the beginning of the thread...

Alrighty.
I had trouble with this one and went off to sulk for about a week. Just ask Roni.

~

I'm billing this as a stupid romance novel with an interesting plot. Partly my fault for requesting an early-reviewer book by Patricia Rice, because I was unfamiliar with her genre and style.

Having mentioned these caveats, the ideas behind the story were intriguing but could not overtake the silly romance and the artificially unpredictable Phoebe. Aside from being so glaringly out of sync with the era, there was no artful development in Phoebe and Andrew's relationship. Their behaviour was so precipitous that it became comic.

The other great flaws were the very superficial details on the bullying by a group of mine owners, The Association which was responsible for Letitia's death. The characters who are The Bad Men are shallow and the narrative had little to contribute to what should have been a wonderfully suspenseful plot.

The best characters were Phoebe, her ability with animals, and supporting characters such as Enoch, Catherine and Clare, the children she was teaching. The interlude where Phoebe takes Dahlia Higginbotham into the milliner's shop was very engaging and showcases how well Patricia could write if she'd just leave off the interludes of sexual attraction between the main characters. Yes, I dislike blatantly sexual descriptions in murder mysteries; kind of like, I aim to give a miss to horror and gruesome murder details.

>25 SandyAMcPherson: Hear, hear! Glad you finally got it up, and we are completely in agreement!

>6 SandyAMcPherson: Have you ever read The Dance of Anger by Harriet Lerner--very, very good.

>26 ronincats: Yup. Many times.
I even went to a talk she gave when she did a tour. I bought several copies of her book and gave them to people. I probably was a bit too obtuse about some of the recipients, though....

Hello to all the people who came to welcome my new thread... Jim, Lori, Paul, Mary, Ellen, and Peggy.
I'm listing the visits so I remember to drop by soon. It's a great comfort to "see" everyone.

It's hard to cope with this virus plague let loose in the world. Tonight, a friend, who believes himself a great wag, added a line to their e-mail signature with this thought:
Just a reminder,
When Shakespeare was quarantined because of the plague, he wrote King Lear.

Even if it was made up, I thought this was quite amusing...

I'm not going to accomplish anything even close to writing King Lear!!!! Ha.

>28 SandyAMcPherson:, >29 EBT1002: - When staying at home, I don't write epic plays. I write emails. Of course, Will never had that option, so he did what he could...;-)

Hi Sandy! Happy new thread. Beautiful crocus and fun pic of kitties.

From your previous thread: Ah, a type of cheddar. Yum.

>6 SandyAMcPherson: Sorry this book didn’t work for you.

>10 SandyAMcPherson: Love the abridged classics!

>15 SandyAMcPherson: Ah, a type of cheddar w/butter!

>28 SandyAMcPherson: When Shakespeare was quarantined because of the plague, he wrote King Lear. Nothing like trying to induce guilt, right? My sister sent me the following, which I posted on my thread VI, message 1:

Happy new thread, Sandy. Good to see that you are getting some colour into your surroundings. I hope the melt happens soon. I grew up in Montreal and spent a winter in Calgary so I can remember long drawn out winter weather which is why I appreciate cherry blossom time in the Lower Mainland.

>1 SandyAMcPherson: Lovely!

>4 SandyAMcPherson: Interesting!

Hi, Sandy - Hope you are weathering this eons-long isolation. I'm an introvert who'd rather stay home than go pretty much anywhere, and I'm feeling a bit stir-crazy. I posted an old cover from my grandma's library over on my thread.

Happy new thread, Sandy.

>5 SandyAMcPherson: I have this one on my TBR list - I'll have to check it out.

I like your abridged classics.

Happy new thread!

I wanted my message this year to be fairly universal in a time we all should be pulling together, whatever our beliefs. Happy Celebration, Happy Sunday, Sandy.

Happy Easter!

>31 karenmarie: hahahaha!

>38 fuzzi: ha ha ha ~ is right!

>31 karenmarie: You can tell the Paltrow quote with its following sentiment was a hit! I'm considering that if I'm dressed before noon, it's an achievement. Slothfulness doesn't enter my vocabulary these days.

>32 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg *waves* from the frozen wastes of the Canadian steppes.

>33 Storeetllr: I did pop over to admire the covers from your Grandma's childhood book. Thanks for letting me know.

>34 BLBera: Glad to know you enjoyed those 'abridged classics' cartoons. I thought they were perfect for this thread when we all needed a laugh that isn't virus-humour.

>35 foggidawn: Hi Foggi. I saw you were successful in the Newbery committee appointment. yay for you!

>37 quondame: So are those egg booklets? Or did someone cleverly designed these ornaments for bibliophiles? Pretty cool handcrafting.

>36 PaulCranswick: Very pretty. That'll be us in May... thanks :D

Book #41 ~ A Killer in King's Cove (Iona Whishaw).
A grateful thank you for this BB from vancouverdeb. I really needed this comfort-read just now, although some may do the *eyeroll* with my labelling a murder mystery novel as such.

~

This is historical detective-fiction, set in rural BC, just after the end of WWII. Whishaw writes beautifully with strong characterisations and evocative descriptions of the West Kootenays, a place I know well. The story is somewhat complex with threads running back to pre-WWI with repercussions that resonate in 1946, when the story begins.

The backstory to the heroine, Lane Winslow, is revealed throughout the novel. This was a difficulty in the narrative flow about a woman relocating from London, England to a backwater hamlet in British Columbia. Her background was interesting and needed to be told, but the other characters' intertwining histories was not very adroit. Backflashes to 1920 or earlier, as stories told in the present tense, for example, intruded on current action in the novel's mystery. Whishaw is an accomplished author, so it was surprising she didn't achieve this aspect of her tale more smoothly.

Several very enjoyable pieces of writing described the supporting characters, Inspector Darling and Constable Ames of the Nelson Police Department. Darling and Ames were great sketches of policing in a varied community, post WWII. Angus Dunn was well-drawn, especially his interaction as a pompous ass with Insp. Darling.

The mystery and the sketches of a life in this rural area are a great setting for further mystery stories. Great cosy mystery genre, an escapist's dream-read, in fact.

>42 SandyAMcPherson: I am so pleased that you enjoyed the BB! Yes, an escapist dream read! I'm looking forward to the ? 6th in the series which is due out later this month. The weather is looking good in SK! We've had some really nice temps here. I anticipate needing shorts soon. My mom stopped by this weekend and I loaned her a book. I was thinking I should suggest A Killer In King's Cove to her. She likes a cozy mystery, or a travel sort of a book. Nothing too heavy. I loaned her The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter by Hazel Gaynor.

Hi, Sandy! Just wanted to let you know I posted another cover over on my thread.

Hope you're staying safe and feeling happy & well.

>44 Storeetllr: Oh Snap! I was just over 'there' posting my admiration. But good that you alerted me to say there was a new cover up. Time for me to root around for something interesting in covers...

