Sandy's Books: the Sixth chapter 😎 in 2020

Welcome to thread #6: summer of the Year of The Plague ~ a global event not seen in our lifetime. I'm planning on reaching a modest level in my annual reading, keeping my original objective to 110 books, so I don't become discouraged. In 2019, I finished 109, so this should be achievable.

Quintessential Canadian scenery ~ Looking northeast into Hudson's Bay, at the edge of Churchill, Manitoba.



A fun factoid about the village: It is illegal to lock your car doors in downtown Churchill, in case someone needs to escape from a polar bear (a frequent "visitor" to the town). Photo credit: my niece, on a summer visit two years ago.

Summertime is Saskatchewan's tornado season.
These mammiform clouds often precede the onslaught of violent weather.

Our area of the city has never had a tornado event, likely due to the lay of the land relative to the river.

Summer beauty in Saskatoon ~

The prairie region is famous for the lilies.

This cultivar is Lollipop

Last year, the jack rabbits ate most of the buds. I'm hoping the pepper-deterrent will work this year!

I'm looking forward to a quieter summer than normal, no travelling and continuing to be socially-distanced from our visitors. Our back veranda has become our social centre where we have widely-spaced seating and serve only beverages. These are indeed very strange circumstances.

Progress, as of the dog-days of August ~



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. Heir of Sea and Fire (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)
55. A Royal Pain (Rhys Bowen)
56. Redhead by the Side of the Road (Anne Tyler)
57. A Spool of Blue Thread (Anne Tyler)
58. One Good Turn (Kate Atkinson)
59. Harpist in the Wind (Patricia McKillip)
60. Death in a Strange Country (Donna Leon)
61. The Waters of Eternal Youth (Donna Leon)

JUNE
62. The Stranger Diaries (Elly Griffiths)
63. Birds of a Feather (Jacqueline Winspear)
64. Motorcycles and Sweetgrass (Drew Hayden Taylor)
65. Miles, Mystery & Mayhem (Lois McMaster Bujold)
66. Park Avenue Summer (Renée Rosen)
67. The Lamorna Wink (Martha Grimes)
68. What Angels Fear (CS Harris)
69. When Gods Die (CS Harris)
70. Why Mermaids Sing (CS Harris)
71. An Old, Cold Grave (Iona Whishaw)

JULY
72. Lois Hole's Favorite Trees & Shrubs (Lois Hole)
73. Crazy Rich Asians (Kevin Kwan)
74. Where Serpents Sleep (CS Harris)
75. When Maidens Mourn (CS Harris)
76. How to Read Islamic Carpets (WB Denny)
77. Where Shadows Dance (CS Harris)
78. The Ten Thousand Doors of January (Alix Harrow)
79. What Darkness Brings (CS Harris)
80. The Bookshop of Yesterdays (Amy Meyerson)
81. Why Kings Confess (CS Harris)

AUGUST
82. What Remains of Heaven (CS Harris)
83. The Blood Card (Elly Griffiths)
84. Remodelista: the organised home (J. Carlson & M. Guralnick)
85. Who Buries the Dead (CS Harris)
86. When Falcons Fall (CS Harris)
87. It Begins In Betrayal (Iona Whishaw)
88. The Lantern Men (Elly Griffiths)
89. The Scent of Water (Elizabeth Goudge)
90. Where The Dead Lie (CS Harris)

Currently reading

In progress but delayed: A Gentleman in Moscow (Amor Towles)
Seems a well-written historical novel. I can see why it is so popular.

This was an Overdrive loan that was whisked away before I was more than a third of the way through. It was part of an e-Book cascade. I have re-requested the title, but at least 12 requests are ahead of me on just 2 copies for my region.

The other books in my currently reading pile are from my own shelves:
A re-read ~ To Kill Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
and a Penelope Lively that I keep reading in small bursts, Perfect Happiness.

Book #68: What Angels Fear (CS Harris)

~

I liked the protagonists in this novel very much. I was especially drawn to Tom, the urchin rescued by Sebastian. The execution of the mystery and its slightly unrelenting chase-and-hide sequences was rather tedious at times. However, the storyline is an intriguing start to this series and I'm regarding it as introductions to the supporting players.

Book #69: When Gods Die (CS Harris)

~

Another St. Cyr mystery, a less gruesome murder than Book 1, which was more tolerable to read. Fast-paced and not a predictable ending (at least for my reading). I did whip through the story at a faster rate than normal and appreciated the convoluted plot. CS Harris was skillfull in merging fact and fiction in this story. My favourite character continues to be the young scamp, Tom. Kat and Sebastian as lovers is becoming tedious and looks like a dead end.

Book 70: Why Mermaids Sing (CS Harris)

~

I have mixed feelings about this one. (I'm going to come back to this review when I've thought it through some more, having only just finished the novel today).

I like Harris' writing and will see where Book 4 takes me. Stay tuned.

Edited to say the review is posted on the book's review page. I mention this with a link, at #34.

Hello! Welcome to the party ~

>1 SandyAMcPherson: - Happy new thread! Hi Sandy. I love that photo by your niece. I have a small eclectic collection of Inuksuks. One of which I made, myself, out of pennies, as soon as it was announced they were being taken out of circulation. :-) Yea, I am easily amused and only moderately creative.

I love lilies and used to grow yellow Asiatic lilies as well as other varieties for several summers until we got a nasty lily beetle and they destroyed them. Now I only grow day lilies. Thank goodness they do well. I think it's hard to kill day lilies. Your lollipop variety is beautiful!

Happy new thread!

>8 jessibud2: Hi Shelley.
Specially for you ~~
‼️

I dread seeing that lily beetle turn up in my yard. It may be only a matter of time, since it has been reported in our province. I have tried to be really careful about accepting new plants or allowing garden soil from other places, like the greenhouses to be used in our yard. Kind of tricky, when we do buy started tomato plants.

>9 quondame: Great to see you pop by, Susan.

Happy new thread, Sandy. Love the quintessential Canadian photo, although my first reaction was "it's so flat" but that is probably just because of where I am.

I stopped reading the Sebastian St Cyr series somewhere along the way but recently filled in two books that I'm missing (although I don't really know if I read one of them or not) so I'm ready to wade into the series again when the urge strikes.

Hmm must have missed yr comments on the last thread about Motorcycles & Sweetgrass -- that is a book I loved!

Happy New Thread, Sandy! Nice Canadian image. I like the Inukshuk. Downtown Churchill! :-) I've never been, but I had some relatives that lived there for a while. Pretty isolated, I'd say.

Happy new one!

Happy new thread!

Nice new thread, Sandy. I'm glad to see you're holding up okay during these strange times.

Happy New Thread, Sandy!

Happy new thread, Sandy. I love the photos!

Happy new thread, Sandy, and a splendidly colourful one it is too!

Hi Sandy, here for the shenanigans! Have a lovely Sunday to come.

>12 Familyhistorian: my first reaction was "it's so flat" !! Your comment made me smile!
Flat in the north, yes, especially compared to Coquitlam which is so hilly!

I've never been to Churchill myself. But my niece's photo was so iconoclastic and our July 1st day is looming, so the topper seemed representative of a perfect example of Canadian heritage that is not so Eurocentric.

Glad I could catch up with you for the moment, Sandy!
I have really enjoyed St. Cyr but stopped before I finished reading the ones that I have. You may inspire me to continue. I like them, but I've been detoured by Frieda Klein and Ruth Galloway.
Beautiful pictures above!!!! Thank you!

>13 sibylline: Hi Lucy. There's a lot of 💖 out there for that book.
I chattered about it here.

>14 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb. Yes, I think it is particularly isolated in the depths of winter. And my niece confirmed that indeed the law about the unlocked cars is true, even now with the changes in climate which have affected the polar bear territorial roaming.

>15 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita. I did cruise your thread today but only to skim through. I had the irrelevant thought of saying something about Richard's comment of being a 'meld' of Russian/Scots lineage. We all came from somewhere else and that's such a great example.

>16 drneutron:, >17 lauralkeet:, >18 ronincats: >19 BLBera: and >20 PaulCranswick: >21 richardderus: and >23 LizzieD: Lovely fun to see you have visited.

I hadn't refreshed the page when I was here earlier, so missed being timely until after answering Deb and Anita.

I'm planning on staying ahead of the sneaky eBook recalls so do forgive me if I don't comment very frequently on folks threads. Many of my starred threads have dozens of unread messages and I feel like I'm missing out so much interesting news.

Besides the book discussions, I really value what LT members are saying about political and health-related developments. It acts as a filter, so to speak, of rabid media yanking my chain and as a buffer to my overly emotional tendency to react to the photos.

Shenanigans, RD? What can you mean? Surely not me??

>26 SandyAMcPherson: I understand the difficulty of keeping up with threads. I "keep up" in the sense that I read posts, but I often move on without adding to the discussion. I realize that's more consumption than engagement, and when I think about that I feel like I'm being rude. But I also know from experience that I'm unable to keep up with back-and-forth on too many threads. We all do our best ...

I really value what LT members are saying about political and health-related developments. It acts as a filter, so to speak, of rabid media yanking my chain and as a buffer to my overly emotional tendency to react to the photos.
I love this, too. LT is unique among internet/social media sites I frequent, in that the discourse is respectful and rarely escalates.

>1 SandyAMcPherson: lovely photos, excellent shot of stormy clouds!

I have never had issues with bulbs being eaten by rabbits of any kind, but I recall reading about squirrels digging up and eating tulip bulbs. The remedy offered was to lay chicken wire flat over the bed when the bulbs are dormant. The leaves grow through the wire openings, but animals can't dig up the bulbs.

>26 SandyAMcPherson: don't feel bad. I, too, start the year with many starred threads, but I just can't keep up although I wish I could. Some I have to un-star after they get too unwieldy, and others I mainly skim, commenting as I feel led.

Regarding RL and politics: I can't stand most political talk, and I avoid it like the plague. I come to LT for talk about books, gardens, pets, families, friendly chat about personal aspects of people's lives. I frequent threads like yours where the atmosphere is friendly, welcoming, and where the political drums have been left at the front door. Thank you for that.

>25 SandyAMcPherson: Yes it is interesting. I personally have quite a lot of melds in my ancestry. It's what makes us unique and something to be proud of. Have a wonderful Sunday :)

Hi Sandy, and happy new thread!

>1 SandyAMcPherson: Excellent topper photo, and It is illegal to lock your car doors in downtown Churchill, in case someone needs to escape from a polar bear (a frequent "visitor" to the town). Can’t get more practical than that!

We’re all doing the best we can vis-à-vis threads, and we’re all pretty understanding of the unbelievable strain the pandemic has put on people. I, too, have been doing more visiting than posting, but will take a deep breath and try to engage more again.

Hi Sandy.... I love your pictures for your new thread. Glad to see you are reading the Sebastian St. Cry series. Yes, Harris does take the reader down some dark alleys and disturbing topics, like she does with Why Mermaids Sing.

Happy new thread Sandy. The photos at the top are wonderful, your garden beautiful, those skies scary and the blue skies in Churchill are gorgeous!

Happy New Thread, Sandy. I hope you had a nice weekend. Hooray for A Gentleman in Moscow! One of my faves!

Revisiting the book I held off reviewing at >6 SandyAMcPherson: ~
Why Mermaids Sing, a Sebastian St. Cyr mystery.
I downgraded the rating to ; the mildly snarky review is here.

>27 lauralkeet: So well-expressed, Laura: LT is unique among internet/social media sites I frequent, in that the discourse is respectful and rarely escalates.

I think in this group for sure. I've rarely participated on Talk elsewhere, so I've nothing to measure against (except for ER discussions about books that seemed to never arrive). I've participated in one or two monthly reading topics but largely, the 75-book challenge is my talk home.

