tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41670548064596629882024-03-19T01:48:29.232-07:00Bitter Tea and MysteryWhere I list what I read and my reactions.<br>
Mystery is my genre, leaning towards<br> traditional mysteries and police procedurals.<br>Bitter hot tea is the perfect companion.TracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comBlogger1456125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-70111823076704353342024-03-13T21:05:00.000-07:002024-03-13T21:22:57.649-07:00January and February Reading, 2024<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8xbJKg1jg8pmdDf6vU5N3YtHF7fRoOquim_p1Jl9_BOENcVtMdsSYEWOgS7e-EvSSjML283hVquUE1Zs2k3gugwHr75xh2krC633BeEJ2fJTwZFQeYgQcAhCdzF_-4q_Ygx7GG8l3zHqa6H_mZfsMeA_MjmOJpGZuuaqfpRmXRb7rTaWpR9cx11DNlNQ/s4000/D_IMG_3574-01.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8xbJKg1jg8pmdDf6vU5N3YtHF7fRoOquim_p1Jl9_BOENcVtMdsSYEWOgS7e-EvSSjML283hVquUE1Zs2k3gugwHr75xh2krC633BeEJ2fJTwZFQeYgQcAhCdzF_-4q_Ygx7GG8l3zHqa6H_mZfsMeA_MjmOJpGZuuaqfpRmXRb7rTaWpR9cx11DNlNQ/w400-h300/D_IMG_3574-01.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDs5NzefNkfmCV2sl_YtVZWeFtyje2YQEgSby8NAfFqCwDpSYSEiaC05waaAMsD_-yjZlQmt4IfDXHgg5BPByDu5ydM5y6YQ6QXNwNAOkXK-tOonnYb0z1oL6uU5mqywpKCReaF_G91bVnR5j_2O-VI5d1rPYJ4H2dFr7hrlZNWO6I6ed55St9kvvcbKs/s4592/G_P1010749-01.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3448" data-original-width="4592" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDs5NzefNkfmCV2sl_YtVZWeFtyje2YQEgSby8NAfFqCwDpSYSEiaC05waaAMsD_-yjZlQmt4IfDXHgg5BPByDu5ydM5y6YQ6QXNwNAOkXK-tOonnYb0z1oL6uU5mqywpKCReaF_G91bVnR5j_2O-VI5d1rPYJ4H2dFr7hrlZNWO6I6ed55St9kvvcbKs/w400-h300/G_P1010749-01.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>It used to be that most of the books I read were published before 1975; I also read many books published from 1976 to 2000. A smaller percentage of the books I read were published after 2000. As I looked back on my reading in the first two months of this year, I realized that 10 out of the 12 books that I read were published after 2000. Since I enjoyed almost every book I have read this year, I don't think that is a bad thing. I am just wondering why and when my tastes changed and whether that will continue. I did read two books published in the 1950s, one by Graham Greene and one by Seichō Matsumoto, and both were excellent books.</p><p>So here are the book I read...</p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Nonfiction / Nature</h4><p><b><i>Vesper Flights</i></b> (2020) by Helen Macdonald</p><p>This is a collection of Macdonald's essays, mostly about nature, but sometimes delving into her personal life. Many of the essays focus on birds (which is what I was looking for) but not all. The book was educational, in a fun way. Some of the essays that I especially I enjoyed: "Field Guides," about the evolution of field guides; "High Rise," about bird watching on the top of the Empire State building, at night; "Ants," about the mating flight of queen ants and drones; "Swan Upping," about mute swans on the River Thames.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFKWAOJqLNnA77T14DLb7YGSet_lfGHwF1fFbgRFxbdX2GD2AxXfarGyfFZ9JmfXW3olVLaD0s65mr5E1Pfb_znhFhQS2FNPoS3Xu-tn6ZZo_pD1DRr_v3mg10nMO-xSCcn2CkyPQ8pPnkdP6n1wUJgDDNWqmfBBPFb58hiuffjDdz_D2FRIm_-v38l9Q/s509/Macdonald_Helen_Vesper_Flights.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="340" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFKWAOJqLNnA77T14DLb7YGSet_lfGHwF1fFbgRFxbdX2GD2AxXfarGyfFZ9JmfXW3olVLaD0s65mr5E1Pfb_znhFhQS2FNPoS3Xu-tn6ZZo_pD1DRr_v3mg10nMO-xSCcn2CkyPQ8pPnkdP6n1wUJgDDNWqmfBBPFb58hiuffjDdz_D2FRIm_-v38l9Q/s320/Macdonald_Helen_Vesper_Flights.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Nonfiction / Memoir</h4><p><b><i>Wait for Me!</i></b> (2010) by Deborah Mitford</p><p>I found this book to be a fantastic read, but maybe that is because I enjoy reading about the Mitford sisters so much. The author has a gift of telling short interesting anecdotes. The two other books I have read about the family were biographies and they focused mainly on Nancy (16 years older than Deborah) and Diana (10 years older). Because Deborah was the youngest child (of seven), her view of the family came from a different perspective. The book is divided between her childhood and young adult years with her family and her life as the Duchess of Devonshire. Both were equally of interest to me. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO4gwo05_kY2OPFzH0mPWjkKwO-hrNbAzr0GRxpc5d6cWHiynymHnPcpjKJ1zRv7OuwyR0Y095LS_J3DjeUehLKgV2lHrnWSqkluMoKHNQvp3h0jqEda3aVp5v9D0CQMjY2HG3NUZEXXdlz3I8TtpwYf3v7HbGoZO3vkSROLEC_afT4RCnIN8kCYmstag/s475/Mitford_Deborah_Wait_for_Me.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO4gwo05_kY2OPFzH0mPWjkKwO-hrNbAzr0GRxpc5d6cWHiynymHnPcpjKJ1zRv7OuwyR0Y095LS_J3DjeUehLKgV2lHrnWSqkluMoKHNQvp3h0jqEda3aVp5v9D0CQMjY2HG3NUZEXXdlz3I8TtpwYf3v7HbGoZO3vkSROLEC_afT4RCnIN8kCYmstag/s320/Mitford_Deborah_Wait_for_Me.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Fiction</h4><p><b><i>Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow</i></b> (2022) by Gabrielle Zevin</p><p>This book is about two young people who create video games. The story starts when Sam Mazur and Sadie Green are about 12 years old and covers the next 30 years in their lives. It does focus on video gaming and the process of creating them, but it is about many other things: relationships, families, judgement and misunderstandings, and ambition. I liked the writing, and I was caught up in the story. My one complaint is that the book is too long at 400 plus pages. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsUNkBXBgu3B_Tjergc89kOG_4JBOXZK_rQuRM1Ew7OvhQ22CG2BS2P6xLr2pskRtjHtI-6IJhlksnsDRUEp-vC3xIj53g7nQw9OfBIPUmu1c0EvqdfrKWDA6LWVb-w6fd3sB-iGXiDf4hkhuvogIGoBfYWJAtOCEkCv24W5fwOEB8HHdObbnH46fvOcY/s400/Zevin_Tomorrow_and_Tomorrow.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="263" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsUNkBXBgu3B_Tjergc89kOG_4JBOXZK_rQuRM1Ew7OvhQ22CG2BS2P6xLr2pskRtjHtI-6IJhlksnsDRUEp-vC3xIj53g7nQw9OfBIPUmu1c0EvqdfrKWDA6LWVb-w6fd3sB-iGXiDf4hkhuvogIGoBfYWJAtOCEkCv24W5fwOEB8HHdObbnH46fvOcY/s320/Zevin_Tomorrow_and_Tomorrow.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><br /><p><b><i>Days at the Morisaki Bookshop</i></b> (2010) by Satoshi Yagisawa</p><p>I read this book for the <b>Japanese Literary Challenge</b> and for the <b>Bookish Books Challenge</b>. A young woman goes to work in a bookshop owned by her uncle after a romantic relationship ends abruptly. The book is definitely not a romance; there is a lot of emphasis on human relationships, in addition to books and reading. <b><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2024/03/days-at-morisaki-bookshop-satoshi.html" target="_blank">See my review.</a></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8hEjZlKao5CKn3GgIraZASd_uOUUdzWvz032sfy-dS1dlY8T7o0_9sB8GCogfDq5NlAhFwaXxwik4ipvRuG0mD9OAf_-e1XztO0Ae_-5C5NrWf29KgSbjVJBpEDdL6aFoOEbacR25S8ijUG64_meohAJBeuU8JcAg6TthXIBe9WR_ORaquclFUZb-qNU/s2400/Yagisawa_Days_Morisaki_bookshop.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1593" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8hEjZlKao5CKn3GgIraZASd_uOUUdzWvz032sfy-dS1dlY8T7o0_9sB8GCogfDq5NlAhFwaXxwik4ipvRuG0mD9OAf_-e1XztO0Ae_-5C5NrWf29KgSbjVJBpEDdL6aFoOEbacR25S8ijUG64_meohAJBeuU8JcAg6TthXIBe9WR_ORaquclFUZb-qNU/w424-h640/Yagisawa_Days_Morisaki_bookshop.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><b><i>A Man Called Ove</i></b> (2012) by Fredrik Backman</p><p>Ove is an older man, nearing sixty, who has fixed ideas about life and often doesn't fit in with societal norms. He often seems cranky or rude. His wife has recently died. Their relationship had its ups and downs, but they were a devoted couple, and she was undoubtedly the most important thing in his life. He has decided that he does not want to go on living without her. This story alternates between very funny episodes and very sad episodes, but it does lean toward the sadder ones. Some chapters tell about the three weeks after his new neighbors move in next door; others describe key times in his earlier life: his childhood, meeting his wife, and his work. I liked the structure and the way the author gradually reveals more and more about Ove and his life. It was a great read and I will be looking for more books by this author.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmL3M2jvoO1IYu0D30HSRQDPzbGfoK3ZF8q7fJ9RqWVq_E9jWJxq-4dEEvXpGZjM4Q0P4NOkQCcIkCdwSwCRnpUqOwV9sWR6rXujZmMiox8F6ogpKXdR2MStW_1hr3SUyP6PWksfhT3nmIWLuxfYW5OqHvdfwUnHPJNp-QlBE3IQWZ83az8eoaD6I1MT8/s475/Backman_Man_Called_Ove.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmL3M2jvoO1IYu0D30HSRQDPzbGfoK3ZF8q7fJ9RqWVq_E9jWJxq-4dEEvXpGZjM4Q0P4NOkQCcIkCdwSwCRnpUqOwV9sWR6rXujZmMiox8F6ogpKXdR2MStW_1hr3SUyP6PWksfhT3nmIWLuxfYW5OqHvdfwUnHPJNp-QlBE3IQWZ83az8eoaD6I1MT8/s320/Backman_Man_Called_Ove.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Crime Fiction</h4><p><b><i>Chilled to the Bone</i></b> (2013) by Quentin Bates</p><p>This is the third book in a police procedural series set in Iceland. The main character is a female policewoman working in the Serious Crime Unit in Reykjavík. <b><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2024/02/chilled-to-bone-quentin-bates.html" target="_blank">See my review</a></b>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_9AHkRvIdhCRQsPDXKejgQbeiffeStRzXlmoecymIcwbDBBYeZm9bZMAUmJMwAuHukFKWbls-DYdsrW9uXCYxpiGPHE2hFI-e7VEwxNQzBopKFXaKG9DuXA1XRDRFhUXYiLusYqsLJrGjK5Ntp6066XB-sGp_7H67VFLXMKW-PsnO-9GmwQORfBKF4s/s1813/Bates_Quentin_Chilled_to_the_Bone.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1813" data-original-width="1224" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_9AHkRvIdhCRQsPDXKejgQbeiffeStRzXlmoecymIcwbDBBYeZm9bZMAUmJMwAuHukFKWbls-DYdsrW9uXCYxpiGPHE2hFI-e7VEwxNQzBopKFXaKG9DuXA1XRDRFhUXYiLusYqsLJrGjK5Ntp6066XB-sGp_7H67VFLXMKW-PsnO-9GmwQORfBKF4s/s320/Bates_Quentin_Chilled_to_the_Bone.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><b><i>Tokyo Express</i></b> (1958) by Seichō Matsumoto</p><p>This was another book I read for the <b>Japanese Literature Challenge</b>. It was Matsumoto's first novel, published in 1958, and was first published in English translation as <b><i>Points and Lines</i></b>. <b><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2024/02/tokyo-express-seicho-matsumoto.html" target="_blank">See my review</a></b>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHSnDaVuc2J-Dw8qd9L5-HBlion-qGNFgtO7c4Z0Z8dz2LwaIXkUzZEMUkxd9sCR4CzTJCVD7bAJs3cnBMAmq2i2Jb54rE4tUUjczk8rigftlB1tgzmwvunLbihFPigpyZlc_4gI9c84UL5c_jRq5zFi6wbkiJ2oI9oCcqor6ZXjdidUd-KO5l3C6UUMU/s1529/Matsumoto_Tokyo_express.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1529" data-original-width="974" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHSnDaVuc2J-Dw8qd9L5-HBlion-qGNFgtO7c4Z0Z8dz2LwaIXkUzZEMUkxd9sCR4CzTJCVD7bAJs3cnBMAmq2i2Jb54rE4tUUjczk8rigftlB1tgzmwvunLbihFPigpyZlc_4gI9c84UL5c_jRq5zFi6wbkiJ2oI9oCcqor6ZXjdidUd-KO5l3C6UUMU/s320/Matsumoto_Tokyo_express.jpg" width="204" /></a></div><br /><p><b><i>A Darkness Absolute</i></b> (2017) by Kelley Armstrong</p><p>This is the second book in the Rockton series, and it was just as appealing as the first, <b><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2020/10/city-of-lost-kelley-armstrong.html" target="_blank">City of the Lost</a></i></b>, which I read about 3 years ago. Rockton is a small town in the Yukon wilderness, so isolated that most modern conveniences are lacking. Most of the residents are hiding from something in their past. <b><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2024/02/a-darkness-absolute-kelley-armstrong.html" target="_blank">See my review</a></b>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg07t31PBa60BUQomyl21gTQXwvYVwM3PGEDXjSR6FFUYX4NM0_ErPeHRlb8OvM-ARZwKMRoRRF-KYUdzI3p5M4iNw0-IUCwT1tyGjLNyT4ldbIfYUQZqdQJMNw4_ZdgjBft_TimZ0Gg0AJLbi8BNu3OXPHEw75cItm-z9XpLqaWdzpHdn15_E6hYLLyRU/s500/Armstrong_Kelley_Darkness_Absolute.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="331" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg07t31PBa60BUQomyl21gTQXwvYVwM3PGEDXjSR6FFUYX4NM0_ErPeHRlb8OvM-ARZwKMRoRRF-KYUdzI3p5M4iNw0-IUCwT1tyGjLNyT4ldbIfYUQZqdQJMNw4_ZdgjBft_TimZ0Gg0AJLbi8BNu3OXPHEw75cItm-z9XpLqaWdzpHdn15_E6hYLLyRU/s320/Armstrong_Kelley_Darkness_Absolute.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><p><b><i>Wanting Sheila Dead</i></b> (2010) by Jane Haddam</p><p>Book 25 in the Gregor Demarkian series. The main character is a retired FBI profiler who sometimes does consulting jobs for various police departments. This book is mostly set in the Philadelphia area where Demarkian lives. A reality show is being filmed in the very elaborate home that his wife Bennis grew up in. When a body is found at the house he agrees to check into it. <b><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2024/03/wanting-sheila-dead-jane-haddam.html" target="_blank">See my review</a></b>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6r0Cw7obmEnz03sElQ9PbvpnJf7h7InvOFxZUL33OkC306zHz8TZuSgWfVi6h7i1Hk12PG2kOSVGZg6vIMWus71woROOg4FPGCN55bNwrR5TyyfUu5NR02LgzEz0JDy9gqqZm4cbbPa4uy9ggI9YlRYbeJ3kAMx6o3MXl08ZOUvDu6dO7B56KpNdq01I/s475/Haddam_Jane_Wanting_Sheila_Dead.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6r0Cw7obmEnz03sElQ9PbvpnJf7h7InvOFxZUL33OkC306zHz8TZuSgWfVi6h7i1Hk12PG2kOSVGZg6vIMWus71woROOg4FPGCN55bNwrR5TyyfUu5NR02LgzEz0JDy9gqqZm4cbbPa4uy9ggI9YlRYbeJ3kAMx6o3MXl08ZOUvDu6dO7B56KpNdq01I/s320/Haddam_Jane_Wanting_Sheila_Dead.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><b><i>Gallows Court</i></b> (2018) by Martin Edwards</p><p>This is the first book in the Rachel Savernake series. It is a departure for Edwards, both a historical mystery (set in the 1930s in London) and a thriller. I did end up liking the book, but it took me 150 pages of 350 pages to get into it, which is not ideal. I liked the way it ended and I thought it was a brilliant mystery, but I wasn't really enjoying it too much as I read it. I also wonder where the next book, Mortmain Hall, will take the main character, so I will definitely be reading it, maybe later in the year.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXrjbjVmlQxCb0xLO9rQ56C8WB9FQqLyULVRVQkgHKjOppYnRMtNU2Yi8HW2gnujbPGrmWD-yXdEUaHEuPOKk-FXoiNSB_w0l8qAhI9_f0yo3daiFT-C4iH34xRy5bvatVXA66FSKr66JyVA_mGRVrJxU7JNyLAmgZ2U4LkBtpOf8Os-A8eqxlXZIMtP8/s1647/Edwards_Martin_Gallows_Court.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1647" data-original-width="1065" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXrjbjVmlQxCb0xLO9rQ56C8WB9FQqLyULVRVQkgHKjOppYnRMtNU2Yi8HW2gnujbPGrmWD-yXdEUaHEuPOKk-FXoiNSB_w0l8qAhI9_f0yo3daiFT-C4iH34xRy5bvatVXA66FSKr66JyVA_mGRVrJxU7JNyLAmgZ2U4LkBtpOf8Os-A8eqxlXZIMtP8/s320/Edwards_Martin_Gallows_Court.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><b><i>Judas 62</i></b> (2021) by Charles Cumming</p><p>This is the second book in the BOX 88 espionage series. BOX 88 is a covert spy agency that is not officially attached to the CIA or MI6, but has contacts in both groups that Box 88 agents can work with. In JUDAS 62, Lachlan Kite is assigned to extract a Russian chemical weapons scientist defector. He goes to the city of Voronezh in Russia as an English Language teacher. That section of the book is set in 1993. The second section is set in 2020 in Dubai. I loved the first book, <b><i>BOX 88</i></b>; this one was very good also. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHH3BO9Jy5eBayr-_usujbXNen4_KyGqLlcvix2IAGhnkev5AOMx1pVtASaSetnHTLnnc-C-NzQfwVysRXR8WNkZklhmxm7rJeYj6BiFSKXnqT58TyIjxaoJ2AZuzmq83wdc2Mh-nzDHMaqJWPV_1YzT110cpAx2HHc3ziXfunF-rh7D83fx3GSrVW118/s1200/Cumming_Charles_JUDAS_62.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="795" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHH3BO9Jy5eBayr-_usujbXNen4_KyGqLlcvix2IAGhnkev5AOMx1pVtASaSetnHTLnnc-C-NzQfwVysRXR8WNkZklhmxm7rJeYj6BiFSKXnqT58TyIjxaoJ2AZuzmq83wdc2Mh-nzDHMaqJWPV_1YzT110cpAx2HHc3ziXfunF-rh7D83fx3GSrVW118/w424-h640/Cumming_Charles_JUDAS_62.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><b><i>The Quiet American</i></b> (1955) by Graham Greene</p><p>I have been wanting to read more by Graham Greene and this was a great choice. This book was published in 1955 and the events in this book took place in the early 1950s. The story is set in Saigon, Vietnam and surrounding areas when the French Army and the Viet Minh guerrillas are fighting each other. <b><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-quiet-american-graham-greene.html" target="_blank">See my review</a></b>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOhkumcempAJfCWzAHxXVvlxMO7VgCB4Cujh6OVCIQvBLGMq2Wc9LlA8iXfjruLw8IUAfD-gdvS5kkZ7VVTXhET7k9c7KwnPSzHMRgFztB8UW8HtPYUe2oB7_4JgPN1vHKSdSmuB_U_GpLBQGyHsjwi9pDwjP-OxshYuCpj7wCvhn02R-waPW_FOwbpkU/s500/Greene_Quiet_American.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="328" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOhkumcempAJfCWzAHxXVvlxMO7VgCB4Cujh6OVCIQvBLGMq2Wc9LlA8iXfjruLw8IUAfD-gdvS5kkZ7VVTXhET7k9c7KwnPSzHMRgFztB8UW8HtPYUe2oB7_4JgPN1vHKSdSmuB_U_GpLBQGyHsjwi9pDwjP-OxshYuCpj7wCvhn02R-waPW_FOwbpkU/s320/Greene_Quiet_American.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Status of challenges</h4><p>Back in November 2023, I joined the <b><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/11/wanderlust-bingo-challenge.html" target="_blank">Wanderlust Bingo Challenge</a></b> at <b>Fiction Fan's Book Reviews</b>. Five or six of the books I read since the first of the year could work for that challenge, but I still have to work out which squares they would fit best.</p><p>I read two books for the <b><a href="https://dolcebellezza2.wordpress.com/2023/12/12/japanese-literature-challenge-17/" target="_blank">Japanese Literature Challenge</a></b> at <b>Dolce Bellezza</b>, which ran January - February. I will continue reading books translated from Japanese throughout the year. </p><p>I have now formally joined the <b><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2024/02/joining-bookish-books-reading-challenge.html" target="_blank">Bookish Books Reading Challenge</a></b> at <b>Bloggin' 'bout Books</b> and have completed one book so far. </p><p>The only other challenge I have joined is the <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1224923-mount-tbr-challenge-2024" target="_blank">Mount TBR Reading Challenge</a></b> on Goodreads. Every book I have read this year so far (15) counts toward my goal of 48 books so I may have no problem meeting that goal.</p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Currently reading</h4><p>I just finished <b><i>Your Republic is Calling You</i></b> by Young-ha Kim last night. Published in 2006, the setting is South Korea. It was a different kind of spy fiction and I liked it very much.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrnr5PbC8F7uKEw_mgKHJRqOqrE6slVCHfHdCUHA13ivwbLurVpD_1eh3gu54gsy9_c8xO-MgiTSUrjGg8OhMryLJfuksB8NejwW4stxf4HfR3fwl0KRc-J3Tu4fHQvVG8WhjGxdcH2EUiiTcojm7MtF2AXXoymkv0Xv9LwQSUnOwGYNXYCd3KJ6mq3BE/s500/Young-ha_Kim_Your_Republic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="321" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrnr5PbC8F7uKEw_mgKHJRqOqrE6slVCHfHdCUHA13ivwbLurVpD_1eh3gu54gsy9_c8xO-MgiTSUrjGg8OhMryLJfuksB8NejwW4stxf4HfR3fwl0KRc-J3Tu4fHQvVG8WhjGxdcH2EUiiTcojm7MtF2AXXoymkv0Xv9LwQSUnOwGYNXYCd3KJ6mq3BE/s320/Young-ha_Kim_Your_Republic.jpg" width="205" /></a></div><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYA1s5yxMqD-Bl9cLxke8NRWfJGtpb23zBRShqQnBg7QpcBDwpLzR1ILZkGkW95Yid0gjSAqb_tgI6xU4RbtMl7Zpcr1nVfR4EuP3B9l4ZWYUsa4zw3ea8py6eKs0x_NJeLRC-Kv6u9c-y7bemDEkDH29EWZKq3iq_NAMmaDBc5HhezCdLWCYVx_xR60o/s400/Nunn_Malla_Beautiful_Place.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYA1s5yxMqD-Bl9cLxke8NRWfJGtpb23zBRShqQnBg7QpcBDwpLzR1ILZkGkW95Yid0gjSAqb_tgI6xU4RbtMl7Zpcr1nVfR4EuP3B9l4ZWYUsa4zw3ea8py6eKs0x_NJeLRC-Kv6u9c-y7bemDEkDH29EWZKq3iq_NAMmaDBc5HhezCdLWCYVx_xR60o/s320/Nunn_Malla_Beautiful_Place.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><p>Next I will be reading <b><i>A Beautiful Place to Die</i></b> by Malla Nunn. The blurb on the book describes it as a "darkly romantic crime novel set in 1950s apartheid South Africa, featuring Detective Emmanuel Cooper." It has been on my shelves for 6 years. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGL4xPIht5OD4VPNTdcgapwI8FFwtmwZZIsF-BuS0NTUddx_2tQ91fPJ30euok4l6cF5MqjSfP1nOJHBdF2f0zkcZjmtwh1H_vLTP49SwJUcPwJ7ET-8smn-EdqGy4s9x47ByMQ3tKjIUDN2ZgeK2j6ugNGTJyBt3IlQETUDUsTwpiH9JEzaE33bFDqT0/s4592/T_P1010952denoise-01.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4592" data-original-width="3448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGL4xPIht5OD4VPNTdcgapwI8FFwtmwZZIsF-BuS0NTUddx_2tQ91fPJ30euok4l6cF5MqjSfP1nOJHBdF2f0zkcZjmtwh1H_vLTP49SwJUcPwJ7ET-8smn-EdqGy4s9x47ByMQ3tKjIUDN2ZgeK2j6ugNGTJyBt3IlQETUDUsTwpiH9JEzaE33bFDqT0/w480-h640/T_P1010952denoise-01.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p>The photos at the top and bottom of this post were taken at the Santa Barbara International Orchid Show that we attended last week. See the <b><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-76th-annual-santa-barbara.html" target="_blank">previous post</a></b> for more photos. <b>Click on the images for the best viewing quality.</b></p><div><br /></div>TracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-31978037753155904492024-03-12T16:04:00.000-07:002024-03-12T16:04:33.844-07:00The 76th Annual Santa Barbara International Orchid Show<p> </p><p>On Friday, March 8th, we attended the <b>76th annual Santa Barbara International Orchid Show</b>. It was a fantastic photography opportunity and most visitors were taking photos as they visited the exhibits. The show is extremely popular but we hoped that Friday would be less crowded. My husband and I and our son all took pictures and I included some of my favorites in this post. <b style="text-align: center;">Click on the images for the best viewing quality.</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8nnTt5Da_fabUdEPgsw46q-6YOHydTBT40Ps97oVBvEWK5ZfvlFHGJYJye3R2GP5-2KQkEKUyfPlCMh8p6ienLx7MlOr7toufSdRWYfGrkSL7BB0RtOF4nmnZgFGp2E9O6oi9UDzSL9_xt1fRh1WPIMVQahYLcbg7dBJ0V6TrzXulVvXXZJ-NEkcObNE/s4592/G_P1010755-01.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3448" data-original-width="4592" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8nnTt5Da_fabUdEPgsw46q-6YOHydTBT40Ps97oVBvEWK5ZfvlFHGJYJye3R2GP5-2KQkEKUyfPlCMh8p6ienLx7MlOr7toufSdRWYfGrkSL7BB0RtOF4nmnZgFGp2E9O6oi9UDzSL9_xt1fRh1WPIMVQahYLcbg7dBJ0V6TrzXulVvXXZJ-NEkcObNE/w400-h300/G_P1010755-01.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>From the <b><a href="https://sborchidshow.com/" target="_blank">website</a></b>:</p><p></p><blockquote>The Santa Barbara International Orchid Show is one of the oldest, largest and most prestigious orchid shows in the United States, reflecting the rich agricultural and orchid-growing history of Santa Barbara County. Visitors from all over the world return each March to delight in our grand orchid displays installed by local, national and international artisans and orchid enthusiasts. Exhibits of orchid art, photography and floral arrangements, in addition to a comprehensive workshop and demonstration schedule, provide visitors with a rich and unique orchid experience.</blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp5lykGNxaLHWfGGKrZflyfUxL2_GnDJUtDNxRVoJdk1XG8aN6J64KNbl4rTxN23a_8itTYNyKxDl3nKpJqWWXNcqGI-1jQaj3Ceim-iV-cUw5pLY5O8pxqoNGYwaG3KnumYWmcLW2NjAXHWMCKJGGZhUvubSEC1FK4jaJ6vYoWg0jh_nAfP9jzWF8e8w/s4592/G_P1010776-01.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3448" data-original-width="4592" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp5lykGNxaLHWfGGKrZflyfUxL2_GnDJUtDNxRVoJdk1XG8aN6J64KNbl4rTxN23a_8itTYNyKxDl3nKpJqWWXNcqGI-1jQaj3Ceim-iV-cUw5pLY5O8pxqoNGYwaG3KnumYWmcLW2NjAXHWMCKJGGZhUvubSEC1FK4jaJ6vYoWg0jh_nAfP9jzWF8e8w/w400-h300/G_P1010776-01.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh0oWShtUefAEyMcY957-CyC0zzKeQ7o7objKgmG25mDKLCSFWVbqZahh3dzxmlm2pB0ox0gmktad0qYUZuYGXDRa_6KwxCeZEWiqjWanCb7dhV78tvR8F8exF8nYKcVN4CAyTu5SHiBe_oGPzHcPLQZLldojf4PoRVFeAo8GFiQJFTl1VtxwmHNiA3cs/s3406/D_IMG_3525-01.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2857" data-original-width="3406" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh0oWShtUefAEyMcY957-CyC0zzKeQ7o7objKgmG25mDKLCSFWVbqZahh3dzxmlm2pB0ox0gmktad0qYUZuYGXDRa_6KwxCeZEWiqjWanCb7dhV78tvR8F8exF8nYKcVN4CAyTu5SHiBe_oGPzHcPLQZLldojf4PoRVFeAo8GFiQJFTl1VtxwmHNiA3cs/w400-h335/D_IMG_3525-01.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz38ZJ99LDrqn_t_lQhkCAjCEd3-3AaZOFuqm4-yDj-jGSn60xkK-uPgE9KLl5-J_Ruo9LJgtx42YvL8-Quo8IDXdpxRvhWluf8u2mxzJQl7y-b2b7NOrIx9SAWJN2xepGzlY1AVZSkkK_GxShlmGyszN6uzEd2XmiWUjiKEseso8lWXxiMdxr4d4g5ZE/s3672/T_P1010963-01.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2621" data-original-width="3672" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz38ZJ99LDrqn_t_lQhkCAjCEd3-3AaZOFuqm4-yDj-jGSn60xkK-uPgE9KLl5-J_Ruo9LJgtx42YvL8-Quo8IDXdpxRvhWluf8u2mxzJQl7y-b2b7NOrIx9SAWJN2xepGzlY1AVZSkkK_GxShlmGyszN6uzEd2XmiWUjiKEseso8lWXxiMdxr4d4g5ZE/w400-h285/T_P1010963-01.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKd_ZsyATM-veCh7GRgdWEJ-FJp6v8vUYIrFgqW0vDTGCWvWOBmtzVAJsMrkyYbavE_Sy3Xg_6s4a1XfWw7z49ZZMb5JRmpC9InMf311WUnc8ve8Lv5ehxDgtzg2ReQs_rnUueye48h2zZ2fRTcepyzJr4r1ibogl7DXX1D71TdC1qbqYY2zGf5yq2RPU/s3787/D_IMG_3522-01.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2708" data-original-width="3787" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKd_ZsyATM-veCh7GRgdWEJ-FJp6v8vUYIrFgqW0vDTGCWvWOBmtzVAJsMrkyYbavE_Sy3Xg_6s4a1XfWw7z49ZZMb5JRmpC9InMf311WUnc8ve8Lv5ehxDgtzg2ReQs_rnUueye48h2zZ2fRTcepyzJr4r1ibogl7DXX1D71TdC1qbqYY2zGf5yq2RPU/w400-h286/D_IMG_3522-01.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3448" data-original-width="4592" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHPNuF3ecvd0vn_zcFSriDn_s4W6cVp3hiyGqJA2uUBZT0N4m-0qYL23GYPaMIZBJTFCJ9SRniJEbGTp2yPHYGsbN0zcilhz9PKSoxJ87RN0c2f8H1QdOkK4OszF0XCdbWtyIRyWvLao6PjKhzHITMx3zcHe9pWw_tts2QVuWop_VIRazJokSuiPsD_Ug/w400-h300/T_P1010969-01.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7nXWPaOtOwS8-1bO0MSk-qmJ33XYVnpiYtfDZO-0hWFcomwh17RpNi2wKYslHG1sKfDYItSnuEWUWpXiBx1Ar6bh9t8tCBf8md0m_Vsq_XVQW0ZqdEGD0DAG5Dw9CW_J8Vh4Tq6UBmLeVNZQApS52yCL9474iSwG6b4pdorBnzie9wx-MbfYzMf6eBGs/s4201/T_P1010946-01.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3004" data-original-width="4201" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7nXWPaOtOwS8-1bO0MSk-qmJ33XYVnpiYtfDZO-0hWFcomwh17RpNi2wKYslHG1sKfDYItSnuEWUWpXiBx1Ar6bh9t8tCBf8md0m_Vsq_XVQW0ZqdEGD0DAG5Dw9CW_J8Vh4Tq6UBmLeVNZQApS52yCL9474iSwG6b4pdorBnzie9wx-MbfYzMf6eBGs/w400-h286/T_P1010946-01.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcLMQbZdp-5vqs0pFOciUmhuP7-iGTohcizf4qynicvIgjpyXAKwwoZI4Oro3EDyv8NCVCndmQGIRMic5ouEh22G5p7xSnwSGH-W7JID3uSDqBg-seeOCQYB1AWJLnq9hBXa3Fp-jk22tUwe0MSAZXX_QCup4wTPIfrr-aA3tbOmpwwiWXd7rwpZq6hFA/s4592/T_P1020005-01.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4592" data-original-width="3448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcLMQbZdp-5vqs0pFOciUmhuP7-iGTohcizf4qynicvIgjpyXAKwwoZI4Oro3EDyv8NCVCndmQGIRMic5ouEh22G5p7xSnwSGH-W7JID3uSDqBg-seeOCQYB1AWJLnq9hBXa3Fp-jk22tUwe0MSAZXX_QCup4wTPIfrr-aA3tbOmpwwiWXd7rwpZq6hFA/w480-h640/T_P1020005-01.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"> </p>TracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-40580109029589607382024-03-09T16:21:00.000-08:002024-03-09T16:28:54.989-08:00Wanting Sheila Dead: Jane Haddam<p> </p><p>This book is the 25th in Jane Haddam's Gregor Demarkian series. Gregor Demarkian is a retired FBI profiler who spent many years tracking down serial killers. When he settles down in his old Armenian-American neighborhood in Philadelphia, he ends up doing consulting jobs for various police departments. The crimes he investigates are interesting but less gruesome than serial killers. The books were initially described as a cozy mystery series but over time I think it has developed more of an edge. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48kemZyVNxN6Yd671kkkccbtcB-L8LXMhkc7yhAIE_FvQ5eahwWqeFTJKeHKtcSmcq3cJRlc2L9ZflmuZbrWugSiHEolcMKlfJIWyAAm5wnIP7dLNCji_x5wJMU3ru0WlAurmMoevd_LCNqdGCcR4T92YWxV4GQb7H5DalGISStIx6JGADimIVnFyq_I/s475/Haddam_Jane_Wanting_Sheila_Dead.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48kemZyVNxN6Yd671kkkccbtcB-L8LXMhkc7yhAIE_FvQ5eahwWqeFTJKeHKtcSmcq3cJRlc2L9ZflmuZbrWugSiHEolcMKlfJIWyAAm5wnIP7dLNCji_x5wJMU3ru0WlAurmMoevd_LCNqdGCcR4T92YWxV4GQb7H5DalGISStIx6JGADimIVnFyq_I/w265-h400/Haddam_Jane_Wanting_Sheila_Dead.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br /><p>In <b><i>Wanting Sheila Dead</i></b>, Gregor reluctantly gets involved with two cases (one set in his neighborhood, the other related to the filming of a reality show), but he is not officially working on either one. Sheila Dunham is the famous but loud and offensive host of the reality show. The first crime that occurs is an attempt on Sheila's life, during the judging of the contestants on the show.</p><p>Usually Gregor works as a consultant to the police, and they are very pleased to have his help. In both of these cases he has no standing with the police, and some of the detectives resent his interference. Plus he has just (finally) gotten married and he is adjusting to the changes. His new wife Bennis has been a part of the series from the beginning, but she is more in the background this time. I find it interesting that the author shares so much of Gregor's thoughts about what is happening in his life: not just about his marriage, but about getting older, his confusion about not being an official part of the investigations, even about his dreams.</p><p><br /></p><p>I like this series because the books have engaging, sometimes quirky, characters and the stories are often centered around interesting issues. I usually find that the author presents the issues from both sides, although it may be clear which side she favors. Each book begins with a few chapters at the beginning setting up some of the characters that will be involved in the events, providing some idea of where they fit in. I have always liked this approach and it is one of my favorite aspects of Haddam's books. This time, the vignettes of the characters were less successful because there were so many of them.</p><p>From the beginning of the series, Gregor is often described as the Armenian-American Hercule Poirot in newspapers and on TV news shows. This irritates him to no end, even though he has never read any books about Poirot. In this book, for the first time Gregor has read some mysteries by Raymond Chandler and Agatha Christie and he contrasts the two authors and philosophizes on Christie's approach to detecting. I found that part especially interesting and amusing. </p><p>Although I am a big fan of this series, I am not really recommending this book or the series; it would not be everyone's cup of tea. Having said that, the first book in the series (<b><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2022/12/not-creature-was-stirring-jane-haddam.html" target="_blank">Not a Creature was Stirring</a></i></b>) would be on my top favorites list of books read, across all genres. I have read all the previous books in the series and plan to read the remaining five books. The earlier books in the series are my favorites and I have reread several of them. </p><p><br /></p><p>Jane Haddam is a pseudonym for Orania Papazoglou. She was the wife of William L. Deandrea, author of mysteries and <b><i>Encyclopedia Mysteriosa</i></b>, a mystery reference book.</p><div><br /></div>TracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-59886103851358026412024-03-05T22:39:00.000-08:002024-03-05T22:55:42.105-08:00Short Story Wednesday: Three Captain Leopold Stories by Edward D. Hoch<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5DrQHbSOVPBuZiSoFOhiRm3e7BS_ZV3T_hzcGL5m8qQ1OnElP0s4WlsIFsewrXswqcuGgTvS8E4wZHBMk2Lh6jb-njvjcagZLfp_6mYtXWNc3thYOS4nirrA-edQPJgs8ZL-3oeOGP4HEXPN-ENIDZpE3KF3EylIlHsqGiwTvnmKfEIwGF5HGIcfzcrI/s400/Hoch_Leopolds_Way.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="263" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5DrQHbSOVPBuZiSoFOhiRm3e7BS_ZV3T_hzcGL5m8qQ1OnElP0s4WlsIFsewrXswqcuGgTvS8E4wZHBMk2Lh6jb-njvjcagZLfp_6mYtXWNc3thYOS4nirrA-edQPJgs8ZL-3oeOGP4HEXPN-ENIDZpE3KF3EylIlHsqGiwTvnmKfEIwGF5HGIcfzcrI/w263-h400/Hoch_Leopolds_Way.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><br /><p>Recently I read another three stories in <b><i>Leopold's Way</i></b> by Edward D. Hoch. I read the first five stories in the book in November 2023. See <b><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/11/short-story-wednesday-leopolds-way.html" target="_blank">this post</a></b> for my thoughts on those stories and notes about the book and the author.</p><p><br /></p><p>These are the three stories I read:</p><p><b>"The Oblong Room"</b></p><p>A college student has been killed in his dorm room, and his roommate stayed in the room with him after his death for at least 20 hours before the student next door discovered the situation. The assumption is that the roommate killed him, but question is why. This one was more spooky than most. It was a puzzle, of course, but it had a psychological element too.</p><p>This story won an Edgar award. My only complaint is that Captain Leopold keeps saying that this case is Sergeant Fletcher's case, but then he seems to take the lead. Still a great story. From what I have read, it has been reprinted many times.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>"The Vanishing of Velma"</b></p><p>In this story, a teen-age girl has been reported as missing under very unusual circumstances. The young man who she was out with reports her missing; he says she took a ride on the Ferris wheel but never got off. It is a very good puzzle but Leopold figures it out.</p><p>The story mentions events in a previous story in this book, "The House by the Ferris," and Stella Gaze, a character in that story.</p><p>The solution was outstanding.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>"The Athanasia League"</b></p><p>Of the three, this was my least favorite, but very interesting nevertheless. A woman is dead at the Athanasia League, a sort of home for older people run by Dr. Raymond Libby. He is not a medical doctor, but he leads a group of older people who pay to live in the home, "striving for deathlessness and immortality." A very strange case, since there seems to be no one with a motive to kill the woman, who was a member of the group.</p><p>Two interesting aspects are that Sergeant Fletcher has taken the test to become a Lieutenant and the only other policeman competing with him is one with a questionable reputation, not above taking graft or using force with a suspect. Also both Leopold and Fletcher have conflicts with the Mayor and a staff member. Unfortunately the story leaves it up in the air whether Fletcher gets his promotion or not.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Why do I like the Captain Leopold stories?</b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Captain Leopold is a very likable character. Dedicated to his job, smart and intuitive. I also like Sergeant Fletcher, who works with Leopold most of the time.</li><li>There were over 100 Captain Leopold stories and I have only read nine of them, so I am no expert. But so far in each story we learn just a bit more about Leopold and his background. (In "The Vanishing of Velma" the missing girl is 15 years old and he wonders if he might have a daughter that age if he and his wife had not divorced.)</li><li>The stories are always interesting and never too far-fetched. </li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p>TracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-3545660411760523532024-03-04T22:08:00.000-08:002024-03-04T22:08:21.670-08:00Days at the Morisaki Bookshop: Satoshi Yagisawa<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHVBZ3G5GJuAnzCeposuEpdqLt7dE4NZfNs8rrsl28dorVFwlLIyi93San_svDNmmPWc7RkjIYDYeYNIGvByuG2uyG2uCjK4495vOZmzAr1vuTSPWY3YTDsLki3NNQkqva7EPsk5kUjBDX6cChvKhfa_uiAHLIgtT8NNnWLtp_-3sCAzpMAB1xCd4VQzY/s2400/Yagisawa_Days_Morisaki_bookshop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1593" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHVBZ3G5GJuAnzCeposuEpdqLt7dE4NZfNs8rrsl28dorVFwlLIyi93San_svDNmmPWc7RkjIYDYeYNIGvByuG2uyG2uCjK4495vOZmzAr1vuTSPWY3YTDsLki3NNQkqva7EPsk5kUjBDX6cChvKhfa_uiAHLIgtT8NNnWLtp_-3sCAzpMAB1xCd4VQzY/w424-h640/Yagisawa_Days_Morisaki_bookshop.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>First two paragraphs of the book:</p><p></p><blockquote><p>From late summer to early spring the next year, I lived at the Morisaki Bookshop. I spent that period of my life in the spare room on the second floor of the store, trying to bury myself in books. The cramped room barely got any light, and everything felt damp. It smelled constantly of musty old books. </p><p>But I will always remember the days I spent there. Because that's where my real life began. And I know, without a doubt, that if not for those days, the rest of my life would have been bland, monotonous, and lonely.</p></blockquote><p>Takaka and her boyfriend work at the same business. One night they go out for dinner and he announces that he is going to marry another woman, who also works at the same workplace. This is weird for two reasons. First, Takaka has no clue that Hideaki has been dating this other woman, and thought she had a serious relationship with him. Second, she doesn't object or even question him about this; she just says "Oh, that's good," and calmly leaves. She expresses none of her feelings of surprise or rejection.</p><p>Takaka is miserable; she still has to work with Hideaki, she can't eat, and she loses lots of weight. She eventually quits her job and spends all day sleeping in her apartment. After a few weeks of this her uncle Satoru calls her and asks her to come work part time for him in his bookshop; he will provide a place for her to live, over the bookshop. She can save on rent until she decides to go back to work. She reluctantly agrees, because he really needs her help.</p><p>The book is divided into two sections. The first section covers the time that Takaka lives at the bookshop; the second takes place months later, after her mental state has improved and she has found another job. Uncle Satoru again calls on Takaka, but this time it is because his wife Momoko who left him 5 years earlier has returned with no explanation. The story is as much about family and relationships with people as it is about books and reading.</p><p><br /></p><p>I enjoyed this book for many reasons:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>I liked the picture of life in Japan, the bookshop setting, and Takaka's growing love of books. The neighborhood she moves to has many bookshops all in the same area. According to the translator's note, there is an actual neighborhood of book stores in Jimbochu. The translator's notes are very good. </li><li>Takaka not only does not express her own needs in her romantic relationship, she also has trouble opening up to anyone and accepting the quirks of others. Her interactions with people at the bookshop and in her new relationships help her to improve in this area.</li><li>The story is mostly upbeat, and it has a good and realistic ending.</li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><p>The cover of this book is wonderful, but I was frustrated by it because it shows two very cute cats, but there are no cats in the story.</p><p>I read this book for the <b><a href="https://dolcebellezza2.wordpress.com/2023/12/12/japanese-literature-challenge-17/" target="_blank">Japanese Literary Challenge</a></b> and for the <b><a href="http://www.blogginboutbooks.com/2023/12/announcing-bookish-books-reading.html" target="_blank">Bookish Books Challenge</a></b>.</p><p><br /></p><p><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"> -----------------------------</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Publisher: Harper Perennial, 2023 (orig. pub. 2010)</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Translator: Eric Ozawa</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Length: 150 pages</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Format: Trade Paper</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Setting: Japan</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Genre: Fiction</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Source: Purchased September 2023.