>43 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb. Well, those weather forecasts have been derailed so far. Some extremely cold overnights and then cloud cover the next day that retards warming.

I'm supposed to be reviewing a book from the January ER (Me and Banksy), so that's what I'm reading now. But Book #2 in the Lane Winslow series is on my Overdrive loans, so I'm angling to get going on it in a few days.

... provided I quit cruising these LT threads 🙄 !

Hi Sandy!

I'm cruising instead of reading, too.

I hope you have a Very Good Day.

I just responded to your question about the book over on my thread.

>45 SandyAMcPherson: Looking forward to seeing the next cover you post!

Hi, Sandy. Good review of Killer in King's Cove. I've been wondering about that one.

Hope all continues well with you, Sandy!

Greetings and so nice to have you all drop by.
>47 karenmarie: It was easier to cruise threads instead of writing book reviews. My brain seems full of sludge...
>49 jnwelch: Iona Whishaw is definitely a favourite of mine these days. i'm onto book 2 now.
>50 ronincats: I'm okay. I hope you and yours are managing the isolated life we're all leading.

I should go over to a few threads this morning but seem to be overly-attached to playing around in my library instead...

I'd like this one, ... for sheer escapism!

Book #42 ~ Me and Banksy (Tanya Lloyd Kyi).
This was a hardcover from the February Early Reviewers awards. Lucky me! I really enjoyed it.

~

This was an effective story for the Grade 6 to 8 crowd, an age-group that would relate quite well to the issues in a school-setting. The writing is engaging and develops some amusing vignettes of grandparents, single moms and childhood best friends.

The protagonist is a girl in Grade 8 attending a private school where cyberbullying is going on. The author did a good job of articulating the angst of this age group, although the piece where we find out who was the "baddie" was a weak point. The motivation wasn't credible, but kids reading the story will love how the group of pals in grade 8 worked collaboratively to bring forward an issue around the school webcams. The author notes at the end of the book were excellent, with some advice that students shouldn't try to take on bullying by themselves. There is also an interesting link to who Banksy is and why he/she is a social activist.

>51 SandyAMcPherson: If I only had a real tree, that'd be my tree house (minus the wet, books don't like wet)

>53 quondame:, I'm guessing the stream and dinghy read "wet" to you? I hadn't thought of the setting in that way.

I see the treehouse library as elevated and separate from the distractions of urban life. I always wondered if there was a kitchen in the back where only windows are shown. And bedrooms up in the eaves. Fantasy is so lovely because it doesn't have to make sense, no?

Book # 43 ~ Death in a Darkening Mist (Iona Whishaw)

~

The second in the Lane Winslow mystery series. Thoroughly engaging and gently suspenseful. The intertwined mysteries were intriguing. As in the earlier book, the characterisations well-drawn. I was perplexed about certain unresolved aspects of the mystery, but these loose ends didn't disrupt my enjoyment of the continuing saga about Lane in her Kootenay idyll.

>54 SandyAMcPherson: It's true that fantasy always includes a level of unreality, but I like it to make sense and have its own consistency.

>56 quondame: Hi Susan. I guess my use of "make sense" did mean a level of unreality.
But "unreality" in our normal world can be so rigid, bound by our beliefs, especially the science-y ones.
In fantasy, I can roll with the punches as the saying goes: a tree house (for example) full of books, yeah; and not think about, where's the loo and how do they heat a place in the trees(?).

>57 SandyAMcPherson: I know I'm a natural born & nurtured nit picker, and I do see the pretty whimsy of >51 SandyAMcPherson:, but then I'm like how do I get from that wee row boat to those stairs and how can I do it with dry feet.

Argh, Sandy! Sorry to read that your library does not carry the Iona Wishaw books in order. I really hope you enjoy Maisie Dobbs. That's another favourite series of mine. I'm quite sure she has a new book in the series this year. And I'll be ordering it! :-) Me and Banksy sounds interesting. I have certainly heard of him/ her, but don't know much about Banksy at all.

Hi Sandy!

>51 SandyAMcPherson: I only write book reviews if I strongly feel that I want to say more than a sentence or two. I’ve adopted Mark’s Lightning Round for the sentence-or-two books, published at the end of the month. It’s been amazingly freeing – no guilt about not writing a review, just 3-5 minutes adding a comment or two to a Word document that I can copy and paste in at the end of the month.

Hi Karen.
I like writing book reviews because it has been difficult (for me!) to remember the storyline in all the reading from my own library as well as what I enjoyed borrowing from the library. I've culled a few things this past month and deleted them from my library. If i'm not going "there" again, I may as well make my catalogue relevant.

Of course there are the obligatory reads because I'm requesting to review books from time to time. Lately, that hasn't been very satisfying although I sis enjoy Me and Banksy a great deal.

Hope you are enjoying what comes your way in this period of isolation. It looks as if the health authorities (in Canada and in our province, anyway) are advising to continue but the business pressure is mounting to lift restrictions. I don't think this will end well.

>59 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb. Argh indeed.
I am certainly enjoying Maisie Dobbs. The Me and Banksy is really about kids (in Vancouver) having a moment of social activism at school. I'm glad I was awarded the book from ER.

>58 quondame: Susan, I never noticed the steps ending so high above the wee boat. Well spotted. Yes, it is worth nit picking!

It is time for another book cover uploading, yes?
This is a modern reproduction of children's stories from the Taschen publishers:

Beautiful illustrations ~ especially the story of St. Lucia (I know, that's a December thing...)
~ I gave this away as a Christmas gift two years ago.

Centre feature ~ (apologies for the curved page)

Story of Gingerbread Land ~ and

Followed by , in honour of St. Lucia's Day.

I loves me some St. Lucia buns!

>60 karenmarie: I rarely write much, but mostly I write to leave a path for myself to remember why I liked or didn't like the book. If I can get a good snark in though, that's a plus.

>64 SandyAMcPherson: Sometimes I just love Taschen. I must have purchased a score of various versions of their Kyoto costume book, mostly to give as raffle prizes, but I've got at least 3 in my LT catalog and I'm pretty sure more are about the place.

>65 richardderus: Yes! I've a St. Lucia gingerbread biscuit recipe (more like a ginger snap).
But those buns look scrumptious.

>64 SandyAMcPherson: Beautiful cover and illustrations!

>65 richardderus: Yum!

>67 quondame: I have only somewhat recently been a Taschen fan.
Their illustrations are so vintage and historical. At least in the books I've seen.
I tend to buy them for families that really value these types of publications but I don't think I actually own any myself.

I had these images from Wintertime Tales because I sent them to the parents of an intended gift recipient, just to check out that it was suitable. Happens that I found it at my favourite local Used Books shop. It was expensive for a children's fairy tale book, but not as an enduring art illustration book, so a win.

