Middle Sister's July Reads

 July was hot and rainy, and I didn't get to read as much as I had hoped. But here is what I did manage to finish this month,

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder This was recommended to me 6 months ago, and it took this long for my book reserve at the library to arrive because so many are wanting to read it. And I understand why. This is a fantastic, clear, and concise presentation of 20 things we should have learned from our history, but haven't. Things that have been happening again the past 8 or so years. I recognized the tyranny as soon as it surfaced 8 years ago, although I didn't have quite the word for it, because with my background in history and cultural processes, and my personal history as the daughter of a WWII vet and a woman arrested at the age of 8 in Poland in 1940, I saw with horror the same things being said and done as had been said and done in 1920s and 1930s Germany. But for those younger than me, or those without a family history like mine, or anyone with a faint niggling feeling that something is not right, this is a great distillation of what is happening around us put into it's historic context. As the song goes, "if you paid attention, you'd be worried, too." The book made me think long and hard about the people I know who have reacted differently to our current situation, and whether they would have been revolutionaries or loyalists, in the resistance or a collaborator. And that reflection has been uncomfortable. But I cannot recommend this book enough. It's a quick but dense read, and makes its argument cogently and with sparing prose. Highly, highly recommended.

Death of a Ghost by Margery Allingham I am not reading all the Allinghams that my online group is reading this summer. My lirary doesn't have all of them, some are sold out, and some are just too expensive to buy. But this one was 99 cents, so I skipped a couple of our group reads for this one. The murder mystery is personal, unlike the raison d'être for the murder in the first book we read last month. And because the reason is personal, it's a darker exploration of the human psyche and not a rollicking adventure story. I enjoyed the book and the characters although Donna Beatrice was so annoying I'd have kicked her out on her ear decades before if I were Belle. But I found the ultimate punishment that the murderer underwent to be les than satisfying, perhaps because I find it unbelievable. But it was a great read, and I love seeing Campion changed, matured, angered, and facing the reality that evil can win. Recommended.

Summer's End by Juneau Black I love this series. It's like Nancy Drew meets Beatrix Potter with a slight twist of Dashiell Hammett. Lenore Lee has managed to convince Vera Vixen to volunteer as a chaperone on a school visit to the archaeological site, Summer's End. It's an important archaeoastronomy site, with an amazing solar event that happens once a year. The archaeologists working at the site will give the students a personal behind the scenes tour, so Vera decides that the opportunity to see the site with these guides is too good to pass up. I really enjoyed the action moving out of Shady Hollow although I did miss Orville. The school group is horrified when they discover a corpse on the site, and Vera springs into action when she realizes that the police's main suspect is Lenore's sister. But without Orville, her access to the site and information is restricted, and she finds that she has to nose around in some unconventional ways to discover the murderer. While I did think the culprit was easy to identify early on, that did not detract from my enjoyment at all. I'm a retired archaeologist, and I have to say the authors did a terrific job at creating a culture history and archaeological site, and the description of the site, the lab, the artifacts, etc. was terrific and spot-on correct. It is so well depicted that I wonder if someone has a background in anthropology or archaeology. Highly recommended to those who enjoy whimsy with their mystery,

Middle Sister's June Reads

It's hot, hot, and hotter in the desert in June, so diving into a good book is the best way to escape.

Sweet Danger by Margery Allingham Knitwear designer Kate Davies is hosting a Summer of Mystery, with a collection of patterns based on some of Ms. Allingham's mysteries ad a read along of a dozen of her novels. I've never made a pattern designed by KDD, but I have read several Albert Campion mysteries, so I decided to participate just for the reading alone. The first book was Sweet Danger, a rollicking treasure hunt murder mystery that introduces Amanda Fitton and her family to Albert, Lugg, and the friends that tag along with Albert as he attempts to solve an ancient mystery and prevent an international incident. The various threads seem a tangled mess at first, but Ms. Allingham skillfully weaves them all together into a neat and tidy package. This may not be the easiest book of hers to start with, but it's one of the most fun.

