What are you reading now: April 5, 2025

Wrapping up The Brides of High Hill. Uncle Sam Wants You, A Full-Value Ruble, and Radetzky will follow.

I'm about a third of the way through the third of four sections of Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 by Tony Judt. In Part 3 Judt describes events in Europe from 1971 through 1983 (backing up a little in some places to relate events that took place in the 60s). So I've just read about the political history of Greece during the days of the military junta and also of Portugal during the later stages of the Salazar regime, including the collapse of both. Judt was very thorough about moving his lens around and shining a light into as many corners of the continent as he could. All told, the book is over 800 pages of small print, which is why I'm reading it in quarters instead of straight through, but the writing itself is excellent and the subject matter quite interesting, if you like this sort of highly detailed history.

I am reading Dangerous Talents by Frankie Robertson

I'm reading The Clues in the Fjord by Satu Ramo.

I just finished listening to The Briar Club by Kate Quinn, and I think I'm going to listen to next We Know You Remember by Tove Alsterdal.

I'm still reading Extraordinary Insects: The Fabulous, Indispensable Creatures Who Run Our World by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson.

I'm just about finished with Sadar's Keep and still reading The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson. I'm not sure what I will start on after I finish Midori Snyder's book; it may be time to slip into some more Juliet Marillier.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret – Brian Selznick
5***** and a ❤

Hugo Cabret is an orphan who lives in the Paris Train Station, taking care of the clocks as his uncle trained him to do. His secret project, though, is finishing the invention his father was working on when he died. He steals parts from a toy shop – small gears and screws and springs. But when he’s caught, he gets embroiled in an even bigger mystery.

What a treasure! This inventive, unusual novel in words and pictures won the Caldecott medal for illustration. The reader really needs to spend some time pouring over these intricate drawings, for they forward the story. The text skips from section/chapter to section/chapter, with the intricate illustrations filling in the plot.

The book is intended for children, but will delight adults as well. The story of Hugo, Isabelle and Papa Georges is enthralling, and kept me guessing. But the drawings … oh, the drawings! They are rich and subtle and complex and detailed, showing incredible depth of field and use of light and shadow.

The latter sections of the book explore more of the early history of motion pictures, especially the contributions of Georges Méliès. This part of the book is probably more interesting to adults.

It's a hefty book - some 525 pages, and the paper is thick. But it's a very fast read. The first time I read it straight through in just a couple of hours. But on subsequent readings I took more time to pour over the illustrations, really studying the detail.

started this audio via Libby ~

The Maid's Secret (Molly the Maid Mystery, #3)
by Nita Prose

I am already reading 3 books and then at a medical appointment found go went gone I had brought an Amy Tan book to trade if I found something I liked. So now I am reading that too. And I bought a step up to reading book for my grandchild at a book fair called uni unicorn goes to school. She is just turning five and can read like a 7 year old. Better go to sleep so I can be fresh for my morning reading with her.

Death of a Pumpkin Carver– Lee Hollis
2**

Book # 8 in the Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery series has Hayley’s ex-husband Danny back in town and suspected of murder. She does NOT want him back in her life, but she doesn’t want him convicted of a crime he didn’t commit.

This is only the second book from this series that I’ve read. I was singularly UNimpressed with the first one, but I was looking for something quick to read that fit a particular challenge, and this one fit that bill.

I just cannot get into the life of Hayley Powell. Based on the review I wrote for book one, I guess she is more together and competent now, but the plot is still rather thin and I’m not sure I understand the town dynamics at all.

There are several recipes, some of which I thought sounded delicious. But I thought that using pumpkin in each and every one of them was overkill. (Anyone find the idea of a Pumpkin Mojito remotely appealing?)

Lee Hollis is a pen name for a brother-sister writing team. Perhaps the disconnections in the book are a reflection of having more than one author contributing to the effort.

The new thread is up over here.