This latest in the Stonechild and Rouleau series picks up with the same characters a few months after the action of the last volume. The primary peoplThis latest in the Stonechild and Rouleau series picks up with the same characters a few months after the action of the last volume. The primary people are in the same places except that Rouleau is now acting head of the department. His superior essentially ran off with his mistress for an undetermined length of time so Rouleau is removed from day to day police work and is full time pushing paper.
Meanwhile, a local family has gathered from around the country as the father is nearing death. The family, mother, two sons and one daughter, are fractured and not coping but not due to this impending death. Rather it’s due to old issues that have never cleared, including a murder 14 years ago, blamed on one of the sons but ultimately never proven. The toxic family could win an award in not coping. But there are moments of connection among the siblings.
Then there is another murder in the present day. And the spite, fear and anxiety are flowing.
Once again, I recommend this book and series to mystery readers. The Canadian setting is interesting, here with the terrible winter weather, the distances, etc and differences in law from the U.S. I believe this book could be read on its own, but for full background, it would be better to read some of the earlier books. Another good series!
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review
Merged review:
This latest in the Stonechild and Rouleau series picks up with the same characters a few months after the action of the last volume. The primary people are in the same places except that Rouleau is now acting head of the department. His superior essentially ran off with his mistress for an undetermined length of time so Rouleau is removed from day to day police work and is full time pushing paper.
Meanwhile, a local family has gathered from around the country as the father is nearing death. The family, mother, two sons and one daughter, are fractured and not coping but not due to this impending death. Rather it’s due to old issues that have never cleared, including a murder 14 years ago, blamed on one of the sons but ultimately never proven. The toxic family could win an award in not coping. But there are moments of connection among the siblings.
Then there is another murder in the present day. And the spite, fear and anxiety are flowing.
Once again, I recommend this book and series to mystery readers. The Canadian setting is interesting, here with the terrible winter weather, the distances, etc and differences in law from the U.S. I believe this book could be read on its own, but for full background, it would be better to read some of the earlier books. Another good series!
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review...more
So much happens in this episode, from the emergence of doubts and new ideas about the wrap up of the case that made Jejeune’s career and fame with theSo much happens in this episode, from the emergence of doubts and new ideas about the wrap up of the case that made Jejeune’s career and fame with the MET; to the threat posed by the release of a man convicted due to Jejeune’s police work which now poses threats to his and Lindy’s happiness and safety; to the current crime, a person, male, found shot and burned with no other information available. There are so many twists and turns in this novel. Loyalties are seen fraying and tested and relationships...will they recover?
As this is a part of the birder mystery series, there are the requisite references to expected and surprising species in this north of England setting. The descriptions of the natural world are evocative of mood, place. They reflect and sometimes foretold the future. Jejeune is a detective who lives much of his life in his head. He is not an action hero but more cerebral (although the last book involved a lot of physical action in South America).
I continue to recommend this series to mystery readers. While this can be read as a stand-alone, it would likely be better appreciated if you were to read one of the earlier books, perhaps the last.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Merged review:
So much happens in this episode, from the emergence of doubts and new ideas about the wrap up of the case that made Jejeune’s career and fame with the MET; to the threat posed by the release of a man convicted due to Jejeune’s police work which now poses threats to his and Lindy’s happiness and safety; to the current crime, a person, male, found shot and burned with no other information available. There are so many twists and turns in this novel. Loyalties are seen fraying and tested and relationships...will they recover?
As this is a part of the birder mystery series, there are the requisite references to expected and surprising species in this north of England setting. The descriptions of the natural world are evocative of mood, place. They reflect and sometimes foretold the future. Jejeune is a detective who lives much of his life in his head. He is not an action hero but more cerebral (although the last book involved a lot of physical action in South America).