</span></p><p><br /></p>TracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-50386129565759452452024-03-03T16:45:00.000-08:002024-03-03T16:45:06.298-08:00The Quiet American: Graham Greene<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50DjDXRpbSa2-D6zDgxeb_CRWCbWDqMPBDrvO0y5MxDqiuSz7l66FbF07WdZEVV800As8mpoKCyqobbwmvk_VCsRMvUexYBYksl8sjx-vi6zNi-cDXir6Rd4nD6l4SN27Fp1g12N4RGXf1q5a_2dvsu656PQvdObxuJRR1305C-zlEGupAjPtN_KrOp4/s500/Greene_Quiet_American.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="328" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50DjDXRpbSa2-D6zDgxeb_CRWCbWDqMPBDrvO0y5MxDqiuSz7l66FbF07WdZEVV800As8mpoKCyqobbwmvk_VCsRMvUexYBYksl8sjx-vi6zNi-cDXir6Rd4nD6l4SN27Fp1g12N4RGXf1q5a_2dvsu656PQvdObxuJRR1305C-zlEGupAjPtN_KrOp4/s320/Greene_Quiet_American.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><br /><p>This book was my read for the latest Classic Club Spin. I have been wanting to read more by Graham Greene and this was a great choice. This book was published in 1955 and the events in this book took place in the early 1950s.</p><p>The story is set in Saigon, Vietnam and surrounding areas. The French Army and the Viet Minh guerrillas are fighting each other. Thomas Fowler is a war correspondent who has been stationed in the area for two years. During that time he had a relationship with Phuong, a very young Vietnamese woman; it was not clear to me whether he loves her or he just needs what she provides, sex and companionship. Alden Pyle, the quiet American, is a newcomer, working in the Economic Attaché's office. He is a young, more idealistic man. He becomes a rival for Phuong's affections. Fowler is more jaded and realistic, and much older than Phuong or Pyle.</p><p>As the story opens, Fowler and Phuong are in his rooms, waiting for news of Pyle, who is missing. Soon the French Sûreté officer Vigot tells Fowler that Pyle is dead and the circumstances. Fowler tells Phuong, who was living with Pyle at the time.</p><p>The rest of the story is relayed through flashbacks. Fowler and Pyle are also involved in some of the fighting between the French and the Vietnamese. Those scenes seemed very realistic and were quite gruesome. </p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">My Thoughts:</h4><p>This book was very very good. It has elements of spy fiction and political intrigue, but the picture of Vietnam and the fighting that was going on there in the early 1950s was more interesting for me. It is not an uplifting read, very much the opposite, but very well written, and I learned a lot about the Vietnam conflict in those years. </p><p>The relationship of these men who both want the same Vietnamese woman, for different reasons, is sad. Thomas Fowler narrates the story and it is hard to determine if he is a reliable narrator or not. Since he is telling Pyle's story, we only know his version of the events and Pyle's motivations, except for the conversations between them. In any case I had little sympathy for either one of them. </p><p>Having lived through the years of the Vietnam conflict you would think I would know more about its history, but I don't. I would like to learn more about that topic.</p><p><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"> -----------------------------</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Publisher: Open Road Media, 2018 (orig. pub. 1955)</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Length: 190 pages</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Format: e-book</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Setting: Vietnam</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Genre: Fiction, Espionage</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Source: I purchased this book. </span></p>TracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-5728169990640567052024-03-01T22:17:00.000-08:002024-03-01T22:17:28.942-08:00Six Degrees of Separation from Tom Lake to Lady in the Lake<p>The <b><a href="https://booksaremyfavouriteandbest.com/6-degrees-of-separation-meme/" target="_blank">Six Degrees of Separation</a></b> meme is hosted by Kate at <b><a href="https://booksaremyfavouriteandbest.com/2024/03/02/six-degrees-of-separation-from-tom-lake-to-the-librarianist/" target="_blank">booksaremyfavoriteandbest</a></b>. The idea behind the meme is to start with a book and use common points between two books to end up with links to six books, forming a chain. The common points may be obvious, like a word in the title or a shared theme, or more personal. Every month Kate provides the title of a book as the starting point.</p><p>The starting book this month is <b><i>Tom Lake</i></b> by Ann Patchett. I have only read one book by Ann Patchett, <i>Bel Canto</i>. I loved it and I have several more on my shelves to read. But this one is fairly new and I won't be reading it for a while. I know little about the book but I decided to use the word "lake" in the title as the basis for the links in my chain. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_NiWDRDYsJpjc9nrMO32jbe-wqha1WC7_sgy8y08PzfPegTxzngVd97aysrf4g7I93wVoVYc-iEJyBtJUjtO4rlMQ_LRZvQHB3JWPeXGddUN7isPfR6gTwhxG1Go1jNlFKl4quBgh_idO92VORxyjJP-bgKMBz1i4eEUAwOFr6AKTpvJbvQ-XYMYbrF0/s500/Patchett_Tom_Lake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="325" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_NiWDRDYsJpjc9nrMO32jbe-wqha1WC7_sgy8y08PzfPegTxzngVd97aysrf4g7I93wVoVYc-iEJyBtJUjtO4rlMQ_LRZvQHB3JWPeXGddUN7isPfR6gTwhxG1Go1jNlFKl4quBgh_idO92VORxyjJP-bgKMBz1i4eEUAwOFr6AKTpvJbvQ-XYMYbrF0/s320/Patchett_Tom_Lake.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">1st degree:</h4><p>My first book is <b><i>The Lady in the Lake</i></b> (1943) by Raymond Chandler. I have read four books in the Philip Marlowe series. This is the 4th book and it will be the next book I read in the series. The story begins with the search for the wife of a very rich business man. The story is set in California. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiIJKgADoLG3gw_r97HY-QrbjEvI3seMczog1jL9GYYPYVrVj6xkyWqFQFXLJpP_5_v4GvSwx3I_wrQj7NhIyJ4jERCyOvsFZD3qDSjz9PWgLvOAG1CrNMA_v7hZQhQjkATXenAfaDYG1WYKtJeL97Vh_etZ7APiHGCGjqgvoWj_EoRSdq5S4uivNL9CI/s499/Chandler_Lady_in_Lake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="326" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiIJKgADoLG3gw_r97HY-QrbjEvI3seMczog1jL9GYYPYVrVj6xkyWqFQFXLJpP_5_v4GvSwx3I_wrQj7NhIyJ4jERCyOvsFZD3qDSjz9PWgLvOAG1CrNMA_v7hZQhQjkATXenAfaDYG1WYKtJeL97Vh_etZ7APiHGCGjqgvoWj_EoRSdq5S4uivNL9CI/s320/Chandler_Lady_in_Lake.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">2nd degree:</h4><p><b><i>China Lake</i></b> (2002) by Meg Gardiner is the first book in the Evan Delaney series. It is another one set in California and I was interested because a large portion of it takes place in Santa Barbara. The Santa Barbara setting was very well done, which makes sense because the author lived here in the past. China Lake in the title refers to the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in the Mojave desert, where a good bit of the action takes place. The book was a page turner but it was too much of a thriller for me and I had problems with the characters. I still have <i>Mission Canyon</i>, the 2nd book in the series, and Mission Canyon is the part of the Santa Barbara area that we lived in during our first six years in California. So I will eventually read that one too.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBH6jX5ZRnUr09Mg_TDHmxzJhAg6goNNf7vOQiab4rTBP8VQa8w-BFSGsZ9on3BxNkOalRc8Q3I3VncK1IrFzOX94bo3C-cwEPkC22GEDLEPSxhn-YvVVm72i3D5-KczIiTXx0uQqr__ZEV41576HoJtHBHAZmFQKppEjTwbqtoUIOkPCGu5CsvqPkAg/s400/Gardiner_China_Lake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="254" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBH6jX5ZRnUr09Mg_TDHmxzJhAg6goNNf7vOQiab4rTBP8VQa8w-BFSGsZ9on3BxNkOalRc8Q3I3VncK1IrFzOX94bo3C-cwEPkC22GEDLEPSxhn-YvVVm72i3D5-KczIiTXx0uQqr__ZEV41576HoJtHBHAZmFQKppEjTwbqtoUIOkPCGu5CsvqPkAg/s320/Gardiner_China_Lake.jpg" width="203" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">3rd degree:</h4><p><b><i>The Draining Lake</i></b> (2004) by Arnaldur Indridason is the 4th book in a police procedural series set in Iceland. I have read the first book in this series and plan to continue reading it. The lake in this book is draining due to an earthquake. A skeleton is revealed by the draining. Inspector Erlendur and his team are called out to investigate.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqAbPkmgUGUDVfwkf5zj_GA6Emtg_GkBZQVxvSrD8wLlVXcZaijv3yePsmnOFc18TqlzZD0DW0IB1yQoyXapQLJO6ndGJKfuXyWvsVNIKuQ6N1SSfJ1BdQ_b8CU82AsC5_ctJ6XyfkuJPYBP8OQdTq0Jn3PuQHSvyPR4YOPs0FnDX563FYN6hdzZGsqpU/s475/Indridason_Draining_Lake_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="308" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqAbPkmgUGUDVfwkf5zj_GA6Emtg_GkBZQVxvSrD8wLlVXcZaijv3yePsmnOFc18TqlzZD0DW0IB1yQoyXapQLJO6ndGJKfuXyWvsVNIKuQ6N1SSfJ1BdQ_b8CU82AsC5_ctJ6XyfkuJPYBP8OQdTq0Jn3PuQHSvyPR4YOPs0FnDX563FYN6hdzZGsqpU/s320/Indridason_Draining_Lake_02.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br /><p><b>4th degree:</b></p><p>In <b><i>The Lake Ching Murders</i></b> (2001) by David Rotenberg, the former Shanghai Head of Special Investigations Zhong Fong has been exiled to the north country in China as a convicted political felon. With much reluctance, officials bring him out of exile to investigate the deaths of 17 influential foreigners which took place on a pleasure boat on Lake Ching. I haven't read anything else by this Canadian author and the book has been on my bookshelves for 10 years. This is the 2nd in a series of 5 books</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIXtECPi8f4nyu68foD3Hy9-k_gXGmfzhBGbjnaqvCWey4onvHZOBslw222oFDW8C0GVgWuaU-c9LsWe_lRJJid7Fko_m_suM1p8rgf8rF3KJ1MdAn-tuFvYyhpMPKKJ562u0QsxCLI284NPhuGqShJJHTlIZOSDh66nUbPjEjfagODtGXDwuHGDEpbp8/s475/Rotenberg_David_Lake_Ching_Murders_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIXtECPi8f4nyu68foD3Hy9-k_gXGmfzhBGbjnaqvCWey4onvHZOBslw222oFDW8C0GVgWuaU-c9LsWe_lRJJid7Fko_m_suM1p8rgf8rF3KJ1MdAn-tuFvYyhpMPKKJ562u0QsxCLI284NPhuGqShJJHTlIZOSDh66nUbPjEjfagODtGXDwuHGDEpbp8/s320/Rotenberg_David_Lake_Ching_Murders_02.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">5th degree:</h4><p><b><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2018/12/iron-lake-william-kent-krueger.html" target="_blank">Iron Lake</a></i></b> (1998) by William Kent Krueger is the first novel in the long running Cork O'Connor series, set in the small town of Aurora, Minnesota near Iron Lake and the Iron Lake Reservation. Cork, the former sheriff, is half Irish and half Anishinaabe. An influential local judge is found dead, an apparent suicide; Cork is the one who discovers the body. A young Indian boy is missing and his mother seeks Cork's help to find him. I loved this book and the second book in the series and plan to read more by this author.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT52S9EgD5j0poRkpBJ2cUemlEfJWxf1azh396Z5ref6Bk2AEV0PjpGr8Lblqj9iRXjTmjeMjVU2gWq7q9vV3kC4VnpW-ORNJm-_8LlMn7x7_aY1pT3p-Md6qHzQQe84QYY2Y46a5hsniGmwR71iIgYcYeV5mtr6NKUffzw_lfaOvnp8FyBlEXhg2e1z0/s1988/Krueger_William_Kent_Iron_Lake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1988" data-original-width="1147" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT52S9EgD5j0poRkpBJ2cUemlEfJWxf1azh396Z5ref6Bk2AEV0PjpGr8Lblqj9iRXjTmjeMjVU2gWq7q9vV3kC4VnpW-ORNJm-_8LlMn7x7_aY1pT3p-Md6qHzQQe84QYY2Y46a5hsniGmwR71iIgYcYeV5mtr6NKUffzw_lfaOvnp8FyBlEXhg2e1z0/s320/Krueger_William_Kent_Iron_Lake.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">6th degree:</h4><p>The last book in my chain is <b><i>Lady in the Lake</i></b> (2019) by Laura Lippman. The setting is Baltimore in the 1960s. The story was inspired by two cases of women who disappeared in Baltimore, one black and one white, that occurred around the same time as the story in the book. The protagonist is a female crime reporter. I read Lippman's first mystery in the Tess Monaghan series (1997) but I have not read any of her standalone mysteries.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKw8OO3fyYrt0WFQLpHtUmn0HfFwB8V7ltb727wzfzGew7Aofc674S41oYRhWum29kRlRgptbi4UloZWV68ngZbvJQF-vqc86hphAj2Y59WK1hivi1ExWkVCMZVT3HGHOLZfRemXc5Db9LF8YRkN1XywFYBoXbORLAVDU87dYmRtE34o-dhVJOWulwO4g/s346/Lippman_Laura_Lady_in_Lake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="228" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKw8OO3fyYrt0WFQLpHtUmn0HfFwB8V7ltb727wzfzGew7Aofc674S41oYRhWum29kRlRgptbi4UloZWV68ngZbvJQF-vqc86hphAj2Y59WK1hivi1ExWkVCMZVT3HGHOLZfRemXc5Db9LF8YRkN1XywFYBoXbORLAVDU87dYmRtE34o-dhVJOWulwO4g/s320/Lippman_Laura_Lady_in_Lake.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>My Six Degrees took me to several locations in the US plus Iceland and China. Have you read any of these books? </p><p>If you did this month's Six Degrees, where did your list take you?</p><p>The next Six Degrees will be on April 6, 2024. The instructions for the starting book: "look to your bookshelf – do you see a Lonely Planet title there? Or an Eyewitness Travel title? Or any other travel guide? That’s your starting book."</p><div><br /></div>TracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-82171370143808844252024-02-28T22:15:00.000-08:002024-02-28T22:15:51.701-08:00Joining the Bookish Books Reading Challenge 2024<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiff9L6vpbMC0T-SaitLIUK9k7IgWB06MjYyvO_5INFkLceXx0jDkSn1t7ps9D2mYbRIi913bHiZLTR6UzrUpqsH6ri9eFC_CQGXDvSPGFq_KPoKiKsyRqRx3qJm8f3QNGucbeC2MionegVTPXi1HitspzsCEFlos1Yt-PYCw-mmpOm42MUmrspVMlMRXY/s320/2024%20Bookish%20Books%20reading%20challenge.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiff9L6vpbMC0T-SaitLIUK9k7IgWB06MjYyvO_5INFkLceXx0jDkSn1t7ps9D2mYbRIi913bHiZLTR6UzrUpqsH6ri9eFC_CQGXDvSPGFq_KPoKiKsyRqRx3qJm8f3QNGucbeC2MionegVTPXi1HitspzsCEFlos1Yt-PYCw-mmpOm42MUmrspVMlMRXY/s1600/2024%20Bookish%20Books%20reading%20challenge.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Susan at <b><a href="http://www.blogginboutbooks.com/" target="_blank">Bloggin' Bout Books</a></b> is hosting the <b>Bookish Books Reading challenge</b> for the second year. The focus is on books about books...</p><p>Any book counts as long as one of its main themes is books (reading them, writing them, hoarding them, stealing them, eating them, burning them, decorating with them, organizing them, sniffing them, selling them, etc.). Any book that is essentially bookish in nature counts. All formats are acceptable. Since this challenge isn't about pages read, length doesn't matter either. Picture books are totally fine.</p><p>Reviews aren't required, but they're always welcome. There will be a monthly linky so participants can share books that they have read for the challenge. </p><p>The challenge runs from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024. You can sign up any time during the year. See the <b><a href="http://www.blogginboutbooks.com/2023/12/announcing-bookish-books-reading.html" target="_blank">sign-up post</a></b> for full details and suggestions for books.</p><p><br /></p><p>The levels are: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Toe in the Door: 1-10 books read</li><li>Picking and Perusing: 11-20 books read</li><li>Lost in the Stacks: 21-30 books read</li><li>Living in the Library: 30+ books read</li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><p>And I will be aiming at <b>Toe in the Door</b>. I read a decent number of bookish books for the challenge last year but did not post about them all.</p><p>Susan has created a Goodreads list of <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/183075.Bookish_Books_Reading_Challenge_Ideas" target="_blank">Bookish Books</a></b> if you need inspiration. </p><p><br /></p><p>These are books I may read:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i><b>Ex Libris</b></i> by Michiko Kakutani </li><li><i><b>The Lonely Hearts Book Club</b></i> by Lucy Gilmore</li><li><i><b>Found in a Bookshop</b></i> by Stephanie Butland</li><li><i><b>The Pleasure of Reading</b></i> edited by Antonia Fraser</li><li><i><b>Baking With Kafka</b></i> by Tom Gauld</li><li><i><b>The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry</b></i> by Gabrielle Zevin</li><li><i><b>The Cat Who Saved Books</b></i> by Sōsuke Natsukawa</li><li><i><b>The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections</b></i> by Eva Jurczyk </li><li><i><b>Confessions of a Bookseller</b></i> by Shaun Bythell</li><li><i><b>I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf</b></i> by Grant Snider</li><li><i><b>Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore</b></i> by Matthew J. Sullivan</li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Bookish books I am currently reading:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b><i>The Book of Books</i></b> (An Eclectic Collection of Reading Recommendations, Quirky Lists, and Fun Facts about Books) by Les Krantz and Tim Knight</li><li><b><i>More Book Lust</i></b> by Nancy Pearl</li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Bookish book I have read recently:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b><i>Days at the Morisaki Bookshop</i></b> by Satoshi Yagisawa</li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUANLDftHNDUj1V4_yLmydkNCj44c6UUqaZSTSvQV5scAsmukzi25V9VMLw79IS4OHg2f84_v9lhqValm4RaKUdwLN13KMtopogz6ZugyOkey9vpOmgtjAjVso7XWRU73tHhVjnvHKe-Z2siNGBc6oIoYQr2qLC1td3bQ8Rj3WBjaHfvxZwjk3-ZfckJE/s2400/Yagisawa_Days_Morisaki_bookshop.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1593" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUANLDftHNDUj1V4_yLmydkNCj44c6UUqaZSTSvQV5scAsmukzi25V9VMLw79IS4OHg2f84_v9lhqValm4RaKUdwLN13KMtopogz6ZugyOkey9vpOmgtjAjVso7XWRU73tHhVjnvHKe-Z2siNGBc6oIoYQr2qLC1td3bQ8Rj3WBjaHfvxZwjk3-ZfckJE/w265-h400/Yagisawa_Days_Morisaki_bookshop.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>TracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-19171470559373879202024-02-26T21:40:00.000-08:002024-02-26T21:40:24.326-08:00A Darkness Absolute: Kelley Armstrong<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzfAzZxeTvYfB0jVjF-xovqoEMOt5jvd7X4Sy9LkJRXpqrm5bFpjoVYwWy3vbQiywjEleq2lq5YEV8rHoFCHs1NTgylZozbyCCGYZC3FBpldzMCtuTRAF-dsVkOjb1ScdKgilz58leDlrMQYb0Uj80JwlQklp8epSU4S3ZE_fuWNkddaa0ID_YsO5GKYA/s500/Armstrong_Kelley_Darkness_Absolute.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="331" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzfAzZxeTvYfB0jVjF-xovqoEMOt5jvd7X4Sy9LkJRXpqrm5bFpjoVYwWy3vbQiywjEleq2lq5YEV8rHoFCHs1NTgylZozbyCCGYZC3FBpldzMCtuTRAF-dsVkOjb1ScdKgilz58leDlrMQYb0Uj80JwlQklp8epSU4S3ZE_fuWNkddaa0ID_YsO5GKYA/w424-h640/Armstrong_Kelley_Darkness_Absolute.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><br /><p>Description from the dust jacket:</p><p></p><blockquote><p>When experienced homicide detective Casey Duncan first moved to the secret town of Rockton, she expected a safe haven for people like her, people running from their past misdeeds and past lives. She knew living in Rockton meant living off-the-grid completely: no cell phones, no Internet, no mail, very little electricity, and no way of getting in or out without the town council’s approval. What she didn’t expect is that Rockton comes with its own set of secrets and dangers.</p><p>Now, in <i>A Darkness Absolute</i>, Casey and her fellow Rockton sheriff’s deputy Will chase a cabin-fevered resident into the woods, where they are stranded in a blizzard. Taking shelter in a cave, they discover a former resident who’s been held captive for over a year.</p></blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Rockton is a small town in the Yukon wilderness, so isolated that most modern conveniences are lacking. A town council has to approve new inhabitants, and most of those applying for residence in Rockton have committed crimes or are hiding from something in their past. Admittance can be based on the individual's usefulness to the town or on a large monetary payment.</p><p>Sheriff Eric Dalton and Detective Casey Duncan are the main characters in this series. In this book, they are looking for a man who is capable of kidnapping a woman and keeping her imprisoned in demeaning circumstances for months. They don't know for sure whether the man would be from outside of Rockton, or an inhabitant. And the bad weather doesn't make the investigation and search any easier.