This week I read Very Nice Funerals and then had an argument about it with Bob, so happy anniversary to us. I wanted it to go one way, he wanted it to go another way, and just about the time neither one of us was backing down, he said, “Okay, how about this?” and came up with at third way that was much, much better than either of our previous choices. So now I’m back to reading VNF again. Argh.
What did you read this week?
Jennifer Crusie is theĀ New York Times,Ā USA Today, and Publisherās Weekly bestselling author and co-author of twenty-three novels, one book of literary criticism, miscellaneous articles, essays, novellas, and short stories, and the editor of three essay anthologies. She lives in a cottage in Pennsylvania, where she often stares at the ceiling and counts her blessings.
Find out more about Jenny’s published works by visitingĀ JennyCrusie.com
136 Responses
The Spirit Ring by Lois Bujold. I think this was one of her very early books, and it doesn’t have quite the same humour in it that the Vorkosigan novels do. But I enjoyed it a lot – it was a reread, but I first read it so long ago that it felt like first time around.
The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon – one of the offshoots from her Outlander series, starring Lord John Grey. He’s an interesting character who’s got the unrequited hots for Jamie Fraser. In this novel length episode they’re gradually settling into a cautious friendship as they travel to Ireland to bring back a corrupt Army officer. I enjoy Gabaldon’s writing – I’ve no idea if her research is accurate or not, but it’s always convincing.
Resisting Miss Merryweather by Emily Larkin, a novella in her Baleful Godmother series. Light reading with delightful characters.
I loved Lord John Grey and thought that was a great offshoot, although I tired of the overall series after a few books.
The Spirit Ring seems to have appeared in November, 1992. Not as early as I would have thought. It seems not to have gotten s much commercial success as I think it deserved.
Every time I read it it is better than I remember it being.
You’re right, Patrick, I had assumed it was earlier. Looks as if it came out when she had already published some of the Vorkosigan novels. I wonder if she wrote it earlier, it just doesn’t seem quite as sophisticated.
I thought the Spirit Ring had potential. Bujold was probably looking for another topic for a series. She took a course in Spanish history which gave her inspiration for Cazaril and the World of 5 Gods. After all, Chalion is Spain (having turned the globe upside down), and Ferdinand, Isabella, and Mad Joanna are reimagined as far better people than the historical ones.
Ooh, I didn’t know that about Chalion and the world of the five gods! Thank you! I love finding out where this stuff comes from.
The Spirit Ring was her first fantasy book, I remember being surprised when I found that out, so I think her existing fans were looking for another science fiction adventure book and didn’t cross over, and fantasy readers might have dismissed her as a science fiction author.
I like the Lord John Grey books better than her others. And bonus – you don’t have to skip 400 pages of stuff that should be used in the college classes she teaches & not in her fiction book. They never move the story along.
I liked the first few in the series but then lost interest after 3 or 4 of them and found the the Lord John Grey books were a delightful (and so much shorter) alternative.
The Lord John books are definitely more tightly plotted than the great sprawling novels about Jamie and Claire. I heard her talk once, and apparently she doesn’t do any plotting beforehand but writes scenes in random order and then sticks them together.
I finished listening to FAKING IT. I hadn’t realized the inhaler was autobiographical. Then I listened to CRAZY FOR YOU. Like WTT and FT, I have the MP3s on the hard drive. I think BET ME is next, or TELL ME LIES1. (More MP3s.)
I reread Hockensmith and Falco’s FOOL ME ONCE: A TAROT MYSTERY. The descriptions of the tarot cards tickles. Plus I’ve been highlighting again. Then I reread GIVE THE DEVIL HIS DUE, the rest of the trilogy. That family makes Davy and Matilda look like angels2.
1635: THE DREESON INCIDENT by Eric Flint and Virginia DeMarce. Despite being a favorite in the Ring of Fire universe, I must admit that this book is too. Too many subplots. Too many characters. Too many similar names. Too much exposition. But you have to love Ron and Missy’s romance subplot. Plus all the family drama.3
VARIATION ON A THEME Book 5, contributed Chapter 81: Renewal and Chapter 82: subtitle. Still reading.
–8-@ @-8–
TELL ME LIES won. It’s abridged – so was CRAZY FOR YOU.
Should Michael Dempsey pass away, Davy should have him cremated and put the ashes in an aquarium treasure chest.
I have this one in my Audible library as well.
I adored those tarot mysteries.
I read system manuals and my brain is goo.
And I listened to a lot of short stories by Josh Lanyon. Some of them were very good and evolved a definite mood. I am running out of Lanyon audio books on hoopla, pretty much down to Christmas stories which I am trying to save for the more appropriate season.
And I am just past the 50 percent mark on Swipe by T A Moore and liking it. It’s edgy, and I had a good guess about the twist because hey, it’s a romance and there aren’t a lot of ways this situation could be made to work out, but I like both characters and believe in the motivations that are fueling their choices.
Whereas of course I was oblivious to the twist.
I read Witches Get Stuff Done by Molly Harper. Humorous paranormal romance cozy. Not only did I really enjoy it, it actually sparked an idea for a novel idea, so I consider it to be the best read of the month. Months, maybe.
I’ve read sooo many of her series and it’s amazing to me how few repetions of plotlines and descriptions she employs. I recommend the Sweet Tea and Sympathy series about a Southern family that runs a Bait Shop and Funeral Home. I also liked her Blue Grass trilogy. And her werewolf trilogy made me like werewolves and Alaska.
I love all her stuff.
I dearly love the Sweet Tea and Sympathy series. Both audio and book.
Your timing is great because Molly Harper’s new book Big Witch Energy just came out, and I enjoyed that book too.
It’s waiting for me at the library!
I started The Upper World as my kiddo just finished it and liked it. I love that we can genuinely enjoy the same books!
