Familyhistorian's Reads for 2023 - Part 1

Coquitlam months ago before the snow

Oh hey, welcome to Meg’s thread. I am a bookaholic. Not that that’s a shameful thing but it might be catching as my fellow 75ers and enablers can attest to. There will be talk about books, reading, Wordling and probably travel in 2023. Come along for the ride.

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I write about genealogy and history on my blog. I’m getting ready for another year of exploring and writing about my ROOTs (the family kind). You can see my latest blog posts at: A Genealogist’s Path to History

Challenges
Reading Through Time

Quarterly

January-March 2023 – WWI (1914-1918)
April-June 2023 – 20th Century: Between the Wars (1919-1938)
July-September 2023 – 20th Century: World War 2 (1939-1945)
October-December 2023 – Modern History: 1946 – the Present Day

Monthly

January: Our Feathered Friends
February: Lions, Tigers and Bears, Oh My!
March: Notorious Women
April: April Fool
May: The Big City – Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow
June: The Fabulous Fifties
July: Revolutions
August: Migration and Immigration
September: School Days
October: Traditions
November: Indigenous Peoples
December: Reader’s Choice

2023 Nonfiction Challenge

January: Prizewinners and Nominees
February: Hobbies & Pastimes. Gardening, Genealogy, Travel etc.
March: Empires
April: The Sea/Ocean
May: Literary Biography
June: Indigenous/Aboriginal Peoples/First Nations
July: Explorations and Expeditions
August: The World of the Land, Trees and Plants
September: Family Ties
October: Crimes, Mysteries, Puzzles, Enigmas
November: Matters of Faith and Philosophy
December: As You Like It

List of books for challenges

Reading Through Time

Quarterly

January-March 2023 – WWI (1914-1918)
April-June 2023 – 20th Century: Between the Wars (1919-1938)
July-September 2023 – 20th Century: World War 2 (1939-1945) - An Unlikely Spy by Rebecca Starford
October-December 2023 – Modern History: 1946 – the Present Day - Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

Monthly

January: Our Feathered Friends - The Evening Chorus by Helen Humphreys
February: Lions, Tigers and Bears, Oh My!
March: Notorious Women - Wild Romance by Chloe Schama
April: April Fool
May: The Big City – Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow - Sweet Thames by Matthew Kneale and/or The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros
June: The Fabulous Fifties
July: Revolutions
August: Migration and Immigration
September: School Days
October: Traditions
November: Indigenous Peoples
December: Reader’s Choice

2023 Nonfiction challenge

January - prizewinners and nominees - Having it so Good: Britain in the Fifties by Peter Hennessy - 2007 winner of the Orwell prize for political writing
February: Hobbies & Pastimes. Gardening, Genealogy, Travel etc.
March: Empires
April: The Sea/Ocean
May: Literary Biography
June: Indigenous/Aboriginal Peoples/First Nations
July: Explorations and Expeditions
August: The World of the Land, Trees and Plants
September: Family Ties
October: Crimes, Mysteries, Puzzles, Enigmas
November: Matters of Faith and Philosophy
December: As You Like It

Little Free Library

Books culled in 2022



Books culled in 2023

January - 12



LT Your Library number starting 2023 - 2944

Books read in November 2022

The Woman in Blue by Elly Griffiths
Really the Blues by Joseph Koenig
The Maid by Nita Prose
Flung Out of Space by Grace Ellis and Hannah Templer
Rooted in Evil by Ann Granger
Crazy for You by Jennifer Crusie
Children of Ash and Elm by Neil Price
Montreal, City of Secrets by Barry Sheehy
Without the Moon by Cathi Unsworth
The Runaway Heiress by Meg Tilly
Trent’s Last Case by E.C. Bentley

Books read in December 2022

Flying Solo by Linda Holmes
Deadly Love by B.D. Joyce
Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder by T.A. Willberg
The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
Murder as a Fine Art by David Morrell
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
The Necklace by Claire McMillan
The Egyptian Antiquities Murder by Sara Rosett
You Were Made to Be Mine by Julie Anne Long
1989 by Val McDermid
The Runaway Daughter by Joanna Rees
Memory in Death by J.D. Robb
Death of a Ghost by Margery Allingham
The Coniston Case by Rebecca Tope
Close Up by Amanda Quick
The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson
It’s Not What You Thought It Would Be by Lizzy Stewart
The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr
The Rubber Band by Rex Stout
Black River Road by Debra Komar
Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marra

Books read in 2022



Books read in 2023

Books acquired in 2022



Books acquired in 2023

Acquisitions for December 2022

Alfred Hitchcock: The Master of Suspense by Noel Simsolo and Dominique He
Love Like Blood by Mark Billingham
The Twist of the Knife by Anthony Horowitz
The Hotel on Place Vendome by Tilar J. Mazzeo (bought after hearing her speak at the Vancouver Writers Festival)
The Devil to Pay by Liz Carlyle
Gabriel: Lord of Regrets by Grace Burrowes
The Duke's Disaster by Grace Burrowes (there were romance novels three for a dollar in the gift shop beside the library - what could I do?)
Gilded Mountain by Kate Manning - Santa Thing book
Bars Fight by Lucy Terry Prince - Santa Thing book
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
The Crofter and the Laird by John McPhee
The First Kingdome: Britain in the Age of Arthur by Max Adams

Acquisitions for January 2023

Welcome!