Edited to confess, I love those themed hunt games. I've finally gotten a lot better at how to find the icons. Mind you this last one 🌈 was easier than the earlier ones this year. And these hunts are so good at beguiling me with genre I ave not much explored.

>28 fuzzi: Thanks for saying this fuzzi! Your thoughts about RL and so forth helped me feel better about how I've been handling my time on LT lately.

>29 figsfromthistle:, Thank you Anita. I did have a good Sunday. I hope yours went well, too.

It was especially nice to give away all my extra plant divisions and have conversation with real-in-person people as they dropped by. All at socially-acceptable distances and no one needed to come in the house.

>30 karenmarie: Hi Karen. I think I'v taken a more relaxed view of the threads, too. So I appreciate that there were /are lots of greeting here on the new one.

It is a building anxiety as this virus reappears and then again resurges. I have dark thoughts as to how ever will I see any family until there's a vaccine to provide safety and that could take much longer than many people realise for this to be developed and know it has the efficacy we need.

>31 lkernagh: Hi Lori, I actually plan to keep on reading the series, since Harris is generally a decent writer. I did a mildly snarky review of Book 3. But that's what reviewing should be like, huh? Helps balance out opinions across broad reader preferences.

>32 mdoris: Mary, thanks for peeking in; glad you liked the photos at the top. It was hard to just pick 3 or 4 to capture the flavour of our summer.

>33 msf59: Hello Mark. Yes, A Gentleman in Moscow was well-worth dipping into, even if I had to return it unfinished. I'll probably have to start over again when I finally borrow a copy. I've put in a request should it come into my local secondhand bookstore, too. That way, no snaffling worries by the library system electronically yanking it back.

>34 SandyAMcPherson: and >39 SandyAMcPherson: - Nice review! Snarky works for me, especially as reviews are a way for the reader to communicate what they feel about the story. Besides, snarky reviews are fun to read. ;-)

>40 lkernagh: I love that you are one of the "snarky reviews" cohort who enjoys such candid commentary.

I look at the 5-star, glowing reviews on Goodreads when I am posting a particularly alternative view and wonder if I've read the same book! I don't mind a dissenting view at all. It's all part of personal experiences and preferences, after all.

Happy Canada Day, Sandy!

>42 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb. I'm dawdling around and mostly just reading threads. I feel brain-dead for witty and wise remarks - so much reading going on.

Our libraries are edging to becoming available but I still can't request books from the whole system, only ones that are in our local branches. I'm miffed because I've been eager to request the next title, except, I've gotten confused where I got to, because there's only 2 titles in my catalogue on LT.

I thought I'd read An Old, Cold Grave but I obviously didn't add it to my catalogue. I'll pop over to your thread and see what's new.

We are full on with the peonies blooming now. Despite the heavy rains this week, the blooms are amazing.

A cheerful sight in the back garden ~

This one is very fragrant ~ very old-fashioned variety, the plant was added to the garden around 1964 (by the original owner).

>44 SandyAMcPherson: - Wow! Gorgeous! And to still be blooming all these years! So beautiful! Your photo really captures the light so well, too.

>44 SandyAMcPherson: ooh, that's beautiful! I love peonies.

>44 SandyAMcPherson: What a beautiful blossom. That it smells good, too, is very much a bonus.

>44 SandyAMcPherson: I've never had a peony, although there was one growing in the yard where we lived 35 years ago.

>44 SandyAMcPherson: - Love the peony. What a beautiful colour!

Look at all the peony loving folks! This is great, because so many people turn their noses up at this very-old-fashioned garden plant. It does grow tall (about 3.5 to 4 feet!) and needs two overlapping side-by-side peony-hoops. I've often thought the flowers on this one were ahead of their time, because they don't flop over from weak stems and floor-mop heads.

Thanks for dropping by Shelley, Laura, Richard, fuzzi and Lori.

Book #71 An Old, Cold Grave (Iona Whishaw)
I actually requested this earlier in the year, and started reading the e-Book back in April.
I lost track of finishing it. Although I re-requested it right away, I didn't move forward in the queue until last month and then forgot to review the book! So this is really a June read, predating when I finally started the C.S. Harris books.

~ Book 3 in the Lane Winslow series.

Another saga wherein Lane unintentionally becomes embroiled in the discovery of a long-ago murder. Two storylines run through this plot and the mild romance between Lane and the Nelson police detective falters and flames by turns. This is a clever mystery, although I found the historical backstory rather convoluted at times. Just enough suspense to add some tension plus a comfortable conclusion.

Another lover of peonies, which we have in Kansas but not in Southern California.

>52 ronincats: Hi Roni. Thanks for chiming in.
Is So. California too warm all winter for peonies? I guess Kansas gets a good chilling in winter, no?

>51 SandyAMcPherson: I really liked the first one in this series, Sandy. I should get back to it.

I love your peonies.

Book #72. Lois Hole's Favorite Trees & Shrubs (Lois Hole)
Another book I've been reading in June; just re-read some species information yesterday and then returned the book to my neighbour. We're going to plant a small tree. That's called optimism. So take THAT you d--- Mr-Pandemic Virus.

~

This is a somewhat regional reference book for gardeners. It would suit the Pacific Northwest as well as the milder parts of the western USA, as long as the climate zones match up. I consider the author provides sound advice for choosing trees and shrubs for our zone 2b, which is pretty well one of the more challenging areas because of the dry cold.

In fact, the zone classifications seemed a bit off, considering the author lived in the prairies. Many species listed for a Zone 3 or 4 do thrive in Zone 2 and 2b, although perhaps just in urban settings.

Hamnet and Judith is the North American title for Hamnet. They are the same book. I got my copy of Hamnet from the Book Depository in the UK as I did not want to wait for the North American publishing time. I noticed your question on Mary's thread and thought I would answer for you.

I'm glad you enjoyed The Old Cold Grave. It's been a fun series so far, at least that is my opinion.

We have oodles of peonies around Long Beach, and their season is too short. But goodness are they pretty!

>56 vancouverdeb: For what it's worth, the US title is Hamnet. I just pre-ordered a copy from Amazon this week. The Amazon listing shows a book called Judith und Hamnet (no touchstone) as a German translation to be released in September.

ETA: I Googled and can see that the Canadian title is Hamnet and Judith. It's odd that it would differ from both the UK and US titles!

>56 vancouverdeb: - LOL! I just answered this for Sandy, on Mary's thread, Deb! :-)

Hi Sandy!

Lovely peonies.

I hope you have a great weekend.

>44 SandyAMcPherson: Love the peony photo. It's gorgeous!

>56 vancouverdeb: >58 lauralkeet: Hi Deb and Laura.
Thanks for the comments about the Hamnet book title. Very confusing but The Man (aka spousal unit) tells me that sometimes titles change depending on the publisher's idea of what will sell, which varies by country.

So, since Deb bought a copy from a distributor (via Book Depository) in the UK, and my public library possibly sourced it from a Canadian distributor associated with a different publisher, the titles could change.

Screenshot from Indigo books.ca website ~

Example: Ammonites and Leaping Fish: A Life in Time by Penelope Lively has the title Dancing Fish and Ammonites: A Memoir in North America. Note the touchstones confirm this.

If anyone else visiting here has other knowledge about this title change for UK books being published elsewhere, please do wade in and comment.

(Edited to include some info from a Canadian website)

>57 richardderus: >60 karenmarie: >61 mdoris: Glad the peony photo was appealing.
Good thing I captured the image last evening because today was hot-hot-hot and so humid, then windy.
The backlit lighting in evening was a plus. I was really pleased.

The weekend is humming along. No rain in our area but other places were really sodden. We could use more "free" water in the garden! Hope you enjoyed the day, despite potential weather and / or crowd mishaps.

>62 SandyAMcPherson: title change for UK books being published elsewhere

My first encounter with this phenomenon was Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. It's "Sorcerer's Stone" in the US. They also "translated" some other words in the book, common words with different meanings, like "jumper".

More recently, there's Tana French's mystery The Wych Elm, which is titled The Witch Elm in the US. This is really silly because the UK title refers to a type of tree which is central to the book, and the US title refers to ... nothing ... except maybe trying to sound creepy

And I have the Penelope Lively memoir (US title). I didn't realize it was a "victim" of the same title-changing nonsense.

You might be able to tell that I question why publishers think these title changes are necessary. 😀

>64 lauralkeet: Agree with you, Laura : plain daft.

Have a lovely Sunday, Sandy. x

>62 SandyAMcPherson: Seems to happen with a few of the Scandis, Sandi.

Jussi Adler-Olsen's books in particular have often different titles in UK as to North America. His first five Department Q books all had different titles.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/jussi-adler-olsen/

>62 SandyAMcPherson: I've purchased duplicate copies books from the UK due to title changes for the US.

I think it's silly, and unnecessary, no matter WHO is doing it.

Laura, Paul, fuzzi: We are all in agreement here, I see!
The book-selling business seems fraught with publishers and sellers making decisions without recourse to the reading-public.

In Canada, we have a market dominated by the Heather Reisman empire, better known as !ndigo Books. What Heather wants published carries a massive impact on the books that are selected by publishers to actually bring to the market. Having one individual dictate so enormously to the reading public offends the daylights out off me.

For that reason, I often deliberately gravitate to the indie publishers like Five Rivers Publishing, promoting lesser-known Canadian authors. I enjoy the weekly blog. This is where I discovered Michael Skeet for example. Five Rivers offers free e-pubs from time to time, too.

Some years ago I attended a Harper-Collins publisher talk at our annual book fair. What an eye opener! The presenters were very candidly admitting that if Heather Reisman didn't want to carry the book, they weren't going to publish it. So the influence of these bookseller monopolies is insidious. Imagine if you wanted to buy a firearms technical book? Fuggedaboudit. Or something another controversial non-PC but perfectly legitimate subject matter? It's a type of censorship that is very actively operating under the radar for many readers.

>68 SandyAMcPherson: that offends me, as I don't like censorship. They should just publish the book and let the buyers decide.

Different titles in the UK and US go back at least as far as 1931 in the books I've read, with Agatha Christie's the Sittaford Mystery being published as Murder at Hazelmoor. I found this on Yahoo answers:

There are at least four reasons for UK and US book titles often being different.

1. The original title (whether in the US or the UK) is the same as another book in the other country. To prevent confusion, the importing publisher will change the title. Say a new novel in England is published with the title "Gone With The Wind." In the US, the publisher would change its name to something else, to prevent confusion with an already published book of the same name.

2. The original title might mean something naughty in the other country. The title will be changed to prevent any problem.

3. The original title might not have any "legs" in the importing country. That is,,the marketing geniuses at the importing publisher might say that the original title simply will not arouse any interest. So the importing publisher might change the title to something more "exciting and marketable" (often to the distress of the author, who may have given the title a good deal of thought.)

4. The importing publisher might have slightly different plans for the imported book. Very often, a publisher might have a scheme to publish a series of books on the same subject and might have an overarching title: "History of Mankind Round Three" ... "History of Mankind Round Four"... etc. To round out this series, a similar book -- with a far different title, "Where is Man Headed?" -- might be imported. That title would never do in the scheme of things, and might be dropped in favor of "History of Mankind the Final Knockout"

Moral The author's wishes and reasons are rarely considered in publishing,whether in the UK or the US.

>69 fuzzi: I certainly feel it is outrageous. But I can also see the other side, that publishers need to have an outlet for their product.

It is indeed offensive that one company can wield such an impact ~ we're a small market in Canada ~ more people live in California (39.5 million compared to 37.6 million) and that doesn't translate into the numbers that are actually the book-buying component!

>70 karenmarie: Karen, thank you. Those are all considerations that have a valid reason for changing titles.

I think it is frustrating for folks who end up unknowingly buying the same book, because, as someone pointed out, they didn't realise the title simply changed. It's true that this change is rarely (if ever?) visibly noted where one could determine the fact. I just checked my Penelope Lively title (Dancing Fish and Ammonites: A Memoir) and it doesn't list what the original UK title was.

