Middle Sister's September Reads

Halloween chills were the highlight of the September books, and what a find Sheridan Le Fanu was.

Read It and Weep by Jenn McKinlay  The series was called A Library Lover's Mystery, but I misunderstood this. Less about books and mystery and all about the love, this cosy mystery was really a romance disguised as a mystery. I  like to listen to audio books while cleaning and gardening, and my local public library has a fair selection to download. Part of my dismay with this book may have been the audio itself--the reader tried to to distinguish a large set of characters with too many distinctive voices, and I'm not convinced she didn't sometimes slip up and confuse some of the characters' voices. Several of her women, like Violet, sounded like men and her English accent  (the male victim) was terrible. But I give the author props for two reasons: the police were portrayed as actual professionals, competent at their jobs (and our amateur detective did get a gentle comeuppance that her brilliant deduction had actually occurred to the police long before it occurred to her), and the surprise ending. Still, way too much romance between Lindsey and Robbie and Lindsey and her ex, Mike. Recommended for those who really just want to read a romance. (audio book)

In a Glass Darkly by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu  My book group's selection for September/October, this collection of 5 short stories was fantastic! Three short stories were spooky and mysterious; the fourth was more of a 'classic' mystery before there was such a genre, but with a Vincent Price horror movie spin; and the final, longer novella, Carmilla, that has been said to have served as the inspiration for Dracula. It was interesting to observe the author switch from the viewpoint of Richard Beckett, a 20-somthing man, in The Room in the Dragon Volant, to Laura, a teenage girl in Carmilla, as point of view and main characters. I loved the creepiness and mysterious insinuation of the first three short stories, where you are never sure exactly what happened--something metaphysical or otherworldly, or something indeed explainable, and where the mysteries weren't solved. Dragon Volant was more of a straightforward mystery, which is really obvious to the modern reader, but I can image one hundred years ago, this story was shocking. But perhaps the most shocking, and perhaps the reason Le Fanu is not well known today, is epitomized by Carmilla. The story is very sexual and not even subtle about the lesbian attraction, which would probably have shocked Victorian readers but which to this reader seemed very modern. Recommended to horror fans who are interested in the evolution of the genre, and anyone looking for a unique Halloween chiller. (Kindle version)

The Vikings: From Odin to Christ by Martyn Whittock and Hannah Whittock I remember a long-ago archaeology class that did not devote much time to the Vikings much to my dismay, because I thought that topic was fascinating. Fair disclosure, the book has clearly been inspired by the popularity of a cable TV fictional drama called The Vikings. I was hoping for a more in-depth, historic, and scientific treatise on the Vikings and their expansion, and their adoption of Christianity. But the book, while covering the entirety of this span of Viking history, is very shallow and just provides a brief history of the culture. The authors clearly knew the sheer number of named Vikings would be confusing to the average reader, so they included a timeline at the beginning that outlines activities and actors; a map; and a list of key people. What they didn't provide were illustrations, and this is particularly pertinent to the entire middle of the book, where lengthy discussions of Viking art and its embrace of Christian elements, and vice versa, are described, and presumably well-known artifacts referenced repeatedly. But without a few photos, this reader was left dissatisfied with the entire material culture discussion. A bit dry and best only for a brief intro to Viking history. Anyone with a real desire to delve into Viking history should look for more academic publications. (NetGalley)

Middle Sister's Mid-Month Review

Happy September, everyone! Another plane trip meant a lot of time for reading (and how I love my Kindle Voyage with its lit screen for reading at night and on airplanes).

What It's Like to Be a Dog and Other Adventures in Animal Neuroscience by Gregory Berns A couple of years ago, I read an article in the New York Times about a researcher who had trained dogs to lie completely still in an MRI machine so he could do functional MRI (fMRI) scans on their brains. Of course, I was fascinated and couldn't wait for more information to be published. This book relates how Dr. Berns and his associates taught a small coterie of dogs to lie still and accept the MRI tube, as well the tests and the results. He also discusses fMRI brain scans of other mammals that he's undertaken, notably several dolphin species and the extinct Tasmanian tiger (the thylacine). Absolutely fascinating, especially the section on the thylacine. But I'd have to disagree with the title--just because canine and human brains may process information apparently the same way in the same cranial anatomy doesn't mean that I know what a dog feels when it sees the same image that I do. All of this is very valuable science, and it underscores how arrogant humans have been for a long time, assuming they were the only sentient beings who could think and process information. But I still don't know what it's like to be one of my dogs and live their life and experience their world, much as I'd like to. Excellent, well written and very readable, even for non-scientists (there's not much jargon),  with a tantalizing philosophical question at the end. I'd recommend it to dog lovers and anyone interested in science and nature. (NetGalley)