I found Christineās recommendation of Sarah Goodman Confinoās Behind every good man very enticing so I read the book and really enjoyed it including the afterword about who some of the characters are based on. I also read Donāt forget to write which was maybe not as good but still a very nice read. I am definitely going to keep reading this author. Thanks Edinburgh Christine!
So glad you enjoyed it LN.
“The Whispering Wood” by Sharon Shinn was a lovely fantasy romance. I rather liked the standoffish Valentina, the roguish but loyal Sebastian. Plus loved the ending.
Then a re-read of “The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen” by KJ Charles, which was adorable. I liked that the MMCs actually discussed the rights & wrongs of smuggling and unjust laws, and that openness is one of the reasons they fall in love. Plus love that Sir Gareth, in trying to understand his father, discovers his own love of the marshes.
Then “A Fire Born of Exile” by Aliette de Bodard, a novel in her densely intricate Xuya universe. All of them are stand-alones (at least that I’ve read) with a what-if the Viet, the Chinese and the Mexica were the dominant civilizations when we reached the space age. About justice and revenge and trying to grow up. Very good, albeit not a light read.
Best thing I read this week was Pratchett’s “Thud!” – made me laugh and think and I just love these characters.
I’m in the midst of reading Loretta Chase’s Lord of Scoundrels. Dain is a very damaged MC, and still emotionally immature. I’m interested to see how things go.
I loved Lord of Scoundrels! It has the best prologue ever. š Also recall loving several of her other early books — The Last Hellion was one, I think. Maybe I’ll reread and find out.
I love Lord of Scoundrels. At first I was worried it wouldn’t live up to the hype but, for me, it did and is on my keeper/reread shelf.
I read this yearly because Jessica Trent is the best heroine ever. Also perfectly narrated by Kate Reading if anyone listens.
I also loved the Last Hellion. Highly recommend.
Has anyone read The Elegance of a Hedgehog? Highly recommended by the French conversation group I’m in; most folks read it in English. I ordered a copy.
I really enjoyed it (but read it in English).
Beth in October — I’m definitely reading it in English!
Reading Christmas in Crickley Creek by Laurie Beach. I like southern fiction and even though some of it seems a little over the top, I enjoy her writing a lot. https://a.co/d/5Dc388T
I listened to Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell, a Reeceās Book Club selection. It WAS slow (the title was a warning). Itās the story of a F/M couple who were close supportive friends in high school but through miscommunication and misunderstandings never connected romantically. They then lost touch. Heās a good guy and sheās a drama student whoās a bit much but he loves her. Likable main characters with detailed back storiesāand itās apparent she has non-neurotypical stuff going on (ADHD?) especially sensory things. Fifteen years after graduation they reconnect at a friendās wedding. But life interferes (more miscommunication and misunderstandings) and their story drags through family complications until they finally make it to the HEA. The narrator was good though! I stuck to the end because I was hoping that there would be a good plot twist or a good lesson learned. Nope.
It reminded me of a DNF audio book (Plot Twist by Erin La Rosa) that also dragged for me but was much more interesting in comparison. It had a clever premise: a romance writer with writerās block decides to visit past relationship partners to ask what she could have done differently. Meanwhile her landlord is a former teen idol, hiding out from the world and trying to stay sober by working an AA program and by filming a how-to-craft show for YouTube. They deny their attraction because sheās friends with his sister and they each worry that the sister would be hurt and betrayed if they got together. And he wants to work his program. More miscommunication and misunderstandings and other excuses that could be solved by talking to someone. I guess Iām just spoiled by Crusie and Crusie/Mayer books where thereās a real plot going on plus secondary characters with interesting stories so I therefore donāt have the patience for the angsty misunderstandings of these two books (and just one story line going on). But if you end up liking Slow Dance, youāll love Plot Twist because itās definitely written better. (Hey, Iām not judging. Everyone has their own preferences and Iāve come across several reviewers that loved Slow Dance. Plus, obviously, Reece Witherspoon did, too.)
I loved Rainbow Rowell’s first book “Attachments” which made me laugh the whole way through and felt so true to the email exchanges I used to have with my friends. Everything else of hers has been *fine*, though much loved by others. I guess I’m just not on the right wavelength for her any more.
I finished Once Persuaded Twice Shy by Melodie Edwards a modern day treatment of Jane Austenās Persuasion. I was pretty good but not so good that Iāll reread it.
I then read Charm City Rocks by Matthew Norman. M/F romance between a former rock star and a divorced piano teacher. The MCs are middle aged (in their late 40s/early 50s) and intelligent and this is a very nice light, fun and really solid story. Thank you Chachal for the recommendation, I enjoyed this one!
I then read Kristan Higginsā āLook On the Bright Sideā. This was not the book for me; itās essentially a book about cancer, hospice, death and overcoming grief. The MCs in the āromanceā part of the book are together for only about 2-4 pages at a time, maybe 4 or 5 times in the entire book (which is about 420 pages long,), so the āloveā and the HEA didnāt even convince me a little bit.
To recover from that total downer, I reread The Cinderella Deal. such a great mood booster, it never fails. I love that story. This in turn put me on the path of re-listening to āFast Womenā ā another wonderful comfort read.
Finally I read āLucky Bounceā by Cait Nary. I bought it when it came out and somehow it got lost in my TBR pile — I was so happy to find I hadnāt read it yet – sort of like finding a $5 bill in the pocket of an old pair of jeans. “Lucky Bounce” is a hockey M/M Romance between a hockey player and a teacher. A lovely story, well written and makes me wish Cait Nary had written more.
Also watched a hockey documentary on Netflix about Henrik Lundqvist, former goalie for the Rangers (now hockey commentator on TBS.) It deals with the heart condition that ended his illustrious career but also with the overall question of how to deal with not achieving the goals one sets for oneself. I found it well worth watching for that but also, of course, hockey.