The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman The second Tuesday Murder Club book is as good as the first, full of seemingly unconnected people and events that ultimately come together in a very satisfying story. This book focuses on Elizabeth, and we find out much more about her secretive past as a Cold War spy. Joyce's diary entries still begin many chapters, providing the background the reader needs to people and incidents. I wish we'd been able to read her persuasive argument to get Ibrahim to overcome his fears and leave his apartment again, but the author doesn't let us be privy to that. Again, I was surprised by the ending, although I had an inkling of the direction we were headed as every theory on whodunit I had conjectured turned out to be wrong. This might not be an easy series for everyone, with its short chapters that jump from character to character and to different points of view, but it's a good series that's very well written. And I hear it's going to be made into a movie. I can't wait. Who will be Bogdan?

Kill or Bee Killed by Jennie Marts I thought I'd enjoy this mystery that takes place at a honey festival in Colorado, one of my favorite places.  But I didn't really enjoy it all that much. At first I thought it was going to be one of those mystery-in-name-only books that is really a romance, because the first few chapters were all about Bailey stumbling and bumbling and being embarrassed, rescued, and aroused at the same time by Sawyer, who is, of course, the sheriff. I think Bailey does the exact same pratfall that lands her in Sawyer's arms at least 4 times. It was funny the first time, but not the second and definitely not the third. The author has surrounded her main character with a quirky family and friends. I think I liked her grandmother and aunts more than Bailey. The town name--Humble Hills; dreadful. The murder takes place backstage at a cooking competition, because those are all the rage now. The hook is that all of the dishes must use honey as an ingredient. The cast is cliched--there's the smarmy emcee, the best friend who's competing, the good 'ole boy, the uptight snob who slowly unravels under the heat of the competition, the production crew members who are hiding secrets. I hate to be a snob, and I am as much a fan of salami and cheese on a cracker as the next person, but it is not a "gorgeous charcuterie board" when you're serving Ritz crackers. If Sawyer "scrubbed" his hand through his hair once, he did it 5 times. Scrubbed is not the right verb here. And after coming up with some ridiculous phrases for the characters to use so they don't curse (e.g., jagoff instead of jerk), the author has a main character call someone a "douche canoe" and a "douche wad." That ain't gentlewomanly in my book at all; I find that way more offensive that a four-letter word. But Ms. Marts needed to introduce a wild side to someone, somehow to move her story along,  so she has Bailey and Evie break into a motorhome to look for clues. Evie later makes a crude allusion to sex, and so does 12-year-old Daisy, so those expecting a squeaky clean book will be surprised. I sure was--that was totally out of character for Evie and if that was my 12-year-old, I'd be terrified.  I was floored when Daisy knowingly repeated some racy dialogue she overheard. There are more instances of out-of-character or just weird behavior (Evie reaches over and starts helping herself to the funnel cake eaten by someone she's met maybe two or three times, professionally, and has only known for two days; how rude) that almost made me think a second author was writing these scenes. The book has one good thing going for it--a golden retriever. There, I thought of two nice things to say: I like the dog and I like the great aunts. Otherwise, I disliked this book a lot. It read like an unedited draft (there were many typos in the Kindle ARC) written by an immature teenager trying to act grown up and cosmopolitan and failing miserably. It's hard to write this, but avoid this book. (NetGalley)