>62 SandyAMcPherson: - Sandy, I'll copy and paste what I wrote on Mary's thread, to respond to your question:

Apparently, publishers in different countries do that sometimes. Maybe copyright issues? I don't know. Sort-of like the way Lawrence Hill's The Book of Negroes is called Someone Knows My Name in the States and Simon Winchester's The Professor and the Madman is also titled The Surgeon of Crowthorne. The former was the title in North America and the latter in England. Go figure. I wish there was a warning or notice of this on the cover. I discovered the Winchester one by starting to read the second one only to discover it sounded awfully familiar and that's when I did a bit of homework to figure it out.

>72 SandyAMcPherson: - I think it is frustrating for folks who end up unknowingly buying the same book, because, as someone pointed out, they didn't realise the title simply changed. That's what happened to me with the Winchester book. I am sure there are a lot more examples of this.

Hey Sandy, when you have a minute would you please pop over to my thread? A 75er has posed a question for you about a series you're reading.

>73 jessibud2: and >74 lauralkeet:... Sure. I'll be right over. Good thing you left me a head's up here.

>73 jessibud2: Hi Shelley.
I did visit Mary's thread. I guess I forgot to comment there!
It is so true, that publishers need to be more informative of title changes.

Sandy, here is an article in the UK Guardian about why the book The Book of Negroes had to be re-titled for the USA audience, and it was against the authors wishes. Another one mentioned is Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone ( UK and Canada etc ) vs Harry Potter and the The Sorcerers' Stone. Another book is mentioned as well. I think it is what the publishers think will work in one country, but not another. I understood with The Harry Potter Book , that those in the USA would be puzzled by the word Philosopher vs Sorcerer . The same goes for book covers - what they think will appeal in one country will not appeal in another. I must admit I don't know why it would be Hamnet in one country and Hamnet and Judith in Canada. I've not seen a reason given for that.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2008/may/20/whyimnotallowedmybooktit

Hi, Sandy, Congrats on the newish thread. Nice photos up there, particularly the one from your niece. That unusual factoid about why you can't lock your cars in downtown Churchill is an eye-opener. Not a problem we run into down here!

I like the explanation in >70 karenmarie: of why we get different book titles in different countries for the same book. I immediately thought of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone/Sorcerer's Stone, too. And of course Agatha Christie, for whom it's been true for so many of her books. Our daughter's a big Agatha fan, and likes to collect different editions and covers, and titles as well, as long as they're not too expensive.

Here is yet another recent book that has been published in with two slightly different titles - and I"m not sure why . I was aware of it but I've not read the book, so have no idea what the reasoning is. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Deaths_of_Evelyn_Hardcastle The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle vs. The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle . Go figure that one. Ive no idea why.

Fun reading about changing titles. The A. Christies have driven me wild for years and years. I really want only one copy of each of them.
ER discussions about books that seemed to never arrive ---- *sigh* I did SO celebrate in April when I was promised a copy of the new David Mitchell, and there's no sign of it.

>80 LizzieD: I know, Peggy. I was so happy to have won a copy.

Hi Sandy!

Hi Deb, Joe, Peggy and Beth. It was great to see you had visited. Thanks.
I was avoiding LT threads while I made great progress with reading the E-Book cascade from Overdrive.

After my disappointment with not finishing A Gentleman in Moscow (@39), I wanted to avoid losing the ones I was in a requested-hold for quite awhile.

Three St. Cyr novels appeared, so I have been very preoccupied reading these. With a series especially, it is no fun going back to the book weeks later. I'm actually still waiting on #5, so I haven't read them in strict order. I could see back in Book #3 where certain aspects of the overall plot was heading, so I'm not feeling like anything was spoiled.

However: note to the Sebastian St. Cyr fans ~ if you are reading this series, perhaps be cautious about my reviews. I'll be brief on Talk, but my comments on the review pages for these CS Harris books might unintentionally have spoilers which I haven't tagged as such.

Book #73 Crazy Rich Asians (Kevin Kwan)

~ despite my usual success, this cover is uploading only as the fateful from LT hell.

A satirical saga of rich family dynamics and marriage. It was all about wealth, family status and fostering the legacy through generations. As well, the author drew a portrait of self-entitlement and matriarchs who interfere in their children’s lives. These aspects appeared to be exaggerated scenarios and rapidly became tedious. It wasn’t clever and I am still not sure what Kwan really wanted to say. However, if you enjoy cynical observations and drama of what a middle-class (so to speak) gal faces when unintentionally plunged into the weird family dynamics of an Asian dynasty, this book is for you!

>83 SandyAMcPherson: My estimation of what Kwan wanted to say is "let's see if I can make some money of my own by using what I know about my really rich friends" I was more amused by it than you were, but yeah, it's not all that.

>84 quondame:, Susan, I laughed out loud at that "let's see if I can make some money of my own...." comment.

Have you noticed whether other people have had cover-upload difficulties on Talk? I mooched around and there seem to be very few of the problems showing up.

I have 2 other reviews to post now, so I was hoping I'd hear if the LT website had rejigged how images are posted. I usually just copy image address from the book's review page, but the junk drawer image of the book cover didn't post either.

I'll test with a very appropriate image from my junk drawer that's been there for awhile... .

Edited: it seems the problem, at least this time, is related to something strange about the link provided for Crazy Rich Asians. I tested the cover uploaded from my junk drawer as well as a "copy image address"link from the LT book page.

To check into this further, I loaded book cover photos onto my computer from saving images from the CRA library copy and from png files from screenshots, as well as using "save image as" for online covers saved to the junk drawer. None of these image sources added a photo to LT. So, some glitch related to just this title? That seems very strange.

>85 SandyAMcPherson: Yes, there seem to be quite a number of white squares on the threads. I always make sure pictures I reference are on LT, either by putting them in my junk drawer or using them as covers for the books I mention. I have thought about adding made up books and then lots of covers, but I'd loose track and besides, it would be wrong.

Book #74 Where Serpents Sleep (CS Harris)
Book 4 of the Sebastian St.Cyr series.

~

This is my favourite book so far in the series. I'm always a fan of the "unconventional strong female for the times and her era" type of heroine. And I do think Hero Jarvis is indeed quite heroic. My major niggle with the plot is the episode in which she and Sebastian are lured to a place where they become trapped. It was a contrived situation to throw them together and the resulting scenario was quite out of character, at least as far as Hero is concerned.

A minor annoyance throughout this series is Sebastian's pursuit of murderous people with absolutely no back up. He hares off to confront one person after another and deliberately baits them without any apparent consideration for having a partner scouting out the area to protect his inquiries from landing him in a life-threatening jam.
Despite these criticisms, I still like the theme and the general rollicking narrative. Harris is a very likeable storyteller.

>86 quondame:, I edited >85 SandyAMcPherson: to explain more clearly where I was grabbing a book cover in=mage.

Congratulations on reaching 75 books, Sandy!

And congratulations on this being the 1,000 post on your threads in 2020. Running 2nd amongst Canadian threads. xx

Book #75 When Maidens Mourn (CS Harris)
NOTE! This review is necessarily out of sequence ~ Book 7 of the Sebastian St.Cyr series.

I borrowed Books 6 and 7 since I'm still waiting for What Remains of Heaven (at least 3 more weeks).
By mistake, I read Book 7 before #6. It turns out that the series-sequence leap didn't ruin anything, because (from Book 4) I had already decided a future major plot development was inevitable.

~

The 7th saga was not nearly as enjoyable as Book 4. It was a story lacking coherence and with too much muddled action in the plot development. Since I read this immediately after #4, the contrast in the two narratives was especially noticeable.

Some of the newer characters were fun to see involved in the mystery, especially Sebastian's valet, Calhoun, first appearing in Where Serpents Sleep. Other past supporting characters come and go on the fringes of the intrigue. The series a is a fine example of highly distinct personages, well-rounded descriptions and staying fairly true to their personalities. From time to time, as Sebastian casts around considering various suspects, I lost track of who the different family members were within each of the scenarios we are presented. There are some good sequences in this book, but overall, the story doesn't manage to stay very focused. The reader is likely to lose that sense of 'involved engagement' that Harris can usually achieve.

>90 PaulCranswick: You're keeping track of thread posts?!!


You must have some amazing software programmed into this group. My goodness gracious, that had to have taken hours to set up.

>89 PaulCranswick: Paul That is so astute of you!
I had mis-numbered my book at >83 SandyAMcPherson: and hadn't realised I was up to Book #75 (> 91).

Now fixed thanks to your kind message.

>92 SandyAMcPherson: Yes, I set it up on a spreadsheet years ago and it is easy to keep up and update. I had noticed that you had reached 998 posts and the timing was perfect to congratulate you on 75 books and then 1,000 posts in successive posts. xx

>94 PaulCranswick: Well, that's likely going down in the annals as coincidentally the best time ever to hit #75!
Of course, overall, I'm very modest in my reading objectives, to complete 110 books by year end.

Heck, yes, modest ~ I think Susan will reach Book 200 before the end of this weekend!

>95 SandyAMcPherson: Congratulations!

Unlike Paul, I just looked at your numbers and was like what?.

I just started Agency so I may be in cyberspaces for a few days.

Wow! Congratulations on your 75! Keep reading!!!!
Any word from when you may get your mitts on The Lantern Men? I'm quite content to wait until it comes to you.

>91 SandyAMcPherson: Congratulations on reaching 75, Sandy!

Congrats on 75, Sandy. I think that you're probably going to exceed your goal of 110, right?

Congrats on reaching 75 and 1000 posts, Sandy. You are going to pass your goal, it seems.

>91 SandyAMcPherson: Yay!

>96 quondame: I hope Agency is good reading. I've never been able to quite connect with William Gibson, much to my regret. He's a popular author in our extended family.

>97 LizzieD:, Hi Peggy. According to the library website, I am 4th on the list of holds for The Lantern Men and they haven't even got the book processed yet. I think the library staff only recently returned to work. If you feel like going ahead, I understand. These are such strange times!

Thanks for the 75th Congrats, Susan, Peggy, Anita, Karen and Beth. I expect to keep on keeping on even if I surpass 110. I set that as a modest ambition so I didn't feel stressed about an actual number. *grin* I am all about low stress and as little anxiety as possible. And that was before the SARS-CoV 2 arrived in North America!

>101 richardderus: Hi RD. Thank you for the silver medallion.

I should quit lurking on your thread and post something, so you know I was at least semi-paying attention. I haven't been feeling inspired. Not because of the conversations around LT, but just me.

Almost 100% of the time waiting for inspiration results in nothing. Just do a thing, another thing occurs to you, etc etc world without end.

It's cliché, but it's true!

>104 richardderus: Well, I gabbled over on your new thread...
I have not wanted to lose (again) e-books that I borrowed and didn't finish. So that's part of my not being very evident. It is too easy to wander the threads and do no reading!

>104 richardderus: My friend, Steven Barnes, maintains that if you write one sentence a day every day you will eventually write something someone will be willing to buy.

Congratulations on reaching 75 books, Sandy!

>85 SandyAMcPherson: - Hi Sandy, do you use the book covers that are already loaded into LT or do you independently source? You might have better luck with the ones available from the book page when you click "Change Cover" and see what is already in the system, find the book cover that matches yours, right click (assuming you are using Windows operating system), "Copy image address" and you should be good to go.

Congratulations on reaching 75 books read, Sandy!

>105 SandyAMcPherson: There's a lot of difference between passing a comment upon the scene and gabbling. Judge yourself as *others* judge you! My YGC explained to me that how I see myself in relation to him isn't how he sees me in relation to him, and he was careful to encourage me to consider that gap. (Well, what he actually said was, "that's just stupid, why would I want to spend time with someone who bores me?" but it amounts to the same thing.)