Catch Me if Yukon by Maddy Hunter The next in the Passport to Peril series, wherein Emily, her husband Etienne, and their merry band of senior globe trotters get embroiled in yet another murder mystery. In Catch Me if Yukon, the travelers are on a scenic trip to Alaska (not the Yukon, despite the title), and their number has been expanded by the addition of a book group. When one of their members dies under somewhat mysterious circumstances, the entire group is under suspicion. Matters are not helped when Emily's father posts a photo with an image that could be, might be, is interpreted as and voraciously shared around the Internet as--Bigfoot.  The seniors' addiction to their smartphones was funny but may have been overplayed just a little. The group is always fun to visit with, and Hunter's style is light and breezy. A perfect airplane read. Recommended to cosy mystery lovers who enjoy funny mysteries. (Net Galley)

Middle Sister's August "Dog Days of Summer" Books

This month I decided to visit Edinburgh through my books, and both fictional trips were wildly successful and enjoyed very much.

A Question of Blood by Ian Rankin (Rebus book no.14)  I'd never read an Ian Rankin novel before, because I generally don't like police procedurals. Luckily I'm the kind of person who can force herself to do something because it's good for me, and so I decided to step outside my usual genres and try one. I'm so glad I gave a Rebus mystery a try. I loved it! The entire bool was excellent--well written, exciting, with a great pace, interesting, well-developed characters (even the secondary and tertiary characters), and enough backstory to not be lost even if the reader is starting on book 14. I felt a real sense of the underbelly of Edinburgh without it being so grim as to turn a noir  or police procedural newby off. There was just one formatting issue on Kindle (p.317, Claver-house hyphenated when not needed). Recommended highly.

Conan Doyle for the Defense by Margalit Fox One of the best books I've read all year! I knew from "Arthur and George," broadcast on PBS several years ago and based on a book by the same name, that Arthur Conan Doyle had taken on some real life cases of police negligence. Margalit Fox details another case Doyle turned his expert Sherlockian eye on--the mysterious death of a wealthy and cantankerous Edinburgh spinster. Scrupulously researched, and written with the same wonderful flair for evocative narrative nonfiction that she evinced when she used to write for the New York Times. I enjoyed the book so much I was sad when it was over. Excellent and highly recommended to ystery lovers and true crime aficionados alike.

Bloodstains with Bronte by Katherine Bolger Hyde A middle-aged heroine living in the Pacific northwest has inherited her aunt's rambling house and decides to turn it into a write's retreat with rooms named after authors. What's not to love? A lot, it turns out. My concern is the main character. Emily is supposed to be an earthy, maternal, well-rounded individual. She came across as needy and immature and incredibly annoying. First, the author tells us over and over that she feels like Katie, the main murder suspect, is like a daughter to her, but they've only known each other a few months, and while Katie seems to respect and feel affectionately towards Emily, it is most definitely not a mother-daughter relationship. Emily's reaction to Luke's investigation of Katie is so resoundingly immature and naive and callous that I would have dumped her right then and there. Katie is found over the dead body, the murder weapon in her hand--of course the sheriff is going to investigate her. But Emily's reaction? "For a minute she wished she and Luke were sleeping together so she could deny him her bed as punishment." What the heck??? What kind of woman is this? Cold and judgmental describe her impression of everyone who doesn't meet her standards: the doctor is gruff and loud, so doesn't have a good bedside manner and therefore could not possibly be a good doctor. As for her former position at a small college, well, "the occasional student did commit suicide..." doesn't actually elicit any compassion from Emily. Then Emily willfully obstructs justice, lying to the sheriff and hiding information from him. Later, she decides that she needs to interview suspects just because she doesn't, I guess, think Luke would have done that or done it adequately--I'm not sure which was her motivation because by that point, I disliked Emily intensely. And this knitter was aghast by the piece Beanie was knitting--yellow yarn, followed by a section with deep purple tweed, then a section in green and black eyelash yarn, and then a section in fine pale blue mohair? My eyes, my eyes!! (Not to mention the difference in the yarn thicknesses would probably have  made the entire piece a shapeless blob).  Ms. Hyde is clearly not a knitter, and I think just threw this in because knitting is so popular these days and there are several knitting-centered mystery series. I could go on and on ("without a husband to support her through it all..." "even Emily's role as adoptive grandmother would have to be shared...") but I'll stop. Immature, whiny, self-righteous, judgmental. Nope, not reading another on in this series. And not recommended.