The book I saw online recently might be the one you mention, the utterly delicious

Cover ~ Especially, the embellishment detail here,

I'd love to make a wall hanging using those appliqué and beading techniques with clouds swirling up. Maybe from a partial golden sun in the lower right. (Possibly sacrilege! I'm not all about the clothing, just the design elements).

>70 SandyAMcPherson: Yes, that's it. Originally a small book to go with the exhibit I saw in Los Angeles, it's been in large paperback (the one I sent to raffles), two volume hard back, and and extra large hardback of best-of. I suspect it gets updated from time to time as well.

>64 SandyAMcPherson: love those illustrations!

Hello >69 Storeetllr:, >72 fuzzi:. Glad you enjoyed the illustrations.
A bit unseasonal, but I was ready for nostalgia and charming.

Book #44: Maisie Dobbs (Jaqueline Winspear)
I'm pleased that I had this BB (I think, vancouverdeb?) because I really enjoy these historical mysteries. I had some caveats with the writing style but the protagonist and secondary characters were well done.

~

Maisie Dobbs is a really engaging character. The author brought the girl to life in a style that makes the reader care about her protagonist and all the difficulties which she faces. However, the backstory intruded in the momentum of Masie's intellectual development with the support of the charming Lady Rowan and the intriguing Maurice Blanche. I didn't want to read all the detailed scenarios from WWI nursing, battlefield injuries and horrors. Despite skimming these sections, the plot was derailed until the narrative in current time (1929, that is) took over again.

The supporting characters of Maisie's father, Frankie, and Billy Beale were strongly drawn and developed a compelling theme of change in British society between the two world wars. The detective aspects of Maisie's career were innovative and contributed the most enjoyable feature of the novel. If the next book in the series continues with this theme, it will be a successful series for me.

I'm a little behind on updating my book lists. It escaped me or I forgot... I started a by the month thing at >1 SandyAMcPherson:, and then never edited it for awhile!

Now, catching up with earlier reading for Books 45 to 48 all by Lynne Reid Banks.
These were quick re-reads for me, having not remembered the stories from more than 30 years ago when I had elementary readers in the house. We owned only Books 1 & 2; the rest were library-loans.

Book 1 ~ — The Indian in the Cupboard
Book 3 ~ — The Secret of the Indian
Book 4 ~ — The Mystery of the Cupboard
Book 5 ~ — The Key to the Indian

I have no idea where Book 2 went and for the purposes here, doesn't matter.

As an adult with no enthralled 7 or 8 year-old listening, the only book I sincerely enjoyed was The Indian in the Cupboard. The others were ho hum at best and rather dated in that we do not care for stereotyping other peoples. Not that such commentary would necessarily ruin the adventure for kids.

But I also wondered, was the author inveigled into writing sequels because the publisher was so excited by the success of the first novel? Often the series-writer defeats their early success and ruins future books sales that way, no?

As I discovered early in this year, when I was re-reading some Patricia McKillip (oh sacrilege to her fans!), re-reading older novels runs the risk of tarnishing good memories. But I did want to see whether I should pass these on to younger family members or just simply donate them to a charity.

>75 SandyAMcPherson: The Riddle-master books didn't have at all the same impact on my when I read them as older me, I think because I wanted the same feeling of reading something different and on the edge of fantasy, which, 30 years down a line where many have followed, gracefully and otherwise, isn't a possibility. I still adore The Forgotten Beasts of Eld and The Belly of the Wolf.

>76 quondame: I super-enjoyed The Forgotten Beasts of Eld.
And, callooh-callay, it turned out to be a first time read for me, just this year.

I don't always acknowledge (to my own self) that I have changed as a reader, that my expectations are now different, and maybe I'm more sophisticated, from a reading point of view? I have also probably not aged gracefully or quietly. Gee, demanding perhaps? What a surprise!

>74 SandyAMcPherson: I'm pleased that you enjoyed Maisie Dobbs, Sandy. I hope the series continues to find favour with you, but we all different. It's one of my favourite series. I eagerly await the next installment, which I think comes out in the fall.

>78 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb. I'm placing holds in sequence, so now waiting for Birds of a Feather.

It will be slow progression, because some of the books are going to be hard to schedule. If the specific title isn't in our "home system" but is in the SK Consortium, the "Home" member can bump an outside request. So I'm only requesting the next one as I start a loan on the previous title. I'm whipping through these cosy mysteries licketty-split.

In the meantime, I have a NetGallery ARC kids book I better motor through. It looks fun.

Edited to remark on the ARC kids book: Ray by Marianna Coppo.
Not so fun after all.
It was very poor, so much so, that I am not adding it to my 75-Book count or reviewing it here.
I did post on Goodreads, since NetGallery requires feedback. The artwork was attractive which was the reason I asked to review the work.

Good to see that you enjoyed your Iona Whishaw reads, Sandy. I just finished the fourth in the series and it was really good although most of the action wasn't set in Canada. It Begins in Betrayal brings up a lot more information about the backgrounds of the two main characters. It was really good.

I heard something about SK being ready to open up again but, from the news last night, it looks like Trudeau wants us all to open up at the same time - not sure how that is going to work.

I hope you are seeing signs of spring.

Hi Meg. Glad to hear I'm on a winner series with Iona Whishaw. I've had trouble finding e-Books that appeal to me so LT is brilliant with that aspect: lots of BBs.

Well, SK is going to phase in some changes in May but "opening up" is not happening. I think the idea is to look at how critical services like dentists, optometrists and physiotherapy clinics can safely be made available. Personally, the longer I can manage without these services, the better. And also, I am not desperate, so I hope the services will prioritise the most needy.

What you've all played at and I'm behind on ~ CHUNKSTERS!

First saw this on Susan’s thread, shamelessly nicked from Richard who lifted it from Paul Cranswick:

Must Read "50 Chunksters" & Paul's 20 Alternatives

if no comment, it is because I never read it, or I’ve entirely forgotten the story. Some comments on my part are very snarky… don’t say I didn’t warn you!