>106 quondame: He is completely correct. For some, that duration could be longer than their expected lifespan, but he's completely correct.

Congrats on hitting the goal!

Congratulations on reading 75, Sandy!

I got woefully behind on your threads, and wanted to return for a minute to your last one. I join Roni and Susan (and probably others) in hoping you give the start to the Vorkosigan series a try. The series is beloved for a reason. I started with Warrior's Apprentice, which was on display in a bookstore, but I've been reading sci-fi for a long time, and have no problem adjusting to new worlds. From what you've said, Shards of Honor seems like the place where you'd enjoy starting.

I'm so far behind I missed out totally on the convo about title changing. Really illuminating and depressing. Also about the stranglehold one person has on your publishing industry.

Otherwise -- usually you can get around the image thing by going to Change Cover on the book page, and either loading a URL or using one someone else has loaded. You can take your own photo too, load it in your photos and then use it -- I think? LT had to make the loading of images take two steps to avoid anyone easily loading anything gross. Just the extra step slows that down to almost nothing.

E.G. Every book or image you put in has to end up with "librarything" somewhere in the image url.

Hi Sandy!

Another way to get the 'correct' cover loaded for your edition of a book (after making sure there are no member-loaded covers of high quality that match your cover), is to use your printer to scan one onto your device (I use a Brother printer and a Dell laptop), then browse your device, find the file just scanned, and upload it. It takes a few minutes, but for those of us who think it important, it's worth it. I didn't figure this all out right away, and I still have books without covers and no available covers, books with Amazon covers, and books with blurry covers - all needing to be scanned and uploaded. I'll get there eventually.

>113 karenmarie: use your printer to scan one onto your device
I used to do this fairly often. These days, I can usually find a member cover that matches, or I use Lucy's method (>112 sibylline:) to grab the URL of the Amazon cover.

FYI, in the absence of a scanner, taking a photo with a smartphone or tablet works too.

Congrats on reading 75 books! Have a great week.

Update, remember how I had trouble back at #85, uploading the cover for Crazy Rich Asians?

Weirdly tried it again, doing the exact same thing I tried before (copy link from LT book page)
and ... guess what? !!

Nope, I have no idea what was going on the other day. One of those GOK things.

>111 jnwelch: Thanks for that insight, Joe. I'm definitely not abandoning the Vorkosigan series. It was great to have your input.

>112 sibylline:, >113 karenmarie:, >114 lauralkeet: I do use LT for covers and have resolved this weirdness with having the cover appear on my book page but not on Talk. You probably noticed the post at #116.

Thanks so much for chiming in. I love how 75-ers chip in helpful comments and make sure everyone can formulate their threads.

I'm finally catching up on your thread, having fallen way behind this year. I'll admit to just skimming, but congratulations on reaching 75 books!

Congrats on hitting the 75 book mark, Sandy! I've been a big fan of the St. Cyr series too--only two more to read.

I have a bunch of St. Cyrs unread. *sigh* The same is true for the Sir John/Jeremy series by Bruce Alexander that I also really like.

>119 foggidawn: I fall behind farther and farther, too. I think a lot of us are in that situation. Skimming is good! Focus on whatever intrigues. Thanks for the 75-er pat on the back!

>120 ronincats: Hi Roni, thanks for my 75 acknowledgement.
St. Cyr is well-written and I thoroughly enjoy the historical setting. How many are in the series now (I thought more than 15, but LT doesn't list any beyond)?

I saw a comment on Lori's thread that Who Buries the Dead (Book 10) is perhaps a bit of a clunker. Do you have a clunker-warning, too?

>121 LizzieD: Hi Peggy. The unread St. Cyr are not bad. So much to look forward to when finally we have no more stories by Elly Griffiths, hey?

Book #76 How to Read Islamic Carpets (WB Denny)
Our home has hardwood flooring and the carpets are all from the Near East. I was hoping to learn more about the tribal designs in ours.

~

Extensive descriptions with illustrations of the classes/types of carpets. Scholarly writing of the history of carpet and rug-making was occasionally rather turgid. Unless the reader has extensive experience with the designs, the book does not teach one how to "read" an unknown example. The teaching aspect would have been more illuminating had the photographs been annotated (not to mention, less muddy-coloured). The historical progression in hand knotted and woven carpet-making will appeal to the history buff.

"Persian" carpets (from the era in which my family bought) are traditionally vibrant colours.


Ours are hand-knotted and this example is a " اطو " Kirman known as an 'iron' carpet for its wearing qualities. Note the jewel-like tones, especially in the red.

Book #77 Where Shadows Dance (CS Harris)

~

Sebastian St. Cyr mystery #6
Every bit as intriguing as Where Serpents Sleep. Very different story, beginning with the surgeon, Paul Gibson, discovering that a body he hired Jumpin' Jack to disinter was not a natural death. Harris has created a complex plot that borders at times on a Gothic farce (enjoyable none the less). As in earlier books, the author includes interesting historical background and brings forward the focus on the social injustice common to this era.

I value this scholarly slant and realistic portrayal of the characters. The fiction feels genuine and the people are distinctive, as if drawn from life. Hero Jarvis is painted with an assertiveness and independence that guarantees she won't become something of a cardboard character, which I felt characterised Kat Boleyn.

>126 SandyAMcPherson: your reviews are really tempting me to check out this series. It's one of a handful I've been eyeing. I recently finished the Sandhamn Murders and have just one Ruth Galloway left, so I think I could afford to add more to my active series list.

>127 lauralkeet: Hi Laura. I'm pleased my reviews are intriguing you ~ I think you'll not be disappointed.

Although I was somewhat put off the series with Book 1, I'm really glad I persevered. It is quite natural that an author isn't going to hit a top-rating with every novel in a series, but Harris achieves enough of a quality story in most of the series, from what I've seen in reviews, anyway.

I'm going to start What Darkness Brings soon because the holds request line still has me waiting, waiting, waiting for What Remains of Heaven. If you can, do read the series in sequence. I'm about 3/4s gf the way through The Ten Thousand Doors of January and it is probably a 5-star book for me.

It's a glorious day here and I'm up early (was up...). I hope you aren't drowning in heat & humidity in Philly!

>125 SandyAMcPherson: Gorgeous!!!!!
You are encouraging me to start *10,000 Doors*, and I really don't need to do that. Since when have I paid attention to rationality when it comes to reading?
I also need to see where I stopped St. Cyr and Co.

>129 LizzieD: Hi Peggy. Do you have a copy already of 10,000 Doors,?

I had to start it sooner than I planned because the hold for me seemed to jump ahead faster than was originally indicated.
I've borrowed 2 other e-books but one is a bit less compelling and the other I have lots of time left. So I leapt in and don't regret casting others aside.

P.S. Thanks for admiring my Kirman carpet. I saved $50 from every paycheque in a "carpet fund" so I could buy at least 1 or 2 carpets of my own choosing. These hand-knotted ones last amazingly, so I still have the ones my parents bought (and I inherited).

>125 SandyAMcPherson: That is a lovely carpet.
As a pre-teen I spent some hours watching my dad at Haroutounian's Rug store as he went through a lengthy process of adding, one at a time, to the modest inventory which covered our parquet floors. This happened every couple of years as he would journey with my mom on her regular visits to Los Angeles. I remember a large warehouse of a room so dim that the colors had to be inferred, though it can't quite have been the case. It turns out that one of the earlier rugs he selected, a runner which was much run upon must be quite rare - when a prospective buyer approached my brother without being able to support his offer with a researched market price, my brother spent some time looking and questioning, resulting in no other examples like it, so he still has it in his own hallway. I got a Hariz to fit my living room, and have a few of my dad's badly dog abused smaller finds here and there.

>125 SandyAMcPherson: What a beautiful carpet, Sandy.

>126 SandyAMcPherson: Another good one in this series. I must get back to it.

>131 quondame: Hi Susan, your stories about the Haroutounian's Rug store are interesting. And a Hariz (Heris?). I'm not familiar with that type.
I sure relate to that process of adding, one at a time, to the carpet 'inventory'. My folks did that as well. The mere process of negotiating the price took several visits to the souk!
I've never regretted spending the money from my "carpet fund". They'll last through more than 2 generations and I've got one beside the bed to remind me every morning that my paltry pay cheque was put to good use!

>132 BLBera: Sure is a big fan-dom on LT for the St. Cyr novels.
However did I miss that before now?!

>133 SandyAMcPherson: The Heriz is a Persian, on the orange side, somewhat nomadic in looks. When dad finally found the blue Sarouk of his dreams the Heriz which had been the family living room rug after having been his dad's vacation cabin rug after having been his grandfather's rug, and which went on to be my brother's rug in his beach apartment days, was for at least decade in my bedroom and much loved.
NMP

>125 SandyAMcPherson: Gorgeous carpet, Sandy! I have a sister - in - law who's dad is originally from Tunisia, and she has some lovely carpets that parents have given to her over the years. Unfortunately she and my brother and family live in Barrie ON, so I've not seen them in quite a while.

>135 quondame: Susan! I ♡♡ that carpet. Thank you for posting.
And a blue Sarouk ~ my brother has one of those. We divided the ones my folks had, after they had both passed away. It is quite small, about 3½ x 5 feet I think. Not really a runner. I loved the design.

>125 SandyAMcPherson: I adore the red colored carpets the absolute best.

Happy weekend ahead.

>37 SandyAMcPherson: I just checked, and I do have some photos of my dad's rugs.
We also divided up the rugs, though I don't think my elder brother took any so it was the 3 of us. But none was in great condition - well the smaller blue Sarouk below was OK after a thorough cleaning and the silk rug that had been kept on the wall was faded and permeated with pipe smoke but not abused by canines. The small Sarouk is beside an old New Orleans bedstead, big frame, modest full sized mattress.

>139 quondame: Thanks so much Susan for these splendid photos. That Sarouk is gorgeous!

Book # 78 The Ten Thousand Doors of January (Alix Harrow)
One of my best reads this year!

~

Alix Harrow’s writing is so creative, that one is easily inveigled into the story. Especially effective was the 'story-telling' beginning, where the narrator describes words and how the letters are really pictures of Important Things: doors are Doors, ("... look how tall and proud the word stands on the page now, the belly of that D like a black archway leading into white nothing"). Delicious imagery, no?

So indeed, this is a portal fantasy, where doors open "...things flow between worlds and … stories happen”. Harrow’s chronicle, narrated largely by the young girl, January, is probably the first one with which I truly engaged. That is probably due to the author's very talented descriptions. In the acknowledgements, Harrow admits to having a very limited imagination (!). She says, "It shines best when permitted to slink and glimmer in the margins". Can't you just see what she means?

It is a many-layered tale of the young January coming into adulthood, discovering herself, her truths, and best of all, learning her strengths with ultimately becoming confident in this knowledge.

A few niggles, which could have been addressed with tighter editing:
The pacing towards the end was a tad drawn out, which lessened the impact of where the dénouement was going. After all, this novel is a magical adventure and such fiction doesn't need that degree of detail.
And in avoiding any spoilers, I'll simply say that I thought the final ending was weak. Still, I highly recommend the book because Harrow is such an accomplished wordsmith and despite her claim, she has drawn an imaginary world that felt very genuine.

>141 SandyAMcPherson: On the wishlist!

Hi Sandy!

>141 SandyAMcPherson: I'm glad you liked it. It's buzzing all over our little corner of LT. I don't remember whose thread I may have first seen it on, but @streamsong's mentioning it is what got me to ask my husband for it for my b-day last month.

Her next book, The Once and Future Witches, is due out in October.

>143 karenmarie: Hi Karen, I have already requested it at the library.
The book is listed as "on order", so thanks for mentioning when it is expected to be released.