Death by the Sea by Kathleen Bridge Liz has fled her glamorous, successful life in New York City after a scandal that landed her on the front pages and returned to the hotel where she grew up to lick her wounds and restart her writing career. The hotel is inhabited by quirky long-term residents that we're supposed to find endearing (I didn't). The death of a wealthy and obnoxious visitor exposes secrets hidden by the other residents while allowing Liz to think about something other than herself and her past. Honestly, her whining about her past was starting to get on my nerves so I was glad when the author had her stop doing that as frequently as she did in the first part of the book. Ryan is another juvenile romantic lead (similar in that sense to Luke and Emily in the Hyde novel reviewed above)--she hates him and they bicker and then, without much reason and instantly over one page, she finds him very attractive and starts having romantic feelings for him and suddenly he's a hero, not a pest. Sheesh. Mystery authors, most of you are terrible at writing a realistic romance, so just don't. And the last ditch effort by the author to tie things together in the last chapter was very unsatisfying. Oh, and Liz, the main screen on your cell phone, that you were carrying, could function as a flashlight of sorts, and yes, librarians are usually at the front end of tech adoption because they have to be to help their patrons and because most of them are not blue-haired old ladies living in some book-lined tower. And Ms. Bridge, ever hear of doctor-patient confidentiality? Oh, and one more thing--the constant references to real pop culture, like 1970s television shows that Aunt Amelia supposedly worked on--I believe copyright violations could be going on here, so you might want to look into that or at the least, tone it down because it got annoying after a while.

An Edible History of Humanity by Tom Standage (read by George K. Wilson) Fun, interesting, and wide-ranging look at the foods humanity has depended on, and how they (and their availability, their trade, etc.) have affected the course of human civilization and adaptation. The anthropologist in me loved the book. My only gripe is that I wasn't 100% enamored with the narrator. Nonetheless, highly recommended.

Middle Sister's July Reads

July has been a long, hot, dry month, so I tried top ick books set in the winter to escape.

Shelved Under Murder by Victoria Gilbert This is the second book set in the Blue Ridge Library in fictional Taylorsford, where residents are gearing up for the annual Heritage Festival. Amy, local librarian, stumbles across the body of a well known local artist when she arrives at the artist's studio to pick up a donated item for the festival. Amy is drawn in the international art world and art forgeries. On her personal front, her boyfriend is out of town dancing with his ex-partner and her aunt is embarking on a romance with an art forgery expert called in as a subject matter expert. The book was well-paced, and while the romance was a little saccharine, it didn't overwhelm the mystery. I was a little irritated when Amy locked the front door of her house at a crucial moment and it was clearly contrived as a plot device. More irritations: the author used the phrase "bubble of laughter" to describe Amy's inappropriate reaction to stress at least three times, and Amy "shoved her fist to her mouth to stifle a burst of nervous laughter" several times as well. I rolled my eyes every time Amy did one of these actions. But the book was pleasant summer time reading, and did take place partly in December. I'd grade it a C, with a possibility to move up to a B if Amy can lose some of her annoying habits. (Net Galley)

Walden by Henry David Thoreau My book group's summer read was actually a choice of one of two titles, and I chose this one (principally because it was my suggestion). The second part of the book takes place in autumn and winter, and I felt the beautiful winterscape of Walden Pond in his prose. There is nothing I could say that hasn't been more cogently said by a real critique, so all I'll say is that I loved it.

Middle Sister's June Reads

It is hot in the desert, so during these dog days of summer, naturally, one of my July books had to have a dog or a cat involved.

