Familyhistorian's 2024 Reading Adventure - Part 8

My name is Meg and this is a thread where I post about my reads and other adventures. I’ve been a member of the 75ers since 2013 and my personal library has grown exponentially ever since. The people around here are enablers and you are hereby warned.

This year I want to concentrate on reading the books that I own and sending them on their way. (I can hope, can’t I?) I’m placing my Little Free Library and the stats of books culled higher in the list to bring it to my attention more often.



Little Free Library

Books culled in 2024

January - 10

February - 0 (reading my own books would have allowed some to be recycled)

March - 3

April - 6

June - 5

July - 14

August - 32

September - 4

October - 8

BLOG



I write about genealogy and history on my blog. Follow my blog posts as I embark on 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 2024: Prehistoric
April-June 2024:
July-September 2024:
October-December 2024:

Monthly

January: Janus
February: Aquarius & Amethyst - Perkins Perfect Purple: How a Boy Created Color with Chemistry by Tami Lewis Brown and Debbie Loren Dunn - DONE Mary Astor's Purple Diary: The Great American Sex Scandal of 1936 by Edward Sorel DONE
March: Medicine & Epidemics - Medicine: A Graphic History by Jean-Noël Fabianai and Philippe Bercovici DONE
April: Characters with Disabilities - Blind Justice by Bruce Alexander DONE
May: International Labour Day - Truth in Advertising by John Kenney DONE
June: Wonders of the World
July: Vive la France
August: The Joy of Reading
September: Royal to the Bone
October: Adultery
November: Biographies & Memoirs
December: Reader’s Choice

2024 Nonfiction Challenge

January: Prize Winners – prizes off the beaten track
February: Women’s Work - Mary Astor's Purple Diary: The Great American Sex Scandal of 1936 by Edward Sorel DONE
March: Forensic Sciences - The Inheritor's Powder: A Tale of Arsenic, Murder, and the New Forensic Science by Sandra Hempel - DONE
April: Globalization
May: Wild Wild West
June: Middle Europe
July: Insect World
August: Being Jewish
September: Essays
October: Music, more music
November: Too Small to See
December: As You Like it or Political Biography

The War Room Challenge

MONTH - BY - MONTH IN THE WAR ROOM

JANUARY - The Ancients (Greeks, Romans etc) - Taken at the Flood: The Roman Conquest of Greece by Robin Waterfield DONE
FEBRUARY - The American War of Independence - The Other New York: The American Revolution beyond New York City, 1763 - 1787 edited by Joseph S. Tiedemann and Eugene R. Fingerhut DONE
MARCH - The War of the Roses - War of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors by Dan Jones - DONE
APRIL - Wars of Religion
MAY - The Napoleonic Wars
JUNE - The English Civil War
JULY - Colonial Wars - Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape and the Making of Winston Churchill by Candice Millard - DONE
AUGUST - World War Two - The Second World War in the Far East by H.P. Willmott - DONE
SEPTEMBER - The American Civil War
OCTOBER - American Follies (Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and the Gulf Wars)
NOVEMBER - World War One
DECEMBER - The Spanish Civil War
WILDCARD - Pick your own fight!

List of books for challenges

RTT

January - March quarter: Prehistoric - Before Scotland

January: Janus - The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson

March: Medicine & Epidemics - Medicine: A Graphic History -DONE

April: Characters with disabilities - Blind Justice - DONE

May: International labour day - Truth in Advertising - DONE

June: The Wonders of the World - Terracotta Warriors

July: Vive la France! - All Signs Point to Paris

August: The Joy of Reading - The Life of Crime: Detecting the History of Mysteries and Their Creators

September: Royal to the Bone - The Windsor Knot

July - September Quarter Arthurian Britain - Arthur and the Kings of Britain

Nonfiction Challenge

January: Prize Winners – prizes off the beaten track - The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature by Matt Ridley - A New York Times Notable Book and short listed for the 1994 Rhone-Poulenc Prize for Science Books

March: Forensics - Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper Case Closed or
The Inheritor's Powder: A Tale of Arsenic, Murder, and the New Forensic Science - DONE

April: Globalization - A Rabble of Dead Money: The Great Crash and the Global Depression 1929-1939

May: The Wild, Wild West - Wildcat: The Untold Story of the Canadian Woman Who Became the West's Most Notorious Bandit

September: Essays - Black Ink: Literary Legends on the Peril, Power, and Pleasure of Reading and Writing

The War Room Challenge:

March: The War of the Roses - The Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors - DONE

April: Wars of Religion - The Passion of Anne Hutchinson didn't read due to post about it not being about war

May: The Napoleonic Wars - An Infamous Army by Georgette Heyer

September: The American Civil War - Captives in Blue: The Civil War Prisons of the Confederacy

Shared Reads

Razor's Edge with Mark - DONE

The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham with Mark and crew in Nov

Books read in 2024

Books read in August 2024

1. Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
2. Devil’s Chew Toy by Rob Osler
3. The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson
4. Northwoods by Amy Pease
5. Bad Gays: A Homosexual History by Huw Lemmey and Ben Miller
6. Funny Things: A Comic Strip Biography of Charles M. Schulz by Luca Debus and Franceso Matteuzzi
7. The Black Book by Ian Rankin
8. Forgotten in Death by J.D. Robb
9. The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
10. A Wicked Gentleman by Jane Feather
11. Pop Goes the Weasel by M.J. Arlidge
12. The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett
13. Down the Garden Path by Dorothy Cannell
14. Clear by Carys Davies
15. Ocean’s Godori by Elaine U. Cho
16. Scandalous by Karen Robards
17. Murder Before Evensong by The Reverend Richard Coles
18. Wild Girls: How the Outdoors Shaped the Women Who Challenged a Nation by Tiya Miles
19. Nearlywed by Nicolas Didomizio
20. Abandoned in Death by J.D. Robb
21. A Peculiar Combination by Ashley Weaver
22. The Second World War in the Far East by H.P. Willmott
23. Flash by Jayne Ann Krentz
24. All Signs Point to Paris by Natasha Sizlo
25. A Disappearance in Fiji by Nilima Rao
26. Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel

Books acquired in 2024

Books acquired in August 2024

1. The Wicked Boy by Kate Summerscale
2. The Key to Deceit by Ashley Weaver
3. Playing It Safe by Ashley Weaver
4. Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
5. A Gentleman and a Thief by Dean Jobb
6. A Witch's Guide to Burning by Aminder Dhaliwal
7. A Bluestocking's Guide to Decadence by Jess Everlee
8. Between Us by Mhairi McFarlane
9. The Secret Paris Cinema Club by Nicolas Barreau
10. How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley
11. Random in Death by J.D. Robb
12. Yoga Anatomy Made Simple by Stu Girling

Am I too early? Happy new thread!!

