raidergirl3's reading in 2025

Winter Play by Elaine Harrision

It might be nice to have a spot for a little conversation, and maybe a cup of tea, but I have no illusions that I'll be very consistent. Still, I'll come by and report on what books catch my fancy, maybe add a list or two.

To give you an idea about my reading, here are some top books from 2024

Fiction:
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue

Nonfiction:
An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong
Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast by John Vaillant

rereads which were still as good:
Shades of Grey by Jasper Fflorde
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
The Woman Who Split the Atom: The Life of Lise Mietner by Marissa Moss

My little list of MRE (must read everything) authors, and books from their backlist I don't want to forget:

I think I've read all of:
Mary Lawson, Carol Shields and Maeve Binchy (all the novels and short story collections, not all her writing, she's crazy prolific)
Tracy Chevalier (The Last Runaway)
Elizabeth Strout (Amy and Isabelle, reread Olive, Again; The Burgess Boys; Tell Me Everything)
Liane Moriarty (Three Wishes, The Hypnotist's Love Story)
Lori Lansens (This Little Light)

Want to read all:
Ann Patchett (Run, The Patron Saint of Liars,Taft)
Emma Donoghue (Akin, Landing, Slammerkin, Life Mask) The Paris Express
Sarah Waters (Tipping the Velvet)
Kate Atkinson (Human Croquet)
Tana French (The Witch Elm)
Maggie O'Farrell (The Hand that First Held Mine, After You'd Gone, This Must Be the Place)
Heather O'Neill (Capital of Dreams, Daydreams of Angels, And They Danced By the Light of the Moon, Valentine in Montreal
Catherine Hernandez (Behind You, Crosshairs)

Love the painting! My first Maggie O'Farrell was The Hand That First Held Mine. I have several of the same Must Read authors.

>3 WelshBookworm: Elaine Harrision was a painter from PEI who taught my parents English in HS in the 60s. I love her paintings and we have one that is undocumented as she gave it to my mother when she was in high school - never been seen by anyone except our family.

I'm in the middle of a big Elizabeth Strout reread.

Hi Elizabeth! Thanks for letting me know you'd be setting up shop here. You're now starred for future reference. I like your list of MRE authors -- that's a nice sort of project.

I like your MRE. I have been toying with reading all of Ann Pratchett. I paused after trying her second novel, which I didn't care much for (Taft)

>4 raidergirl3: Olive Kitteridge is my only re-read, but I'm in the middle of a big Elizabeth Strout kick. Before Olive Kitteridge I read all the Lucy Barton books and The Burgess Boys, and as well as Olive, Again I've also borrowed Amy and Isabelle to be read very soon. It's ages (university days) since I read multiple books by one author back-to-back and I'm really enjoying it.

>7 rachbxl: same! I originally didn’t love the Lucy Barton book, but after meeting her when she was older in the latest book, I went back and read all the Lucy books and loved them. I’m rereading Olive, who I’ve always loved, and I also read Abide By Me. There was a small reference in one of the other books to Abide By Me. The Burgess Boys will be next and also Amy and Isabelle. The narrator in the Lucy books is wonderful.
I’m so enjoying the world Strouthas made and how it all connects together.

I’m going to finish this reread/Strout immersion with Tell Me Everything

>8 raidergirl3: Ha, we're doing exactly the same thing! And like you, as well as enjoying the books themselves I'm really appreciating being immersed in the world that Strout has made. I love the way it all links up. I'm planning to finish off with Tell Me Everything too.

>9 rachbxl: lol, I just read your introduction on the Intro thread. I have one daughter named Rachel, and my other daughter just spent the last semester in Brussels for a semester abroad. Our lives are a very intersecting Venn diagram!

I'm curious to know whether the characters from Amy and Isabelle appear in the Olive books or the latest Lucy/Olive book. I read it years and years ago and didn't make any connections when I read Olive. But then I only just realized that Bob Burgess (who appears in Tell me Everything) is one of the Burgess Boys, which I haven't read.

>11 lauralkeet: I’m pretty sure in the Tell Me Everything book, Olive’s friend she visits in the old age home is from the Amy and Isabelle book. And the people in Abide With Me are mentioned.
I had read the Burgess Boys book long ago so I recognized him, but will reread it this year. So much comes together in Tell Me Everything!

>10 raidergirl3: Small world! I wonder what else we have in common... Did your daughter enjoy her time in Brussels?

>11 lauralkeet: I should be able to answer your question about the Amy and Isabelle characters before too long... Bob Burgess, who also appears in Lucy by the Sea, is one of my favourite characters.

>12 raidergirl3:, >13 rachbxl: Thanks! In Tell Me Everything, Strout brought together a lot of characters from earlier novels, which is what made me wonder about Amy and Isabelle. I think that was my first Strout novel and it never occurred to me to look for them as I read more of her books.

>2 raidergirl3: Your lists of authors to complete is interesting. You have some of my favourites there. Maybe I'll steal this idea for my thread too. BTW I enjoyed Kate Atkinson's Human Croquet very much.

ETA: I looked at my books and I've realized I'm NOT a completest. So I won't be stealing your idea after all. I look forward to following your progress though.

>15 Nickelini: I looked at my books and I've realized I'm NOT a completest. So I won't be stealing your idea after all.
That made me laugh, Joyce. I had a similar reaction to Elizabeth's list of authors, and then remembered my experience with Molly Keane and Edith Wharton. These are two authors I absolutely adore, and yet when I tried to read all of their books I found I couldn't get through Keane's early work and Wharton's late work. Completion is still a noble goal, you just need to know when to say when.

Happy New Year! I love the idea of the MRE authors. Maybe you are starting a trend!

I'm making a conscious effort this year to read more by authors whose work I've enjoyed in the past. Whether that makes me a completist remains to be seen - I agree with >16 lauralkeet: that you just need to know when to say when. Several of the authors I want to read more of are on your list in >2 raidergirl3: Kate Atkinson, Sarah Waters, Maggie O'Farrell (I've read almost everything of hers). Oh, and Elizabeth Strout, obviously ;-)

>13 rachbxl: yes, she quite enjoyed Brussels. She got weekend trips to Paris, Amsterdam, and Cologne. She played ultimate frisbee with a school team and kept active running.

>15 Nickelini: lol, this made me laugh.
When I saw your ‘best of ‘ list it reminded ne to put Heather O’Neill on my list and to discover she has a new book out later this year. Yay!

>16 lauralkeet: I only put names on the list when their old books look good. I read a few of Anne Enright’s older books, but didn’t enjoy them as much as her later books so she’s not there

>17 BLBera: who’s on your MRE list, Beth?

>18 rachbxl: Rachel, I’m loving this Elizabeth Strout reread!

Good luck with your reading this year! And now I'm reminded I should really catch up with Kate Atkinson's recent work.

Our MRE authors would be a great topic for the List of Lists (if that thread is going in 2025). I am not a completist, so mine would be a MRM, Must Read More. :-)

>24 mabith: duplicate it for emphasis- mrmmrm… murmuring for … well not short, but entertainment?

>20 raidergirl3: A new Heather O'Neill book is exciting! Of her novels and story collections, I only have her latest, Capital of Dreams left to read. I'm happy she's getting more prolific. It was such a long wait between her first and second, then second and third books.

>25 labfs39: Oh, MRM . . . must read more . . . THAT I can do. Interesting that of everyone's authors mentioned here, they are all female authors. That's about 2/3s of my reading, but there are some male authors that would be on my list too

>24 mabith: hi Meredith, thanks for stopping by. I was so excited that Atkinson wrote another Jackson Brodie book. I’ve liked her other newer books, but the Brodie books are my fav.

>25 labfs39: MRM is probably a better way to phrase it, but that would make even more authors on my list, lol

>26 dchaikin: I can’t even tell you how many times I read this comment before I figured it out, lol. It was entertaining!
Welcome, Dan

>27 Nickelini: I still have Capital of Dreams on my kobo to read. I’ll give myself til July when the new books comes out to get up to date.

>28 Nickelini: there are male authors I’d MRE of, but I just put women on my list as they are generally my favourite authors. I also didn’t include authors that are series writers as I like to complete the series as well. But that’s another topic/list.

I’ll thank you again, Joyce, for steering me to Club Read!

>22 raidergirl3: Good question, Elizabeth. Maggie O'Farrell and Kate Atkinson, for sure. Louise Erdrich, Julia Alvarez, Angie Cruz, Xochitl Gonzalez, Siri Hustvedt. Those come to mind right now

Happy New Year. I find that for my own MRE authors, I tend to leave one unread, as sort of a lifeline. I like knowing there's one book left that I can still read for the first time, even if it's not the author's very best.

>31 raidergirl3: i was worried no one would make sense of it. lol. It just came out like a reflex on my phone, so I posted it. 🙂

>33 BLBera: Beth, I've only read Erdrich and Cruz, and am not familiar with the others. Now I'm intrigued by your other authors

>34 rocketjk: I think I have unconsciously done that, as many of my MRE authors have one left. And then when they put out a new book, I immediately read it, leaving that one unread book still there, lol. I'm going to try to move a couple authors to the completed list this year!

>35 dchaikin: Oh, Dan, it eventually made sense. mrmle

Reading this week:

I was reminded about Heather O'Neill and discovered she has a new book coming out this summer, Valentine in Montreal. Looking around Libby, I found a short story I had not read, And They Danced By the Light of the Moon which was a delightful backstory to Lullabies for Little Criminals. I've got The Capital of Dreams on my kobo and must get to it this spring.

The Book of Love by Kelly Link
It probably didn't need to be so long (24h on audio) and it was okay. I blame this one on me because it wasn't the type of book I like - with a lot of magic and 'rules' in this world. It is on the Tournament of Books list, so I wanted to read it and sometimes even books not in my wheelhouse can be excellent, but this didn't make it for me. Three teenagers come back from the dead with a competition to get back alive. Everyone thinks they've been in Ireland while they have been dead. It wasn't awful, just didn't absorb me into an epic tale like I would have liked.

Good Material by Dolly Alderton
Much more my kind of book - modern British 30somethings, dealing with life. Jen has broken up with Andy and he isn't taking it well. We follow from Andy's perspective, as he tries to be a single again while all his friends are married with kids, manage his middling stand-up comedian career, and find a place to live. This book was on the longlist for the Tournament of Books but didn't make the shortlist. Too bad.

>37 raidergirl3: two interesting books. I looked at the ToB bracket, but i wasn’t quite tempted. But I’m curious

I've heard good things about the Alderton book. My library has a copy so I will get to it at some point.

>36 raidergirl3: They are all so good, Elizabeth, at least IMO.

>38 dchaikin: I always get FOMO when I read lists - what if there is a really good book (my next favourite!) in that list and I don't read it? I am getting better in my old age, ha, of passing up or giving up quickly on books that don't catch my fancy but I still get lured in.

>39 BLBera: Beth, I will definitely try Siri Hustvedt

My reading this week, or since my last update:

The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year - Margaret Renkl NF
I found this one on the Top Five of 2024 list on LT. Quaint, ecology, nature, southern, and a woman of my age, I enjoyed these weekly essays. I very much identified with the essays on her eyes/vision, and having young adult children who come and go. Easy listening, read by the author with her southern drawl adding flavour. It reminded me a bit of Bailey White's Mama Makes Up Her Mind.

Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout 4.5 stars
After reading Tell Me Everything, I wanted to go back and reread Elizabeth Strout. I loved Olive Kitteridge when I first read her, and also Olive, Again. Olive was a great part of Tell Me Everything, as she visits her friend Isabelle. It's Isabelle from Amy and Isabelle! We get to see how their friendship develops in Olive, Again which given how cranky Olive can be, is a little surprising. The Burgess brothers also show up in this book. I am so enjoying the Strout metaverse. Next up will probably be Amy and Isabelle, and then a reread of the Burgess Boys.

Dark Storm Rising (15.5) - Linda Castillo
I never thought I'd read an Amish book, but once I found this police mystery series recommended by @lauralkeet rather than an Amish romance, I was hooked. I found the short stories that fill in between the main books which are a quick fix. I am up to date now on Kate Burkholder, and waiting for book #17.

Memory Man by David Baldacci
My dad (83) always read a lot and he has figured out how to borrow ebooks from Libby and to read them on his Ipad. He recommended this Amos Decker series so I am trying this first book. It's fast moving, lots of twists, mass market pb mystery. He's got synesthesia from a football hit, his family has been killed, and he gets pulled back into a case in his hometown. Some interesting production decisions in the audio - some weird background music to finish a few dramatic chapters, and a female to read only the parts of his cop partner. Slightly distracting, but I'd probably read another in the series.

This week or so before final exams dealing with teenagers, and their parents, is why I am retiring this June. I'm getting too old for this - didn't the guy from Lethal Weapon say that? I get it.

I joined an online group, associated with my online fitness group, that is a meal plan/help with eating more protein. It goes along with my fitness of trying to stay strong as I age - strength, and mobility type classes. It's not easy to eat more protein, and I don't think I'm eating crazy amounts, just more than my usual breakfast and lunch might have, aiming for 25-30 g per meal. I will say that I am not feeling 'peckish' at night and my snacking is dropping away, mostly, lol. So that is a good effect.

>41 raidergirl3: Olive was a great part of Tell Me Everything, as she visits her friend Isabelle. It's Isabelle from Amy and Isabelle!
Aha! I asked you about connections, and you delivered. It's been sooo long since I read Amy and Isabelle that I just didn't see it when I read Olive.

>42 raidergirl3: Good for you with the fitness thing! My husband and I joined a gym about 18mos ago and attend a class 3x/week that emphasizes strength and mobility. The owner is a bit protein crazy and we haven't gone as far as he would recommend but we did start paying more attention to it.

I predict you'll love being retired.

Teaching is tough. Glad you enjoyed Olive. I have been hesitant to revisit her.

>32 raidergirl3: Thank you for letting me know about Heather O'Neill's first book. She's almost turning prolific.