I, too, was blindsided by Look on the Bright Side. It started flirty and snarky and descended into sadness. But because of the flirty/snarky writing I will try another book of hers–but I’ll read reviews first!
Yes, the first chapter or two were very misleading…
Helen Huang’s The Heart Principle did this for me. I was totally unprepared. I loved the Kiss Quotient and enjoyed the Bride Test and then my father in law was going through his end of life cycle so I picked it up as something light and got nailed with illness, family trauma and death. I couldn’t finish it and I still can’t bring myself to go back. The publishers really mishandled how that book was promoted, in my opinion. This is why I love the modern practice of adding detailed trigger warnings.
The Heart Principle was on my TBR pile until today, thank you for the head’s up.
It may be a wonderful book. I just can’t handle it and really have no interest in exploring that subject matter in my leisure time.
It was an interesting book but, yep, depressing. I can’t remember whether I finished it (I usually finish books) or whether I got fed up with the dysfunctional relationships.
I loved “The Heart Principle” – but yes very painful in lots of ways. Sometimes those topics can be redemptive and cathartic and sometimes they’re just grim. I found THP more the former, but I imagine it hits everyone differently depending on their headspace.
Hoang starts out funny in “The Kiss Quotient” but her next book was more serious, and THP even moreso – but the marketing / covers are very consistent despite the change.
Yes, and I would only call The Kiss Quotient a true romance. The relationship is much less central to the plot in The Bride Test, making it feel more like Chic Lit to me and I would put THP purely into Lit Fic, with the romance as a subplot or side note.
I’ve re-read Lucky Bounce multiple times now. It’s a total winner.
I was less keen on it and prefer her other two.
It was your last reread that had me wondering if I’d read it and digging it out of the tbr pile – thank you!
So jealous you got to read it for the first time. Although honestly I think I became a bigger fan of it the second or third time around. I was originally comparing it to her first two which have an entirely different tone plus more actual hockey.
I read Her Heart for a Compass by Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of Kent. I don’t usually read books by celebrities, but I’m acquainted with her co-author, Marguerite Kaye, from when I was writing novellas for Harlequin, so I decided to give it a try and asked my daughter to get it from the library for me. (Very convenient having a daughter who uses the library all the time, as she’s homeschooling her daughter.) Anyway, I enjoyed it very much — it’s a Victorian-era women’s fiction-with-romance based on one of Sarah’s ancestors. There’s a sequel which sounds interesting, too.
I read that a few years ago. Bizarrely my Dad, who I don’t think ever read a romance novel or expressed any interest in them, bought it (I think he had a thing for Sarah Fergusson –that is the only explanation I can think of) and then it was passed around the family. It was enjoyable and definitely better than I expected.
The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman. Have read it before, but it’s so good as is the first in the quartet of books, I’ve not long finished the first, in fact Netflix are turning it into a limited Series ‘The Thursday Murder Club’. If the show is half as good as the books I do recommend watching it, though the book will always be far superior, as is usually the case. He’s like Jennifer and Bob, in the fact that you really get to know, invest and love his characters, and the plot line is excellent, some good twists, and very humorous – I should point out The Thursday Murder Club is 4 pensioners, one of which is retired MI5 – the equivalent sort of to Max, Ozzie, Pike etc…perhaps not quite as um…violent lol, but then, with Elizabeth (the retired MI5 pensioner) you never really know what she got up to in the past, so you know, she could well have been lol.
I loved The Thursday Murder Club and am looking forward to the series from Netflix. I have The Man Who Died Twice on my TBR and I’m happy to know it’s as good as the first. A friend of mine who loved the first book said they went downhill from there so I was hesitant to read the others. I will bring this one to the top of the TBR.
Carrie, I don’t think they go downhill at all. It’s one of those series that holds up very strongly, imo.
I love this series and have all 4 books, although the last is a bit bittersweet. I hadn’t heard about the Netflix series. Might have to sign up just to see it if the reviews are good. The audiobooks are great, too.
The Netflix series isn’t coming until 2025. Produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Chris Columbus. I read an interview with Richard Osman who says he’s not planning to be all that involved with the script because he trusts that Spielberg knows how to make a movie. š
The cast is interesting…Helen Mirren as Elizabeth (how could it be anyone else?), Ben Kingsley as Ibrahim, Pierce Brosnan as Ron (out of the box casting IMHO) and Celia Imrie as Joyce (another surprise for me). But I remind myself that actors act so it may all be perfect.
Thanks for the info on the Netflix series, Lisa!
I am planning on avoiding the Netflix series because I totally adore the books and do not want to be disappointed. Too many books have been turned into really awful films/series. In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner is the only one I can recall that was a really good movie of a book.
I feel that way about The Princess Bride. Good book. Good movie.
I second this. Of course, the author was also the script writer, I believe, which probably helped.
I finished the Rom-Commers by Katherine Center and liked it but not as much as Hello Stranger and I’m not sure why. With HS, I hated putting it down but with this one I had to keep reminding myself to finish it.
Then I read Emergency Contact by Lauren Layne and loved it. I almost put it down at first because it’s a Christmas book but decided to continue and glad I did. It goes on my keeper shelf. It’s very Planes, Trains, and Automobiles and I had to suspend disbelief quite a few times but still enjoyed it.
I’m now reading Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez. A friend recommended it. I’m sure I’ll finish it but it’s a very slow burn. I mean S-L-O-W. I’m halfway through and they’re still working on being friends. Sometimes I want to yell and say “Tell him/her how you feel already!” But, as I said, I’m sure I’ll finish it.