Wishing you a comfortable reading year in 2023, Meg!

My first visitor. Thanks Paul!

Welcome back for another year, Meg!

Happy new one, Meg.

Let us all have a healthy and happy new year! ( I hope that you are doing well in this terrible weather!)

>15 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!

>16 jessibud2: Good to see you here, Shelley.

>17 torontoc: Thanks Cyrel. The weather is challenging. I hope yours behaves and doesn't interfere with holiday plans.

Welcome home, Meg.

Hope 2023 is a very wonderful year for you! Happy reading.

>19 richardderus: That's not a wish I hear often. Thank you for that, Richard.

>20 mdoris: Thanks Mary. I hope 2023 is a good year for us all!

I've dropped my star and I am looking forward to getting all caught up when the holidays are over and we are welcoming 2023!

>22 DeltaQueen50: Good to see you here, Judy. Hope your holidays are happy ones!

Morning, Meg! Dropping a star.

>24 Crazymamie: Mamie, good to see you here!

Happy (almost) New Year! Happy new thread!!

>26 Berly: Thanks Kim. I hope your New Year is a happy one!

Hi Meg my dear, just dropping my star off and i will be sure to visit in 2023.

>28 johnsimpson: Hi John, good to have you following along for 2023.

Dropping off a star Meg.

>30 SandDune: Good to have you following along for another year, Rhian.

Happy new year, Meg. Looking forward to following you in 2023.

Hi Meg, happy New thread and Happy New Year!!
I'm buckled in and ready for the ride!

>32 RebaRelishesReading: Hope your new year is a happy one, Reba.

>33 Carmenere: Good to see you here, Lynda. I hope the ride won't be too bumpy!

Happy New Year

Happy new year Meg!

>35 johnsimpson: >36 quondame: Thanks John and Susan. We still have about 2 and a half hours before 2023 here. Hope your New Years were happy ones!

Meg, I'm finally getting around to visiting 2023 threads. Hope you have a great year of reading!

>38 thornton37814: You're ahead of me on the 2023 visiting, Lori. I have to get my 75er threads in some kind of good shape or I'll be in the same mess that I was in 2022. I hope you have lots of good reads this year!

Starting off a new streak as I didn’t get the last one of 2022.
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My goal this year is to cull as many books as I acquire. In 2022 I acquired 109 books and culled 74 and would have done more but didn't want to tromp to the little free library when snow was covering the sidewalks. Still that means I have a stack of books ready to go.

Happy New Year, Meg! We are closing out another wonderful year of books and banter and I am looking forward to sharing another with you.

Happy New Year, Meg. I look forward to following your reading in 2023.

Happy New Year, Meg!

Ooh visitors.

>42 msf59: I'm hoping to spend more time visiting the threads this year, Mark, so looking forward to the sharing and bantering.

>43 BLBera: Hi Beth, glad to have you along for the ride!

>44 ronincats: Good to see you Roni. I hope your New Year was a happy one!

>45 Berly: Best of the New Year to you Kim!

1. Ask Me No Questions by Shelley Noble



The reads are going down easy at the beginning of the year. It helps that I started them a few days ago. The first was also the first book in a promising mystery series set in the early 1900s. Lady Dunbridge was a young widow adept at navigating the perils of high society in London. She aimed start a new life for herself in New York society but when her host was murdered and his wife, her friend, a suspect, what was a girl to do?

Navigating the worlds of corrupt cops and the high stakes horse racing brought colourful characters onto the scene. Lady Dunbridge used her wiles and the aid of her staff, a butler and a maid, to solve the crime while preserving her reputation and that of her friend and hostess in Ask Me No Questions.

It was a nice day to walk around Granville Island. Not too cold and only a few drizzles here and there. Unfortunately the shops at the quay were closed as we walked around killing time before the last showing of "Mum's the Word: Talking Turkey" at the Arts Club Theatre. I hadn't seen one of these plays of sketch comedy before and found it charming and right on the money in many cases. Not often I see something portraying the reality of being women of a "certain age".

2. Sunshine on Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith



When I saw one of Alexander McCall Smith’s books in my Little Free Library, I grabbed it. I wanted to know why the readers of these books enjoy them so much. At least that’s how it seems to me. Sunshine on Scotland Street was the umpteenth book in his Scotland Street series. From what I can gather, he writes about a series of recurring characters appealing to different readers but switching among the characters and their story arcs. There’s a character in there to appeal to most readers, or so it seems. The one that most intrigued me was six year old Bertie who has to put up with his appalling mum and ineffectual dad. I’d kind of like to know what happens to him but it will probably take a lot more books before he even turns seven.

You are off to a good start on your year of reading. I'm setting aside some time in a bit to read, but I'm going to start with some cross stitch first.

>50 thornton37814: The books are going down easy, Lori, but that means I haven't been writing which I have to get back to. There's always something!

Lots of possibilities
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It's taking me a while to get to the 2023 threads as I'm clearing out my starred 2022 threads first, reading them quickly in case I missed something. My library website is open at the same time as the BBs are flying! I'm hoping to be more organized on LT this year so that I won't feel constantly behind.

Happy new year, Meg. Your first two readings sound amazing. Unfortunately, my local library hasn't got any copies of them.
I wish you a fabulous reeading year.

