GLASS HOUSES (2017) by Louise Penny

Glass Houses by Louise Penny
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sometimes when one reads books in a series, quality varies. In the case of Louise Penny's Gamache series each title improves, gains depth. Taking the books in order prepares the reader to feel part of the community.Glass Houses is #13.


FIRST SENTENCE: "State your name, please."

THE STORY: Chief Superintendent of the Sûreté du Québec, Armand Gamache and the people of Three Pines are puzzled by a mysterious figure standing immobile on the green. When the figure disappears, a murder takes place. Did someone pay a debt? The story begins in the courtroom some months later, when the suspect goes on trial. Gamache set the actions in motion. Was what he did right?

WHAT I THOUGHT: Sometimes I get annoyed when a story moves back and forth from the present to the past. But after the first jump in GLASS HOUSES, I had no trouble following the way the trial and the events leading up to it worked together.

Every one of Louise Penny's books has introduced the reader to something new. In this case it is the cobrador del frac. She explains that she created some of the legend to suit the story but the concept does exist.

Recently I've been disturbed by the amount of ugly violence in some of the thrillers I've read. I realized I prefer stories that demand a little more from the reader intellectually. Escape the real world and move to Three Pines.

BOTTOM LINE: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. If you are a mystery reader, you HAVE to read this series.

Disclaimer: An electronic copy of this book was provided to me by NetGalley/Minotaur for a fair review.

LOUISE PENNY is the author of the #1 New York Times and Globe and Mail bestselling series of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels (Still Life, A Fatal Grace, and The Cruelest Month). She has won numerous awards, including a CWA Dagger and the Agatha Award (six times), and was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. In 2017, she received the Order of Canada for her contributions to Canadian culture. Louise lives in a small village south of Montréal.

WATCH ME DISAPPEAR (2017) by Janelle Brown

Watch Me Disappear by Janelle Brown
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

For the New Year I am trying to catch up on Net Galley titles from 2017 that I was given access to but never read. Watch Me Disappear started slowly and I wasn't sure where it was going, but once I committed, I had a hard time putting it down.

FIRST SENTENCE: "It's a good day, or maybe even a great one, although it will be impossible to know for sure later."

THE STORY: A year ago Billie Flanagan went hiking alone and never came home. Her family has not been able to move on since all that was ever found was a boot. Husband Jonathan is writing a memoir about his years with Billie, an charismatic woman, admired by many. But 'missing presumed dead' is taking its toll on the family. Jonathan needs Billie to be pronounced dead so he can access their money. Teenage daughter Olive suddenly starts having visions of her mother urging her to come find her. What does that mean? Will it lead to closure?

Jonathan has always been jealous of Olive's relationship with her mother. But both their stories about perfect Billie reveal troubling aspects. "Who you want people to be makes you blind to who they really are."

WHAT I THOUGHT: Alternating with what's going on with Olive and Jonathan, is the text of a memoir being written by Jonathan, Where the Mountain Meets the Sky: My Life with Billie Flanagan. Using this technique offers the reader layer after layer from different points of view. Things that didn't draw attention suddenly seem to have different meanings. Solving the mystery becomes fascinating as well as watching the problems caused between father and daughter and the missing Billie.

None of the characters were particularly likeable but that makes it more difficult to decide who and what to believe.

Eventually I started thinking I was near the end (it's harder to tell on an E-Reader), turned the page, and the story went on. I started skipping paragraphs to keep things moving wanting to know the final answer. With lots of twists and turns, the story comes to an unexpected ending.

BOTTOM LINE: If you liked Gone Girl, you will find this a compelling read. RECOMMENDED,

Disclaimer: An electronic copy of this book was provided to me by NetGalley/Spiegel & Grau for a fair review.

Janelle Brown is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Watch Me Disappear, All We Ever Wanted Was Everything, and This Is Where We Live. A native of San Francisco and graduate of UC Berkeley, she has since defected to Los Angeles, where she lives with her husband Greg, their two children, and a geriatric lab mix named Guster.  (from her website)

SUE GRAFTON (April 24, 1940 - December 28, 2017)

Sue Taylor Grafton was an American author of detective novels. She is best known as the author of the 'alphabet series' featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California.

