I'm hoping to get more reading done this year. Last year's total was 48 books. I am not sure I can ever reach one book a week (until I retire, that is). There was a lot of reading in hospital visits and listening to books in transit to these hospital visits that I won't do this year (I hope and pray), so no holding me to that unofficial goal. And now, on to the books which began 2020.
Borrower of the Night by Barbara Michaels Barbara Michaels and her other persona, Elizabeth Peters, is/are one of my favorite authors, and I've read just about everything she's written. Her older audio books are being re-released, and so I've had the pleasure of listening to several. Borrower introduces Vicky Bliss, historian, who appears in several light-hearted novels. Vicky predates Amelia Peabody, and is Ms. Michaels' first attempts at combining humor with her trademark romance and mystery. There are no light Gothic elements in the Vicky Bliss books, another trademark of Ms. Michaels' stand alones. We meet Vicky in all her amazonian, blonde, intellectual glory here, and she's strong and slightly sarcastic and searching for a religious wooden sculpture in Bavaria. If you haven't met Vicky Bliss yet, I recommend starting with Borrower. They do build slightly on each other, but each is a hilarious romp on their own. Great audio reading by Barbara Rosenblatt, but it is not a re-reading of the book, just a digital version of the much older cassette tapes. Highly Recommended.
'Round the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne Read for my book group. I've seen the classic David Niven movie several times, so I was curious when my book group offered this as a January choice, to see how well the movie tracked the book. Very well indeed. Yes, the book overtly smacks of colonialism in parts, but it's not nearly as bad as other books of its era. We had read War of the Worlds a few years ago, and the contrast with 'Round the World was startling: industrial and technological progress are celebrated here, while War argues that our technology won't save us and offers a far darker and scarier journey. It has made me curious to research where Verne was in his life when he wrote these two novels, and what was happening personally and in society at large that resulted in two such different books. Recommended.
The Brothers of Baker Street by Michael Robertson I'd not read the first book in the series, The Baker Street Letters, but was intrigued by the idea: two barrister brothers rent space in Baker Street, London, and start receiving mail addressed to Sherlock Holmes. London's famous Black Cab drivers are ready to revolt, as one of their own has been charged with the murder of a fare (which they staunchly insist their code of honour would never allow), and the city's transportation authorities are weighing whether to require all cabs, including the Black Cabs, to use satellite navigation systems. Reggie defends the accused cabbie, and in the midst of that case receives a letter from someone claiming to be the descendent of Professor Moriarty, Holmes' nemesis. Reggie's unrequited love interest, Laura, is becoming more seriously involved with Lord Buxton, whose newspaper is making Reggie's professional life a disaster with its scandalous headlines. I enjoyed the book, and despite what seemed like a couple of coincidences too many, the mystery as well. I will have to track down the first book to read the brothers' backstory. Recommended.
The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett Last year, I watched the movie and read the book for several pairings. Nick and Nora Charles as played by William Powell and Myrna Loy are always a delight to watch, and I've seen the movie several times, so when I had the chance to read the book, I was intrigued. In this case, Hollywood did a number on the original, carving out huge swaths of the story that would never have made it past the censors of the time, and also condensing the story to fit within a less-than-two-hour timeframe. The women in the book were all very shallow and silly and less than one dimension, if that's even possible; Hammett clearly wrote for men. Nick and Nora are far more engaging and equal in the movie than in the book. Perhaps most shockingly, Asta is a female in the book! I don't think the book has aged very well, but it considered a classic, so the mystery lover in me is glad I've read it. And I'll never read it again. Though I will watch Nick and Nora and delight in ditzier Hollywood version of the story.
Women in Aviation by Julian Hale Much too short a recitation of some of the famous names in British aviation history. Mr. Hale summarizes the lives of a dozen or so female aviation pioneers with less detail than, and with writing as dry as, a Wikipedia entry. The photos were great, but I'd have liked much more detail on the women, their adventures, and what happened to them after they gave up flying. As a primer to the topic, it's useful, but the lack of research makes this a lackluster history. NetGalley
