Middle Sister's March Reads

Still trying to reach back to series I haven't read in a while while reading new titles in preparation for the book festival season.

Bran New Death by Victoria Hamilton While I had read other books in the series, I'd never read the first, so I was glad to finally read Merry wWinters backstory: the death of her husband Manuel, a little bit about her parents and the uncle she inherited Winter Castle from. I can't remember if she's like this in later books, but in this first one, Merry is kind of a little full of herself. When she finds out the parentage of a tertiary character she thinks "but none of that news was the kind of thing I could pass on at the moment, so I kept my mouth shut." Yes, keep your moth shut, Merry--you're a newcomer to the town and are having a hard time making friends. Spreading gossip would be a surefire way to make sure none of the like or trust you. And no, you should ever pass on that kind of information as it's none of your business. And unfortunately this book has some of what I hate most in a mystery: lazy writing. In order for the amateur detectives to find out critical information, the author has Merry and Bunny sneak into the construction office and just turn on a computer and, voila, private files right there to be read. Really, the computer is not password protected? Frankly, Merry's comment "and Dotty is dotty" is just so rude about an old woman who may be senile or have Alzheimers that I started to dislike Merry very much at that point. The book includes obvious editing mistakes, such as in Ch. 3 when Merry agrees to make 2 dozen muffins for old folks' home and in ch 6 is making 4 dozen to be delivered at the old folks' home. I  want to like the series as it's set in upstate NY (a place I like), and has a great baseline of how Merry overcomes losing her career and starting over, remaking her inherited castle into a successful business, but I'm not sure I want to re-visit Winter Castle. I'd give this one a C. 

Not Quite Dead Enough by Rex Stout Published in 1944, Not Quite Dead Enough is composed of two novellas, Not Quite Dead Enough and Booby Trap. Not Quite Dead Enough is unusual in that Archie, through whom we follow the Nero Wolfe stories, is in the Army and has not been working with Nero for a long time. He is enlisted by the Army to convince Nero to help the Army in a war effort. Archie is surprised to find, upon his return to the brownstone, that Nero and Theodore have been working out for a mysterious purpose Nero will not divulge. Immediately Archie is framed for the murder of a young woman in order to lure Nero back to work. Booby Trap is also set during WWII. An experimental grenade kills a colonel in his office, and Archie, who had left the grenade with the colonel, and Nero have to work through Army bureaucracy and stonewalling to find who killed the colonel in a story that blends a whodunnit with wartime intrigue.

In the Spirit of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge This is Book 4 in the American In Paris series, which follows the adventures of Tabitha Knight and her good friend Julia Child as post-war Paris. In this outing, we learn more about Tabitha's uncles' experiences in the war. Paris and its denizens are, several years after the defeat of the Germans, trying to move on and rebuild, but some secrets refuse to stay hidden. A well-written historical series. 

Wendy Knits Lace by Wendy D. Johnson And a little more knitting content, following on last month's indulgent perusal of lovely pattern books. Wendy Knits Lace has a plethora of the lovely shawl patterns Wendy D. Johnson is known for, as well as socks and some designs appropriate for beginner lace knitters, such as a cowl, scarves, and some mittens and gloves. 

Middle Sister's January Reads

January 2022--the beginning of year 12 of this book blog, and what a lovely set of books that rang in the new year. 

No Stopping Us Now: The Adventures of Older Women in American History by Gail Collins Gail Collins is one of my favorite columnists in The New York Times. In this book, she addresses how women and aging have been perceived by American society. As an aging woman myself who lives history and social commentary, how could I not read this book? Ms. Collins begins with the lives of woman in the early seventeenth century, when their lives were short, hard, and likely full of medical issues But a surprising number of women found successful lives as ministers, midwives, and even authors as society changed during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The pressure to be beautiful and appear young becomes more urgent even as a small number of professional opportunities arose in the twentieth century. Ms. Collins introduces the reader to many famous and should-be famous women of history, and IO enjoyed the book very much. I listened to the audiobook, and I wish Ms. Collins had read more than her prologue; I found the narrator's style sometimes annoying, The book, however, was fascinating. 

After the Funeral by Agatha Christie I listened to audiobooks while walking this month, and I was happy to find my library has acquired audiobooks of several Agatha Christie short stories. Cora thinks her brother's death was not an accident, but it's not until her murder that her suspicions are taken seriously. Hercule Poirot is hired to find out the truth. Enjoyable as all Agatha Christie stories are, and personally delightful to me to find some Hercule Poirots that I don't remember. 

The Gate of Baghdad by Agatha Christie Parker Pyne appears in several Agatha Christie short stories, and in this one, Mr. Parker Pyne his traveling in Syria when one of the passengers on the bus is murdered. As much as I love Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, I enjoy stories that rely on her other detectives like Mr. Parker Pyne or Ariadne Oliver. Another engrossing short story enjoyed as an audiobook while walking.

The House by Raelyn Drake Everyone is scared of the abandoned house at the end of Gracie's street. Part of the mystery surrounding the house is that every Halloween. candy appears on the porch for trick or treaters brave enough to venture close. Gracie and her friends decide to investigate and solve the mystery of the house be bravely spending an entire night there, alone. Wonderful, atmospheric story for young tweens, with engaging role models in Gracie and her friends, and a heartwarming mystery behind the abandoned house.

Vanishing Fleece: Adventures in American Wool by Clara Parkes Clara Parkes is well known in the fiber arts world. In Vanishing Fleece, she tells the story of her year-long adventure to turn a 676-pound bale of wool into yarn. Ms. Parkes begins at the beginning, at the merino sheep farm and the very sheep from which her wool was shorn. She documents the process that fleece undergoes and how the wool industry, once dominant in certain parts of America, has dwindled to just a few producers and a number of mills that can be counted on one hand. Wool lovers and crafters will be fascinated by the journey of the raw material, but historians will find the book a useful summary of the history of wool production in America.  

Wendy Knits Lace by Wendy D. Johnson Charming book of knit lace patterns by designer Wendy Johnson. Beautiful photos illustrate patterns for socks, shawls, and even a couple of sweaters. 

Closely Knit by Hannah Fettig Hannah Fettig is popular knit designer on Ravelry whose Featherweight Cardigan pattern has been knit 10,176 times as of this writing, so it makes sense that her popularity would lead to a publication of her patterns. Closely Knit features 32 patterns for adults, children, and the home.

Knitting Classic Style by Veronik Avery Prolific knit designer Veronik Avery has published several books of patterns. As the title implies, those published in this 2007 compilation stress classic lines for men, women, and children.