>12 Berly: Hi Kim, I'm still setting up the furniture but the door is open. Good to see you here!

Phew!! Do you need a door stop? I can hold it open for you...!

>14 Berly: No need for a door stop, the welcome mat is out!

Happy new thread, Meg.

Love the topper. xx

Happy new thread Meg!

That is some vista! It looks worth the effort!

Happy new one!

Happy new thread, Meg

Good Morning Meg. Seems to be new thread day for a lot of my friends

Happy new thread, Meg. I love your photo at the top.

>16 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul, that's a portion of the stairs we climb Saturday mornings.

>17 quondame: Hi Susan and thanks. The view is great especially on a clear day the climb can be taxing though. The stairs are just towards the beginning of the climb and it's all uphill from there.

>18 figsfromthistle: Thanks Anita!

>19 jessibud2: Hi Shelley and thanks re the new thread!

>20 magicians_nephew: Beginning of the month, Jim. It helps to keep my lists in order if I start a new thread every month. I missed doing that for one month in the summer this year though so my lists are a little off!

>21 BLBera: Thanks Beth! I turned around to see where the rest of our walking group was and it seemed like a good place to take a picture.

Happy new thread, Meg.

164. In a Dark House by Deborah Crombie



My next read in the Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid series was In a Dark House. This one involved the fire brigade in Southwark (London south of the river). Someone has been setting fire to Victorian buildings and in one a body was found. There was an interesting cast of characters in this one, from the people in a women’s shelter to a couple who were splitting up and playing tug of war with their young daughter as well as the fire fighters. Of course, things were not serene on the home front for James and Kincaid either as Kit’s grandmother was suing to have custody of that young man.

>27 katiekrug: Thanks Katie!

165. The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez



Josh was the new guy in the fire crew. After breaking up with his girlfriend, he’d transferred to a station in a bigger city where his friend Brandon worked which put him in the right place to act as best man in Brandon’s wedding. That meant meeting the bride and her best friend, Kristen, the maid of honour to the bride to be. Josh and Kristen drew sparks from each other from the get-go. But there was no way they were going to have a thing, what with her boyfriend Tyler in the wings even though she hasn’t seen him in months as he was on deployment in the marines. Then there was the issue of Josh breaking up with his girlfriend because she didn’t want to have kids and although Kirsten was attracted to him, her plan was to have a partial hysterectomy to deal with the killer periods and growing fibroids that made her life a misery. That was why Kristen put Josh in The Friend Zone.

I was surprised by the serious tone introduced toward the end of the narrative, but overall, it was a fun romance.

Happy new thread, Meg!
1> looks like an awesome walking/biking path.

>31 Carmenere: Thanks Lynda! It's a very popular walking path, not one for bikes, maybe bears.

Happy New Thread, Meg! That is the Coquitlam Crunch, I think ? Challenging!

>33 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah, that is indeed the Coquitlam Crunch, 2.25 km uphill. The stairs are only part of it.

166. Murder on Black Swan Lane by Andrea Penrose



It was a matter of survival that had Charlotte taking over her dead spouse’s trade turning out political cartoons about the scandals of the day under the moniker, A.J. Quill. One of her favourite subjects was the Earl of Wexford made notorious in part by his public spat with the righteous Reverend Josiah Holworthy. With Holworthy murdered, Wexford seeks out Quill whose drawing of the murder scene was uncannily accurate. Who he found was not who he expected and after overcoming her objections, Charlotte, the two young guttersnipes she looks out for and Wexford were soon on the trail of a killer.

Murder on Black Swan Lane was a fast paced mystery through the stews and more exalted places of Regency London.

>35 Familyhistorian: Is this part of a series? First book of a possible new series? or a stand alone? Sound tasty whichever it is

Hi Meg, Happy new thread. You must be so fit doing that Crunch regularly. Well done!

New-thread orisons, Meg!

Happy new thread!

>36 magicians_nephew: Hi Jim, the Penrose is the first book in the Wrexford & Sloane series and it was tasty.

>37 mdoris: There are a group of us doing the Crunch regularly (well, when weather permits - we did do a shadier flatter walk at one point this summer). I try to get a walk in every day.

>38 richardderus: Thanks Richard. Nice of you to visit my poor lonely thread!

>39 thornton37814: Hi Lori, thanks re the new thread.

Happy new thread Meg. The Crunch looks tough!

>44 humouress: Thanks for the new thread wishes. The Crunch gets easier the more you do it, Nina!

Speaking of the Crunch, on Saturday I met up with the gang to do our usual climb but I had to leave early. I didn't think I would be able to get to the top and back and would have to cut things short but I huffed it up to the top and back down in time to leave for downtown to take in another performance of Bard on the Beach. This time it was Comedy of Errors.





The set prior to the performance

I'd like to read Murder on Black Swan Lane, Meg. Up and down the Crunch today and then off to Bard on the Beach! You are so energetic. The grandkids came over for a while this afternoon, and then I went to church. The lady sitting beside me commented that she was high energy, and I thought - not so much me nowadays. Great pictures and it was a nice day out today too.

>46 Familyhistorian: ::impressed::

Not only for making it, but for then sitting through a play!

>47 vancouverdeb: Murder on Black Swan Lane is a good one, Deborah. It's also the start of a series.

I live by myself so have to go out to see other people which is probably why it sounds high energy to you.

>48 richardderus: I was ready to sit down for a while by the time I got to the play, Richard, so that wasn't a hardship. I also had a glass of wine to drink while watching so that was good too.

Belated happy new one, Meg.

>30 Familyhistorian: This one has my library as an e-book. I put it on my list.

Haven't seen A Comedy of Eroors stages in like forever. (I think that last time it was a all juggling production by the good old Flying Karamatzov Brothers)

But it sounds like a perfect play to put up on the beach in summer theatre season

>51 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara. I hope you enjoy The Friend Zone.

>52 magicians_nephew: I like the different interpretations given to the various Shakespeare plays. This was a fun one of A Comedy of Errors.

Happy new thread, Meg! Checking in before I lose track of you again.

BTW - in case you did not see the answer to the question that you had on my thread, it is book #3 in the In Death series, Immortal in Death.

