VivienneR Watches Weather in 2023 part 3

I'm Vivienne, I live in the Kootenay region of beautiful British Columbia surrounded by snowy mountains. I've been doing the Category Challenge since 2014.

Reading plans:

     

Links to lists of CATs & KITs:

RandomKIT

MysteryKIT

AlphaKIT

SeriesCAT

ClassicsCAT

GeoCAT

ScaredyKIT

KiddyCAT

Historical Fiction Challenge

Bingo

January - time to hit the slopes on Red Mountain, British Columbia

1. The Cure for Death By Lightning by Gail Anderson-Dargatz
   
2. The Raven Mother by Brett D. Huson, illustrated by Natasha Donovan
   
3. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
   
4. Road Ends by Mary Lawson
   
5. Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson
   
6. Fleshmarket Close by Ian Rankin
   
7. A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon
   
8. A Dead Man in Naples by Michael Pearce
   
9. The Long Call by Ann Cleeves
   
10. You Only Live Twice by Ian Fleming
    
11. The Lantern Men by Elly Griffiths
    
12. A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore
    
13. Elegy for April by Benjamin Black
    
14. The Catch: Slough House novella by Mick Herron
    
15. A constellation of vital phenomena by Anthony Marra
    
16. Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen: The Seaside Corpse by Marthe Jocelyn
    
17. A death in Vienna by Daniel Silva
    
18. Rock paper scissors by Alice Feeney
    
19. The Clutter Corpse by Simon Brett
    
    

February - sun dog in Ottawa

1. The Scarred Woman by Jussi Adler Olsen
   
2. The Heron's Cry by Ann Cleeves
   
3. Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
   
4. Fire and Brimstone by Colin Bateman
   
5. Joy for Beginners by Erica Bauermeister
   
6. The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers
   
7. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
   
8. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
   
9. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
   
10. The Religious Body by Catherine Aird
    
11. The Great War: July 1, 1916: the first day of the Battle of the Somme: an illustrated panorama by Joe Sacco, Adam Hochschild
    
12. Death of a Busybody by George Bellairs
    
13. The Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen
    
14. Trespasses by Louise Kennedy
    
15. The Hanging Valley by Peter Robinson
    
16. From the desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
    
17. The Second Cut by Louise Welsh
    

March - last year's icicles were spectacular!

1. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
   
2. Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich
   
3. Post Captain by Patrick O’Brian
   
4. Stone Rain by Linwood Barclay
   
5. Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler
   
6. Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister
   
7. Arguably by Christopher Hitchens
   
8. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
   
9. The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill
   
10. Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L. Sayers
    
11. Wild Boy: a tale of Rowan Hood by Nancy Springer
    
12. Why Sinéad O'Connor Matters by Allyson McCabe
    
13. Photo Finish by Ngaio Marsh
    
14. Raven Black by Ann Cleeves
    
15. The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield
    
16. The Girl in the Blue Beret by Bobbie Ann Mason
    
17. The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa

April - rain showers - a good time to stay inside reading

1. A Talent for Murder by Andrew Wilson
   
2. The Stranger's Child by Alan Hollinghurst
   
3. Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
   
4. Dark Blood by Stuart MacBride
   
5. Tragedy at Law by Cyril Hare
   
6. Saints of the Shadow Bible by Ian Rankin
   
7. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
   
8. The Glass Key by Dashiel Hammett
   
9. The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West
   
10. Our Kind of Traitor by John le Carré
    
11. The Dinner by Herman Koch
    
12. Matilda by Roald Dahl
    
13. Theodore Boone: The Abduction by John Grisham
    
14. Dead Like You by Peter James
    
15. The Last Hand by Eric Wright
    
16. Beau Death by Peter Lovesey
    
17. Dry Bones by Margaret Mayhew
    
18. Muzzled by David Rosenfelt

May - clear starry nights

1. Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris
   
2. I, Claudius by Robert Graves
   
3. The Unlocking Season by Gail Bowen
   
4. Arctic Chill by Arnaldur Indridason
   
5. The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
   
6. Hope by Len Deighton
   
7. The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman
   
8. Stateless by Elizabeth Wein
   
9. Where the bodies are buried by Christopher Brookmyre
   
10. Urn Burial by Kerry Greenwood
    
11. Oxford Exit by Veronica Stallwood
    
12. Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel
    
13. Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce
    
14. Richard III & the Princes in the Tower by A.J. Pollard
    
15. Situation Tragedy: a Charles Paris mystery by Simon Brett

June - balmy days perfect for outdoor reading

1. Corrupted by Lisa Scottoline
   
2. The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck
   
3. Arabel's Raven by Joan Aiken
   
4. Someone is Always Watching by Kelley Armstrong
   
5. A Mind to Murder by P.D. James
   
6. Slough House by Mick Herron
   
7. Something Fresh by P.G. Wodehouse
   
8. Your School is the Best by Maggie Hutchings & Felicita Sala
   
9. Man by Kim Thúy
   
10. Tea at the Palace by Carolyn Robb
    
11. Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner
    
12. Call of the Wild by Jack London
    
13. The Library Book by Kate Mosse
    
14. Killers of the King: the men who dared to execute Charles I by Charles, Earl Spencer

July - heatwave

1. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
   
2. A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear
   
3. Seven Steeples by Sara Baume
   
4. Swann's Way: In Search of Lost Time (part 1) by Marcel Proust
   
5. The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood
   
6. Good Daughters by Mary Hocking
   
7. Death of a Green-Eyed Monster by M.C. Beaton & R.W. Greene
   
8. Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix
   
9. The Cheshire Cat's Eye by Marcia Muller
   
10. The Readers' Room by Antoine Laurain
    
11. A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny
    
12. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo
    
13. Bad Actors by Mick Herron
    
14. The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagendra
    
15. The Answer is ...: reflections on my life by Alex Trebek
    
16. Elephants Can Remember by Agatha Christie
    
17. The Conquering Family by Thomas Costain

August - dog days of summer

1. Sure and Certain Death by Barbara Nadel
   
2. A Net for Small Fishes by Lucy Jago
   
3. A Killing of Innocents by Deborah Crombie
   
4. One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson
   
5. The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr
   
6. Inspector Chen and the Private Kitchen Murder by Qiu Xiaolong
   
7. The Hidden World of Gnomes by Lauren Soloy

September - thunderstorm in Toronto

October - cool nights and the Aurora Borealis in Jasper Alberta

November - mist

December - snow!

1. features music or musician: Why Sinéad O'Connor Matters by Allyson McCabe
2. features inn or hotel: Rock paper scissors by Alice Feeney
3. features cat family member: The Cheshire Cat's Eye by Marcia Muller
4. next in series you’ve started: The Lantern Men by Elly Griffiths
5. author in your zodiac sign: Corrupted by Lisa Scottoline
6. memoir: The Answer is ...: reflections on my life by Alex Trebek
7. bestseller from 20 years ago: The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa
8. plant in title or on cover: The Hidden World of Gnomes by Lauren Soloy
9. switched or stolen identities: Elephants Can Remember by Agatha Christie
10. taught you something: Bad Actors by Mick Herron
11. book on the cover: Oxford Exit by Veronica Stallwood
12. art or craft related: A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny
13. read a CAT: Where the bodies are buried by Christopher Brookmyre
14. small town / rural setting
15. STEM topic: The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield
16. 4+ LT rating: Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens
17. local or regional author
18. involves an accident
19. features journalist / ism
20. popular author’s 1st book
21. topic you don’t usually read: The Great War: July 1, 1916: the first day of the Battle of the Somme: an illustrated panorama by Joe Sacco, Adam Hochschild
22. number or quantity in title
23. author under 30: Call of the Wild by Jack London
24. set on plane, train, or ship: Stateless by Elizabeth Wein
25. more than 1,000 copies on LT: Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel

RandomKIT

Jan: Hidden gems: A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon
Feb: Second or two: The Heron’s Cry by Ann Cleeves
Feb: Second or two: The Second Cut by Louise Welsh
Mar: Water water everywhere: Treasure Island by Robert L. Stevenson
Mar: Water water everywhere: Stone Rain by Linwood Barclay
Mar: Water water everywhere: Raven Black by Ann Cleeves
Apr: Seven ages of man: The Stranger’s Child by Alan Hollinghurst
Apr: Seven ages of man: The Abduction by John Grisham
Apr: Seven ages of man: Where is Your Huzband by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
Apr: Seven ages of man: The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West
Apr: Seven ages of man: Tragedy at Law by Cyril Hare
Apr: Seven ages of man: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Apr: Seven ages of man: Beau Death by Peter Lovesey
May: Royal names: Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris
May: Royal names: Situation Tragedy: a Charles Paris mystery by Simon Brett
June: Walls: The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck
July: Muppets: The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood
July: Muppets: Death of a Green-Eyed Monster by M.C. Beaton & R.W. Greene

MysteryKIT

Jan: TV detectives: Fleshmarket Close by Ian Rankin
Jan: TV detectives: Elegy for April by Benjamin Black
Feb: Classic setting: The Religious Body by Catherine Aird
Feb: Classic setting: Death of a Busybody by George Bellairs
Mar: Paranormal: Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich
Apr: Tartan noir: Dark Blood by Stuart MacBride
Apr: Tartan noir: Saints of the shadow bible by Ian Rankin
May: True, unsolved: Richard III & the Princes in the Tower by A.J. Pollard
Jun: Vintage: A Mind to Murder by P.D. James
Jul: Private detectives: The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagendra

AlphaKIT

Jan: S - Shrines of gaiety by Kate Atkinson
Jan: S - The Catch: Slough House novella by Mick Herron
Jan: S - The clutter corpse by Simon Brett
Jan: I - Dead man in Naples by Michael Pearce
Feb: J & F - Joy For Beginners by Erica Bauermeister
Feb: F - The storied life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
Feb: J - From the desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
Mar: G & A - Wrong place, wrong time by Gillian McAllister
Mar: G & A - Girl in the blue beret by Bobbie Ann Mason
Apr: D - Dead Like You by Peter James
Apr: W - A Talent for Murder by Andrew Wilson
Apr: W - The Last Hand by Eric Wright
Apr: D - Dry bones by Margaret Mayhew
May: U - The Unlocking Season by Gail Bowen
May: C - The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman
May: U - Urn Burial by Kerry Greenwood
Jun: B - The Library Book by Kate Mosse
Jun: K - Killers of the King: the men who dared to execute Charles I by Charles, Earl Spencer
July: P - Tea at the Palace by Carolyn Robb
July: P - A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny
July: O - Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo
August: M - The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr
August: Q - Inspector Chen and the Private Kitchen Murder by Qiu Xiaolong
all year: X - Inspector Chen and the Private Kitchen Murder by Qiu Xiaolong
all year: Z - The storied life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
all year: Z - From the desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks

SeriesCAT

Jan: New: The Long Call by Ann Cleeves
Feb: In translation: The Scarred Woman by Jussi Adler-Olsen
Mar: YA/children: Wild Boy by Nancy Springer
Apr: Order not needed: Muzzled by David Rosenfelt
May: Trilogies: Hope by Len Deighton
Jun: Favourite authors: Slough House by Mick Herron
Jul: Non-fiction: The Conquering Family by Thomas Costain
Aug: Meaning to get back to: A Killing of Innocents by Deborah Crombie

ClassicsCAT

Jan: Adventure: You Only Live Twice by Ian Fleming
Feb: Published before 1900: Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
Mar: Adapted to screen: Clouds of witness by Dorothy L. Sayers
Apr: Mysteries: The Glass Key by Dashiell Hammett
May: Children's: Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce
Jun: Humour: Something Fresh by P.G. Wodehouse
Jul: Always wanted to read: Swann's Way: In Search of Lost Time (part 1) by Marcel Proust

GeoCAT

Jan: C & E Europe: A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
Jan: C & E Europe: A death in Vienna by Daniel Silva
Feb: Place you'd like to visit: Fire and brimstone by Colin Bateman
Feb: Place you'd like to visit: The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers
Mar: Australia & New Zealand: The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill
Mar: Australia & New Zealand: Photo Finish by Ngaio Marsh
Apr: S & C America: Our Kind of Traitor by John le Carré
May: Polar regions: Arctic Chill by Arnaldur Indridason
Jun: S & SE Asia: Man by Kim Thúy
Jul: W Europe: Seven Steeples by Sara Baume
Jul: W Europe: The Readers' Room by Antoine Laurain

ScaredyKIT

Jan: Comedy horror: A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore
Feb: Historical horror: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Apr: Food related: The Dinner by Herman Koch
May: Surviving the horror: The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
Jul: Beach reads: Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix

KiddyCAT

Jan: Picture books: The Raven Mother by Brett D. Husan, Natasha Donovan
Jan: Picture books: The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
Feb: Mystery: Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen: the Seaside Corpse by Marthe Jocelyn
Mar: Historical: A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
Apr: Fantasy Matilda by Roald Dahl
Jun: Animal character: Arabel's Raven by Joan Aiken
Jun: Animal character: Your School is the Best by Maggie Hutchings & Felicita Sala

Historical Fiction Challenge

1. Your country - Canada
The Cure for Death by Lightning by Gail Anderson-Dargatz
Road Ends by Mary Lawson

2. Different country
Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner
A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear

3. Favourite time period - 20th century
Trespasses by Louise Kennedy
Sure and Certain Death by Barbara Nadel

4. Less familiar time period
Post Captain by Patrick O’Brian - 19th century
A Net for Small Fishes by Lucy Jago - 17th century

5. With a speculative element
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler

6. About a real figure or event
The Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen

7. Classic Work
I, Claudius by Robert Graves
Good Daughters by Mary Hocking

Bonus - over 500 pages
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Open for business.

Happy new thread!

>24 VivienneR: Oh, that was fast! Thank you, Tess.

Happy new thread, it's always nice to revisit your lovely pictures! I'm so impressed that you've read 79 books already, that's amazing!

>27 Jackie_K: Thank you, Jackie! I've been feeling sorry for myself because I'm not getting enough reading time. And I have to point out that a number of the 79 books read have been very short.

>28 VivienneR: (nothing wrong with a short book!)

Happy New Thread! I always like strolling through the lists of what people have read in a new thread.

>29 Jackie_K: For some reason I can't change the ticker so I'm stuck on 79 until I delete it or figure out what's wrong.

>30 dudes22: Thank you, Betty. I always enjoy new threads for that reason too.

Bingo - Read a CAT: MysteryKIT April - Tartan Noir

Where the bodies are buried by Christopher Brookmyre

Gritty Glasgow combined with a personal story and introduction to Jasmine Sharp, Brookmyre’s young novice private detective. Alternating chapters describe her investigation in search of her uncle who is also her new boss, with that of police detective Catherine McLeod's inquiry into the illicit drugs business. As the story progresses their investigations eventually merge. This is a tightly plotted mystery that has the reader hooked from the first page. Tough without being bloody and with the natural ironic humour associated with Glasgow. I can't wait to read more in the Jasmine Sharp series.