Jimenez has a new one out I just read–a bit long for my taste, but good. Can’t think of the title, but a librarian (or Amazon, I suppose) would know. I like some of Center–Rom-Commers was fine, but I like her earlier work best.
Yours Truly really worked for me. I laughed out loud at some of the repartee. “The colon wants what the colon wants!”
Oops! I too read The Rom-Commers, and don’t think I ever mentioned it here. Below is a capsule review from an incomplete draft letter that I still haven’t sent. (Bah! More backlog!)
“I just read The Rom-Commers, 2024, by Katherine Center, which seems to have had a lot of buzz. I liked it, but it often seemed a bit phoned-in, with both appreciable good stuff and a lot of clichĆ©d plot turns.”
I’ll likely try Hello, Stranger.
I enjoyed Emergency Contact too and was surprised that I wasn’t wildly irritated by the Planes, Trains and Automobiles aspect. It was a fun read. She has a relatively new book out “Miranda in Retrograde” which I have put a hold on at the library. As I am number 42 on the list I guess it will be awhile. Maybe its time to reread the Oxford and Stiletto series. I used to reread them regularly but it’s been a while.
Too funny on “Yours Truly” – I liked in the end, but it was an uneven read for me. I think I wanted a romance in the ER rather than a romance between people who happened to be ER doctors.
I’m in the middle of a couple of books, one of which might be a DNF. I’ve been re-reading early Crusie novels–no mental energy for following new characters and plots. I am anticipating autumn, hoping cooler weather will help my brain!
I suppose that’s why I’m reread, er, listening to the seven stories in The Jennifer Crusie Collectionāno mental energy for following new characters and plots. Of the seven stories, I only have six on my drive as MP3 files, and two of those are abridged versions. I see FAST WOMEN in my future.
Luke Timothy Johnson,Ā Early Christianity, Great Courses, 2002
For some folks, this course, which I listened to on CDs, would be an introduction to its topic, with a timeline running almost symmetrically from 323 BC (or BCE in Johnson’s usage) to 325 AD/CE.Ā Johnson (a Catholic priest and subsequently a married Catholic layman professor, now emeritus) in 2002 worked in a more or less straight historical field of study at Emory University.
In my case, I found much information new to me in the section on the pagan Greco-Roman world, but as for the rest of it, for me he presented a new interpretation of information which I had mostly already learned.Ā Possibly because Johnson’s formulation is original, I am not yet sure what to make of it.Ā Johnson’s lectures seemed clear and interesting enough individually, but for me they did not cohere very firmly. Possibly more digestion will clarify things.
Courtney Milan, The Marquis Who Mustn’t (2023)
Sequel (new romance, same circle of characters) to The Duke Who Didn’t. I don’t have a lot new to sayāif you liked the first, you should like this one too.Ā From context, “ambulance classes” means pretty much what we would now call “first-aid classes.”Ā I couldn’t find that in online dictionaries even as an obsolete usage, but I’m sure Milan is right.Ā (Similarly, in Russian, the same term [ŃŠŗŠ¾ŃŠ°Ń ŠæŠ¾Š¼Š¾ŃŃ] can be used for both “first aid” and “ambulance” in the modern sense, i.e, of a vehicle.)Ā I did post earlier about a slight mischaracterization of US anti-Chinese legislation as of 1892, but as I said then, the character speaking could plausibly have gotten it wrong.
One more review coming, if I get it written up in time.
I read A Cup of Silver Linings, by Karen Hawkins, and almost dnf it, but I got over the slow, rough spot, and enjoyed the resolution between the teen and absent-till-mother’s-death grandmother. This is a small town series about sisters who all have special talents. Ava’s teas have curative powers for physical and emotional hurts, but something goes wrong, and clients begin seeing and talking to ghosts. “Ghosts don’t lie”, so things get complicated.
I dnf Remarkably Bright Creatures. The young, aimless, selfish, “taker” kid is so unlikable, I could not go on. Maybe later, as several of you like the book. Too many worthless males are dominating the news, right now, in the U.S. I don’t need to read fiction about them.
I loved Remarkably Bright Creatures, but I sort-of ignored that guy. He was such an unpleasant loser. I just erased him from the story, which I read for the old woman and the octopus. They both are delightful.
I finished the Randy Rainbow autobiography, which was funny and full of amusing interjections. Love him. Sad to read about the death of his beloved cat during the pandemic, so that he wasn’t able to be with her at the end. His new cat, though, is very very cute.
Also finished “People we Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry. A very deep and transformative relationship which took a LONG time to get to acknowledging that they both loved one another. Not a re-read, I think.
Next I’m turning to re-reads of Pratchett novels, starting with “Men at Arms.” I love Carrot so much, that every word is pure enjoyment.
I stumbled on Carla Laureano Bittersweet Brunch and Solid Ground coffee company.
Hoopla suggested. These were perfect for me right now, they are Christian centered Romance. I was happily surprised when MCs relied on their faith in difficult times.
Probably will read more Laureano.
Can’t say they read like a Crusie though…
I am a die hard Kristan Higgins fan, but I agree with you that her women’s fiction books are more about the pain than the pleasure. They are great books but I prefer her Romance books for sure.
I reread Trust me on this, such fun. I think the hotel inspiration was the round Raddison in Covington Kentucky, am I right??
I love reading Crusie books and going to the places she talks about. It’s like mini movie production, and feeling the location.
Which are Kristan Higgins’s romance books? Any recommended titles?
Some of Kristan Higgins’ romances that created such a big following are: Just One of the Guys; Catch of the Day; The Next Best Thing (this one is my favorite) ; Fools Rush In; and then there is a whole series whose name I cannot remember Blue Heron or something like that, that takes place on Lake Erie and involves a family vineyard. Many of her books take place around the Cape Cod area and the romances are light and fun (some are actually funny) and still provide the “feels”. Hmmm time for some rereading I think!