>54 Ameise1: Hi Barbara, I hope your New Year celebration was a good one. The books were good too bad your library doesn't have them. I hope they have plenty other books to keep you happy!

A surprising amount of possibilities with this letter combination
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I'm still meeting with my writing cohort that I attended SFU's Writing Studio with. It's virtual, of course. We take turns submitting our writing to be critiqued. We were supposed to meet at the beginning of December and I was supposed to send in my stuff but I begged off as I was in Mexico until Dec 3. They postponed the meeting until next week. It's still my turn to submit. I still don't have anything ready. Guess I better get down to it.

Happy new year, Meg! Looking forward to attempting to keep up with your thread...

>58 cushlareads: No pressure, Cushla! Happy New Year to you too.

>57 Familyhistorian: oh oh the pressure is on.....

>56 Familyhistorian: It's always good when we get our streaks extended.

>60 mdoris: And sometimes, that's what is needed, Mary. Just finished up. It's shorter than usual but I don't think they'll mind and I'm happy with the chapter so all is good.

>61 richardderus: Yes the streak is extended and now up to 3! I missed the last one of 2022 but I guess that's how that year went.

Just squeaked in with this one
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I just finished watching a DNA webinar and I'm off to the bakery to get supplies and fit in my walk for the day. It's not raining today but looks like it will be wet every day until Friday next week. At least it's not snow.

>64 Familyhistorian: One of those with too many options!!

>66 Whisper1: Thanks Linda!

>67 RebaRelishesReading: Way too many options, Reba. I didn't think I was going to guess right at all!

There used to be a huge willow tree I'd pass regularly on one of my walks. This is what it looks like now.



Looks like it was a victim of the snow and rain we experienced in December. It must have made quite a sound when those limbs came down!

Hi Meg! so, in >1 Familyhistorian:, is Coquitlam a suburb of Vancouver or a stand alone town/city?

>65 Familyhistorian: that one was close! I got my today's one in 4.

>69 Familyhistorian: Oh, that is sad making, Meg.

>69 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg.
Crummy about the old willow tree. I saw on my Environment Canada weather app that y'all are in for another windstorm today as well.
I'd be nervous walking in an open-but-treed area!

I saw on Mamie's thread that you are starting the Harbinder Kaur series. I was less than impressed with book 1, but book 2 (The Postscript Murders) totally hooked me and now I'm on a wait list for book 3. I hope you enjoy the series, too.

>69 Familyhistorian: Sad to see it go. Fascinating to get a look at the insides, though!

Dropping off star for you, Meg.

It's always sad when the weather does in a tree, especially a gorgeous one like a willow.

>47 Familyhistorian: *sigh* Adding yet another series that I need to check into. . .

>69 Familyhistorian: Oh, that is so sad.

A belated Happy New Year, Meg!

>70 LovingLit: Coquitlam is a city that is a suburb of Vancouver, Megan.

>71 Crazymamie: It was a beautiful tree before this happened, Mamie.

>72 SandyAMcPherson: I don't think there are many open areas without trees around here, Sandy. Wind hasn't started up yet. The ones that make me nervous are the trees ten feet from the back of my townhouse. So far they've stayed put through wind storms.

I just started The Stranger Diaries this morning. Good to know that the series improves as it goes along.

>73 richardderus:. I knew it was big but didn't realize how massive until I saw the ends of the tree limbs, Richard.

>74 MickyFine: Good to see you here, Micky. It's sad to see it go.

>75 alcottacre: There's always another series to catch up with, Stasia.

3. The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley



War brings upheaval which we tend to think of as all bad but sometimes that change brings opportunity as well. That’s what happened for 10 year old Ada, confined to her small London flat for being a cripple. When the children were evacuated from London during WWII, she seized the opportunity to leave along with her brother. The story of her heroic decision and transformation as told in The War that Saved My Life changed the future for not only Ada and her brother but also for, Susan, who took them in and many of the other villagers they shared their lives with.

An easier one today
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Hi Meg and Happy New Years. We seem to be in sync with our goal of clearing out the older TBRs. I have already discarded one that just didn't grab my interest and have read a couple more but I have already been tempted by the new and shiney and I don't know how long I can hold out!

Hi Meg. Belated Happy New Year.

>76 Familyhistorian: I hope you like the Harbinger Kaur series and agree that it improves. I’ve got the third one here at the house, loaned to me by a friend, and I’ll try to get to it this month.

Happy Friday, Meg. Sorry to hear about that willow. They seem to have a short lifespan but grow up fast.

>80 DeltaQueen50: I was doing well with getting to my TBRs over the holidays, Judy. My library holds were coming in slowly. Of course, that is now at an end. I just picked up five of them. Not sure what that will do with my goal to cull books from my shelves. Good luck holding out from the new and shiny!

4. Mindful of Murder by Susan Juby



In murder mysteries, readers have learned to suspect everyone, even the butler. Mindful of Murder boasts three butlers all drawn together by one death. The death, at first appeared to be at Edna Todd’s own hand. She had made plans to end her life as part of the Death Positive Club which was active on the small island of Sutil. But Helen, one of the butlers, started to suspect that maybe Edna had had a helping hand. There were four possible suspects at hand, the potential heirs to Ms. Todd’s estate. It was Helen’s task to determine which of them would stay on to run Edna’s resort by putting the four potential heirs through some of the programs offered. She and her fellow butlers had their work cut out trying to keep the program running smoothly and the potential heirs in line. It was a fun mystery with interesting characters.