>31 VivienneR: My ticker isn't working either. :( Hopefully they will correct this soon as I enjoy using the tickers and don't want to give them up.

>33 DeltaQueen50: I tried various things but in the end logged out of the account and then back in and created the same ticker. It was actually quicker than trying to figure out what was wrong. Hope you are successful, Judy.

>34 VivienneR: Both my tickers are working again! I notice that the site name is different. It's now going as FertilityFriend.com so perhaps the problem was just that they were switching over.

>35 DeltaQueen50: Yes, my ticker wasn't working yesterday, but today it's back to normal.

>35 DeltaQueen50: I noticed the new name but didn't know when the change happened. I guess I hit it at just the wrong moment.

>36 RidgewayGirl: I should have been more patient. So many tech issues seem to get solved overnight. We had an enormous thunderstorm yesterday - a once in a decade strength storm - and lost internet that happily was restored overnight.

AlphaKIT May - U

Urn Burial by Kerry Greenwood

This was my first disappointment from Miss Fisher. And I seem to remember being disappointed with the television episode too.

Happy new thread. I'm also impressed at 79 books, just twice as many as me! And I get accused of reading too much - as if such a thing were ever possible >;-)

>39 Helenliz: Thank you, Helen. Reading too much?? I've heard that whopper too! And of course, numbers are of no consequence.

I just realized yesterday was my 16th Thingaversary. I'm not planning on buying 17 books (the traditional one for each year and one to grow on) to celebrate because I buy books regularly all year. However, I'll be going to the library booksale next month where I expect to add a significant haul to my collection. My only problem is that the books that catch my eye are usually the ones I've donated to the sale.

>41 VivienneR: oh, happy thingaversary! Hope the library sale is a roaring success. I've been known to buy a book twice because it caught my eye on separate occasions. oops.

>41 VivienneR: Happy Thingaversary! My only problem is that the books that catch my eye are usually the ones I've donated to the sale. -- I often have that same problem! Or at least, they're books I've read and gotten rid of before...so why am I eyeing them again?!

>42 Helenliz: It's happened to me too! I imagine the library sale will be a success, the last one was held during a huge snowstorm so people will be anxious to make up for the bargains they missed.

>43 christina_reads: Thank you, Christina! That is my exact problem!

Happy Thingaversary! I too have the same problem at library sales.

Happy Thingaversary. I love library sales.

>46 dudes22: Thank you, Betty.

>47 lowelibrary: Thank you. Like you and >46 dudes22: I love them too and would never miss one!

I can't believe I've been here for 16 years. It's terrific fun. Not only the book and reading discussions, but the people here are wonderful.

Happy Thingaversary, and I hope you have lots of lovely encounters ate the library sale!

Happy Thingaversary! We never seemed to have got into the whole library sale thing on this side of the Pond, I can't help feeling I'm missing out!

Happy Thingaversary!

>49 MissWatson: Thank you! Lovely encounters are almost certain to occur.

>50 Jackie_K: Thanks, Jackie! Often when I buy a second hand book online it comes with an English or Scottish public library stamp, which made me wonder why they don't have library book sales instead of going to the trouble of online sales for weeded books. Mind you, that obscure library stamp makes it more of a treasure.

>51 Tess_W: Thank you, Tess!

>50 Jackie_K: Maybe...........for the last couple of Friends of the Library sale they have had 90% romance books (thousands) and not much else!

>48 VivienneR: 16 years- Good for you.

My library had a sale and I was gone. They put the unsold books in the lobby area with a donation box

>53 Tess_W: Oh, that's disappointing!

>54 mnleona: Thank you. I can hardly believe it's been so long.

My library does that too. They sell donations (must meet criteria) and weeded books "by donation". What's left is put on shelves in the lobby that can be taken without charge.

Happy Anniversary!

>52 VivienneR: Perhaps it's not always the library selling them, but people on-selling books they picked up at a library sale.

>56 pamelad: Thank you, Pam!

Yes, that's true.

Bingo - book on the cover

Oxford Exit by Veronica Stallwood

Novelist and one-time librarian, Kate Ivory, has been asked to do some cataloguing at the Bodleian Library, Oxford in an undercover effort to find out how to make rare books disappear when they are in the process of being added to the computer catalogue and removed from the card index. Not only did she discover major losses and what became of the books, but someone else had the same suspicion and came to a nasty end. The book theft is referred to as the Oxford Exit. This was a lot of fun, not a cozy, but kept light with Stallwood's humour and library lore. And of course the setting is first-rate.

Most noteworthy: a particularly creepy character has the name of Vivian.

Bingo - more than 1000 copies on LibraryThing

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel

Science fiction is not my preferred reading but St John Mandel's writing is fantastic and I love her imaginative novels. This slim book, spanning centuries, is a gem.

ClassicsCAT May: Children's

Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce

A charming time-travel story about a boy who had to live with relatives in their flat while his brother had measles (obviously written pre-vaccine). He discovered an opening in the grandfather clock leading to a magic garden and Hatty, a Victorian girl who becomes his friend. Highly recommended.

>60 VivienneR: I'm sure I read this as a child - the names Tom and Hatty definitely ring a bell - but I remember nothing about it. Another one to dig out some time!

Happy Thingaversary!
I await your review of Richard III, my favorite. But he's not everyone's ;-D

MysteryKIT May: True, Unsolved

Richard III & the Princes in the Tower by A.J. Pollard

The most famous unsolved mystery. As an early victim of misinformation it is hardly surprising that this story survived. Richard had absolutely no reason to kill the young princes, whereas Henry VI needed to create the mystery of their deaths to validate his position.

There is no contemporary description of Richard that suggests any physical deformity. One mild comment that "one shoulder was higher than the other" escalated with each mention until eventually Thomas More's history of Richard claimed that he was "little of stature, ill-featured of limbs, crook-backed, his left shoulder much higher than the right" and he continued with atrocious stories about his mother and his birth intended to create ominous portent. As Richard was killed at Bosworth in 1495 when More was a small child he had no personal knowledge of the king but his biography of Richard shows the extent of his toadying to the Tudors. His account influenced Shakespeare's play written 100 years after Richard III's death, when it was still acceptable to write unflattering accounts of the last Plantagenet king.

Written in 1997, well before the discovery of Richard's body in a parking lot in Leicester, Pollard goes along with the traditional claim that he was a villain who murdered his two young nephews. Nothing I have read convinces me of his guilt.

>63 VivienneR: I'm with you--Richard was a victim of misinformation!

>64 NinieB: Glad of that support, Ninie! I intended to write a more detailed review to back up my opinion, but haven't been well and took the easy route with a short version.

Misinformation and "fake news" is such a huge topic nowadays that I pity the historians of the future who will have a spectacularly difficult job disentangling fact from fiction.

RandomKIT May: Royal Names

Situation Tragedy: a Charles Paris mystery by Simon Brett

An entertaining mystery featuring jobbing actor Charles Paris, this time in a new television series that might just offer a regular salary for a while. Brett offers a good reminder of television comedy rules in the seventies - such as always wearing kaftans and long hair to indicate bohemianism and fitting in as much innuendo as possible. He provides a clever insight into the superficial, frivolous world of television comedy with the accomanying puffed up egos of everyone involved. When Charles looks back on one of his parts it's often followed by a brief excerpt from a review, rarely complimentary.

This was a kindle version that had many typos. One character was called Dob in some places and Dab in others. The term sit-com was used but also sit-cam and then surprisingly sit-corn. Nevertheless, it was more entertaining than most sit-coms.