Have a fantastic Friday!

>55 alcottacre: I'm having trouble keeping up this year too, Stasia. Thanks for getting back to me on my own thread with an answer to the question I asked on your thread! Hope your Friday was a good one.

167. The Bitter Past by Bruce Borgos



The sheriff in a sparsely populated area of Nevada, Porter Beck had taken the role after his father had been sheriff for many years. The younger Beck hadn’t been waiting around though, his stint in the military had included time in Russia in clandestine roles. A background that would come in handy as the FBI came calling, an indication there were more weighty problems ahead than their small town law office was used to.

The Bitter Past was a mystery thriller told in two timelines, the present day where Beck and his crew are tracking a killer and the past when Nevada was the site for nuclear testing, a time when the cold war was on and spying a big part of the game. This is the start of a series and I’ll be looking for the next one soon.

I suppose that yes, living with two other people, our eldest son and my husband does make a fairly difference in feeling you need to get out, Meg. I've never lived by myself. I had another great walk today, even in the rain. It wasn't too bad , the rain and I suppose we might as well get used to it.

>57 Familyhistorian: You got me with that one, Meg. I will keep it on my hitlist!

Have a lovely weekend.

>58 vancouverdeb: I was out and about early today before the rain, Deborah. It didn't start here until about 3:00 the same time as predicted on the weather app on my phone - that doesn't happen very often. The predictions are usually way off track.

Living alone is a different proposition. I lived by myself once when I was in my twenties but wasn't by myself again until my son moved out (he moved with me when I separated from my husband). When my son moved to live closer to work in Richmond, I was on my own once again. I find the most frustrating thing is when you have to move furniture or something. There is never anyone around to grab the other end.

Hi Meg - The Bitter Past sounds interesting.

A Comedy of Errors is a fun play.

>57 Familyhistorian: It was an interesting story, wasn't it? I've just reviewed a slightly different version of the story, with added time travel...not an improvement, I must say.

Happy weekend-ahead's reads!

>61 BLBera: It was a good one, Beth, and the start of a series.

>62 richardderus: It was an interesting read and I’ll be looking for the next in the series.

Hope next week’s reads treat you well, Richard.

Love the little trolley from your last thread, I seriously think my bathroom could do with one of those. Would you call it a caddy? What is it holding in your kitchen? (if I might ask...)

Trust that you are having a great Sunday, Meg.

I still remember living in London in the 70's and going food shopping and somebody said "Grab us a trolley", and I said "Huh?"

In the US it's a shopping cart of course.

America and England are two countries divided by a common language

>67 magicians_nephew: - In many parts of the southern US, it's called a buggy 🤷‍♀️

>60 Familyhistorian: Yeah, I broke a bookcase recently because I tried to move it alone. It's not ideal

>65 LovingLit: Hi Megan, it is called a caddy, a 3 tier storage caddy. I picked it up at Costco at some point and only recently put it together.



This is it with various odds and ends in it. Maximum load is 13 lb per shelf.

>66 PaulCranswick: I had a great Sunday as I was sightseeing in Seattle, Paul. I hope you had a good one.

>67 magicians_nephew: Terminology for different items can trip you up depending on where you are visiting and what it is called where you come from. The one I had a hard time with was cupboard and closet. (That's between English terms and Canadian ones. Canadian terms can lean in either direction, I find.)

>68 katiekrug: Yeah, you don't have to cross country borders for the terms to alter. Good point!

>69 The_Hibernator: Movable furniture, a floor that enables sliding and no stairs help with the one person move but anything else doesn't really work. The thing I want to move even has wheels. Too bad I want it to go downstairs. Sorry about your broken bookcase, Rachel.

Hi Meg my dear, a belated Happy New Thread dear friend.

>74 johnsimpson: Hi John, nice to see you and thanks for the new thread wishes!

168. Where the Body Was by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips



The cast of characters in the GN Where the Body Was, were mostly up to no good but all in their own way. The body left lying in the street, well that was interesting and really something you’d have to read about to understand what happened.

Time has gotten away from me. There writing projects to be done, photos to post, books to review. I'll catch up tomorrow, or maybe I should say, I'll start the catch up tomorrow.

Hi, Meg. Still trying to catch up on LT, even after a week. I like that topper and I am a big fan of Brubaker & Phillips. Probably the best team in GNs, right now. Joe is a huge fan too.

169. The God of the Woods by Liz Moore



With some of the popular new books my local library slaps on a two week borrowing period. That’s what they did with The God of the Woods. Not that I can’t read a book that fast but there are all those other holds that came home with me. It was a struggle at first because I found the beginning slow going but I soon got into the rhythm of the different time periods and narrators although I didn’t care much for spending time with Alice. I was interested in the fate of the other characters in this missing person, death and deception narrative story. The end of the book passed quickly as tension mounted and I had characters to care about.

>78 msf59: I can relate, Mark. I'm way behind on LT too. I enjoyed the Brubaker/Phillips. Good luck catching up!

170. Murder at Half Moon Gate by Andrea Penrose



The second book in the Wrexford and Sloane series, Murder at Half Moon Gate, kept me turning the pages. In this episode, Wrexford stumbles across the body of an inventor. The subsequent investigation reveals his death wasn’t a random event but who was behind it? That was up to him, Mrs Sloane and their various allies to figure out. It was a story that revealed more of each other to the two main characters as we were clued in to the lady’s checkered past. I already have a hold on the next book in the series.

When I visited Seattle, we were only there for a short time but we packed in a lot. On the first night we went for a ghost walk.



This atmospheric alley has added colour because of the gum stuck to its walls.

>81 Familyhistorian: I've enjoyed the Wrexford and Sloane series so far. I like the detectives. The "weasels" are great too!

The Penrose book sounds good. I might check out the first one. I see my library has them.

I am waiting for The God of the Woods. I know what you mean about multiple library books. When I get one out with high demand, it tends to dictate what I will read...

>79 Familyhistorian:, >84 BLBera: I'm waiting for The God of the Woods too---I'm No. 19 in the holds queue, but they say there are 109 copies in our library system. HOWEVER, the website also says that there is one copy available on the browsing shelf in my branch, so I might just pop over there this afternoon and see if I can snag it. I have a long list of holds, and perversely, they may all come in at once.

>83 thornton37814: It's a fun series. How far along are you, Lori? I just got book 3 from the library yesterday.

>84 BLBera: I'm devouring the Penrose's quickly. I hope you enjoy them and that your library has them, Beth.