I didn't know I steered you to ClubRead, but you're welcome

ETA - NEW book, not first book. Shesh, what a silly error

>42 raidergirl3: Congratulations on retiring. I have many teacher friends who are pretty much all officially retired now. But many of them still dabble with teacher on call work, which can be 2 days a year, or 6 week full time gigs (or in the case of one friend who was an elementary school principal, 3 years full time because she has a huge heart and they needed her . . . they'd always need her). Another friend who was a principal retired for a couple of years, and now got pulled into recruiting professors for universities. And other teacher friends said "bye!" and are living their lives of hobbies and family and travel. It's great that you can have options. I had a meeting with my boss yesterday about gearing toward retirement and I'm not sure too many options are available to me. Not my boss's fault -- it's the structure of the crown corporation I work for. I love my job, but would love it more if it were part-time.

in our state teachers are leaving by the droves all the usual reasond, but lack of respect and agency are big factors. I miss my kids and still think of them (and assume they are the same littles they were 6 years ago) but thankful Im retired and can make my own schedule

>42 raidergirl3: As a former teacher, I can tell you that retirement is great. I miss my colleagues and the students, but not the grading.

>43 lauralkeet: Your posts inspire me about retirement, I hope I can get as much done as you and Chris, lol. I'm not worried about enjoying retirement - I've had semi-practice in the summers.

>44 dchaikin: Teaching is tough! and I have really great classes, all grade 12s this semester. But the last weeks of January before exams wear my patience.
After Tell Me Everything, I wanted to see Olive before this latest book. I liked her just as much this time as before.

>45 Nickelini: Joyce, Heather O'Neill has now had 2 books out in one year (Sept 24, Jul 25) so yes, becoming prolific. Lucky for us!

>46 Nickelini: Everyone asks if I'll substitute teach, and I really can't see it. I remember one former colleague who would teach when she booked a trip to cover her travel expenses. If I needed money for a trip, I might consider it. If I start missing the math/physics I would tutor as that would be easy and I could do as much, or little, as I want.
living their lives of hobbies and family and travel sounds wonderful!
It's too bad you don't have the option of part-time. Some jobs just don't lend themselves to that flexibility.

>47 cindydavid4: Cindy, I wouldn't say teachers are leaving in droves, but there aren't as many substitute teachers as we'd like, and recent grads are getting contracts in their first year out, which is great for them.

>48 BLBera: Thanks Beth for the rec, lol. I have become resentful of my 'home time' being used for correcting, and will not miss that one iota! Colleagues and the social part of work, and the students are definitely harder. We have a work out group after school and I envision joining them some times for a workout!

Everyone is making me so look forward to retirement! thanks for your encouragement, one more semester!
There are 3 of us retiring in June, and we all started together, substituting and then working. We actually all went to our high school together as well, so we've been together for a very long time. We greet each other with big smiles in the morning, ha!

>51 raidergirl3:"Nearly 78% of teaching positions in the state are vacant or filled by unqualified people. PHOENIX (AZFamily) —

"More than half of public school teachers in Arizona say they may leave the profession in the next two years if working conditions don’t improve, according to a new study examining the state’s teacher shortage crisis.
The report, commissioned by Gov. Katie Hobbs’ Educator Retention Task Force, examined professional satisfaction among current and former teachers to inform policies that could help encourage them to remain in the classroom.

For almost a decade, the Grand Canyon State has struggled to retain teachers. A 2024 survey from the Arizona School Personnel Administrators Association estimated that the state’s teacher shortage streak has stretched into its ninth year, with more than 6,000 positions remaining vacant or filled with unqualified candidates a month into the new academic calendar.

And the new survey indicates the situation will only worsen in the near future. Roughly 69% of Arizona teachers have weighed leaving the profession in the past year, and 54% say they’re at least somewhat likely to change careers in the next two years. " Phx New Times

>49 raidergirl3: Four more working days for me! I retire next Thursday.

yippee!!! did they have a party for you?

>52 cindydavid4: that's some grim statistics. It's not quite that bad here yet, but we are usually behind trends. And the qualifications for substitutes have been lowered, but not for teachers yet. Do you do any supply teaching, Cindy?

>53 WelshBookworm: Oh Laurel, how exciting! Enjoy your last few days. I can't wait to hear about your adjustments to not working. I'm not too concerned I'll have issues, but you never know what things might pop up. I know I've already been conscious when I'm shopping that I won't need work clothes anymore, ha!

>54 cindydavid4: Cindy, I won't finish until June, but part of end of year events at schools will be retirement parties. We usually have a dinner or reception, and there will be speeches. Some close colleague/teacher-friend will 'speak for the retiree'. It all depends on how many retire at once. We know there are three of us for sure, but some people don't want attention, and will wait to let people know til the last week of school. I once 'caught' a teacher leaving the building with a box of personal items the last week of June, trying to sneak away without announcing his retirement. A few years ago I had to speak for teacher who was a mentor to me, we worked closely on grad ceremonies for my whole career. I knew it would be me when she announced.

>55 raidergirl3: The Arizona legislature has been undermining public education for awhile now and teacher's pay and working conditions have not been great. This is also the case in many Southern states. I know in South Carolina it's hard to make ends meet as a single person on a teacher's salary and impossible to raise a family. A lot of principled and dedicated teachers are driven away. It's become a career for people who have a spouse willing to support them.

Enjoy your well-earned retirement!

>55 raidergirl3: whats supply teaching? i did a bit of subbing then got hurt and had to quite.

>1 raidergirl3: Hi, just stopping by to wish you a wonderful 2025! I like the idea of a MRE (or, more likely for me, MRM) author and will be thinking about who those are. Definitely Atkinson and O'Farrell from your list.

>54 cindydavid4: There'll be an open house at the library next Thursday (my last day) and then Friday evening there will be dinner out (party/celebration) with current and former staff.

>55 raidergirl3: Elizabeth, the next 6 months will go by before you know it! As far as parties, I let everyone know what I wanted, and they made it so. I've been counting down toward retirement for 6 years - had planned to retire 3 years ago, and then delayed it for financial reasons. So I am more than ready! I will definitely let you know what life is like post-retirement.

>56 RidgewayGirl: Kay, we are lucky in Canada with our teacher's unions that teaching is a relatively well paying job (ignoring the extra work that gets added on) so I really can't complain about that aspect here.

>57 cindydavid4: Cindy, supply teaching is another way to say subbing. I actually enjoyed subbing when I did it - no correcting, no planning, just leave a note for the teacher about behavior. Bantering with kids and staying calm, it suited me well. But I think I'm too old/impatient for that once I retire.

>58 Jim53: Hi Jim, thanks for coming by. I'll stop by to see who your favourite authors are.

>59 WelshBookworm: Laurel, enjoy your celebrations! I know these next few months will fly by, the march into June always goes fast.

It's the first full snow day in PEI. With first semester exams starting Friday, this is perfect for teachers and students to get organized, and maybe sleep in. I've corrected one set of math tests, have another one to do as well, I hope to exercise and shower as well, and maybe read a bit. Big plans, lol.

My reading for the past week: (I'm hoping to do this on Sunday or Monday each week)

The Vacancy in Room 10 by Seraphina Nova Glass
A TIOLI book, found while searching for an available audiobook, this wasn't a too bad thriller, and I'd read another by this author. It felt a bit like a Simone St James type book. Mysteries abound among the characters staying in a motel. Good twists, interesting characters.

For the Love of My Sister: Paula Gallant's Legacy by Lynn Gallant Blackburn
This was a personal read, a local nonfiction true crime book about a teacher who was found dead in her trunk in her school parking lot over Christmas, twenty years ago. My cousin R was her very good friend. Paula's two sisters fought for five years to see justice done (of course, it was the husband). The book tells their family story, the days leading up to her murder, and their struggle to keep Paula's story in the news. The police eventually did a huge undercover sting operation over a year, convincing him to tell what and how he killed her, as he thought the undercover cop was a crime syndicate boss who would help him get off. The book is also about the awareness they are fighting for about intimate partner violence. I spent yesterday in tears reading this tragic story.

Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty
My audio book was also about three sisters, which did confuse me a bit at times with my other book, but this was much more fun. As part of my MRE, I read the first book by Moriarty and it didn't disappoint. It had her trademark style - perspective switching between several people, including random people recounting their view of events. They weren't the best of people, but they were dealing with pregnancies, marriage break-ups, sibling rivalries, past events. For a first book, I thought it was pretty good, and reminded me of Big Little Lies in style and theme.

What's new this past week?

Emma Donaghue is coming to PEI in April, to promote her new book, Paris Express. To PEI! I've already booked my free tickets. She's on my MRE list, I can't believe she's coming to little ol' PEI.

Not reading, but I watched a movie based on a book, Women Talking by Miriam Toews, and directed by Sarah Polley, who's memoir I really enjoyed last year, Run Towards the Danger. The movie was very good, very atmospheric, and infuriating- patriarchy and religion all mixed up. I read the book about 5 years ago, and felt the same.

Books Read:
Poemsia - Lang Leav
A young adult book set in Australia, where a young girl becomes famous through social media for her poetry. Since social media, there is also online bullying. This was from YA Sync free audiobooks that I am gradually working through.

The Stranger Diaries - Elly Griffiths (ebook)
It's exciting to start a new series, and Harbinder Kaur did not disappoint. I love trying to anticipate which characters will continue on to the next book. Lots of gothic atmosphere, lots of murder, interesting back and forth point of views. With only 4 books in this series, so far, I expect to enjoy this year of catching up.

Colored Television - Danzy Senna
I read this one because it is on the Tournament of Books shortlist, but I won't remember it next month. It might be a book that I understand/enjoy more once I've read some other explanations and reviews. I don't always see the layers or meanings in some ToB entries.

reading now: All Fours on audio, The Last Runaway from the library, and 97 final exams in math and physics

>62 raidergirl3: One of the best things about the Tournament of Books is how the judgements and discussions bring out aspects of each of the books I hadn't noticed at all.

And enjoy see Emma Donoghue! Are you going to get a book signed?

Emma Donoghue! Lucky you! I can't wait to hear all about it.
I've enjoyed the Harbinder Kaur books, although there is less "series continuity" than, say, the Ruth Galloway novels.

>62 raidergirl3: I quickly checked out the other places Donoghue is planning to visit on her book tour, but the nearest is four hours from here. :-(

>63 RidgewayGirl: I know, sometimes I like a book more once I've read some discussion about it. I'm an emotional reader in that it's how the book made me feel, not so much think. Unless it's a murder mystery making me think about who dunnit, lol.

I might get a book signed; I mostly do audio or ebooks, but maybe I'll get a book to get signed. I've seen so few authors I haven't had any books signed before. Although I did find a signed Hugh Laurie in the library. I debated keeping it and paying the replacement fee, but my better side returned The Gun Seller.

>64 lauralkeet: I'll read most kind of series. I loved Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad and there is almost no continuity with detectives.

>65 labfs39: I just looked at her tour. Seeing some of her stops (Parnassus Books with Ann Patchett! Lauren Groff in Florida!) I really can't believe she's coming to Charlottetown. Are you closer to Boston or New Brunswick?

Buy a book to get signed! Sometimes authors write a nice something extra

>62 raidergirl3: “What’s new this past week?” - i like the idea of this

Interesting about Colored Television

>66 raidergirl3: Much closer to Boston, as New Brunswick is a six hour drive. Boston is about two hours and Mount Holyoke, where she is speaking, three hours.

How fun that you get to see Emma Donoghue! I am looking forward to her new book. I read The Stranger Diaries and really enjoyed it but haven't read more in the series. I am waiting for Colored Television to become available.

I have found in my book club that discussion often enhances my enjoyment/understanding of a book.

>67 Nickelini: I think I will!

>68 dchaikin: Dan, I'm going to try a weekly post. It's still just February but I'm trying to keep at it.
Colored Television was okay for me. I don't have to like the characters in a book, but I have to root for them a bit, and I was annoyed by them.

>69 labfs39: that's too bad Donoghue isn't closer, Lisa. Her tour is quite a mixture of places. We think of Boston as pretty close to us as well, many Islanders would drive it in a hard day of driving.

>70 BLBera: Beth, yes, discussions help understanding for sure. I guess the English teachers have the right idea in studying books in class, lol. My book club has evolved into a eating out, not much discussion, which is fine. We only get book club sets from the library, so we never have to buy a book. One lady looks after getting the books, so we never know til she passes them out what the next book will be. I have often read the book before.

What's new this past week?

I got my second Shingryx vaccine, which knocked me out for a day. I lay shivering under my heated blanket all night, but my body temp regulated sometime through the night, and I felt better the next day. I had shingles when I was in university, and I definitely don't want it again. My province made the vaccine free for people over 50.

It's a super cold couple of days (-15 C), but i am keeping active with my online fitness group - Strength classes, Pilates, and HIIT. I do some of these classes after school with teacher friends, which is more fun!

Reading wise, I only finished one book, All Fours but I did finish the 97 final exams, which makes this week-end very enjoyable with no correcting to do.

I watch a lot of TV with my husband. He has the remote usually, which means lots of sports (basketball, curling, football, hockey), which is okay, and also Gladiator whenever it is on, which is surprisingly often. I have been watching The Traitors (US) which is lots of fun for Boston Rob fans.

All Fours by Miranda July
This is a play-in book for the Tournament of Books. Mixed feelings on this one. The beginning was strong, I loved the main character's voice, as a woman of a certain age. Things started to go off the rails in the middle during the mid-life crisis, with some descriptive sex passages, which I don't usually mind, but this felt off. The last third of the book was better, in showing how families can be different. I did appreciate the perimenopause focus of the book as I haven't noticed it in a lot of novels.

Still reading: The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier who does historical fiction, while also focusing on some type of art, so well. There is much quilting in this one. I've got two audiobooks on the go because of due dates: Martyr, and Wandering Stars.

I’ve been curious about All Fours. It comes up a lot, and not always in good ways. But readers I mesh with (there are a few) have enjoyed it. That’s a lot of exams.

>71 raidergirl3: that shingles vaccine threw me for a loop when I had it, too. But worth it!

>72 raidergirl3: I watch a lot of TV with my husband. He has the remote usually...
Oh jeez I can relate to this. I think he'd get really twitchy if I took charge of the remote. His "ownership" is okay most of the time, and when it's not I just reach for my book.