A message from her daughter:

Hello Dear Readers. This is Sue's daughter, Jamie. I am sorry to tell you all that Sue passed away last night after a two year battle with cancer. She was surrounded by family, including her devoted and adoring husband Steve. Although we knew this was coming, it was unexpected and fast. She had been fine up until just a few days ago, and then things moved quickly. Sue always said that she would continue writing as long as she had the juice. Many of you also know that she was adamant that her books would never be turned into movies or TV shows, and in that same vein, she would never allow a ghost writer to write in her name. Because of all of those things, and out of the deep abiding love and respect for our dear sweet Sue, as far as we in the family are concerned, the alphabet now ends at Y.

GRIEF COTTAGE (2017) by Gail Godwin

Grief Cottage by Gail Godwin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Publishers Weekly chose Grief Cottage as one of its best books for 2017. I'll second that, but if you check the reviews at Good Reads, they are mixed.

FIRST SENTENCE: "Once there was a boy who lost his mother."

The first sentence makes it clear to me that this remembered coming-of-age story, dealing with grief and loss, is part fairy tale and part ghost story .

THE STORY: When his mother dies suddenly, eleven year old Marcus is sent to live with a reclusive elderly relative on an island off South Carolina. Aunt Charlotte is an artist and points out a derelict house she has painted for years. 50 years earlier a family living there was lost during a hurricane. Marcus becomes fascinated with the family and their son since he cannot find their names in any of the accounts of the storm. His other fascination is with the turtles the community is guarding as they prepare for their birth and trek to the sea. These are his memories of the people and that summer.

WHAT I THOUGHT: I think my recent problem with lack of interest in reading may have more to do with the books I chose than reading itself. Godwin's writing fulfills all my requirements. I want to learn something new and I want the story to be told with great craft and skill. Godwin is a master. It's been many years since I read Finishing School, but I still recall being entranced. One reviewer on Good Reads mentioned the slowness of the story but isn't that the point? Every story has its rhythm.

When I was eleven (or so), I walked home from school rather than take the bus so I could explore a mansion that was in the processing of being torn down. I can still remember the fascination of exploring the many rooms and wondering about the lives of the people who had lived there.

In college I wrote a paper about Henry James' The Turn of the Screw. Godwin even mentions this work in her note to the reader. For me, it's better not to be sure. When my father died, I ended up sleeping in his bed after attending the funeral. In that twilight before falling completely asleep, I felt a comforting hand adjust my blanket. I have always been sure that my father was saying a final good-bye.

There are so many ways that this book triggered memories for me. Even the characters suggested adults I knew growing up.

FAVORITE QUOTE: "I went back and tried to track the whole thing from the beginning, as you would trace on a map a route taken."

"Didn't something have to be one thing or the other, either real or imagined? Or could it be that the two things weren't mutually exclusive?"

"When we don't realize how remarkable someone is while they're still with us. Then after they're gone we wish we had told them, but when they were around we didn't know yet."

BOTTOM LINE: This was an amazingly satisfying read full of stories and interesting characters that are themselves mysteries. There's a languid pace to the book, which doesn't stop it from being totally compelling. By the end Godwin has carefully tied up all the threads of the stories, even those the reader might not have been expecting. Highly Recommended.

Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA; First Edition (June 6, 2017)
ISBN-10: 1632867044
ISBN-13: 978-1632867049

Disclaimer: An electronic copy of this book was provided to me by NetGalley/Bloomsbury USA for a fair review.


Gail Godwin is a three-time National Book Award finalist and the bestselling author of twelve critically acclaimed novels, including Unfinished Desires, A Mother and Two Daughters, Violet Clay, Father Melancholy's Daughter, Evensong, The Good Husband, and Evenings at Five. She is also the author of The Making of a Writer: Journals, 1961--1963, the first of two volumes, edited by Rob Neufeld. She has received a Guggenheim Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts grants for both fiction and libretto writing, and the Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She has written libretti for ten musical works with the composer Robert Starer. She lives in Woodstock, New York (from Amazon).  