God of the Woods is very popular but then so are a lot of the library holds I have out at the same time. I've resorted to having a list of the ones I can't finish in time with where I left off. I put a hold on them again and then return them to the library. I find that method works better for nonfiction.

>85 laytonwoman3rd: Holds tend to come in bunches or sneak through when I'm just about to go out of town even though I put the ones I thought could be a problem on pause. I hope the copy of God of the Woods is waiting for you, Linda.

This was unexpected!

Wordle 1,194 2/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

guide, torch

>56 Familyhistorian: No problem, Meg. Trying to keep up with everyone is just beyond me any more. It was difficult already last year and now that Kerry has retired and is here all the time, I find myself spending time with him that otherwise might have been spent here on LT.

>57 Familyhistorian: Do I need to start another series? Of course not! Still. . .into the BlackHole it goes!

>77 Familyhistorian: Time has gotten away from me. That seems to happen to me all the time. As I am getting older, the problem is getting worse!

>79 Familyhistorian: That one is already in the BlackHole or I would be adding it again.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

>89 Familyhistorian: Excellent result, Meg! Congratulations!

>90 alcottacre: Hi Stasia, good to see you here. The Bitter Past was a good argument for starting the series. Steering clear is a good way to stop that madness but that hold button is just too easy to press. You reminded me that I hadn't put the next book in the series on hold. So that's done and, happily, it didn't come out until this year and the next one is out in 2025.

>91 richardderus: It was a total fluke, Richard, but sometimes we just need those!

171. A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes by Manada Collins



In A Spinster’s Guide to Danger and Dukes the main couple, Poppy and Joshua, the Duke of Langham, pretended to be engaged. Poppy wanted to find out what was happening with her sister who had been accused of killing her husband. The Duke, on the other hand, thought he would foil his match making mother’s plans to set him up with a future bride. As the couple helped each other they drew closer and saw beyond the limits of the roles society had set them in. It was both a fun romance and an interesting mystery.

While in Seattle we went up the Space Needle to look around.

172. To Hunt a Killer by Julie Mackay and Robert Murphy



In To Hunt a Killer the reader follows DS Julie Mackay through the ups and downs of her life, personal and professional over the years that the investigation of the case of Melanie Road’s murder. The murder took place in Bath in 1984 and rapidly went cold. Methods and DNA investigation changed appreciably by the time the case was solved in 2009. The murder and the investigation took a toll on all involved.

I really enjoyed The God of the Woods, Meg. I think I must have been one of the first to get it from my library as Mark had made me aware of it on his thread earlier this year. I enjoyed Liz Woods previous book, Long Bright River too. You sure get around! The ghost walk in Seattle sounds scary and fun!

>86 Familyhistorian: Same place you are. The third will be my next.

>95 Familyhistorian: Easily my favorite thing about Seattle! So very, very midcentury modern-looking and still elegant at sixty-two. Would I could say the same.

Hi Meg, looks like you had a great time in Seattle - it's a fun town to wander around in. Not much going on over on this side of town, it's a drizzly day and they are digging up our street as they are replacing the water mains. I have to keep a close eye on when I can take the car out as they aren't very accommodating to the residents and I don't want to get struck out of our parking garage.

>97 vancouverdeb: Nice to get in on the holds/books early, Deborah. I had to wait awhile to get my hands on God of the Woods and then it was only a 2 week lending period.

We crammed a lot of things into our time in Seattle. The Ghost Walk was fund.

>98 thornton37814: It's a good series, Lori. I have the third book home now but also have a bunch of other library holds to get through.

>99 richardderus: It was interesting to see all the historical info about the Space Needle as we were waiting for our turn for an elevator to get to the top.It was a nice day and crowded when we got there.

>100 DeltaQueen50: They are digging up streets all over the place here too, Judy. New construction, a new pipeline for water and fixing the streets all at the same time. It's a mess and has been for months. Rainy weather sure doesn't help.

173. Deep into the Dark by P.J. Tracy



Sam Easton just barely survived Afghanistan, coming back with half of his faced scarred and a major case of PTSD. Working as a bar back was about as much as he could handle. But there would be a lot more for him to cope with as there was a serial killer on the loose and some of the people being killed were his estranged wife and the abusive boyfriend of his friend and coworker, Melody. They looked good for the murders as far as the cops were concerned. Which meant, of course, that they had to take a hand in solving the crimes before they got saddled with them in Deep into the Dark.

Another Seattle venue we took in was The Chihuly Garden and Glass. It was amazing.

I LOVE Chihuly! I saw an exhibit both here in Toronto as well as in Montreal. What a talent! Was this your first time seeing his work, Meg?

>107 jessibud2: It was the first time I'd seen his work in person, Shelley. Very impressive!

174. Come Death and High Water by Ann Cleeves



In the second mystery set in the world of birding, George Palmer-Jones was called in to lend his expertise to the police but when an arrest was made they no longer consulted him for his opinion. He, of course, thought they had arrested the wrong man for the murder of Charlie Todd, who had riled up the members of the Gillibry Bird Observatory Trust when he told them he was going to sell the island where they were based.

Come Death and High Water was an interesting puzzle although there were so many people involved that it was hard to keep track of them all at first.

On our last day in Seattle we visited the Seattle Museum of Flight.



Lots of military planes and others including a car that converted into a plane when the idea was that everyone could have a plane in their garage.

The biggest thrill I got at the flight museum was the airliner parked in front. It was a TCA (Trans Canada Airlines - now known as Air Canada) Super Constallation. I flew in many of those back in the day.

175. Desperation in Death by J.D. Robb



The investigation into an underground academy grooming kids for auction on the dark web, brought whispers of Eve’s past in Desperation in Death. When two girls escaped the academy, one ended up dead but the other fled into NYC’s underground. All hands were on deck to solve the murder and to take down the business in another fast paced read in the series.

>106 Familyhistorian: Gorgeous! Like Shelley, I love Chihuly's work and you caught the moments exactly right.

>113 richardderus: Thanks Richard, the Chihuly works were enough to inspire.

Your Seattle trip looks like a lot of fun. I love the Chihuly glass.

>88 Familyhistorian: At my library we can pause our holds. I've started to use that feature so I don't have five or six books becoming available at once.

I checked out the first in the Penrose series.

