Short Takes 4/2/2018

Mystery writer Louise Penny has been publishing a new title in her Inspector Gamache series every August. This year will be a little different. With the death of her husband, she initially decided to take a break, but she quietly began writing again with the result that KINGDOM OF THE BLIND will lay down November 27, 2018. Her many fans are relieved!

I just beginning to explore the idea of bullet journaling when I found this information at Beth Fish Reads blog. There's an introductory video by Ryder Carroll, the brains behind the system and owner of Bullet Journal and BuJo trademarks. Check it out if you are curious.

Aunt Agatha's Mystery Bookstore in Ann Arbor is closing after 26 years.

April 2, 2018
Dear Beloved Customers and Readers,

We are regretful but ready to announce that we will be closing Aunt Agatha’s in August of this year. We have enjoyed getting to know many of you, discussing books with you, sharing author events with you and sharing the love of mysteries with you for 26 years. Many of you we are happy to think of as friends. It’s been a wonderful journey.
As in the great Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express there are many culprits for our demise – we are getting older; constant street construction; Amazon; and fierce local competition. We hope you will keep local bookstores vital and alive by patronizing the many exciting stores that remain open.

And please come by to say hello, fill out your collection, or plan to attend one of the wonderful events we have remaining on our schedule this spring and summer. However, we can no longer take your books for store credit. We suggest the library, the PTO thrift store, and the recycle center.
After we close we plan to continue selling our remaining inventory on ABE books online, and under construction is a review blog focusing on first mystery novels by women. We also have some future events planned at the library. But for now, everything is for sale!
April - 15%
May – 20%
June – 30%
July – 40%
August – 50%

We will also be selling shelving, tables, our front counter, and posters. If there’s something you are interested in please make us an offer. We also have quite a few 6’ banquet tables & folding chairs.
We have a closing event scheduled on August 26 with William Kent Krueger, and we hope you’ll join us for a final gather round the communal mysterious hearth.

With much gratitude for your patronage,

Robin & Jamie

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.

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.

Fascinating Locations in Louise Penny's Mysteries

#11 in the series will be on sale August 25, 2015

Minotaur Books is doing a series leading up to the publication of Louise Penny's new book in the Chief Inspector Gamache series revealing the places that have inspired the fictional places in her mysteries! You can check them out HERE.

2014 Edgar Nominees Announced

Aunt Agatha's in Ann Arbor, Michigan

The Mystery Writers of America awards will be made in May 2014 at their annual meeting.

In the meantime we can amuse ourselves with the nominees worthy of their consideration. The whole list can be found HERE or visit the Edgars site for more information.

Of the nominees, the ones I have read are:

Best Novel - How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny (Minotaur Books)

Best First Novel - Rage Against the Dying by Becky Masterman (Minotaur Books)

Best First Novel - Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight (HarperCollins Publishers)

Grand Master - Carolyn Hart (who writes delightfully intelligent cozyies)

Raven - Aunt Agatha's Bookstore, Ann Arbor, Michigan

HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN (2013)

Louise Penny's latest entry in her Chief Inspector Gamache series went on sale August 27, 2013. I was lucky enough to score an ARC (advanced reading copy) months ago but put off reviewing the book because I was afraid my words would not do it justice.

So instead I offer a link to a review written by librarian Judie Evans of How the Light Gets In via Shelf Awareness. You'll have to scroll down to find it on the webpage.

One caveat though. Do not start reading the series with this title. You are guaranteed to fall in love with the village of Three Pines and its residents. Begin your journey with the very first book Still Life.

My Current Heart's Desire Achieved

Available August 27, 2013

Right before dinner, the UPS guy brought me my current heart's desire. 
 

THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY (2012)

The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Louise Penny is an amazing writer and story teller. With Chief Inspector Gamache, she has found a worthy successor to P.D. James' Adam Dalgliesh and others. Since most readers seem to fall in love with the stories, I recommend starting at the beginning of the series. There is a richness that comes from living with and getting to know these characters, their place in the world and how it has changed over time.

Most of the books are set in the charming village of Three Pines, but The Beautiful Mystery takes us to an isolated monastery, where monks have maintained a tradition of Gregorian Chanting that brings the unwelcomed world to their door when they release a recording that may have influenced the death of one of the brothers.

No matter where Penny sets her mysteries, her descriptions of place create a longing to visit and stay awhile. Check out this article that investigates the real world locations that have influenced the author.