Thank you.
I read A.Y. Caluen’s Unmasked, the fourth in the Co-Stars series. It was like visiting old friends whom you haven’t seen in a while and enjoying the visit. Although Chacha1, it’s hard to believe two people who’ve been together for a few years would be having as much sex as they do!
I read The California Dashwoods, which is an M/M modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. Really well done and once again proves Lisa Henry’s incredible breadth.
And I also read Dark Restraint, from Katee Robert’s Dark Olympus series, M/F with the Minotaur and Ariadne. I had a hard time getting through this one. The Minotaur has a scar on his face which appears to be his main character feature. And Ariadne is plus-sized which appears to be hers. Also, has morphed from political machinations to an action series which Robert doesn’t do as well with. Still looking forward to the next one which isn’t out until next year.
I like the sound of The California Dashwoods.
Me too! Have put on tbr pile!
Hahaha yes, Andy & Victor are very horny.
Good to know about Dark Restraint. I will probably read it eventually because I want to get to Hera’s book, but I will take my time about it. What a shame about the Minotaur. He had potential, I thought.
That was on my list, but Iāll move it to the bottom of the pile.
Sara Goodman Confino, Behind Every Good Man, 2024.
This novel has already been mentioned here.Ā I liked it.Ā The author is a high-school teacher in Montgomery County, Maryland, which begins just over the line from Washington DC, but extends outward for some tens of miles.Ā Most of it is now urban or densely suburban, but large portions were more suburban and rural in 1962, which is where and when the novel is set.Ā Southern Montgomery County is heavily (although not majority) Jewish, leading fairly plausibly to the ethnic aspect of the novel, where our heroine, her estranged campaign-manager husband, her politically powerful parents, her new romantic interest, namely the rival candidate to whom she defects, and several other important characters are all Jewish.Ā Maryland had already elected a Jewish US Senator to start serving in 1905, and in reality would not do so again until for 2007 (per the below link), but it is not implausible in the year of Kennedy’s election as the first Catholic US President that a Jew might have run for the Senate, as in the novel. (As in almost all past-set political fiction, there is a minor alternate-history history aspect here.)Ā The general local color was also interesting.Ā Although not a Montgomery County resident, I have eaten several times at one named restaurant that survived to my time.Ā As the novel opens, the author does seem to be working pretty hard to show all the research she has done on an era before her time.Ā I checked a couple of things:Ā Confino is right that Tylenol and Teflon cookware already existed,Ā although I don’t recall them that early.Ā Either I misremember or my family were late adopters.
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jewish-senators-in-the-united-states
I went back to Confino’s earlier novel, Don’t Forget to Write, 2023, but I think I am going to bail out of that one, since I do not find the protagonist very appealing.Ā She turns out to be the cousin who makes a minor appearance, but plays an important role, in Behind Every Good Man.
Correction: Kennedy was elected in 1960 and started serving in 1961. The Maryland senatorial election of one of its Senators was indeed in 1962, though.
Second correction: in 1905, the Senator was elected only by the state legislature. Popular election of US Senators in Maryland started only in 1913, after a US constitutional amendment required it. Sometimes elites were more accepting of minorities than the general population. I wonder if that was why Maryland was so long in electing another Jewish Senator.
https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/39fed/05ussen/html/sen.html#:~:text=Since%201913%2C%20they%20have%20been,U.S.%20Constitution%2C%20Amendment%2017).
And I forgot to add that, as far as I can determine, 18-year-olds could not legally drink alcohol in Maryland in 1962, so that’s one mistake. That change, in many or most states, came only later. Fairly recently it was walked back, because experience showed that too many 18-year-olds procured booze for younger teens.
I finished ‘Til Heist Do Us Part by Sara Desai. It’s the sequel to her To Have and To Heist, both about an unlikely collection of oddballs and misfits brought together in Chicago by a South Asian woman whose family just wants her to get married and give them grandchildren. She, on the other hand, is tired of being overlooked in favor of her brothers, and wants to start her own business. When her bestie is set up for a jewel theft, she turns to a wild scheme involving event planning to clear her friend’s name. Both books are full of twists and turns, derring-do,wacky complications, and lots of humor. Since her partner-in-heist reminds me of a Bob Mayer character, the series has a lot in common with a Crusie-Mayer creation.
It’s on my TBR pile. I liked the first so good to hear this is more of the same.
I’m reading Deep Black by Miles Cameron; it’s the sequel to Artifact Space. I should have reread the latter before I started. I was listening to it, but found there were too many words that were not articulated sufficiently for me to understand easily. Perhaps I’ll listen to it once I finish reading the book. I do enjoy space operas as long as closeups of relationships are included.
I too just finished a reread of the Lord of Scoundrels. I agree with the Argher who described Dain as emotionally immature. With his wounds, I doubt he would ever really mature. But he’s surely in the best hands possible. Ten boys!
The Last Hellion includes a cameo of Dain, Dominique and what’sherface (the book isn’t near to hand) that’s quite sweet.
Finally, I enjoyed listening to all four of The Thursday Murder Club, though they did change the reader part way through. And yes, book 4 was bittersweet. A new book by Osman called We Solve Murders is coming out on September 17th (in Canada), start of a new series. I’m looking forward to that.
I am still rereading Corinna Chapman series by Kerry Greenwood. Sadly I am on the last one & trying to savor it slowly.
Started watching Veep which is new to me. It’s good & I love Julia Louis-Dreyfus. There are some annoying things that I fast forward through & sometimes I have to move on or skip something because it’s just too real. Overall very funny, though.
On forbidden fruit! I should be savoring them but itās hard to stop reading. Trying to figure out why they are so good – some of it is the characters (and the cats) but I also appreciate the plotting.