Driven to Murder by Debbie Young  After the disappointing previous ARC I had read, I thought "Let's read one that takes place in rural England, in a bookshop--that's my cup of tea." However, as the old knight says in the Indiana Jones movie, I chose poorly. Sophie is working at her boyfriend Hector's bookshop (craftily called Hector's House; yes. that's sarcasm) in a small village in the Cotswolds. The village is in an uproar because the company that runs the only bus service has suspended operations because it's too expensive and they are losing money. The villagers are up in arms, until Janice is murdered on the bus, and then their fury turns to fear. Sophie decides to solve the mystery herself in her spare time as she learns how to drive. For someone so scared of driving (which is hammered home in chapter after chapter and lots of internal dialogue), Sophie blossoms in one paragraph from scaredy cat extreme to a seasoned driver. So confident is she that, on her second driving trip, she spends her time reflecting on the murder than on the road; completely  out of character after a lot of time has been spent on her fear of and aversion to driving. There are other very unrealistic passages, but sadly, I found the resolution of the murder mystery to be the most unrealistic of all. The pat solution to the bus crisis was so unbelievable that it was lucky that scene came at the end of the book; any earlier and I'd have stopped reading then and there in protest at the assault on our common sense. It's hard to write this, but for the second book this month, I can only say avoid this book. The story and plot are fairly ridiculous and the resolution is at best terrible; most of the characters are not likable, and the author contrives silly behavior on Sophie's part and an unrealistic ending that carried my disappointment right through the very end. The one nice thing I can say--the location is the Costwolds. (NetGalley) 

Middle Sister's May Reads

It looks like I didn't read a lot this month, but I was trying to get caught up with the teetering pile of several years' worth of magazine (barely made a dent in that TBR mountain). But I did read the latest int hat's becoming a reliable favorite for me, the Deputy Donut series.

Double Grudge Donuts by Ginger Bolton I've really come to like Emily Westhill, the protagonist for the Deputy Donut series. Her police office husband was killed, and over the series. she's rebuilt her life, maintained her relationships with her former in-laws, and worked hard to make her business a success. I hate it when amateur detectives go haring off following clues or tailing people and they're supposed to work for a living, especially when they own the business. Emily does do some stupid things that once in a while irritate me, but she's generally level-headed protagonist for us to experience the mystery through. And I like Fallingbrook as as small town--large enough for all these characters and businesses, but small enough to take advantage of the things a small town offers to a mystery writer. In this entry in the series, it's just 2 weeks until Emily and Brett's wedding. A sudden murder means Brett is distracted from wedding planning, so he's not aa central a character as he has been in previous stories, but that allows secondary characters a chance to step up and provide an expanded viewpoint. While I did enjoy the mystery, I have to say the basic raison d'être for the mystery, the Fallingbrook Arts Festival, was just not realistic. Sure, a normal arts fair has been the setting for other mysteries and allows an element of competition and strangers to be part of the story, but the construction of this one is odd: the contestants go door to door to all of the businesses every day and sing or dance or act a scene out for the public. Every day? In front of each and every business on the street? Does every storefront in Fallingbrrok have an outside patio where people can sit and watch? This just seemed really bizarre to me, although I admit I am from NJ and now live in the Wild West, so maybe this kind of festival is common in the Midwest. If it is purely an author's invention as a way to have different suspects present themselves to Emily so she doesn't have to leave the doughnut shop, it fell very flat for this reader. And I love bagpipe music, so everyone complaining how awful bagpipe music is made me a little sad. This is book 10 in the series, so it does get harder for authors to conjecture ways to get the main character involved in a murder, especially in a small town, so it's inevitable that one will be unbelievable. Still, it's a fun read, with likable characters in a setting I enjoy visiting, so Recommended. (Net Galley).

Middle Sister's April Reads

First up, a confession. I didn't read a banned book this month. There was a lot going on and I never got the library. And part of my goal is to read banned books that are easily available at a local library, not books that have to bought online. I plan in getting back on track, never fear. However, it's been a busy month, which culminated the birth of my new puppy, so while I've fallen behind in many things, it was all for wonderful reasons.