Cool pic of the Trans Canada Airline plane. My dad was a pilot with Canadian Airlines , then Air Canada , until he retired. I think he might have spent a year with TCA before getting on with CP Air . My two brother's are also pilots with Air Canada, and my husband is retired aircraft mechanic with CP/ Air Canada. One of my brother's son's has gone to Confederate Aviation College in Thunderbay, and plans to become a pilot. He has his commercial pilot license, but is just now getting in enough flying hours to become a flight instructor back at the aviation College. Then, by being a flight instructor there, he can get more hours and has a job interview with Air Canada once he has enough hours. It's a long haul.

>115 BLBera: I pause my holds too but not all of them. We’re allowed 50 at a time and I tend not to pause the books on order or that have multiple holds. Often those sneak when I don’t expect it.

The Chihuly glass was amazing!

>116 vancouverdeb: That’s a lot of airline connections, Deborah. My Dad and one of my Uncles also worked for TCA and Air Canada but not as pilots or ground crew. TCA transferred my father to Montreal which is the reason we ended up
in Canada. My uncle followed later. We used to use our passes to go back to England and I remember many flights on Super Constallations like the one at the museum.

176. Think Twice by Harlan Coben



In the information age it was harder to get away with serial murder unless one thought of a new wrinkle. In Think Twice it took a while for Myron Bolitar to figure out the connection between a series of deaths in which clues were left pointing to the guilty party. The problem was, the clues were too obvious leading law enforcement to the obvious miscreant every time. It looked like a killer had come up with something new; killing someone and leaving someone else in the frame, serial killing for the internet age but Myron and his partner Win were on their trail.

I'm way behind on posting and we won't talk about how I haven't been keeping up with the threads of other LTers. Lots happening lately. Last Thursday was the official opening of PoCo Heritage's newest exhibit entitled Crimes, Fines and Hard Times. One of the featured stories had to do with official discrimination.

177. The Siren of Sussex



Evelyn knew she wouldn’t shine in a ballroom but on horseback on Rotten Row, that’s where she’d make her mark. The future of her sisters depended on her making an advantageous match. So she sought out the tailor to the demi-monde of London, the one that had outfitted them in habits that caught attention. But once she met Ahmad and convinced him to make her riding clothes, the connection between them grew in The Siren of Sussex.

>96 Familyhistorian: That looks like one I would enjoy reading. Adding it to the BlackHole!

>105 Familyhistorian: I own several of Tracy's books but have not read any for years. I am going to have to get back to them! Thanks for the reminder, Meg.

>106 Familyhistorian: If I ever make it up to Seattle, I want to go to The Chihuly Garden and Glass! Thanks for sharing the pictures.

>109 Familyhistorian: I need to finish the Shetland series before I start another series by Cleeves. . .right?

>110 Familyhistorian: My husband (former Air Force man) would love to visit there. It goes on the Seattle list too.

>112 Familyhistorian: Dodging that BB as I have already read it.

>120 Familyhistorian: That looks like an interesting exhibit!

>119 Familyhistorian: I keep meaning to start the Boltar series but somehow it doesn't happen...so many books to cram into one measly little lifetime! The readers' lament, right Meg? The plot seriously tempts me, though.

Happy October's reads.

>112 Familyhistorian: Hi Stasia, it was my first visit to Seattle and first to a Chihuly exhibit. Somehow if you aren't from the West those aren't go to spots.

Re the Cleeves books, the birding series are short, more like the size that mysteries used to be so they go by pretty fast. They are ones from the beginning of her career.

There is more than one flight museum in the area. Boeing also has one on the future of flight.

People are interested in crime so an exhibit that showcased crimes of early PoCo seemed like a good idea.

>123 richardderus: Yes, so many books to fit in to one lifetime of reads, quelle dommage.
That being said, Think Twice was a real page turner and I got it from the library. Enjoy this month's reads, Richard.

>106 Familyhistorian: I am also a huge fan of Chihuly. The displays are phenomenal.

Looks like you had plenty of wonderful sights to see in Seattle!

Sweet Thursday, Meg. I am starting The God of the Woods today, after a very long wait from the library. I am glad to see that you ended up liking it.

178. Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed



I enjoyed a taste of a different culture in the fantastic story of Shubeik Lubeik. It was a GN about the sale of wishes that came in different classes. Of course, with something of such value there was corruption and unintended consequences. There were also characters to follow as they wrestled with their own inner demons.

>126 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita, it was my first Chihuly exhibit and I was impressed by both the glass displays and the placement of the pieces. It helped that it was a mild sunny day as were most of the days I was in Seattle. There were lots of things to see.

>127 msf59: Sweet Thursday back at you, Mark. I hope you enjoy God of the Woods. It was a bit of a slow starter for me, the truncated loan period probably helped speed up my read.

179. Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution by Cat Bohannon



Books about history and evolution are my jam. (Let’s face it, a lot of other subjects are in that category too.) So a book about how the female human body evolved was something I wanted to read. Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution went way back to the beginning, before early hominids. It touched on areas of change hadn’t even crossed my radar. The ending chapters posited interesting ideas of sanctioning more woman power would be a positive force in societies. It was a book to make you think.

>131 Familyhistorian: - The author of this one was interviewed on the CBC radio science program, Quirks & Quarks awhile ago. Really interesting conversation.

>132 jessibud2: Yes, I can imagine that author would have been interesting to listen to. Her ideas in the book were very thought provoking.

180. American Fly Girl by Susan Tate Ankeny



In American Fly Girl the focus was on the life of Hazel Ah Ying Lee, a young woman who came of age around the time of WWII. Her determination to fly led her to China but, as a woman, she wasn’t allowed to be part of their air force. Returning to the US, she joined the WASPs, where at last she was able to pilot planes. Through Hazel’s story, much of the history of the Women Airforce Service Pilots was told.

My book club chose to go on a trip for the long weekend last weekend. Here we are exploring BC's sunshine Coast.



(I'm the short one in the back)

181. Death in the Spires by K J Charles



Jem, a working class lad, thought he would feel out of place at Oxford but on the first day he connected with a diverse group of students led by the charismatic Toby. After that his days at Oxford felt golden especially when he and one of the other male students acted on their attraction for each other. But it was 1905, when class mattered and acting on your homosexuality was criminally reprehensible. As time went on the group grew closer but then someone killed Toby and everything shattered.

Ten years later, Jem lost his job due to an anonymous letter sent to his boss about the murder and he felt that he had no alternative but to find out who killed Toby. But there were forces at work against him and willing to make him the next victim in Death in the Spires.

I had to redo my "books acquired" ticker and, in the process of adding up the numbers of new books found out that new to me books coming into the house exceed "books culled". Oh oh!