1. The Overstory by Richard Powers. Why didn't I know about this brilliant premise for a novel?
2. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
3. The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. Intellectual. Too much so, and over my head rhetoric. DNF
4. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. I was reading this when I first joined LT. I don’t remember actually *finishing* it.
5. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
6. The Wych Elm by Tana French
7. The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood
8. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Unread: I know, I know, everyone loves it…
9. Little, Big by John Crowley
10. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
11. The Last Samurai by Helen DeWitt
12. Possession by A.S. Byatt
13. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
14. The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee
15. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
16. The Parisian : Yeah ??
17. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
18. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
19. The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
20. Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson
21. Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie. Another DNF, oh dear I see I’m a philistine for that.
22. American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I truly wanted to like this book but ~ 2½★
23. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay by Michael Chabon
24. The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu
25. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
26. Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
27. A Naked Singularity by Sergio de la Pava
28. An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears
29. A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James
30. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
31. The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe. Disliked. Really...
32. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
33. Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin. Lost on my TBR shelf (note to self: find it!)
34. JR by William Gaddis
35. Almanac of the Dead by Leslie Marmon Silko
36. Mason & Dixon by Thomas Pynchon
37. Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany
38. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Too long, too abusive. Too grim. But at least I finished it!
39. The Stand by Stephen King
40. Underworld by Don DeLillo
41. The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
42. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke. I couldn't get past the first 100 pages. Another DNF.
43. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. Keep meaning to read this. When the library opens again...
44. 2666 by Roberto Bolano
45. Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra
46. Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann
47. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
48. Parallel Stories by Peter Nadas
49. Women and Men by Joseph McElroy
50. A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth. Nope. Didn't work for me, I kept falling asleep.
Summary: finished ~ 3/50; DNF ~ 4/50

Paul's Alternative 20

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry (1995) 624 p
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (2001) 544 p
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (2005) 720 p
The Far Pavilions by MM Kaye (1978) 960 p. I read this. I even finished it. It was truly an awful story.
Earthly Powers by Anthony Burgess (1980) 656 p. I don’t remember the story, but I did read this one.
White Teeth by Zadie Smith (2000) 560 p
The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman (1982) 896 p
Saville by David Storey (1976) 560 p
To Serve Them All My Days by RF Delderfield (1972) 672 p Read years ago. Culled after a re-read.
Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres (1994) 533 p
Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth (1992) 640 p
Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks (1993) 528 p
Sophie's Choice by William Styron (1979) 656 p
Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh (2008) 544 p
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (1998) 626 p Too much religious pap. Culled a few years ago.
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (1989) 656 p
The Singapore Grip by JG Farrell (1978) 704 p
Magician by Raymond E Feist (1982) 864 p
The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy (1986) 672 p Read about 10 years ago. Forgettable, I guess
A Chain of Voices by Andre Brink (1982) 512 p
Summary: finished ~ 4/20

>82 SandyAMcPherson: I nicked it from Bill / @weird_O who got it from Jeff / @mahsdad and I think @PaulCranswick and I found it at about the same time, but the interesting discussions were fast and furious on Paul's thread.

>83 quondame: I hope Bill and Jeff will forgive my not acknowledging them!
Glad to have it further attributed. Thanks!

I always find Paul's threads (12!! now) intimidating. Not insinuating that it is anyone's fault, of course.
But often and often, I start typing away merrily, merrily - and by the time I've commented, at least 4 or 5 others have posted and my comment looks silly because it isn't insightful anymore or it is totally redundant.

So I've enjoyed commentary but added little to the thread myself. Hopefully he understands this, since he has to be the most assiduous person in visiting the group's copious (or lightning fast, perhaps?) commentary.

>84 SandyAMcPherson: Well, you are a more frequent contributor on my thread than Paul, though it is self-centered of me to notice such things.

>81 SandyAMcPherson: Yeah, I find their priorities for getting things going are definitely not mine. The newspeople were excited about Provincial Parks reopening so all those campers could get back out there. Camping, really? No interest here likewise physios and dentists - just tell me when I can go back to meeting with people in restaurants.

>86 Familyhistorian: I think rushing out to mingle anywhere has to be taken really cautiously, especially in large urban settings.
For me, going to an outdoor venue in uncrowded situations (not a campground or some 'event') seems better. I wish our open air garden centres could operate and the farmers' market, assuming there can be crowd control.

However, we're expanding our usual planting so I hope to avoid the markets this year entirely. We've a local grower who will deliver fresh produce at least.

>82 SandyAMcPherson: I'd call your chunkster participation the most sensible...you abandon what doesn't work for you because life's too short to read stuff you're not enjoying.

>87 SandyAMcPherson: Our outdoor garden centres are open and there have been a few news reports about how busy they are. My local farmers market will not be opening this season. Sad because I don't garden because I have very little land and no real access to sun and I use the farmers market a lot.

>82 SandyAMcPherson: Thanks for that, RD. I abandon reads with great difficulty. I think it's a "homework has to be done" quitter mentality that's taking me a long time to 'get over'.

>89 Familyhistorian: There might be some alternatives you could tap into. Perhaps some market gardeners will do contactless deliveries. Is this market open http://www.royalfarmmarket.com?
We're fortunate the market gardeners delivery option has gained popularity in our community. It helps that we're a small city of course. They're using this system to list their produce: www.localline.ca

🌷🌺🌹🌸💐
Spent the afternoon outside in sunshine. Lots of herbaceous perennials starting to show sprouting crowns and the rhubarb is growing already!

>90 SandyAMcPherson: And here in So. California we've wandered into summer, air-conditioning going full blast. If there are brownouts, things will get ugly very very quickly, of course making things even worse.

>91 quondame: Ugh. I guess I better not complain when we get our inevitable last snowstorm next week !!

Hi Sandy! You're keeping up the finishes despite all the madness - great going!

Our politicians are pretty much refusing to consider what lifting lockdown might look like. I think they fear we'll all start running up and down the street.

>92 SandyAMcPherson: Complain all you like, no problem. Just now the air-conditioning is up and running just fine, so I'm at minor grumbling levels.

I wouldn't worry at all about posting on Paul's thread. Post away. Paul is quite the diplomat and no worries there.

‘Morning, Sandy!

>82 SandyAMcPherson: I thought All The Light We Cannot See was only okay. I gave it 4 stars at the time but for the life of me don’t now know why. Based on this list, perhaps chunksters aren’t the best fit for you. Or, are there chunksters NOT on this list that you’ve loved?

>90 SandyAMcPherson: I abandon reads with great difficulty. I, on the other hand, abandon books with glee. Too many books, too little time. Reading is supposed to be fun, not homework!

Hi Sandy: Lots of good reading here. I really enjoyed Killer in King's Cove as well. I need to continue with this series. I enjoy the Maisie Dobbs series as well.

>51 SandyAMcPherson: I love this illustration. It looks like one from Aaron Becker. Does he have a new book out? My granddaughter loves those books.

>643 I love those illustrations.

I hope you and yours are well.

>95 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb. How nice to see you dropped in for a moment. I'm reading a VE Schwab now.

>96 karenmarie: Hey Karen, I didn't read All The Light We Cannot See, mainly because the summary just didn't appeal. I am getting better at the abandoning thing. I've compromised with skimming when I'm going Yawn-nnn!

>97 BLBera: Hi Beth, Yes that is indeed an Aaron Becker. I have no idea if he has a new book out. One of my kids bought this illustration awhile ago. I loved it. Although Susan (aka quondame) niggled about how do you get from the wee dinghy to the stairs... I have since reimagined that you start inside the tree and ascend first inside the trunk. :D

Re chunksters, (Karen at #96): I think I would like the longer books if I felt it was flowing well. Mostly there seem to be over-written passages and you know, YAWNNNN.