Miss Austen Investigates the Hapless Milliner by Jessica Bull This is the first (released in February of this year) in the Miss Austen Investigates series. You should know, Gentle Reader, that I used to carry my tatty paperback copy of Pride and Prejudice with me on every overseas field expedition, and I carried it along to my senior honors thesis in England as well. Yes, I am a great fan of Jane Austen. Some of the modern books featuring g her or taking off where she ended her stories have been mediocre, some have been ok, and some have been pretty good. I'd put the Hapless Milliner in the pretty good category. Jane is torn when the book opens because her beloved sister and bosom companion, Cassandra, is away, and Jane is missing her sister dearly. But at the same time, she is enthralled because of a forbidden romance with a suitor she knows her family would find unacceptable. The book opens with Jane attending a ball, where she steals away for a romantic tryst with Tom, but her rapturous evening is ruined when a murdered woman is found in a closet by Jane's brother. Then, another brother is accused of the murder, and Jane realizes that if she does not identify who the real murderer is, her brother will be hanged for a murder he didn't commit. I enjoyed the murder and the story--Ms. Bull does a good job of recreating late 18th/early 19th century England, and the social restrictions that Jane had to conform to. Jane's reflections on her investigations, as revealed in her letters to Cassandra, allow us to be inside Jane's investigations and sleuth along with her. Recommended. (NetGalley)

A Deadly Walk in Devon by Nicholas George This is another great first entry in a new series, a Walk Through England Mystery series. I love walks and long rambles and hikes, I love England, and so the book would have had to be dreadful for me to pan it. Luckily, it was very enjoyable. Rick "Chase" Chasen, a retired American policeman, has joined his friend Billie for a walking tour of Devon. Chase is starting to emerge from the intense grief of the past year, after the death of his husband, and he and Billie are both hoping that a long walking tour will help him recalibrate a new normal alone. Their companions on the walking tour are stereotypes: the loud crass businessman and his trophy wife, the bickering couple, the brother and sister who are so different and yet so alike. But despite these conventional characters, Mr. George does a good job of throwing some twists into each of their stories to fool the reader. When one of the walkers is murdered on a foggy, treacherous cliffside trail, the local policeman, unfamiliar with murder investigations, asks Chase for his help. I enjoyed this book a lot. I loved the setting, Chase is an interesting character and a good eye for the reader to witness the murder and the investigation through. I just wish we had seen a bit more of Billie, because she's a great character. I'm assuming she may be the main suspect in a future book. I just wonder how well the author can sustain a series where someone gets murdered every time Chase goes on a hike? Recommended. (NetGalley)

The Dog Sitter Detective Takes the Lead by Antony Johnston This is the second in a new-to-me series. Since I do a lot of pet sitting as my side hustle, I had to read this ARC when I can across it. And in general I liked it, but I had one big problem with the main character. At first, I though, finally, a main character who is 60, single, childless, but not an old maid, retired and depressed. Finally, a mature woman resuming her career after some years spent as a caregiver, who is not ashamed of her colorful past bu who has learned some very valuable lessons, who is still very much adventurous and eager for new experiences. I thought I'd love Gwinny. And I liked her, until she spend her first night dog sitting poking into her client's home, hacking into his computer on Avery flimsy pretense. Seriously, a need to film herself reciting her very few lines for the local play? Gwinny is a retired actress making a comeback; this should have been easy for her. And even if I by that excuse, her first instinct is not to film herself on her phone but to break into her client's computer and use his sophisticated recoding equipment? I know she undertakes that action because the author needed that plot device in the story, but I thought of a much better and more clever and natural way for that same information to come Ginny's way that did not involve her doing some very illegal hacking. As a dog and cat sitter myself, if I did that at a client's house, my career in pet sitting would be over. I hated the cavalier way that was treated. And unfortunately, that tainted my enjoyment of the book. I will read another, because I like the premise of the series a lot, but if Gwinny continues to engage in questionable behavior like this, I'll be sorely disappointed. Recommended but not as wholeheartedly as the other books this month. (Net Galley)

Middle Sister's March Reads

 Helle, Gentle Reader, and welcome to spring, and a March full of excellent reading, home and abroad.