I continue to recommend this series to mystery readers. While this can be read as a stand-alone, it would likely be better appreciated if you were to read one of the earlier books, perhaps the last.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
An interesting collection of mystery stories and novellas dating from the 1930s and 1940s, set in Britain and marking a very different era. Allingham�An interesting collection of mystery stories and novellas dating from the 1930s and 1940s, set in Britain and marking a very different era. Allingham’s tales, “On Christmas Day in the Morning� and “Word in Season: A Story for Christmas,� were clever and fun, leading me to want to read more of her Campion works. Likewise, Nicholas Blake’s Nigel Strangeways novella, “Thou Shell of Death,� kept me involved and guessing, while also providing engaging prose:
Nigel, after a brief stay at Oxford, in the course of which he had neglected Demosthenes in favour of Freud, had turned to the profession of criminal investigator—the only profession left, he was wont to remark, which gave scope for good manners and scientific curiosity. (loc 279)
The butler let them in, nicely grading his reception to their respective social stations, Nigel being accorded the tepid affability due to a gentleman, while Bleakley, who was only a person, received a welcome without the chill off. (loc 2429)
The final story, also a novella, by Michael Innes, “There Came Both Mist and Snow�, a bit more cumbersome than those preceding it, is the story of a Christmas house party narrated by one of the participants. There is a lengthy set up of all the participants, then the central “event� followed by the gradual working out of a solution. It was clever but seemed over-written for my taste. Of course how Innes could have done this differently I really don’t know.
All in all, it seems to round out to 4* of holiday crime reading I do recommend. These Golden Age writers knew what they were doing!
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
There are so many feelings I have for this book, new ones with virtually every poem, but the essence of each seems to be my amazement at the way HirshThere are so many feelings I have for this book, new ones with virtually every poem, but the essence of each seems to be my amazement at the way Hirshfield uses every day language and manners of speaking to express such truths of every day life. At times I felt as if she had somehow known my experiences while at others I sensed she was seeing the grand scheme for us all. Perhaps that’s a bit presumptuous. If so, it would be on my part, not Hirshfield, who does not appear to make any such claims.
I have marked several poems to cite in this review, too many in fact. This will be the difficult part, choosing.
Rebus
You work with what you are given, the red clay of grief, the black clay of stubbornness going on after. Clay that tastes of care or carelessness, clay that smells of the bottoms of rivers or dust.
Each thought is a life you have lived or failed to live, each word is a dish you have eaten or left on the table. There are honeys so bitter no one would willingly choose to take them. The clay takes them: honey of weariness, honey of vanity, honey of cruelty, fear.
This rebus—slip and stubbornness, bottom of river, my own consumed life� when will I learn to read it plainly, slowly, uncolored by hope or desire? Not to understand it, only to see.
As water given sugar sweetens' given salt grows salty, we become our choices. Each YES, each NO continues, this one a ladder, that one an anvil or cup.
The ladder leans into its darkness. The anvil leans into its silence. The cup sits empty.
How can I enter this question the clay has asked?
I may return to include more examples from the poetry. It’s so difficult to select which one or ones mean the most to me; I have a feeling that may change over time, even each time I pick up the book.
Needless to say, if you read poetry, I strongly recommend this. If you aren’t sure, I suggest giving it a try....more
Pete Souza’s Shade: A Tale of Two Presidents is a photographic essay of President Obama’s first 500 days contrasted with the tweetstorm that emanated Pete Souza’s Shade: A Tale of Two Presidents is a photographic essay of President Obama’s first 500 days contrasted with the tweetstorm that emanated multiple times daily from the Trump White House during his first 500 days. While much is as would be expected, the book’s design serves to heighten the differences between these men serving in the same office, sometimes leading to smiles, often to feelings of sadness and wistful hope for the future [we had sanity once, can’t we have it again?]. The photos are often thoughtful and apparently thoughtfully chosen. Opposite a page of Trump tweets about money paid to Stormy Daniels and his team’s flip-flopping answers about her payoff, is a photograph of the White House surrounded by dark, black clouds. The one word caption: “Stormy�
Souza came to the idea for the book after starting an Instagram account post Mr Trump’s inauguration. He felt a strong need to express his thoughts and feelings about what he considered very basic wrongs. The response to his Instagram postings was so strong and supportive, it led to planning this book. And lest readers believe that Souza is a left wing only supporter, before the eight years spent as President Obama’s photographer, he also was the official photographer for Ronald Reagan.