This morning by sheer coincidence, I consigned Madame Fourcade's Secret War (Lynne Olson) to my DNF graveyard. The coincidence was found later, over on Laura's thread, when she mentioned her book club discussions falling flat for A Woman of No Importance (Sonia Purnell).

As I said to Laura, however, I totally get it (not reading/finishing). I doubt I'll return to Olson's book, because the author drowned the narrative in too much detail and I quit reading at about the halfway point. I started Purnell's book back in early April and had to set it aside as well.

Both these histories are so full of heartbreaking defeats, danger and hardship, that I've not finished either book because "the wrong book for the time". I am seeking out lighter reading material and fiction that I can escape into and then forget. My subliminal anxiety level is full to overflowing. I'm impatient with books that are not nourishing in some way and lighter fare has been my antidote, an escapist's relief, if you will.

I surely can understand that this mindset is prevalent across many reader's choice of titles.

>139 quondame: Thanks for the photos, Sandy!

>141 SandyAMcPherson: Great comments. I can't wait to get my hands on this one. I'm waiting for a library copy.

>142 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb. I hope you enjoy the novel. It was such a creatively-written book. I've put in a hold request for her next title, The Once and Future Witches. My library has a hard copy listed as 'on order' so I hope I'm near the top when it finally is on the shelves.

>141 SandyAMcPherson: I enjoyed it as much as you did, Sandy, and am delighted that you found it so pleasurable a read.

Happy weekend!

>145 SandyAMcPherson: good insight to your reading habits and preferences, Sandy. I've continued to read "heavier" stuff, but I need to follow heavy books with a light book or two.

Book #79. What Darkness Brings (CS Harris)

~

Sebastian St. Cyr mystery #8
As in an earlier book, the main character, Sebastian, is again coping with troublesome French agents under Bonaparte's command. It was rather fascinating to discover that the famous Hope blue diamond is central to the theme. The body count mounted, which began to feel a bit over the top and in fact I was really irritated about one of the victims (unless there's a development in a later book, I can't see the point of this death). My usual niggle: Viscount Devlin again investigates with no back up, takes all kinds of punishing knife cuts, and seems to withstand a surprising amount of fisticuffs in pursuit of villains. One begins to just invoke an eye-roll and go with the story, because that's Harris' style.

For all that Devlin is grappling with apparently disconnected murders, he realises that the intrigues reach into higher levels all the way to Prinny. It turns out that the author has created a narrative based on many actual historical events, so I enjoyed the author's after notes as much as the adventure. Generally the story was interesting but dominated by Devlin and with less involvement of Hero.

I'm definitely on a roll with reading these St. Cyr mysteries. For my preferences, the books have been consistently well-written with a good historical setting in the Regency period of London. Only Books 1 and 7 have been slightly in the clunker category. I'm reading them fairly exclusively while I wait for some library requests to surface.

Of course I could read off my own shelves, but there are no unread mysteries luring there. And I am definitely in the mood for escapist reading these days!

A family member asked for help finding a title.
Not much info to go on, so I posted the query here.

Since this is such an eclectic group, I figured I'd mention it. F'anks!

>151 SandyAMcPherson: I see it's answered. It was one of the few I could have answered.

Hi, Sandy! I'm hopelessly behind on your, well, everyone's, threads, so I won't even try to catch up. I did want to comment on a couple of things. Like Joe and Roni, I highly recommend the Vorkosigan series, starting with Shards of Honor.

Glad you continue to enjoy the St. Cyr mysteries. I recently finished the most recently published book in the series and enjoyed it a lot, but, then, I do enjoy a good historical mystery. (I'm currently rereading the Amelia Peabody series and enjoying it even more the second time around, if you can believe it.) I'm not sure to whose death you were referring in >150 SandyAMcPherson:; I'll have to go look and see.

I had trouble staying interested in The Ten Thousand Doors of January. Not sure exactly why it didn't work for me. Perhaps it just wasn't the right book for me at that time, or perhaps it just dragged a bit too much (I did get about 2/3 of the way through). Or maybe it was too reminiscent of The Starless Sea, which I read earlier this year (and wasn't blown away by either - I know, blasphemy).

Anyway, just wanted to say hi and see what you've been up to.

>153 Storeetllr:, Hi Mary. Glad you stopped by.
I understand your sentiment about The Ten Thousand Doors of January. A close friend who normally shares my opinion on novels felt very similarly to you, saying that there was too much wishy-washy aspects to January's persona and it bugged her that the ending was so inconclusive (a niggle to which I admitted also).

In fact now that I've had a week or so of cogitation, I am seeing these flaws a bit more clearly. I still loved the book and wouldn't change my rating, but I do realise, I also probably wouldn't read it again... always my gold standard for whether to buy a book.

Re the book @ 79, it was Russell Yates who is killed. I have read onwards in the next book because my hold request was available, but I think I'm going to give the series a break for awhile. Too many sequels in the same series influences how much fun I'm having, so I do want to perpetuate the enjoyment.

I hope you enjoyed a lovely weekend and that the weather wasn't too hot and humid.

I wanted to write a perspective on the pandemic and why we have new waves of active cases (assuming anyone here wants to see this situation on a book-talk thread; otherwise, posted #157 is my next book review (hint: it's Not a CS Harris novel!)
😄

Canada is splurging on too many parties and gatherings, despite the provincial health officers' across the country advising against crowding. While some rules are observed, many less-regulated places are ridiculous.

Here are a few images of the idiocy and lest anyone thinks I'm being arrogant about Canadians, I've posted the evidence from both sides of the border, people just don't understand how horribly contagious/infectious this SARS-CoV 2 virus is...

American tourist boat Maid Of The Mist, limited to 50 per cent occupancy under New York state's rules flagrantly unable to accommodate social distancing 😩. The passing vessel, Hornblower, limited to 6 (+ crew) ~



But wait! Look at these youthful Canadians in Vancouver, B.C., congregating at Third Beach, (reported here).

An example of being oblivious or just fed up with social distancing?

Hi, Sandy! I'm tickled to look again at your rug and at Susan's. They are all beautiful!
I do indeed have a copy of *10,000 Doors*, which I got at a bargain price for my Kindle. I think that it must have been a Daily Deal. If I'm at all attracted, I don't hesitate when a book is $1.99 or $2.99. I look at English deals and drool, and I wonder which Amazon Canada is closer to. I'm still a kid. Even if I won't read a book again, I love to have it available.
>155 SandyAMcPherson: How depressing!

Book #80 The Bookshop of Yesterdays (Amy Meyerson)

~

This novel is one of those that gets a tear-away bestseller billing, except it isn't worth (dare I say), the paper it was written on. Is this a picture of the angst of the author's childhood overlaid with some wishful thinking? Was Amy Meyerson writing memoir fiction? My thoughts intruded quite frequently into her narrative. There was never a sense of reality, of chief-character personification, that didn't feel like Amy was actually talking about unresolved issues with her Mother. No, I don't know why the story felt that way; certainly not an echo of my happy relationship with my mother.

Miranda, was so poorly-characterised (having an inability to therapeutically manage her relationships) that I don't believe many readers are going to enjoy reading about her antics. Her connection to people was constantly flawed with an attitude I would attribute to a young teenager, not a woman in her late twenties-early thirties. Not that her parents managed much better.

I did like the premise of the book, but the plot progressed so glacially, that I had to concentrate on staying connected. While a quest theme was apparent, I'd say it got lost in the telling. And the clues were so esoteric that I'm not sure how many readers could (or would) enjoy unravelling the hints. Of course there were twists and big reveals (not exactly stellar), but they had no emotional impact. I was disappointed how the story turned out, especially with the implausible events, such as a person with no business experience taking over the debt-ridden bookstore (unresolved throughout the whole story), changing its name and having an affair with the unseemly Malcolm, a dysfunctional manager if ever there was.
I think Meyerson set up a "Bookshop" mystery but then didn't use the plot device at all well.

>157 SandyAMcPherson: I rated it half a star higher, but yeah, it wasn't all that. Not something I'd generally recommend.

>158 quondame: Glad to see your sentiments, Susan. Thanks!

I wasn't very succinct in writing my review. It was really a hard story to summarise from my perspective because I kept expecting everything to be better or resolved or make sense. As I said earlier (@ 151), I was trying to help with finding the title. Then realised, hey this sounds pretty intriguing. Do great expectations lead to greater disappointment? Well, it was a nice break from the St. Cyr novels.

>154 SandyAMcPherson: Ah, now I remember the book and the character who was killed! Yes, it is sometimes a good idea to break up a binge read/reread with a completely different book. Sorry your break wasn't all that.

>155 SandyAMcPherson: yikes, but yes that sort of behavior is happening in lots of places. It's frustrating.

>157 SandyAMcPherson: Sorry to hear your latest book was a dud. On to something better next, I hope?

Hi Sandy!

>155 SandyAMcPherson: I’ve tried three times to respond to this post, Sandy, and erased each effort. Covid-19 is horrible, some places are responding better than others, and everybody’s learning the hard way how to respond, how/when to reopen, how to get its citizens to wear masks/wash hands/socially distance. I think there’s a lot of lockdown fatigue happening, along with good weather.

>160 Storeetllr:, >161 lauralkeet: Hi Mary and Laura.
Yes indeed, it was a bit of a let down. My niece was so enthusiastic about the story, too. She has been getting in touch more than usual, via FaceTime and e-mail, during this time of "Work from home". So it was kind of special to share her recent reading (although it mustn't have impressed her for long, since she couldn't remember the title!).

I think I've become a bit of a book curmudgeon, though. More demanding of the craft, I expect. It was a relief in a funny way, to read the reviews others had posted about The Bookshop of Yesterdays, however. As is often the case, quite a wide spectrum of opinion.

Last night was really hot and still, absolutely not a breath of air. I didn't feel like sitting in a chair/bed, feeling too hot. Despite having the AC cranked up; it's a central system and doesn't really make a big difference in the top story of our 4-level split - all the cold air pools in the basement and with high humidity, just makes everything kind of soggy. Yes, very rare in our prairie climate, but we don't have that big air conditioner of an ocean to generate cooled breezes.

Instead of veg-ing out to read, I took all the books off one of my bookcases and sorted them. Mostly not to cull, but to remove all the "this is not a book" material that I had stashed for want of the famous where will I store this if it is going to be accessible?

Craft supplies, small boxes of greeting cards, and letter-writing paper --- in some storage bins for now and oh goodie-yay! ~ I can shelve recent acquisitions that have been needing a proper place. I also found several older books not in my LT catalogue that will need manual entries because, no ISBNs.

It was still muggy as all heck at 11 p.m. but I had a shower and did go to bed and read anyway. I started a novel from yesterday's library curbside pick-up: The Blood Card (Elly Griffiths). Of course I *really* wanted to have this author's newest one, but my place in the queue for The Lantern Men hasn't budged.

Onto my next library book today: Remodelista: the organized home (Julie Carlson). Because I DO need some fresh ideas. The purge of the bookshelf last night was compelled by borrowing this title yesterday.

Help request...
I used to subscribe to a Canadian magazine, Uppercase.
When I was emptying my studio bookshelf last night (see #164), I discovered a stack of issues that I'd forgotten about.

There seems to be no ISBN for this 'zine (phooey!) so I wondered ~ is there a setting on the 'scan' app (on my android 'phone) that can otherwise record/add the magazines? These are in a trade format paperback. I have about 10 issues and wanted to make it less onerous than adding manually.

Based on your enjoyment of The Ten Thousand Doors of January I'll recommend The Ghost Bride. Not quite as fun, for some values of fun, but stranger.

>166 quondame: Sounds psychologically-scary! Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
When (if?) the mental strain and weariness of this plague lifts, I could probably really embrace this historical fantasy. I know I should be stronger but .... in the meantime I'm looking at cosy-mysteries that have comfortable endings.