The Beautiful Mystery is a haunting work and perhaps her best offering in the series to date.



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#ArmchairBEA Introduction

So today Armchair BEA features introductions from participating bloggers. I have gotten that far in figuring out what I am supposed to be doing! If you don't know what I'm talking about you can visit the Armchair BEA website. This absolutely fabulous idea allows those of us who can't make it to New York to be part of the publishing industries premier event.

The first task is to answer some questions so here goes.

Retired from the world of libraries, I have been blogging for five years to keep in touch with the world of books. I write about random things that appeal to me that have any loosely defined connection to reading and books.

Retirement Reward

 I am (in no particular order) a mother, grandmother, actress, singer, director, reviewer, reader, blogger, genealogist, friend, and time traveler.

My Bunny

Michael Tucker's Living in a Foreign Language (pub. 7/07) is bookmarked and sitting by my favorite chair. I recently read his first novel After Annie (pub. 3/12) and wanted to read more of his writing.

What I'm Reading Now

Sitting down to dinner with Chief Inspector Gamache at the Bistro in Three Pines would be an incredible experience. If he wasn't available, his creator Louise Penny, would be a most acceptable stand-in.

Author Louise Penny

 Recently I have found it necessary to invoke the Nancy Pearl's Rule of 50 (She's such a doll!) and expect that will occur more frequently as I get older. The saying "So many books, so little time." becomes more and more true with age.

The Brutal Telling (2009)

The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

There are currently seven books in the Chief Inspector Gamache Canon. The Brutal Telling is number five. (Number eight, The Beautiful Mystery will lay down on August 28, 2012.) This story, in particular, suffers for being read out of order. And unfortunately I can't remember the beginning of the next book and how things got reconciled so that is bothering me.

A body is discovered in the village bistro. He is unknown to everyone except one person, who refuses to tell. When Gamache and his team arrive, the mysteries of the past reveal themselves in fascinating ways.

Like other readers, I want to live in Three Pines. I want to spend time with the people I know so well through Penny's graceful writing. I want to visit all the locations she so lovingly describes. And if there has to be a murder now and then to bring Chief Inspector Gamache to town, well then I'm all right with that.

Although this series falls neatly into the cozy classification, I consider Louise Penny's books to be literate mysteries as well. If you start with Still Life and work your way through, as with Agatha Christie, you will be more than happy with each entry.

Louise Penny; photo by John Mahoney

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What I'm Reading Now

Life events have conspired to slow my reading progress but I am currently enjoying Louise Penny's The Brutal Telling, which is a title somewhere in the middle of her Chief Inspector Gamache series. When I finish this book, I will be caught up and left with nothing to do but await The Beautiful Mystery (August 28, 2012 release).

Then it will be a decision between reading After Annie by Michael Tucker (library book) or The Icon Thief by Alec Nevala-Lee (my book). Library books tend to win because they have to be returned, but I won The Icon Thief in a contest, which was exciting, and I love thrillers. On the other hand, After Annie is set in the theater world. Stay tuned to see what I finally decide.

A Rule Against Murder (2008)

A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Since first discovering Louise Penny's Bury Your Dead, I have become addicted to her Chief Inspector Gamache series. Although they can be read out of order, I love the forward progression and recurring characters she has created. It is always a delight to visit in Three Pines. It feels like going home to a place you know even though you know something bad (and exciting) is going to happen.

A Rule Against Murder is book number four in a brief list of seven titles ending with last year's Trick of the Light. Even though Penny has amassed a rightfully earned number of awards for all her books, it appears her craftsmanship has gotten better and better.

The setting in A Rule Against Murder follows Gamache and his wife to an isolated, luxurious resort just over the mountains from Three Pines. They are celebrating their anniversary where they spent their honeymoon years earlier. Unfortunately a wealthy and entitled family has occupied much of the lodge. That combined with a storm that leaves behind a dead body eventually reveals an intricate past and unexpected connections.

Her eighth book, The Beautiful Mystery will be available in both the U.S. and Canada on August 28th. Needless to say, there are a continually growing devoted group of readers who can't wait. One of them is me!

View all my reviews

The Cruelest Month (2007)

The Cruelest Month: A Three Pines Mystery by Louise Penny

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Like any series, the entries may vary in their appeal, but with Louise Penny, once you are hooked, it doesn't matter. I feel like the quirky people in the village of Three Pines are friends and I desperately wish that Inspector Gamache was a real person.