Well it’s competence porn, with some delightful humour, with a collection of truly nice people who are actually good friends, a fabulous building I would love to live in, a kick ass main character with a hot boyfriend who is truly worthy of her, and happy endings always. What’s not to like? Lol.
Listening to “Such a Charming Man” by C.K. McDonnell, after having read “The Stranger Times,” this first in this series. Magic, journalism, Manchester UK, funny.
This week I read the Charm of Magpies series by KJ Charles. I really enjoyed it, particularly the magical elements and the world she built with that. Being a little critical, the plotting the third wasnāt as good, with the ending a bit rushed. To some extent I felt she would be glad to move on from the characters, but it was very enjoyable nonetheless. I probably would have been less critical if I had read other books in between as I usually do when reading series.
I also read āIn the Middle of Somewhereā by Roan Parrish, which was a straightforward MM romance with a fairly standard plot (city boy moves to remote rural area) but it is well written with good character depth and I enjoyed it.
Finally, I have been dipping in and out of Tammyās compilation of the Taylor Fitzpatrickās AO3 āBetween the Teethā stories. Some of them are a lot of fun. Thanks Tammy.
On audio, somewhat late to the party, I am listening to Alexis Hallās āBoyfriend Materialā which is, unsurprisingly given its reputation, very good.
Glad you are enjoying!
I really liked Husband Material as well, but that one is not so universally beloved. It’s spoofing Four Weddings and a Funeral, I believe, which I found very funny, but it is not the traditional narrative structure at all. Looking forward to Father Material!
Yes, I really enjoyed Husband Material too. Part of it was just the delight of revisiting the same characters.
I liked all of Roan Parrish’s “Somewhere” books, particularly the first and the third – very good at showing both sides of a story.
I read big little spells, which is the sequel to small town big magic by Hazel Beck. I enjoyed it very much. It’s going to be a four part series. The third part came out a couple of days ago and the fourth part won’t be out till 2025 so I don’t know how much I want to continue. I went back to Castle and reread Zinnia. The Molly Harper, Witches is get things done sounded interesting. So I borrowed it from the library. I have the latest in the Dove pond series from Karen Hawkins. I’m saving it for Labor Day weekend. Have a great one.
I read Mind Games by Nora Robertsānot one of her best.
I reread The Man in the Queue by Josephine Tey, and it shows that itās her first. I found myself questioning the vast resources apparently at Scotland Yard.
Now rereading some of the Balogh survivor series. They are more compelling to me than some of her other books because they deal with the consequences of war for the survivors, which is sadly a tĆmeless problem, even though she sets it in Georgian England.
My favorite Balogh series too, Debbie. It makes sense that there are many people dancing in the ballrooms of the Regency period, but there was a huge war going on at the same time, and the biggest hero of Britain during that time was leading the Western European coalition in that war against a Despot.
The depth of isolation and suffering that the recuperating survivors in that house had suffered took a long time to overcome for those six people. And including a woman who had also had dreadful experiences in that war was spotlighting a subgroup that few Regency romances pays no attention to.
Love Balogh’s gradual focus on each member of that group, one by one, without losing the connection with all the others.
I DNF’d “Full Speed To A Crash Landing” by Beth Revis. She wrote this in a fit of rage after a stranger – male, naturally – came up to her and just told her straight out that she couldn’t write any original characters nor any interesting plot. I tried it, but, I just couldn’t. The protagonist is a female shipowner who is very clever and very devious. I dislike reading devious protagonists, I don’t like liars in the first place, it’s worse when they’re the viewpoint character and it’s the worst of all when the character is deceiving what seem to be good people. Of course, this is the first in a series, so it may turn out in later books, that this female had a good reason to deceive the people who saved her life, but I don’t know. From her own viewpoint, she’s a mercenary and everything she did was for money, although she does have limits. I just don’t know or care where her limits are.
I finished “Asunder” by Kerstin Hall. This may or may not be the start of a new series. If it is, I’m looking forward to the next book in the series. If it’s not, well, the book ends on a semi-tragic note. Karys Esks is a deathspeaker who while on a job for the local crime boss finds the only survivor of a massacre. Karys promises to save Ferain’s life in return for a lot of money and manages to bind him to herself. This begins an interesting adventure in a world where Ephirites and Bhatumas are intermediaries between the Embrace aka God/Heaven and the human population. Humans can gain magic by forming Compacts with the Ephirites or becoming a favorite of a Bhatuma or by a lot of studying.
I am currently re-reading Mary Stewart’s “The Crystal Cave” and it’s just as wonderful as always. She writes so vividly, it’s like I can really smell the death-dealing apricot or feel the lightning strike of visions.
Agree, Mary Stewart’s Merlin books are so good.
I read just about everything by her except for that series. I just love her work, so ill have to give it a chance. Thanks for mentioning it.
I avoided those stories because I dislike Arthurian stuff.
I’m about 1/3 into Full Speed. There is clearly backstory. Waiting to find out what it is before I make a decision on whether I like this or not.
Finished it. Not excited about the ending.
Ugh, I don’t understand why people think an unlikable character has more literary worth.
Poor Beth Revis, she should have just written a book about the inventive ways she killed the character based on him to get it off her chest, Worked for Sue Grafton
I too read Once Persuaded Twice Shy by Melody Edwardās. It was okay but wonāt be a reread. In fact, I read Persuasion (Jane Austen) as a palate cleanser afterwards.
I also read The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer. I didnāt like it as well as I did her first book The Wishing Game, but may reread it down the road.
I’m savoring The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street as recommended by an Argher somewhere back in the archives. So lovely. Helene Hanff’s depth of appreciation for the good in her life is so touching. I don’t know how I have missed this gem until now.
I loved 84, Charing Cross Road when I read it a few years ago and it is lovely to experience Hanff’s voice again.