>78 Familyhistorian: Meg, that book is one of my daughter's all-time favourites. She re-read it quite a few times. I think there was a sequel that she liked as well.

You're racing along already!

>81 karenmarie: Hi Karen, I was surprised there was a third in the Harbinger Kaur series already out. That prompted me to take the first one off my shelves. Maybe by the time I make my way through to the third one the fourth will be out.

Not a word seen very often
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>82 msf59: I think that willow had been there for decades, Mark. I don't know if there will be anything put in its place.

>87 Familyhistorian: It does make one wonder where the Listmakers derived their 2,309 choices.

5. The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz



I didn’t realize that Anthony Horowitz has two mystery series out at the same time. The covers for both are similar to my eyes. A post on LT straightened my thinking out on the series and I started the Horowitz/Hawthorne one with the first entry The Word is Murder. It was different, not as different as Magpie Murders but putting himself in the story as one of the characters was a departure from the norm for the genre. As was writing in the first person, I think.

The murder/s were interesting ones and it was difficult to figure out who was behind it all but I found the pace a bit slow. Maybe that was just because it was the first in the series.

>89 richardderus: It did. Didn't they also use thine once? Perhaps they consulted an old dictionary.

Hi Meg! The demise of the willow tree is so sad.

>90 Familyhistorian: Have you seen the TV adaptaion of Magpie Murders? Anthony Horowitz wrote the screenplay so it's fairly faithful to the novel, except he had to put the story together in a different order for TV.

>92 cbl_tn: Hi Carrie, I did see some of Magpie Murders on TV but went out of town before I saw the end of it. I thought it was well done and captured much of what was in the book but it had been awhile since I read it so I didn't realize it was out of order.

It will be strange not to see that willow tree.

>90 Familyhistorian: Sounds interesting. I've seen that my local library has got a copy of it. I liked the Magpie Murders when I've read it two years ago.

My granddaughter loved The War that Saved My Life and its sequel. My daughter read it to her class, and the response was very positive.

Wow, the force of nature vs the mighty willow tree is no contest!

Your reading year is off to a great start!

That was fast and just using words that came to me that didn’t seem like they’d work
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>94 Ameise1: It's the first book in a series, Barbara. I hope you like it.

>95 BLBera: The War That Saved My Life is a YA book, for sure, as it's very likeable heroine is 10 and a determined and likeable character. I can see why it appealed to your granddaughter and your daughter's class, Beth.

>96 Carmenere: Hi Lynda, the books are going down well at the beginning of the year.

Other slighter trees lost limbs due to snow and ice but are still standing. I was surprised that it did so much damage to the willow.

Hi Meg. I love reading about your walks around your neighborhood, but was saddened by the loss of the willow tree. Nature can be so harsh. Please keep sharing those pictures of your beautiful area.

I'm glad you cleared up my confusion about the Anthony Horowitz books. I've read Magpie Murders and seen some of his other titles, but didn't realize there were two separate series. I count on my LT friends for information like this. You did well!

Happy Reading to you in 2023.

>84 Familyhistorian: I really enjoyed this Susan Juby novel, gave it 4*'s.
Did you know that the isolated imaginary island retreat in the story is based somewhat on the Hollyhock Lifelong Learning Centre? (Cortes Island off the coast of Vancouver Island, near-ish to Campbell River). Not that there was a murder there, just similar to how the retreat was set up and the peacefulness.

>84 Familyhistorian: & >100 SandyAMcPherson: That one has caught my eye, ladies, and I will put it on my hitlist.

Have a lovely Sunday, Meg.

Meg, I also didn't realize that Horowitz had two separate series out simultaneously. I have Magpie Murders in the stacks, but I have not gotten to it yet - maybe this year.

Hoping that Sunday is kind to you.

Not my first thought when it came to possible words but it was the most likely fit
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>99 Donna828: Thanks Donna, I love sharing photos of what I see on my walks. There would be more but it's hard to juggle an umbrella and take pictures on my phone in the pouring rain.

I saw the info about the Horowitz books on another thread. Can't think of whose it was now. I had the books in the two series confused because the covers are so similar.

>100 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy, I haven't visited many of the BC islands but, from my limited knowledge, the descriptions of Sutil and the people on it, rang true of what you would find there. I enjoyed that as well as the mystery.

>101 PaulCranswick: It's a fun mystery, Paul. I think you'll enjoy it.

>102 Crazymamie: I didn't realize he had two series out either, Mamie. It confused me until a fellow LTer (I forget who) set me straight. Magpie Murders is a departure from straight story telling. It seems like established authors are switching things up a bit to keep their writing interesting. It seems that is what Elly Griffiths is doing as I make my way through The Stranger Diaries. That's what Val McDermid appears to be doing as well with her newest series. Have you read 1979 or 1989?

Interesting. I have not read those, but I do have 1979 in the stacks.

>107 Crazymamie: Her books based on the years are very good, Mamie. The protagonist is a gay female journalist and the books are true to the years, bringing in newsworthy events that happened in those years. A bit of a trip down memory lane.

Needed a bit of help coming up with words for this one
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6. Klaus by Grant Morrison and Dan Mora



I had Klaus on hold at the library for a while hoping that my number would come up before Christmas. It seemed appropriate for an origin story of the great Klaus or, as we more commonly know him, Santa. I finally got to pick up the book last week. It was an interesting reimagining of the story of the man who brings gifts to children at Yuletide done medieval/superhero style.