</p><p>The aspects that drew me to the first book in the series were connected to the setting. I like to read books set in Canada and written by Canadian authors. A remote town isolated from the rest of the world in the Yukon was especially appealing. </p><p><br /></p><p>So what else did I like?</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The author definitely keeps the story suspenseful and, in a town like Rockton, practically everyone is a suspect. </li><li>I enjoyed the story overall, and the action never stops. Which is probably good, because it keeps the reader from wondering too much about any implausible actions or decisions, which show up in just about any thriller.</li><li>The character development is great. I like the main characters, and there are a lot of interesting recurring characters. Even in the case of characters I don't like, I think the characters are well developed.</li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><p>This is the second book in the series, and it was just as appealing as the first, <b><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2020/10/city-of-lost-kelley-armstrong.html" target="_blank">City of the Lost</a></i></b>, which I read about 3 years ago. I will make an effort to read book 3 sooner. There are seven books in the series, published between 2016 and 2022. There is even a spinoff series that I will be interested in pursuing once I read the next five books in the series. </p><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"> -----------------------------</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Publisher: Minotaur Books, 2017.</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Length: 390 pages</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Format: Hardcover</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Series: Rockton, #2</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Setting: Yukon, Canada</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Genre: Police Procedural</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Source: </span><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Purchased in 2020.</span></p><p><br /></p>TracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-31064926271828115262024-02-17T22:10:00.000-08:002024-02-17T22:10:34.128-08:00Tokyo Express: Seicho Matsumoto<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-fgAbuo0Ypj8YZgYVLAPvPh-xl3X7fgFACHDoUCtmf_SeXT5nhYeVmTRwLrmWYlcjnYpphiO5mXg0J6CaBuYCQ8MA3or9FnssV-yZ_x2TMB7BoAgpk2aGjJkkQcOUTO3nrC57_r3JGa0BhPcFFK0KklCxzs11CkAMs8rhmaofoct0L5aBmj8l30N80E/s1440/Japanese_Lit_17.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="978" data-original-width="1440" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-fgAbuo0Ypj8YZgYVLAPvPh-xl3X7fgFACHDoUCtmf_SeXT5nhYeVmTRwLrmWYlcjnYpphiO5mXg0J6CaBuYCQ8MA3or9FnssV-yZ_x2TMB7BoAgpk2aGjJkkQcOUTO3nrC57_r3JGa0BhPcFFK0KklCxzs11CkAMs8rhmaofoct0L5aBmj8l30N80E/s320/Japanese_Lit_17.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>I am participating in the <b><a href="https://dolcebellezza2.wordpress.com/2023/12/12/japanese-literature-challenge-17/" target="_blank">Japanese Literature Challenge 17</a></b> hosted by <b>Dolce Bellezza</b>. It runs from January through February, 2024. The goal is to read and review one or more books which were originally written in Japanese. There is a post at Dolce Bellezza for <b><a href="https://dolcebellezza2.wordpress.com/2023/12/31/japanese-literature-challenge-17-review-site/" target="_blank">links to reviews</a></b>.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKalKipjVtQpbJfQYtzgwuUQgvEnQXFvLUaGjXDlH5atth9SHT3wcDeCK5XDuIOJmy-E-XO-3jsXiTTcKIsKo-W3yNovebx0XFQ1xT-uth1TuHQFGK6UKhoH5iKjhQydVLG1KgKIOpk-epeyvC7zwfdeMvn5dC50gnwZjH0SejRyb-UAjKUB-QxkmEuks/s1529/Matsumoto_Tokyo_express.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1529" data-original-width="974" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKalKipjVtQpbJfQYtzgwuUQgvEnQXFvLUaGjXDlH5atth9SHT3wcDeCK5XDuIOJmy-E-XO-3jsXiTTcKIsKo-W3yNovebx0XFQ1xT-uth1TuHQFGK6UKhoH5iKjhQydVLG1KgKIOpk-epeyvC7zwfdeMvn5dC50gnwZjH0SejRyb-UAjKUB-QxkmEuks/s320/Matsumoto_Tokyo_express.jpg" width="204" /></a></div><p><b><i>Tokyo Express</i></b> is my first book read for the challenge. It was Seichō Matsumoto's first novel, published in 1958.</p><p>In this novel, two detectives in different cities in Japan investigate the same crime and collaborate, sharing their thoughts and discoveries. A man and a woman are found dead on a beach in Kashii, and the police assume that it is a double suicide. Inspector Torigai in Kashii is first assigned to the case, and he has no reason to disagree with that determination, but he does notice some puzzling aspects and continues to have nagging questions. Later Inspector Mihara from Tokyo comes to discuss the case with Torigai. Torigai realizes that the aspect of the case that Mihara is looking into is connected to government corruption and fraud. He thinks the deaths are related to a bribery scandal in the government.</p><p>The two detectives share their concerns and thoughts about the deaths. They form a bond because they are both sure that there is another answer to this case, that it is not suicide. It is pretty obvious close to the beginning who the guilty party is, but there is always a question, are they right or wrong, and can they prove it one way or the other? The alibis of their suspects depend on train schedules, so a good amount of time is spent on that aspect of the alleged crime. </p><p>It is a short novel, 150 pages, and the first half seemed too slow and repetitive to me. The book was initially published as a serial in a magazine, and that could be the explanation for the repetition. However, the second half picked up and I was pleased with the ending. Plus, it is a good picture of Japan after World War II. </p><p>This novel was first published in English translation as <b><i>Points and Lines</i></b> (translated by two different translators). I have a copy of that book (purchased back in 2016) but did not realize it until I had finished reading this edition of the book.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizLoX5FoX89s1HXFw1Q-K63BqHrFBgfIcHMPHCwzKYSTb1a-FZr3ze_uUsXYah71InvFsnjJVZb1U0_q2d-Ibh16gwUvPkgIMRBz78P9JcE4MCQY8LsKaqTRO0UQ6SG_cqolNyF88ZtdlFaNYPPiW1d0lv9q0AfKqMbk_Sj9SBsZfXiuwoehIrs6iV1FA/s475/Matsumoto_Points_and_Lines.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="294" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizLoX5FoX89s1HXFw1Q-K63BqHrFBgfIcHMPHCwzKYSTb1a-FZr3ze_uUsXYah71InvFsnjJVZb1U0_q2d-Ibh16gwUvPkgIMRBz78P9JcE4MCQY8LsKaqTRO0UQ6SG_cqolNyF88ZtdlFaNYPPiW1d0lv9q0AfKqMbk_Sj9SBsZfXiuwoehIrs6iV1FA/s320/Matsumoto_Points_and_Lines.jpg" width="198" /></a></div><br /><p>I have read one other mystery by Matsumoto, <i><b><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2020/03/a-quiet-place-seicho-matsumoto.html" target="_blank">A Quiet Place</a></b></i>, published in 1975. </p><p><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span face="arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">-----------------------------</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Publisher: Penguin, 2023 (orig. pub. 1958)</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Length: 150 pages</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Format: Trade paperback</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Setting: Japan</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Genre: Mystery, Police Procedural</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Source: Purchased in 2023</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Translated by Jesse Kirkwood</span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>TracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-33946871262519792642024-02-13T22:17:00.000-08:002024-02-13T22:17:08.775-08:00Short Story Wednesday: Books on the Kindle<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHTAy1sGTNH9DYVkElEFNSkfOQiYCVfw6hvaTFyFegP6R5xcsJeyXp5UQip3WGsDskTE3TChDbnmitBW5tTZKe_beyZvtHly-By-BnZQOz8XRSnIT9XjWLJxKEbAnlzSiNQvwa5Cpu8_dNBvY28TYshli7GSQWQgYs1H-UFaCVloVf75Ynvx0NpZB2_ao/s300/short_story_SSW_new.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHTAy1sGTNH9DYVkElEFNSkfOQiYCVfw6hvaTFyFegP6R5xcsJeyXp5UQip3WGsDskTE3TChDbnmitBW5tTZKe_beyZvtHly-By-BnZQOz8XRSnIT9XjWLJxKEbAnlzSiNQvwa5Cpu8_dNBvY28TYshli7GSQWQgYs1H-UFaCVloVf75Ynvx0NpZB2_ao/s1600/short_story_SSW_new.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Recently I have realized I have many short story anthologies and collections in ebook format on the Kindle, and I forget to read them. Today I am listing a few of them for my Short Story Wednesday post, with a bit of information about each.</p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b>100 Years of the Best American Short Stories</b>, Lorrie Moore (Editor), Heidi Pitlor (Series Editor)</h4><p>This one has been on the Kindle since August 2021. I don't know that I have even looked at it since then. That is a shame because many of the authors and short stories sound very interesting.</p><p>There is an introduction for the whole book, written by Lorrie Moore, and then an introduction for each decade, written by Heidi Pitlor. The years covered are 1915 - 2015. Each story also has a brief introduction about the author.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOgolgo8GXAaoEEgmaDMCDKz6zTsptd3UEuwB9fdQeL27RQtiKorMYn-abKSQ1XM23nW4qGYDxv15ajRbQmiv6mxQz_st7FwkigwmMYxeCuRBRJ8JAXcRWp8eXa11OsmVZy0vl3iCZikRTbzX4ZGTYmOWqUAIPU989t8snfNllPBX2zhOTExoZARuKVt0/s1009/Moore_Lorrie_Best%20American%20Short%20Stories_100_Years.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1009" data-original-width="678" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOgolgo8GXAaoEEgmaDMCDKz6zTsptd3UEuwB9fdQeL27RQtiKorMYn-abKSQ1XM23nW4qGYDxv15ajRbQmiv6mxQz_st7FwkigwmMYxeCuRBRJ8JAXcRWp8eXa11OsmVZy0vl3iCZikRTbzX4ZGTYmOWqUAIPU989t8snfNllPBX2zhOTExoZARuKVt0/s320/Moore_Lorrie_Best%20American%20Short%20Stories_100_Years.png" width="215" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">How to Fall: Stories by Edith Pearlman</h4><p>Edith Pearlman is new to me. I first heard of her early in 2023 at one or more Short Story Wednesday posts. Patricia Abbott discusses <b><a href="https://pattinase.blogspot.com/2023/02/short-story-wednesday-elder-jinks-edith.html" target="_blank">"Elder Jinks" by Pearlman</a></b> at her blog, <b><a href="https://pattinase.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Pattinase</a></b>.</p><p><i>How to Fall</i> was published in 2005 and includes 16 short stories. More than half of the stories are set in Godolphin, a fictional Boston suburb.</p><p>In addition to this book, I also have <i>Honeydew</i>, a collection of her stories published in 2015. Pearlman died at 86 on January 1, 2023.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjki3d_Fr0JfHv7fy_B49QXHxgKkkltbtP_fVvtyKcJLLzUQKTB4qzMvXSEh5tdGFSW0HDxyRCH5pfUdklf0zWmepCzEuGCwIRerj_D2ubS-kr9FkjoyrADnTDnog924Tx0y2wfZYC5EZ-K3tOGdiz8sVGohQiQzLy8GCmEikzInn4InXfoTCiVgOsbO2s/s475/Pearlman_How%20to%20Fall.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjki3d_Fr0JfHv7fy_B49QXHxgKkkltbtP_fVvtyKcJLLzUQKTB4qzMvXSEh5tdGFSW0HDxyRCH5pfUdklf0zWmepCzEuGCwIRerj_D2ubS-kr9FkjoyrADnTDnog924Tx0y2wfZYC5EZ-K3tOGdiz8sVGohQiQzLy8GCmEikzInn4InXfoTCiVgOsbO2s/s320/Pearlman_How%20to%20Fall.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Short Stories: Five Decades by Irwin Shaw</h4><p>I hate to admit it but I know very little about Irwin Shaw. I recognize the titles of his novels but I don't think I ever read any of them.</p><p>This book contains 63 short stories published from the late 1930s through the 1970s. It is over 750 pages long. I am sure these stories will be interesting. If anyone has experience with reading Irwin Shaw's novels or short stories, please let me know what you think.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmnHfeNW2tYrQ3vhZK8Zw-qUh8ZiHiB5M6PCBKViV4pJ_VDZ172QfNkFmuY_vkPcz13czeIlFLG_rJnDyDfAuZJZJhdz0KmLSBpgsp88xuca7MCAlL9qgWddp9g-wh_gaINSLRaSEJq06fWhwGyMn0lT4FIMlGw6hM1n39nVx1pewUilUWhvJy1EOHao/s969/Shaw_Irwin_Short_Stories_Five_Decades.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="969" data-original-width="637" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmnHfeNW2tYrQ3vhZK8Zw-qUh8ZiHiB5M6PCBKViV4pJ_VDZ172QfNkFmuY_vkPcz13czeIlFLG_rJnDyDfAuZJZJhdz0KmLSBpgsp88xuca7MCAlL9qgWddp9g-wh_gaINSLRaSEJq06fWhwGyMn0lT4FIMlGw6hM1n39nVx1pewUilUWhvJy1EOHao/s320/Shaw_Irwin_Short_Stories_Five_Decades.png" width="210" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Buffet for Unwelcome Guests by Christianna Brand</h4><p>Christianna Brand was the pseudonym of Mary Christianna Lewis. She published novels between 1941 and 1982 but she is best known for her Golden Age mysteries, several of them featuring Inspector Cockrill. I have read two of her Inspector Cockrill novels, and several of her short stories. </p><p>This collection has an introduction, written by Robert E. Briney, which covers Brand's writing career and the short stories. There are 16 stories in the book; four of them are Inspector Cockrill stories.</p><p>I also have another collection of Christianna Brand stories on the Kindle, <i>What Dread Hand? </i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR1EfXYgPo2kp4XNFamGUZOMw_jDwFswcqc_pe-lfLc3ktA4NL0Lj2zKg__QQiX2bU6XsBCDHV1R-SXMrxxejgzYNo7SmD7OZyDBGPWb_S66ZGD-MKnQKIlhmKDp3ttxW10ifnBkPO7-fiEavghj6cxyPJ11qrxLJlm1gKCJTG_63AKm4XyzQyS5_tUyc/s1009/Brand_Christianna_Buffet_for_Unwelcome_Guests.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1009" data-original-width="714" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR1EfXYgPo2kp4XNFamGUZOMw_jDwFswcqc_pe-lfLc3ktA4NL0Lj2zKg__QQiX2bU6XsBCDHV1R-SXMrxxejgzYNo7SmD7OZyDBGPWb_S66ZGD-MKnQKIlhmKDp3ttxW10ifnBkPO7-fiEavghj6cxyPJ11qrxLJlm1gKCJTG_63AKm4XyzQyS5_tUyc/s320/Brand_Christianna_Buffet_for_Unwelcome_Guests.png" width="226" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>TracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-24712474025748677222024-02-06T21:39:00.000-08:002024-02-06T21:39:07.111-08:00Short Story Wednesday: Wave Me Goodbye, Anne Boston, ed.<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7OxKdxb_G9NRsYiyxcP731FveSnwt-UjH7oneswHGTULlsdPNY_MaE5QEbbG7niTUOYmS6YMVbBtd3VbWQmUBYzvD82xStyQV2qmHbGgjOEGj55QCs4U0x_IDM6EfB8o_YPNiyM_g5W2n2esEpT5nCYP1iy9nKL8QMhEQ2Rb-YhzAX4iVYkGcH6Bweuk/s1509/Boston_Anne_Wave_Me_Goodbye.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1509" data-original-width="949" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7OxKdxb_G9NRsYiyxcP731FveSnwt-UjH7oneswHGTULlsdPNY_MaE5QEbbG7niTUOYmS6YMVbBtd3VbWQmUBYzvD82xStyQV2qmHbGgjOEGj55QCs4U0x_IDM6EfB8o_YPNiyM_g5W2n2esEpT5nCYP1iy9nKL8QMhEQ2Rb-YhzAX4iVYkGcH6Bweuk/w251-h400/Boston_Anne_Wave_Me_Goodbye.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><br /><p>I read a <b><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2022/11/short-story-wednesday-i-was-too.html" target="_blank">few stories in this book in November 2022</a></b>, and it took me over a year to return to it. <b><i>Wave Me Goodbye</i></b> is an anthology of stories about World War II; all the authors are women and most of the stories were published between 1939 and 1949; all but one story was written at that time. Many of the stories are about the home front, focusing on the lives of the people who did not go off to war, and in this case, mostly the experiences of the women left behind.</p><p>The collection was first put together and published in 1988. The "Introduction," written by the editor, Anne Boston, for this new printing, is excellent. There are two informational sections at the end. The "Notes on the Authors" section provides background information on each author, which was especially useful to me because I had not read anything by most of the authors. The "Acknowledgements" section provides information on when and where the stories were published.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here are my thoughts on a few of the stories I read recently...</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Kay Boyle's "Defeat"</b> is about French soldiers returning to France after they have been defeated by the Germans. They are disappointed and disenchanted with the reception they get from the French citizens they encounter. This story was published in the May 17, 1941 issue of <i>The New Yorker</i>.</p><p><br /></p><p>In <b>"Goodbye My Love" by Mollie Panter-Downes</b>, a married couple have a few days together before he has to leave for a posting during the war, destination unknown. Once he has gone, she finally settles into some acceptance of his absence. Then there is a brief reprieve; he won't be leaving for a week or more, and she will have to go through the agonizing buildup to his departure once again.</p><p><br /></p><p>Two stories cover similar subjects: <b>"Miss Anstruther's Letters" by Rose Macaulay</b> and <b>"Night in the Front Line" by Molly Lefebure</b>. They deal with the devastation of the Blitz, the terror of waiting for the bombing to end, and the loss of a place to live and personal treasures.</p><p><br /></p><p>In <b>Olivia Manning’s "A Journey"</b> a woman travels to Cluj to report on the Hungarian occupation of Transylvania, a region in Romania. When the reporter gets to Cluj, the city is in chaos, and it is hard to find a place to stay. She does her best to get the story she needs, then has a harrowing experience trying to get out of the city, as everyone else is also desperate to leave. </p><p><br /></p><p>Other stories I read were:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Anna Kavan's "Face of My People"</li><li>Barbara Pym's "Goodbye Balkan Capital"</li><li>Jean Rhys’s "I Spy a Stranger"</li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><p>All of the stories I read were good, although many of them were sad or depressing. I have seventeen stories left to read. I like that most of the stories are between 10-15 pages long.</p><p>Other writers represented are Elizabeth Taylor, Sylvia Townsend Warner, Doris Lessing, Inez Holden, Beryl Bainbridge, Edna Ferber, Dorothy Parker, Elizabeth Bowen, Marjorie Sharp, Pat Frank, Diana Gardner, Malachi Whitaker, Ann Chadwick, A. L. Barker, Jean Stafford and Stevie Smith.</p><div><br /></div>TracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-26991281488943682502024-02-04T16:34:00.000-08:002024-02-04T16:45:03.801-08:00Chilled to the Bone: Quentin Bates<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgre916pPhy9Am1kusjhkzS_y9vO0o6K0B-A4wgHrXfHr9NlyzV7LxGl03-71h2fMibqqa6uBMwkIBji65ow94kq88AzDfCum-p6GzrezTaobNKFqs_207PZE-nE15UydnpPQlA-3MQygJlZRrWs-5LhwxbBkOc0QlPATkoTDPLETscXT07655WQv-M8Mg/s1813/Bates_Quentin_Chilled_to_the_Bone.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1813" data-original-width="1224" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgre916pPhy9Am1kusjhkzS_y9vO0o6K0B-A4wgHrXfHr9NlyzV7LxGl03-71h2fMibqqa6uBMwkIBji65ow94kq88AzDfCum-p6GzrezTaobNKFqs_207PZE-nE15UydnpPQlA-3MQygJlZRrWs-5LhwxbBkOc0QlPATkoTDPLETscXT07655WQv-M8Mg/w432-h640/Bates_Quentin_Chilled_to_the_Bone.jpg" width="432" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Blurb on the inside flap of the dust jacket:</p><p></p><blockquote><p>When Sergeant Gunnhildur Gísladóttir of the local police force is called in to investigate the death of a man found tied to a bed in one of Reykjavík's nicest hotels, she finds no sign of criminal activity but suspects there may be more to the case than meets the eye. Could the death of the shipowner be related to a local gangster's recent return to Iceland after many years abroad?</p><p>What begins as a straightforward case for Gunnhildur soon explodes into a dangerous investigation, involving a discreet bondage society that ruthless men will go to violent extremes to keep secret.</p></blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p><p>This is the third book in a police procedural series set in Iceland. The main character is a single mother, a policewoman working in the Serious Crime Unit in Reykjavík. I have found this to be a very enjoyable series, with a great main character, who has a realistic life outside of work.