>137 Familyhistorian: ...or, "oh hell another book-bullet," the chorus of the LT site hymn.

>106 Familyhistorian: We went to the Chihuly museum and the Space Needle the first time we went to Seattle a few years ago but we haven't been to the Museum of Flight, which looks interesting (though we have been to the Boeing factory). I bet Nihilan would love that.

>116 vancouverdeb: 'flying hours' ... 'long haul' 😂 I'd love to try flying but it's an expensive proposition.

>138 richardderus: Oh yeah, there's a lot of that around here even though I haven't been too active on the threads lately!

>139 humouress: This was my first time in Seattle so I hadn't seen the Space Needle or the Chihuly museum. I looked at the Boeing factory but couldn't get into the most interesting sounding tour of the place for the dates we were there. The museum of flight was really good and even included displays of the space missions. A good bet that Nihilan would enjoy it.

182. Murder at Kensington Palace by Andrea Penrose



Book three in the Wrexford and Sloane mystery series saw Charlotte Sloane prepared to reenter the upper classes she had been born into to further the investigation into the murder of her cousin. Time was of the essence because the person accused of the killing was the younger brother of Lord Chittenden, the victim. Charlotte could not believe Nicky had killed his brother not even when he seemed unable to offer substantive evidence in his own defense. She and Wrexford were determined to find the true killer in Murder at Kensington Palace.

More pictures of my book club's getaway to the Sunshine Coast



We went on lots of hikes and found lots of beautiful places

One of our hikes took us to Roland Point where high tide causes rapids which kayakers take as a challenge



Me out for a boat ride



On the way back to the ferry to get home to the mainland we stopped in Gibsons

Great pictures of the Sunshine Coast , Meg and glad you and your book club enjoyed a trip over there. Dave lived there from the age of 13 or 14 until he moved to Burnaby to study aircraft mechanic stuff at PVI. So, I am quite familiar with the Sunshine Coast, as we used to visit Dave's parents there quite frequently until they passed away. I like to go back for a bit of visit, but I have yet to convince Dave of the same.

What a fun book club, Meg. Thanks for sharing your photos.

>145 vancouverdeb: It was my first visit to the Sunshine Coast, Deborah, but I know that some family connections lived there at some point. It would be a nice place to grow up, I think.

>146 BLBera: Hi Beth, they are a very active book club and I don't mean reading-wise!

>81 Familyhistorian: oh, that sounds like a fantastic mystery.

Gorgeous Seattle's photos. Thanks so much for sharing them.

Great photos of your book club's weekend.

>149 Ameise1: Hi Barbara, it was a fantastic mystery and the second in the Wrexford and Sloane series which starts with Murder on Black Swan Lane. I've just finished the third book in the series and should hunt down the next one soon.

My recent trips were fun and fortunately the weather cooperated so I was able to come up with some good photos to share.

>148 Familyhistorian: I think Dave found it kind of boring spending his teen years on the Sunshine Coast. His family had moved from Prince George, but he said there was not a lot to do in Sechelt/ Gibsons. The cinema and bowling alley were burned down by some local folks, and that was about it for entertainment, other than racing up the Sunshine Coast Highway in cars, and a pizza place he went to with friends. I think he enjoyed puttering around in a small outboard motor boat with his buddies too. He said the goal for most young people was to away from the Coast as there was little work to be found, and he and two of his siblings did that as soon as they graduated. One of his brother's stayed behind , and worked at a saw mill, but he eventually moved to the mainland as well. It's a pretty place though. I recall suggesting that we try living there when our kids were young , and Dave said " you'd be so bored". But it's got more going on now. I think he and his friends hung around the old Beach Combers Set back then too.

Hi Meg, I know all about falling behind here at LT as I am really struggling to catch up with everyone. I love the Sunshine Coast, we have spent some lovely weekends up there. I was living in Ottawa when "The Beachcombers" was on and I watched it faithfully just to see some B.C. scenery and reminders of home.

>151 vancouverdeb: There didn't seem to be that much happening there except hiking and being on the water so I can understand why young people couldn't wait to leave. It was nice to visit but not a place to live, but then I'm a big city girl.

Unfortunately, Molly's Reach was closed and up for lease. So it looks like even nostalgia isn't a sure fire bet for success.

>152 DeltaQueen50: I'm way behind on threads too, Judy. Nice that the Beachcombers reminded you of home when you were far away. I can imagine that was welcome in Ottawa in the winter.

183. Normal Family: On Truth, Love, and How I Met My 35 Siblings by Chrysta Bilton



Debra wanted a family, but wasn’t attracted to men so she went the IVF route, only the descriptions of the donors didn’t do it for her so she recruited her own. That’s how she ended up with Chrysta. She used the same donor, Jeffery, for a second child as well. Debra thought she was calling the shots when she got Jeffery to agree that he wouldn’t donate any more sperm after she had her two kids. But Jeffery was down and out (hey, looks aren’t everything) and the clinic paid for donated sperm. He was also one of their most popular donors.

It wasn’t until years later when DNA testing became popular when connections started coming through online databases that social media got buzzing which explains the title, Normal Family: On Truth, Love, and How I Met My 35 Siblings.

It was a nice sunny day here so I met up with the walking gang to do the Coquitlam Crunch. It wasn't until I got to the parking lot that I realized my fitbit was still charging at home. Duh! I made the ascent anyway.

>155 Familyhistorian: Good gracious! That's a lot of um, charitable giving.

Happy Sunday, Meg!

>157 richardderus: Not exactly charitable, Richard. He was paid for every deposit.

184. Malice in the Cotswolds by Rebecca Tope



This time Thea Osborne was housesitting in Snowshill, another Cotswold Village. The householder, Yvonne, was a dithery woman in a household cluttered with breakables. She needed someone to take care of her home and cats while she went to visit her sister in France after a side trip to see her ex-husband in a London suburb to straighten things out with him once and for all.

Once the woman left and Thea settled in, she found out more about the villagers, good and bad. It was the discovery of the body of a young boy left close to where she had parked her car that started Thea looking into things. It helped that the friendly DS Sonia Gladwin was on the case especially when bodies started piling up in unexpected places in Malice in the Cotswolds.

Hey Meg! I finally took an Ancestry test today. Eager to see the results. It was really for my mother-in-law's project, since she's tracing my son's lineage.