Picks and Chews by Linda O. Johnston Cute idea but with a little too much scattered behavior that read as unreal. I could totally buy Carrie working only part time as a vet tech, as most of the techs at my vet work part time (with a couple of full timers) and a couple work for two different hospitals so they can have full time work. I didn't buy her working part time as a vet tech and running not one but two bakery businesses on the side. Despite being told that she arose early to go get the baking done before the people and dog bakeries open, I just was incredulous that Carrie was falling asleep behind the wheel of her car or over dinner with her hunky vet boyfriend--and I found that perfection a little irritating.  I've always worked at least two jobs and I'm tired all the time; c'mon, Carrie, admit you're tired, we get it, we will like you more for your confession. I loved some of the secondary characters, but thought the portrayal of Raela was a little over the top. As a long time volunteer with several dog-related and other charities, the community outpouring of support at the fundraisers was a little too unrealistic and again, too perfect. But it's an easy summer read, with generally genial characters, and what more can a reader ask when the temperatures are in the triple digits? (NetGalley)

The Marmalade Murders by Elizabeth J. Duncan I had read a Penny Brannigan mystery before and enjoyed everything about it--the setting (a small hamlet in Wales), the protagonist (Penny, a middle-aged salon owner who is effortlessly elegant), and the plot, so was eager to visit the series again. Penny was a little more irritating this time in her perfection (geez, it must be the heat, or maybe authors think readers don't want a main character whose hair is sometimes a mess and who runs out without makeup on because she overslept?). A couple of the supporting characters were also a bit more irritating (Mrs. Lloyd is one), but the overall tone had remained the same. This brief glimpse into a Welsh agricultural show will be familiar to anyone who has been to a county fair, and the jealousies surrounding who wins and who doesn't are all too familiar. Kudos to the author for inserting a twist in the form of the return of a former resident who is not quite the person who left. I would have enjoyed that plot twist a little more if there had been at least one negative response to the circumstances surrounding the return of the native, as everything was a little too utopian and politically correct, but that's a pretty minor quibble. All in all, another easy summer read with pleasant characters and, yes, a black labrador retriever. (Net Galley)

Hiss and Hers by M.C. Beaton I've never even tried to keep up with M.C. Beaton's series--just too prolific an author. But watching the Acorn TC Agatha Raisin series 1 on television made me want to catch up with Agatha, and I grabbed this recent title. Aggie's come a long way since I last visited with her: a marriage and divorce, and starting up a private detective agency. I wasn't overly impressed with Agatha the professional, to be honest, and thought the wider supporting cast, while accomplishing the task of giving us some likable main characters to sympathize with (I know one person who cannot stand Agatha Raisin one bit and refuses to read the series), diffuses the action, and at times I can see where there might be too many cooks and not enough Bill Wong. (audiobook)

My book group selection for May and June was Waverly by Sir Walter Scott. I have enjoyed several of his books, but have to admit that I got no further than halfway through this very long novel. While I did like Edward Waverly and his adventures enough, the book is just too long with too much thick description, dialogue written in early 19th century Gaelic, and entire French paragraphs that I cannot translate for this heat. Sorry, group; I may keep plugging away at this for the rest of the year as I am learning a lot about the Jacobite rebellion.

Middle Sister's Mid-Month Review

Lots of travel time this month, so lots of time to catch up on reading.

Edgar Allen Poe and the Jewel of Peru by Karen Lee Street Last month I complained about historical books that fail, that transplant 20th and 21st century characters and ideas and social mores into the past, covered with a veneer of pseudo-historicity. I'd read several that fell victim to this idea of what a historical novel should be and I disliked them intensely. This novel is the exact opposite, and succeeds brilliantly where they failed. Edgar Allen Poe and the Jewel of Peru is a perfect example of what a historical novel should be. Ms. Street has undertaken a lot of research on Edgar Allen Poe and the geographical setting to create a brilliant representation of 19th century Philadelphia. She has also created an interesting, unique, and well-written mystery replete with sharply delineated characters and images. Edgar, Sissy, and Muddy, their relationships, and mid-century Philly are carefully constructed. I read the entire book at one go on an airplane, but I would have stayed up late several nights to read this. I truly hope there are more Edgar Allen Poe mysteries to come, and this is one series I would love. Highly recommended/A+

Hopjoy Was Here by Colin Watson Digital reissue of a classic police procedural originally published in 1962. While there are a couple of scenes that induced groans (Ross' seduction, for example, read like a James Bond farce), the book is a clever, well written, and well-paced mystery with enough surprising twists and turns to keep any reader entertained. Character development was not an important part of mysteries in the first half of the twentieth century, so modern readers used to internal dialogues and angst may be disappointed, but the characters are sufficiently fleshed out to allow the reader to sympathize with them. Although characterized as a police procedural, this is not a McBain-type police novel, but rather an English country murder in which the detectives are not the standard amateurs but police and government agents. Clever and enjoyable and a very fast read. Recommended/A

Middle Sister's May Reads

May heats up quickly and unapologetically here in the desert, which gives me the perfect excuse to crank the swamp cooler down, close the drapes to keep the scorching sun out, and settle down on the couch with a book and iced tea.