No one’s political mind is apt to be changed by this book, but I found it another source of hope, much needed as the major institutions of this country are under attack, seemingly a more vicious attack than even Watergate.
I recommend this book as a friendly haven, a reminder of sanity and law, and a reminder that there ARE stark differences between good and evil, much as most in our time do not like those words. I am not saying that Obama was a saint, only that he lived with, by and under the law, tried to work with all branches of government as the Constitution would have him do. And he managed to be a family man and apparent loving husband at the same time. Well enough said. Quite possibly, too much!
I now have another series to fit into one of my favorite reading niches: the paranormal, witty, mystery novel. Thank you Simon Green for adding to my I now have another series to fit into one of my favorite reading niches: the paranormal, witty, mystery novel. Thank you Simon Green for adding to my reading pleasure and your obvious love of the English language.
Call me Ishmael. Ishmael Jones. There is a hidden world, of the strange and unnatural. A shadowy world, of aliens and monsters and men who have monsters in them. I operate in the darkest parts of the hidden world, dealing with things that shouldn’t exist but unfortunately do. And if I’ve done my job properly, none of you will ever know I was there.
So the story begins with the vaguest of hints at what might be to come and the style with which it will be presented.
Ishmael is a monster hunter with a past, a past I will not share as learning about him is part of the fun. This is the third book in the series (I haven’t read the first two and that didn’t bother me). I’m sure more history exists in earlier and later books as he seems to be a “man in progress�.
The premise here: Ishmael and partner Penny are assigned to get to Scotland ASAP to investigate a conference being held at a great house on the shore of Loch Ness. Their immediate concern: the previous operative on the job has been killed under strange circumstances. The inconvenience: the meeting involves a secretive international economic group of untold power who are not known by the world and want no interference. What could go wrong?
Well, throw in legends of monsters in the house, possible people who aren’t who they seem to be, crimes that don’t make sense, all presented in language that’s a joy to read.
I will definitely continue with this series.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
This was another great outing with Sara Paretsky and her almost, but too human to be, wonder woman, V.I.Warshawski. Set in her familiar surroundings oThis was another great outing with Sara Paretsky and her almost, but too human to be, wonder woman, V.I.Warshawski. Set in her familiar surroundings of Chicago, it is very current, featuring the more recent predations of ICE on even legal immigrants, the ways the lives of the extremely wealthy can intersect with people much lower on the socioeconomic ladder and how V.I. manages to interact with both while doing favors for “almost� family members who she cares about deeply.
The action level is high. Occasional coincidences are well explained through the plot. V.I. both takes and gives lumps while also meeting some interesting new people. All in all, another book that any follower of the series definitely should read. Anyone not reading this series really should seriously consider it. The plots are well constructed, the characters well developed and the writing is excellent. The stories frequently tie in a contemporaneous event or social or political issue which broadens their scope. This may be local to Chicago or national or possibly more far-reaching.
This book is the latest in the Phineas Fox series from Sarah Raynes, where the stories all center on a mystery surrounding some aspect of music. Fox iThis book is the latest in the Phineas Fox series from Sarah Raynes, where the stories all center on a mystery surrounding some aspect of music. Fox is a music researcher whose interests are broad and who is open to the “ghosts� of the past. In this outing, he accompanies a close friend, Arabella, on a visit to her old school. But his will be a working visit as he has been asked to assess an opera written by a former professor.
And the school is known to be the center of an old mystery dating to the days of the French Revolution. What happened to the nuns of this house at the end of the 18th century? A touch of mystery makes the trip even more appealing.
The story is told in more than one timeline . The distant past events occur in the late 18th c. in the area of the Convent and Chandos estate. Another past timeline occurs roughly 10 to 15 years in the past from the present day. While much of this was very effective story-telling, at times it felt to me that it went on just a bit too long in the distant past. The timelines/narratives did not seem as well integrated as in past books in the series.