185. A Very Particular Murder by S.T. Haymon



A Very Particular Murder was written long enough ago that there were no cell phones but there was air travel. There were also many modern trappings, in that the narrative started at an event to celebrate scientific achievements. An event in which one of Inspector Jurnet’s table companions was taken ill, then died in hospital. When it was determined that he had been poisoned, Jurnet was on the case which had twisted ties to WWII and Isreal.

>160 The_Hibernator: Ooh, that's exciting, Rachel. Do you know much about your ancestry, enough that your mother-in-law has been able to start a family tree?

186. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry



Poppy moved to the big city to follow her dreams while Alex, stayed in their hometown and became a teacher. They weren’t a couple or anything, just good friends. Every year, though, they got together to take a trip. But then she got a job writing about her travel experiences and it came with an expense account. Soon it became a job and maybe that’s why the last trip she and Alex took together ended so badly they haven’t travelled together since. Now, though, Poppy was determined to give it one more chance in People We Meet on Vacation. What could go wrong?

You read so fast, Meg, I just can't keep up!

Happy Thanksgiving, by the way. We had a family get together and dinner yesterday. It was great. Today was my 4 mile walk. Even with my air pods and music, boredom is my enemy.

>164 vancouverdeb: It's all those library holds, Deborah. I'm trying to keep up myself.

>165 vancouverdeb: Happy Thanksgiving to you too. Sounds like you had a nice gathering. I didn't do much walking today because it rained for most of it. Was it raining in Richmond?

Earlier it was raining , but by the time I headed out at 3 pm, I just had to dodge some puddles on my walk. I was walking on a gravel dyke travel, so there were a fair number of puddles to dodge.

>167 vancouverdeb: It had stopped raining here by 4:00 or so which was when I headed out. There were some puddles but the most aggravating things were the wet leaves on the sidewalk that clung to the bottom of my shoes, potential slipping hazards.

187. Gentleman Jim by Mimi Matthews



When Maggie Honeywell was younger she had sided with Nicholas against the bullying Frederick even though Nicholas was a mere servant and Frederick was of Maggie’s own social stature. Things came to a head so Nicholas was forced to flee.

Her father’s will left Maggie in Frederick’s power, it was either marry him or someone he approved of. (As though he would approve of another.) Maggie was in despair until she met Lord St. Clare, at times there was something about him that reminded her of her childhood companion. But how could that help her now? All that was dealt with very satisfactorily in Gentleman Jim.

188. The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman by Margot Mifflin



Much has been written about Olive Oatman, captured at the age of 13 when most of her family was killed on the trek west. She was a young woman when ransomed back to white society. The second tribe she had lived with tattooed her chin, a mark of her past which was harder to hide than most. But there were others who knew her story would draw crowds but how much of the tale told was based on reality and how much on the things that people of the time wished to hear? The author of The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman delved into the mythology that grew up and tried to set the record straight.

The rain has started and they're predicting an atmospheric river. I wonder how that's going to affecting voting day tomorrow.

>171 Familyhistorian: *ew* on the atmospheric river! Don't get moldy, Meg. Have fun voting.

>172 richardderus: Yeah, constant rain isn't my favourite thing. I voted in advance as I'm working at a polling place tomorrow. I just hope that rain doesn't affect how many people turn out.

189. Earls Trip by Jenny Holiday



Three friends, two earls and a viscount (an earl in waiting), had a tradition of taking a trip, just the three of them, every year. This year was different though as the start of their trip was waylaid with the need to rescue, Olive Morgan from an elopement which was turning out badly and which her sister, Clementine was trying to extract her from. Once the rescue was done, the girls ended up accompanying them to the house the earls had rented for their getaway. The inevitable ensued.

Earls Trip was a fun historic romance and the start of a series but published in 2024 so it looks like it will be a bit of a wait for the next one.

Yesterday was finally voting day in British Columbia and I worked at one of the polling stations. It was also the first day of an atmospheric river event. I'm not sure how much that affected the people who showed up to vote but often there were more workers than voters in the room. It made the day, which started at 7:00 am and ended close to 9:00 pm, go very slowly. Also, we weren't allowed to leave the building during that time and it was a smallish venue.

Throughout the day we could hear the rain on the roof loud and fast. So it probably was better to be inside. As it was, I drove there in the dark with pouring rain and went home in the opposite direction the same way.

After all that, the vote is still too close to call which means there will have to be manual counts of the actual votes even though we had machines to feed the votes into that tallied the numbers. I just received a news flash on my computer that we will know the results in a week!

In minutes I must head out to church, Meg, but yes we have had a lot of rain! Minimal flooding in Richmond, a small portion of Blundell Road and a couple of overpasses leading to Highway 91, which I think are clear now. Yes, the vote! Too close to call! My riding is too close to call as well. I heard a house was washed away in Coquitlam, I think it was and the occupant missing as of last time I checked the news. I was out driving yesterday and no problems where I was. I did advance voting on Wednesday I think it was. Best go or I"m going to be late for church. Take care, Meg.

>175 Familyhistorian: Oh dear, that doesn't sound too good weather-wise. Good to hear that you got home safely. I'm very surprised that the count/results are taking so long. Is that normal for you?

>176 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah, the occupant of the house that was swept away in the landslide died. She was a school teacher in one of the local schools. On Monday, as I was walking on the pathway beside the Coquitlam River a woman approached me and showed me a photo of a man on her phone. He was feared swept away in the river too.

>177 Ameise1: The count doesn't usually take that long, Barbara, as there is usually a clear winner by the end of voting day. The problem this time was that the vote was so close with preliminary wins for one party at 46 and the other at 45 so they need to wait until every vote is in, including the mail in votes, before they can declare a winner.

>178 Familyhistorian: - I heard about that tragedy on the news here, Meg. I can't begin to imagine. It must have been terrifying. I think I heard that 3 have died. I hope this is the last of it.

190. We Solve Murders by Richard Osman



The characters in We Solve Murders were a whole different crew from the ones in The Thursday Murder Club books so it took a while to figure out the good guys and the bad guys and keep them straight. The action also moved around involving plane travel. Still the characters grew on me and I was soon trying to figure out who was behind the plot to use and kill the social influencers. If this series is continued I will be following along.

>180 jessibud2: Terrifying for the people involved, Shelley. Three died and one is still missing.

191. Swift River by Essie Chambers



My book club chose Swift River for this month’s read. I made it through the book but unfortunately didn’t think I could attend due to rain and manning the polls the next morning. It was an interesting story about Diamond, the only black person in Swift River. Her father disappeared and now she and her white mom try to survive in a town that makes it hard for them. Things change for her when she takes driving lessons and makes contact with her black relatives who moved to the south. I didn’t know about “sundown towns” before reading this book.