I like to be immersed in a story and to totally lose myself in the narrative, but after awhile, despite whatever action is going on, the author starts to feel stale.

I was looking along my library shelves and I actually think the longest books I've saved are still favourites: just over 640 p. (Polgara by Eddings); in the non-fiction category, at 542 p. (Rebirth of a Nation by Lord Kinross), an excellent albeit perhaps dated narrative.

Book #49 ~ The Paper Garden: An Artist Begins Her Life's Work at 72 (Molly Peacock)
I've been dipping in and out of this book for 4 months now. It's been interesting or slow by turns.

~

Delany was an accomplished woman in the late eighteenth century. That she achieved recognition when women were so poorly regarded in the arts is very satisfying, especially as she was so innovative and started her paper collage work at a later age. That is unusual even now and delightfully encouraging.

The biography was approached very differently (in my experience) because Peacock wove some her own memoirs into Delany's life and times. I occasionally found this jarring, a disruptive lack of focus. I never did understand why Peacock's life could be comparable to Mary Delany.

Particularly at odds with women's lives in more recent times, were the passages which described Delany's forced interactions in locked premises with self-centred men attempting to seduce the poor woman. As well, from an artistic premise, how does Peacock's poetry relate to the paper 'mosaicks' that Delany executed? I may have started skimming by then and missed some of the nuances. There were instances where Peacock's surmises about Delany's life were without foundation. Nonetheless, it is physically a beautiful book with attractive illustrations of the botanical artworks.

Book #50 ~ Case Histories (Kate Atkinson)

~

Just a short overview, because there are more than 300 reviews already on LT.
This review is to record a memory of my first reading in the Jackson Brodie series:

Atkinson is a new author to me and I did like the author's portrayal of Jackson Brodie. I was confused about the lack of continuity until near the end. Even then, some of the intertwining stories seemed disjointed and unfinished ~ a sense of but happened next? The premise for the Jackson Brodie series is sound, so I hope book 2 is better.

Hmmm. I forgot all about looking at the ER books for April and here we are... last day of the month.
I don't think I would have requested a single one, though.

Are the ER books becoming less varied in genre/topic? Or just my perception lately? Not that it matters. Lots to read out there and the libraries being shuttered meant that I had to get over not liking eBooks, so my last several reads (not counting >100 SandyAMcPherson:) have been all from either Overdrive or NetGallery.

>102 SandyAMcPherson: I think that is a common perception...but sometimes there's just nothing that tickles your fancy. I objected when a whole huge raft of Jesusy BS got into the ER program but, honestly, I object to Jesusy BS existing at all so that's not specific to the ER offerings.

In sum, you're in a mood. Some months are just like that. I couldn't find a single thing I cared about either.

>100 SandyAMcPherson: I do understand a reader doing life comparisons with the subject of a book, real or fictional, so it seems that a writer would do the same and writing that in is a way of describing the internal magnitude, looming large from being very close, of personal events to 'objectively?' larger experiences of the subject. I don't feel field of endeavor or accomplishment matter too much.

>103 richardderus: I think you are correct and I was just being ... absent-minded? And then maybe it was A Good Thing when I overlooked the April offerings. I have a stack of eBooks to motor through in May, so I who am I to complain (deliberately ignoring my TBR pile of actual, physical books).

>104 quondame: Well, you are correct ~ of course "field of endeavour or accomplishment" shouldn't matter too much when comparing works by authors/artists. I was being picky from my personal expectation. Kind of a "like to like".

>100 SandyAMcPherson: I really enjoyed that book mostly because of the illustrations ( not so much the writing).

Have a wonderful weekend

Hi Anita. The illustrations are good but I bet not having the impact as seeing the artwork IRL. Wouldn't that be something?
I didn't look until later at what others had said about Peacock's book. So far it seems there were two reactions and either the reader loved it (4- and 5-stars) or were sort of meh (3-stars). I'm in the meh group, but I was glad to persevere with the biography.

Celebrating ~ it's the Merry Month of May!

* The sun doesn't set until after 8:30 (CST)
* Dinners outside on the veranda (if the wind doesn't blow us away)
* The grass is greening up and the first spring bulbs are blooming



And I made it to 54 books-read,



(Updated today)

>108 SandyAMcPherson: Congrats on reaching the big five-oh! And a lovely weekend ahead for Your Springiness.

>109 richardderus: Thanks RD. I've never read so many books in such a short time. There's something very encouraging about LT that prompts me to keep on "keeping on". Perhaps it is the supportive notice when one finishes a book and can comment and get feedback.

On a different topic, new review from an art news publication: I wrote up this review for a technical Art Illustration book of which one of my daughters was co-editor. Huzzah! I say. A new review has appeared in the prestigious Association of Illustrators review section.

The 3 editors took just over 5-years to complete the tome. It's a beauty, very heavy (coated paper) and an exhaustive overview of illustration history.

>110 SandyAMcPherson: I thumbs-upped your review here. That new review is stellar indeed!

>111 richardderus: why thank you, Richard!

>102 SandyAMcPherson: I used to find several books to request each month in ER, now I'm rarely finding more than one. If that. Like you, nothing in April.

>103 richardderus: I'm a Christian, and don't care for most so-called "religious" books. Some people do. I stick to my Bible.

>108 SandyAMcPherson: Sandy that is a morst gorgeous colour combination of your new spring flowers, Simply gorgeous!
And very impressive that you have already read 50 books. Well done!

>112 SandyAMcPherson: :-)

>113 fuzzi: Stay with the source material. It's so much less trouble in the end!

>113 fuzzi: Hi fuzzi. I felt exonerated when I read your comment. Thanks for the enlightenment.

>114 mdoris: Mary, I'm so pleased you liked my mix of pink (wild violets) and Royal blue. These plants even keep their blooms if they're covered in snow. When the snow melts, there they still are! I'm always amazed.

Ohhh I'm so far behind. But I loved the abridgements! And the cookie crumb funny. Pooh to Gwyneth Paltrow.

Hooray for 50 books!

FYI your books are question mark squares on my screen.

Hi Sandy!

I don't always ask for an ER book, but I did ask for and will receive Little Wonder: The Fabulous Story of Lottie Dod, the World’s First Female Sports Superstar by Sasha Abramsky from the April batch. I've still got February's book, Wild Dog by Serge Joncour on my shelves to read and review.

>117 sibylline: FYI your books are question mark squares on my screen.
Which ones don't appear? No one else has mentioned that, so thanks.

Interesting, just popped over to your thread. Some of yours are question mark squares for me (#76), but not al, I can see #'s 60 & 68 for example.

Note to visitors:
Please let me know which of my book covers are "question mark squares". I can see everything, so perhaps make sure you've refreshed your cache.