Raynes is really expert at bringing her plot points and characters together by the end of the book and she did this well here, throwing a touch of the gothic into the mix and keeping music central to the plot.
My rating is 3.5*, not quite 4.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
This first book in a new series from Ragnar Jonasson features Huldu Hermansdottir, a police inspector nearing mandatory retirement, and resenting thatThis first book in a new series from Ragnar Jonasson features Huldu Hermansdottir, a police inspector nearing mandatory retirement, and resenting that fact. As the story opens, Huldu is presented with a new, unwelcome “gift� from her boss. She no longer has one more year of work. Her replacement is available now and will need her office very soon. She can begin her retirement early, with pay of course. For a woman whose refuge has been work, who dreads time alone, this amounts to a curse. So Huldu works on one last case, a fairly cold case, the death of an asylum-seeker from Russia found on the shore a year ago.
As the novel advances, we learn about Huldu’s life, family, her feelings about her time with the police and her mostly male colleagues. There also are stories told in alternating chapters that fit into both Huldu’s and the crime story. (Those who dislike this device seen frequently in novels of late, be warned.) Huldu is an interesting woman; at 64, she is in a demographic not often used to lead such a novel. Her fears seemed realistic with an overlay specific to her situation.
To say much more is to risk spoiler territory which I want to avoid. The Darkness is the story of a woman at a turning point in her life, trying to right a case left unsolved, trying to decide what she wants and who she is after some major life disappointments.
My feelings are a bit mixed about this book, at times firmly in the 4* territory while others saw it more of a 3*. So probably a 3.5* rounded to 4 here. Not quite up to the standard of Jonasson's Dark Iceland series but I will give the next installment a try.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
Caleb Zelic returns in the second book from Emma Viskic, a very promising Australian noir mystery novel that fronts an investigator severely hard of hCaleb Zelic returns in the second book from Emma Viskic, a very promising Australian noir mystery novel that fronts an investigator severely hard of hearing due to a childhood illness, with various chips on his shoulder and many unresolved issues. But he does want to help people, especially when a young woman is killed virtually in front of him.
So that’s the set up for And Fire Came Down. So much happens that the story pulls you along. And the reader’s knowledge is most often the same as Caleb’s, limited by his deafness whether it be by mumbling witnesses, people speaking as they are turning away, or by being in a dark place. And when will people remember to text him?
I recommend this book and series highly with the possible mild caveat that it is noir and you have to be able to tolerate swearing. It’s present here as a fact of every day life/conversation and did not seem gratuitous to me at all. But I know some are sensitive on this subject.
My only other suggestion would be to read Resurrection Bay first. That book introduced many of the recurring characters important to the story here.
I am really looking forward to the next episode in Caleb’s life.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
This is the latest of the long-running Sharon McCone series set in San Francisco and featuring McCone and her now-husband Hy Rypinsky. In this outing,This is the latest of the long-running Sharon McCone series set in San Francisco and featuring McCone and her now-husband Hy Rypinsky. In this outing, Sharon has been asked by former neighbors to look for their daughter Chelle, who has been rehabbing an old building in the “Outerlands� area of the city. Sharon initially investigates on her own before pulling in members of the agency to assist. It turns into a confusing case with trails leading in multiple directions.
I have been reading this series for many years now and I increasingly feel a sense of Muller slowly trying to decide whether to continue. Each of the past two books has ended with Sharon speculating as to whether it is approaching time to change her life, to end the investigations. This malaise or indecision seems to affect the book, or at least my reading of it. The pacing also feels odd though it follows the familiar format of timelines through the days. And I simply found it difficult to become engaged.
On the positive side, there are further developments within Sharon’s family and her work family which move along those stories which I have always found to be interesting side tales. I’m not sure if I will continue with the series or not. Only time will tell....more
In The Library, Susan Orlean has written a book that takes an institution we all are familiar with, most of us intimately from our own lives, then movIn The Library, Susan Orlean has written a book that takes an institution we all are familiar with, most of us intimately from our own lives, then moves both inward to a closer look at Los Angeles Central Library and outward to the history of libraries in the United States and, more recently, the world.