>73 dchaikin: I was conflicted, Dan. There were parts I really liked, but when she got in her head during her crisis, I was so annoyed with her. It is a lot of exams, 2/3 were math which isn't so bad to correct.

>74 lauralkeet: The remote issue is why we don't watch many streaming shows. He wants to be able to flip to a sports update, and there are no easy ways to flip while streaming. I put on an audio book when it's something I'm not interested in. I have to plot carefully to find a show we can stream, and even then, we watch one episode on a particular night, for example, we watched The White Lotus on Monday nights. Old habits die hard.

What's new this week?
Started a new semester which is always tiring, meeting and trying to remember all the new faces. But it's the last time, so that is exciting. With my daughter back from her semester in Brussels, ringette games are back on the schedule, including a road trip this weekend to Moncton (~2 h away) for Atlantic Championships.

Wandering Stars - Tommy Orange
"Wandering Stars traces the legacies of the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and the Carlisle Industrial School for Indians through to the shattering aftermath of Orvil Redfeather's shooting in There There"
I only kinda liked There, There, and I felt the same about Wandering Stars. It was a little disjointed for me with all the characters. Sections were engrossing. It felt a bit like a series of connected short stories, where I didn't always feel the connected parts. If you liked the first book, I'd recommend the second.

Wisdom in Nonsense: Invaluable Lessons from My Father - Heather O'Neill (paper) NF
This is a series of short essays given at a lecture, where we realize that Lullabies for Little Criminalswas much more autobiographical than you would like to believe. Very short but amusing and enlightening of how other people live and how it frames their present lives.
This might be a big Heather O'Neill year, with her last book to read and a new one coming out this summer.

The Last Runaway - Tracy Chevalier (paper)
Chevalier is one of my most favourite authors, and I've been holding off on this last book to read as I do not like reading about slavery (see also: holocaust). I know it was awful and I don't need to read more about it to know how awful. I did like this take on it, as Honor Bright, immigrant Quaker from England, faces many new challenges in a new country, and with her faith. Set in Ohio, she is left alone in a new country and has to figure out her life, as a woman with not a lot of choices. Quakers were staunch abolitionists, but as with today, when others are in power, it takes a lot of fortitude to fight for right.

Martyr! - Kaveh Akbar
Lots going on here, but I liked it better than Wandering Stars. Cyrus Shams is a young American of Iranian descent, struggling. He is an orphan now, recovering addict, trying to find his place in the world, writing about martyrs. I didn't always like the martyr stories interspersed, but his family's stories - father, mother, uncle, gave more background. Actually a lot of similarities between this and Wandering Stars. I liked the parts with Cyrus best, and even the ending, which while slightly improbable, worked for me.

After being impressed with There There (although it was a difficult read), I was really disappointed with Wandering Stars. Disjointed is a good way to describe it. I ended up skimming just to finish.

>77 lauralkeet: I felt roughly the same.

Laura and Dan, I'm glad to see it wasn't just me!

What's up with the reply? I'll have to look into this situation tomorrow.

What's new this week?

My 21 year old daughter and I went to Moncton, NB for a ringette tournament this weekend. She was competing in the Open division, (over 18) for the PEI team, and they won! There were only 3 teams and while they lost/tied in the round robin, once the playoffs started, they just played so well. Jamie also refereed 6 games so we spend a lot of time in the rinks, which actually gave me lots of reading time.
Weather has been dicey - Thursday afternoon we got sent home from school at noon, then no school Friday. Tomorrow is Islander Day - some random winter holiday that I will not complain about.

Sandwich - Catherine Newman (ebook)
I really liked this family drama of a family going to their annual summer vacation week at a cottage. Themes of adult children, and menopause, and aging parents. Maybe I identified a little too closely in some regards, or I am picking books for my demographic. Gen X for the win!

The Wedding People - Alison Espach
This was another very good read. A bit of midlife crisis, and relationships. The main character, Phoebe, has been divorced by her cheating husband and she is thrown for a loop. She decides to kill herself, and checks into a post hotel to do it, but ends up the only guest there who is not part of an elaborate wedding. Super elaborate. She makes friends with the spoiled bride, Lila, and much becoming aware ensues. How your past affects your present, and recognizing your self-worth. Nice story about friendship and love.

What Happened to Nina? - Dervla McTiernan
It was time for a suspenseful thriller, and who better than Dervla McTiernan. Interesting take on it as information is revealed during the story that I will not reveal but there shouldn't have been as much suspense as there was given the story-telling. How families are torn apart when child (young adult) goes missing. Told from many different perspectives about the disappearance of a young white girl in a small town, with a very rich boyfriend.

The Postscript Murders - Elly Griffiths
Did Richard Osman write his Tuesday Murder Club after reading this book? I am getting such similar vibes that he must have been inspired. From elderly women who played roles in the Europe WW2, a few random amateur detectives, old age communities, and a very tolerant police officer. I very much enjoyed this second Harbindur Kaur mystery book, and I've already requested the next book.

Four very good books!

Leaving Home - PEI Farm Boy to CNN Anchor - David Compton (paper) NF
This was a somewhat local memoir written by the uncle of my brother-in-law. Compton came from a fascinating family that grew up from the 1940s PEI to present day and all the changes that happened.

>80 raidergirl3: Tomorrow is Islander Day - some random winter holiday that I will not complain about.


Nice! I like the sound of that. Here in BC we have "Family Day" tomorrow. I think most Canadian provinces have this newish February holiday. In BC we started having it a week earlier than everyone else, but then we realigned so we'd match the rest of Canada. There was a such a long break betwen January 1 and Easter, especially when it falls on the 3rd week of April.

Leaving Home - PEI Farm Boy to CNN Anchor - David Compton (paper) NF
This was a somewhat local memoir written by the uncle of my brother-in-law. Compton came from a fascinating family that grew up from the 1940s PEI to present day and all the changes that happened. That sounds interesting if you're familiar with PEI. I'm not personally, but I know a few people from PEI and they don't know each other, but they know OF each other's families. Now that my husband and I have more opportunity to travel, I see a PEI trip in my future (not 2025 but soon). I'm excited to explore your corner of the country.

>80 raidergirl3: Did Richard Osman write his Tuesday Murder Club after reading this book?
Interesting comment. I read that one pre-TMC but Griffith's latest, The Last Word, struck me as very Osman-esque and I thought it interesting how Osman's series might have influenced her. But maybe it was the other way around. Hmmm !

>80 raidergirl3: How did you get to Moncton and home this weekend? That would have been a drive!

The holiday here is "Family Day", which doesn't sound very inclusive. I like the sound of "Islander Day"

>81 Nickelini: the only thing better than Islander Day is Victoria Day as the weather is nearly always better, lol.
PEI is all about knowing OF someone. We are so nosy. I've taught for so long, I actually do know a lot of people. I'm at the 'I taught your parents' stage of my teaching career.
Oh, let me know if you need any help when you come to PEI! We have a surprisingly large selection of great food here.

>82 lauralkeet: I don't know which came first, but Griffiths was the established author first, so I assumed he was inspired by her. But he had probably been working on his first book for quite a while. It's the overall tone that is so similar - not cozy, but somewhat humorous yet serious.

>83 SassyLassy: The weather was worse the further south you got. I had clear roads over and back. Although the bridge was completely closed Friday night due to high winds. It was closed to high-sided vehicles when I went over, and that is not really fun for cars as you can feel the wind pulling your car.
The tournament organizers sped things up on Sunday to try to get everyone home safely. The flakes were just starting as we left Memramcook, and we were probably ahead of it the whole way home. Luckily we were headed north. We had friends heading to Fredericton to fly out Monday morning to Mexico, and they were driving into snow for sure.
I never thought how Islander Day was more inclusive sounding than family day. Although, there are controversies around who is considered an Islander. The phrase CFA (come from away) exists here.

>86 raidergirl3: Hadn't thought about that Islander moniker in relation to the day and who is an islander. Living in NS and having lived in NL, the CFA term (and people) are definitely familiar. Land ownership and use are such big issues.

Not sure I will ever have the courage to take the Flink. I'm a ferry kind of person.

>86 raidergirl3: The wind gusts have been no joke, and they are continuing through today. I thought for sure we would lose power, but we’ve been lucky so far.

>87 SassyLassy: we’ve had such problems with our summer ferry the last two years. Mechanical issues, with both ferries, have shut down service continuously. I’m a bridge girl - the convenience has been incredible.

>88 labfs39: no school again today! And the bridge has been completely shut down since last night. It’s no joke out there today with the winds. That’s out marker of the winds- bridge closure to all vehicles, not just high-sided, means max winds.

I loved There There and have been thinking I want to reread it before reading Wandering Stars. Not sure when that will happen.

>76 raidergirl3: Great comments. I have really liked some of Tracy Chevalier and others, not so much. I would try this one. Martyr sounds like one I would like.

>80 raidergirl3: These all sound like ones I would like.

Good luck on your last semester teaching. I sometimes miss the classroom, but I have never missed the grading.

>80 raidergirl3: Elderly women (or groups of old people) solving crime in cozy settings is very much in fashion right now: I think Osman just landed on it as the trend was taking off. There's dozens and dozens of them out now.

>91 rasdhar: Agatha Christie lives on. Did she invent this sub-genre?

I missed last week's write up, but the end of the month feels like a good place to have a wrap up. I am trying to make a comment on the books I read this year, and staying with it for two months is farther than I usually make it.

Etta and Otto and Russell and James - Emma Hooper
I have not been enamoured of the old person on a trek books (The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry The One Hundered Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, and this book continues. It's not bad, but I don't really understand the motivation to walk. Etta leaves from Saskatchewan and heads east to the ocean. She has some dementia/alzheimer's so that at least makes some sense why she would wander, but I also don't often like books from a point of view of someone with dementia. (boy, I sound cranky today, lol) There's a past and present story, and a Etta and Otto, her husband, point of view so some historical fiction.
I read it because I've had my eye on the book, and it was picked for Canada Reads this year which made it more available at the library.

Brooke Shields is Not Allowed to Grow Old: Thoughts on Aging as a Woman - Brooke Shields NF
I'm a fan of Brooke Shields, watched the Prime mini-series Pretty Baby, and we are very close in age. I grew up with her, and loved her in The Middle, a family-favourite sitcom. It's a memoir (not her first but the first I've read) about aging woman. I liked her persepective and since this appears to be my year of menopause reading, this book fits right in. She is remarkably down to earth, as presented here and she narrates the audiobook so it feels like we had a great chat. She is critical of doctors and how they give information to women, and she details several medical experiences as you'd expect from an aging woman, lol. She included a lot of research in her book so it wasn't just a celebrity tell-all that you'd expect.

Scandal in Mayfair - Katherine Schellman
This is the fifth in the Lily Adler mysteries, set in Regency London. Lily Adler is a young widow with enough money and freedom to do as she pleases. She gets mixed up in upper class scandals that often lead to murder. I've enjoyed this series with a bit of romance, and manners, and murder.

Rejection - Tony Tulathimutte (ebook)
I particularly like connected short stories so was drawn to this one, despite the mixed review from @RidgewayGirl. I understand why she didn't recommend it to people as there is a terrible chapter that I can't imagine anyone finishes. I do look forward to the Tournament of Books discussion on this one. Each story main character is unhappy, sharing through social media, in some way looking for love. Waiting to see them in another character's story where they appeared normal, was my favorite part. There is a meta chapter where the author gets involved, and I do like this experimentation.

Feeding My Mother: Comfort and Laughter in the Kitchen as My Mom Lives With Memory Loss - Jann Arden
Canadian singer Jann Arden shares life with two aging parents from it appears her diary. She is truthful and raw and the topic is not easy to read about but at least it was short, ~ 3 hours.

>90 BLBera: I resent the time that correcting takes, but at least each batch I complete now, I can say - I'm never correcting that test again!
I have really liked a lot of Tracey Chevalier's books. The Lady and the Unicorn, Remarkable Creatures are two of my most favourite. I think it's because I learned a lot about a time/ event that I wasn't aware of before.

>91 rasdhar: I guess I haven't run in to too many of those books so I didn't realize how common it was.

>92 kjuliff: I didn't like Miss Marple when I was young, I was team Poirot, so when I reached my 40s and realized how great Miss M was, I had the whole set of books to read for the first time. I like the Miss Marples better than Poirot now.

>93 raidergirl3: I like your monthly wrap-up. I find myself intrigued by your comments on that Brook Shields memoir. I don’t know why literature takes the elderly for long walks. Maybe all a search for quest they forgot to go. Maybe there is something romantic it. However - i haven’t read any of those books.

Salvation of a Saint - Keigo Higashino
Japanese mystery, sequel to The Devotion of Suspect X, with the physics professor mentor back to help. I listened to this and it was good. A man is poisoned and the police try to figure out how, and whether it was his wife or girlfriend.

Bleeding Heart Yard - Elly Griffiths
I am really enjoying the Harbindur Kaur books. A death at a high school reunion of a politician is Harbindur's first case since moving to London. But this death appears connected to a death from when the gang was in highschool twenty years before. I missed her old assistant, but I liked her making new friends and her adjustment to a new crew. Excellent series, and mystery.

Intermezzo - Sally Rooney
Two brothers in Ireland, one a lawyer in his 30s, one a chess player in his early 20s, dealing with the death of their dad. Peter the lawyer is completely coming apart, but is apparently the more confident brother. Peter has two very different women, both with issues. Ivan is beginning a relationship with an older woman and I much preferred this half of the story.

Amy and Isabelle - Elizabeth Strout (ebook)
I recognized the names Amy and Isabelle from Olive, Again when Olive makes friends with Isabelle so I had to go back and read this as part of my immersion in Strout-land. It is an early book, but you can feel the beginnings of Strout's style and brilliance. It covers mainly one summer in their lives in Maine, and the 'incident' in this book is mentioned later in talks with Olive. It was a little slow as I was reading, but now as I think about it, it was very good.