May Summary

While there were no five-star reads, it was still a pretty good month.

Books read in May: 15
Books read this year: 86


Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris
The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
Where the bodies are buried by Christopher Brookmyre


I, Claudius by Robert Graves
The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman
Stateless by Elizabeth Wein
Oxford Exit by Veronica Stallwood
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel
Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce


The Unlocking Season by Gail Bowen
Hope by Len Deighton
Richard III & the Princes in the Tower by A.J. Pollard
Situation Tragedy by Simon Brett


Arctic Chill by Arnaldur Indridason


Urn Burial by Kerry Greenwood

>65 VivienneR: Sorry you haven't been well, Vivienne.

>66 VivienneR: I love the uncomplimentary reviews in Charles Paris books! They always make me laugh.

>67 VivienneR: Thanks for this update. You have given me some useful information about books that I can add to my prospect list or remove from my current list.

>68 NinieB: Thank you, Ninie!

>69 JoeB1934: Glad to hear that, Joe! It's easy to find enjoyable books so being able to cross off potential duds is good.

>63 VivienneR: I will put this one on my WL. I have read extensively about this situation and am pretty convinced that I have no idea! What does puzzle me is that two "small" bodies were found in 1674 and their skeletons were preserved. A group lobbied Elizabeth II for examination and she refused. Will King Charles give the nod?

>63 VivienneR: That's interesting. I don't remember hearing about the two bodies being found although it sounds vaguely familiar. I wonder why the Queen wouldn't permit examination. I doubt they'd be able to uncover the cause of death anyway, never mind who brought it about. I find it fascinating.

I'm not getting much any reading done this month so far. My husband developed a serious heart problem, collapsed and split his head open, and we've been spending a lot of time in the emergency department. He has Parkinson's disease but otherwise very healthy so I'm not used to being a nurse.

>72 VivienneR: You have my heartfelt sympathy. It occurs to me that this kind of an event occurs all the time in books we read but the impact is so much greater when it happens in our family. Similar, but not as serious events seem to arrive in my family increasingly as I get older too.

>72 VivienneR: So sorry to hear this, and I hope both you and your husband are doing okay!

>72 VivienneR: Oh, Vivienne, that's so stressful. I'll keep you and your husband in my thoughts. Hoping for the best for both of you.

>72 VivienneR: So sorry, Vivienne. I have a husband who falls a lot. He just fell last week and a trip to the ER. He has 14 stitches on his foot. I'm exhausted from nursing duties. I hope your husband recovers quickly and your nursing duties are discontinued!

>72 VivienneR: I'm sorry to hear this, I hope he recovers quickly and you can relax a little.

>72 VivienneR: I hope things settle down for you soon. I'm a family caretaker too, and it is sooo exhausting. I enjoy my reading time in the evening, but most days my mind can't handle much by that time of day. Still, whatever I read is a distraction.

>72 VivienneR: That must be very worrying and stressful for you. I hope he recovers soon!

My thanks to everyone for your support and sympathy!

The abundant blood was alarming but I knew the reason for the fall was going to be worse. He wouldn't let me call an ambulance and I had to drive him to the hospital with one towel on his head and another round his neck. He is improving, but by no means well.

>72 VivienneR: Hoping there is definite improvement in the next few days for both of you.

Best wishes to you and your husband, Vivienne.

To cap it all, I got sick today. An old problem that needs treatment in the big city hospital 4-5 hours awayl. I'll put it off until I can talk to my doctor. The last time I went, in the deep snow of December, it was torture.

>83 VivienneR: When it rains, it pours! Hoping for better days for you and the hubby!

You've certainly hit a difficult time. I saw a friend this week who has Parkinson's and her gait seems to be worse than the last time I saw her. I'm always worried she'll take a tumble. Hope you and hubby are better soon.

Thinking of you and your husband, Vivienne, and hoping he's doing better soon!

Thank you so much for your support and sympathy. I certainly didn't need to get sick just as I thought I'd everything under control. Husband's medication schedule was already complicated, but the additional heart meds have made a spreadsheet on the fridge door a necessity! And even then, I suspect it's not being adhered to. Parkinson's affects so much more than movement.

As someone else said "Old age is not for sissies".

Bingo - author in your zodiac sign

This book was supposed to be finished in May but RL events prevented that. Reading in bits and pieces destroyed the continuity and I have a feeling I missed some parts altogether.

Corrupted by Lisa Scottoline

The Cash for Kids scandal was something I'd never heard of before and had me checking wikipedia for details. It's beyond belief that such a thing could happen. Scottoline didn't hold back from naming names. This was an excellent exposé with exciting courtroom drama.

I am so sorry to read about your and your husband's health issues. We are of a similar age, I believe, and these days it seems as if it's either me or my husband having problems. After my last hospital stay, my husband had difficulties which was most likely brought on by stress over my condition. So I urge you to take care of yourselves and I hope all is soon well with the both of you and reading again becomes a big part of your life.

>89 DeltaQueen50: Thank you, Judy! Yes, I've read about your health issues too and know you understand. I'm so worried about my husband who has never had to deal with bills, or taxes, or balance the bank account, or anything to do with technology, or a million other things.

You take care too! We have to stick together!

My reading came to a standstill last week when I was admitted to hospital (again!) with pancreatitis. And in case you associate that illness with bad habits let me say I don't drink alcohol, don't smoke and I've been vegetarian for over 40 years. I'm slowly recovering at home but still shaky.

The only nice part of what happened was that instead of the six-hour journey by ambulance to the "big city" hospital, another patient was being sent by air ambulance and there was room for me too. It was very exciting, a real treat and on a blue sky, sunny morning. Unfortunately the return journey was the road trip, flat on my back for six hours, in a rainstorm.

> 91 I'm so sorry you have this condition to contend with. Was your air flight on a helicopter? I've wondered what that would be like, I live a couple of blocks from a hospital and they fly over my house often. I always send up a little prayer for the patient. Best wishes for a painless future and no more long trips to the hospital!

>91 VivienneR: So sorry you have to go through this, Vivienne. I'm glad you got to experience an airflight (we call them Lifeflights), but wish it was under different circumstances. I hope this clears up and you don't have to endure any more 6 hour rides on the back!

Sorry to hear this. I hope you're well on the way to recovery!

Oh no, get well soon Vivienne! Pancreatitis is nasty, nasty, nasty.

So sorry to hear that you had to be whisked off to the hospital - I do hope you are feeling much better and that you stay healthy!

Pancreatitis sounds very nasty. Best wishes for a quick recovery and no recurrence.

Wishing you a quick and uneventful recovery, Vivienne.

>92 clue: Thank you. It was a lovely little plane, not a helicopter, which would have been fun too. But it was the best part of the last couple of weeks.

>93 Tess_W: Thank you, Tess. Around here they are called medevacs. I've made that road journey many times because this is a recurring problem. And each time I am convinced that I won't need to do it again.

>94 MissWatson: Thank you, Birgit. Recovery has started!

>95 Jackie_K: Thank you. Nasty indeed! Sounds like you have had some experience.

>96 DeltaQueen50: Thank you, Judy.

>97 pamelad: Thank you, Pam.

>98 RidgewayGirl: Thank you, Kay. Uneventful would be appreciated. Too many events happening recently.

RandomKIT June: Walls

The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck

Set in a Bavarian castle at the end of World War II, the widow of one of the resisters who plotted to assassinate Hitler, is trying to fulfill her promise to protect the wives and families of other resisters who were executed. This is a story of Germany coping with defeat and shows the varying opinions of the German people from a perspective not usually encountered. Ultimately it is a story of friendship. I found some parts to be quite slow, but otherwise it is written beautifully and with compassion.