Inspired by Austin Kleon

At the end of November, Austin Kleon pointed out in his newsletter that there was still enough time to complete a 30 Day Challenge in 2017.  I chose to read a minimum of 15 minutes a day and have pretty much done just that. I didn't decide on a reward because just reading is its own reward.

It's actually working. I am half-way through Gail Godwin's GRIEF COTTAGE, which went on sale June 6, 2017. My Kindle copy came from Net Galley and I am way behind in my pledge to read and review it.

The Challenge was to get me started. Then today I followed another link on Austin Kleon's web site and found 33 THOUGHTS ON READING so I want to share that as well.

Book Stack 2017

After being diagnosed with end stage renal disease and starting dialysis in June of 2016, my interest in reading was pretty non-existent. Instead I found myself mindlessly watching television, which was easier since I had to do manual exchanges four times a day.

It took me three months to read our book club choice Nearer Than the Sky by T. Greenwood and not because I didn't like it.

Then I decided to revisit Three Pines. I had a used copy of Louise Penny's The Nature of the Beast. I had feared that with Chief Inspector Gamache's retirement that the stories would veer away from what I loved about the stories. I was wrong. It was a great book and I have the next and current title on my new Kindle.

As the holidays approached in 2016 I found my interest in reading returning re-reading a couple of my favorite Christmas stories: The Christmas Star by Christopher Fahy and A Faraway Smell of Lemon by Rachel Joyce.

So I grabbed the first book off the top of my stack, which I promised to review.

The winner was Charlaine Harris' All the Little Liars. It took me forever to read and I never finished writing the review for A Twist of the Knife by Becky Masterson..

Here are the other 'real' books waiting for me:
1. Murder in the Manuscript Room by Con Lehane
2. Vineyard Victims by Ellen Crosby
3. The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Koto
4. The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson
5. The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts
6. The Eighty Dollar Champion by Elizabeth Letts
7. The Gail Force by Robert Lane

There are actually a ton of unread books on my Kindle as well. And I have to admit I still spend too much time on social media and watching television, but I'm working on getting back to reading on a regular basis.

LOVE LIES BLEEDING by Edmund Crispin

Love Lies Bleeding by Edmund Crispin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A wordy and clever story first published in 1948 with a vocabulary that will send you to the dictionary every other page.

It's been years since I read an Edmund Crispin mystery so when NetGalley offered this title, I volunteered. His slueth is Gervase Fen, an eccentric English professor at Oxford.

FIRST SENTENCE: "The headmaster sighed. It was, he recognized, a plaintive and unmanly noise, but for the moment he was quite unable to suppress it."

THE STORY: Gervase Fen has been invited to Castrevenford Boy's School to present the prizes on Speech Day. Instead he finds himself embroiled in the murder of two schoolmasters and the disappearance of a young woman. Throw in a long-lost possible script of Love's Labor's Won and letters written by Shakespeare and there you have it.

WHAT I THOUGHT: Readers either love or hate these mysteries. How often have you come across the following words in a mystery: nugatory, hebetude, chiaroscuro, vitiate, stertorously, irrefragable, etc.) or come across them in any written thing? Keeping a dictionary nearby is recommended or, like me, you can intuit the meaning from the way the words are used.

Interestingly enough the mystery is solved about 80% of the way through the story. After that Gervase spends the rest of the book explaining everything to the headmaster.

BOTTOM LINE: This classic mystery of the Golden Age might not appeal to modern readers. The pace is slower and the language is difficult. On the other hand, a number of reviewers seem to love the old mysteries. This is an outstanding example.

Title: Love Lies Bleeding

Author: Edmund Crispin

Genre: Mystery

Publisher: Ipso Books

No. of Pages: 276

Copyright: March 21, 2017 (Originally published in 1948)

ISBN-10: 1911295314

ISBN-13: 978-1911295310

Disclaimer: An advanced reading copy (ARC) of this book was provided to me by Ipso Press and Net Galley for an honest review.