>82 Familyhistorian: whhhaaaat!? That gum-walled alley is so bizarre! Isn't it funny that things just take off like that.

>170 Familyhistorian: this one looks really interesting. I hadn't heard of her before (The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman). ETA- my library has it :)

>184 LovingLit: The tour guide told us that they cleaned up the wall once but people just came back and stuck chewed gum all over it again! I hope you like the Olive Oatman book.

192. The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths



It has been ages since I read one of the Ruth Galloway mysteries. In The Chalk Pit Ruth was pulled in to the investigation of bodies found in underground tunnels in the area. On the personal side, Ruth and Nelson where together again so that Ruth started to think of a future with him. But that idea was soon put down as Nelson’s wife announced her pregnancy, but we are left wondering if he was actually the father. Also Nelson takes Kate home where she spent some time with Nelson’s daughter, Laura, who started to questions about who the little girl was.

Once again it is time for the Surrey International Writers Conference and the Vancouver Writers Festival. It's hard to divide time between the two especially as they are not exactly close together. So it's not exactly easy to chose. I had a great time at the SIWC sessions today and meet up with some people I know, learned some things too and pitched the novel I'm working on to an agent.

>187 Familyhistorian: sounds like a wonderful weekend. I hope the pitch went well

You keep so busy,Meg, So , if I may ask, what sort of a novel are you writing ?

>188 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita, yes the pitch went well but now I have to polish up some pages to send in.

>189 vancouverdeb: It's contemporary fiction told in two time periods from when the main character is a teenager and then 35 years later.

>191 Familyhistorian: Sounds interesting Meg. Let me know if you get it published. And yes, I did get an invitation for both my covid and flu vaccine. If it has been 6 months from you last covid booster, I would think you could get another booster. Maybe call the BC Vaccine Phone line and check.

>192 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah, I decided to check my health record online to see when my last Covid booster was. I delayed it until the end of May last time so it hasn't been 6 months.

193. The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennett



The first book in the Queen investigates series was The Windsor Knot. I found it to be an interesting premise for mystery series and I think the details of royal life were pretty accurate as far as they went. The death under investigation involved a visitor to Windsor Castle. Most of the sleuthing was done by the Queen’s assistant private secretary, Rozie, who was able to take things beyond the royal realm.

I should know better than to go by the weather predictions on my phone app. It said showers which to me are fairly light so I wore sneakers. When I set off from the parking lot it was a bit windy but not raining at all. I was as far as I was going to go and thinking about heading back when the first drops fell. Then the rain got heavier. I was blocks away from getting back to the parking lot where I left my car and I had to cross the street. The only problem was that by then there was a deep puddle to plow through to get to the sidewalk. Sneakers aren't a good defence against deep puddles.

Not trying to catch up, Meg, but wanted to swing by and thank you for the visit to my thread.

Have a terrific Tuesday! I hope your feet have dried out. . .

That was fast!

Wordle 1,228 2/6

⬜🟩🟨⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

guide, tunic

>196 alcottacre: Hi Stasia, thanks for the return visit. It seems harder the usual to keep up this year. Hope your reads are keeping you happy.

>197 Familyhistorian: Brava!

>199 richardderus: Thanks Richard!

194. Desolation Canyon by P.J. Tracy



The second book in the Sam Easton series was Desolation Canyon. Making some progress in coping with his PTSD, Sam was drawn into the fight to save a woman, Marielle, and her daughter from the Children of the Desert, a group that set up in the desert offering retreats. It had government endorsements but also some less legit connections. Then there were the estranged couple whose bodies were found which brought Maggie Nolan and Remy Boudreau into the picture. It was a fast paced, action packed mystery.

I didn't post my September acquisitions on my 75ers thread. I should fix that before it is time to post the new books in for October. Here they are:

How to Draw Modern Florals by Alli Koch
We Hereby Refuse: Japanese American Resistance to Wartime Incarceration by Frank Abe and Tamiko Namura
Hamlet by SparkNotes
A Governess's Guide to Passion and Peril by Manda Collins
The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp by Leonie Swann
Shades of Red by kc dyer
Dead Certainties by Simon Schama
Present Danger by Susan Andersen

195. Game of Patience by Susanne Alleyn



The Game of Patience was a convoluted mystery set in the days of the New Republic in France. It was a police procedural and, as you can imagine, the way the authorities set about investigating a murder was hemmed in by the ideals and realities of Paris in that time period. At its heart it was the crime of murder, that of a young woman and an older man who, it seemed, had been blackmailing her. Investigator Aristide had to put the pieces together to solve the crime while being looked down upon by many as a police spy.

>203 Familyhistorian: A series I really very much enjoyed, Meg, so I'm glad it spoke pleasantly to you as well.

>204 richardderus: It felt like she got the setting and actions of the characters correct for the time which was a huge plus.

Did you enjoy the rain today, Meg ? I still got out for 11,000 steps today, but it did stop raining towards the end of my walk. Nice Wordle in 2!

>206 vancouverdeb: Not a big fan of the rain today, Deborah, especially as it was very windy so made using an umbrella difficult. At least I had proper footwear on today!

>187 Familyhistorian: Oh wow, I didn’t know you were writing a novel. Best of luck with the pitch.

The Alleyn mystery sounds like it has an interesting setting, Meg.

>208 humouress: Hi Nina, the pitch worked but that means I need to do some work getting pages together to send to the agent I pitched to.

>209 BLBera: The Alleyn mystery was set in an interesting time and, from what I could see, the author portray it and the mystery very well, Beth.

Hi Meg, Are you ready for the time change?

>212 mdoris: Hi Mary, I'll like the extra sleep but not the earlier darkness.

Yay on the book pitch- do you have to have a chapter to pitch, or the first chapter, or a synopsis?

I finished The Blue Tattoo- that you recently read- I thoroughly enjoyed it...fascinating and thorough examination of the whole series of events.

>214 LovingLit: A pitch is usually a tag line for the book and then a more fleshed out idea of what it is about.

The Blue Tattoo was an interesting look at the actual history of Oatman's life and how it was changed by popular interpretation of events at that time.

Happy Saturday, Meg. I love the pics in post #143. Swift River sounds like a good one.

>216 msf59: Hi Mark, I hope your weekend is a good one. Swift River was an interesting one.