</p><p>Sergeant Gunnhildur, usually referred to as Gunna, has a teenage daughter living at home, but currently she has concerns about her older son, who works on a fishing boat. He has managed to get two girlfriends pregnant at the same time. Gunna's homelife is challenging at times but she doesn't let it prevent her from doing her job.</p><p>This story was fast paced and kept me interested. The story follows various secondary characters who are dealing with conflicts in their lives, and the reader knows that all of this is connected to the case Gunna is working on, but not how and why. It was hard to figure out what the crime is and which characters were good or bad. This sounds like a negative but I enjoyed the suspense.</p><p>An added bonus is the setting in Iceland; these books cover the years following the economic collapse of the banking system there. </p><p><br /></p><p>After I finished this book, I discovered I had no more books in the series. I have now purchased ebook editions of the 4th and 5th books in the series at a good price, so I will keep reading the series, soon I hope.</p><p><br /></p><p><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-size: 13px;"> -----------------------------</span></p><p><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Publisher: Soho Crime, 2013</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Length: 315 pages</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Format: Hardcover</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Series: </span><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-size: 13px;">Officer Gunnhildur</span><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">, #3</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Setting: Iceland</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Genre: Police Procedural</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Source: I purchased my copy in 2016.</span></p><p><br /></p>TracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-57736119719366893142024-02-02T17:06:00.000-08:002024-02-02T17:06:32.968-08:00Six Degrees of Separation: From The Optimist's Daughter to Wave Me Goodbye<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQiC_mNQdY-vvD6DhFfga50S0bMd1qnJzaIEpp-aGIZSXqRc0tSZOF3G91cKSIB0G7Bnnzhk_dTcIxTnWNtgFasTXo9CAHFMysq9cemtZWd6KQR3-ton0LmEYitthfsHeOFnLvkW8byu39EOBi4Ja6-_JLo1OUsxhtFCetTsK7atLGvFB5d1xXLEzBWM/s1568/Welty_Optimists_Daughter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1568" data-original-width="1003" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQiC_mNQdY-vvD6DhFfga50S0bMd1qnJzaIEpp-aGIZSXqRc0tSZOF3G91cKSIB0G7Bnnzhk_dTcIxTnWNtgFasTXo9CAHFMysq9cemtZWd6KQR3-ton0LmEYitthfsHeOFnLvkW8byu39EOBi4Ja6-_JLo1OUsxhtFCetTsK7atLGvFB5d1xXLEzBWM/w256-h400/Welty_Optimists_Daughter.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>The <b><a href="https://booksaremyfavouriteandbest.com/6-degrees-of-separation-meme/" target="_blank">Six Degrees of Separation</a></b> meme is hosted by Kate at <b><a href="https://booksaremyfavouriteandbest.com/2024/02/03/six-degrees-of-separation-from-the-empathy-exams-to-eurovision/" target="_blank">booksaremyfavoriteandbest</a></b>. The idea behind the meme is to start with a book and use common points between two books to end up with links to six books, forming a chain. The common points may be obvious, like a word in the title or a shared theme, or more personal. Every month Kate provides the title of a book as the starting point. Last month she did not supply a title and asked us to start with the last book on our previous Six Degrees post. So for me, the starting book will be <b><i>The Optimist's Daughter</i></b> by Eudora Welty.<p></p><p><b><i>The Optimist's Daughter</i></b> was published in 1972 and won the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Laurel McKelva Hand is a widow, living and working in Chicago. Laurel returns to her hometown in Mississippi for her father's funeral. The story explores her relationship with her father, her mother who died when she was younger, and her new stepmother who is much younger than her father and has inherited the house that Laurel grew up in. It also focuses on her memories of losing her husband during World War II, not very long after they were married. There is a lot of depth to the novel, which is only 180 pages long.</p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">1st degree:</h4><p>I chose the first book in my chain, <b><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2016/03/kissing-gunners-daughter-ruth-rendell.html" target="_blank">Kissing the Gunner's Daughter</a></i></b>, because of the title, the mention of a <b>daughter</b>. It is a perfect link, because there are two daughters that figure in the story. This is the 15th book in the Ruth Rendell Inspector Wexford series. A family is attacked at dinner time and a famous author and her daughter and son-in-law are killed. Only the teenage granddaughter lives through the attack. And while Wexford is investigating this horrible crime, he is worried about his daughter Sheila, who is in a relationship he disapproves of. <i>Kissing the Gunner's Daughter</i> is a dark story of psychological suspense.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuEkXYAlhgZVSHKT8GuASlpgjKgab__fHgP4upcluno4B_86Rtk8xXRF8rdiar1dYQjU0n5YMINCEc3VLxmV3a7DlUzQlVm7Bvmqefm3wxP_AUkfV28PcX0KS3rr53PRLHLOH5BSj9uX-iG5xE36W9cBAuqLqhnQoSjzjMaStpU2jRzoGJ74rOYiOnUys/s1328/Rendell_Gunners_Daughter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1328" data-original-width="802" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuEkXYAlhgZVSHKT8GuASlpgjKgab__fHgP4upcluno4B_86Rtk8xXRF8rdiar1dYQjU0n5YMINCEc3VLxmV3a7DlUzQlVm7Bvmqefm3wxP_AUkfV28PcX0KS3rr53PRLHLOH5BSj9uX-iG5xE36W9cBAuqLqhnQoSjzjMaStpU2jRzoGJ74rOYiOnUys/s320/Rendell_Gunners_Daughter.jpg" width="193" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">2nd degree:</h4><p>My next book, <b><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2014/01/henrietta-who-catherine-aird.html" target="_blank">Henrietta Who?</a></i></b>, is also a <b>police procedural</b> mystery which features a <b>daughter</b>. Grace Jenkins has been killed in a hit and run accident. When her daughter is called home from college, Henrietta learns that she cannot be Grace's daughter because the woman has never had a child. This is not only the search for a murderer but also the story of a very young woman coming to terms with questions about her parents and her origins.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGXO4ZTyvMhWRrdKkw7SqMhTfUiQwTebDnOPpy7AOXbrTYXMOJ1ypPGEV8rOOq9JGwULjlKFz-fyvfg8ngD87hzm3_KPi6Ht7KmUcFwMp8BhsEURi_dmsL-biL8F2XkpoUd7NpAd4DQqTGSqUsUdbUiR8klPotB_8fWCg3unB8RNsNlAXuRl60jvNjW8/s871/henriettawho.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="871" data-original-width="578" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGXO4ZTyvMhWRrdKkw7SqMhTfUiQwTebDnOPpy7AOXbrTYXMOJ1ypPGEV8rOOq9JGwULjlKFz-fyvfg8ngD87hzm3_KPi6Ht7KmUcFwMp8BhsEURi_dmsL-biL8F2XkpoUd7NpAd4DQqTGSqUsUdbUiR8klPotB_8fWCg3unB8RNsNlAXuRl60jvNjW8/s320/henriettawho.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">3rd degree:</h4><p>My next book in the chain takes me to <b><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-hollow-agatha-christie.html" target="_blank">The Hollow</a></i></b> by Agatha Christie, which features another character named <b>Henrietta</b>. This is the 25th book in the Hercule Poirot series although as I remember it, there is not much of Poirot in the book. The story is built around a country house weekend; the characters are interesting, somewhat quirky, and all seem to be hiding something. <b>Henrietta Savernake</b> is a successful sculptor who is in love with Dr. John Christow, who has a wife and children.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglY2NLE1ywJSWMNLV9w44L3XWdTeFqfVcyq6MgXnJ3G2DT2sU0cBuHj5LNnP_m9lK8y7Ti8K0x3DOvddu4d53oVT4nzeDdPNWnzPEC6cIiTWml0iFLjKPh015gvk7qFaAcSvW72GaLEt_8VfPtWbp3ApNqP96oR5SMdxNKHxllFAWC9TJikaZdyV_FIhg/s2037/Christie_The_Hollow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2037" data-original-width="1209" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglY2NLE1ywJSWMNLV9w44L3XWdTeFqfVcyq6MgXnJ3G2DT2sU0cBuHj5LNnP_m9lK8y7Ti8K0x3DOvddu4d53oVT4nzeDdPNWnzPEC6cIiTWml0iFLjKPh015gvk7qFaAcSvW72GaLEt_8VfPtWbp3ApNqP96oR5SMdxNKHxllFAWC9TJikaZdyV_FIhg/s320/Christie_The_Hollow.jpg" width="190" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">4th degree:</h4><p><i><b>Gallows Court</b></i> is the first book in a relatively new series by Martin Edwards featuring Rachel <b>Savernake</b>, the daughter of a hanging judge, and an amateur sleuth. The setting is London in the 1930s. I have not read this book but the series is doing well and I am eager to try it soon.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOg40Qa3zPH0RH9gVFlwUiX66aAORJ3moFuSqL0qUAhNpAa1U4bTaN2FEazmjou22Of7x-sjLeIw01STElFAJnD9Hse4vkf3MXllphD3MRWDrBrfR8u9GOmFEWT2y7v-CRIP4juzC8PpkmQnaOBaazh6_vstS8tpRdKMiqM9y9-WmuAPC1FA6k62aGS4M/s1647/Edwards_Martin_Gallows_Court.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1647" data-original-width="1065" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOg40Qa3zPH0RH9gVFlwUiX66aAORJ3moFuSqL0qUAhNpAa1U4bTaN2FEazmjou22Of7x-sjLeIw01STElFAJnD9Hse4vkf3MXllphD3MRWDrBrfR8u9GOmFEWT2y7v-CRIP4juzC8PpkmQnaOBaazh6_vstS8tpRdKMiqM9y9-WmuAPC1FA6k62aGS4M/s320/Edwards_Martin_Gallows_Court.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br />5th degree:</h4><p>My next link is to <b><i>Perfect Gallows</i></b> by Peter Dickinson. This book is about a murder that occurs in 1944 in the UK, on an estate occupied by US forces preparing for the invasion of France. It is primarily set during <b>World War II</b>, with a framing story set in 1988. Peter Dickinson was a wonderful writer who has written many books in the mystery and fantasy genres.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmlWRGmilFJjqYG512bwt10BFc_XpaC3wJgkTZ9hKy3LFdaXnUym-Idfz8_hWzVbr9m9WIngY4nDveidyJl5-XLcIzSd_u_4SB1qtTk1gkJkKS31ZDdktt2XWa2v6ac0gOtOD2zlZy8tjMqrFO50QcpdfSHBdYOi3OhHCKUV86JGiwYj5KqcREg4VAquU/s2048/Dickinson_Perfect_Gallows_2019_07_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1388" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmlWRGmilFJjqYG512bwt10BFc_XpaC3wJgkTZ9hKy3LFdaXnUym-Idfz8_hWzVbr9m9WIngY4nDveidyJl5-XLcIzSd_u_4SB1qtTk1gkJkKS31ZDdktt2XWa2v6ac0gOtOD2zlZy8tjMqrFO50QcpdfSHBdYOi3OhHCKUV86JGiwYj5KqcREg4VAquU/w271-h400/Dickinson_Perfect_Gallows_2019_07_03.jpg" width="271" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">6th degree:</h4><p>Using <b>World War II</b> as a link, my next book is <b><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2022/11/short-story-wednesday-i-was-too.html" target="_blank">Wave Me Goodbye: Stories of the Second World War</a></i></b>. The book is comprised of short stories that take place during the war or the years immediately afterward; the authors are all women and all but one story was written during that time. The stories are mostly home front stories. I have read only a few stories in that book so far.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgstEf8lUShOWM-E9dXUzbc3NK5vZB1_D5dnacFZvi3GBrem6UuVOAWl86lGj4eD-DUQjB8XbXJ09iCL8KGP-DZWB1JMot7C2ii4qPtLVwZkLWF8RTIv-q8_cWXOIY7t-SbZYNlnapzWM0XUsHFoqqlplSRMeIDqbm4T_5jY1-GxTlJLgTptt5vWYyQmZg/s1509/Boston_Anne_Wave_Me_Goodbye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1509" data-original-width="949" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgstEf8lUShOWM-E9dXUzbc3NK5vZB1_D5dnacFZvi3GBrem6UuVOAWl86lGj4eD-DUQjB8XbXJ09iCL8KGP-DZWB1JMot7C2ii4qPtLVwZkLWF8RTIv-q8_cWXOIY7t-SbZYNlnapzWM0XUsHFoqqlplSRMeIDqbm4T_5jY1-GxTlJLgTptt5vWYyQmZg/s320/Boston_Anne_Wave_Me_Goodbye.jpg" width="201" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>My chain starts out in Mississippi in the US but moves to the UK after that. Was there any connection between the first book and the last? Only the tenuous connection to World War II because the death of Laurel's husband was connected to that conflict.</p><p>Have you read any of these books? And where did your list take you, if you participated in this month's Six Degrees meme?</p><p><br /></p><p>The next <b>Six Degrees</b> will be on March 2, 2024, and the starting book will be <b><i>Tom Lake</i></b> by Ann Patchett.</p><p><br /></p>TracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-61023875644891391712024-01-29T22:01:00.000-08:002024-01-29T22:18:19.908-08:00Top Ten New-to-me Authors in 2023<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVQson81mrK3l9j1jcTuANkY66p587x-FOX7QiTnuLr2X2KhAvv1-k9crRCbYDc-74_BZdJT3YN7H3tO9Q0EG9n6Whv5E_C55l7XRAe0nzEuwG5PlH_BZnm42bxJgmBEgXFsSoJlShvQrT0eTBdbh1Ri8baVSUAa7Rb-XXhSC8wPFDchnlMUJVoj1k0c/s768/TTT-Valentines-768x308.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="768" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVQson81mrK3l9j1jcTuANkY66p587x-FOX7QiTnuLr2X2KhAvv1-k9crRCbYDc-74_BZdJT3YN7H3tO9Q0EG9n6Whv5E_C55l7XRAe0nzEuwG5PlH_BZnm42bxJgmBEgXFsSoJlShvQrT0eTBdbh1Ri8baVSUAa7Rb-XXhSC8wPFDchnlMUJVoj1k0c/s320/TTT-Valentines-768x308.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><b>Top Ten Tuesday</b> is a weekly meme hosted by <b><a href="https://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/" target="_blank">That Artsy Reader Girl</a></b>. This week's topic is <b>New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2023</b>. </p><p>Some of the authors on this list write crime fiction or spy fiction, but a good number of them write books in genres I read less of (fantasy, general fiction, science fiction). All of them were good discoveries, and I plan to read more books by every one of the authors on this list. </p><p>My list is in no particular order.</p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Kotaro Isaka</h4><p><b><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/02/bullet-train-kotaro-isaka.html" target="_blank">Bullet Train</a></i></b> is the first book I read by this Japanese author. I like Japanese books, but have read more mysteries and thrillers than other genres. It looks like this book was the 2nd in a series of three books that have been translated into English.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwOVA1Wr2sMuXOKinXtVNv_VSZMWXCwcTQjRRe40MRN3sWo7yqely7fVknX40q8F7_HhJoT7SErqSMSDekH0mJxALEkuJp48JQJLy_I_55nByGaaL3SXuDEMAPzApoDFVMqpK2KipBghdehFF-HkM61OAOm0_neN_ivSv_OQViAAQ0uotvq-m7CFGinOo/s1695/Isaka_Bullet_Train_03.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1695" data-original-width="1071" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwOVA1Wr2sMuXOKinXtVNv_VSZMWXCwcTQjRRe40MRN3sWo7yqely7fVknX40q8F7_HhJoT7SErqSMSDekH0mJxALEkuJp48JQJLy_I_55nByGaaL3SXuDEMAPzApoDFVMqpK2KipBghdehFF-HkM61OAOm0_neN_ivSv_OQViAAQ0uotvq-m7CFGinOo/s320/Isaka_Bullet_Train_03.jpg" width="202" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Robin Hobb</h4><p>Robin Hobb is a pseudonym used by Megan Lindholm. <b><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/04/assassins-apprentice-robin-hobb.html" target="_blank">Assassin's Apprentice</a></i></b> is the first book in a fantasy series, The Farseer Trilogy. I plan to read the 2nd book in the series this year. I discovered this book and author via Cath at <b>Read-Warbler</b> when she reviewed <b><i><a href="https://read-warbler.blogspot.com/2023/03/i-have-been-reading.html" target="_blank">The Mad Ship</a></i></b>, part of a different series.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI4cEVDsZy-B7cp8cHx_Y-iuEEW82r6jmD1AbgAmwLz2482Qz1LticpHLy_2_MMEno6elG66nxkJ-A8giedYcZsqUdxswZXILWcY2Btu_0C4DJFq18Br8zjhiYLHU1DfWRyoEmOwxPgmn65aujecZBZ-nza9C7__gjTGP62nexrMqAAcFQzpZbLo69Gws/s1342/Hobb_Robin_Assassins_Apprentice_s2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1342" data-original-width="803" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI4cEVDsZy-B7cp8cHx_Y-iuEEW82r6jmD1AbgAmwLz2482Qz1LticpHLy_2_MMEno6elG66nxkJ-A8giedYcZsqUdxswZXILWcY2Btu_0C4DJFq18Br8zjhiYLHU1DfWRyoEmOwxPgmn65aujecZBZ-nza9C7__gjTGP62nexrMqAAcFQzpZbLo69Gws/w239-h400/Hobb_Robin_Assassins_Apprentice_s2.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Deanna Raybourn</h4><p><b><i>Killers of a Certain Age</i></b> is a story about four older women who have worked for years as assassins. The organization that hired and trained them is called the Museum, and now the Museum has turned against them and ordered their deaths. It is not exactly spy fiction, but it reads much like a spy thriller, so it was perfect for me. Deanna Raybourn has written several series in the historical fiction genre. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieMQ49AgZcqVVe6AIve66z2LQNwIFDC-8U7GDM0f8ibsY8VhTf83_xSQZIW5oEWz4RBELLp5r8oop2gBUqUSjoeHJCBHMYsFMJwa1uqlebf6BAXvypyN5ebto7inqYY6fvDhlgRY5FSiXSs-tCmqcngcOJQpIo03E48ppHCgoUpZtRz-_U9HEZ0cKSnss/s1806/Raybourne_Killers_of_a_Certain_Age.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1806" data-original-width="1192" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieMQ49AgZcqVVe6AIve66z2LQNwIFDC-8U7GDM0f8ibsY8VhTf83_xSQZIW5oEWz4RBELLp5r8oop2gBUqUSjoeHJCBHMYsFMJwa1uqlebf6BAXvypyN5ebto7inqYY6fvDhlgRY5FSiXSs-tCmqcngcOJQpIo03E48ppHCgoUpZtRz-_U9HEZ0cKSnss/s320/Raybourne_Killers_of_a_Certain_Age.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Carson McCullers </h4><p>Carson McCullers was a well-known American author whose novels were mainly set in the Deep South. <b><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-heart-is-lonely-hunter-carson.html" target="_blank">The Heart is a Lonely Hunter</a></i></b> is the first book I read by this author.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75aC6hTniWWLLBcMWoYpzaRCAuQfyFqKMGgpazg3aEbRvyxZIWTC3rjU8Ggkuu1wz3rH75ny2fn_Rd0JpIEpSOpQQZGHzrBzMKIuoKNBtpiEFb67H2zEZLMuzvS1d1OvI_5OL0tuPXbTIxaul4SBt1IJpF2f-FwS5j8zGPrwfJm9BbqcDBd3M6RJxYiY/s2048/McCullers_Heart_is_Lonely_2020-04.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1377" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75aC6hTniWWLLBcMWoYpzaRCAuQfyFqKMGgpazg3aEbRvyxZIWTC3rjU8Ggkuu1wz3rH75ny2fn_Rd0JpIEpSOpQQZGHzrBzMKIuoKNBtpiEFb67H2zEZLMuzvS1d1OvI_5OL0tuPXbTIxaul4SBt1IJpF2f-FwS5j8zGPrwfJm9BbqcDBd3M6RJxYiY/s320/McCullers_Heart_is_Lonely_2020-04.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Helene Hanff</h4><p>This author is best known for <b><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/09/84-charing-cross-road-helene-hanff.html" target="_blank">84, Charing Cross Road</a></i></b>, a book comprised of the letters between Hanff and Frank Doel, who worked at a book store on Charing Cross Road in London. The correspondence began in October 1949 and continued for the next 20 years.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9XLDMwCHDhlqaqdtHVsj2iSt25VFJoXoHUIC2d28eCWi_O1Og3RsSUg4nKMv-eYCGVSmNtBvqESzaXj78EROl9Nr4CX2niwmaF0hCS-yFG1qRDFxxAvKq4JYrqzgA1cD8-sJmlO-GpMzW2BUE8ZKvfwTfCT6jnMFeMOWAxxcJLYCgjcW8qre1Pxld9cY/s1506/Hanff_84_Charing_Cross_Road.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1506" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9XLDMwCHDhlqaqdtHVsj2iSt25VFJoXoHUIC2d28eCWi_O1Og3RsSUg4nKMv-eYCGVSmNtBvqESzaXj78EROl9Nr4CX2niwmaF0hCS-yFG1qRDFxxAvKq4JYrqzgA1cD8-sJmlO-GpMzW2BUE8ZKvfwTfCT6jnMFeMOWAxxcJLYCgjcW8qre1Pxld9cY/s320/Hanff_84_Charing_Cross_Road.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Jesse Q. Sutanto</h4><p>This author has written young adult fiction and some adult mysteries. The book I read was <b><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/11/vera-wongs-unsolicited-advice-for.html" target="_blank">Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers</a></i></b>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbM-Jva2QG9TVUIC9pFdAJ_5nQ3kQ0UT3qt4YT7pAkV3PTVu3zMtQTKcuNwqsoUYdHtBDdX3sC6cVGe4G6fQIYOgOxkDpRxNUmyPBmvY9HyQZBigys4lRYYQUk7VffphBBxNXHl127vmMXlopUPuxMIbLpEtO1PzeCdVa9hcoc95VpwzNSAhaQZYc5358/s1562/Sutanto_Vera_Wong.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1562" data-original-width="996" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbM-Jva2QG9TVUIC9pFdAJ_5nQ3kQ0UT3qt4YT7pAkV3PTVu3zMtQTKcuNwqsoUYdHtBDdX3sC6cVGe4G6fQIYOgOxkDpRxNUmyPBmvY9HyQZBigys4lRYYQUk7VffphBBxNXHl127vmMXlopUPuxMIbLpEtO1PzeCdVa9hcoc95VpwzNSAhaQZYc5358/s320/Sutanto_Vera_Wong.jpg" width="204" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Michael Christie </h4><p>Christie is a Canadian author. I read his second novel, <b><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/10/greenwood-michael-christie.html" target="_blank">Greenwood</a></i></b>, set in Canada, from 1908 through 2038. It is a multigenerational family story with a focus on nature and ecology, especially trees. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv9CZc1XchW72xxJzjBp0WES1x_hrXJT7yeP4du5s637ckJW-ovjm9k7_8ypIqYeK3RPCAuxjszKrRCiq-_becUke5q-l0KCNtg6urjOPta75fW1Yf47W7wzsF0XWa_TiXkbr_5XKoRzo98PofFW3OpUN4h7fC2eyNc6UK6ufzdOQKgdltfRQydxAChGw/s1865/Christie_Michael_Greenwood_02.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1865" data-original-width="1211" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv9CZc1XchW72xxJzjBp0WES1x_hrXJT7yeP4du5s637ckJW-ovjm9k7_8ypIqYeK3RPCAuxjszKrRCiq-_becUke5q-l0KCNtg6urjOPta75fW1Yf47W7wzsF0XWa_TiXkbr_5XKoRzo98PofFW3OpUN4h7fC2eyNc6UK6ufzdOQKgdltfRQydxAChGw/s320/Christie_Michael_Greenwood_02.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Becky Chambers </h4><p>This author writes science fiction, and my first experience with her writing was <b><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-long-way-to-small-angry-planet.html" target="_blank">The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet</a></i></b>, a space opera. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBqzLxtRNknd2sNlu2S0NwgWU6uHV0NWgN-cMgsDc_vW8ws0lO3xeMkreQCHGYOAhk2vYG2k_rpV5RhRKMioE3ZRyxIneHXn_PraC2uNCZ6k6-93K7GkTFBTLVhwhPyFuy6248WOKVmb5KDFnddzH2eKyOD008QI5pUmyFioukq-NtF6T8YO2kiHfhCf0/s1559/Chambers_Long_Way_to_a_Small_Angry_Planet.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1559" data-original-width="996" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBqzLxtRNknd2sNlu2S0NwgWU6uHV0NWgN-cMgsDc_vW8ws0lO3xeMkreQCHGYOAhk2vYG2k_rpV5RhRKMioE3ZRyxIneHXn_PraC2uNCZ6k6-93K7GkTFBTLVhwhPyFuy6248WOKVmb5KDFnddzH2eKyOD008QI5pUmyFioukq-NtF6T8YO2kiHfhCf0/s320/Chambers_Long_Way_to_a_Small_Angry_Planet.jpg" width="204" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Rosamunde Pilcher</h4><p>Pilcher was a very well known British author of romances and family sagas. Many of her books are set in Cornwall, but the one I read, <b><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/12/winter-solstice-rosamunde-pilcher.html" target="_blank">Winter Solstice</a></i></b>, is primarily set in Scotland in the two months leading up to Christmas. Luckily, I purchased <b><i>The Shell Seekers</i></b> at the book sale last year, so I have another to read sometime this year. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9F61kbI-NutU7QPRj0YaiSgfY31AiFFVoUd2OuNNkvDIiINg86YOIIvy-9SBeR0PsPr4QnMkL0IDwKHNEWY-QhohMDfzORxzdAOjxHkIduvreA1PZR7bKC26dNHH8UfVezY0x0m9UVhnp5wqfAjohCNFkj9Dfy0OSO9DLwOsGSsnaoFIelJ1NfIQE1ZY/s1603/Pilcher_Winter_Solstice.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1603" data-original-width="1053" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9F61kbI-NutU7QPRj0YaiSgfY31AiFFVoUd2OuNNkvDIiINg86YOIIvy-9SBeR0PsPr4QnMkL0IDwKHNEWY-QhohMDfzORxzdAOjxHkIduvreA1PZR7bKC26dNHH8UfVezY0x0m9UVhnp5wqfAjohCNFkj9Dfy0OSO9DLwOsGSsnaoFIelJ1NfIQE1ZY/s320/Pilcher_Winter_Solstice.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Bob Cook</h4><p>This was a new spy fiction author for me. <b><i>Paper Chase</i></b> is a humorous book about four old spies who retired years ago, and only get together at the funerals of other old friends who were intelligence agents. They are forbidden to publish their memoirs, but they decide to do it anyway. Felony & Mayhem reprinted <b><i>Paper Chase</i></b> and <b><i>Disorderly Elements</i></b>, but I am going to try to track down other books by this author.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX968-V6RlfZe4TDipRQI113SO_CbqzxZHJB7Z9sSjWPdnFQgeefv8CJQ2XwD_C3AD52LFc0Gmz3bQ01pUFEfN8n6TA_NKZYtu7NNwwHq8ztdUlxBShbAp7aLDWEIynBbzPf4gNb2CPPGu723sQjY3-nh6UAUMH5vWkoLhnoucdk0QI_CRTKKb2ubCC44/s1443/Cook_Bob_Paper_Chase.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1443" data-original-width="1062" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX968-V6RlfZe4TDipRQI113SO_CbqzxZHJB7Z9sSjWPdnFQgeefv8CJQ2XwD_C3AD52LFc0Gmz3bQ01pUFEfN8n6TA_NKZYtu7NNwwHq8ztdUlxBShbAp7aLDWEIynBbzPf4gNb2CPPGu723sQjY3-nh6UAUMH5vWkoLhnoucdk0QI_CRTKKb2ubCC44/w295-h400/Cook_Bob_Paper_Chase.jpg" width="295" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>TracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-91237532936063578922024-01-23T22:39:00.000-08:002024-01-23T22:57:10.261-08:00Short Story Wednesday: "Chin Yong-Yun Meets a Mongol" by S. J. Rozan<p> </p><p>I started reading S. J. Rozan's Lydia Chin and Bill Smith series in 2008 and by the middle of 2009 I had read all the books in the series at that time. Since then I have read any new books as they became available. I still have the last two books in the series to read. </p><p>Briefly, the series is about two private investigators. Lydia Chin is an American-born Chinese private eye in her late twenties who lives in New York’s Chinatown with her mother; Bill Smith is a white private eye in his forties who lives in Manhattan. </p><p>In 2021, I discovered that S.J. Rozan had written several stories using Lydia Chin's mother, Chin Yong-Yun, as the main character. The first one I read was <b>"Chin Yong-Yun Finds a Kitten"</b> in <b><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2021/03/short-story-wednesday-bullets-and-other.html" target="_blank">Bullets and Other Hurting Things</a></i></b>, edited by Rick Ollerman. I enjoyed that story so much I started looking for other stories featuring that character. The next two stories I read were <b>"Chin Yong-Yun Takes a Case"</b> and <b>"Chin Yong-Yun Sets the Date"</b> which I <b><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2021/05/short-story-wednesday-two-stories-by-sj.html" target="_blank">discussed here</a></b>. </p><p>I am still pursuing more stories about Chin Yong-Yun and in December I found another one in <b><i>Collectibles</i></b>, an anthology edited by Lawrence Block.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>"Chin Yong-Yun Meets a Mongol"</b></p><p>The story starts out with Chin Yong-Yun explaining how she met a Mongolian and why the Mongolians and Chinese have not gotten along historically. An-Zhang and his partner, Tony, are friends with Tomorbaatar, who is the Senior Cultural Attache at the Mongolian Consulate. He likes his job and he has a Chinese-American boyfriend, so he wants very much to keep his job and stay in the US. But his new boss at the Consulate does not like him and wants to send him back to Mongolia.</p><p>An-Zhang and his friend want Chin Yong-Yun's help to acquire a valuable book called <i>The Secret History of the Mongols</i>. If she can get the book, Tomorbaatar can give it to his boss, who will return it to his country (and let his employee keep his job). The reason Chin Yong-Yun may be able to help is because the current owner is Uncle Seven, with whom she has a long history going all the way back to before she and her family left China for the US.</p><p>Chin Yong-Yun does set out to get the book. The story is complicated but not too long, lovely and entertaining, told from her point of view, with much humor. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0ADxDmliXSYvdmJrl5JyGkC8UxFUOvttE5MRWYXcq3UYN8mjKtZlxYTfzkTLoX-Op86-W4OGkiac_2q9vPUti7k-SQhENZ3O8yAUY3bXjVilYvqv89yDEyP_n19FO0JPfT9P1VPAuUaYewWGTAIRcm9PYT5nuAVwAair0oskKVrWOAb2QNZqgf541qQ/s1785/Block_Lawrence_Collectibles.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1785" data-original-width="1180" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0ADxDmliXSYvdmJrl5JyGkC8UxFUOvttE5MRWYXcq3UYN8mjKtZlxYTfzkTLoX-Op86-W4OGkiac_2q9vPUti7k-SQhENZ3O8yAUY3bXjVilYvqv89yDEyP_n19FO0JPfT9P1VPAuUaYewWGTAIRcm9PYT5nuAVwAair0oskKVrWOAb2QNZqgf541qQ/w424-h640/Block_Lawrence_Collectibles.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>TracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-56763735857940234192024-01-19T16:58:00.000-08:002024-01-19T16:58:55.371-08:00Classics Club Spin #36, January 2024<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-fSav2M6Uov4r1IX2ulHzk93lX8sIYkFSTrNbedZ7wN6gK0qQ3xKnNJgIgLxPwahMgSL77GSrvn8HklEf3xFxNdKDXGep0LXxPvgbmkNwKKlxD5GILoV-uN1-xhsgeyfL4shLkLaT4-stZWNUp4NubM-5GZmm4dWeDlHIKa9w4XQTn1_3BG3-vp1wLKA/s1536/2024_Classic_Club_spin.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="990" data-original-width="1536" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-fSav2M6Uov4r1IX2ulHzk93lX8sIYkFSTrNbedZ7wN6gK0qQ3xKnNJgIgLxPwahMgSL77GSrvn8HklEf3xFxNdKDXGep0LXxPvgbmkNwKKlxD5GILoV-uN1-xhsgeyfL4shLkLaT4-stZWNUp4NubM-5GZmm4dWeDlHIKa9w4XQTn1_3BG3-vp1wLKA/w400-h258/2024_Classic_Club_spin.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>The latest <b><a href="https://theclassicsclubblog.wordpress.com/2024/01/15/cc-spin-36/" target="_blank">Classics Club Spin</a></b> has been announced. To join in, I choose twenty books from my classics list. On Sunday, 21st January, 2024, the Classics Club will post a number from 1 through 20. The goal is to read whatever book falls under that number on my Spin List by Sunday, 3rd March, 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>So, here is my list of 20 books for the spin...</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Patricia Highsmith – The Talented Mr.Ripley (1955)</li><li>Shirley Jackson – We Have Always Lived in the Castle (1962)</li><li>Madeleine L'Engle – A Wrinkle in Time (1962)</li><li>William Shakespeare – Much Ado About Nothing (1598)</li><li>Mary Shelley – Frankenstein (1818)</li><li>John Steinbeck – Cannery Row (1945)</li><li>William Thackeray – Vanity Fair (1848)</li><li>Anthony Trollope – The Warden (1855)</li><li>Oscar Wilde – The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890)</li><li>Virginia Woolf – Flush (1933)</li><li>Chinua Achebe – Things Fall Apart (1958)</li><li>Roald Dahl – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964)</li><li>Charlotte Brontë – Jane Eyre (1847) </li><li>Anne Brontë – Agnes Grey (1847)</li><li>Albert Camus – The Stranger (1942)</li><li>Lewis Carroll – Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865)</li><li>Willa Cather – My Ántonia (1918)</li><li>Kenneth Grahame – The Wind in the Willows (1908)</li><li>Graham Greene – Our Man in Havana (1958)</li><li>Graham Greene – The Quiet American (1955)</li></ol><p></p><div><br /></div><div><div>This list is not that different than the last one. I substituted three books for ones that I had already read or needed a copy for. </div><div><br /></div><div>Are there any of these you recommend? </div></div><div><br /></div>TracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-63872003873621658382024-01-16T22:22:00.000-08:002024-01-16T22:34:31.510-08:00Short Story Wednesday: Dark Tales by Shirley Jackson<p> </p><p><b><i>Dark Tales</i></b> includes 17 stories by Shirley Jackson. Most of them are fairly short, between 5 to 12 pages. One is 24 pages long, another is 18 pages. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzi-DTMJmrH9-h0Z02B-Lf5tNsEjRt8VZJaRUCOqxbilJ2Ak7aa5UTE3TMPL7eHJx2UbbbPq4QhC321-3NvkFRUL_hz8OUucIO1EV3yreY9kw0zSTIjRZ0U61Rs2SyIliL9z6OEc9QVQjXnfVqfqMDneX6xIKwOuZWECtPocui6weMayz5qnGAAd8BcK8/s450/Jackson_Shirley_Dark_Tales.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="290" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzi-DTMJmrH9-h0Z02B-Lf5tNsEjRt8VZJaRUCOqxbilJ2Ak7aa5UTE3TMPL7eHJx2UbbbPq4QhC321-3NvkFRUL_hz8OUucIO1EV3yreY9kw0zSTIjRZ0U61Rs2SyIliL9z6OEc9QVQjXnfVqfqMDneX6xIKwOuZWECtPocui6weMayz5qnGAAd8BcK8/w258-h400/Jackson_Shirley_Dark_Tales.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>For years I have avoided Jackson's stories and novels because she is known for writing scary or unsettling stories. I should not have worried; these stories did not scare me and most of them were not that unsettling . </p><p>I had read the first story in the book before I purchased it. Patti blogged about <b>"The Possibility of Evil"</b> at her blog, <b><a href="https://pattinase.blogspot.com/2023/12/short-story-wednesday-possibility-of.html" target="_blank">Pattinase</a></b>. It is available to read online. Reading that story gave me the confidence to try more stories by Jackson.</p><p>On the back cover of my Penguin paperback edition, there is this description:</p><blockquote><p>For the first time in one volume, a collection of Shirley Jackson’s scariest stories, with a foreword by PEN/Hemingway Award winner Ottessa Moshfegh.</p></blockquote><p>I have now read the first eight stories in the book. I did not find any of them to be scary; some were spooky, some were unsettling in a good way, and some were puzzling. All were strange. </p><p>Maybe I will find some scary ones in the next nine stories, but I will be just as happy if I don't.</p><p><br /></p><p>The other seven stories I read were:</p><p><b>"Louisa, Please Come Home"</b></p><p>This was my favorite of this batch of stories. Louisa wants to get away from her family and successfully escapes to a town not too far away. Every year on the anniversary of the day she left, her mother puts out a message on a radio news broadcast to ask Louisa to come home.</p><p><b>"Paranoia"</b></p><p>I liked this story. The title is apt. A man is having problems getting home in time to take his wife out for dinner. The ending was surprising.</p><p><b>"The Honeymoon of Mrs. Smith"</b></p><p>This story was a good read but in the end I would have liked some more clarity. Sometimes I am okay with an ending that leaves you hanging; sometimes not.</p><p><b>"The Story We Used to Tell"</b></p><p>For me, this was the spookiest story. It did not scare me or impress me initially but I kept thinking about it afterwards. </p><p><b>"The Sorcerer's Apprentice"</b></p><p>This was another good read. It was about a mean little girl, almost devilish, who torments a woman who lives in the same apartment building. But in the end it did not go anywhere and I was frustrated. More than one reviewer said that they did not get it.</p><p><b>"Jack the Ripper"</b></p><p>As you can tell from the title, this is a Jack the Ripper story. It was very short and I did not understand it.</p><p><b>"The Beautiful Stranger"</b></p><p>This one is about a young wife with two children who meets her husband at the train station. He looks like her husband but she is convinced that he is not her husband. Another one I did not understand, and it was unsettling. </p><p><br /></p><p>I look forward to reading the remainder of the stories in this book.</p><div><br /></div>TracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-87839903440703939872024-01-15T21:23:00.000-08:002024-01-15T21:52:24.825-08:00Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Goals, 2024<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd80XsAhfVSkIr7cCtGOpnINtfuEr8dnziVODzHYhcjNFwHtLARrKfU196MLuP4BSqs1aGLpcRV6hhJx6W6Tc6HifmK311-7IDQXP_zLaBI3sAZkf-jPLlgoNCH63nZeESqSrLTJcP1Rvb2qiZSp2TBr2k1sbnTIRo1gDFwjoNgAGCGR7QnGqf31nEAy0/s500/TTT-NEW_May2020.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="203" data-original-width="500" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd80XsAhfVSkIr7cCtGOpnINtfuEr8dnziVODzHYhcjNFwHtLARrKfU196MLuP4BSqs1aGLpcRV6hhJx6W6Tc6HifmK311-7IDQXP_zLaBI3sAZkf-jPLlgoNCH63nZeESqSrLTJcP1Rvb2qiZSp2TBr2k1sbnTIRo1gDFwjoNgAGCGR7QnGqf31nEAy0/s320/TTT-NEW_May2020.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><b>Top Ten Tuesday</b> is a weekly meme hosted by Jana at <b><a href="https://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/" target="_blank">That Artsy Reader Girl</a></b>. This week's topic is <b>Bookish Goals for 2024</b>. </p><p>Last year was the first year I have given a lot of thought to reading and blogging goals over the next year. The goals for this year are similar to last year, and informed by my experiences in 2023.</p><p>My goals for the year:</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Aim at reading mostly books that I owned before January 1st of 2024.</b> I have signed up for Bev Hankin's <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1224923-mount-tbr-challenge-2024" target="_blank">Mount TBR Challenge 2024</a></b> on Goodreads in order to track the number of books I read that fit that criteria. My goal is 48 books. This ties in with my next goal...</li><li><b>My husband and I have a joint goal to not buy any books before the Planned Parenthood book sale in September.</b> That effectively means almost 9 months of not buying books. One exception: We can buy ebooks. </li><li><b>Read more graphic novels.</b> I read a total of 4 graphic novels last year, which was an improvement. I will aim for 8 this year.</li><li><b>Read more science fiction and fantasy, novels or short stories.</b> In 2023 I read 3 science fiction novels and 1 fantasy novel. I read a few science fiction short stories from 4 different books. My aim is to improve on that, the more the better.</li><li><b>Read more espionage novels.</b> In 2023, I met my goal of at least 10 novels in that genre. I would like to read more than that this year, maybe 15. I will also aim at reading more spy fiction by authors that I haven't read but are on my shelves, virtual or otherwise.</li><li><b>Read more ebooks.</b> I buy a lot of ebooks but have a hard time reading them. I read one novel on my Kindle in 2023 and some short stories from a few collections.</li><li><b>Read at least one classic a month</b>, preferably from my Classics Club List, since I have been working on my Classics list for over 5 years, and still have a lot left on the list. But any classic reads would be good.</li><li><b>Increase my short story reading.</b> Last year I lamented the fact that I start short story anthologies or collections but often take months or years to finish them. However, I have decided that enjoying reading short stories is more important than completed books. Instead I will aim at reading more short stories per month (which will require tracking them in some way, which I am not good at). </li><li><b>Share my thoughts on every book I read.</b> I borrowed this goal from Jana's list from 2023. I try to do this already, even if it is only in my monthly book lists, but sometimes I only provide a summary. I may start putting shorter reviews in Goodreads. This will be a work in progress, and I don't expect to succeed at it overnight. It goes along with my last goal...</li><li><b>Write shorter book reviews.</b> This has been a goal for several years but I have had little success. Last year, when I tried to write short reviews, they turned into long reviews. I don't necessarily want to write only brief reviews, but I would like to master that art.</li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Addendum: </h4><p>I have some authors I want to read more books by. This is not something I could do in one year, but I want to use this post as a reminder to read more by these authors:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Raymond Chandler</b> (4 remaining books in the Philip Marlowe series)</li><li><b>Ross Macdonald</b> (14 remaining books in the Lew Archer series)</li><li><b>Ross Thomas</b> (He wrote mostly standalone books; I have only read 3 of his books. I have 10 on my shelves.)</li><li><b>Victor Canning</b> (4 remaining books in the Birdcage series)</li><li><b>Anthony Price</b> (13 remaining books in the David Audley series)</li><li><b>Reginald Hill</b> (10 remaining books in the Dalziel and Pascal series)</li><li><b>Rex Stout</b> (Reread any books in the Nero Wolfe series that I have not read since I started blogging. Around 24 books.)</li></ul><p></p><div><br /></div>TracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-59323575106844253412024-01-13T22:26:00.000-08:002024-01-13T22:47:25.321-08:00Books Read in December 2023<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB7SCXUdtzHaNyCPWCZvnXX47zaxjZ3XD99jDflXi3Mn_xUA-AMyIIBLfaagh9-fxh5Ux8mBFYSQ24RUpVZtFSZJ-wcOAfq7tB9A_3L2290RMx0CujrIUjmxo_n-qZQwYLTucdL9Nfv1rPEMSmCN3iP-TkNt-8Xmx_kk-TirUXIm5TrQTKDxw7AsILiN0/s4234/Flowering%20Aloe%20P1020491-01.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3022" data-original-width="4234" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB7SCXUdtzHaNyCPWCZvnXX47zaxjZ3XD99jDflXi3Mn_xUA-AMyIIBLfaagh9-fxh5Ux8mBFYSQ24RUpVZtFSZJ-wcOAfq7tB9A_3L2290RMx0CujrIUjmxo_n-qZQwYLTucdL9Nfv1rPEMSmCN3iP-TkNt-8Xmx_kk-TirUXIm5TrQTKDxw7AsILiN0/w400-h285/Flowering%20Aloe%20P1020491-01.