The Favorites - Layne Fargo
Very much like Daisy and the Six as told like a documentary, with comments from characters interspersed. I like to read a book like this now and then, pure trashy characters with a fast moving story. This is set in the figure skating world, elite people with money and talented people with not much. I liked how it was a play on Wuthering Heights, with Katerina and Heath as the main star-crossed lovers. I hated Wuthering Heights in high school but I like retellings usually better than the originals. I also don't usually like love stories where the characters love so much they destroy each other (lol, not a spoiler if you know anything about Wuthering Heights) but this was a lot of fun!

Crooked Seeds - Karen Jennings (ebook)
I found this Women's Prize for Fiction longlisted book on sale on Kobo so grabbed it. It was a short book which is good because it was pretty sad. Deidre, living in South Africa is a pretty miserable character, to herself and others. It was billed a mystery, and while the police come around asking questions about her old house, I wouldn't really call this a mystery. This event causes Deidre to remember about growing up, so the mysteries are the reveals that happen, but it's not really a mystery. It's much more a story about alcoholism and defeatism, which can be pretty depressing.

I Hope This Finds You Well - Natalie Sue (Canadian)
I can't even remember why I requested this one but it was good, and I quick read. Jolene is working a soul-sucking job at a large business in Calgary. She is not getting along with her co-workers, and not doing well with her over-bearing Iranian mother wanting her to get married. She is called in to HR meetings after a complaint about her and meets cute Cliff. He accidentally gives her admin access to emails and Jolene, in desperation, can't help herself from reading what her co-workers are saying about her setting off lots of office issues. There is a humour to the book, but much of the story is more serious. The author does a pretty good job of balancing the humor (two Iranians pretending to be engaged to keep their parents off their back, but that doesn't really help) with the seriousness of 'you never know what other people are dealing with' coworkers.

It's the middle of March break here. Husband and i went to Toronto for the weekend, originally to see Billy Joel, but that concert got postponed til March 2026. We went anyway as we also had tickets to Come From Away. We flew into the Billy Bishop airport which is right down town, and stayed near the Eaton Center, so we ended up walking everywhere! We also visited the Royal Ontario Museum, and saw the St Patrick's Day parade, and went up the CN Tower for the views. Lots and lots of great food and craft beer. I'll try to fly into that airport anytime - so small and convenient. Toronto is such an amazing city, so diverse and friendly, and the food! I can't wait to plan another little trip like that. The Raptors or the 905 team, the FC team, Art Gallery of Ontario, the Jays, the Zoo, so many more things to see and do.

Although Billy Joel got cancelled, we did get tickets to The Killers in Halifax the end of June so we still have a concert to look forward to.

next books up soon: Goodnight from London, George, The Queen of Dirt

I really should re-read Amy and Isabelle. It was my introduction to Strout and so long ago that I didn't make the connection when reading about Olive.

I think that any writer who sends his or her fictional character on a long cross-country walk can't possibly be anywhere near old. As a decidedly old coot myself, just the idea of walking from Saskatchewan east to the ocean makes my poor knees and feet scream like demented things. I am inclined to believe that any real life oldster who decided on such a trek was definitely asking to be classified as a card-carrying member of the I-am-too-crazy-to-be-let-outdoors-alone group.

>94 raidergirl3: I've been reading all of Christie in chronological order for what seems like forever and only got to my second Miss Marple book last year. I am so a Miss Marple girl and like her ever so much better than HP who is at this point in my reading - the middle 1940s - pretty annoying.

>98 raidergirl3: How was Come From Away? I enjoyed the book very much when I read it last year.

>99 lauralkeet: I’d recommend Amy and Isabelle to Strout fans. I just started Burgess Boys today, and my copy of Tell Me Everything just arrived for the reread.

>100 Fourpawz2: exactly, long walks are not reasonable. I saw a theory that Emma had died and Otto was imagining her on a walk as part of his grief process, which is a good theory.
I’m so glad I split my Christie reads up by detective. Having all the Miss Marples to read at once was delightful. Tommy and Tuppence stand the test of time for me

>101 labfs39: Cone From Away was really good! The Alexandra theatre was spectacular, and we sat in the very back row of the balcony. There was no intermission so the show just builds and builds. Made me very proud to be Canadian.

>103 raidergirl3: I saw that one last year in Mesa and I agree - it is really good!

>103 raidergirl3: Such a great story of human compassion. If the same thing happened today though, I wouldn't blame the Canadians if they left the Americans on the planes.

>103 raidergirl3: loved as well, concerned that it was over patiotic but it wasnt, songs fit th story. acting terrific and all in all a moving and comic production,lve that the people involved have been having reunions

>105 labfs39: they wouldnt tho

Too bad your concert was canceled.

I loved Intermezzo; I think it's Rooney's best book. I also enjoyed The Burgess Boys.

>103 raidergirl3: I want to see Come From Away someday—a good friend of mine lives on Change Islands, where Gander is the nearest actual town.

>104 AnnieMod: I love how many people have seen Come From Away.

>105 labfs39: I don't know though. Canadians are upset with the government, not the people. I hope we would help.

>106 cindydavid4: , >107 cindydavid4: It's the best type of patriotism, watch what I do, not what I say. That's my hope as well, Cindy, that Canadians would help.

>108 BLBera: I've read a few of Sally Rooney's books, and I agree, Intermezzo is her best, so far. As for our concert, our tickets are still there for next year, so another trip to Toronto is something to look forward to. I've loved our trips to Toronto, and there is still so much to see.

>109 lisapeet: I hope you get to see Come From Away, Lisa. I think you can watch it on Paramount. Not the same as in person, but it's a start. I've never heard of Change Islands. It must be small!

Ack, I fell off my posting schedule. These books were the rest of March, and a great little selection of reads they were.

James - Percival Everett
Certainly lived up to all the hype. I've only read Huckleberry Finn once, so I'm not familiar with the story, and not being American, it isn't part of my growing up. But Everett wrote a great version of the story, and I love a good retelling that gives a different view of books.

Goodnight from London- Jennifer Robson
Historical fiction, book club read, and great fast read. Almost romance, but not overtly. Plucky little American girl get transferred to London for the blitz, to write stories for a newspaper in London and back in NY. A few characters are sacrificed as many did not survive the Blitz, but overall a positive view of her time in London.

The Burgess Boys - Elizabeth Strout
The last of my rereads of Strout-verse before I reread Tell Me Everything with a better memory of Lucy, Bob, and Olive. Oh, families, and the tenuous relationships, based on childhoods together. Bob and his reknown brother Jim, and their sad sack sister Susan, still sticking together even though if they weren't related they'd have nothing to do with each other. Sue's son is charged with a hate crime in Maine (another sad child) and Jim is called on to represent him. He unloads the actual work on Bob, who does little right in Jim's eyes. Which works out because Bob doesn't have much faith in himself. All these relationships are built around an incident which happened when the children were young. Stout does relationships so well!

Prophet Song - Paul Lynch
Wow, this was really good. It won the Booker Prize so I shouldn't have been surprised. It is scary to see how easily a society can slip into chaos. It might be a warning for a large country near me. First they came for the unions, etc, etc. A family in Dublin sees itself fall apart after the father is removed (arrested?) for his union activity. The mom tries to get him out, the teenage son is drafted, so joins the resistance, and civil war breaks out. Very scary how it happened. Dystopian novels for the win, and the lessons we need to learn.

The Queen of Dirt Island - Donal Ryan
I used March as a time to read some Irish books and after @lauralkeet's review, I picked this one up at the library. I love a strong matriarchal book, and the women in the house in this small village were delightful. A woman who's family disowned her, her mother-in-law, and the baby girl who caused the disownment. The story is from the babies view, so in the beginning she only overhears some things, and we just get a sense of her happy life and the people around her. As she grows, her story takes center stage, and we just get to watch her grow, how the women love each other, and how the outside world comes in, but that bond never changes. Delightful.

Wow, you had a heckuva great March, Elizabeth. I'm so glad you enjoyed The Queen of Dirt Island. But wow, Prophet Song and James also amazing reads.

>110 raidergirl3: Just take the ferry to Fogo Island, and it stops at the Change Islands along the way!

>111 raidergirl3: terrific set of books. I’m glad you took to James and Prophet Song. I’m interested on Donal Ryan. I haven’t read him.

>112 lauralkeet: thank you Laura for recommending The Queen of Dirt Island!

>113 SassyLassy: A trip to Newfoundland is definitely on my bucket list. Once my husband is retired we will head over (~3 years)

>14 lauralkeet: Looking back at my reading, I don't think I ever read Huck Finn, just Tom Sawyer. It's so in the culture though I felt like I knew it. James was so good, and Prophet Song was so scary.

The weather can't make up it's mind, but it is getting close to spring. We've had a Burger Love month where local restaurants use local PEI beef to make fancy burgers. I tried 3, and all were delicious! There were over 70 restaurants participating so I barely touched the options. Sports are all tv all the time with NHL (go Leafs!) and NBA playoffs everynight, I try to read a bit and listen mostly. My daughter is on a Mediterranean cruise - oh! to be 22 and just finished univeristy!
Two mysteries in ongoing series, a re-read, and a nonfiction to start April.

Rain Dogs - Adrian McKinty
Book #5 in the Sean Duffy series, set during the Troubles of the 1980s. Excellent series, I am quite partial to Irish writing and police mysteries, so I am very glad to have found this series. A trip to Ireland is the first on my list once I'm retired.

Tell Me Everything - Elizabeth Strout
My second reading of this now that I really know all the characters again, and after it made the Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist. I like Lucy and Bob, and their relationship, but there is no one like Olive Kitteridge! She's the best, in the most real way possible. Not much ever happens, but Strout's ability to show relationships in all their messiness is wonderful to read.

The Last Word - Elly Griffiths
Harbinder Kaur takes a back seat here, not as prominent as I would have liked, but the odd trio of amateur detectives are fun to follow along with as well. I hope for more Harbinder in the next book.

Everything is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection - John Green NF
Infectious diseases are having a rough time in the world since covid, but John Green does his best to grab our attention about this extremely preventable/treatable disease, if only we had the will. My biggest memory of TB is from the Anne of GG books, where Ruby Gillis dies of consumption, which is the fancy, upper-class name for TB. Green had a uncle who had TB, and he also tells the story of a young boy he met that had TB. Basically, it's cheap to solve but if you're poor it is difficult. Very frustrating to read about.

>116 raidergirl3: I really enjoyed the Sean Duffy series. Very atmospheric, given the historical setting, and well written. I hope you have a chance to make the trip to Ireland!

Hi Elizabeth. I'm nearly finished with the new Sean Duffy book, Hang on St Christopher, and it's just as good as all the rest.

>118 lauralkeet: I’m intrigued, do all the Sean Duffy books have titles from Tom Waits?

>119 FlorenceArt: they do! I'm never really looked into why that's the case, but it's been consistent.

>118 lauralkeet: luckily I still have some more to read, and it seems like more mysteries will be coming. Yay!

>119 FlorenceArt: , >120 lauralkeet: I could never connect the titles to the stories. Nice recognition!(I’m not familiar with Tom Waits music so it went over my head)

>117 rasdhar: I am really liking them too! I get most on audio so the Irish accent really adds to the atmosphere. My husband has an aunt and uncle and niece in Dublin which makes it easier to get a plan together. They will show us around!

Oops, here's the rest of my April reads, before we get to the end of May. April reads bring May reviews.

Northanger Abbey - Val McDermid (paper)
This is part of the Jane Austen retellin.g series. I loved the original Northanger Abbey but it doesn't quite update correctly. The age difference between Cat and Henry is always troubling, but more so in modern days. Using the Edinburgh Book Festival was a great idea (I would love to go!) and lent the gothic feel required. Also the way to have the class difference was well done, and the social media aspect was included. Overall, fair.

The Dream Hotel - Laila Lalami
A longlist from the Women's Prize for Fiction, I was close to putting it down because it was disturbing. Dystopian books that feel so close to reality can be frustrating. A way to analyze dreams, sneakily included in the TOS for an operation to help sleep, is used to 'predict' crimes, and detain people to help them. There is money involved in the company that holds the people. Once in the system, it's hard to get out.

We Three Queens - Rhys Bowen (ebook)
I like my Her Royal Spyness series, book 18. Georgie is happy in her home with her baby when a Hollywood set descends to the castle for some historical footage. All the usuals are around, including the ongoing saga with Mrs Simpson, before the abdication. Fun, easy read.

The Saturday Night Ghost Club - Craig Davidson (paper)
This was the surprise book of the month. I picked this up at a book-exchange table in the staff room. What I liked: Niagara Falls setting, 1980s back setting, some ghost stories, mental health issues. Modern day brain surgeon Jake is remembering his childhood, during that one summer when he was that perfect age of 11-12. (Stephen King's best books are with 11-12 year old protagonists) He finally makes a friend, Billy Yellowfeather and his sister Dove, and they spend time with Jake's uncle Cal, who owns a Occultarium. Thoughts on memory and remembrance, and how the brain deals with trauma. Really well done how Davidson pulls it all together.

The Break - Katherena Vermette
Publisher's Summary: from Amazon.ca
"When Stella, a young Métis mother, looks out her window one evening and spots someone in trouble on the Break ― a barren field on an isolated strip of land outside her house ― she calls the police to alert them to a possible crime.
In a series of shifting narratives, people who are connected, both directly and indirectly, with the victim ― police, family, and friends ― tell their personal stories leading up to that fateful night."

Well written, prize-winning novel with multiple perspectives, it was a good book to read in the spirit of Reconciliation and MMIW (Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women). So it's a heavy book, with great characters and strong women. I read this for my book club and we are going out to supper tonight, so I'll see what everyone else thought.

The Paris Express - Emma Donoghue

The Paris Express gets its own post as I got to see Emma Donoghue! She came to PEI as part of her book tour, which is wild. She was delightful, and is a great mix of Irish accent and Canadian resident. The back story to The Paris Express was neat to hear. She was in Paris for an extended stay with her partner, and saw the picture of the train wreck and was intrigued. Then she threw herself into research, which is evident in the book. I know Emma Donaghue is best known for Room but it's her historical fiction that I've loved best. The Pull of the Stars, Frog Music, Haven, The Sealed Letter are some of my favourites.