Some people like to start the New Year off on day one getting back into the swing of things right away. Probably some of those are the people I've seen running on the sidewalks and trails sticking to their New Year fitness resolutions. I wonder how long that's going to last?

I like to ease myself into the year slowly. I think about what I should be doing, not actually doing it yet. Perhaps that's why at 11:00 on Friday morning I checked one of my other emails and realized I was missing a meeting. Well, too late for that. Then I realized I had another meeting in the afternoon but the last day to pick my library books was Friday and it takes about and hour and a half to get there. Was there any contest? No, of course not, I went to the library. A girl has her priorities.

>111 Familyhistorian: 🙃😀 my words.

>112 Ameise1: I figured that I'd get some agreement with that here, Barbara!

7. A Different Kind of Normal by Abigail Balfe





Growing up, Abigail had difficulties fitting in and joining in activities that many children enjoyed. It wasn’t until she received a diagnosis of autism in her mid-thirties that she began to understand and embrace her differences. Through her art and words she explores this in A Different Kind of Normal.

It was a heartfelt memoir and self-help book (there are resources at the end.) Many of her experiences struck a chord and made me think it would be a dull world if we were all the same kind of “normal”.

A fast one today
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>111 Familyhistorian: It looks to me Meg that you have your priorities 100% right! Have a happy day.

>116 mdoris: Thanks Mary, I thought so too. Have a great day!

>114 Familyhistorian: That sounds interesting, Meg! I've requested it from the library.

>118 streamsong: Hi Janet, it's an interesting read, one that made me wonder about myself actually.

A long time since I’ve seen this word in use
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One of the books that I'm currently reading is Having it So Good: Britain in the Fifties. I keep coming across information on the pages that relates to my own family, which is interesting. So far there have been quite a few pages about the predominance of cricket and the rivalry with Australia which feeds into the info found in my maternal grandparents' letters and travel diary from their 1954 trip to Australia where my Granddad was so keen to get a ticket to see the cricket matches in Oz.

I was also interested in the info about the '30s which showed that my Dad wasn't the only working-class lad unable to pursue further education. The slump of the 1930s saw a worsening of the proportion of working-class children in grammar schools as economic hardship left fewer working-class families able to let their children take up the few scholarship places available to them.

But what really got me was the info about TV coming to Britain. Specifically this passage: ...BBC transmitters opened at 3 p.m. on weekdays and 5 p.m. on Sundays. They closed down religiously from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. to make sure the children were put to bed at a proper hour. I can remember staring at the ceiling for hours after being put to bed at 6:00 pm. I couldn't understand why my parents had subjected me to that. I didn't realize it was a prevailing theory that children should go to bed at that hour. It, of course, became more bearable once I could read. Maybe that's why I learned to do that at an early age?

>108 Familyhistorian: If I did not already have the book, you would have sold it to me with that, Meg. I think I picked it up on Heather's recommendation, but I could not remember why.

>111 Familyhistorian: Obviously, you have your priorities straight!

>121 Familyhistorian: This sounds interesting. Yikes to the very early bedtime. That's so crazy.

Finally the tiniest patch of blue sky can be seen Meg. Wow, that has been a lot of rain. I have had a nasty chest flu so buried under the covers, cough, cough and drinking many mugs of hot lemon. On the mend though.

>121 Familyhistorian: What a strange idea. Were children, and necessarily their parents, supposed to keep baker's hours? It sounds so big brother-ish.

>122 Crazymamie: Maybe you got a similar description from Heather in the first place which is why you picked up 1979, Mamie. It was a good one and the next, 1989 was, in my opinion, even better.

Such an early bedtime struck me as odd. That's probably why the memory stayed with me. Now I know where it came from.

>123 mdoris: From the weather forecast I heard tonight, it's probably best to stay under the covers for the next couple of days, Mary. We actually saw sun yesterday and there was also some today. I hope you are better soon.

>124 quondame: I think it was pretty big-brotherish in England in those years just after WWII, Susan. That was particularly true when media was first rolled out and the BBC want to provide "good" radio and TV to the population. The BBC was the only radio provider until Radio Luxembourg got their mega transmitters.

Belated happy reading in 2023. Meg!

>128 FAMeulstee: The same to you, Anita! I hope that 2023 brings you many happy reads.

I finally came up with a word that worked with my known letters
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abide, cheat, earst, yeast, leapt - who knew that the middle obscure word would be one on the Wordle list?

I'm so tired of getting my feet wet when I go for a walk that I decided to go to the mall and walk around today. I didn't get in all my steps but I did end up with two pairs of boots. One is a pair of rubber rain boots and the other a pair of waterproof boots. Now I'm prepared which is good because there is rain in the forecast until next Thursday according to the weather app on my phone.

>106 Familyhistorian: Interesting pov, Meg.
I like the idea of authors getting out of the groove. It is likely difficult to keep the stories fresh when you've written several books all about one set of people.
I have seen this author widely acclaimed in a way that appeals to me, so this series is now on my 2023 LT wish list.

Hooray for boots! I love my duck boots, and Birdy has bright red waterproof boots that I am envious of. She is making good use of them as I type - she has taken Griffin out for a play session in our very wet yard. It stormed all night last night, so it is very soggy out there.