Also, if anyone has advice about this viewing difficulty, I'd love to know. I logged into my account on a different browser, just to check and both Firefox and Safari show all my covers.

>120 SandyAMcPherson: I can see them all, but can also offer this tidbit: When you make an img src post, be *positive* that the resource address is https not http.

>121 richardderus: Excellent advice, RD. Thanks. I usually look for the little closed lock icon when I'm snagging something online.
I think that denotes https, yes? When I don't see a lock, a message, Not Secure, appears in front of the url and there's no lock icon at all. (I'm using Safari as a browser; this might be displayed differently in other browsers).

Here's the secure url, .

Last week, I couldn't get a secure url for LibraryThing at all on either Safari or FireFox, so I logged out of all the apps I had open, then ran my two security programs and relogged on after the reboot. Still got that Not Secure message so I didn't open LT for about 3 days. Seems okay now...

I never know whether there's a place to post this behaviour on LT or whether to just take a holiday!

>122 SandyAMcPherson: Not always...when I'm on a thread, my browser alerts me that I'm "Not secure," but the entire website is https. It's a different end of the same stick.

Just a comment about images: when I add a book to my LT library I change the cover to one uploaded by a member. If I use Amazon covers they wind up changing or becoming broken links.

>124 fuzzi: I do the same. And I learned from Lucy/@sybilline that if there isn't a member cover that looks like your Amazon cover, you can copy/paste the URL from your current Amazon cover into the "grab one from the web" box on the "Change cover" screen. Et voila, the Amazon cover becomes a member cover with its own LT-specific address.

ETA: Hi Sandy! I almost left without saying hello. How rude of me. 😀

>125 lauralkeet: good to know. If I can't find a cover that matches mine I'll save the Amazon cover to my iPad, then upload it. Extra steps, but does the same thing. 😁

>126 fuzzi: Hi fuzzi and >125 lauralkeet: Laura.
I don't mind people chatting to each other on my thread. It feels 'friendly'.
I regard the https conversation and cover uploading as "widely of interest".
I didn't actually understand RD's comment (#123) about the 'not secure' but the whole LT website is https... as long as we don't end up with spoofed usernames and being hacked.

I've been lucky usually with the covers. I just settle for the one that's on LT similar to mine and copy the link from my 'edit your book' page. A few times I had to scan my book cover and upload that. Which is how I got to posting the really vintage covers.

That reminds me ~ it's a new month so I should look for something special or artistic and load another cover.

Congratulations on reading 50 books, Sandy. As for the https, I'm not sure how to transfer and https to Library thing. I'm relying on my iphone for the pictures that grace my thread.

I really enjoyed The Jackson Brodie series, but not every book suits everyone. If Kate Atkinson isn't your cup of tea, there are so many other books and authors out there.

Book #51 A Darker Shade of Magic (VE Schwab)
Book 1 of the Shades of Magic series.

~

Schwab has written an historical fantasy that is indeed dark. The story is relentlessly paced with some chilling scenes and quite evil characters. The main protagonist, Kell, is engaging and the eventual sidekick, Lila a mischievous, strong-willed girl who perseveres in the most daunting escapades.

The storyline was a bit of a trope for its evil rulers and the antagonistic Holland, a counterpart to Kell. At this moment in time, such a tale didn't agree with my reading preferences. While the plot ran the gamut of "chase and be caught, grievously wounded, and prevail" it was not enjoyable and did not provide a narrative in which to lose oneself.

Further to distancing the reader, were the rather flat portrayals of the prince (Rhy) and his parents. My curiosity as to where Kell came from plus wanting to know what happened to Lila (not that I was much rewarded for my patience) were the main reasons I even finished the book. However, for those who love the gothic-horror vibes and 'magic gone rotten', you'll not be disappointed.

>129 SandyAMcPherson: I'm about halfway through the book, and while I like it better than you have, I totally understand and agree with your points about Rhy's portrayal.

Have a lovely reading Sunday!

>130 richardderus: I hope my review didn't contain any spoilers. I guess it was a predictable plot in some aspects. Schwab (imho) is a good writer. She's certainly got that chilly-evil thing worked out!

I'm veg-ing out this afternoon with Jenn McKinlay's Library Lover's Mystery Series, Books Can Be Deceiving. So far, so good.

Book #52 Books Can Be Deceiving (Jenn McKinlay)

~

Gah! The plot in this novel had so many holes, it could have been a sieve.

Jenn McKinlay described several characters to a tee, bringing them to life with excellent vignettes. The plagiarising author, Rick, and Ms. Cole, "The Lemon" were especially good caricatures. Lindsey Norris, the chief protagonist, felt undeveloped in comparison. The story was further diminished by the bland introduction ~ an overlong description of the library's crafting group. In setting the scene with the tiniest details (about knitting, the current group reading, food snacks), readers have very little to draw them into the mystery story.

There were some of the usual tropes: an incompetent police chief (which really didn't endear me to the story) and innocuous side characters such as Captain 'Sully' Sullivan, certain to become Lindsey's love interest in future books. I could have moved past those participants had there not been glaring loose ends in the plot. The most disappointing one centred around the main incident, the murder. The reader hears no end of detail about Lindsey and Beth needing Sully's water taxi to reach Gull Island. The challenge of navigating the shoals and tidal currents is emphasised. So tell me this: how did the murderer ever make it out to kill Rick on his isolated island? And why is the police investigation silent on that point: who took the suspect there?

Obviously McKinlay can write well, so it was disappointing that her plot didn't hold together. Many readers will love the cosy aspect of a library setting, in a charming village, the ladies craft circle friendships and the bucolic scenery. Those gentle aspects drew me in choosing to read the story. If loose ends in a plot and non-sequiturs don't bother you, the novel will probably be satisfying.

Book #53 The Dangerous River (RM Patterson).

~

As a re-read, I previously reviewed the book here.
Highly recommended adventure in the Canadian north. Even for urban dwellers: the adventure may not be something you want to pursue (me, neither!), but the writing is excellent.

To clarify the geographical area about which Patterson wrote:
the S. Nahanni is indicated with a red arrow ~

The frontispiece shows one of the most famous landmarks along the South Nahanni ~

Pulpit Rock, looking upstream ~

>133 SandyAMcPherson: ow! ow! ow! You hit me with a book bullet!!

>131 SandyAMcPherson: Spoilers make me no never-mind. I've usually forgotten them by the time I read the book.

>132 SandyAMcPherson: How disappointing!

>133 SandyAMcPherson: *boggle* "The Waste Lands"? Whew, that's an oldie!

Happy Humpday.

>134 fuzzi: Yay, I think you'll enjoy it. These fellows were So intrepid.

>135 richardderus: I gather you were looking at the "Barren Lands"?

>136 SandyAMcPherson: Isn't that just the coolest! It makes the terminology less, well, troubling when there's a solid link to the time and place. I sure as heck couldn't do that job, even when I was your dad's age then.