Murder, She Knit by Peggy Ehrhart Knitting, New Jersey, a middle aged protagonist--this book was written for me, I thought. Pamela, widowed copyright editor for a knitting magazine, is enjoying late fall: her daughter is coming from college for Thanksgiving, she has a new neighbor who has piqued her curiosity (and her ire), and she's invited a colleague of her late husband to her knitting group's next meeting, which she is hosting in her spotless house. Too bad the night is marred by a murder, and the victim is found under Pamela's bush. Pamela and her neighbor find themselves sleuthing to solve the mystery before Pamela becomes the next victim. The suburban NJ town was very familiar and delightful to visit, although very much gentrified and yuppified and millenialified (a terrible word, I know, but how else to describe a lifestyle where Pamela gets to work from home, make daily visits to the perfect, eco-friendly co-op which only carries locally sourced, non-GMO, certified fair trade items that are reasonably priced?). Part of me found Pamela too good to be true (she keeps her large house effortlessly perfect) but also annoying (she admits that she rewrote articles she's editing after "she just decided what she wanted it to mean and rewrote accordingly." AUGH!!!! If I had had an editor like that, wait, I did--and I complained mightily.), especially her irritation with her neighbor and her jumping to conclusions which invariably turned out to be wrong. The mystery is not too hard to figure out, but also isn't far-fetched, and the clues are subtle but present so readers who like to solve the murder can. I enjoyed the book, and while I'd like to see Pamela not be so perfect, it was a restful visit to a town similar to my old home town in NJ and a quick read, so I'd recommend this as one of the better knitting subgenre cozies currently in print. Unlike a lot of those, you can tell this author probably does know how to knit.

Murder in Belgravia by Lynn Brittney Historical mystery set in England during WWI that makes the mistake so many genre writers make--trying to make the characters 21st century enough to satisfy modern readers while using a historic period to provide atmosphere, technical challenges to the art of detection, and a suitably exotic location and time. It's a good thing this was a quick read, because if it had not been, I'd have been tired of how egalitarian and politically correct (a term I hate but which is perfect for this situation) everyone in the book was and given up on it halfway. There is no one central character, but rather 4 main characters (a female doctor, a female lawyer, a male detective, and a male veteran now policeman) who join forces as an unorthodox and unofficial Scotland Yard team to deal with crime in a London overrun by working women of all kinds, injured soldiers, and gangs. Of course there is a love triangle (she loves him but he loves someone else, who turned him down to marry another who has died in the war). Of course no one bats an eye that these people, largely strangers, set up a house in which to live together and work out of, chaperoned by one's titled mother who is delighted to hobnob with charwomen and prostitutes and only faintly horrified when she learns of the existence of boy prostitutes and who is willing to clean dishes and act completely unlike a titled Lady. Sure. I'll probably pass on any future entries in this series; everyone is too modern in their mannerisms and outlooks, too pc--even the gang leaders. Unbelievable.

Cherringham--A Dinner to Die For by Neil Richards and Matthew Costello Super fast, superficial read. Retired New York cop moves to perfect English village, where everyone is handsome, nice, and able to live very comfortable lives without any means of support. This perfect village is lucky enough to have two, not one but two, top notch restaurants; that is, until it looks like the owner of one is trying to destroy the other. Is he being set up, or is revenge for past indiscretions in their convoluted former lives the reason? Again, slightly annoying characters--Jack the cop who lives on a boat and can whip up gourmet meals in a tiny kitchen and make the perfect martini, and Sarah who may or may not be interested romantically in him but sure spends a lot of time with him if she's not. It's never a good thing when both protagonists grate on your nerves every so slightly. The mystery was okay, the solution okay, the setting okay, the format annoying. Every sentence is its own paragraph. Please. I.e.:
                  Or-
                  Something else?
                  Anna smile at the two of them.
                  "You'd better go," said Sarah.
                  A smile from her as she nodded; dinner and post-mortems to come.
     Ugh. Spare me. Hate this style with a passion.

My goodness, is it the heat that is making me cranky or were the books that annoying this month?