8. A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin



Kitty lived in Dorset with her three sisters in a house that needed a new roof, among other things. Luckily, she was betrothed to the son of a local land owner. Until he called off the engagement. The roof still needed mending, her sisters still needed support. So Kitty and her sister, Cecily, head off to London to stay with Aunt Dorothy, who had been a friend of their mother’s.

Aunt Dorothy had moved into respectable circles but Kitty had her sights set higher. Why settle for a man with merely a respectable income? When a “chance” meeting gained her the interest of Archie de Lacy she thought she had caught a good one, until his older brother, Lord Radcliffe, tried to end the relationship. Then the fun began in A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting.

>132 SandyAMcPherson: Writing is a business like any other, Sandy. Authors get known for a certain type of work and the companies that publish their work like them to stick with it and not wander too far off from what is known to sell. To do something different they pretty much have to stick to the same genre and mix things up a bit.

Anthony Horowitz has quite a few credits to his name. You might have been exposed to his work in other forms if you have watched "Midsomer Murders" or "Foyle's War".

>133 Crazymamie: Boots are great although it was in end of the season in one of the shoe stores and they were about to bring out the sandals. The salesclerk and I commiserated with each other over the timing. It will probably rain here until the end of February. Hope your soggyness clears up soon, Mamie.

9. The Papers of Tony Veitch by William McIlvanney



The taste of early ‘80s Glasgow was evident in the gritty narrative found in The Papers of Tony Veitch, the second book of the Laidlaw trilogy. Laidlaw fought to find out the truth behind one murder and prevent another. Ranged against him were the criminals who ruled the underbelly and some of the people at the other end of the social scale where Tony Veitch came from. For a time, Laidlaw also had to persevere against his fellow officers ready to end the investigation with a facile explanation. I’ll be hunting out the third book in the trilogy soon.

Took a while for the penny to drop
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abide, party, flash, mocha, human

10. Silk by Alessandro Baricco



A slim volume, Silk told the story of Hervé Joncour a young married man first sent in 1861 to obtain silkworms from Japan. Other sources were available but the silkworms from there were diseased. Travel to Japan was arduous and long but Hervé made the trip again and again as the need was still there. But the people, particularly a woman, who he met there became the major draw for Hervé. But things change although people may not want them to.

>139 Familyhistorian: sounds like a good read.

Happy weekend!

Not the first thing that came to mind
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>140 figsfromthistle: I've seen it around on the threads. It was interesting and for such a slim volume and seemingly simple story, there is something in that that stuck with me.

Have a wonderful weekend, Anita!

11. The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffith



I follow two of Elly Griffiths series, the Ruth Galloway series and the Stephens and Mephisto mysteries. I really should get back to those series but in the meantime, I plucked The Stranger Diaries from my shelves. When I first bought the book in 2019, I didn’t realize it was the start of a new series, this one the Harbinder Kaur series, although the detective is not who the reader first meets.

The book was a departure for the author, filled as it was with Gothic scenes and references. The overall feel was spookier and the point of view swings between three different characters, some of them suspects in the killings. The mystery worked and I’m told the series improves as it goes along. At least with the next book I’ll know who the protagonist is from the beginning.

I have more library holds to pick up so I was looking through the library books that I still have at home. I think I'll have to renew some of them and pick up the next load of books that have come in. Well, at least some of them 9 books is a few too many to carry home on transit at one time.

One of the books that I started reading is The Woman They Could Not Silence. About a woman whose husband put her in an insane asylum in 1860. Women could be locked up for all kinds of reasons. The following is from the beginning chapters (p. 38 and 39):
...one common cause of committal to an asylum in Elizabeth's time was "novel reading." Doctors believed that those who indulged in this "pernicious habit" lived "a dreamy kind of existence, so nearly allied to insanity that the slightest exciting cause is sufficient to derange.

>143 Familyhistorian: Elly Griffiths hits the spot for me with her Ruth Galloway series but I want to get up to date with that one before moving on to the other ones.

Looks like I have plenty to look forward to at least, Meg.

Have a great Sunday.

>144 Familyhistorian: Oh dear!! We'd all have been a lot of trouble back then, wouldn't we?!

12. A Career in Books by Kate Gavino



Three young women in New York were just breaking into the publishing world. The story of their friendship as they move in and out of their shared apartment was told in the GN, A Career in Books. It was as much a story of young Asian women in New York as it was a look at the publishing industry from its bottom rungs.

>145 PaulCranswick: I'm behind in the Ruth Galloway series too, Paul. I should read one of those soon. Hope you have/had a wonderful Sunday!

>146 RebaRelishesReading: Exceedingly bad trouble, Reba! I think most of us fall into the novel reading category but, of course, that only applied to women with their "inferior" brains.

>144 Familyhistorian: The Woman They Could Not Silence was a major eye opener. A book I will never forget!

Lots of possibilities in this one
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>150 mdoris: I knew of the practise of getting rid of women by sending them to an insane asylum, Mary. It was common in the era which the book was written about. I'm mainly reading the book to find out how Elizabeth's story is known and if she got out of the asylum.

>152 Familyhistorian: I won't tell Meg!

>152 Familyhistorian: Too bad, Mary. I'll have to find out for myself. It might take me a while to get to the end of the book, though. I just picked up six holds from the library and five of them have people waiting. It looks like I'll put The Woman They Could Not Silence to the side for a bit.