Since I'm nostalgically looking at adventure books and exploration in the wilderness: let's have another saga in beautiful book covers to enjoy from The Man's private library of hunting tales, exploration and horseback travel ~

A 1906 publication from G. P. Putnam's Sons: Life in the Open by Charles Frederick Holder

Title page ~
Frontspiece ~ ~ CF Holder and the Valley Hunt Hounds (near Pasadena).

Holder was an early proponent of wildlife and fishing conservation.
In this book, his writing effectively recounts the natural riches of the counties in southern California. Although not to today's standards of conservation, I appreciate that throughout this narrative, Holder argues for the sportsman's role in conservation. Without sportsmen (and I will add, women), he suggests that there cannot be an awareness at the societal level of the value of these natural regions.

I have "dipped in and about" rather than reading this from cover to cover. It's an interesting time, historically, but I've never been even lukewarm about most of the type of hunting described here.

I did like some of the descriptions of the south California wilds. The influx of people building so extensively within this fragile ecosystem, developing a massive highway network and the impact of internal combustion machines have a lot to answer for ~ not nearly enough of this beautiful habitat was set aside to remain undeveloped.

Perhaps I will not be popular for declaring such heresy, but whatever. Was I wallowing in a time past? I think so. This pandemic is possibly affecting my appreciation of what I'm reading. RD once reassured me (when I reviewed Two Dianas in Somaliland), that the 75-er LT group is a sheltered community, peopled by a kind membership.

Edited to say I've added this as Book #54 in the 2020 reading list (at >1 SandyAMcPherson:).

While I was reading one of my Prince Valiant treasuries, I was surprised to learn that the artist/author Hal Foster went into the wilds of Canada, working as a hunting guide. Some of his sketches from his travels were used in the Prince Valiant stories.

>139 fuzzi: That is super interesting. Thanks for the insight. I don't believe I've ever read a single Prince Valiant story! I'll have to investigate.

Edited (after looking at Hal Foster's listing of PV's stories): any leads on which volumes to look at? Are they all comics?

>140 SandyAMcPherson: Prince Valiant was a Sunday comic page, the most anticipated one, all my childhood. Hal Foster was one of the foremost comic artists of the 20th century and one of the most copied - his scenes and poses can be seen to this day, unaccredited in the work of modern comic and GN artists. My husband has many different re-prints, some as large as the original newspaper pages. Just about my first literary love.

>133 SandyAMcPherson: BB for me! Sounds interesting

>140 SandyAMcPherson: I loved reading Prince Valiant every Sunday in the comics section. However, it's not a funny comic, but an illustrated story in serial form of characters from post-Rome Britain. Harry (@harrygbutler) got me started on the Fantagraphics hardcover reprints and I've been collecting and reading them ever since, slowly.

I'd recommend you start at the beginning:

https://www.librarything.com/work/8933789/book/149356820

I bought some of mine fairly cheaply ($10 used) but most of them are about $20 and up right now as per a quick search of Amazon, Ebay, and bookfinder.com.

Addendum: nice write-up on Wikipedia here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Valiant

>141 quondame: I don't remember Prince Valiant in my newspaper as a kid. I would have loved it, I think. My brother and I used to receive a child's weekly graphic from England from the Daily Express featuring 'Rupert the Bear'. Then when we were older, a weekly geared to our age group with serialised stories, so I think that is similar to what you had, although not as a stand-alone story.

>142 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita. I hope you enjoy Patterson's work. He wrote many other stories of his adventures. I should get around to cataloging them. I've read at least the other one, The Buffalo Head, but so long ago, I need to do a re-read so I can review it.

>143 fuzzi: Thanks, fuzzi. I had seen the wikipedia entry. As I said in reply to Susan, I sure would have enjoyed the serialised story.

>144 SandyAMcPherson: fyi: the Prince Valiant comic is still running in the Sunday papers, though by a different artist/author. From what I've seen it looks like they are keeping it close to the original.

>145 fuzzi: In the original PV Hal Foster drew the women, if stylized, were much more individually than any subsequent artist. Also there was no magic. It always turned out, like the original Scooby-Doo to be hoaxes to scare people away or terrorize them into submission. Of course, I don't remember how Merlin was handled, so I'm no final word, but I remember being very annoyed by both of those aspects in the post-Hal Foster PV.

I've not ever seen the Prince Valiant comics either, Sandy. Fun, but weird fact. Many years ago me and close friend used to follow Rex Morgan MD - the silly serialized daily comic strip. We got a lot of laughs over the drama in it. Over the past few years, my otherwise " normal " husband is eager to read Rex Morgan each! What happened?

>136 SandyAMcPherson: Very cool! My dad did see the north , but he was a bush pilot in the very late 1950's until getting on with CPAir or whatever it was called in 1964. Maybe CPA? My brothers followed the same path. I don't think my dad has any canoeing happening. The one time our family tried to camp, my dad had a great deal of trouble with the borrowed tent and we ended up packing up the tent and driving through the night to our destination. Camping and mosquitoes just were not this thing. Not as intrepid as your dad.

>147 vancouverdeb: Oh yes, Rex Morgan MD. And Apartment 3-G, not to mention Brenda Starr and Dick Tracy, Terry and the Pirates. But I only really loved PV and Peanuts.

>148 quondame: LOL! I liked Family Circle as a kid . I was big fan of Mad Magazine as tweenager/ young teen . Sarcasm is my thing. That's why me and my friend had such a lot of fun with Rex Morgan MD! :-)

If comics-related sarcasm is your thing, may I direct you to The Comics Curmudgeon? This blog serves up snarky commentary on all of the long-running strips mentioned here, and more.

Oh, I liked Dick Tracy. And don't forget Dondi and Little Orphan Annie! I was an avid reader of those during the late 1960s and early 1970's in my pre-teen adolescence. While I was at summer camp my grandmother cut out the strips from her paper, dated them, and mailed them to me!

This thread conversation on the "funnies" (as it was called back in the day), is enormously amusing. Thanks for everyone chiming in.

I disliked Rex Morgan and was it June Gale? His nurse/receptionist? I was appalled at the insensitive male-dominant personality. Yes, I was a flaming women's equality supporter from about the age of 5.

Remember? ~ , one of my favourites: Pogo! And also, L'il Abner and Dick Tracy.

I really liked when our paper started running Schultz' Peanuts. My Mom liked Blondie and used to tease my father about his 'Dagwood' sandwiches. I think Family Circle wasn't available in the newspaper we subscribed to, until the 1960's.