I read most of this before getting sick and although I just scanned the end I'm counting it as read.

I hope you'll be feeling better soon, Vivienne.

I'm so sorry you had to go through that! It sounds really rough, and I hope you get a break now.

>101 dudes22: Thank you, Betty! I'm feeling better every day.

>102 mstrust: Thanks, Jennifer. A break from medical emergencies would be welcome.

KiddyCAT June: With an animal character

Arabel's Raven by Joan Aiken

A series of three stories about a raven rescued and brought home by Arabel's dad, and their adventures. I loved details such as Arabel's mother working at the Round and Round record shop.

>99 VivienneR: My only experience of pancreatitis is as a nurse - I've seen enough people in a lot of pain from it to know it's something I'd not wish on my worst enemy.

>105 Jackie_K: Ah, that explains your understanding of it. I didn't realize you'd been a nurse.

AlphaKIT June K

Someone is Always Watching by Kelley Armstrong

I have enjoyed Armstrong's mysteries a lot and I was delighted to get the opportunity through Early Reviewers to try something different with this YA novel. It was just as well-plotted and has excellent characters. As expected, Armstrong always produces a winner.

MysteryKIT - June: Vintage

A Mind to Murder by P.D. James

The second Adam Dalgleish novel, published in 1963. The administrator of the Steen Phychiatric Clinic was found murdered with a a chisel in her heart. The investigation is filled with psychiatric analyses of patients and staff as well as their treatments. James' elegant writing can occasionally come across as a tad monotonous but it will always pay off in the end, and the ending of this one was gripping.

SeriesCAT June: Favourite authors

Slough House by Mick Herron

Slough House is my favourite series. Herron can weave a plot full of the complexities of espionage, and with terrific characters, yet keeps it light with humour and literary flair This is one of my favourites of the series and with just one more to read I'm looking forward to going back to the beginning again. I can highly recommend this series.

ClassicsCAT June: Humour

Something Fresh by P.G. Wodehouse

This is one of my favourites from Wodehouse. Not as frantic as the Jeeves and Wooster stories, but just as funny, if not more so.

>110 VivienneR: I've yet to read a Wodehouse, perhaps I will start with this one.

>109 VivienneR: I really need to move this up on my TBR

>111 Tess_W: I find Wodehouse a bit wearing. This one not (quite) so much.

>112 JoeB1934: Good, glad I was of help, Joe.

I've read a lot of Wodehouse, including some Blandings, but I don't think I've read that one. Thanks for the review!

>114 mstrust: I like the Blandings stories best!

KiddyCAT June: Animal stories

Your School is the Best by Maggie Hutchings & Felicita Sala

This is the funniest "bug" picture book I've come across. A cockroach family hitch a ride to school for show-and-tell. They were good at everything: hiding in the pencil shavings, reading - while nibbling, checking the peas growing in jars, counting beads dropped on the floor, playing hide and seek - in teacher's lunchbox, but especially dancing - on teacher's curly hair! The only message this book will convey to children is the absolute joy of going to school - and that cockroaches can enjoy it just as much. Fabulous story, fabulous illustrations.

GeoCAT June: S & SE Asia

Man by Kim Thúy

Thúy's brevity adds grace and poetry to an already touching story of an immigrant to Canada from Vietnam. Mãn's attention to tradition through food allows the reader to share the distress of severance from her Maman and her homeland. A beautiful, memorable story.

AlphaKIT July: P

Tea at the Palace by Carolyn Robb

I borrowed this from the library, but liked it so much I ordered a copy for myself. Each chapter features a palace or royal home with associated recipes. It came at a good time to try out cakes for birthday celebrations with great success.

Historical Fiction Challenge - a different country to mine

Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner

A post-war bookshop in London sounds intriguing, however, I found this a little slow. It's a male-dominated world where women have to push to be noticed and obviously this is the beginning of change to the status quo. The three women in the bookshop, Vivien, Grace, and Evie, are from different classes and social backgrounds and here too changes are on the horizon. Their interaction with real-life literary women of the day gave the story some gravitas but not enough to carry it beyond light historical fiction.

>119 VivienneR: Set in London during the 1950s and featuring a bookshop - it's no wonder this one is already sitting on my Kindle. I will mark it as "light" and lower my expectations just a little. :)

>120 DeltaQueen50: I expected more but just found it slow, nothing special. I hope you enjoy it, Judy.

ETA: Maybe I'm just a bit hard to please at the moment. :)

Bingo - author under 30

Call of the Wild by Jack London

As an adventure story it's ok - but the opening, in which Buck is beaten into submission, is not something I'd give to a child to read.

AlphaKIT June - B

The Library Book by Kate Mosse (Charity)

This was an inadvertent BB from mstrust who initially used the wrong touchstone. It caught my eye because I spotted Alan Bennett’s name in the drop down description. However, there were many favourite authors in this anthology created in support of libraries: Ann Cleeves, Caitlin Moran, Val McDermid, Zadie Smith, and more. The story from Kate Mosse was a hair-raising ghost story. And Alan Bennett’s essay was so typically personal that I could hear his voice. Both interesting and inspirational, this was a very enjoyable read and just imagine, without mstrust’s mistaken touchstone, I may never have found it.

AlphaKIT June - K

Killers of the King: the men who dared to execute Charles I by Charles, Earl Spencer

I borrowed this from the library, not to read cover to cover, but so that I might compare Robert Harris's fictional account in Act of Oblivion that I read in May, with the facts as presented by Spencer.

As much as I respect Harris, one of my favourite authors, I preferred Spencer's straightforward and undemanding account, that offered so much more detail, especially of the trial.

I'm currently reading A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens and Good Daughters by Mary Hocking that I won't be able to finish by month end so I'm calling it a month. Despite all the health issues it wasn't a bad reading month. I had a record three books rating five stars.

June Summary

Books read in June: 14
Books read this year: 100


Slough House by Mick Herron
Your School is the Best by Maggie Hutchings & Felicita Sala
Tea at the Palace by Carolyn Robb


Corrupted by Lisa Scottoline
Arabel's Raven by Joan Aiken
Someone is always watching by Kelley Armstrong
A Mind to Murder by P.D. James
Something Fresh by P.G. Wodehouse
Man by Kim Thúy
The Library Book by Kate Mosse
Killers of the King: the men who dared to execute Charles I by Charles, Earl Spencer


The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck
Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner


Call of the Wild by Jack London

>125 VivienneR: Three 5-star reads sounds like a great month -- congrats!

>126 christina_reads: Thanks Christina! Yes it was a good month and no duds either.

Historical Fiction Challenge: Bonus - over 500 pages

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

This is one of those rare books that everyone should read at least once. I've read it more than once and although it's been a long time since my last reading, the fabulous characters come alive again like old friends (or foes). And while the general plot is memorable, subsequent readings revive minor details and the sentiments they bring about.

No wonder Dickens' books are so long - his genteel wordiness takes pages to ask "May I marry your daughter".

Sorry to hear of all the myriad of health issues.
Glad that June was a good reading month, nonetheless.

>128 VivienneR: Still on my list to read.

>129 Helenliz: Thank you, Helen. I wouldn't want to repeat the health events of June. The reading was good.

I think I enjoyed A Tale of Two Cities more when I read it a few decades ago. But it has been on my reading (again) list for too long and was a worthwhile revisit.

>128 VivienneR: This is my favourite Charles Dickens book. I don't like him much because he's so wordy and sentimental and was nasty to his wife!

>131 pamelad: It's my favourite Dickens book too! The wordiness I don't mind so much but the man was detestable.