The Cruelest Month is the third in the series. Unfortunately I began with book 6, which is one of the best and has won a ton of awards. Then Trick of the Light #7 was released last year and I had to read that. Finally I started at the beginning. Now I just have A Rule Against Murder and The Brutal Telling before I start fretting about when a new title will be released.

This is a series that I recommend be read in order for the greatest enjoyment.

In The Cruelest Month some of the villagers decide to celebrate Easter with a seance at the old Hadley house, the scene of other unhappy events, and one of them dies apparently of fright. But something isn't right.

An interesting feature of these books is that the poems ascribed to Penny's character Ruth are actually the work of Margaret Atwood

I was hanged for living alone,
for having blue eyes and a sunburned skin,
tattered skirts, few buttons,
a weedy farm in my own name, 
and a surefire cure for warts. 

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Louise Penny and Stephanie Pintoff (September 10, 2011)

Schuler's Bookstore in Okemos

I promise to have more to say about this later.

More Changes in the Book World

Author Erica Spindler from a random ALA Conference in my past

Reading one of my favorite writer book blogs today, I came across an article about changes in the way book tours are structured. Actually the article, which you can read HERE, was about a website that assisted with putting book tours together, closing shop.

Publishers have drastically cut the budgets for sending authors to book stores (are there still bookstores out there?) just to sell and sign a very few books. Instead events like the Kerrytown Book Fest with dozens of authors are taking the place of book tours.

This makes me interested in seeing what author Louise Penny will be doing when she visits Schuler's Bookstore in Okemos on Saturday, September 10 versus her appearance at the Ann Arbor Festival the following day.

Fatal Grace (2007)

A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Everybody wants to live in the charming 'snow-globe' village of Three Pines - even the cruel CC de Poitiers. Having purchased the old Hadley House, she continues to spread her poison during the lovely Christmas season distressing everyone around her.

A particularly complicated murder brings Chief Inspector Gamache back to work his magic.

Often authors don't meet the expectations of their first book but that is not the case with Canadian author Louise Penny. My introduction to her works was through Bury the Dead, which is book #6 in the series and has won a number of awards this year including the American Library Association designation of Best Mystery Book of 2010. Now I am working my way through earlier titles so I will be caught up when her new book is released this summer.

Visit the author's site to find a list of her other books and news about #7 Trick of the Light, scheduled to be released in simultaneously in Canada and the United States on August 30, 2011.

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BURY YOUR DEAD Wins Agatha

I knew I was on to something special when I read Bury Your Dead, but it is reassuring to know one's instincts align with  other's opionions. In this case, Louise Penny actually won her fourth Agatha!

"The Agatha Awards, given to books that best exemplify the Agatha Christie tradition, (i.e., no explicit sex, excessive gore or gratuitous violence) were announced this weekend. Canadian author Louise Penny picked up her fourth for Bury Your Dead, giving her Armand Gamache the most Agatha’s  ever for  books in a single series." (from EarlyWord)

Still Life (2006)

After being surprised with my discovery of Louise Penny's most recent Chief Inspector Gamache mystery, I went back to the beginning to read the rest of the series in order (as was recommended by a friend).

In Three Pines, a charming village south of Quebec City (which seems unlikely to be touched by crime) an elderly woman is found in the woods on Thanksgiving Sunday. Was her death an accident or will Gamache uncover a murderer?

These are the titles in the series: Still Life; A Fatal Grace/Dead Cold; The Cruelest Month; A Rule Against Murder/The Murder Stone; The Brutal Telling; and Bury Your Dead. Where there is a / slash, the title to the left is the one used in the US and the one to the right is used in the UK.

And Louise just posted the following good news on Facebook:

"Finished editing the next book - A TRICK OF THE LIGHT. Wanted to end 2010 by getting that done. Feels terrific. Quiet, but lovely evening. Hope you enjoy the last evening of the decade."

Kirkus Review Posts Top Books of 2010

 Every librarian knows where to find the important reviews and Kirkus is one of a handful of sources. They have just posted their top book lists for 2010. If you're looking for some good reading to add to YOUR list, check it out HERE.

Having just discovered Louise Penny, I was pleased to see that Bury Your Dead was in the top ten mystery list!


"Founded in 1933, Kirkus reviews more than 500 pre-publication books each month, including fiction, nonfiction, children's and young-adult books.  Our reviews are a trusted and authoritative decision-making tools, crafted by specialists selected for their knowledge and expertise in a particular field."