>167 SandyAMcPherson: I'd put the peril level about the same as The Ten Thousand Doors of January but Li Lan seems, aside from her trouble causing beauty, more of a real person than January. Her missteps and vulnerabilities are just so sheltered 18 young woman, as are her fears and stubbornness. Doors is a bit smoother flowing and immediately engrossing, which was what liked most about it.

>166 quondame: I second The Ghost Bride. Really enjoyed it when I read it a few years ago.

I'm not crazy about cozy mysteries so can't help you there.

I liked The Ten Thousand Doors of January a sight better than most of y'all, seeing the wishy-washy-ness as ambiguity.

Re: Uppercase, when you are adding your books, the data source that you use to add those volumes can make all the difference in the world. My default data source is the Library of Congress, duh I'm a Murrikin, but the Toronto Public Library or McGill Library have anything Canadian I've had trouble sourcing here.

Of course, Amazon US and Amazon Canada have pretty much everything anywhere ever, but they lack good bibliographical data.

Book #81 Why Kings Confess (CS Harris)

~

There was a more political situation for the murder mystery in this novel (#9). Since it surrounded Louis XVII, (the so-called "Lost Dauphin", son of beheaded King Louis XVI), the story was a great deal more convoluted for me. I knew very little of this period in the French revolution. Fortunately, Harris made a very smooth intertwining of this backstory which enlightens the uninformed reader.

Less clear was the involvement of the various French scroundels manoeuvering in the peace negotiations with the British. Neither was it an adroit involvement of the Italian-trained French physician, Alexi Sauvage, a woman known all too well by Sebastian.

However, the characters and the suspenseful action were engaging and did not disappoint in delivering an interesting story. As well, it was a relief that finally (!) Hero gave birth to the baby and under very trying circumstances. The historical details of the regency-period practices to manage the women in the upper classes 'confinement' were quite the revelation. As before, Harris' afterword is well-worth reading for explanation of fact versus fiction.

Note: On advice from another LT member**, I avoided reading the treatment of the imprisoned "Lost Dauphin". For me, it was a really fast skim and move on. I probably didn't miss the insinuations nor lose any salient details pertaining to St. Cyr's efforts in narrowing suspects.

**I think it was Lori (a.k.a., lkernagh) and I am really grateful. My imagination is all too retentive and overactive.

Hi Sandy! Hope you’re doing well today and got all your ‘zines added.

I think you forgot me up there at >162 karenmarie:.

>162 karenmarie: and >172 karenmarie:
Karen! How sweet of you to make a note of this.

I have a tendency to start answering some comments (in this case. Laura and Mary), then backtracking to see what they were replying to and generally fiddling around before I actually post a response. So of course, if there are additional comments in the meantime, I miss them until I refresh the thread.

I've been known to leave my own thread up for a whole day while I faff around with looking up books or reading something when I am trying to write a sensible review.

So to answer, i sure agree that there is a lot of lockdown fatigue and just plain ignorance. Not studied ignorance, but whole communities just not understanding.

We've had an enormous increase in active cases here (in Saskatchewan) because the Hutterite colonies right across the Alberta-Saskatchewan-Manitoba landscape lead such communal lives that they've infected a scary number of people plus visited quite a number of retail outlets which spread the infection out of control.

I feel really sad for these families. It is a wonder that the health professionals (epidemiologists) weren't a lot more proactive in visiting these communities to explain how critical social distancing was and what a reasonable household "bubble" would be.

So we had been sitting at about 6 deaths all this while and now we're at 18 (our province has just ove 1 million people here, according to the 2018 statistics), and we have small towns and cities, so that increase is relatively huge). The leap in active cases in a 10-day period went from 48 to 304 (as of yesterday). That's a huge reproduction factor.

OK. I'm done with the Chicken Little act.
I'll pop over to visit you on *your* home sweet home...

Hi!

I do the same with threads, although never leaving mine up for a day - but leave it open while I'm writing into a Word document and basically doing what you do and occasionally missing a post between posting and looking again later.

I'm sorry to hear that Saskatchewan has had a spike in cases and deaths. It is the percentages that always make folks nervous, and your percentages are increasing dramatically. They're now predicting up to 250K deaths in the US by November, so I'm not letting down my guard.

Stay safe and well!

Thank you Karen.
I hope you and your family & friends are managing this situation okay. At least I am fortunate to live in a smaller population. I can't imagine what it must be like in crowded centres. Or, I *can* imagine and it seems scary.

I live a bucolic existence, Sandy, on 8 acres between two small towns in a medium-ish North Carolina county. The closest 'amenities' - museums that interest me, restaurants, concerts that interest me, etc. - are no closer than about 45 minutes driving time. The only person making me nervous about socializing too much during Covid-19 is my sister in Southern California. At least once a month she's getting up close and personal either with her daughter/family, sister-in-law/family, or one particular set of friends. My daughter drove within two miles of our house last week but we had agreed to not see each other even though I haven't seen her since January. I can't imagine living in a city right now either.

>176 karenmarie: That was an interesting overview.
Thanks.
I think your 8-acre paradise was mentioned back in the spring. I'm going to have to make a location 'cheat sheet'... I often forget people's actual names, being most familiar with their idiosyncratic LT nicks.
Awhile ago, I did make a text list to remind me who is "Lori, Meg, how many Susan's and Mary's (!), Stasia, Beth, Kim, etc. etc." I keep having to look up where folks live, because I never added that as well. Fortunately some LTers just go ahead and use their names on the threads. It's fun seeing how folks style themselves. Dr. Neutron for example! :D

And if I missed mentioning someone, apologies, I was just citing a few examples. I'm not discounting the dropper's by. I love visitors, because it is pretty quiet at our house. Summer is usually a very social, on-the-patio, coffee time.

>171 SandyAMcPherson: That sounds like an excellent read indeed!

Happy week ahead.

>178 richardderus: Thanks Richard, I hope your week ahead is smooth and none of that tropical storm whips up the area you live beside. And yes, I do like CS Harris' writing very much.

I snark and niggle, because I have a tendency to want the writers to aim for the best, but I think she is really good at her craft and portraying the Regency London time period. Her plots are very complex and I rail a bit about that.

Book #82 What Remains of Heaven (CS Harris)

~

The Library Overdrive summary:
Sebastian St. Cyr's search for the killer of the controversial Bishop of London leads him from the back alleys of Smithfield to the power corridors of Whitehall to the well-guarded secrets of his own family's past.

I found this continuing saga of Sebastian's involvement in solving murders as engaging as ever. That his participation in solving crimes which reach into the aristocracy is a creative theme in Harris' St. Cyr mysteries. This particular book was a wonderful development in the complex relationship between Hero Jarvis and Sebastian. Both Hero and her mother are wonderfully drawn individuals.

Onto the next one in my "back-into-order" series reading. Book 5 was unavailable to me as an e-book for about 5 weeks! Now I'm moving forwards in order, to read one that someone on the 75-Talk threads suggested was a bit of a clunker ~ #10, Who Buries the Dead.

Thanks to you Sandy, I requested the first Sebastian St Cyr book (Kindle edition) from my library. I'm #8 on 2 copies, so it will take a little time I suppose. That surprised me, but maybe it shouldn't have. I also picked up the second book super cheap in a used bookshop over the weekend, but I plan to read in order so I've shelved it for now.

>181 lauralkeet: I plan to read in order so I've shelved it for now.
Good idea, if you can manage it.

I had to wait *ages* for Book 1 and I'm glad I did, since it sets up the whole series very appropriately. I hope you enjoy the books.

While I really am quite a fan, in an escapist sort of way, for the Ruth Galloway books by Elly Griffiths, I think CS Harris is a much more accomplished storyteller. Her evocative descriptions of the seamy realities of Regency London and the snottiness of most of the aristocracy illustrate such consummate writing.

>182 SandyAMcPherson: Interesting. I can't wait to read the books now!

Book #83 The Blood Card (Elly Griffiths)

~

Book 3 in the Stephens & Mephisto series
This was something of a trans-Atlantic mystery that also explored past history of the participants in an emigré group interned during WWII. Involvement of a Romany family with the murder of a fortune-teller provided a complex set of new characters in addition to Edgar, Max, Emma and Ruby.

There were a few twists and turns that felt clumsy in terms of a threat to the coronation (1953) but overall it was a fast-paced development and hopefully an introduction to new characters going forward. Edgar does not engage my attention as much as his DS, Emma and of course the delightful Max. I hope Tol Barton appears further in the next instalment. I quite liked how Griffiths brought him into the story.

Book #84

~

Subtitled: simple, stylish storage ideas for all over the house
This approach to creating a tidied home with less clutter had some simple approaches that clarified the way to move forward. Unlike the much-admired KonMarie way (see Marie Kondo's well-known The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up), one doesn't need to make vast piles of a room's contents to decide how to store and discard items.

Instead, the authors have created a straight-forward manifesto which succinctly outlined key points, room by room.
In the edition which I read (page 10 photo following), there were 8 points that bring the reader into the mindset Carlson and Guralnick are advocating. I didn't agree with everything, but point #6 particularly resonated ~
Ample storage is not necessarily a good thing. We've been conditioned (sic in North America) to think that huge closets are desirable. But the truth is they can encourage you to avoid pruning your belongings (and thus lose track of what you have).

A big plus in this book were the copious photographs to illustrate the ideas for storage and arrangement. While many suggestions didn't suit my living space or preferences, the "think outside the box" approach was inspiring. My favourite idea was the magnetic knife rack placed at the entryway door to hold keys! Every reader will likely have the same reaction: that some ideas resonate and others are just not practical or appealing. That's what is so great about reading several books on the tidying up and decluttering topic: exploring different points of view.

A quick summary of my reading as of today ~
Progress, my 2020 reading objective, as of the dog-days of summer ~



I've had a great time with mysteries this summer!

❤️💙💜💖❤️ 💙💜💖❤️ 💙💜💖❤️ 💙💜💖❤️

Today was spent working through the accumulation of reference books on the Fibre arts, mainly Art-Quilts and quilting techniques.

Here is a pictorial summary of these referencess from my textile arts shelf. None were recently acquired but finally added to my LT catalogue (not counted for the 2020 reading challenge):

1. 2. 3. 4.

5. 6. 7. 8.

9. 10.

I wrote short reviews for each one and had fun travelling down memory lane as I revisited favourite illustrations and enjoyed the decluttering process. Most of these books received 4 and 5 ★s. Only #10 was 3½ ★s, but it has a favourite pattern, so I saved it from my decluttering stack.

Isn't this vest the epitome of *CUTE*? (and so perfect for all those trimmings from wonderful textiles).

Front ~ Back ~

>186 SandyAMcPherson: Too cute, for sure. I may have machine quilted a bit of fabric here or there as part of a costume, but at least that was never one of my money sinks. Not that I don't have a wee stash of fat quarters, but then dolls.

My craft and costume history books were some of the first I cataloged. Those can get expensive and I wanted to avoid duplicates.

>187 quondame: Those can get expensive

That's for sure. All of mine were either from the quilt guild "garage sales" or from remaindered books. Except one: I decluttered it, too. I was "Fantasy" quilter lady, thinking I would make kaleidoscope designs.

I bought a brand new book (trade paper back size) by Paula Nadelstern.
It was unalloyed book lust at its worst: , beautiful work... , but in the end so utterly wasteful of fabric and too damn fiddly. I'm one of those "fun, fast and finished" folks!

Hi Sandy.

>187 quondame: Very cute. I am not a quilter, so I love to look at other people's work.

>185 SandyAMcPherson: The decluttering book sounds like one I could use. I was just clearing off my desk -- again -- so I can actually use it.

>186 SandyAMcPherson: That must have been a satisfying project, Sandy. I catalogued a bunch of gardening and cooking books a while back. I didn't write reviews, but was still happy to conquer a chunk of our "family" library. I have no intention of cataloguing "his" books, but there's a large middle ground of history and other nonfiction that I ought to tackle someday.