As she begins with the Goodhue Library in L.A., the focus initially is on a disastrous fire which began on the morning of April 29, 1986. The fire was devastating but serves as a springboard for this book’s story of the development of the area and city of Los Angeles, the early identification of a need for some sort of library, the early characters and personalities of library employees and directors, and development of policies over the years as the library world itself grew and society changed.
Alongside the history of the library, Orleans also delves into the history of libraries in the United States and how they have both reflected and responded to major social changes. Through all the changes, war(s), the Great Depression, etc, even the move into the digital age, she finds that libraries have remained as centers of their communities.
There are anecdotes humorous, sweet and sad arising from Orlean’s interviews and research. Biographies of multiple interesting people involved with the library in L.A. And there is the side story of the investigation into the cause of the 1986 fire. The various strands are told in alternating chapters. I recommend this book for all of my library-loving, book-reading friends. I think you will all find memories from your lives in the The Library Book.
4.5*
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
When I first encountered the thinking cat, Nana, I wondered if this book would actually be for me. I don’t have a cat though I do certainly like otherWhen I first encountered the thinking cat, Nana, I wondered if this book would actually be for me. I don’t have a cat though I do certainly like other people’s pets quite a lot. But Nana is special as is his growing relationship with Satoru, who adopts him after he is injured.
The story is an odyssey, narrated by Nana and Saturo, with added input on Satoru’s early life from an omniscient narrator. In a series of vignettes, Satoru travels within Japan visiting friends, seeking the right future home for Nana. Of course Nana wants no part of this and manages to arrange some interesting problems at each stop. He can be a real troublemaker with other animals when he wants to be. Along the way he also spouts pearls of feline wisdom about other animals and those humans he meets, often eminently quotable. He is one droll cat, and well spoken.
The final third of the book is really quite lovely. As the journey and route become clear there is such a sense of completeness, of a story done well and right. I have always thought cats are smart. Now I wonder if they may have an emotional life we know nothing about. Recommended for cat lover readers.
A copy of this book was provided by Berkeley Publishing through NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
Wildwood is one of those books that grabbed me as I began reading and pulled me in with the charm and natural feeling of the story. It’s a story aboutWildwood is one of those books that grabbed me as I began reading and pulled me in with the charm and natural feeling of the story. It’s a story about a young mother with a 4 year old daughter, obviously struggling with her life, who decides to uproot their Arizona existence for a never-seen farm in northern Canada. Why is the important factor. Well, apparently her great aunt, who carried the same name, has left her the property if she stays on the land, in the house for one year.
Of course nothing will be easy or there would be no story. And the telling is so well done. Molly and daughter Bridget fly to Juniper and find the house far from town that has been empty for 10 years and is lacking many necessities. What we see over time is work, growth, insight, struggle, and more growth. Molly discovers her great aunt’s diary from her first year on the land which serves as both inspiration and education. This year shows lives full of the gamut of human emotions and a wide range of experiences.
Florence has written a truly inspired book that pulled me in and held me. The descriptions of nature throughout the year are beautiful and powerful. Her exploration and knowledge of the homestead experience in Canada in the early 20th century is very apparent as is her knowledge of diaries of that period. Her care for northern Canada is obvious.
I definitely recommend this book and rate it 4 to 4.5*
A copy of this book was provided by Dundurn Press through NetGalley....more
After having watched several episodes of “Shetland� on PBS, I have now had the opportunity to read what is the final book in Ann Cleeves Shetland seriAfter having watched several episodes of “Shetland� on PBS, I have now had the opportunity to read what is the final book in Ann Cleeves Shetland series featuring Jimmy Perez. While I have read books in the Vera series, this is, somewhat ironically, my first of the Shetland. Jimmy Perez, the lynchpin in both media settings, is depicted in both as the compassionate, thoughtful man of the islands and people. The land and sea, nature itself, are characters and affect people’s lives on many levels. The descriptions are so often just right. This is from two people taking a walk.