EDMUND CRISPIN was the pen name of Robert Bruce Montgomery (1921-1978), an English crime writer and composer.

TODAY'S SURPRISE (10/25/17)

The package in the mail today contained a hard back copy of THE VINEYARD VICTIMS: A WINE COUNTRY MYSTERY by Ellen Crosby. There are seven previous entries in this series. This title goes on sale November 7, 2017 so I need to get reading! Thank you Minotaur for making my day!

THE STOLEN MARRIAGE: A NOVEL 2017

The Stolen Marriage by Diane Chamberlain
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The first book I have been able to finish in quite a while. Definitely a beach read but it was hard to put down. Something happens in every chapter that makes you want to turn just one more page.

THE FIRST LINE: "It's a terrible feeling, being despised."

THE STORY: Tess and Vincent have loved each other all their lives and plan to marry, but one fateful weekend changes everything. Tess ends up marrying another man and moving to Hickory, North Carolina where she endures a loveless marriage. How she finds herself during the polio epidemic of 1944 is historically fascinating.

WHAT I THOUGHT: This is my second Diane Chamberlain and it appears that her formula is similar. Her chic-lit stories feature young women allowing secrets to complicate their lives. This plot has everything but the kitchen sink, but you'll keep reading until all the secrets are revealed. My lack of enthusiasm is a minority. Other readers adore everything Dian Chamberlain has written.

Historical fiction is not my first choice but this book incorporates an event that actually happened.

"In June 1944, the citizens of Hickory built a hospital in 54 hours to save their children from the worst polio outbreak that had ever hit the United States. Looking back now, even knowing the results – 13 wards erected, doctors and nurses flocking in by the dozens, hundreds of patients treated and released, with only 12 deaths, one of the country’s lowest-ever rates for polio – the enormity of the undertaking still bewilders." (Charles D. Dixon, Hickory NC)

As a matter of fact, I found myself talking about this to my book group mostly because of the historical aspects. I have called Diane Chamberlain's work 'Nancy Drew stories for adults' but that isn't fair. I was drawn into the story because so many of the outrageous things mirrored parts of my own life and many other women. Besides when I was growing up, I read every Nancy Drew I could find. It's good to know that there are tons of other titles waiting for me to pick up!

Title: The Stolen Marriage

Author: Diane Chamberlain

Genre: Women's Fiction

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

No. of Pages: 384

Copyright: October 3, 2017

ISBN-10: 1250087279

ISBN-13: 978-1250087270

Disclaimer: An advanced reading copy (ARC) of this book was provided to me by St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for an honest review.

DIANE CHAMBERLAIN is the international bestselling author of more than 25 novels published in more than twenty languages, including The Broken String and The Silent Sister. She lives in North Carolina with her partner, photographer John Pagliuca, and her shelties, Keeper and Cole.

My Current Kindle Reading List

Coming out of my reading slump, I have a long list of titles I have promised to read. These are Net Galley picks that reside on my Kindle.

LOVE LIES BLEEDING by Edmund Crispin (3/21/17) Originally published in 1948.
THE SHADOW LAND by Elizabeth Kostova (4/11/17)
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE by Elizabeth Stout (4/25/17)
GRIEF COTTAGE by Gail Godwin (6/6/17)
WATCH ME DISAPPEAR by Janelle Brown (7/11/17)
GLASS HOUSES by Louise Penny (8/29/17)
THE STOLEN MARRIAGE by Diane Chamberlain (10/3/17)

I pledge to start at the beginning of this list and finally catch up. Did I mention there are other books waiting to be read? Real physical copies I have amassed, but I am taking small, hopefully manageable chunks. 

Short Takes 7/27/2017

Louise Penny has a new book coming out. GLASS HOUSES will be available August 29, 2017 from Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio.

