Today's Reads

I am in the middle of reading 2 books. I started "Stealing Lumby" and then Began "Death by Thunder by Gretchen Sprague as I wanted something with a little more substance. I will let you know what I think of both. Stay Tuned.................

Done!!

I have finished "The Cruelest Month" by Louise penny. It was good, but not fabulous. I didnt quite like it as much as the first two, but I enjoyed reading it. I think I will take a break from Penny, for right now, then read the next 2.

"Heart and Soul" by Maeve Binchy was really wonderful. I would overwhelmingly recommend it as a must read..whith a little note. I do think that this, of all her books, is very tied to her past books. I would think that this book was so wonderful also, because I knew many of the ancillary characters, who supported the characters. In fact, I will definitely go back and read "Scarlett Feathers", Quentins" and "Nights of Rain and Stars" We meet up with Fiona (Night...), Kathy Scareltt as well as the twins (Scarlett Feathers) and Brenda, and the fabulous Quentins (Quentins). Now unfortunately, I have to wait till Maeve is moved to bring these wonderful characters to life once again.

The Cruelest Month

Another Louise Penny mystery featuring Three Pines, Quebec. It also features Armand Gamache and his entourage from Surete Quebec (the sort of chief police agency ). This one was a little too cerebral for me. I enjoyed it, but it was a bit much. I dont like books about the occult and mysticism, and that was in it. And it had a flavor of good vs. evil. It was a twisted tail of friendship, love, betrayal,history and of course, the quirkiness of Three Pines.

Heart and Soul

I just got the latest by Maeve Binchy. I signed up at the library to get either the audiobook or book, whichever came in first..and surprise the audiobook (unabridged) came in first. I started listening to it while driving, and immediately downloaded it to iTunes, so I can put it on my iPod. It is wonderful. I forget how great she writes. Reading this is like going home again. They are new characters, but they meet up with ones from other books, and they all love to go to Quentins to eat!!


I am only half way through, but I am sure I will love it to the end. It does not really focus on one person, it focuses on a group of people who open a cardiac clinic in Dublin and how their lives and their patients lives revolve and intertwine and move on. IT is another wonderful work of fiction which is definitely character driven. It is not so much the story, it is the characters which move the story along. You feel like you know each of them. I am so glad I got this one!! And I will write more when I am done.

"A Fatal Grace"

Another wonderful Mystery set in the tiny Quebec town of Three Pines. The investigator is once again Chief Inspector Armand Gamache with his trusty little troupe. I enjoyed this book, a quickish read. Not quite a cozy, but not really hard-boiled or police procedural either. A mix, I guess. The quirky cast are still quirky and I find myself smiling at them often. Incidentally, the murder..in the same house!! Different people!! I continue to love these books with different setting where you learn about another culture, or subculture. My shocker this time...mayonnaise on french fries. Well, I have a dd who puts sweet and sour sauce on them.

Anyway, another really good mystery. I have the last in the series here already (got them together from the library so I am starting that. Then I will move on to the next Lumby saga..something a little mellow.

Podcasts............

Do you listen to Podcasts????? HHMM.......... If you know me you know I love anything Irish/British/Scottish. Well, my friends, I am addicted to The Archers. It is a 6 day a week 20 minute soap opera on BBC radio which I get in the evening as a podcast. It is a soap about life in a small agricultural village. Why do I like it..I dont know..Why does anyone like soaps? Well, I am not at all a soap watcher...but this I love. Give a listen sometime!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/archers/

And for the Quilting side of me......

I am now reading "The Winding Ways Quilt" . This is (I think) #11 in the Elm Creek Quilt Series. They follow a group fo women, young and old, who join together to start a camp for women to learn and perfect their quilting skills. It takes place in a mansion at Elm Creek. However that is just the backdrop for this series which is really about the women who run it and their lives. The earlier books in the series brought in a lot of history and family stories about the woman who actually lives and owns Elm Creek Manor, and her family. But as the series has progressed
I do think it has grown and improved. Silvia and her colleagues are an incredibly gifted group of women who are very dedicated to the art of quilting. This latest book sees several of the regulars leave, and new character enter this world. And of course along with change comes struggle, and triumph.
I do feel ambivalent about this series. I think I should adore it. Being a lover of all fiber art, and loving to look at quilts, being a sewer, and considering myself somewhat of an artisan, I shoul adore it. I LIKE it, but I just cant say it is my favorite series, and I dont know why.

Lumby Lines

And then in my even chameleon selection of read..there next came "Lumby Lines" and funny, poignant, quirky, gentle read. It is a cross between Garrison Keiler (but more believable) and The Mitford Series (but quirkier). As a new couple move to the somewhat remote town of Lumby, changes come to town, secrets are revealed and behaviors are examined in this quick read book which is a wonderful "take me a away" trip to the Northwest. I now cant wait to read the rest of the books in this series.

"Where Memories Lie.........."

Another (and the latest) from this wonderful author, Deborah Crombie. This time she takes us into the world of stolen treasures from the WWII and the Nazi Invasion. It is sad, gritty, exciting and also tender in many ways. We return to Gemma and Duncan as they once again team up (from their now separate agencies) to look into a rare brooch which went missing during the Nazi invasion of germany, and now shows up in an auction house of Art deco, high priced heirlooms. It happens to have belonged (before the invasion) to a woman who is now living in Notting Hill and is a friend, confidante and mentor of Gemma's. What starts as a simple inquiry becomes a triple death homicide case with far-reaching effects. Once again, it is written in the present with sections in each chapter from the past which help you to understand, and feel the story so much better. It is a story of love, danger, intrigue and death. It is we see Gemma as a much softer character who is beginning to break down that hard veneer she has had. The family she and Duncan have made is becoming more cohesive, and we also get a peeking into a unique friendship which has guided, and supported Gemma. Crombie always seems to explore deeply the area where each book takes place, which I love about these also. This time the setting is Notting Hill where Duncan and Gemma now reside.
This, like her other books, is a must read . However, as a RIO...Read In Order...,I would start at the beginning or near the beginning of this series. But it would also make a wonderful stand-alone I am sure.
Ta for now!

Last Kiss

Another very good offering by Luanne Rice. A return to Hubbards point Conn. But somehow this one doesnt give much of the feeling of the area, or maybe it is just 'how' I read it. A young man is killed on the during his foirst week at NYU and his girlfriend back home in Hubbards Popint hires a long-ago resident, turned PI to solve the case. It is another Luanne classic with a wonderful assortment of characters.It does have a bit of a way out conclusion..but who am I to say!

Bull Island!!

Bull Isand by Dorothea Benton Frank is another good southern novel. It takes place in New York and South Carolina. The saga of Elizabeth "Betts" McGee is a good story of money, power, secrets, love and longing. It has sadness and joy, humor and tragedy. Although not the best book I have ever read...it is a definite great read.

And then............

...........comes along a book you just adore. "Still Life" is a unique mystery by Louise Penny. It takes place in a small town in Quebec, just South of Quebec named Three Pines. It is a cozy with a group of wonderfully colorful characters. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surete du Quebec is a very interesting, complex and honorable Detective, who should make this series interesting, somewhat comical and always tremendously readable. I had started this book once before, but put it down, I just didn't like it..at the time. But now, I would absolutely recommend it, and I cant wait to read the rest of the series. It was definitely a "cant put it down" book!