She did a reading for a while, then talked with Deirdre Kessler, a local author and poet, then took questions from the audience. I didn't end up buying a book or waiting for a signing. I had the audiobook to listen to just after the author talk. I might read the ebook later, as I take in information differently when I listen. Reading with my eyes gives me a better feeling about characters.

The book was good, and I find after I've heard an author, and some of their decisions and background, I appreciate a book more so. The book is just 8 hours long, and follows the last trip of the train, before the crash, and perhaps why the crash took place. Having lots of characters, some more important than others, some based on real people who might have been there (author's imaginings).

>124 raidergirl3: Lucky you to see Emma Donoghue! I like her historical fiction, too (Room, not so much).

>124 raidergirl3: I'm glad you enjoyed the event!

>124 raidergirl3: This sounds like a great event. I look forward to this new novel.

>124 raidergirl3: oh lucky you my fave for a very long time, eager to read Paris and your are mine as well

>125 labfs39: Yes, Lisa, I felt very lucky! She does unique historical fiction so well, and I liked Room as well. But it was certainly a departure.

>126 RidgewayGirl: Thanks, Kay! I was a little sleepy as it was a Friday evening, but I pulled through, lol.

>127 BLBera: I hope you enjoy her new book, Beth. I listened to it, but plan to read my ebook as well.

>128 cindydavid4: Cindy, that's how I felt when I saw she was coming here on her tour. So lucky!

Maybe I'll get caught up - here are some May reads:

Every Heart a Doorway - Seanan McGuire
This was one I picked for a TIOLI challenge. Eventually I will learn that very few fantasy type books are for me. This was fine, okay, but already a month later and my memory is foggy. It was the start of a series, for people who went through a seam in time to a new world, but then leave the world. How they reintegrate back into society, or not. This would be a great book for people who read lots of fantasy, as the worlds are classified, and having more experiences in those books would help.

The Ministry of Time - Kailane Bradley
Interesting take on time-travel, this was a Women's Prize longlisted book. The main character is a 'bridge' for people brought from the past (hers is from an 1847 arctic expedition) to help acclimate to the present, to see how time-travel affects bodies. Little romance, little spy thriller, few twists, this one defies labels.

Long Island Compromise - Taffy Brodesser-Akner
I previously read her Fleishman is in Trouble, which I believe is a streaming series right now. Does any one else remember Susan Isaccs' novels from the 1990/2000s? I'm not sure how to classify - kinda chick lit, but not romance, strong New York vibe, not going to be a Booker nom, but still a good story. Very 'of their time' so could become dated? Akner's books have a bit of this. This follows a Jewish family from Long Island, three now adults who have not wanted for anything, heirs to a plastic factory. They are very messed up, as 2nd gen offspring can be who never struggled so seem to invent struggles as they grow. The story follows each of them, as the family fortune dwindles. Enjoyable time during the read; I'll keep trying her books. When the title-drop happened, I laughed a bit.

Mother Daughter Traitor Spy - Susan Elia MacNeal
I've read all MacNeal's Maggie Hope mysteries, a very earnest WW2 spy mystery series. Mother Daughter Traitor Spy is based on some real life American spies, keeping track of the Nazis and Germans in America before US joined the war. MacNeal has her heroines be pretty perfect, making the right decisions all the time, and nothing to bad ever happens, although a few died in this one. Not having the known characters of a series to cheer/watch for, I didn't enjoy this one quite as much. It gave an interesting look at a period in history.

How to be a Wildflower: A Field Guide - Katie Daisy
What a delightful, wonderful book! Lots of quotes, watercolors and paintings by the author, lists about nature and flowers. I just grabbed it from a library display on my way to pick up a hold.
"A field guide to finding calm, creativity, and self-discovery through encounters with nature. A fresh perspective, an outdoor exploration, a new adventure about to begin. 'How to Be a Wildflower' is a book for celebrating these and other wide-open occasions. Encouraging self-discovery through encounters with nature, beloved artist Katie Daisy brings her beautiful paintings and lettering to this collection of things to do and make, quotes, meditations, natural history, and more. Find wonder and inspiration in these peaceful pages, live life to the fullest, and discover the wild and free spirit within."

May reads continued...

The Three Lives of Cate Kay - Kate Fagen
The plot point that had to happen to set up the whole book was rather ridiculous, so if you can get by that, this was fine. Secrets, Hollywood movies, aliases, coincidences, rags to riches. Light but fun.

Brotherless Night - V.V. Ganeshanenthan (ebook)
Winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction 2024
This took me so long to read, through no fault of its own, but it was a heavy, civil war novel. Sri Lanka in the 1980s with the Tamil Tigers, I learned a lot, and can somewhat remember those times but certainly the news we saw (or that I saw as a young person) was limited. The narrator, only girl in a family of boys, she dreams of being a doctor. As the war intrudes, lives are upended, and she must make many tough decisions. Very well written, very readable, easy to see why it would win the Women's Prize for Fiction

The Safekeep - Yael van der Wouden (ebook)
Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2025, Booker Prize 2024
Set during the early 1960s in the Netherlands, ww2 still looms. A very particular, repressed woman who lives alone in her family home, is not happy when her brother's girlfriend comes to live with her, as it is technically his home, although he doesn't live there when he works. Slowly, we learn about the women and their lives, and how history has long repercussions.

When All is Said - Anne Griffen
An old Irish fella goes into a bar and plans to raise a toast to the five people who affected his life. He proceeds to tell his life history, a fictional memoir.

Saga, Vol 11 - Brian K Vaughn (paper)
I've read the first ten volumes, so had to keep going. I like the artwork, the story is okay, convoluted space planet wars.

Hi Elizabeth, I just finished The Safekeep yesterday. I'm mulling over my thoughts and will post a review later. I enjoyed reading your comments because I know how difficult it is to avoid spoilers.

Such an interesting mix of books. I feel like I tend to read much the same sorts of things.

>132 lauralkeet: Laura, The Safekeep just won the Women's Prize for Fiction for 2025. I think it is a worthy winner; it took me by surprise because I didn't know anything about it.

>133 labfs39: Lisa, I've always read an eclectic mix of books. We have a lot of shared books (364) though.

June books part 1, summer starts, retirement is here but won't hit me until September when school starts back up again. I read quite a bit for June which can be a crazy busy month for teachers.

Dream State - Eric Puchner
Family saga, begins with Cece arriving in Montana to marry her husband Charlie but ends up marrying her husband's best friend, Garrett. I wasn't a fan of any of them, bad decisions all around, and I know, flawed characters and such, but their weird dynamic continued into the next generation. I can't remember why I requested it.

Real Americans - Rachel Khong
Another multi-generational story. I liked this one a bit better. Starts in the middle with a marriage, then part two is their child and you try to figure out what happened in the marriage. Last section was the grandmother's origin story. I didn't feel the characters continuity, ie, the girl who got married did not seem the same person as the mom in the second part.

Brokeback Mountain - Annie Proulx
I've obviously heard of the movie but haven't seen it, so decided to listen to this short novella. Good story, sad.

The Hypnotist's Love Story - Liane Moriarty (ebook)
This gets me all caught up on Liane Moriarty, and it's too bad because she writes great stories and characters. Ellen, the 30something hypnotist, meets and dates Patrick, a widower with a young child. They hit it off, but he has an ex-girlfriend who is stalking him. Not completely crazy, but enough. As with her books, there are lots of themes - love, past love, loss, parenting, and perspective. Her books are a lot like Maeve Binchy, but Australian, and that is my biggest compliment.

The Retirement Plan - Sue Hincenbergs
Best find of the month! I picked it because June was my retirement month (yay!) but the story is just straight up fun and farce. Not realistic in the slightest but has the right absurdist tone that tickled my funny bone. Four sets of couple friends, and one man dies tragically. His widow is fine with the life insurance and starts living her best life. The women friends are jealous and think how great their lives could be without their husbands and with an insurance pay-out, so they hire a killer. The husbands are in the middle of a huge casino scam hoping to get a big payout, and worry the casino has figured it out and is trying to take them out. The casino owner is a character as well, suffering from lack of confidence, and dealing with her mother trying to arrange a marriage. It's Three's Company on steriods, goofy, with misunderstandings galore, and a hitman with a heart.

Zero Days - Ruth Ware
Oh, Ruth Ware. I've read several of your books, The Lying Game, In a Dark, Dark, Wood and they are okay thrillers. By this one, an editor could be brought in. Lots of internal dialog with the main character, Jack, who along with her husband, Gabe, run a security company. She arrives back from a mission gone bad to find Gabe murdered. When she realizes she may be a prime suspect, she goes on the run. Everything that happens to her, she screams F@#k, and it started to very much annoy me on the audio version. I enjoy an F-bomb as well as the next person, but expand your vocabulary. I'm not sure why I'm not a fan of Ware, but it seems her types of books are always at the top of the best seller lists. The plot is okay, but the execution (her writing) doesn't match my brain.

A perfect painting for June. Congrats on retirement!

Congratulations on your retirement Elizabeth! You'll be ready for it when reality hits in September.

>136 labfs39: Thanks, Lisa! I saw Maud Lewis' house a few summers ago. Well, actually a recreation in Digby, as her real cottage is in the NS Art Gallery.

>137 lauralkeet: Thanks Laura! I can't believe it is finally here. I can tend to sloth-like behaviour, so I hope to be a little productive every day.

The rest of June books...

Loveless - Alice Oseman
I expect to lose all the YA Sync audiobooks that I never got listened to, so I tried to get through one I was interested in. (I signed up under a school Sora account and I will lose my school email sometime soon) This book is part of the 11 book Oseman-verse, LGBTQ coming of age stories. This one involves Georgia, heading off to uni, thinking she wants to have relationships. Seeing and meeting all kinds of people, she discovers the difference between romanantic and sexual love, and comes to feel somewhat comfortable in her asexual, aromantic skin.

Margo's Got Money Troubles - Rufi Thorpe (e-book)
Interesting book, and quite well done. There is so much going on, just like in life, that makes a complicated situation. Margo is trying to raise her baby, and with little family support, begins Only Fans to make some money. Her estranged father, a professional wrestler comes to live with her, her mother is selfish, the baby father sues for custody after making her sign an NDA, there is an online romance, and CPS investigation. I never knew what would happen next, the characters were realistic and troubled, and it was optimistic.

Back After This - Linda Holmes
I've read a few of Holmes' books (Evie Drake Starts Over, Flying Solo). They are somewhat romance books, but definitely at a different level that the meet-cute standard trope. Cecily, who works behind the scenes on podcasts, becomes a main character in a new podcast, going on twenty blind dates set up by a life coach. Linda Holmes has a way with words (I used to read her Survivor and Amazing Race recaps at TWoP) and her dialogue is what sets her books above. Easy reading, humourous, life lessons, - all her novels have been great. Romance books for people who do not like romance books.

This Little Light - Lori Lansens (ebook)
Written in 2019 and set in the slight future of 2024, where purity culture, evangelicals, recriminalized abortion, and immigration issues are the themes (no surprise). Two girls are on the run after a bomb goes off at their prom-like dance. They need to figure out what happened all the while with a bounty on their heads. We get the back story as Rory writes a blog of the events. It's a very realistic prediction of how life could be. I liked how the Rory's family was from Canada, as Lansens in Canadian, and while life in Canada is different, we watch all that happens in America.
This makes me up to date on Lansens, who has written only 5 books, all very different and all excellent.

A Tale of Two Fiddlers: The Early Days of Sport and Life in Charlottetown - Fred MacDonald NF
This is a memoir from a local guy, part of a big sports/well known family. He writes a sports column for our local newspaper, and it was a great look at life in my town during the 1950s, 60s, 70s with lots of names I knew. I'd be shocked if any one else on LT reads this.

>135 raidergirl3: Happy, happy retirement!
I have not read or watched Brokeback Mountain either. I feel like I "should" but not too strongly...

Re: Ruth Ware. I think I have read two books of hers, and I enjoyed them, but like you, I wouldn't say I am a big fan and I haven't gone out of my way to read any more.

>140 WelshBookworm: Hi Laurel! thanks, it was a whirlwind of June, with retirement do's, graduation, and end of year staff parties. It will feel real in September, but I do feel more rested this early in July than I usually do.

Happy retirement - I also taught, and it really hit me late August when I normally would have been preparing for class. You will love it. I haven't regretted it for one minute.

>142 BLBera: Thanks Beth! I am noticing it now, as this part of August is when I'd start panicking about what I didn't get done in the summer, and only a few weeks left. It's been great! I'm not concerned about regrets at all, lol. Summer will just continue...

I went for a hike this morning with teacher friends (keeping in touch), we stopped for brunch at a great local coffee shop, sat on the patio. I just finished my exercise class, and need a shower. Then off to my aunt's to pick up a shamrock plant cutting from my grandmother's famous shamrock plant that my aunt has been keeping going for 15 years. I made two phone calls I've been putting off (yay me!) and I'm going to pick up a growler of homemade beer that a teacher friend makes (he's not a bootlegger, lol). Perfect kind of day!

We had record breaking heat in the Maritimes this week (38 C) and a NB and NS have bans on being in the woods due to intense drought conditions/forest fires. My husband and I went to NB to do a river tubing run and spent the night. Took off highway roads back to PEI, stopping for seafood, beer and ice cream. Great little 2 day get away. We couldn't do any hiking, so we walked on a beach instead. I love living in the Maritimes!

All the time in the world, and I get less posting done than usual. Here's the beginning of some July books.

Run for the Hills - Kevin Wilson
Wilson has become a reliable author for me; I first started reading him from Tournament of Books lists. All his books are very different, but I have enjoyed all of them. Nothing to See Here and Now is Not the Time to Panic with the latter being the stronger book. This one is about some children road tripping to find their wayward father, who leaves, reinvents himself, and starts new families every ten years or so.

One Golden Summer - Carley Fortune (ebook)
I don't read a lot of romance type books, but this is a Canadian author and while I don't love them, I don't mind them now and then for an easy read. I like the Canadian aspect of them, set in Ontario lake country.

The Nesting - Roisin O'Donnell (ebook)
I'd much rather read a depressing Irish book than a romance and boy did The Nesting fit the bill. Ciara leaves her abusive husband with two young kids and tries to restart her life. She does it primarily on her own, but does get some help along the way. He doesn't hit her so she feels she may be overreacting about the abuse (she is not) and his crazy gaslighting makes everything worse. Watching her restart a life and build a support system was hopeful.

Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith - Jon Krakauer NF
I hope I don't offend anyone, but what are the Mormons doing? This was an insane history of Mormonism and polygamy, and violence, based originally around one set of murders but encompassing much more. I was horrified to see how the great nonfiction writer Krakauer puts it all together. I'm sure there are a lot of 'normal' Mormons (the Osmonds, Brandon Flowers of the Killers) but it's a pretty violent sect.

The Mirror and the Light (#3) - Hilary Mantel (abridged audiobook)
I listened to this abridged version as it was the only version I could find anywhere (~10 hours) based on a 900 page book? I would never get that read. The Tudors have been written about for a long time as their history is ripe for reading. The ambition, selfishness, power, violence, argh. I've had enough. Henry wants something, Thomas Cromwell makes it happen, doesn't matter who gets hurt or killed. I read it to finish the series. I neither liked nor disliked it.

>143 raidergirl3: I love living in the Maritimes! Me too - It is wonderful. I can't believe the heat here this year though.

Was over on the island a couple of weeks ago, and actually got stuck on that ferry that had to make the crossing three times due to the hatch not being able to open, and the Caribou end not being able to berth the other end of the ferry. Couldn't believe the crowds in Charlottetown, so cleared out of there quickly!

>145 SassyLassy: Oh no, that ferry has been so unreliable/unlucky. They are trying so hard to keep it going and stuff keeps happening.
Charlottetown is crazy in the summer, lol. It's the parade today, so imagine what you saw, times about 100.

Old City Hall (#1) - Robert Rotenberg (ebook)
What a great mystery, and lucky for me, the first in a series. Kind of a Law and Order prototype, with both detectives and prosecutors as interesting characters, I can't wait to read more about them. Then for bonus, set in Toronto, a city I love to visit and walk around, and could recognize a lot of the places. I must have heard about it here, because I had noted it on Kindle, bought it when it was on sale, and let it sit there for a year.

The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug - Steffanie Strathdee, Thomas Patterson NF
The title sums it up.

Stories I Only Tell My Friends - Rob Lowe NF
I've always been a fan, and after watching The Floor, a trivia game show, I decided to listen to Rob read his memoir. It's from quite a while ago, full of famous names, and his life in the Brat Pack 80s. Actually he is quite a different character from my remembered image about him. Would you believe he has only been married once, to the same woman for 34 years, sober just as long? I loved him on The West Wing, and The Grinder, and he hosts The Floor now.

Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet (#2)- M.C. Beaton
Easy listening, cozy mystery series set in the Cotswolds. Agatha is a tad abrasive but that just gives her room to grow. There are 36 books in the series, I'll listen mindlessly when I need a reset between books.

Blue Sisters - Coco Mellors (ebook)
Four sisters, all destructive in their own dysfunctional way, dealing with death of one of them. I didn't notice any reviews mentioning the Little Women parallels but maybe I'm just noticing the broad strokes.

Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly (#6)- Adrian McKinty
I listened to this one, loving the accent, but I think I miss too much in these books on audio. i just finished the ebook of the latest, and I enjoyed it more. Set in the 1980s, Belfast, a Catholic cop at the RUC, Sean Duffy isn't liked by too many. He's a typical self-destructive police man, down on his luck in his love life, for obvious reasons. Great mysteries, he nonetheless has a band of loyal police friends to save him when he goes off on his own. I love the setting - place and time, and can't wait to continue reading about Sean Duffy.

Looks like your retirement is off to a great start, Elizabeth! I'm happy for you. I'm also delighted to see you're enjoying Sean Duffy. I love those books.

>148 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura! I've only got one left of Sean Duffy and then I'll be up to date. Such a great series, thanks for setting me off on it. I also am up do date on the Kate Burkholder Amish cop series.
Enjoy your wedding week! You are always so efficient; having both girls get married this year is great. My son was married in November, and they are now expecting the end of January! Perfect retirement gift for me, lol. His wife is a labor and delivery nurse, so it doesn't surprise me that she is pregnant when she is around it all the time. Plus her sister is also pregnant and has a two year old.

the rest of July books

Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener (#3)- M.C. Beaton
Another Agatha. These are very predictable, with a cast of local characters. A woman moves to town and starts a gardening club. Agatha becomes interested because the woman is attracting James Lacey, Agatha's neighbour whom she has a crush on. A murder happens. Agatha helps solve it.

The Overnight Kidnapper (#23) - Andrea Camilleri (paper)
Inspector Montalbano of Sicily, is an old and cranky policeman, solving mysteries. There are 28 in the series, and Camilleri wrote the last book to be published after he died (2019). I've gone through spells devouring these books, but have slowed down recently. I read one in 2022, one in 2023. But my husband has also been reading the books and brought this one home from the library. I can see trying to get finished up especially as it will end as planned. One of the bonuses of these series is the translator, Stephen Sartarelli adds notes at the end to provide Italian context to allusions. He really adds to the books.

Study for Obedience - Sarah Bernstein (Canadian)
Many Booker nominated books provide me with this experience - I liked it but I'm not sure I really 'get' it. This one lacks some nouns, (place, time) so I was trying to make parallels to somewhere. What does all this represent? I get prejudice against newcomers, probably anti-semitism, and also I felt the narrator was questionable.
also a Giller prize winner of 2023

The Island Villa - Lily Graham (ebook)
Dual history story, one part set in present, where a woman arrives on a Spanish island to stay in the villa her husband bought her. She finds out about this after his death, as he bought the villa that her family had once lived in. As she arrives on the island dealing with her grief, she finds family members that she didn't know about. The history part of the story is about her family, from the early 1800s as part of the hidden Jew history on this island. Good historical fiction learning about a history I didn't know about, and an easy reading present day story of moving on, and learning about a family secret.
This was a kindle deal I bought many years ago that I finally got around to reading.

One and Only Bob - Katherine Applegate
Danny DeVito narrates this sequel to The One and Only Ivan about an elephant and gorilla who live in a mall. Bob is their friend, a dog. This takes place after Ivan gets moved to a zoo. It is a dog telling the story, and dogs have lots of energy. Not as good as the original, but if I had kids to read it to, it would be good to have a sequel. There was lots of action has a storm hits the town and the zoo's animals need to be evacuated.

>149 raidergirl3: it doesn't surprise me that she is pregnant when she is around it all the time
Okay, I had to laugh at this. You do know how babies are made, right?! 😂
But a grandchild on the way ... now that's exciting news!

It does sound like your retirement is off to a great start. I recently read Nesting as well and found it hard to put down. O'Donnell really does a good job of showing Ciara's uncertainties.

I am going to give the Kevin Wilson book a try. It sounds like one I would like.

>151 lauralkeet: lol, improperly written sentence? Yes, we are very excited here, and trying to think of what we want to be called as grandparents. Her parents are already Nana and Pops to her sister's children. We have quite a bit of time to decide.

>152 BLBera: Nesting was a very good book. Very emotional. I hope you like the Kevin Wilson book. Did you go to Scotland/Iceland yet?

August books, the first part. In which I catch up on some series reading.

A Ruse of Shadows (#8) - Sherry Thomas
Charlotte Holmes, and her merry gang of misfits continue to battle their usual nemeses. There is a lot of stuff going on, with Ash, Lord Bancroft, Treadles, Mrs Watson, and Bernadine, and I wouldn't start here if you haven't read any of this series, but I would definitely recommend starting this series.

Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley (#4) - M.C. Beaton
More Agatha, and the people of Carsely, in the Cotswalds. To investigate a murder, Agatha and her crush James pretend to be a married couple to inflitrate a neighbouring village's walking club. I read book #5 before I read books 2-5, so I know the next book has the wedding of James and Agatha, as well as the return of Agatha's previously believed dead husband.

Detective Up Late (#7) - Adrian McKinty (ebook)
I did prefer the ebook of the latest Sean Duffy, even if I don't get to hear the Irish accent. Sean is trying to tie things up in the Carrick RU, before he settles in Scotland. I'm not sure how committed he is to this plan.

Rage (#17) - Linda Castillo
Continuing this police procedural set in Amish country, Chief of police, Kate Burkholder, and her team investigate a grisly discovery. Don't be fooled by the Amish bit; this is one of those Amish romance type books. Lots of blood and violence.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women - Marie Bostwick
In the 1960s, a four women in Washington, DC begin a book club to read The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan. They become friends and cheerleaders dealing with the dissatisfaction of married life in the 60s. They aren't all unhappy about being married, but maybe about the choices they have within marriage. You've come a long way baby!

August books, the second half. In which I read eclectically.

The South - Tash Aw
I always get caught up in new shiny lists, like the Booker longlist. Then I read a somewhat boring book like this and remember why I should be more judicious in my book choosing. There was nothing wrong, and it probably had 'great writing' but I missed it on the audio, and my memory is already weak. Malaysia, homosexual, family.

The Frozen River - Ariel Lawhon
Great historical mystery set in Maine. Based on Martha Ballard, a midwife and her journals. She is involved in many aspects of town life, seeing behind the bedroom doors delivering babies and being called on in court to testify about causes of death. Good look at the tenuous legal system in late 1700s America, and the patriarchy.
When the body of a man is pulled from the frozen Kennebec River, Martha is involved, from the examination of the body, to people possibly involved in his death. Her journals and relationship with her husband were well done.

The Correspondent - Virginia Evans
Here's the book I'll be recommending to reader friends for the next little while. I heard about it from following Ann Patchett's book store on IG, which I also recommend. Of course, I love epistolary books to begin with, and Sybil, our 70ish main character has written letters her whole life. She carries on many correspondences, some even by email. She is compared to Olive Kitteridge for her testiness, and it is close. There is some personal growth, some past experiences that need dealing with. A touching life story.

My Year of Rest and Relaxation - Ottessa Moshfegh (paper)
My 25 year old daughter loved this book, so I gave it a try. A book about deep grief and depression, a young girl decides she wants to sleep for a year, and has to find the right cocktail of drugs to help her. Set in New York City in late 2000, early 2001. It's certainly not my demographic, but it had some dark humour and sharp comments. And lots of drugs.

Two Ferries Out: Growing Up on Brier Island - Ben Robicheau (ebook)
Lovely memoir from Nova Scotia. I haven't been to Brier Island, but I did get one ferry down to hike the Balancing Rock on the Digby Spit a few years ago. Robicheau was born in the late 1940s and grew up in the idyliic world of the 50s and 60s. The book is well written especially for a local memoir/history type book. Lots of pictures, and a great view of life in a very small town, isolated fishing village, in Nova Scotia. Brier Island now hosts whale watching trips, which is on my list of things I'd like to do.

Ferry story - these ferries are very small, and although they state they run every hour on the half hour, in reality, they will operate load-and-go if traffic is heavy. They hold about 20 cars, so 'heavy' is a very relative term. They are free now and take maybe 5 minutes to cross to the other side. My husband and I experienced them a few years ago and found them delightful. But, we grew up on PEI where the ferries are a different kettle of fish. So. My parents, in their 80s, and my mom's cousin from England and his husband, in their 60s, went to Brier Island to whale watch this summer. They pulled to the side of the road, where you wait for the ferry. They were probably 20 minutes early, so the cousins went to the nearby restaurant to grab some food for lunch. While they were inside, the ferry was loaded so my dad and mom drove on the ferry. Here is where the PEI experience is that you'd be loaded on, but still not leave till the appointed time. Instead, as soon as they were loaded, the ferry left and headed out just as the boys were coming out of the restaurant. I can just picture them running with their sandwiches watching the ferry and my parents head across the water.
The ferry come right back and they were all reunited within 20 minutes, but made for a very funny story!

First few from September

Universality - Natasha Brown
Another longlist from the Booker. I liked this one better, from the different points of view presented. I probably should have read this one rather than listened as I miss the connections and deeper meanings. I did go back and relisten to the first part. Sometimes I need more plot, and I don't always get satire.

The Atomic City Girls - Janet Beard
This is for my bookclub, and is a WW2 historical fiction set in the US. Tennessee sets up a research community to support the atomic bomb building. Mostly tells the experience of a couple of girls who work there, although it is really a secret and no one really knows what they are doing. The main characters include an African-American man living away from his family to earn a living, a Jewish physicist facing his dilemma because he knows what they are working on, a poor girl determined to meet a rich husband, and another girl who just wants a change from her life. Perfectly fine, just looked at the different experiences of different people.

Audition - Katie Kitamura
Another longlist Booker. I had to look up a few reviews to figure out what might be going on, and even the reviews give different ideas. An actress meets a young man for lunch; later the young man is her son. Is she acting in a play, or is she actually losing her mind? The second half is certainly thought provoking. I sometimes enjoy books like this with different interpretations and being impressed with the different ways readers can take meaning.

Behind You - Catherine Hernandez (ebook)
When I read Scarborough, I added Hernandez as an author I'd want to read, it was so good. Behind You is also set in Scarborough and while it isn't as good, she set herself a very high bar, and this is still very readable. Alma is a video editor working on a true crime story about a rapist from Scarborough many years before. The book alternates between her present day life with her wife and teenage son and when she was growing up in the late 1980s amidst that same Scarborough rapist threat. This memory causes her present day life to be unsettled. Her childhood covers growing up with a single Filipino mother under the threat of the rapist (all I could think about was Paul Bernardo) and coming to terms with her sexuality.

Love Forms - Claire Adam
Here's the Booker longlist title with a more straightforward plot and characters. Dawn is a 58 year old Trinidadian living in England. Much of the book details her life growing up in Trinidad (and was read by a woman with a lovely accent) where she had a baby at 16, which her parents arranged for her to give up. Her life in England, married with two boys, involves her searching for her daughter born in Venezuela. I really liked the history of Trinidad and Venezuela through the 1980s and 90s woven into the story.