>135 Familyhistorian: Yes and yes.
I was never much of a watch-television person. But Masterpiece Theatre was the exception. I especially liked "Foyle's War".

Thanks for the reminder of where I must have seen the Anthony Horowitz name. And Stormbreaker looks good. Is this ok as start to the series? I doubt I'll find those earlier stories.

>155 SandyAMcPherson: The Alex Rider series is one of Anthony Horowitz's early series. It's one of his YA series. I read one from another of his YA series once Raven's Gate which is from his Gatekeepers series. I'm not sure that Magpie Murders is a series but there are two books, the other is Moonflower Murders. Those books both feature Susan Ryeland. Another series is the Hawthorne and Horowitz series which starts with The Word is Murder. He has many more books and series out as well. His first book was published in 1979.

One of those times I thought it couldn’t possibly be the right word but I put it in anyway
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I’m still plugging away at the holds I brought back from the library on Sunday. One down so far, review to follow soon.

Quick one today
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13. The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagendra



1920s India was still under British rule but there were rumblings which young Mrs Kaveri Murthy became aware of in The Bangalore Detectives Club. But then she was a very noticing person, a newlywed trying to size up and fit in to her new surroundings. She was also learning to be assertive and her husband was letting her get away with it. In fact, when she started to look into some unexplained deaths he helped as did their neighbour, Uma aunty. This unlikely crew aided the police chief in solving the murders.

It was a charming mystery with a delightful cast of characters. My only reservation was that the scene in the prologue seemed to be something that might have happened after the actions in the story.

>160 Familyhistorian: This is a great looking series. Nice review.

>147 Familyhistorian: This looks interesting.

>160 Familyhistorian: Also adding this one to The List, Meg.

Two book bullets. Nicely done! Hoping Thursday is kind to you.

>160 Familyhistorian: Looks interesting. I love seeing mysteries written in a different environment than the normal ones. Though I don't read mysteries very often, I enjoy an occasional one.

I couldn’t think of another word that would work
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>161 SandyAMcPherson: It looks like it will be the first book in a series, Sandy. But there was no mention of other books to come.

>162 Crazymamie: Glad I could get you with a couple of BBs, Mamie. It was sunny here today so a good day.

>163 The_Hibernator: I've read a couple of different mysteries set in India. The different setting makes them interesting. The settings are historic too so you get a little bit of the atmosphere of what was happening at the time in that country.

>160 Familyhistorian: Ooo. A new series, I hope. Sounds good.

>166 ffortsa: Hi Judy, it looks like it will be a series. I Googled the author, Harini Nagendra and it came up with a description of: "Author of 'The Bandalore Detectives Club', first in a charming, joyful crime series set in 1920s Bangalore, India." It appears the next book is Murder Under a Red Moon.

Another game of guess the missing letter
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abide, anger, after, aster, alter

Yesterday I had about 20 or so phone calls on my cell phone, one after the other. I didn't pick up. They filled up my messages but most left no messages, well except the one about the dispute about the balance of my Amazon account in the amount of $600 and some odd dollars. I blocked a lot of callers but the numbers were all different.

Later I noticed that my wifi wasn't working. My TV and main computer did though, so it was strange. My wifi is now back after I called the provider and they did something from their end. It was an annoying episode that took time to deal with. I have enough other things I'm behind on and didn't need the distraction.

14. Wake by Shelley Burr



Mina McCreery lived on a farm in the Australian Outback. She was more isolated than most since her twin sister disappeared when they were both young girls. Media attention had taken away any normalcy since the search begun close to 20 years ago. Mina didn’t want to talk to, Lane, the investigator who showed up apparently eager for the reward to solve the case. Against her better judgement she was drawn into Lane’s hunt or was it obsession? Just what was driving his interest in the case? Read Wake and you will find out.

Not a hard word to get for a reader
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15. Material Girls: Why Reality Matters for Feminism by Kathleen Stock



Championing a way of seeing social issues creates changes and unintended consequences. Material Girls: Why Reality Matters for Feminism looks at how trans activism and the subsequent changes enacted in response is chipping away at rights fought for by other groups. It was an interesting and concerning read.

>172 Familyhistorian: That sounds like an informative read. On my list it goes.

>173 figsfromthistle: It is informative. I've read a few books along the same lines. Surprising they get published really as the lobby is so far in the other court.

>172 Familyhistorian: HI Meg, Kathleen Stock has paid dearly for her opinions. I was very impressed with her book, her arguments and impressed with her character. She is an academic/prof with philosophy degrees but maybe you know that!

>175 mdoris: Hi Mary, no surprise that Kathleen Stock paid for her opinions. I am always surprised that these kinds of books get published at all, the price of alternate opinions being what they are in this day and age. It makes me wonder what weird and wonderful permutation of our present trajectory will take us down next.

You are reading up a storm, Meg. Thanks for the information on the series books. I'm particularly interested in reading the newish series by Elly Griffiths...just as soon as I read the last two in the Ruth Galloway series.

I also got a big smile out of your walk in the mall to avoid the rain and picking up two pairs of rain boots! :-)

An unexpected word
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abide, leaky, tarty, patsy, matey

>177 Donna828: You are much more disciplined than I, Donna. I am way behind in the Ruth Galloway series, read only the first of the Stephens and Mephisto series and then just finished the first of the Harbinder Kaur book. (At least the ones I've only read one of are the first book.)