In those days, my favourite cartoonist was Len Norris. He created fabulous satires with the most brilliant caricatures in the Vancouver Sun, usually lampooning the politicians of the day.
An accolade, which you may enjoy, by a well-known Canadian journalist ~ Pierre Berton


in this 1973 edition

The taste in the comics has changed a lot since 1950's era humour. My favourite newer comics in 1970's-80's were Calvin and Hobbes and For Better or Worse. I originally read Lynn Johnson (a Vancouver gal, in fact) when I was expecting my first child and was given this hilarious book ~
David, we're Pregnant ~ which was passed along at every baby announcement in our family.

It's a windy, mind-numbing +5 oC with rain today, so you get some more cartoons from my Norris archive!

These editorial cartoons date from the political landscape of 1973 and will likely amuse only those "of a certain age" who remember the that Pierre Elliott Trudeau (PM at the time) was creating waves with profligate spending and then stringently tightening natural resources by implementing recommendations of the 'National Energy Commission'. Hah. His son is profligately increasing the Canadian tax burden for generations to come!



and the counterpart ~ , remember, these are 1973 $ so factor in (for CAD) in 2020 $76,408 = $457,777 in today's costs (using the consumer price index for inflation).

The wind is still howling around the eaves and a light rain falling. At least we're not getting any snow!
I'm off to finish reading a Rhys Bowen novel.

It's snowing like "stink". I am completely grumped out, because this is a *really late* snow this year.
Probably be summer weather by mid-week, though. We'll be planting potatoes.

Finished the Rhys Bowen novel. I think I'll start a new thread before posting a review, however. I need at least 3 more mugs of coffee!

>153 SandyAMcPherson: Boo hiss on the snow! It's too cold for this time of year.

>153 SandyAMcPherson: - Here too, though it didn't stick. But we barely hit 5C today. Geez. It's MAY!

Sandy, in your mention of comics, I still check in daily (online) with C&H and FBOFW:

CALVIN & HOBBES:
http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes

FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE:
http://www.gocomics.com/forbetterorforworse#.U7kiVXZzbIU

Being from Montreal, I am probably biased, but to my mind, there is no better political cartoonist than Aislin (aka Terry Mosher). I have several books of his cartoons, including the one called From Trudeau to Trudeau which was the name of an exhibit at a museum of his 50 years of cartooning in Montreal 2 summers ago. It was excellent. I wish I could figure out how to post a sample here but so far I can't find one that works.

>153 SandyAMcPherson: My friends who worked in California for decades, retired to New Hampshire, remodeling his parents house. Usually they travel 3 months each winter and we get together to try out the latest Chinese place her aunt has found or whatever West LA restaurant I've stumbled upon. This morning I got an e-mail exclaiming over snow in her back yard. They are also avid readers, but I haven't converted them to LT. Yet.

I still read Doonesbury when I have access to a newspaper.

Hi, Sandy.

>138 SandyAMcPherson: Beautiful cover and frontispiece! And you're quite right. Those who oversaw the unencumbered overdevelopment of California and the suppression of public transportation in order to promote gas-powered vehicles have a lot to answer for, though of course they are mostly all dead by now. Still, that their rampant greed destroyed a lot of irreplaceable beauty is irrefutable.

>155 jessibud2: Shelley, I do like Terry Mosher's humour a lot. I've not followed his editorial cartoons much in recent years. I think the demise of a paper-newspaper in our household has taken certain aspects of the news from my life.

I don't read FBOFW anymore. Most of the stories have been recycled with some modernising. Lynn wanted to retire and get away from the demands of daily cartoon strips (horrendously gruelling to produce year after year...). Then her marriage dissolved and I think she had to reinvent herself a bit to survive. It is a sad story. Anyway, I stopped finding it fresh. C&H artist said as much, that he couldn't sustain the pace.

I might institute an editorial cartoon "feed" into my life. Lately I find so many news topics quite desperately mind-boggling, that I have really cut back online reading. I think family Instagrams, LT and my very local Covid updates are all I can mentally handle. I thought it was my "age" but apparently not. Many of our younger family members, as well as our neighbours, are calling the online onslaught as demoralising as I find it.

Maybe I could consider Aislin's advice*~ and take a 'political valium'?

*Aislin's most memorable editorial cartoon in the 1970's (For the youngsters reading this: that's René Lévesque and Henri Bourassa. In 1976, the Parti Québécois (a separatist political party) in la belle province (Québec) won the election and René became premier with the avowed intent of holding a referendum to negotiate the political independence of the province.) Does anyone remember the FLQ crisis?

>157 Storeetllr: Hi Mary. Nice to see you here. We seem to be nostalgic, with reminiscing about cartoonists.
I used to enjoy Doonesbury a lot, too ~ and Dilbert! I'd forgotten about those two strips.

Glad you liked my extolling Life in the Open. I was casting around for a read when I picked that one off the shelf. (The ebooks I have on request are taking so long to arrive). Anyway. I read quite a bit of what Holder had to say. So much so, that I'm counting it as one of my Books for the year's tally.

>156 quondame: Your friends have my sympathy. The tail end of winter has no business in their back yard!
And travelling to escape winter plus working in California for decades? What were they thinking of in settling in the snowbelt of the eastern seaboard??

Ah. For Better or For Worse, probably my favorite comic strip when I had small children, as she was portraying small children in her strip. One in particular I recall was of the mother in the bathtub asking her 3-4yo daughter about the phone ringing. "Lizzy, who was that on the phone?" and the daughter replied while playing with the bath water: "It wuz a man. I told him you was all wet. I told him you got no clothes on. I told him to call back in free days" HAHAHA. Perfect.

>160 SandyAMcPherson: Well, he's a Yankee. Old family home, small college city/town. They both had good retirements and a nice house in Palos Verdes, a big hilly area on the south of me. If it weren't that she's one of the most level headed people I've ever met, I'd suspect he was trying to isolate her. Well, maybe he is just trying to limit contact with her big family, or maybe she is.

>150 lauralkeet: I really enjoyed the Comic Curmudgeon, Laura! Especially the Dr Rex Morgan ones, which are so familiar with me. Thanks for posting it!Oh, how can it be snowing there? 22 C here today. Meg's part of Vancouver hit 29 C! Argh! I like being closer to the water with the breeze.

June Gale. She has come a long way from way back when.

>163 vancouverdeb: ha ha I'm glad you liked it! My husband follows CC regularly and often calls me over to look at something he finds especially funny.

>158 SandyAMcPherson: - Oh, I remember it very well! And where did you find the Aislin pic? I used to be able to follow it online at the Montreal Gazette but they recently changed their format and I have to figure out how to find it again. As for FBOFW, as well as C&H, for that matter, the online links I posted are all from the beginning. Kind of fun to revisit them. Another I enjoy is called Pickles:

PICKLES: http://www.gocomics.com/pickles

I wasn't a huge fan of comic strips but I did used to look for Roy of the Rovers - a soccer comic strip where Roy would always win all the games against the odds for Melchester Rovers (whoever they were)!

SNOWING???!!!! That is bad news.