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>December was a very good reading month. I had planned to read <b><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/12/winter-solstice-rosamunde-pilcher.html" target="_blank">Winter Solstice</a></i></b> to coincide with the solstice, and I finished two days before Winter solstice, on December 19th. The remainder of my books were mysteries: two with espionage elements, one Christmas mystery, the most recent Thursday Murder Club mystery, and a book of Miss Marple short stories by Agatha Christie.</p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Fiction</h4><p><b><i>Winter Solstice</i></b> (2000) by Rosamunde Pilcher</p><p>Elfrida Phipps, once an actress on the London stage, 62 years old, has been living in Dipton in Hampshire, England. She has become friends with Gloria and Oscar Blundell and their 12-year-old daughter. Oscar's wife and child are killed in an automobile accident. Oscar asks Elfrida to help him move to Creagan, Scotland where he owns half of an Estate House which used to belong to his grandmother. Mainly set in Scotland in the two months leading up to Christmas, this is a lovely story of friends and family. <b><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/12/winter-solstice-rosamunde-pilcher.html" target="_blank">See my review</a></b>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugD1GIaePfr1kviWqOw47iII3zkdhyphenhyphenIaYrvbuIb34VceVFuszZ0f4xrz96SvnCbaASrP6XVgrFlmGEvm7v8oNBpSZ-1PksXNuRxCVwiJxkVWX5srUjCZTZQPn79AyXXVy6GWHeV1281VKaqHQLspxMMPnGgPIgyQqLyAhLobeksvd77vrQmX1tfcQbhI/s1603/Pilcher_Winter_Solstice.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1603" data-original-width="1053" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugD1GIaePfr1kviWqOw47iII3zkdhyphenhyphenIaYrvbuIb34VceVFuszZ0f4xrz96SvnCbaASrP6XVgrFlmGEvm7v8oNBpSZ-1PksXNuRxCVwiJxkVWX5srUjCZTZQPn79AyXXVy6GWHeV1281VKaqHQLspxMMPnGgPIgyQqLyAhLobeksvd77vrQmX1tfcQbhI/s320/Pilcher_Winter_Solstice.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Crime Fiction</h4><p><b><i>The Last Devil to Die</i></b> (2023) by Richard Osman</p><p>Book 4 in the Thursday Murder Club series. Two men and two women in their seventies or eighties have formed a club called the Thursday Murder Club. They started out investigating cold cases, but now they investigate current crimes whenever they get the chance. In this case, an antique dealer has been killed. He was a friend of Elizabeth's husband Stephen, and the foursome feel they have to solve the crime. Their friends in the police discourage them, but they persist. Joyce takes on a bigger role in this case. This is a wonderful series; I will continue to read these books as long as the author writes them.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXo8oIrsVO1zGlXOFcUlMfSOT3v02okxgZGk5NcnA-P-hlzac4pCEljILAguABCNy7fCJshPKlxm1Svet6IS6OtnRP8l0RUiTL_GwYTwukqWv-ki7sTBvK8frIV6zfZXXQ0Pk1GroThsukJxgEJHC-oPKXhBh_k6ekrGlK9SiWOoDx8fzlGzUlV4SQYw/s2560/Osman_Last_Devil_to_Die.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1696" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXo8oIrsVO1zGlXOFcUlMfSOT3v02okxgZGk5NcnA-P-hlzac4pCEljILAguABCNy7fCJshPKlxm1Svet6IS6OtnRP8l0RUiTL_GwYTwukqWv-ki7sTBvK8frIV6zfZXXQ0Pk1GroThsukJxgEJHC-oPKXhBh_k6ekrGlK9SiWOoDx8fzlGzUlV4SQYw/s320/Osman_Last_Devil_to_Die.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><b><i>Missionary Stew</i></b> (1983) by Ross Thomas</p><p>I loved this book; it is only the third book I have read by this author. I would call it a political thriller but it has a bit of espionage too. All the characters in this book are very strange; that is often true in fiction about politics or espionage. The two protagonists had unusual childhoods, one with a father who was jailed for being a Communist, the other having been basically ignored by his mother, an intelligence operative in France during World War II. The mother is a real piece of work. And one of the prominent secondary characters is named Velveeta Keats. I want to read all the rest of his books, and fortunately I have ten of them on my shelves. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZU88fECxepfYwfDgeu2iK9dSfwI_0h7IPv6NQBNXSi_9Eh8hdm2puuiKY88XGIsikF4AD_fKuU6vRHiiokHAgXHmfuMZhyphenhypheng2QPLqNS6uI5pJap_J9xdUI8-sQT2sHhXhvNJmn_zZsudDDD9jw5YXq_WOlyUjyAIPrYS7as1Ds8F81H2CWweX6uwYUho/s500/Thomas_Ross_Missionary_Stew.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZU88fECxepfYwfDgeu2iK9dSfwI_0h7IPv6NQBNXSi_9Eh8hdm2puuiKY88XGIsikF4AD_fKuU6vRHiiokHAgXHmfuMZhyphenhypheng2QPLqNS6uI5pJap_J9xdUI8-sQT2sHhXhvNJmn_zZsudDDD9jw5YXq_WOlyUjyAIPrYS7as1Ds8F81H2CWweX6uwYUho/s320/Thomas_Ross_Missionary_Stew.jpg" width="205" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><b><i>The Paris Diversion</i></b> (2018) by Chris Pavone</p><p>I have read Pavone's first three books and enjoyed them. The Paris Diversion is an espionage thriller which begins with a terror attack on Paris. It is the second book featuring Kate Moore and her husband Dexter. The first book was <b><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-expats-chris-pavone.html" target="_blank">The Expats</a></i></b>. If you enjoy fast-paced thrillers you might like this.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9p9dieuRkRbTYOvjvq27hrZZVIW-FGoapRzZyR4qNlwou7Ipvmhvrp1mVEe52QkTEMgSI2OjT5Nhzg09Btns4yr9k7_0E6AGz4LsdBQAoZ59Aiw7lAUlLDisXgTQrPV5FYVAe0ArwDLkH4BZ4ia5x8oiBpgWStsYhyphenhyphenKYoV5Cgw7RHiBuKwYQ2J52BT0/s500/Pavone_Paris_Diversion.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="329" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9p9dieuRkRbTYOvjvq27hrZZVIW-FGoapRzZyR4qNlwou7Ipvmhvrp1mVEe52QkTEMgSI2OjT5Nhzg09Btns4yr9k7_0E6AGz4LsdBQAoZ59Aiw7lAUlLDisXgTQrPV5FYVAe0ArwDLkH4BZ4ia5x8oiBpgWStsYhyphenhyphenKYoV5Cgw7RHiBuKwYQ2J52BT0/s320/Pavone_Paris_Diversion.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><b><i>Who Killed the Curate?</i></b> (1944) by Joan Coggin</p><p>This is a vintage Christmas mystery, a humorous mystery, of the screwball comedy type, I guess. It was first reprinted by Rue Morgue Press in 2001, and more recently reissued by Galileo Publishers in the UK. The main character is Lady Lupin, who is now married to a vicar and living in a small village. She doesn't fit in at all; she is too scatterbrained and doesn't have any idea of how to be a vicar's wife, but she is so well-meaning that no one minds too much. And she and her husband are madly in love, which is very refreshing. It is set at Christmas which is why I had saved it to read in December. I enjoyed it, but I only recommend it to readers who like a lot of humor in their mysteries.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNYn0jqhulMLsJtkRPiL2KJSoLJSXslnuEM-TRO2NZAXYW-EyKnWqekxdBjcOq8fJJwbh6sGd0QXByxJtjemCeme_x95EPPtxy16N6sQ6FK6lWHN53ryo44wGb3WNgYl1TeUiEcaVpk_Uis7grLgDD1LLmoaveIRpTsBE5ciMg4EDBkBHm26q6qYG9R18/s400/Coggin_Joan_Who_Killed_the_Curate.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="264" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNYn0jqhulMLsJtkRPiL2KJSoLJSXslnuEM-TRO2NZAXYW-EyKnWqekxdBjcOq8fJJwbh6sGd0QXByxJtjemCeme_x95EPPtxy16N6sQ6FK6lWHN53ryo44wGb3WNgYl1TeUiEcaVpk_Uis7grLgDD1LLmoaveIRpTsBE5ciMg4EDBkBHm26q6qYG9R18/s320/Coggin_Joan_Who_Killed_the_Curate.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><b><i>Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories</i></b> (1985) by Agatha Christie</p><p>This collection is comprised of 20 short stories by Christie, all starring Miss Marple, the amateur sleuth who lives in a small village in the UK and uses her observations of the people she knows in St Mary Mead to solve crimes. The first thirteen short stories were published in book form in <i>The Thirteen Problems</i> in 1932 (aka <i>The Tuesday Club Murders</i>). The others were published in three other collections of Christie's stories, mixed in with stories about other sleuths. I reviewed some stories from this collection <a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/06/short-story-wednesday-miss-marple.html" target="_blank"><b>in June</b></a>, <b><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/09/short-story-wednesday-more-miss-marple.html" target="_blank">in September</a></b>, and <b><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2024/01/short-story-wednesday-miss-marple.html" target="_blank">this month</a></b>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhItFEtW9KfzndHkPoyKPM2Ktvwa_uA3ChiDh1apLbR70Dho-WUMhX6EOOnKbK2AmG4WgKLjykN9yKME5hlJPd8uRmUpAzyyUSGG2ek1CgmyTsG6AiOWihPlHgEMjVIc1uM_EwKLT0y1y6Cak8Ji5GR6KGyvLAUkpebZW0BaTJMCCnB6sydKrWbbar7Bg/s1573/Christie_Miss_Marple_complete_stories.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1573" data-original-width="1028" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhItFEtW9KfzndHkPoyKPM2Ktvwa_uA3ChiDh1apLbR70Dho-WUMhX6EOOnKbK2AmG4WgKLjykN9yKME5hlJPd8uRmUpAzyyUSGG2ek1CgmyTsG6AiOWihPlHgEMjVIc1uM_EwKLT0y1y6Cak8Ji5GR6KGyvLAUkpebZW0BaTJMCCnB6sydKrWbbar7Bg/s320/Christie_Miss_Marple_complete_stories.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">End of Year notes</h4><p>I read 90 books in 2023. The longest book I read was 823 pages: <b><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/02/anna-karenina-leo-tolstoy.html" target="_blank">Anna Karenina</a></i></b> by Tolstoy. The average number of pages for the books I read was 295. </p><p>Of the 90 books I read, 60 books were from my TBR pile (purchased prior to 2023), which surpassed my goal of 48 books. I will continue to aim at 48 books from my TBR in 2024. </p><p>I read more espionage books in 2023. Of the 65 mysteries I read, ten were espionage novels. One of my nonfiction books was about espionage in World War II, <b><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/08/operation-mincemeat-ben-macintyre.html" target="_blank">Operation Mincemeat</a></i></b> by Ben Macintyre. Espionage fiction is my go to comfort reading. That may sound strange because so often those books are fast-paced thrillers. I do love those too, but several espionage books I read this year were slow-paced thoughtful books.</p><p>I was surprised that I read 12 nonfiction books. Several were books about books, one was graphic nonfiction, and two were biographies of the Mitford sisters. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs5dFdH7jWtr0RcsYNBprqzW27pzlV5FJVewShJfP3uswOzFFZdwAax4dSEe7-BZQkwctJvx3hFap2PLHLreIAAzmQ6390GEaGtZKsYj6DP0hv-Ej5aBYiP0Xt3CX6I7fFCGWCt-YC6sXJ9avnZZwz46N_yopjQgrCSgmI1lLrRNBBuzwYR9qkzoNb7kY/s4592/Alice_Keck_large_tree_P1010450-01.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3448" data-original-width="4592" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs5dFdH7jWtr0RcsYNBprqzW27pzlV5FJVewShJfP3uswOzFFZdwAax4dSEe7-BZQkwctJvx3hFap2PLHLreIAAzmQ6390GEaGtZKsYj6DP0hv-Ej5aBYiP0Xt3CX6I7fFCGWCt-YC6sXJ9avnZZwz46N_yopjQgrCSgmI1lLrRNBBuzwYR9qkzoNb7kY/w400-h300/Alice_Keck_large_tree_P1010450-01.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrHnou6WnwKQcS0k0ahSPnodz4PUSXbfVDglzc57lhs5aYVgeBbpgp-O65tu0aH4OaEpIpnctZk2SgMrGpn-s6bmlEGg-Rw59x_g6LN67KOtOzX_to2WQY24Wr3NVQ4gcFaIbNMLPS-7rqZ3uOLeFh9V5utWZdqIdFtTfF2MAVMdAlogj27waX-Uzqt8/s4592/Alice_Keck_tree_02_P1010489-01.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="3448" data-original-width="4592" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrHnou6WnwKQcS0k0ahSPnodz4PUSXbfVDglzc57lhs5aYVgeBbpgp-O65tu0aH4OaEpIpnctZk2SgMrGpn-s6bmlEGg-Rw59x_g6LN67KOtOzX_to2WQY24Wr3NVQ4gcFaIbNMLPS-7rqZ3uOLeFh9V5utWZdqIdFtTfF2MAVMdAlogj27waX-Uzqt8/w400-h300/Alice_Keck_tree_02_P1010489-01.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrCj1KovpSzacVyq_SLWVlo8ENanjp87GoxA57gd8q4i2NuOmgFiL0mBjQOb1Y7n2zDd6VjekFKdBY05ILy9km0OARYX2FqjNBJCXhx2fFgkX4Vp_AxXtQd2PZA5r1vAcgbnkdCLxnMjGQBRAZCsJUR2zFFSIjGO7FuQ8d3Q4EK7ziPLjB5m9mZNREp7Y/s4592/Alice_Keck_path_P1010451-01.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="3448" data-original-width="4592" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrCj1KovpSzacVyq_SLWVlo8ENanjp87GoxA57gd8q4i2NuOmgFiL0mBjQOb1Y7n2zDd6VjekFKdBY05ILy9km0OARYX2FqjNBJCXhx2fFgkX4Vp_AxXtQd2PZA5r1vAcgbnkdCLxnMjGQBRAZCsJUR2zFFSIjGO7FuQ8d3Q4EK7ziPLjB5m9mZNREp7Y/w400-h300/Alice_Keck_path_P1010451-01.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>The photos at the top and bottom of this post were taken at the Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden, a small park in Santa Barbara. One of our favorite places to visit, it is near downtown and covers only one city block, but has lots of paths to walk around on. The large aloe plant with orange flowers at the top was blooming in January 2023, and I have seen many such plants all over the Santa Barbara / Goleta area in December and January.</p><p>The photos were taken and processed by my husband. <b>Click on the images for the best viewing quality.</b></p><p><br /></p>TracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-19184340474644562382024-01-05T22:19:00.000-08:002024-01-05T22:19:49.483-08:00Six Degrees of Separation: From Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow to The Optimist's Daughter<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBNm4MeFB8N57yKAnicGiT-KCtMTFt4jTs25Plhu0Bt3h9rEUeOJxkNtpI8lbO97xW1o4uIb2i7wMJL4OIXJ7TbGdNmPySuwQ-yKvCLtB7UpK3AzrDSVlF-8y-2qXGGRoJZzPRHlRs0X1Klk78xv3kABqF3D-XmO-vzkGM9bZN1l2OpLOD28q_Aa8s1ms/s400/Zevin_Tomorrow_and_Tomorrow.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="263" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBNm4MeFB8N57yKAnicGiT-KCtMTFt4jTs25Plhu0Bt3h9rEUeOJxkNtpI8lbO97xW1o4uIb2i7wMJL4OIXJ7TbGdNmPySuwQ-yKvCLtB7UpK3AzrDSVlF-8y-2qXGGRoJZzPRHlRs0X1Klk78xv3kABqF3D-XmO-vzkGM9bZN1l2OpLOD28q_Aa8s1ms/s320/Zevin_Tomorrow_and_Tomorrow.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>The <b><a href="https://booksaremyfavouriteandbest.com/6-degrees-of-separation-meme/" target="_blank">Six Degrees of Separation</a></b> meme is hosted by Kate at <b><a href="https://booksaremyfavouriteandbest.com/2024/01/06/six-degrees-of-separation-from-tomorrow-and-tomorrow-and-tomorrow-to-the-empathy-exams/" target="_blank">booksaremyfavoriteandbest</a></b>. The idea behind the meme is to start with a book and use common points between two books to end up with links to six books, forming a chain. The common points may be obvious, like a word in the title or a shared theme, or more personal. Every month Kate provides the title of a book as the starting point.<p></p><p><br />The starting book this month is <b><i>Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow</i></b> by Gabrielle Zevin. I wasn't in any hurry to read this book, but when it came up as a starting book for Six Degrees, it motivated me to get a copy. I have been reading it (at a slow pace) for three days now and am only halfway in. It is about two young people who create video games, and so far it focuses on relationships and family. I like the way it is structured, and I am enjoying reading it, immensely. </p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">1st degree:</h4><p>Staying with the theme of video gaming, my first link is to <b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123115331-didn-t-see-that-coming" target="_blank">Didn't See That Coming</a></i></b> by Jesse Q. Sutanto. This is a young adult novel; the main character is an avid video-gamer. When she plays online she uses a male name to avoid harassment. The storyline is similar to <i>The Shop Around the Corner</i> (or <i>You've Got Mail</i>). </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUsWvXmUwojd2u8Rd7XYFOReANzxHMGeTRGQuxPQzC2ntKY-AVgtONlToqVGFncZhqRDuKcezgF9YJ6RNpIUfdn47Gs2-WGGbvjdnz6Nc8KfLDfGuecsdYXWG0rkyrc5lnVTk93VnT4Ivhb7Fv8dh63egEXtBeZjHdTTQJkg6dkLEI1rpudKJdGLL6txM/s1500/Sutanto_Didnt_See_That_Comng.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUsWvXmUwojd2u8Rd7XYFOReANzxHMGeTRGQuxPQzC2ntKY-AVgtONlToqVGFncZhqRDuKcezgF9YJ6RNpIUfdn47Gs2-WGGbvjdnz6Nc8KfLDfGuecsdYXWG0rkyrc5lnVTk93VnT4Ivhb7Fv8dh63egEXtBeZjHdTTQJkg6dkLEI1rpudKJdGLL6txM/s320/Sutanto_Didnt_See_That_Comng.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">2nd degree:</h4><p>I enjoyed reading another book by Jesse Q. Sutanto, <i><b><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/11/vera-wongs-unsolicited-advice-for.html" target="_blank">Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers</a></b></i>. Vera Wong is sixty years old, widowed, and lives alone above her tea shop in San Francisco's Chinatown. One morning she finds the dead body of a man on the floor of her tea shop, a man she does not recognize. She reinvents herself as an amateur detective.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnmAQEpqoBX6xh1p0i5XQFtZD1OhFz7NPgCPmBoRZT4VoO_RreGwgtAdRfHYT7FP6H8K8e3P9bcI__1hDhe9ZF14AsqUpS92Ukn48Z8ah6GmWjCc6UGIBRvfuhUZPJUHPpleX12Xm8VWzSYI7LSOPs0mtKqrJ5wxmDHyD4tGOdKXa-MI0ZTxYpkwiu_-M/s1562/Sutanto_Vera_Wong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1562" data-original-width="996" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnmAQEpqoBX6xh1p0i5XQFtZD1OhFz7NPgCPmBoRZT4VoO_RreGwgtAdRfHYT7FP6H8K8e3P9bcI__1hDhe9ZF14AsqUpS92Ukn48Z8ah6GmWjCc6UGIBRvfuhUZPJUHPpleX12Xm8VWzSYI7LSOPs0mtKqrJ5wxmDHyD4tGOdKXa-MI0ZTxYpkwiu_-M/s320/Sutanto_Vera_Wong.jpg" width="204" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">3rd degree:</h4><p>Staying in Chinatown in San Francisco, my next book is <b><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2017/07/city-of-dragons-kelli-stanley.html" target="_blank">City of Dragons</a></i></b> by Kelli Stanley. Miranda Corbie is a 33-year-old private investigator who investigates the death of Eddie Takahashi, against the wishes of the Chamber of Commerce and the police. Kelli Stanley makes San Francisco of the 1940's come alive; she describes the tensions within Chinatown due to the war in Asia and Europe very well. I learned much about Chinatown and the US attitude toward the war at that time. My husband introduced me to this series and he has read all four books in the series.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHlblfLM2dgVJE9p9jMzYU-RR-74oInoUhgCCLLsfO0IuwNpak6YZeu8EZD18IAoVkCm9WnnQp9bOfwYSa-tGfmFaTWQOmTrXAfoHlsQtigeg_mfXjAmmsZ3q58UWYVrMEe8Jg0vJqzYIaPkhke8deI-z_qXF2M5Rm0CC-c7kAMTQ1KPCJTQTmd5QBgE/s2048/Stanley_Kelli_City_Dragons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1371" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHlblfLM2dgVJE9p9jMzYU-RR-74oInoUhgCCLLsfO0IuwNpak6YZeu8EZD18IAoVkCm9WnnQp9bOfwYSa-tGfmFaTWQOmTrXAfoHlsQtigeg_mfXjAmmsZ3q58UWYVrMEe8Jg0vJqzYIaPkhke8deI-z_qXF2M5Rm0CC-c7kAMTQ1KPCJTQTmd5QBgE/s320/Stanley_Kelli_City_Dragons.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">4th degree:</h4><p><b><i><a href="https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2022/01/china-trade-mystery-by-edgar-winner-sj.html" target="_blank">China Trade</a></i></b> is another book set in Chinatown, but this time in New York City's Chinatown, in the 1990's. It is the first book in S. J. Rozan's series about two private investigators who frequently work cases together. Bill Smith is a white private investigator in his forties who lives in Manhattan; Lydia Chin is an American-born Chinese private investigator in her late twenties who lives in New York’s Chinatown with her mother. I am linking to Constance's review at <b><a href="https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2022/01/china-trade-mystery-by-edgar-winner-sj.html" target="_blank">Staircase Wit</a></b>, because I read this book before I was blogging.