>128 VivienneR: One of my favorite books of all time. I've read it twice. The last time was about 20 years ago. I think it's time again!

>133 Tess_W: That was my idea too - that it was time to read it again. But then somehow it got put off for years. I'm glad I got around to it at last.

Just dropping in to say "hello" as I make my "catch up" rounds.

>135 thornton37814: Hi Lori! I was just over at your thread but didn't leave a message. I enjoyed all your latest reviews.

Historical Fiction Challenge - a different country to yours

A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear

This is the eighth in the Maisie Dobbs series and for me, the last. The years following the Great War was what attracted me to the series and now that the story has reached 1932 the appeal has faded. That could have more to do with the formidable Maisie herself than anything else. Maisie, who has been written as so close to perfection that surely she is beyond human. This effectively demeans the character and the story.

The audio version was narrated by American Orlagh Cassidy who frequently reverts to American pronunciation which, combined with a tortured attempt at a prestigious English accent, is exasperating and partly responsible for my low rating.

Apart from finishing A Lesson in Secrets there was scant reading today because it was my birthday. Beautiful day as usual for the Fourth of July, and my presents get better - and more numerous - every year.

Happy birthday!

Happy Belated Birthday! I hope you had a great day!

>139 MissWatson:
>140 lsh63:

Thank you, it was a wonderful day.

GeoCAT July: Western Europe - Ireland

Seven Steeples by Sara Baume

Bell and Sigh (Isabel and Simon), have withdrawn from their city lives to a rented cottage in Ireland, accompanied by their two dogs. The cottage is ramshackle, more so since the couple have moved in and with each passing year becomes more unkempt, infested, rotten. While there is no indication of why they left the city for this sequestered life, the reader will find some hints scattered in the text. It was not until their eighth year in the cottage that they climbed the mountain, their original goal that had festered like everything else.The writing is touching, and, reading between the lines, an old sadness is apparent, presented in this beautifully introspective prose poem.

ClassicsCAT July: Always wanted to read

Swann's Way: In Search of Lost Time (part 1) by Marcel Proust

Skilfully introspective and utterly captivating. One of those books that is difficult to put down as it seductively draws the reader in. No review, others have said it better than I ever could. I'm just glad this the classics category challenge supplied the prompt that led me to read this excellent work. Highly recommended. Mine was an audiobook with an outstanding reading by John Rowe.

Belated happy birthday wishes, Viviene. Glad you had such a good day.

>144 pamelad: Thank you, Pam.

>143 VivienneR: You have convinced me. On my WL is goes!

>143 VivienneR: - So will you continue with this?

>146 Tess_W: I'm sure you will enjoy it.

>147 dudes22: I already have part 2 so will continue at some point.

>148 VivienneR: Good luck. I read part 1, but decided that I wasn't up to the commitment for the rest of the series.

>149 Helenliz: That's understandable. I won't be continuing anytime soon, I've had too many quiet, introspective books recently.

I've been meaning to try Baume. Maybe I'll get around to her eventually.

>151 thornton37814: It's a slim book, doesn't take long to read. I hope you give it a try. I think you'll enjoy it.

RandomKIT July: The Muppets - Statler and Waldorf - featuring seniors

The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood

A humorous cozy mystery featuring 77-year-old Judith Potts and friends. In my opinion Thorogood's Death in Paradise series was better. This one started off well but is just a bit too far-fetched, overly complicated and too long. However, the characters had promise so I would consider trying another one in the series.

Historical Fiction Challenge - A Classic work

Good Daughters by Mary Hocking

In this Virago Modern Classic, Hocking captures a time in the 1930s when another war was still a threat most ordinary people thought would come to nothing. Stanley and Louise Fairley have three daughters, Louise, Alice and Claire, the youngest. This third person account is from Alice, the middle daughter's viewpoint, and at twelve years old, her view is naturally limited to her understanding of the world. The family are accurately portrayed for the era: father, a religious man, has the last say in everything, the agreeable mother, and the three daughters, whose varied personalities are all capable of being swept away on current trends. Middle class, yet some of their friends come from very different backgrounds that serves to complete the picture. It's a quiet story yet has some eyebrow-raising moments. Hocking's writing is straightforward and clear, where it is easy to see the potential for misadventure.

This is the first part of a trilogy and I look forward to the next one. Highly recommended.

RandomKIT July: Muppets

Death of a Green-Eyed Monster by M.C. Beaton & R.W. Greene

Following M.C. Beaton’s death, R.W. Green took over her series. He provided a tender introduction here to describe their arrangement and his friendship with "Marion".

In this story Hamish is in love with the newly-posted PC Dorothy McIvor and he is delighted that she feels the same way. This is a believable mystery with the focus on Hamish. Green has seamlessly taken over Hamish Macbeth and the delightful characters of Lochdubh.

ScaredyKIT July: Beach reads

Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix

This was fun, not as scary as I expected, but just imagining spending the night in a closed Orsk (Ikea) store is pretty scary without the horror details. The advertising announcements read by Bronson Pinchot were the creepiest parts.

Bingo - features a member of the cat family

The Cheshire Cat's Eye by Marcia Muller

San Francisco's architecture and a Tiffany lamp featuring a cat's eye, were a big draw for me. Unfortunately the book was disappointing and did not live up to my expectations.

The good news is that it gave me my first bingo.

>156 VivienneR: My favorite Hendrix! I've read it twice and still find it incredibly creepy, but some of the scares come from all the bits of characters being confined to tight spaces.

>158 mstrust: Being locked in a store overnight is pretty scary anyway (it happened to me once, but not overnight, thankfully). But I've always thought the Ikea store to be creepy, add the overnight experience and it becomes horrific! Worse than being stuck in the dark at It's a Small World at Disneyworld.

GeoCAT July: Western Europe

The Readers' Room by Antoine Laurain

When a brilliant manuscript is read in a publishing company's readers' room, everyone shares the thrill. But the author cannot be identified and refuses to provide any information including name, location, or gender, despite the potential for a significant award. Then murders occur exactly like those in the novel. Laurain's atmospheric Parisian setting, characters and literary allusions make this slim book intriguing and charming, an out of the ordinary crime novel.

>160 VivienneR: I have another book by that author, The Red Notebook...you're motivating me to nudge it up my TBR list!

>160 VivienneR: That does sound intriguing. I do love a book within a book.

>161 christina_reads: I loved The Red Notebook. Absolutely, nudge it up the list!

>162 JayneCM: A book within a book - and - in Paris!

>160 VivienneR: - Out book club read another of his books last year (The Red Notebook) which I enjoyed and your review reminds me that I wanted to read more by him. This one looks good.

>159 VivienneR: Oh no, you got locked in a store? Glad it wasn't for the night! Every once in a while you hear stories of that.

>164 dudes22: Ah, another potential read for your book club. I really enjoyed it.

>165 mstrust: I was a teenage employee in a grocery store and took too long getting my coat at quitting time. Offices were all locked so I was stuck in the store room with no way to contact anyone. I managed to get a huge 2nd floor window open and believe it or not, a policeman was strolling past! (There was a station in the next block.) I gave him my story, the manager's route home and car description. He rushed off to contact another station who flagged down the manager and had him turn back. Happy ending, but it didn't do my reputation any good.

But you got a good story out of it :-D

>167 mstrust: But too embarrassing to tell often.

Bingo - Art related

A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny

This is Penny doing what she does best, in Three Pines and with all the familiar inhabitants.

She is to be commended for maintaining the memory of the tragic Ecole Polytechnique massacre.