>184 SandyAMcPherson: I enjoyed that one as well and if I recall gave it a similar rating. Have a great week :)

Hi Sandy!

>184 SandyAMcPherson: I read the first in the series but have never pursued it. The 1950s don’t interest me very much reading-wise, even though I was born in the 1950s.

>185 SandyAMcPherson: #6 – oh my! We have way too many closets and cupboards, and way too much attic storage.

>186 SandyAMcPherson: That is a very spiffy vest indeed!

Happy Humpday.

>192 karenmarie: Hi Karen, if you're happy with lots of cupboard space and closets, why not enjoy? Nothing wrong with that, 'cause it is all such a personal preference.

I liked the author's insight about it being too easy to lose track of what you have. And also, since I am loath to discard anything that might be "potentially useful", I keep filling up the space with items that never actually get used. So I read these books and talk here about it. They're like medicine for what ails my living space.

Re the Stephens & Mephisto series, I think you've said what I needed to "hear": The 1950s doesn’t interest me very much. That is what I wasn't recognising. I was a kid then, and it was a boring time (in my memory), not that I was particularly bored, just not an interesting time for the mystery setting.

>193 richardderus: Glad you liked the vest photos (straight out of the book, not by me). I wish I'd have made the vest when there were more small people around to sew for (for whom to sew? ... )

Book #85 Who Buries the Dead (CS Harris).

~

Sebastian St. Cyr mystery #10
A revenge-laden plot to do away with Sebastian is intertwined with his convoluted investigation of Stanley Preston's murder. While Sebastian's difficulties in determining Preston's final movements lead him into the wretched back alleys and byways of impoverished London, his history of betrayal during the war in Portugal adds to his personal danger.

The twinned intrigues were rather discordant in that the two scenarios could have perhaps been better told as stand-alone plots in separate books. The elaborate interwoven situation, with attempted assassinations and searches for witnesses to Preston’s murder, derailed a great deal of the enjoyment with these storylines. Conflicting motivations with disreputable characters made for an inconsistent narrative which took me out of the mystery a little too often.

Historically, factual details added an interesting depth to bringing the scene alive with captivating events. Hero’s research on the social condition of the impoverished costermongers was a clever device to weave into the mystery since it placed her in a useful setting to help Sebastian, but never felt contrived. My major niggle with this ongoing series was my disappointment in (this really is a big spoiler) the author “killing off” Jamie Knox. After considerable writerly development, I had a great liking for that character. Now, so much fascinating potential for participating in future tales was lost.

Despite my grumpy niggles, I have no intention of abandoning this series!
I've started When Falcons Fall.

>185 SandyAMcPherson: I think many of us here on LT are "organizers", as can be seen by our reading threads!

That being said, when an organizer lives with a "drop it and leave it anywhere" person or persons, it can result in angry confrontations that don't accomplish anything but generate ill will. I live with three grown men and only one of them puts things back where he found them; he probably inherited the organizational gene from me... :grin:

I've learned to do as much as I can to make things fairly neat (not sterile) within the situation. Sometimes you just have to "let it go"!

I like the knife/keys idea. Over the years I have managed to get my family to use the key hooks by the door. Oh, and to hang up bath towels after showering. We each have our own color for towels to keep track of them, too. I got that idea from my sister, who raised four children on her own while her husband was at sea (Navy).

Addendum: I've used inventory lists, taped to the door, to help recall what's in the closets. It met with limited success. Right now I just do that for kitchen cupboards and freezer doors as every person has their own area in the kitchen for their personal food items. Again, it's worked somewhat.

>197 fuzzi: Fuzzi! Hello. Glad you took time to comment.

And you have the same insight as my daughter, I believe. She said there's people who need to have their 'things' out where they can see them and the rest of us (like me), want to file them away in organised containers in closets and cupboards.

I also agree with the sentiment that "sometimes you just have to "let it go". So in our house, we have some areas that I just ignore. It's difficult! I like organised, even if not out of sight.

The taped inventory lists never worked for us though. It was always out of date and in the end, even I didn't bother reading them!

One aspect I like about the Remodelista book was point #8: a home is for living and too much enforced organised space is uninviting, and as you say, 'sterile'. (Edited to clarify that sterile in this case means soulless, not an indication of microbe-free cleanliness!)

>198 SandyAMcPherson: between "the boys" and the pets, my home is anything but sterile!! 😂😂😂

My husband mostly likes to keep his things organized, although he keeps some things in the living room I'd rather were NOT. However, after 29 years of marriage I've learned to pick my fights and also learned to honor his comfort level. His home office is another story, and the door is always closed - either he's in it and doesn't want the kitties in there or he's not in there and doesn't want the kitties in there. Either way, I'm happy to not have to look at it very often. It makes me shudder.

I'm glad my daughter doesn't live at home any more because her physical space is a complete whirlwind that I can only tolerate for visits. If she were to have to come home again I could confine the mess to her bedroom and close the door but not feel like I own it like I did before she went off to live in Wilmington.

Our house isn't sterile by any means... *smile*

Hi Sandy. You mentioned on my thread that you are looking for books by Allison Montclair, as I have had the good fortune to find The Right Sort of Man at my library , and then purchased the second in the series for my kindle. Just of interest, I was wondering what is the bio for Allison Montclair. Apparently she has written a variety of books under her real name, and Allison Montclair is a pseudonym , but no where could I find Allison Montclair's real name. Interesting tidbit. I hope your library gets something in soon. I find our libraries are quite slow just checking books in and out, never mind purchasing anything right now.

>201 vancouverdeb: Deb, this will give you a laugh ~
I was spelling Allison Montclair's name incorrectly (just 1 L). I found 2 of her Sparks and Bainbridge books at our local library when I searched again.

I'm in need of some sound sleep, I think. The brain is seriously stressed out, or else just operating on 2 of 4 cylinders.

Goodness, Sandy. You are busy and ripping through the St. Cyrs anyway. I need to get back to them - I need to get back to so much. *sigh*
Stay cool and safe and sane!

>203 LizzieD: hi Peggy. We've no trouble with the heat, but 'sane' is something else.
It is so worrying that the USA has now had over 5-million Covid-infected individuals. And I know that's not something anyone wants to hear but we have to acknowledge how scary this situation is for everyone. Best wishes- stay distanced!

Book #86 When Falcons Fall (CS Harris).

~

Sebastian St. Cyr mystery #11
A sojourn into Shropshire ostensibly to see that Jamie Knox's gift to his grandmother is delivered. Sebastian and Hero inadvertently become embroiled in helping the Squire solve the murder of a young woman travelling through the region. As in Book 10, the saga involved more characters with connections to French versus British espionage swirling around members of the Bonaparte family and relatives. These subplots nicely elevated the mystery to reach back to earlier details without swamping the present narrative.

To some degree Sebastian's character has become predictable in the manoeuvrings of the investigation but Harris' historical details and attractive scene-setting keeps the story fresh. I was a little disappointed how many roadblocks develop in terms of Sebastian's real motivation in visiting Jamie's family: namely the opportunity to learn who is father was. One hint is provided and then left, presumably for Book 12..

If you've been reading this series, I recommend this book as very enjoyable, without so much tedium from backstory.

It's been a while since I checked in, Sandy. I haven't been keeping up with the threads at all, it seems. I have started back to reading the St. Cyr series, which I know is down to you and now you have me interested in the other Elly Griffiths series and I just happen to have a few on the shelf. Let's see if I enjoy mysteries set in the 1950s more than you.

The pandemic numbers here are trending up but when they break down the age groups its no longer seniors who are the concern but the 20 somethings - no big surprise after that photo you posted of Third Beach, I sure.

>206 Familyhistorian: I'm so happy to see you dropped by, Meg. Like you, I've kind of been intimidated by the threads filling like crazy, so I skim a lot.

My reading has certainly leaned heavily on the murder mystery genre this year. CS Harris is really expert at weaving in a true historical event and building a fictitious narrative around that setting. If nothing else, the scenes that emerge ring so true and I'm having trouble letting up on requesting the next volume!

Have you tried any of the Lane Winslow mysteries (Iona Whishaw)? They're set just post-WW II. I'm on Book 4. They're good but I rank Harris above them.

I'm hoping to be next to get the 1 copy of The Lantern Men. I've been sans a Ruth Galloway mystery for more than 6-months! Oh woe is me!

It seems like the pandemic is not just affecting people ~ last week our dishwasher died (2+ months to receive a new one), so good that at least it wasn't the *whispers* the refrigerator.
Tonight, there was a loud z-z-z-IT and a squiggle on the TV screen. Now we have the black window of death.

OK. I know - first world problems. I wonder what's next, though.

>208 SandyAMcPherson: Wow, I wonder whether the outbreak affecting domestic household appliances across the known world is another fiendish plot hatched in an Asiatic laboratory?!

>207 SandyAMcPherson: I really need to give C.S. Harris a try.

>209 PaulCranswick: Probably just all the appliances getting harder use.

Hi Sandy! I know I haven't commented here recently, but I skim by daily.

>208 SandyAMcPherson: Well that's not good at all. I hope that's the end of your appliance woes, for the time being. Two months is a long wait for the dishwasher. I hope you have better luck with the TV.

>209 PaulCranswick:, Hi Paul. Hard to say what affects appliances, but in our case, I suspect we are in a "old age" cycle ~
we bought more than one appliance when we moved and that precipitates needing a replacement of more than 1 machine at the same time.
The problem is that what used to be a 20-year cycle has shrunk to a 10- to 12-year period, because replacement parts aren't available. Talk about a throw-away mentality.

And about CS Harris, I would say give a couple of the novels a try. Initially, I didn't much like What Angels Fear, but further on, the books improved (for my preferences, at least).

>210 quondame: Hi Susan, thanks for letting me know you've been lurking. See my reply to Paul ^^^ re what's probably the logical reason for needing new fixtures.

>211 lauralkeet: Laura, thanks for the sympathy. The TV is 99.5% watched by the Spousal Unit.
The TV hasn't been a recent acquisition (ca. 1988). Not quite as old as the tube style, but a massive gobble of floor space, with its unwieldily bulk.

I've been secretly hoping for quite some time that the device would die a decent death so we could have the newer flat panel model and stream movies from the library. Not to mention donating the old-fashioned, not-Blu-Ray DVD player. Mr. TV fan took forever to acknowledge we needed to recycle the VHS tape machine (I'm still trying to get him to recycle the old VHS tapes. Why does this rubbish have to take up valuable bookshelf space?)

I probably sound like an intolerant old harridan. No, don't comment on that statement!

A little light amusement for an overcast, chilly day here ~



Definitely need some comfort food! The overnight temps are starting to slide towards single digits (9 oC last night or in oF, 48). Depressingly cold when we have masses of green tomatoes and our winter squash are too small still.

>209 PaulCranswick:, >212 SandyAMcPherson: - Not to jinx anything but my friend in Philadelphia just yesterday told me that her dryer died, and this morning, her computer (she wrote that bit on her ipad). Eek

>214 jessibud2: - My kind of breakfast! ;-). Though our temps are still in the high 20s/low 30C, with rather oppressive humidity. I'll switch with you any day. I have had more than enough of the tropics to last me a lifetime.

Hi Shelley. I sympathise with the angst about tropical/semi-tropical summer weather.
What makes this humid weather so difficult in Eastern Canada is that the winters are equally Arctic-like. So nobody can have those nice, airy houses that allow the cooling breezes to flow through because *winter*.

I've often said that Saskatchewan gets a bad rep for the climate but honestly, Id never trade for the Ontario-style.

Speaking of appliance issues, my laptop's power button jammed on day 2 of our vacation. All my photos are still on my camera, can't upload or edit/post.

It's at the computer repair shop...