The land here was very low, separated from the shore by dunes and irregular fields where sheep grazed; there was a series of freshwater lochans, with iris and marsh marigolds at the fringes, everywhere the call of lapwings and oystercatchers. A breeze blew the flowers and nothing seemed fixed. Everything was moving: feather, reed, water. Helena felt as if she’d stepped into an Impressionist painting of blurred lines and splashes of colour. (loc 1259)
And then a much more succinct, but equally descriptive comment later in the book:
Lerwick was a grey town at the best of times, and the mist had sucked the colour out of it. (loc 1983)
The story itself involves the death of a young woman who cares for the children of the island’s doctor. The backstory makes her death harder for all in the community. Daniel and Helena Fleming from London, have purchased an old farm lost by a local man, Dennis Gear, to foreclosure. They have restored and revived it as a home for themselves and their two children. They are resented by locals because Dennis Gear was their friend. Then the Fleming family became greater objects of gossip after Gear hanged himself in their barn.
Now Emma Shearer, nanny to a neighbor family, is found hanging in the same place. But there are many questions. Was this actually murder? Who was Emma really and who knew her? And then there is a sub-plot, an interpersonal story involving Perez and his superior from the mainland, Willow.
Everything moves along with all of the police, Perez, Willow and Sandy, acting separately and together to piece together the parts that will finally bring peace to the island. As the closing episode to a series, Wild Fire does offer some aspects of closure while also leaving open futures. All in all, a good read and recommended. This book can also be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone novel.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
While I have enjoyed all I have read of the Dark Iceland series, Snowblind and Nightblind, Blackout is now my favorite. The combination of a complex, While I have enjoyed all I have read of the Dark Iceland series, Snowblind and Nightblind, Blackout is now my favorite. The combination of a complex, multilayered plot with a wide cast of new characters, all of whom seem to be hiding or outrunning something in the past that won’t stay behind them worked well for me and kept me glued to the book the last two days. Even Tomas and Ari Thor, the well known local police, have other things on their minds along with their duties. Is all of this because they are now living in summer with near 24 hours of light? Or is it somehow related to ash from the recent volcano eruption falling increasingly over ReykjavÃk, clouding that city and worrying even those who live at a distance? Many, if not most, people who live in this small island nation have heard tales of past volcano eruptions, of life being turned upside down by ashy blackouts.
Here in northern Iceland the blackouts are more metaphoric, where the sun may be bright almost continuously but there are lies and half truths and unspoken thoughts interfering with a murder investigation; a man has been found outside of a home he has been helping to build, beaten to death.
There are many strands to this story but I urge patience. You will be rewarded. There are several moments in this book where I felt truly satisfied with what Jonasson had accomplished. And I highly recommend this book.
One note on this series. This is listed as book three in the Dark Iceland series. It is the third to be translated into English. The action of this story actually takes place before that of Nightblind, listed as D.I. #2. I have read these books in the order of the English translation. This may lead to some temporary confusion as you begin Blackout, since you are moving backward in time, but I had no major difficulty with it. Some are reading these two books in reverse order. I would have to investigate further to find how they were published originally in Iceland but I will leave that for another. I recommend all of the books I have read and I plan to read the rest of the Dark Iceland series when they are available.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
The Lido is the story of a young journalist, an 86 year old woman, and a swimming site in Brixton, London threatened with closure. During this story wThe Lido is the story of a young journalist, an 86 year old woman, and a swimming site in Brixton, London threatened with closure. During this story we meet a swath of residents of the area and learn more about both Kate, who has moved to London for work, and Rosemary, who has lived here for her entire life.
Now that I have finished The Lido, I have found that nothing happened that I hadn’t anticipated early in my reading. During the second half of the book, the impact of interpersonal emotions did feel more real and earned, as the characters slowly revealed themselves to each other. An early problem for me was that Kate, a very prominent character, dominated much of the early chapters but was too closed off, even from herself, to make those chapters feel as real as they needed to be.