Here's a great article 20 MUST-READ NOVELS BY FEMALE MYSTERY AUTHORS. I've read seven of these authors but not necessarily the specific book mentioned: S.J Rozan; Minette Walters; Barbara Vine/Ruth Rendell; Ngaio Marsh, P.D. James; and Patricia Highsmith.

14 Summer Reading Challenges for Adults Here's an interesting variety of reading challenges to inspire your summer reading.

Leslie Odom Jr has signed a book deal with Macmillan with a release date set for March 2018.

John Green has his first new novel, TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN, in 6 years coming out this October. His last book was THE FAULT IN OUR STARS in 2012.

Introduction Armchair Book Expo 2017

 Celebrating 10 years of random blogging!

According to my Twitter description I am an actor, director, singer, reader, reviewer, and genealogist not necessarily in that order.

 

Currently I have been on dialysis for almost a year while waiting for a kidney transplant. It has made it difficult to concentrate and enjoy reading. A huge truck delivers my medical supplies once a month.

I love literate mysteries and getting my picture taken with my favorite authors. Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Gamache series is a must read. Start at the beginning with STILL LIFE.

My favorite thing to do is attend and review productions at the Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea, Michigan. It was started twenty-five years ago by actor Jeff Daniels and the quality of the productions is amazing.

My current read is Becky Masterman's A TWIST OF THE KNIFE. It's her third book in the Brigid Quinn series.

My summer plans are to spend time at the lake while reading although I am also committed to directing a show about women's views of their bodies. It's a comedy.

These are some of the lovely women in my book group called IN GOOD COMPANY. We're about eating, drinking, and passionately discussing what we read.

I started my blog, Book Keeping back in 2007 when I was retiring from a career in the library world. I spend time on Face Book, Twitter, and Instagram although my thoughts range beyond books and reading. Lots of my reviews come courtesy of NetGalley.

Short Takes 4/25/17

15 Ways to Be a Literary Advocate

Book Riot put together some wonderful suggestions for how to support books, reading, and libraries.

Dennis Palumbo on Between the Lines Barry Kibrick of NPS talks with Dennis Palumbo, renowned psychologist and Oscar nominated screen writer, about his new book Phantom Limb, fourth in his mystery series set in Pittsburgh featuring Daniel Rinaldi. I have read, loved, and reviewed all four.

Wednesday, May 31-Sunday, June 4, 2017

"Armchair Book Expo is an online conference that runs in conjunction with Book Expo in New York City. There are a large number of people around the world that are not able to join in the literary celebrations of Book Expo, so Armchair Book Expo brings the celebration to you by allowing networking among other book bloggers, authors, and publishers as well as special coverage of the event, all from the comfort of your very own armchair."

 

EVENINGLAND 2017

Eveningland: Stories by Michael Knight
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For ten years, since retirement, we've traveled to the Gulf in February to escape the worst of Michigan's winter at first staying in various motels and eventually renting condos in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama.

My love of reading had fallen by the wayside as I struggled with my kidney failure and the burden of dialysis four times a day. Even on vacation, I found it difficult to concentrate.

As a member, not necessarily in good standing, of Net Galley I am able to read and review books before publication. I'm not high enough in the hierarchy for publishers to want to share their treasures although I have loved the books I've been granted.

Right before we left Orange Beach to come home, I got an e-mail that offered a book of short stories by Michael Knight called Eveningland. The setting was Mobile and the Gulf. I was able to get a copy and started reading.

THE FIRST LINE: "None of this is true. All of this is true."

THE STORY: There are six stories and a novella that may or may not include a satisfactory ending for some readers. The reader is often left to ponder what might happen in the future. One with a real twist is "Smash and Grab". By the time I got to "Landfall", I was so invested in the characters that I was truly concerned on their behalf.

WHAT I THOUGHT: Short stories are not something I tend to choose to read; however, I am almost always won over and that was the case here.

The writing is beautiful and the description of areas around Mobile evocative. I actually prefer untidy endings. They stay with you longer.