Well, I feel less sad about the loss of your TV now. It had a good long life, but its time had come. And with it, the VHS and DVD players. The new TVs theoretically take up less space, but the screens can be huge. I'm sure you'll find something and Mr TV fan will be a happy camper.

>239 quondame: *snerk* I need some of that breakfast!

>213 SandyAMcPherson: I love that! I'm having some healthy berry-juice this morning. It's just terrific hot –or– cold! And terrific with milk, too, not too sweet....

>216 fuzzi: Hope the repair shop could explain why your power button 'jammed'. Seriously annoying!

>217 lauralkeet: I'm sorry if my comment made anyone feel sorry for us! I was mainly posting the irony of this situation. Mr. TV FanBoy doesn't seem to feel nearly as put out as I thought he would. The price of those fancy flat panel TVs has come way down since we last considered a new boob tube. I think he's looking at a very modestly-sized screen.

>218 drneutron: Hi Jim. *snerk* is correct! And I need some of that "omelette" too.

>219 richardderus: Hi RD. That carafe looks suspiciously like coffee! *grin*

A friend wrote me recently with a really wonderful comment. I thought I would share it here, because it is something that resonated strongly when I saw those bibliophile/maniac posts on a few threads:

One of the things that books do for me is to help us move between being together and being alone. Often when we read a great book, one of my first impulses is to tell others how great it was, to make them read it too, to enlarge the set of people we know who share this particular knowledge, this particular experience.

She also quoted from a blog she reads ~
We want to stop being alone with the book and start being together with others who have encountered it. And yet that sharing is a strange sort of communion. Book clubs bring people together to share an experience that each of them had alone.

This book blog sounds quite intriguing, Tom Mole's The Secret Life of Books. I was seriously tempted to acquire said volume, except the cost of books published in the UK are horrendous (unless Book Depository eventually discounts the title). I think I'd want the hardcover rather than a paperback.

>221 SandyAMcPherson: I love your friend's comments. Maybe she should join LibraryThing!

>222 lauralkeet: I suggested that to her, but she is disinclined for some reason.
Too bad because I adore her book reviews. She takes the fine art of snark and incisive commentary to the best I've ever seen.
She's not exactly a Luddite type but prefers physical books, writing snail mail and owning masses of books plus coddling her 2 cats. A very private person, actually. Or perhaps, quintessentially British? Single all her life and eschews all the social media AFAICT.

AFAICT =as far as I can tell, in case acronyms drive you nuts.

>221 SandyAMcPherson: The blog is deeply interesting to me, as is the book, so thanks for the introduction! *smooch*

>221 SandyAMcPherson: It is satisfying to share book love, or even book hate! But especially the didn't she express this truly moments.

>223 SandyAMcPherson: fair enough!

>220 SandyAMcPherson: I stopped by the computer repair shop today but it was still being worked on. After I got home I got the call that the button was fixed and nothing else was wrong. I'll pick it up on the way home from work tomorrow.

So LibraryThing was down for I-dunno-how-long this evening. Did you notice? Or was that my flaky internet?

That 'temporarily down' may have been a Good Thing for me (and for fans of Book #4 by Iona Whishaw). I just skim-finished It Begins in Betrayal and a more disappointing sequel to the earlier stories I can't imagine. Delaying a review will temper my disappointment and maybe something more balanced will appear.

I'll write a review for the book page but darned if I'm going to post anything here. Why rain on the parade?

>222 lauralkeet:, >224 richardderus:, >225 quondame: ~ Anyway, I enjoyed everyone's reaction to the quotes in response to >221 SandyAMcPherson:. I'm glad the blog appealed. Susan, I was wondering if you could clarify your post?

Edited to add ~ >227 fuzzi: Hi Fuzzi. Isn't it irritating when you drop by a repair place, they say they're working on it, then you get home to a call to come and pick it up! When it happens to me, I have wondered if the work order had been lost in the shuffle and my appearance triggered a frenzied search and repair!

>228 SandyAMcPherson: It was down.

>228 SandyAMcPherson: yes, LT was down.

I'm glad the laptop is supposedly fixed, I just wish I'd been able to pick it up while I was out and about.

You are zipping through the Harris books, Sandy. I need to get back to the series.

Hi Sandy!

>208 SandyAMcPherson: I have dishwasher woes but it hasn’t completely died. We think it’s something called a sump pump and cover assembly. I’m sorry you have such a long wait. And yikes on the TV, although getting something newer than 1988 is probably a very good idea.

>211 lauralkeet: We still have VHS tapes, beta tapes, and laser discs with no device to play them. We also have records with no working turntable, but I can’t bring myself to get rid of all those memories.

>213 SandyAMcPherson: I sent that to my sister, who is currently on a vegan diet in order to help her husband get his A1C under control. No eggs, alas…

>220 SandyAMcPherson: boob tube, idiot box… that’s what my mother called TV.

>228 SandyAMcPherson: I noticed and switched to reading. It’s nice to have a fall back position… joking… reading is primary, of course.

duplicate post that actually posted - that hasn't happened in a while.

Hey, Sandy! Hope your day is going well and nothing new is broken. I empathize - we were without hot water for four - yes, count them, FOUR - days before we were able to get the water heater replaced. The old unit was only 10 years old, and the warranty hadn't even expired, but the warranty company said they wouldn't do anything if the part that went out was due to old age and, I guess, wear. Planned obsolescence at its worst. Disgraceful.

As for the "not-Blu-Ray player," I still have one of those, plus a turntable for my vinyl and a VCR for my old home movies on VHS and an iPod with sound deck that I use for the record player too. I love new technology, really I do, but I just cannot give up the old models either. This is why my house is stuffed with old things. I think I may need that book you mentioned in >185 SandyAMcPherson:.

Glad you are still enjoying the St. Cyr mysteries!

>113 karenmarie:->114 lauralkeet: Love this discussion! The photo method works great btw -- just load into your photo here and bob's yr uncle!

I zipped through the St Cyr books too!

>231 BLBera: the St. Cyr is my fave series of the year, I think! I've even found a copy of one (Book #12) in our local 2nd-hand books shop.
I left a want-list for any CS Harris titles so I'm able to snaffle them as they come in. Assuming my request is remembered. Post-re-opening, the shop is really busy.

>232 karenmarie: Hey Karen; turns out that dishwasher woes abound. A number of friends/family, with similar woes, have commiserated with me!

>234 Storeetllr: Hi Mary, Nope, nothing new has broken. Sympathy for the 4 days with no hot water. Did it feel like you were camping? I would so miss having a warm shower the most.
Re the turntable and vinyl. My music-geek friends tell me vinyl is the 'new' thing. It is finally being recognised that the sound quality (assuming good needle) is superior by several orders of magnitude.

I confess to having vinyl and our 1970's Dual turntable saved. We converted to Bose products about 10 years ago, when our CD-player failed. Remember CD players? About as much a passé item as 8-track players (which I never owned).

>235 sibylline: Nice to see you Lucy. I see you were referring back to the cover upload discussion.
I have a scanner but can never be bothered to haul it out for a cover photo that's hard to find.

One resource I occasionally use is the "right-click" method... works like this ~
Look online for the book title in the public library, Goodreads, Net Gallery etc. and download the image to your computer (that's the right-click for PCs or "control-click on Mac). I've even found quite old cover images by the "Google-Image" route searching with the book title.
Then upload the image to your Junk-Drawer on LT and copy image address (same right click method) to paste it into talk (or 'change cover' in your catalogue).

Sounds tedious but, not for me ~ I prefer this image-capture compared to the scanning approach. That's probably because as long as I get the same cover image as the book I read, I don't mind. I don't need the exact replica of the wear or idiosyncratic character of a specific title. And lately, the bulk of my reading has been via eBooks.

Time for more coffee and deciding what to do this morning in the garden. It promises a warm sunny day and so far, no wind!

Glad it has warmed up!

Your colder air ends up here, before long!

>236 SandyAMcPherson: My music-geek friends tell me vinyl is the 'new' thing.

Yes, that's true. Here it seems to be prevalent among a) old fart audio aficionados and b) young adults. Just the other day my daughter posted a photo on Instagram of an LP she received in the mail. Apparently her bf has a turntable. Who'd a thunk it?

>236 SandyAMcPherson: Mike never gave up his turntable, and has upgraded regularly. When he was long term unemployed and reselling comic books online (it paid for itself and his computer upgrade) he would transfer vinyl to electronic. Once he finished with his library of discs, my wee 60s pile and my parents classicals he'd check out from the library or help with selections from a neighbor's garage full of 45s. Now he often puts on lp's in the evening.

I mostly just copy the URL of the online image into the slot on the change cover page. Mostly it works and I don't have to add it to my junk drawer.

Sandy, the series that you mentioned on my thread needs to read in order, starting with Death at Whitewater Church. There is a character who is slowly developed through the first 3 books ( that I have read so far ) and it's a pivotal to the series. There is also a wee bit of romance that develops in each book. So , do read them in order.

>240 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. It is always good to know which series one should start at #1.

It's Monday and our summer weather returned with a vengeance

~ ‼️ ~ ~ Our tomatoes are ripening very slowly (not as far along as the crop should be for mid August). Guess I should welcome this heat, I suppose but my water bill is through the roof!

, And, I'm reading The Scent of Water (Elizabeth Goudge).

A dreamy, understated sketch of village life in England. Kind of an old-fashioned story. So far, this book hasn't the same draw which Anita Brookner's Hotel du Lac had for me.

I also started the Night Circus and just finished The Lantern Men. I'm very behind on posting reviews.

My sympathies for your weather, Sandy. We are in somewhat of a reprieve these days. Highs only in the mid-20s. I'm sure it won't last but to be able to sit outside and read - AND breathe! - has been heaven. Of course, the skies are about to open up here any minute, which is good. We have hardly had any rain all summer.

>234 Storeetllr: Hi Mary. Yes, one of this year's great discoveries for me is this St. Cyr series.

Good luck with letting go of the items in the 'potentially useful/I might need it one day' category.
It's been an ongoing mess in my studio all summer while I struggle with the decisions like that. I rejoice at every box that gets emptied, sorted and resolved.

>237 sibylline:, Your colder air ends up here, before long!
That's because the cold air is more dense and sinks, right?

*snort*

>243 jessibud2: Enjoy. I hope the deluge didn't produce any flooding. Yet another wet basement would be beyond endurable.

Oh, that is hot, Sandy! I'm dying in our recent heatwave. It was 33 with the humidex yesterday and today it was a little cooler. As to the Inishowen series by Andrea Carter, they might prove hard to find. I understand they have been very popular in Ireland and the UK, but I found the first in the series by luck while browsing in Indigo . The other two that I read , I ordered from the Book Depository in the UK. Good prices, but they take 4 - 6 weeks to arrive - free shipping.

35 C without the humidex - that is unbearable!

>247 vancouverdeb: Heat not so bad ~ low humidity compared to theLower Mainland (or Ontario/Québec).
And when it got too airless and hot, I retreated to our centrally-AC house.
People laugh about AC in our prairie climate that experiences this airless heat maybe only 3 or 4 times for a few days in the summer months, but it sure helps us sleep ok at night.

One year we had 40 to 42 oC in May for about 3 weeks running. Was I ever cheesed off that our AC quit about 3-days in and the techs were in so much demand, the heat wave was about done before they could schedule us in for a repair. That was the only summer I ever successfully grew those banana peppers!

>239 quondame: Hi Susan (*waves madly* from the bottom).
I never learned how to transfer vinyl (on my turntable) to a different format. Very clever... manipulating electronics and I do not exist in the same dimension.

I missed seeing this reply when we were talking about posting cover images.
I think that's brilliant (" copy the URL of the online image") but for me, I so often get that blue box with a question mark, unless I copy the LibraryThing image. I must be grabbing urls that haven't longevity on whatever server they are posted.

I thought I'd better head to a new thread. This one was becoming a bit slow in loading and scrolling...

See you soon!!