Another major issue I have with The Lido is the fact that nothing was a surprise, nothing was “new� either in the story or the way it was told. Every change seemed to follow an old script and was telegraphed well ahead. Yes it is a nice story and there are people to feel for, but there is no edge, no true surprising detail to grab me, the reader, and make me take note. Perhaps I am asking more than this book is purporting to provide, but when I read, I want something that might surprise me, perhaps treat an old subject in a slightly new way. This book simply did not do that for me.
2.5
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
This is a difficult book to assess as I am still considering what I think about it. That, in itself, is usually a good thing. The three stories all coThis is a difficult book to assess as I am still considering what I think about it. That, in itself, is usually a good thing. The three stories all consider the fluidity of the worlds of thought, time, memories...all of these important mental constructs upon which we base our lives. I will admit to becoming a bit lost in the reading at times, along with some of the characters. But as I write this review, I am thinking—maybe I need to read this again someday, especially the title story, but not right away. I found the Sandman story more approachable, while it also deals with those odd and tenuous relationships slipping and sliding in time.
How to rate this. I want half stars so badly. 3.5* seems the correct rating, while 4 seems too high for my confused impressions. So 3 it will have to be until I perhaps read this again someday.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
I believe this is my second time reading a book in this series and I am not disappointed at all. Ursula Blanchard, now Stannard, is a middle-aged womaI believe this is my second time reading a book in this series and I am not disappointed at all. Ursula Blanchard, now Stannard, is a middle-aged woman of means, half sister to Queen Elizabeth I, who occasionally becomes involved in various intrigues at court or elsewhere in the realm because of that relationship. At this point in the series, her life is fairly stable, with two good homes to her name, a young son, a staff of devoted men and women, many of whom are really friends. She continues giving advice and support to the Queen.
But some will try to disrupt her world by involving her in the years-long struggle between Queen Elizabeth and the imprisoned Queen Mary. There were so many plots during Elizabeth’s reign and Ursula had found herself in the middle of a few of them. Who can refuse a sovereign’s request? Now Ursula’s son is kidnapped and the ransom is not money but an act of violence, one she doesn’t know that she can commit, even for her son. And so the plot ensues. I will say that I found the historical details interesting and they appear realistic, but I will not guarantee full authenticity. I read more for semblance and not with a history text in hand.
And I do recommend this book to those who enjoy historical fiction.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
Really an interesting and enjoyable read. As one who loves exploring old cemeteries, and has done so with two GR friends who happened to visit MassachReally an interesting and enjoyable read. As one who loves exploring old cemeteries, and has done so with two GR friends who happened to visit Massachusetts, this was a particularly exciting find. There is a small colonial era burial ground in the town next to mine which I visited with one friend. With the other, I visited Author’s Ridge in the fine old cemetery at Concord MA. In Wish You Were Here, the author presents a combination of objective information about burial grounds, cemeteries of many types across the United States and around the world, a very interesting bibliography and her personal responses to the places she has visited over the years.
As a person who has always been fascinated with historic/old graveyards, I just had to read this book. I have seen many in my home area of New England, some in England, Ireland, Israel, and the graveyard at Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico. Each is different in so many ways as are those Rhoads visits. And she is sensitive to these differences both dictated by the surrounding society, by changes in culture, and by the financial pressures of cemetery maintenance. At times she rambles freely through open areas searching for graves she knows are within, at others she participates in organized tours. Throughout this book she provides history of each cemetery from its inception to the time of her visit. Some she visits more than once.
The author is in So. California at one point and visiting some graves of celebrities who are of interest to her. The contrast between the multi-level extravaganza for Al Jolson and the simple marker for Bela Lugosi is immense. Her deepest emotions were with Lugosi. I have never done this sort of cemetery tour. Discussing a trip to Japan and visits to a shrine, temples and small graveyard, the author is struck by how little she knows of Japanese culture, of Buddhism, of social propriety in a country so different from her own. This limits her ability to gather information as she usually does.
As the book progressed, I found myself increasingly immersed in Rhoads' style. Her personal responses really spoke to me and gave me visuals to add to the one photo per chapter the book averages. While I initially was disappointed there weren't more photos, after some reading I found that the descriptive words provided more than ample detail.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
Loading...