And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou The month's banned book is one of powerful poetry written by a modern literary giant. While I don't feel qualified to judge the poetry on its literary merit, nor, in some ways, as a person (I may be a woman but I am not Black, and so my experience is so vastly different), I can say that the book was immensely powerful. The imagery is strong, sometimes subtle, sometimes blunt. The only slightly veiled allusions to physical and sexual abuse are, I presume, why the book was banned, but the 'children' reading this would be high schoolers, and some may even have been abused or raped themselves. They would recognize the cry and pain, and it might help them. Others without those experiences may not even recognize the experience behind the prose. I think this would be totally appropriate in a senior high school literature class. To those who ban it, I say this: bad things happen in this world. It's our job as adults to teach our children that bad things happen, how to protect themselves from it, how to fight it, and how to sympathize with those to whom bad things happen. By hiding this from your children, you leave them unsympathetic at best, and ill-equipped to deal with real life, so that when bad things happen to them, they are crushed by it, at worse.

Moonspinners by Sally Goldenbaum Continuing in my reading of all the Seaside Knitters mysteries in order. In this book (number 4, I think), we are introduced to more of the residents of Sea Harbor, notably Danny Brandley, son of the bookstore owners. He has returned to Sea Harbor to finish writing an article, but Izzy and her knitters soon discover that he has a connection to the late Sophia, wife of a wealthy industrialist who was killed in a car accident that, as it turns out, was no accident. We also meet Liz, the daughter of Annabelle Palazola, who owns the knitters' favorite breakfast restaurant, and Mae's twin nieces play a minor role in the drama. I will admit that I saw the solution to this mystery immediately, as soon as the murderer was introduced, but that still did not color my delight in disappearing into the fictional world of Sea Harbor. By book 4, Ms. Goldenbaum has established the rituals that readers (at least this one) envy: Thursday knit nights, Friday dinners at Nell and Ben's, and we know the 4 main characters well enough that she can elaborate on the supporting townspeople a little. I read this book on a disastrous travel day full of plane delays, missed connections caused by airline incompetence, downgraded seat assignments, and it was a wonderful escape from a reality that was incredibly upsetting and stressful. As always, I recommend the series. 

Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge Ms. Cambridge has established herself in a genre niche in which her main characters are adjacent to well-known real (although now deceased) historical figures. I enjoy the Phyllida Bright series, in which the main character is Agatha Christie's housekeeper. In this new series. the main character, Tabitha, has recently moved to Paris to live with her grandfather and her 'oncle.' It's 1950, and the post-war deprivations are only just starting to ease while the war memories remain strong. Tabitha's neighbor is Julia Child, living in Paris with her diplomat husband Paul, and the two become fast friends. In this first book, Dort, Julia's sister, throws an evening soiree that ends in murder, and Tabitha and Julia try to find who of Dort's friends and coworkers could have wanted Therese to die. The book is very atmospheric and without diving too deep into research myself, it reads as if the author has done a good bit of research herself. Paris and Julia's cooking and food are described in detail, so lovers of foodie mysteries and lovers of historical mysteries will both enjoy it. (NetGalley)

Murder Most French by Colleen Cambridge I had originally intended to read this book first, which was due to be published soon, but I thought I'd read the first in the series and then this second. While I am glad I did, it isn't, at this point in the series, necessary to have read the first. Ms. Cambridge does a good job in introducing the characters and obliquely explaining relationships and their past adventure together so that the reader will not get lost. In this book, we learn a bit more about Oncle's background prior to and during the war, enough to intrigue us and set him up to be pivotal in future books. His and Grandepere's relationship is still largely veiled, but it's clear they are an established couple whose long relationship does not seem to bother anyone in 1950 Paris, although it may upset puritanical modern readers. After exploring food and cooking in the first book, Ms. Cambridge turns to the other great love of the French in this second--wine. Interestingly, after having just finished this book, I was having dinner with a man who had just finished reading a nonfiction book about France and the wine industry in WWII, and we began comparing notes about how the fictional book represented the war and French winemakers. It appears that again, Ms. Cambridge has done her homework, as specific things she mentions were well documented during and after the war and recounted in the nonfiction history. Two good books point to a promising series, and I recommend this title, too. (NetGalley)

Middle Sister's February Reads

 Continuing the 2024 theme of a banned book a month, a knitting book, some mystery.