I also read two Christmas novels by Catherine Walsh, Snowed In and Holiday Romance, as others here have reviewed. Both are light, low-angst, yet not too sweet. Snowed In is superior in my estimation due to chronic flashbacks in HR. But both are readable and I am so pleased to have found a new author that I like.
Everything that Hanff wrote is delightful.
Read Midnight Dunes by Laura Griffin (3rd in series) and thought it was a really great murder mystery but the romance felt ‘phoned in. Still love the seaside town and all the previously loved characters appear (though it could probably be read as a stand alone). Have the 4th on the shelf TBR but may take a break first.
Time of For Good Behaviour by Lani Diane Rich was a re-read that I remember nothing of. Greatly enjoyed the potty mouthed heroine and the way she worked her way back and got her happy ending. Went onto the Keeper shelf.
At the Coffee Shop of Curiosity by Heather Webber just came out in paperback and was an absolutely delightful read. A beautiful magical story set in a town full of quirky residents and some adorable pets. A seaside place full of secrets, grief and so much love. I want to move there, and I didn’t want the book to end.
Finally, after a couple weeks of nothing but re-reads, something new. Mary Lancaster’s Petteril’s Thief is a historical mystery, #1 in the series, and reminiscent of Grace Burrowes’s Lord Julian series. The book was OK, but I liked Lord Julian much better. Still, I decided to give this series one more chance.
Petteril’s Corpse is book #2, and I enjoyed it more than the first one. Or maybe I’m just getting used to this author’s style. Anyway, it all came together for me in this tale: the plot, the characters, the pacing. I enjoyed it as a quick and light historical mystery, and I’m definitely going to keep reading the series. My only objection (which applies to the previous book as well): there are too many POV characters.
Another new book – another historical mystery – Grace Burrowes’s Lady Violet Investigates, #1 in its series, left me cold. Unlike Lord Julian books or Petteril books, this story and its characters didn’t work for me. I won’t be continuing this series.
I read all the Petteril books and loved them. I also enjoy her romances because they are easy reads and sometimes are interesting historically, like the ones that take place in Vienna.
I’m astonished at how many good plots she comes up with.
I think her romances will be next on my list. I really like Petteril.
Not too much time to read: finished re-reading and first-time listening to Egotistical Puckboy by Finley/James. Ot’s really very light on actual hockey and has strong similarities to Heated Rivalry (2 blokes who face each other on the ice and can’t stand each other = meaning they are hugely attracted to each other), but start a series of hook-ups and fall in love with sex being a vehicle for closeness.
Ezra even plays for Boston, as dies Ilya in HR.
My description sounds trite, but the more often I read it/listen to the audio, the more I like both MCs. Only how the names (Ezra and Anton) were pronounced by the narrators threw me a bit.
Also finished listening to the first book off the Alpha Tau series by Henry/Honey. Also well narrated, liked it more on the second reading.
In the meantime, I’m very slowly progressing with Alpha Tau 4. Members of enemy frats falling in love a la Romeo and Juliet, only with a more mellow ending š
Very nice low level of smut: the MCs are inexperienced and that’s lively to read as every step on their way of getting together is exciting to them (and me as reader).
Brought my Suzanne Brockmann book onto the 3,5 hr train ride to Frankfurt, but didn’t have the mindset to immerse myself: very last day with kiddo for the next 10 months.
We said goodbye around noon. The Flightradar website makes it possible to follow her flight over the Atlantic, Iceland, Greenland and the width of Canada.
She’s travelling with a group, among them a classmate whose mom is also into hockey. Who already checked the schedule for the next Oilers-Canucks game… Will we be broke before kiddo gets back??
I was following my daughter’s flight back from the US (in 2016) and her plane disappeared (from flight radar) near Greenland. I spent the next few hours freaking out but pretending I was fine and knowing logically it was most likely a problem with flight radar. She arrived home safely but I have never tracked someone’s flight again. Couldn’t live through that stress another time.
Grrr, completely understand!! My men are actually watching football right now and I only check occasionally for similar reasons as yours!
Kiddo no. 2 made it to Vancouver without problems. They even caught the delay from their start in Frankfurt and landed right on time.
But i headed your advice and only checked in occasionally.
I don’t like flying myself, but any means of transportation has its own risks.
As a whole, I prefer trains.
Glad to hear they arrived safely š. I prefer trains and ferries etc. but sometimes it just makes more sense to fly.
Dodo, Not sure if it was a mere random slip, a typo, or a misremembered English idiom, but given your quest for idiomatic English: “made up for the delay,” sounds to me like the most natural way to say it, but “caught up from the delay” would also work. Just “caught the delay,” won’t work and was comprehensible only from context.
Thanks for pointing out my mistakes, Patrick.
I’m aware that my texts will never be flawless and that I will never talk or write as if English were my first language.
It’s okay as long as the meaning comes across. Sort of.
Another quiet day at work (I will pay for my Easy August in Nov-Dec, when I have a ton of deadlines) so here I am to talk books.
1-2 started the week with re-reads of my own novels ‘Lost & Found’ (F/M feat. a photographer and a man who had a 12-yr undercover relationship with a closeted Hollywood producer) and ‘Public Offering’ (M/M about a Los Angeles patent attorney and a London-based venture capitalist).
3. ‘Trapped by Greed’ by Kaje Harper, Necromancer #4, in which good guys are kidnapped by some bad magicians; suspense, Mortal Peril, & mayhem ensue.
4. ‘The Case of the Seven Sneezes’ by Anthony Boucher. Whodunit set on an island near Los Angeles in 1940, shades of ‘And Then There Were None.’ Sad backstory and crimes against cats, so I didn’t enjoy this as much as the other Fergus O’Breen mysteries.