Title: Eveningland

Author: Michael Knight

Genre: Short Stories

Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press

No. of Pages: 304

Copyright: March 7, 2017

ISBN-10: 0802125972

ISBN-13:978-0802125972

Disclaimer: An advanced reading copy (ARC) of this book was provided to me by Atlantic Monthly Press and Net Galley for an honest review.

Michael Knight is the author of the novels The Typist and Divining Rod, the short story collections Goodnight, Nobody and Dogfight and Other Stories, and the book of novellas The Holiday Season. Knight teaches creative writing at the University of Tennessee and lives in Knoxville with his family. Learn more at MichaelKnightFiction.com. (from Amazon)
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Short Takes 4/6/17

Today's mail brought me a review copy of The Bronx Kill by Philip Cioffari, an author with whom I am not familiar. "The complexity and durability of friendship stand at the heart of . . . an extraordinary novel that earned high advance praise from Kirkus Reviews."

Blogger/Librarian Marlyn Beebe posted a link to Facebook that I just had to share. Check out 100 Must-Read Books with Plot Twists. I've actually read 20 of these titles and they are all as advertised!

Excerpts from SinC Links:

The mystery world mourns the death of Colin Dexter, creator of Inspector Morse and the inspiration behind “Lewis” and “Endeavour.” HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READING

“The Play That Goes Wrong” upends the mystery whodunit. This knockabout mystery farce from London trades on the perverse comfort of watching things go smash in a safe, contained environment. ONE OF THE PRODUCERS IS A COLLEGE CLASSMATE.

NY Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris is launching a new fantasy series set in a fractured America. The first book in the trilogy, TEXOMA, will debut in 2018. JUST READ MY FIRST (AND LAST) AURORA TEAGARDEN.

Early in March, SinC released the 2016 Monitoring Report, the annual report which highlights media coverage of books by female crime novelists. It has been at the cornerstone of the Sisters in Crime mission for 30 years. I MONITOR DEADLY PLEASURES FOR THIS PROJECT.

ON TURPENTINE LANE (2017)

On Turpentine Lane by Elinor Lipman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In 1999 I stumbled upon The Inn at Lake Devine and chose it to be featured at a Reader's Advisory Workshop where I was speaking. Elinor Lipman turned out to be a 'life author' for me. Her stories are what I call literate chic-lit but they are more than that.

Here's what I wrote in an earlier review on my blog:

She is the Jane Austen of her time. Language, dialogue and sentences are precise and exactly right. And you will want to be friends with all her characters. She deals with what could be uncomfortable topics that are part of our lives in a way that makes them palatable.

THE FIRST LINE: "If I hadn't been naive and recklessly trusting, would I ever have purchased number 10 Turpentine Lane, a chronic headache masquerading as a charming bungalow?"

THE STORY: Faith Frankel has returned to her hometown at the age of thirty-two to work for her private school writing thank you notes to wealthy donors. In the meantime, her fiance has abandoned her and is finding himself on a cross country walk. He's too busy to get in touch with her but posts pictures of himself with the women he is meeting on his trek. Luckily Faith has support from her office mate Nick Franconi. (Can you see where this is going?)

WHAT I THOUGHT: This screwball romantic comedy is funny, poignant, and a little outrageous. If you want a lovely, well-written escape from today's politics, you can't go wrong with Elinor Lipman. Highly recommended.

Title: On Turpentine Lane

Author: Elinor Lipman

Genre: Chic-Lit

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

No. of Pages: 320

Copyright: February 14, 2017

ISBN-10: 054480824X

ISBN-13: 978-0544808249

Disclaimer: An advanced reading copy (ARC) of this book was provided to me by Houghton Mifflin and Net Galley for an honest review.

ELINOR LIPMAN is the author of ten novels, including The View from Penthouse B and The Inn at Lake Devine; one essay collection, I Can’t Complain; and Tweet Land of Liberty: Irreverent Rhymes from the Political Circus. She lives in Massachusetts and New York City. (from Amazon.com)

Book Challenges

Look for a challenge for 2017? This site has listed a number of choices for your reading for this coming year. Check it out at MY READING CHALLENGES.