New boots were needed but unfortunately, buying them didn't stop the rain from falling. *sigh*

16. The Devil to Pay by Liz Carlyle



I picked up The Devil to Pay in a special deal in the shop beside the library. It was hard to pick from the romances on offer because many of the titles were of books I’d read before. Apparently I read this one too, according to LT. I didn’t remember and happily wiled away some hours reading the story of the Marquess of Devellyn, known as the devil, and the lady who catches his interest. When he was forced to move into the house which his ex-mistress exited, amid crockery shattering and recriminations, he became aware that his neighbour across the street was not what she seemed. It was a preoccupation that would change both of their lives.

I was surprised by the amount of possible words
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abide, crude, exude, etude, elude

17. Hollywood Ending: Harvey Weinstein and the Culture of Silence by Ken Auletta



I’ve read a few of the books that have come out about Harvey Weinstein but they have concentrated on the investigation that brought him down. Hollywood Ending: Harvey Weinstein and the Culture of Silence covers his early years when he was getting started as a concert promoter on to the rise and fall of Miramax and his arrest. It also covers the New York trial in detail. It was a fascinating and cautionary tale.

Yesterday I met up with one of my genealogy groups at the BCGS library. Thankfully it wasn't raining as it is a trek to get there - about 50 minutes or so depending on traffic. We meet up once a month to research for a day. I got there late and left early. I wasn't getting very far with the family line I was researching and, although the library has affiliate status with FamilySearch I couldn't see any of the restricted films that I should have been able to. It was good to see the people who made it though. It had been a while as there was no meeting in December, in November I was in Mexico and the October meeting as at the same time as SIWC (the Surrey International Writers Conference.)

18. Innocent in Death by J.D. Robb



I’m really enjoying my reread of the in death series. I wanted to dive into Innocent in Death as soon as I got it home from the library but I restrained myself. Too many of my other library books were holds with other readers waiting. The murders in this latest series read took place in a school. That made for an interesting look into Dallas’ background, her memory of school being akin to prison, a far cry from the private academy she was investigating. The murder mystery itself was a good one but I pegged the murderer early. Maybe I remember more than I think?

I spent the morning writing an article for the BCGS Newsletter. I write one every month and sometimes it's hard to come up with a new topic. Once I settle on that then I have to come up with a couple of photos to illustrate it. This time I wrote about the regret of not being into family history research when I lived in the areas I now research. Honestly, most of the time it takes me less time to write the article than it does to find the right images to go with it! This time hunting through the places where I keep photos took some of last night and a lot of this morning.

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Not too bad considering I started with nothing. abide, flown, north, tonks, count

>184 Familyhistorian: I liked that one too. I've read it years ago.

Hi Meg!

>90 Familyhistorian: Yup, he’s been a very busy bee recently. I’ve read this one and loved it, have the third one to be read, and didn’t realize a fourth was out. Drat. At least I’m caught up in the Susan Ryeland series.

>139 Familyhistorian: I read Silk before I joined LT, so have no record of a rating/review and indeed, seem to have gotten rid of my copy. I remember liking it, but no more than that.

>143 Familyhistorian: I loved this book. Harbinder Kaur makes a late appearance as I recall, and I was happy to have the series settle into her in the second book. I’ve got the third sitting on my shelves, borrowed from a friend of mine. I need to read it before she gets back from an India-England trip next month.

>169 Familyhistorian: Boo hiss to technology woes and epic spamming efforts.

Lots of good reading this month for you, and such a variety!

>187 Ameise1: I read it years ago too, Barbara. But there are so many in death books and I read them so long ago it is almost like reading something new. Did you read any more of the series?

>188 karenmarie: Hi Karen, I only read the first Susan Ryland, Magpie Murders. I really should get back to that series. I liked it better than my first taste of the Hawthorne and Horowitz mysteries.

I'm looking forward to following the Harbinder Kaur series and will do that soon but the next in the Ruth Galloway series might come before that. At least I have the Galloway books on my shelves.

The Wi-Fi outage was a strange one but my main computer and TV still worked so it was an odd one. That the provider could fix it without coming out to check anything was different and quick. Much better than waiting for a service call!

Difficult one today
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19. A Case of Doubtful Death by Linda Stratmann



In A Case of Doubtful Death, the third book in the Frances Doughty mystery series, Frances was now running her own detective agency. After the death of her father, she was no longer able to work as a pharmacist and it seemed her best option. She had a number of cases on the go in this tale, one of which involved the disappears of a man who was employed by a place that held onto bodies in a waiting mortuary, a practice used to make sure people were actually dead. I liked the flavour it gave of Victorian London but found it a bit slow going. I’m not sure I will continue to look for other books in the series.

I'm putting this here so I don't forget that I've undertaken to read Peter Ackroyd's History of England series with Paul. I don't have all the books together yet but here is a list of them:

A History of England: Foundation - own
Tudors: The History of England from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I - own
Civil War: Volume III: The History of England this was also published as Rebellion: The History of England from James I to the Glorious Revolution - I own both titles
Revolution: The History of England from the Battle of the Boyne to the Battle of Waterloo - need to get *
Dominion: The History of England from the Battle of Waterloo to Victoria's Diamond Jubilee - own
Innovation: The History of England Volume VI - need to get *