5. ‘Around the Ice in Eighty Years: An Irreverent Memoir by an Accidental Champion’ by Courtney Jones. He won multiple European and World Championships ice dancing gold medals in the 1950s, with two different partners; later became a judge, referee, ISU official, etc while also holding down full-time jobs and maintaining a sixty-year relationship with another male skating professional. Terrific resource and slice of social history.
DNF at 19%, ‘Just a Little Madness’ by Merry Farmer, my 2nd try with her. Victorian M/M feat. an actor and a member of parliament. Anachronistic thinking and flagrant behavior from the first, taco salad of characterization plus 10 kinds of neurosis from the second.
6. ‘The Shutout’ by Dianna Roman, new-to-me author. This is a tropefest with some editing issues but built to a 5 star read. Best friends to lovers, gay for you, widowed single dad + closeted major-league baseball pitcher. Evidence of active, longstanding friendship + mutual support + humor & sexy sex + some big feels. Credible and brief episode of freakout by the ‘straight’ friend followed by application of intelligence. Being outed is realistically traumatic for both of them, especially the pitcher. Resolution a bit wishful (no assholes on the team) but by then I was too thoroughly invested to scoff. Note, the straight-ish guy begins the book three years into grief and is overwhelmed by single parenting; he’s a mess who may not at first appeal as a romantic partner for the cinnamon roll pitcher. I thought it worked out well in terms of complementary strengths.
7. ‘Beset by Demons’ by Kaje Harper, Necromancer #5. In which an Otherspace-bending adventure closes some demon gates and re-opens pathway for familiars. The magical family continues to add members and the series through-story advances. I like how Harper doesn’t waste a lot of words on details of her magic system, simply gets on with telling a story, dropping in hows and whys where needed. This series is set in the US in the early 1960s; the hazardous legal status of gay men is an undercurrent.
Thanks for the thumbs up about the Shutout! I’d loved the Dianna Roman book”Until I saw you”, was intrigued by the second title (best friend of MC in UIsy as MC) but was sad that it fell very short for me (crammed with too much problems, at least for me). Her latest “The Idiot” way cute, but a bit bland. Yet, the MCs are nicely normal people, not overly ripped and beautiful.
I have “Until I Saw You” on my e-reader for next week!
Great to have another baseball recommendation!
I remember almost nothing about Seven Sneezes, but I’m pretty sure it struck me as the least good of the Boucher mystery novels. I wouldnāt say any of them were actually bad, as I recall.
I read “Finlay Donovan is Killing It.” It was probably discussed here back when it came out, so I won’t go into detail other than to say it’s funny, a bit frenetic, and full of plot twists.
Iāve been busy with school and the kiddo got the round of ick that felled most of the other students and teachers. I do think getting the summer ick helped him bounce back faster, but still no fun.
In the meantime, I finished Katee Roberts, Neon gods. I was glad to have read Psycheās book first, but I still enjoyed this one. Thanks to everyone who recommended her.
Then, I listened to the audible version of Lawrence Kasanoffās non-fiction book, A Touch of the Madness. I heard him on The Creative Penn speaking about his work in Hollywood (and the many famous movies he created like Mortal Combat, Platoon, True Lies, etc.). The book is encouragement for writers or creatives who want to pursue their dreams, and he weaves in some fun tales of his Hollywood life as examples. The book is as joyful as he is, and I really loved it. Itās short and a very sweet and fun listening.
Iām in the middle of a book of lectures on Aztec and Mayan mythology, and itās long but good. I also read some interesting articles this week on Afrofuturism. I texted a friend last night the parallels between this movement and the ideas behind The Cinderella Deal. The idea of making our own story about ourselves is so powerful.
Just finished a binge read of all 15 Ruth Galloway mysteries. Galloped through them in less than a month. Now I’m lost š What do I read next?
Elly Griffith’s other mysteries are good too. There are 7 books in the Brighton Mysteries series, and 4 in the Harbinder Kaur series.
She also has a series for children called A girl called Justice. I tried one, but I must be getting too old for children’s books.
And then there are 5 books under her real name, Domenica de Rosa. They are all set in Italy. I believe they are romances, but I have never read any.
My brain has been mush this week, so not a lot of readingā¦ but for some reason I was thinking about Min & Cal tonight and made chicken marsala and *chefās kiss*
This week I read my first book by Neva Altej – Beautiful Beast. It’s a beauty and the beast retelling set in the Mafia world.
Then I had to look for Roman and Nina’s book, parents of the FMC from Beautiful Beast. Their book was Painted scars, which was better than I expected.
Then I read Hidden Truths based on Sergei – Roman’s half brother. It was an engaging read but they fell for each other too fast.
I read The Bastard’s Betrayal by Katee roberts and it was a fast paced, wild ride.
Weird fact – These books are based on the grown up kids of the original mafia couples. A second generation spin off. That’s what I started with. Reading out of order happily.
I finished the last two books in The Goodnight mysteries by Elise Sax – Coal miners slaughter and Wuthering Frights.
Book 4 is about a murder connected to a closed mine and why people are trying to cover it up. Book 5 is about the final investigation into the serial killer and everyone Matilda knows is a suspect.
Both were light, funny, entertaining and a little unpredictable. Perfect for comfort reads.
I have a new webcomic favorite quote.
http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff4200/fc04108.png
Love it! š
A while back we were discussing Jane Austen and slavery. I just came across the below, which suggests that at the time Twain’s support for the Confederacy was stronger than I had realized, despite his quick desertion from a Confederate militia and his move to Nevada as secretary to a Unionist brother. Evidently his ideological conversion came only after the war was over.
Stoyack, Aaron. “Was Mark Twain Really a Confederate?” TheCollector.com, August 30, 2024, https://www.thecollector.com/mark-twain-civil-war-confederate/.