Brazen: Ladies Who Rocked the World by Penelope Bagieu It's easy to see why this book was banned, even though it was not written for children. It's a graphic non-fiction biography of dozens of women who challenged the times they lived in. Some were great warriors, unabashedly leading troops into war and not feeling remorse (no one ever thinks a great Roman or Chinese general should be faulted for not showing remorse at their actions, but so be it). Some were explorers, some fought for scoaif justice, some were authors, some were scientists, some were lesbians, some were devoted tot heir husbands, some were sold as child brides. It's a great book and I'm so glad I learned about so many amazing women. My one quibble: explorer Delia Akeley died at 95, yet the author says she lived to be 100; dates are given for each woman, so it's a glaring mistake. Utterly enjoyable, and suitable for teenage girls and adults. 

Elemental Knits by Courtney Spainhower Lavishly illustrated book of knits for the four seasons, utilizing natural tones and yarns and named after foreign words for seasons and natural elements such wind. scattered throughout are the designers original drawings for the patterns, which is a lovely artistic touch. Most tops are bottom up, although there are a small number of top down tops, as well as accessories. Lovely book for accomplished knitters who like a natural palette. 

Patchwork Quilt Murder by Leslie Meier I hadn't read a Lucy Stone mystery in years, so I thought I'dread this one and see where the series characters were and if the stories had improved. Well, it's still not on my list of series to follow. I find Lucy a bit cold, and her children, now grown, are not particularly close nor do they show much grief when the family dog dies, although initially neither does Lucy, although she finally does admit to missing Libby. The mystery centers on the disappearance of the unusually highly paid director of the new community center. The number one suspects appears to be Lucy's friend's son, who suffered a nervous breakdown and has returned home after hospitalization to complete his recovery. Although there are some fictional small towns I'd love to live in, I'll pass by Tinker's Cove, even if it is in Maine. (NetGalley)

Middle Sister's Mid-Month Review

There's No Murder Like Show Murder by M. S. Greene. ARC to be published this summer. Tasha Weaver is the manager of the costume department in the Eastbrook Playhouse in Connecticut. Since her mother died when she was a teenager, the playhouse, her coworkers, and the magic of the theater have been the center of her life. The playhouse's next production is Annie Get Your Gun, and Broadway star (although it's waning) Kurt Mozer is on board to play Frank Butler opposite rising star Olivia Grace. But suddenly, Kurt decides to back out of the show, jeopardizing the financial health of the playhouse and possibly setting it up to be closed permanently. Tasha manages to convince Kurt to not leave the show in a lurch, but moments later, Kurt is killed. But by whom? The police are zeroing in on one member of playhouse staff, but Tasha has her doubts as to their guilt. She decides to investigate to prove his innocence, and almost gets murdered herself in the process. The story is pretty goody although the focus on Tasha's stunted emotional growth was a little overdone; to me anyway, and I 'fess up that I'm all about the mystery and less about character development than most readers. I really dislike it when the amateur detective thinks they know better than the detective, and Tasha definitely falls into this category, despite not having ever had any interaction with the police before. I really dislike this ploy to get the character involved in the mystery; it just reads as lazy writing to me. The author provides an interesting backstage look at live theater which I enjoyed, as I did Tasha's interactions with her costume department colleagues. Overall, I'd grade this a slightly better than average debut novel. Although I figured out who had done it early on, I enjoyed most of the characters, the pace is perfect (not too fast and not too slow), and the setting was both unusual and interesting. This is a good vacation book, and I'll probably read the next in the series despite my minor quibbles. (Net Galley)