AlphaKIT - July O

Girl Woman Other by Bernadine Evaristo

Women grapple with countless types of prejudice but Evaristo explores bias and intolerance specifically directed at women of colour, queer women, or women who do not fit the cookie cutter model of the white western world. Twelve chapters feature twelve women from diverse backgrounds with family member and friends drawn in. Each chapter is devoted to their backstories and problems they face. Evaristo's writing is clever and deserving of the acclaim received but I found it unsatisfying because firstly, it began to sound like a checklist of discrimination, and secondly, while the lack of punctuation is difficult to get used to, it’s a solution for the sometimes frenetic dialogue. It is, however, encouraging to see more diversity appearing in British fiction.

>170 VivienneR: It seemed as though Evaristo had chosen her characters to illustrate the points she wanted to make.

>171 pamelad: Exactly! Like she made a list of points to make and then chose the characters. I wasn't impressed.

Bingo - taught you something

Bad Actors by Mick Herron

What I learned was that for Herron's Slough House series, it's best to choose print format. Somehow the audio versions just don't work as well for me but unfortunately print wasn’t available this time. I finished the audiobook but will choose print for the reread that will definitely come about in the near future because this entire series has been terrific. Vulgar, rude, and uncommonly witty, the "Slow Horses" rejected by MI5 is an all-time favourite series. Looking forward to more - in print of course.

>170 VivienneR: I listened to this, so the lack of punctuation was not an issue - but it annoys me greatly.
I found some of it to be rather hectoring at times and rather over stuffed with co-incidence.

>174 Helenliz: Yes, I found it disappointing on a number of issues. That surprised me because I imagined it to be a book I'd enjoy. The hype did its job.

MysteryKIT July: Private detective

The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagendra

This is the first of Nagendra's historical mystery series set in Bangalore 1921 when India was still under British rule and protest is beginning to appear. It’s a cosy mystery with the added attraction of the portrayal of life and customs in India during the Raj. It requires a suspension of disbelief at times while Kaveri, the appealing young wife of Ramu, a doctor, takes on the role of private detective. Ramu was married for 40 years and was a widower until his marriage to his delightful new wife which partially explains the indulgence he shows to her. If you like Alexander McCall Smith, you will probably enjoy this.

Nagendra is an academic specializing in ecology so this is a complete change of direction for her. Although the plot and writing style could use some help, it was mildly entertaining. A glossary and some of Kaveri's favourite recipes follow.

>170 VivienneR: I have tried...but I just can't! (punctuation, or lack thereof)

>177 Tess_W: Completely understandable! I remember the first time I encountered the style in Icefields by Thomas Wharton, which took me twice as long to read than a similarly-sized book. I couldn't come up with a good reason for Wharton to use the style, but it seemed to me that Evaristo had little choice because everybody was speaking at once.

Bingo - Memoir

The Answer is ...: reflections on my life by Alex Trebek

In the wake of his pancreatic cancer diagnosis, Alex Trebek prepared 82 questions about his life. He is exactly what I always believed him to be, a truly nice guy. Although it's short, this is essential reading (or listening) for all fans of the famed question and answer quiz show Jeopardy and its host, Trebek.

The audiobook was read partly by Alex Trebek, sounding weak as he neared the end of his life, with top-notch support by Ken Jennings, Jeopardy's famous contestant. There is some really interesting information about the show as well as well as Jennings and other memorable contestants.

It's difficult to rate this. While is is not great literature, I have to admit my admiration for Trebek, my love of the show that I watched five nights a week for years rearranging my schedule to accommodate it, and the nature of the book that boils down to a brief, moving farewell note.

Proceeds from the publication goes to poor people and needy people.

> 179 I also read this book this month, and enjoyed it immensely. I am a fan of the show and Alex.

>180 lowelibrary: I expected to enjoy it but was surprised by just how much. It was lovely to hear his voice again.

Bingo - Switched or stolen identities

Elephants Can Remember by Agatha Christie

Two bodies were found shot dead. Double suicide or murder? Mrs Oliver's goddaughter has Mrs Oliver and Poirot investigate the death of her parents to prove to her prospective mother-in-law that she has not inherited murderous genes. Written nearing the end of her career, this one is my least favourite from Christie.

Published in 1972 when it seems a small font was de rigueur, I had to find a large print version.

> 181 I read the print version, so I missed his voice.

>183 lowelibrary: I was wondering if there was a print version. In places his voice was very unsteady and he was obviously very ill. Ken Jennings did a wonderful job of the sections he narrated.

>182 VivienneR: I remember being disappointed by that one too. Seemed like she wasn't really trying, and maybe she just wanted to visit with Mrs. Oliver.

>185 mstrust: "maybe she just wanted to visit with Mrs. Oliver"

That's a lovely idea!

SeriesCAT July - Non-fiction

The Conquering Family by Thomas Costain

A very readable history about the emergence of the Plantagenets. The first few pages were a slow start for me until I figured out who everyone was but after that, I really enjoyed it. Costain has a wonderful style. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

July Summary
A mixed month, but mostly good reading.

Books read in July: 17
Books read this year: 117


Swann's Way: In Search of Lost Time (part 1) by Marcel Proust


Good Daughters by Mary Hocking
The Conquering Family by Thomas Costain


A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Seven Steeples by Sara Baume
Death of a Green-Eyed Monster by M.C. Beaton & R.W. Greene
The Readers' Room by Antoine Laurain
A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny
Bad Actors by Mick Herron
The Answer is ...: reflections on my life by Alex Trebek


Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix
The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagendra
Elephants Can Remember by Agatha Christie


A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear
The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood
Girl Woman Other by Bernadine Evaristo


The Cheshire Cat's Eye by Marcia Muller

Historical Fiction Challenge - favourite time period: 20th century

Sure and Certain Death by Barbara Nadel

This cosy mystery has an original plot and characters. In London, during the Blitz of 1941, Francis Hancock, an undertaker of Indian origins - therefore considered an outsider even though he's a Londoner - is tasked with burying victims that have been mutilated and found in bombed ruins. It is believed that they were all White Feather Girls during WWI. Hancock suffers what was called "shell shock" that has affected him ever since that war so the idea of being given a white feather indicating cowardice is especially offensive. But when he discovers his sister was one of them, he is anxious to prevent her from becoming another casualty.

I've always liked mysteries with something unique and the protagonist Francis Hancock, Indian undertaker, satisfies that penchant. While the murder method is somewhat gruesome, the story is not funereal and the London patois and humour keeps things light. The mid-century funeral customs were interesting too. Nadel has done a top-notch job of describing wartime conditions. This is a re-read and I enjoyed it just as much as the first time. I'm looking forward to re-visiting the rest of the series.

>189 VivienneR: I see it is set in Plaistow. I lived there for a while, in a row of mid Victorian terraces. Opposite was a short row of 60s houses set into the mid Victorians. Apparently, that was where a bomb hit during the war, and part of the terrace was pulled down.
I don't expect to recognise the place, but your review was tempting enough for me to find out more and so I've reserved it.

I think your touchstone's going to the wrong book.

>187 VivienneR: I've read many fiction books about the Plantagenets, but I think I would like some non-fiction. This certainly fills the bill and on my WL is goes.

>190 Helenliz: Thanks for the touchstone tip.

That's interesting about the 60s houses set into the mid-Victorians. When I was a child in Belfast there were lots of gaps in streets. I was curious about wallpaper being on outside walls, not realizing it was actually the inside of what had been the house next door.

You may not recognize Nadel's Plaistow but Frankie Hancock often mentions the streets around him that you will probably know. I hope you enjoy the book. I found it original, different to the usual mysteries available.