>155 raidergirl3: loved Correspodent I am always careful with books like this It's so easy for an author to become over sentimental and twee but this is definitely not I would recommend it to anyone I'm glad you liked it too

Nice bookish recap, Elizabeth. I picked up The Correspondent from the library last week after a long hold. I've seen others praise it and now you, so I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

>157 cindydavid4:, >158 lauralkeet:
Yay for The Correspondent love.
Cindy, I agree that it's often these type of fictional memoir books get sentimental, or manipulative in playing on emotions, but The Correspondent seemed fresher.

Laura, I hope I haven't built it up too much. It was Ann Patchett, my newest favourite author, who recommended the book. High praise indeed!

>159 raidergirl3: I started reading The Correspondent a couple days ago, and I'm loving it. Obviously Sybil is an unreliable narrator and the way tiny details are revealed in each letter is so intriguing. I can see why Ann Patchett would be promoting it (she's one of my favorites too).

So many great teasers! Some of these I own but haven't read, others I have on my wish list, others were new to me and look intriguing. I also love your ferry story. Living in Seattle, we often took ferries out to the San Juan Islands or to Victoria. Once we wheeled our tandem sea kayak onto a ferry and then paddled from island to island. But my favorite ferry story is from Greece. We were walk-ons on a car ferry that only had two cars on it, parked several car lengths apart. Somehow, however, they managed to crash into each other while disembarking! So much gesticulating as they sorted things out. :-)

>160 lauralkeet: I'm pleased you loved The Correspondent, Laura. Five stars is very impressive, especially from you. You are more judicious with your stars than I am. It was an excellent read!

>161 labfs39: Lisa, ferry stories, lol. Imagine the only two cars crashing!
On our honeymoon to the Magdelen Islands, our little hatchback was motioned to the side while loading. When we eventually were called on, they immediately opened our doors to let us out. We grabbed stuff and exited. Then four guys - Un! Deux! Trois! and they lifted our car and moved it 2 inches to the one beside it, and brought another car in two inches on the other side! I was able to get back in the car through the hatchback to get my book that I forgot.

Sense & Sensibility by Joanna Trollope

There has been a series of modernizations of the Jane Austen books, and after reading Northanger Abbey, I decided to read another one. Full disclosure: I have not read the Jane Austen book. *ducks my head* I know, I know. I've actually read very few Austen books. Not only that, I only just finished watching the S&S movie for the first time. Hugh Grant, Hugh Laurie, and Alan Rickman were so good, just thirty years later.

The books in the series just make a few adaptations to make them set in modern times. Of the three I've read, Curtis Sitenfeld's retelling of Pride and Prejudice, Eligible did the best job of updating. Not as good as Bridget Jones, but I digress. Sense and Sensibility barely felt modernized but did include some texting, and youtube viral hits (of Marianne's confrontation with Willoughby, lol)

I think my dissatisfaction comes from comparing this Austen Project, with the Hogarth Shakespeare series which moderizes and changes Shakespeare plays. There is no mistaking S&S with its original - all same names, plot follows along exactly. New Boy, by Tracy Chevalier which retells Othello, is set in an elementary school and occurs all during one day, each act is a playground part of the day. It was really well done.

Jane Austen's book don't update quite as well with the focus on getting women married, even if she was making fun a bit of the process. Society manners have changed so much that it doesn't work quite as well to retell in modern times.
Even having said that, I've just spent the last few days completely immersed in Sense & Sensibility and I've had a great time.

>163 raidergirl3: I think that’s the one in the series I haven’t read, although I own it. Honestly I’m not a huge S&S fan. The Emma Thompson movie was pretty good, and had a great cast. But the story is lacking.
As for the series, I feel like no one was all that invested. They never got to Mansfield Park or Persuasion

>163 raidergirl3: The S&S film is a comfort watch for us, mostly because of the outstanding cast. I've never read a modern adaptation of any of Austen's works, haven't been tempted. But I did just enjoy Evelina, by one of the authors who influenced Austen's work, including the name "Willoughby".

>162 raidergirl3: Love the Magdalens!

Similar to your ferry story, when I had one of the old tiny original Minis, and there weren't yet reservations on the PEI ferry, once the ferry was loaded, and it looked like a wait for the next one, they would usually call me down and fit me into some impossible spot or other. I do miss that now!

>161 labfs39: my favorite ferry story is Night Boat to Tangiers ;)

I did have my Scotland trip, Elizabeth. You have a good memory.

Nice recap. I have added The Correspondent to my WL.

Great ferry story.

>164 Nickelini: It's so annoying that they didn't complete the series. I mean, she only had six books. Although, the retellings are only okay, so that is probably why. I'll probably never read the original now that I've read this one and seen the movie. I'll read Emma by Alexander McCall Smith, and probably watch the movie. I haven't watched the P&P movie either so I'll add to my Netflix queue.

>165 lauralkeet: I'm impressed with your reading of the inspiration books but I've discovered I don't love the old classics and if I can read a retelling or adaptation, I often like those just as well. It's the old timey language that my brain doesn't love. The movie was quite good.

>166 SassyLassy: The Magdalens are so close, but yet so far. If I was a more outdoor person - biking, surfing, kayaking, it would be an amazing place to go again.
My parents had a Volkswagen Beetle back in the late 60s and had the same thing happen to them on the boats. They'd get pulled down to fill in a little spot just like you and your Mini. Back in the days before carseats, I was put in the back window cubby for travel. Oh, how times have changed.

>167 kjuliff: Not a book I've read before, but I just requested it from the library. All this ferry talk inspired me to read another.

>168 BLBera: Thanks Beth. My husband and I are at the beginning of planning an Ireland/Scotland trip, with a little stop in Liverpool. Any things you wouldn't miss in Scotland?

I loved the Orkneys and the Stone Age settlement. I think it depends on what interests you. Iona was lovely as well, and the Isle of Skye is beautiful. Edinburgh is a great city with lots to do. I would love to go back there.

I was doing so well, made it over half the year, and once I retired and had all the time in the world, I stopped updating. Sigh. I'll write up a few of the books I want recorded here, my thoughts, certainly not as much as a review.

The Compound - Aisling Rawle
As a fan of reality TV shows, I really liked this. A little futuristic, men and women go to an isolated house to win big prizes. It's all televised and becoming famous is a part of it. It does get a bit dark.

Valentine in Montreal - Heather O'Neill (ebook)
Originally written as a serial, O'Neill does fanciful so well. Valentine lives a very isolated life centered around the Montreal subway. Her life turns upside down when her doppleganger is spotted.

Endling - Maria Reva
So many aspects to this: snails, mail-order brides from Ukraine, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and add in some meta-fiction. Very unique and there would be something for everyone, lol.

Death on the Island - Eliza Reid (ebook)
Fair mystery debut written by a Canadian and set on Iceland. Bit of a locked room mystery as weather strands people on an island off Iceland.

River East, River West- Aube Rey Lescure (ebook)
I liked this Women's Fiction Shortlisted book about ex-pats in China. It follows two time lines, with an American woman in the center of both time lines. One where she meets a Chinese native who falls in love with her; and the second where she is the mother of a teenager who is half-Chinese. I liked the teenage daughter and her struggles to fit in as a Chinese person who doesn't look enough Chinese.

There are many more books to discuss that might get mentioned before the end of the year. I hope to get into a LT routine where I more consistently post and visit and comment.

>175 raidergirl3: I hope you are enjoying retirement. Both Endling and River East, River West sound interesting.

I'm going to continue a few more reviews, grouped by theme, not in order of having been read. Today it is ongoing series:

The Marlow Murder Club , Death Comes to Marlow, The Queen of Poisons by Robert Thorogood
I've enjoyed this series of amateur detectives in a small English village - Judith Potts, 70ish crossword puzzle maker, Suzie Harris, dog walker and podcaster, and Becks Starling the vicar's wife, as they insert themselves in local murders and bully the hapless police detective Tanka Malik. I'm not a huge cozy mystery reader as I spend much of these book imagining how the appeal process will happen during the trial as witnesses rights of privacy and the chain of command of evidence is completely disregarded. Judith tries to be too smart for her own good and has many of her own issues. But I think if I spread these out a bit, I can continue to enjoy the mysteries.

The Impossible Fortune (#5) - Richard Osman
By far the superior cozy mystery with many developed minor characters included with the four members of the TMC, Osman knows what he is doing. I like each character separately and each is strong enough to support their own book, so together as they look out for each other and combine their unique strengths, the mystery moves along. My favourite part was Joyce continually saying 'my son-in-law' and the increased involvement of her daughter Joanne. I also watched the Netflix movie and thought it was great.

The Black Wolf (#20) - Louise Penny
Book 20! continues where #19 left off, a huge international climate related plot. Penny actually did a great job of incorporating the recent tensions between Canada and US. She actually refused to do an American book tour in support of 'elbows up' but reading the book, I don't even know if border patrol would have let her in. I have actually enjoyed these bigger mysteries/conspiracies as the focus of the books than local Three Pines mysteries which kind of surprises me.

The Guilty Plea (#2) - Robert Rotenberg (ebook)
Great Canadian mystery, focusing on both police and trial lawyers in Toronto. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, Old City Hall, and Rotenberg has written so many good minor characters that take turns more in the spotlight, I can't wait to read more. The series goes to book 7, plus a prequel. I shall continue.

Kills Well With Others (#2) - Deanna Raybourn
More of a spy thriller but with a heavy dose of Thursday Mystery Club as four fifty-ish women are brought out of retirement from their days of assassination jobs as someone is after them. We travel the world with them, ride trains to Croatia, survive many events that seem unsurviveable, so some suspension of logic must be employed while reading. I've read the first two of Raybourn's Victoria Speedwell Victorian series and it was just okay. Same as these - I tend to read them for TIOLI if someone else is reading them and they are easy to access.

In the Time of Five Pumpkins (#26)- Alexander McCall Smith
And know for something completely different - dear Precious Ramotswe, a woman of traditional build from Botswana. I know what to expect and McCall Smith delivers in these barely a mystery, mystery. I know he has a Sunday Philosophy Club series, but The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency as also philosophy of a sort and I enjoy the quiet times spent reading them. Can't stop, won't stop reading them.

>176 labfs39: Lisa, they are both interesting, different books and the reason why I get sucked into reading lists/award lists as these little gems appear. Endling was a Booker prize longlist book, and River East, River West was on the Woman's Prize for Fiction shortlist.
I am very much enjoying retirement! Slow days, and I am making supper for my husband most weeknights. He is still working, and did the majority of cooking for the last twenty years. That is my main goal for the day, haha.

I enjoyed reading your comments on The Impossible Fortune, which I enjoyed too, and The Black Wolf which I've requested from the library. I'm of two minds about the setting. I love the coziness of Three Pines but I also think Louise Penny would have had a hard time coming up with plots for 20 books without doing something very different.

Also, I'm so glad to see you're enjoying retirement!

>179 lauralkeet: Thanks for stopping by Laura! I've actually enjoyed getting ready for Christmas this year as I'm not running around after work trying to get places when I am already tired. I also really enjoy day-appointments for everything (pedicure, dentist, osteopath, facial, etc). I got to Walmart yesterday early in the morning and missed the crazy 5pm traffic jams. Little things that make me happy!

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A few more ongoing series reviews I missed:

White Nights (#2) - Ann Cleeves (paper)
I'm very late to the Shetland stories, but I am very much enjoying Jimmy Perez and the isolated island mysteries. I live on a fairly small island, and I am planning a Scotland trip (won't make it to Shetland) so in many ways I love these books. I don't have the tv show on any of my streamers but I'd rather the books anyway, for now.

Wreck (#2) - Catherine Newman (ebook)
I started the year with Sandwich, a lovely book about a family, with the menopausal mother as the narrator, at their summer cottage. Wreck continues the story because the characters are lovely, with the adult children and their partners, Rocky, and her husband, and father. It's just life, told from a woman of a certain age (mine).

A Death in Diamonds (#4) - SJ Bennett (ebook)
The Queen solves mysteries! The first few books are the later years queen, and Prince Philip played a big part, so I wasn't sure how the books would continue in present day once Philip passed away. Voila, Bennett goes back in time to when the queen started solving mysteries as a young, sharp mother. And thus this series can continue for quite a while as historical mysteries. The Queen also gets to have Prince Philip as her confidante. I had hoped to get through the latest book, The Queen Who Came in From the Cold but it might not happen before year end. I really like these books and the smart women the queen uses to help her investigate. This is a good example of a series I'd rate as 4.5 stars while each individual book gets 4 stars. The execution is good, but the concept and characters are great.

I read a few first in a series. Which ones will I continue?

A Drink Before the War (#1)- Dennis Lehane (paper)
This was a good hard-boiled, noir type mystery, but I didn't like it enough to keep reading. I'm not always as big a fan of the PI, I tend to prefer the police procedural. Set in Boston in the 1990s, I did like the setting. Kenzie and Gennaro are a PI team that grew up together. Angie Gennaro is married to a bully, Patrick Kenzie is in love with her, it looks like a 'will they, won't they' series of six books, a reasonable number, but I wasn't interested enough to search out the rest of the books. Contrast this with the Robert Rotenberg (Ari Greene) series that I really love and have had to work at the get the next books.

The Bat (#1) - Jo Nesbo
I read a few Harry Hole mysteries back in 2011, 2013, the well known Scandi-noir books. I liked them enough; at the time The Bat had not been translated yet. Harry heads to Australia to investigate the murder of a Norwegian girl in this first book, and I felt it was a bit dated. Maybe Harry is better in Norway? I would listen to another book to match someone at TIOLI challenge, but I'm not trying to get to them.

The Zig Zag Girl (#1) - Elly Griffiths (ebook)
Elly Griffiths is the queen. I didn't think I'd be interested in this series set in Brighton in the 1950s focused on magicians, but I should have known to trust Griffiths. There is a police officer, a quiet, lonely Edgar Stephens and he has to investigate a murder based on a magician trick. This leads him to his old friend from WW2, from a secret illusion group in the British army. Max Mephisto is still working the entertainment circuit as a magician. Edgar and Max join forces to solve the murder. Good historical mystery, with a police officer that I'm intrigued with. Next year will be the Brighton Mysteries.