I believe there were four books in the series and I intended to re-read them but of all the libraries that I can access, this one, the fourth, is the only title held, which is disappointing.

>191 Tess_W: I hope you like it. I was pleasantly surprised.

>190 Helenliz: I lived in a terraced street in Brockley during some of my London years, and that was the same as your street in Plaistow - all Victorian (or maybe Georgian), apart from a group of four or five houses in the middle of one side of the road, which were much more modern. They were still attached to the much older houses on either side, but absolutely no attempt had been made to make them blend in and look similar to the existing houses.

I also, in the very early 90s, worked as a temp in the typing pool at Plaistow Police Station for a few months. That was a *very* eye opening job, I must say!!

>194 Jackie_K: There must be a lot of streets like that. History right on our doorsteps.

>194 Jackie_K: That's it entirely. The insert houses matched in neither frontage, number of floors or roof line, they really did look like they'd been shoved in the gap.

I can imagine. I was in my early 20s in the late 1990s and it was a pretty eye opening place to live!

Historical Fiction Challenge: A Less Familiar Time Period - 17th century

A Net for Small Fishes by Lucy Jago

An ambitious 17th century drama filled with scandal based on the close friendship between Frances Howard, Countess of Essex and a talented fashion stylist, Anne Turner. Frances needed her confidant because Essex was a brutal, obnoxious husband, undistinguished in his career and derided at court by his claims.

Although it appears well-researched, Jago's writing is immature. Part of that immaturity shows in the florid metaphors and a grandiose style emulating Mandel's Wolf Hall. Told from Anne Turner's point of view made it implausible. Just how much can a servant overhear?

The title refers to the results of justice, where small fish are caught while the big fish get away.

SeriesCAT August: Meaning to get back to

A Killing of Innocents by Deborah Crombie

I've been reading this series for a long time but I have to say I enjoyed the early books much more than those later in the series. The personal lives of the characters have taken precedence over the mystery element and now that I've missed a couple of recent books in the series I'm completely at sea in what appears to have become a soap opera series. This book was really disappointing.

RandomKIT August - Something good

One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson

This was a re-read but my rating remains the same - five stars. This was my original review:

Interlocking stories beginning with a good turn that eventually goes wrong. The analogy with the matryoshka doll is very cleverly accomplished, because that's exactly what this book is - a story within a story within a story... The events are fast moving and the characters are that peculiar mix that might be found anywhere. Jackson is a very appealing sleuth, even though his relationships usually match his favoured hurtin' country music. Atkinson is a genius at allowing the reader to have the unusual experience of a good hoot of laughter while reading a crime novel. Excellent!

AlphaKIT August M

The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr

A young gay black man is the sleeping car porter in 1929. He dreams of being able to study dentistry at McGill University in Montreal. The abuse and racism he must tolerate from passengers is atrocious. As well, the supervisor can give him demerits for anything whether fair or not, he must pay for stolen towels and linen, and there is always the chance of an undercover spotter ready to report a minor infraction. The novel describes a journey across Canada that is interrupted by a mudslide. What is remarkable is that the text has a beat similar to to that of a train. But be advised, it is a heart-breaking, infuriating story.

>199 VivienneR: >200 VivienneR: Added both to my list! Although I see that One Good Turn is considered the second in a series. So also added Case Histories.

>199 VivienneR: - I wonder now if I never got that "story within a story" connection when I read this many years ago. I see I rated it poorly and then I never continued with the series despite all the people who love the series.

>200 VivienneR: The Sleeping Car Porter sounds intriguing and I am adding it to my list.

>201 JayneCM: I'm a big fan of Kate Atkinson and her character Jackson Brody. (And I should add I'm a fan of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and all the spinoff festivals from it.) I hope you enjoy the series.

>202 dudes22: It is sometimes seen as choppy, but I thought it fitted perfectly with the matryoshka dolls parallel.

>203 DeltaQueen50: Suzette Mayr got the Giller Prize for it, and well-deserved. But it is so hard to read the racism without blowing a fuse.

AlphaKIT August Q and all year X

Inspector Chen and the Private Kitchen Murder by Qiu Xiaolong

The cultural background of Shanghai is the prime attraction of Qiu's mysteries. Inspector Chen will remind the reader of P.D. James' detective Adam Dalgleish, both are intellectuals and poets, although Chen has to work with a bureaucratic government in a country still transitioning from traditional China to a more capitalist economy. Chen has been given a promotion but in fact he has been removed from his job, and placed on so-called "convalescent leave" to prevent him from taking part in investigations and with that, taking the spotlight. Fortunately he has been given a secretary, Jin, a student of history, who is more than willing to help the famous Inspector Chen, now Director Chen.

For wealthy patrons of grand restaurants who want something even more lavish and opulent it has become fashionable to attend private kitchen dinners where small groups are treated to special dishes by a single chef. In this case the chef, Min, hired a helping hand, who is found murdered after a dinner. The murder has something in common with a story from the Tang dynasty that Chen is researching. This is an intriguing mystery, with excellent characters, unfamiliar food, and an out-of-the-ordinary setting. I'm looking forward to another Inspector Chen mystery especially if Jin is included although I doubt if I'll ever try the food.

This was Chen's description of the meal he ordered for Jin:

"The hotel brochure describes the wok-fried rock frogs as a must-have mountain special. Because of its constant jumping among the rocks, a rock frog's legs are supposed to be particularly sinewy and tasteful. Fermented tofu is another highly recommended local special, like stinking tofu elsewhere, but with a hairy cover on the surface. As for the stinking bass steamed with dried mountain bamboo shoots, it's also a celebrated Anhui delicacy. You don't have to touch it if you don't like the smell. And I don't think I need to say anything about white porridge rice with a thousand-year-old egg, salted duck, mountain mushroom, organic cold tofu mixed with chopped green scallions…"

Bingo - with plant on cover

The Hidden World of Gnomes by Lauren Soloy

Soloy has created the most delightful and inventive picture book introducing a community of gnomes who live in The Pocket. Each one has a special interest and talent, but together they enjoy egg-sitting for the robins, tail-fluffing for the squirrels, circle dancing, or just sitting not talking with another person. They offer a close look at the tiny things in nature such as woody pigs, who are introduced through Billy Buttons, a friend of Abel Potter the inventor. I loved that the gnomes sleep in a pile, often joined by baby mice who also like to sleep in a pile.

A good book to read aloud and fun to be able to name the gnomes on each page. This is absolutely charming!

>198 VivienneR: I agree with your assessment 100%. I miss what I loved about the older books. If I want to read about relationships, I'll pick up chick lit. I want a mystery!

>205 VivienneR: I had trouble getting into the one mystery in that series I tried to read years ago. I may have to give the series another try. That one sounds good.

>206 VivienneR: I am glad that you also enjoyed the book.

>207 thornton37814: Regarding Crombie, that's exactly how I feel. If references to family and friends were removed, there would be very little left.

Qiu Xiaolong's writing isn't smooth, which makes him a slow read for me. I spent about twice as long on this book as I normally would. I keep going because I enjoy the different culture. And, like Jin, I have a soft spot for Chen.

>208 lowelibrary: I loved it! My husband is getting tired of me talking about gnomes by name. :-)

>206 VivienneR: That sounds so lovely!

>210 Jackie_K: Yes, it was very sweet. When I was very little I loved stories about fairies, pixies, and gnomes. (It came as a shock when I found out they were make-believe.) Gnomes always seemed to be the bad guys so this book changed my opinion and restored their good reputation.

Please come and join me at Part 4 here