Winter in Paradise (#1) - Elin Hilderbrand
Not so much a series as a long book that has been broken into three. There's a Seinfeld bit where he talks about watching a show back in the day, and that sudden realization that it is going to be a 'to be continued' as there isn't enough time to resolve the show. This is what happened here to me. All of a sudden at the end, things weren't resolved and I'll have to read the next one, lol. This is a light, lots of secrets being revealed, family drama. A helicopter crashes in the Virgin Islands, killing three people. Irene learns her husband has died the crash. But what was he doing in the Virgin Islands? How does he have a house there? Irene and her two (dysfunctional) adult sons head down to figure out what was going on. It's chick lit/women's fiction, but like eating popcorn, sometimes you want a big ole bowl. This is popcorn topped with melted butter, and maybe some flavoured salt - just a little better than a plain bowl, but it is still popcorn.

I do read some non-fiction and I am generally all over the place in my NF. These were quite good and kept my attention.

An Accidental Villain: A Soldier's Tale of War, Deceit, and Exile - Linden MacIntyre NF
I’ve been a huge fan of Linden MacIntyre’s books - The Causeway was a wonderful memoir of growing up in Cape Breton. I wasn’t a fan of this book, but not because of the writing, but because of the subject, Sir Henry Tudor. Tudor fought beside Winston Churchill in WW1 and was appointed head of the Irish police to look after the Irish problem by the UK government. He certainly didn’t help anything and his utter disregard for the Irish exacerbated the ‘troubles’ by condoning police murder. He was then moved to Palestine and did not help that situation either because he moved his strategy from one place to another. He eventually retired to Newfoundland mostly to be away from anyone who would want to kill him. I was so annoyed by the man that I can’t really objectionally discuss the book. Churchill stayed loyal to him through it all, which didn’t help my opinion of Churchill. I would like to read more about Churchill. Well researched and written, MacIntyre does expose a consequential person from history.

Strong Female Character - Fern Brady
I’ve been quite obsessed with watching Taskmaster on youtube this fall. There have been 20 series of this entertaining comedy show and Fern Brady was a hilarious contestant on series 12. She is openly neurodivergent, but this openness took her a while to get to. She wasn’t diagnosed with autism until she was in her thirties, and this memoir explores how she struggled growing up with undiagnosed autism. I listened to the Scottish Brady narrate her book, and I had to move my listening speed back to 1x to understand her accent. With the prevalence of ADHD/autism late diagnoses in the world, if you know someone or interact with any people with autism, this book might give you insights into the struggles they may face.

All the Way to the River: Love, Loss, and Liberation - Elizabeth Gilbert
Gilbert is a great writer. I loved Eat Pray Love, her big nonfiction hit. I also liked her novel, City of Girls. All the Way to the River, her newest memoir, tells the story of her ‘person’, Rayya, her hairdresser turned partner. Described as ‘brutally honest’, which means these are flawed people with addictive personalities, Gilbert shows all the warts. Rayya, who faces cancer, relapsed into hard drugs; Gilbert learns she has a love and sex addiction. This is their story. It’s tough to listen to, and I admired Gilbert’s stark description of her behaviour, and the view of a life that I have no reference to.

The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America - Thomas King NF
This was a really good book about the history of native people, written in a subdued rage and sarcastic tone by King, who is now exposed as a pretendian. King, in his 80s, did a DNA genealogy test which determined he did not have any Cherokee connections. There is much controversy around this obviously. I don’t think it takes away from the very good book he wrote when he thought he was indigenous.

>182 raidergirl3: The Inconvenient Indian is on my wishlist, I’m glad to see you have a good opinion of it.

It sounds like you are enjoying retirement. What a lot of great reading! I was sold Endling at an indie bookstore in Bayfield. I want to read it soon.

I am not as crazy about the thriller aspects of the latest Penny books; I'd like her to get back to simple? murders.

It is hard to find good non-fiction as it is more difficult to separate the topic with the writing. The writing can be good but the story isn't compelling, or a great story by the writing doesn't work for me. Here's the rest of my NF reading from this year.

A Three Dog Life - Abigail Thomas (ebook)
Abigail Thomas tells the story of her life after her husband was hit by a car and suffered a traumatic brain injury. Thomas writes well, and the story is inspiring/sad but it just didn’t hit for me, and I’m not sure why. It came highly recommended by two readers who I usually really mesh with, but it is not now an author I need to look up more books from. As I don’t need more books, that is kinda good?

Escaped Killer: Serial Killer Allan Legere - RJ Parker (ebook) NF
Very disappointed in this book about a local scary time that I remember from the late 1980s. Allan Legere was the Monster of Miramichi and went on a killing spree in his area in New Brunswick for several months after escaping from prison. I was interested in reading about his story and this does give the basics, but this was just not well written as it glosses over facts and over generalizes. There is a good story (first murder conviction based on DNA evidence) here to be told, but this is not it.

A Truce That is Not Peace - Miriam Toews NF
Memoir-ish, beloved Canadian author writes a book that at its heart is about her sister’s suicide but that nonlinearly discusses her family, depression, and connection. I got this short book after seeing Toews speak at the Symons’ Medal ceremony. “The Symons Medal is one of Canada’s prestigious honours and recognizes individuals who have made an exceptional contribution to Canadian life. Held annually, the medal presentation and its associated lecture offer a national platform for eminent Canadians to discuss the nation’s current state and prospects using themes related to their professional pursuits.” This is at my local Confederation Center and I had always been interested in attending, and now that I am retired, I did. I enjoyed her discussion with Sheleagh Rodgers and so was inclined to enjoy the book because of this.

>183 FlorenceArt: I hope you enjoy the book like I did. It is rather infuriating, but that is more because of the racist history being told.

>184 BLBera: That's funny we have different views on the Penny books, Beth. I was ready to give up on them, but the last two have been more my cuppa. I am really enjoying retirement - getting ready for Christmas was the only thing I had to do, I wasn't fitting it in after work and needing to shop even if I was tired. It doesn't mean I'm much further ahead, lol, but less stress. I hope you like Endling - it is pretty unique in parts, and there should be some aspects that work for sure.

A selection of thriller/suspense books. These can be tricky because sometimes the problem is they don't seem realistic, but sometimes not being realistic is exactly what makes the book work. I'm not sure what it is that makes me like some and not others. Reviews are tricky without giving anything away (apologies if I haven't managed this) because so much of these books rely on twists, and not giving the reader important information. Sometimes this feels like cheating and sometimes it works perfectly.

An Anonymous Girl - Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen
Very good psychological thriller. I knew very little going into it, just that someone had recommended it but it took me a few years to get to it, so the reasons why are long gone. A mid twenties girl, struggling to get by in New York City, signs up for a psychology study on ethics. She gets sucked into a world with the lead doctor where neither is being completely honest. They get more and more involved in each other’s lives. I don’t want to give anything away, as the fun is in the descent into madness.

6:40 to Montreal - Eva Jurcyzk
This had much potential with the Agatha Christie references. Main character Agatha is given a business class train ticket between Toronto and Montreal to have her own writing retreat. Then someone dies in her train car, and the train gets stuck in the snow. So, classic locked door mystery. There is much potential, and the story is fun. Never quite realistic but these type of popular suspense/thrillers have to be like this. It was a good diversion, but not making my end of year ‘best of’ by any means. I did love that it was set in Canada and highlighted the trains.

The Last Mrs Parrish - Liv Constantine
This was ridiculous as these type of suspense/crazy people books tend to be. Two women make friends over their shared experience of the death of a sister at a young age. Amber is a forgettable woman who wants more out of life. She makes friends with Daphne, who is happily married to a rich man, and has two wonderful children. Amber decides she want Daphne’s life and sets out to get it. Lots of twists ensue as the psychopath enacts her plan. It was audacious in plotting and mostly kept me entertained by yelling at people in my head. Nothing realistic here but it was a bit fun, but not fun enough to make me want to read the second book.

The September House - Carissa Orlando
Margaret invites us into her haunted house, but it is mostly just in September, so don’t worry about it. There is a good tone here that belies some of the horror as Margaret just adapts to living in this house with all the horror and bleeding walls, and ‘pranksters’ that she can see. When her daughter arrives for a visit looking for her father, Margaret tries to hide what is going on in the house. (metaphor alert I just realized) The house was suitably creepy and the twists and turns made this a good read. Bonus points because it was narrated by Kimberley Farr who narrates all of Elizabeth Strout’s books.

Come Get Me: Caitlin Dare FBI - Molly Black
Oops, free audiobook at Chirp and you get what you pay for here.

A few for the season, fa la la la la
Next year I want to not be reading regular books and reread some Christmas favourites, like Dave Cooks the Turkey, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, A Child's Christmas in Wales, Let it Snow.

A Christmas Vanishing - Anne Perry
I like to read one of Anne Perry’s Victorian Christmas books during the season. They are quite short and generally focus on someone who tangentially knows one of the main characters from either Thomas and Charlotte Pitt or the Monk Mysteries. The ridiculous Victorian manners set up most of the problems, and the plot doesn’t really matter as they are quite similar.

Where Snow Angels Go - Maggie O’Farrell
I love Maggie O’Farrell’s writing so finding a winter junior book was delightful. A little girl wakes one night to find her snow angel, the personification of when she made a snow angel. The snow angel is kind of like a guardian angel and you aren’t supposed to see them but they will protect you. Sweet little story.

The Christmas Tree: Two Tales for the Holidays - David Adams Richards (paper)
David Adams Richards is from the Miramichi area of New Brunswick, and wrote these two short stories set in his youth and in the area. They hit the spirit of Christmas, hope, and family, that you look for in good Christmas stories.

Do you have Christmas books you read each year?

>188 raidergirl3: Just heard Dave Cooks the Turkey this morning on the radio, and yet again found myself laughing along. Interested in the David Adams Richards.

>189 SassyLassy: I love that one!

>189 SassyLassy:, >190 labfs39: Dave Cooks the Turkey is the best! I have a physical copy but there is nothing like hearing Stuart MacLean read it.

Three of my favourite reads from this year:

So Far Gone - Jess Walter (ebook)
Jess Walter is inching his way up my favourite author list. This was a great book which doesn’t fit into a specific genre. There is an ex-cop, there is adventure, there is family relationships and set in present day Washington state. Main character Rhys is an off-grid, former environmental journalist, who gets his two grandchildren dropped off to his isolated cabin when his daughter goes missing. Her MAGA Christian nationalist partner comes looking for the children and thus we have an adventure. Complex, flawed characters struggling with decisions, but also lots of humour. It was a great all around read.

Cold - Drew Hayden Taylor (paper)
Taylor is like a Canadian version of Jess Walter. Not really, but they both write with plenty of humour even if the books are not humorous. I’ve also been a huge fan of Drew Hayden Taylor since I read Motorcycles & Sweetgrass. This one actually reminded me of a Stephen King novel, with a touch of Indigenous mythology, the Windigo. And it has hockey, such a Canadian book that also defies genres. I don't think I have given enough to compell anyone to read this, but I really liked the way the different characters and the plot all came together and sometimes not knowing a lot makes the experience better.

The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science - Joyce Sidman (ebook)
This was a fabulous historical science book. I read a book I loved a few years ago, Finding Wonders by Jeanneine Atkins, about three young girls who changed science with their studies of different fields. Maria Merian was one of the three and here gets her own biography. Fans of little known women in history will like this book. Merian studied the life cycle of butterflies which up until this point, people would have thought caterpillars and butterflies were different creatures and was so passionate she could not be stopped even with little support for her studies.

I do like some women's fiction, or chick lit. Not stereotypical chick lit that is rom-com, meet-cute stuff, but somewhat in the vein of Sophie Kinsella. I borrowed a Kinsella book I hadn't read soon after she died this December at the young age of 55.

The Spoon Stealer - Lesley Crewe (ebook)
Lesley Crewe is a prolific Maritime author and this is probably one of her better books. It was charming and I'm glad I read it. Starting before WW1, Emmaline ends up travelling to England from rural NS (Pictou County to be exact, just across the strait from me). The pull of family and issues within the family drive the plot. She stays in England, and as an older lady, she takes a memoir-writing class, and thus we learn all about her life.

My Husband Next Door - Catherine Alliott
I found an Alliot book on Chirp, The Secret Life of Evie Hamilton, and I quite liked it so I nabbed this one. Alliott writes women’s fiction stories set in England that I am enjoying. There are a lot of people in Ella’s life living on her farm - her mother arrives after some problems with her husband, Ella’s separated husband, a celebrated artist Ella married when she was quite young and an artist herself, plus her aunt, her two children, and assorted chickens. Ella is mostly just reacting to life, and has to learn to be active in her life when some of this chaos gets beyond her. It’s light and humorous, but also Ella is a character that you hope for a good ending.

The Joy Luck Club - Amy Tan
I read this originally back in the early 2000s probably. I remember that I liked it, and it held up well on reread. I was actually surprised how much of the plot came back to me but I listened this time and it was tricky to keep track of all the characters that reading a paper version would help. Four Chinese- American young women and their mothers learn about each other in multiple time lines, in China, and in America. Each generation learns to be a bit more accepting of the other.

Surprise Me - Sophie Kinsella
I've read many Kinsella books over the years (thirteen recorded on LT), including the fun Shopaholic books, and she really knows how to write her books well. I had to read one when I learned that she had died. A married couple with twins learns they are very healthy, and could be married for maybe 68 years. This should be good news but it startles them a bit so they decide to spice up their marriage with surprises. Some misunderstandings will obviously occur to cause some issues for our main characters. There is a big amount of being annoyed with the silly main character but it still worked for me.

So sad about Sophie Kinsella. I have never read her books, but am curious after your praise.

I am really looking forward to So Far Gone.

Christmas books:
I often read A Christmas Carol or A Child's Christmas in Wales. The last couple of years I have read Small Things Like These.

This year I tried a new one Brightly Shining, which was not what I expected but it was good.

>194 labfs39: I went through a real Kinsella phase, back in the Shopaholic books, which are silly, but fun. A few of her stand-alones are very good - Twenties Girl and Remember Me? are the ones I've rated highest.

>195 BLBera: So Far Gone was very good, but I have really liked Jess Walter's books recently.
Thanks for the suggestion of Brightly Shining which looks good. I will keep an eye out for it.