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvWnfBHk5crQfw2Kze-v90tLuNbDua52nfyBtW8bQE6MScJQEhNSgeD8nl6kZg40YjlZUVwuZSsIuGrMlZU3H-flPExEiX4XjqkEVMLCs1hwTWQTe91z3rt-SG4B4Vf6XheB5rv7A2lf_urPWPJs8kctY6mI9KnnFYLbfIjQnwiKtcbIUWJWgJuYaN-ew/s475/Rozan_China_Trace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="292" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvWnfBHk5crQfw2Kze-v90tLuNbDua52nfyBtW8bQE6MScJQEhNSgeD8nl6kZg40YjlZUVwuZSsIuGrMlZU3H-flPExEiX4XjqkEVMLCs1hwTWQTe91z3rt-SG4B4Vf6XheB5rv7A2lf_urPWPJs8kctY6mI9KnnFYLbfIjQnwiKtcbIUWJWgJuYaN-ew/s320/Rozan_China_Trace.jpg" width="197" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">5th degree:</h4><p>My fifth book is another book by S. J. Rozan, <b><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2019/10/paper-son-s-j-rozan.html" target="_blank">Paper Son</a></i></b>. This is the 12th book in the Bill Smith and Lydia Chin series, published in 2019. In this book Lydia discovers that she has relatives in Mississippi. Lydia's mom, Chin Yong-Yun, requests that Lydia go help out a cousin in Mississippi who is in jail, and she insists that Bill Smith go along to help. This is one of the best books in the series, and I enjoyed it especially because of the setting. I grew up in Alabama and I had relatives in a small town in Mississippi. This is a pretty good look at the South, without being over the top, not that I have spent a lot of time there in the last few years.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ZUQB0dQ21vlcEfXcOp6Xfu6Iqop-ULSDSRN28vCsIU8FuoFuvMXqsWA_wRzTNdr0LCCCm2hG4VA3gqW_Rhb7xrXydYxZAjI5z7EHmJZlvEywjPdgjCsWz7b922gBtsIX-mFVxSx4szDNFLq6jM9_mHbdVtVIwu8vpkja9ebX-TJxIZsQY98mWeABXtU/s2048/Rozan_Paper_Son_2019-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1380" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ZUQB0dQ21vlcEfXcOp6Xfu6Iqop-ULSDSRN28vCsIU8FuoFuvMXqsWA_wRzTNdr0LCCCm2hG4VA3gqW_Rhb7xrXydYxZAjI5z7EHmJZlvEywjPdgjCsWz7b922gBtsIX-mFVxSx4szDNFLq6jM9_mHbdVtVIwu8vpkja9ebX-TJxIZsQY98mWeABXtU/s320/Rozan_Paper_Son_2019-10.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">6th degree:</h4><p>Another novel set in Mississippi is <b><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-optimists-daughter-eudora-welty.html" target="_blank">The Optimist's Daughter</a></i></b> by Eudora Welty. The book was published in 1972 and won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1973. Laurel McKelva Hand is a widow, living and working in Chicago. She goes to New Orleans with her father, Judge McKelva, and his second wife, Fay, to visit the Judge's eye doctor. The judge dies while in the hospital for eye surgery. Laurel returns to her hometown in Mississippi for the funeral. Many readers love this book, but I did not. It was funny at times, sad at times, but I could not connect with the characters or feel any involvement in the story.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRkChaOi14HmNsyNzurftsWPdBgqoH_3EzIuWqWKP8tLMiA6EukIKXtcbEeIFvDIFVJ_zTSX75_iRdLwxTXRxm1ExvaF7P6Y0zXPcY0qrMSmp_1QdHkP30WTL5gRk6XLyQ2fjgpfCHxEmBx0tQIQKLG1Kn5VFkKPBy6Vd3OimzQQiwxfger_1td41fWAg/s1568/Welty_Optimists_Daughter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1568" data-original-width="1003" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRkChaOi14HmNsyNzurftsWPdBgqoH_3EzIuWqWKP8tLMiA6EukIKXtcbEeIFvDIFVJ_zTSX75_iRdLwxTXRxm1ExvaF7P6Y0zXPcY0qrMSmp_1QdHkP30WTL5gRk6XLyQ2fjgpfCHxEmBx0tQIQKLG1Kn5VFkKPBy6Vd3OimzQQiwxfger_1td41fWAg/s320/Welty_Optimists_Daughter.jpg" width="205" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>The links in my chain of books centered on Chinatowns in different cities in the US, contemporary and historical, and then hopped over to Mississippi. </p><p>If you did this month's Six Degrees, where did your links go?</p><p><br /></p><p>The next <b>Six Degrees</b> will be on February 3, 2024, and the starting book will be the book you finished on this month (or the last book read).</p><p><br /></p>TracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-51985296304122474732024-01-02T21:58:00.000-08:002024-01-02T21:58:21.335-08:00Short Story Wednesday – Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories<p>When I first got this book, I was surprised to learn that Agatha Christie had written only 20 short stories featuring Miss Marple. The first thirteen short stories were published in book form in <i>The Thirteen Problems</i> in 1932 (aka <i>The Tuesday Club Murders</i>). The others were published in three other collections of Christie's stories, mixed in with stories from other sleuths. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu6oPoUuOrROVr1SHgkCu6Vw07r_KHMLTamOMKS4nvKd09fJ2yv348SdLiH63y6LoBxu5DyzjTTO5b0WpCY00_WQzxHvjQLNJVV5Gp0NJIMDjdSvdRNJH13Q_0KVU67gbOvlLdQ-lRcrr7y_aeK9EA3cvzGx9yuti_Lh7wkGRb9X9Q-6Ed90Ap41CPEKk/s1573/Christie_Miss_Marple_complete_stories.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1573" data-original-width="1028" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu6oPoUuOrROVr1SHgkCu6Vw07r_KHMLTamOMKS4nvKd09fJ2yv348SdLiH63y6LoBxu5DyzjTTO5b0WpCY00_WQzxHvjQLNJVV5Gp0NJIMDjdSvdRNJH13Q_0KVU67gbOvlLdQ-lRcrr7y_aeK9EA3cvzGx9yuti_Lh7wkGRb9X9Q-6Ed90Ap41CPEKk/w261-h400/Christie_Miss_Marple_complete_stories.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>I started reading the stories in this book in June 2023. (There were two previous posts <b><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/06/short-story-wednesday-miss-marple.html" target="_blank">in June</a></b> and <b><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/09/short-story-wednesday-more-miss-marple.html" target="_blank">in September</a></b> where I reviewed a few of the stories.) I just finished all the stories in the book with the very last story on December 30, 2023. </p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">"Sanctuary"</h4><p>Bunch Harmon, the vicar's wife, discovers a man's body in the church when she brings in flowers for the alter. The man is not dead but he is bleeding; she goes to get the doctor, and the police are called in. After the man dies, of a gunshot wound, his sister and her husband come to talk to Bunch. She gives them his belongings, including a coat that he was wearing. The police say that the man killed himself, but Bunch is not satisfied that everything has been resolved. Shortly after that she goes to visit Miss Marple, her godmother, who is staying at her nephew Raymond's flat in London. Between the two of them, the puzzle of the man's death is solved.</p><p>This was one of my favorite stories in the book. There are some interesting notes on this story at the <b><a href="https://www.agathachristie.com/stories/sanctuary" target="_blank">Agatha Christie website</a></b>.</p><p><br /></p>TracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-78662825255570535302024-01-01T22:19:00.000-08:002024-01-01T22:36:27.287-08:00Top Ten Tuesday: My Favorite Books of 2023<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA9KSjq7Ddl37OD2Pzh-Feni_nqmc_nqitJp69dUoezwdLou2QYCB4PV3DK7uxhnAd8jzJla9EB6xQqLq_IOXvR2_DUaZfUspsPbL8Wrur2RqmpdVYFKbPke2oH0Lrs-LSZgWPBaRs6WnGqZZsFygsA68WQpRsfSyujtqVIUyxwzhqjMjExRNLvyaakkU/s768/TTT-new6-768x308.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="768" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA9KSjq7Ddl37OD2Pzh-Feni_nqmc_nqitJp69dUoezwdLou2QYCB4PV3DK7uxhnAd8jzJla9EB6xQqLq_IOXvR2_DUaZfUspsPbL8Wrur2RqmpdVYFKbPke2oH0Lrs-LSZgWPBaRs6WnGqZZsFygsA68WQpRsfSyujtqVIUyxwzhqjMjExRNLvyaakkU/s320/TTT-new6-768x308.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><b>Top Ten Tuesday</b> is a weekly meme hosted by <b><a href="https://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/" target="_blank">That Artsy Reader Girl</a></b>.</p><p>This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic is <b>Favorite Books of 2023</b>. Note that the key word here is favorite, and these are the books I enjoyed reading the most in 2023. The list is in no particular order, and I included 13 books because it was so hard to choose only ten.</p><p>And here's my list:</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/12/winter-solstice-rosamunde-pilcher.html" target="_blank">Winter Solstice</a></i></b> (2000) by Rosamunde Pilcher</h3><p>This was a Christmas read and the first book I have read by Pilcher. It was published in 2000 and is over 500 pages long. A lovely story, with some romance on the side, set mostly in Scotland.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMut0AU05bP1cejyqqNO3oqA1cImzvLi2WpwSiGD9O_H2Ckupb-Lemh2lvbdfV-mbBt1ZPX7AoAe8oUOkPcjUZskdPb5kWEiaRnLQnRoYKvSX0Zo2kDi2YswCF3vlDYAm-uZMFsRIuTNoOazYJFeDWCFq1aw8S4njDWmYSBAUhiRuEtYbLzIDHcso6rY/s1603/Pilcher_Winter_Solstice.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1603" data-original-width="1053" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMut0AU05bP1cejyqqNO3oqA1cImzvLi2WpwSiGD9O_H2Ckupb-Lemh2lvbdfV-mbBt1ZPX7AoAe8oUOkPcjUZskdPb5kWEiaRnLQnRoYKvSX0Zo2kDi2YswCF3vlDYAm-uZMFsRIuTNoOazYJFeDWCFq1aw8S4njDWmYSBAUhiRuEtYbLzIDHcso6rY/s320/Pilcher_Winter_Solstice.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/04/assassins-apprentice-robin-hobb.html" target="_blank">Assassin's Apprentice</a></i> (1995) by Robin Hobb</h3><p>This is a fantasy novel, the first book in The Farseer Trilogy. Hobb has written a good number of fantasies, under the pseudonym Robin Hobb and under her own name, Megan Lindholm. I don't have a lot of experience with reading fantasies, but this one sucked me in from the beginning. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBZeGazaH-ECaNpQiBxXl2tzUQ5p6IAhlyDKcOVwsLphrk_xTDMJiRGVWr2ZnYrh2bpy8pO_33xtKfrFBoOE2xx1Rr4tvM_JZRATmuvisMarL5YrwJ7texHFGfE3SAHAokK6GUbpFnJSVdjEWup3okRKZeJBa7MK4cdt8-o-1IIWKXx7YEBpHs8Lan7Rw/s1342/Hobb_Robin_Assassins_Apprentice_s2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1342" data-original-width="803" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBZeGazaH-ECaNpQiBxXl2tzUQ5p6IAhlyDKcOVwsLphrk_xTDMJiRGVWr2ZnYrh2bpy8pO_33xtKfrFBoOE2xx1Rr4tvM_JZRATmuvisMarL5YrwJ7texHFGfE3SAHAokK6GUbpFnJSVdjEWup3okRKZeJBa7MK4cdt8-o-1IIWKXx7YEBpHs8Lan7Rw/w239-h400/Hobb_Robin_Assassins_Apprentice_s2.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><i>Slough House</i> (2021) by Mick Herron</h3><p>In the Slough House spy fiction series, Mick Herron has created a department in MI5 that is used to dump failed spies, agents, or analysts with no plans to allow them to be reinstated as MI5 agents. Most of the members of Slough House fool themselves into believing they can return, eventually. It seems like this concept would have a limited life span but the series is still going strong. This is book 7 of 8.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Uhd2QHiHWBRi8wRlW9Nue_Am_bDnJFIL5WlubQ2kGK22CMUg3CBF6yEQ9Qy8Hia65XPBAaY5YAx1gX0wAciAo3Yh6zR0iULAOz4TyCeTT7jQewU47DVhnmZWjLYsCBUrXX568_AH_t0oyzJ51J0-y9ImPyyp4bPdyY4ScmpoW7-6MexeH44IFkC4nzQ/s500/Herron_Mick_Slough_House.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="331" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Uhd2QHiHWBRi8wRlW9Nue_Am_bDnJFIL5WlubQ2kGK22CMUg3CBF6yEQ9Qy8Hia65XPBAaY5YAx1gX0wAciAo3Yh6zR0iULAOz4TyCeTT7jQewU47DVhnmZWjLYsCBUrXX568_AH_t0oyzJ51J0-y9ImPyyp4bPdyY4ScmpoW7-6MexeH44IFkC4nzQ/s320/Herron_Mick_Slough_House.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><i>Killers of a Certain Age</i> (2022) by Deanna Raybourn</h3><p>This story is about four older women who have worked for years as assassins. The organization that hired and trained them is the Museum, and now the Museum has turned against them and ordered their deaths. The older women protagonists were a plus. It is not exactly spy fiction, but it reads much like a spy thriller, so it was perfect for me.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxJSPr3W3TDfGaY4cqpcmap8Qces9kBwlYlxmog8xlWx0MOrelTcb7YoIk_UA1mFraoeyt3bn_FFYuSEBQBH2DZ6tOZ3s9IArB3obk6BQN-NjvpMnAWf2P8rbRwOYBX1mk6IuRdKTCw_8PxLsRrRq-bs0BrMuoEV96eEk8_fQrv1N_JyUa1SOE8h6GVHc/s1806/Raybourne_Killers_of_a_Certain_Age.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1806" data-original-width="1192" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxJSPr3W3TDfGaY4cqpcmap8Qces9kBwlYlxmog8xlWx0MOrelTcb7YoIk_UA1mFraoeyt3bn_FFYuSEBQBH2DZ6tOZ3s9IArB3obk6BQN-NjvpMnAWf2P8rbRwOYBX1mk6IuRdKTCw_8PxLsRrRq-bs0BrMuoEV96eEk8_fQrv1N_JyUa1SOE8h6GVHc/s320/Raybourne_Killers_of_a_Certain_Age.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/07/ss-gb-len-deighton.html" target="_blank">SS-GB</a></i> (1979) by Len Deighton</h3><p><b><i>SS-GB</i></b> is an alternate history in which England has been invaded by Germany. The main character is Detective Superintendent Douglas Archer of Scotland Yard, who is forced to work under Gruppenführer Fritz Kellerman of the SS. Len Deighton is one of my favorite authors of spy fiction and I don't know why it took me so long to read this one.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZvbz3nPZtrGIn3zpyFl6vswRHOYfpxbVdYEK4k9vtMQ2JtWh4A3IxPY8XSOWmGrOh-_7SY8zMXbrNULQVKfssfNvLXVIgeFit0Pl8GoRLsD4vcGSYz3urtp92NdIuAa-MHWO_NaCLGRh8NbWgLsF0cIvFfedJL39SMdd4amH1ZI81xCz5wp8uDDDfVo/s460/DEIGHTON_SS-GB.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZvbz3nPZtrGIn3zpyFl6vswRHOYfpxbVdYEK4k9vtMQ2JtWh4A3IxPY8XSOWmGrOh-_7SY8zMXbrNULQVKfssfNvLXVIgeFit0Pl8GoRLsD4vcGSYz3urtp92NdIuAa-MHWO_NaCLGRh8NbWgLsF0cIvFfedJL39SMdd4amH1ZI81xCz5wp8uDDDfVo/s320/DEIGHTON_SS-GB.jpg" width="221" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><i>The Last Devil to Die</i> (2023) by Richard Osman</h3><p>Book 4 in the Thursday Murder Club series. This was one of the few books I read that was published in 2023, and one of the few series that I try to keep current with. Two men and two women in their seventies or eighties form a club called the Thursday Murder Club. They started out investigating cold cases, but now they investigate current crimes whenever they get the chance.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkLgVqGeXFdMxsA0BLHLbGn6m3KKhTZK6wS7cvr9gR6RCuR08n0CeVb5ilmvGGZ4pN1eWcDXg8wgVY7Em_aymWakhSxOFlexTY9U9ZIuHFWLCsosWhBpdrVaJ0ck1o1Ruqi24Fax28We-l40T4MAqgyY7ewK7h3ZAURjS8DBNxDEtMnwICcSnfBQzhs08/s2560/Osman_Last_Devil_to_Die.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1696" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkLgVqGeXFdMxsA0BLHLbGn6m3KKhTZK6wS7cvr9gR6RCuR08n0CeVb5ilmvGGZ4pN1eWcDXg8wgVY7Em_aymWakhSxOFlexTY9U9ZIuHFWLCsosWhBpdrVaJ0ck1o1Ruqi24Fax28We-l40T4MAqgyY7ewK7h3ZAURjS8DBNxDEtMnwICcSnfBQzhs08/s320/Osman_Last_Devil_to_Die.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-mask-of-memory-victor-canning.html" target="_blank">The Mask of Memory</a></i> (1974) by Victor Canning</h3><p>The 3rd book in a loose series called the Birdcage books. They all revolve around a covert security group in the UK, a branch of the Ministry of Defense. The agents change from book to book, although some show up in multiple books. The series could easily be read out of order with no problems. Victor Canning is one of my favorite authors of spy fiction.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw-9cw0W790LZ18M5ca9NLyogaPfG7K7gCW7O4WsLmnEmYt5eLs5_q8Hk6c2R8VNfBac1lndevxuDcmQE-scu5PpKM5WpLqTIME6ZEP1bEbfPPh0geJ_3oGuP2vLVwDOp0Uj9IGhEhjZW_atRQ-64YwWV2CLB1VRjW6Ux26hz4j0ESVXikvktooOoIe2o/s2038/Canning_Mask_of_Memory.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2038" data-original-width="1172" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw-9cw0W790LZ18M5ca9NLyogaPfG7K7gCW7O4WsLmnEmYt5eLs5_q8Hk6c2R8VNfBac1lndevxuDcmQE-scu5PpKM5WpLqTIME6ZEP1bEbfPPh0geJ_3oGuP2vLVwDOp0Uj9IGhEhjZW_atRQ-64YwWV2CLB1VRjW6Ux26hz4j0ESVXikvktooOoIe2o/w230-h400/Canning_Mask_of_Memory.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-long-way-to-small-angry-planet.html" target="_blank">The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet</a></i> (2014) by Becky Chambers </h3><p>This is a space opera, the first book in a trilogy, the Wayfarers series. To get away from an unhappy event in her past, Rosemary Harper (not her real name) joins the small crew of a ship that creates tunnels through space for faster travel. She is the clerk, taking care of ordering and forms and such. Some of the crew is human and others are various types of aliens.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx5GAJVRG_945cSxPUqBUDGoga-NO6Oo4wHgl3giSQVI63lTQ4fbeanDhu0BjZi8FgEByL1C0Bf_jF139IIXXni-ROG0S08kls-NDVcOdv2wo-tT285xgCc0nAXrMa_1VZmXhR3WenPSy1u78E4yrsprIS0-rBXqGmqLL0y9IIlJkfpbEwJ1L5jW609kg/s1559/Chambers_Long_Way_to_a_Small_Angry_Planet.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1559" data-original-width="996" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx5GAJVRG_945cSxPUqBUDGoga-NO6Oo4wHgl3giSQVI63lTQ4fbeanDhu0BjZi8FgEByL1C0Bf_jF139IIXXni-ROG0S08kls-NDVcOdv2wo-tT285xgCc0nAXrMa_1VZmXhR3WenPSy1u78E4yrsprIS0-rBXqGmqLL0y9IIlJkfpbEwJ1L5jW609kg/s320/Chambers_Long_Way_to_a_Small_Angry_Planet.jpg" width="204" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/10/greenwood-michael-christie.html" target="_blank">Greenwood</a></i> (2019) by Michael Christie </h3><p>Christie is a Canadian author and the story is set in Canada, from 1908 through 2038. It is a multigenerational family story with a focus on nature and ecology, especially trees. It starts in a dystopian future in 2038 but soon travels back to follow the previous generations of the Greenwood family.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxIq5BbsTU17cHN6rA9tLkoXDDYhl2Q4F9OsMqKsniVt9KAVOjSkfOnLeseZ67sLwfg0dyY6eeqJVgJIPbX2U60siKjjV9v0HP9kcB5tnvnQiBqzl6EKE0EyL6hfMn_QTBfI605n8eTIWgcip6LzVYNzfqb4MfVOYxnPaeJUCKx109CgDBspCJlWc-u8/s1865/Christie_Michael_Greenwood_02.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1865" data-original-width="1211" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxIq5BbsTU17cHN6rA9tLkoXDDYhl2Q4F9OsMqKsniVt9KAVOjSkfOnLeseZ67sLwfg0dyY6eeqJVgJIPbX2U60siKjjV9v0HP9kcB5tnvnQiBqzl6EKE0EyL6hfMn_QTBfI605n8eTIWgcip6LzVYNzfqb4MfVOYxnPaeJUCKx109CgDBspCJlWc-u8/s320/Christie_Michael_Greenwood_02.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><i>Missionary Stew</i> (1983) by Ross Thomas</h3><p>I loved this book; it is only the third book I have read by this author. I would call it a political thriller but it has a bit of espionage too. The two protagonists both had strange childhoods, one with a father who was jailed for being a Communist, the other having been basically ignored by his mother, an intelligence operative. The mother is a real piece of work. And one of the prominent secondary characters is named Velveeta Keats. Who can resist a book with a woman named Velveeta?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8oMDXvuDxmDVQhoStanZ4HR7H96p1ps_9XI8v6bN0Vh-TOdzKkUE8_eznMDvPMYaJFv6pLXpYECWvKT4sBIyDZy8WJrOJybCDqpZkO3Kbi1btRekhqKkuIAgrKmxAfOOJj1FA2ENutgBWnjhJJt1VBdOTlhffCNhwXcRdrh3_euP4eE9T82KmDmQABOw/s500/Thomas_Ross_Missionary_Stew.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8oMDXvuDxmDVQhoStanZ4HR7H96p1ps_9XI8v6bN0Vh-TOdzKkUE8_eznMDvPMYaJFv6pLXpYECWvKT4sBIyDZy8WJrOJybCDqpZkO3Kbi1btRekhqKkuIAgrKmxAfOOJj1FA2ENutgBWnjhJJt1VBdOTlhffCNhwXcRdrh3_euP4eE9T82KmDmQABOw/s320/Thomas_Ross_Missionary_Stew.jpg" width="205" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/01/japanese-literature-challenge.html" target="_blank">A Midsummer's Equation</a></i> (2011) by Keigo Higashino</h3><p>This is the 6th book in the Detective Galileo series but only the third to be translated to English. This entry in the series takes place at a fading resort town on the coast of Japan. Manabu Yukawa, also known as "Detective Galileo," plans to speak at a town meeting regarding a planned underwater mining operation. A guest staying at a hotel nearby is found dead at the base of the cliffs, and Yukawa is pulled into the investigation. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIbHd0PDP3Bl6k1r0valgurMTFJxUeo6ZOlNRAs_hVN_M01Vznx87fokkOhRXbELQLwKXu4a2Ll3VMJJrXPZAfevB6GfSdHpiJGoWTHBtv4zu815hIlAekdbwMmHbK7oL9kWnEF8TNdvT-84fFdMI4damrIRGFvjY2MGhG8VbjLq_0xsBq0y3d585moBg/s1860/Higashino_Midsummers_equation.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1860" data-original-width="1240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIbHd0PDP3Bl6k1r0valgurMTFJxUeo6ZOlNRAs_hVN_M01Vznx87fokkOhRXbELQLwKXu4a2Ll3VMJJrXPZAfevB6GfSdHpiJGoWTHBtv4zu815hIlAekdbwMmHbK7oL9kWnEF8TNdvT-84fFdMI4damrIRGFvjY2MGhG8VbjLq_0xsBq0y3d585moBg/s320/Higashino_Midsummers_equation.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/02/bullet-train-kotaro-isaka.html" target="_blank">Bullet Train</a></i> (2010) by Kotaro Isaka</h3><p>I like stories set on a train, and this one takes place almost entirely on the Bullet train that travels from Tokyo to Morioka. This is the type of thriller using very short chapters, each focusing on a particular character; the story hops from character to character. This can get confusing but it was still a favorite for me.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUss_9dko3mQZ81EXfzWgo5A5pq0Cn-xf2eyzr8ogbNZvkE5fyDnnYz3g4xzJrJdnalwb-RxYBHYqfH7E0M1UfuNwK8NxtCOIRUIHrH2cFrW829O72Qe_Y2o2dbJzXoBQwshs2F0DwIsRoiZJlUDDKZB6K9oofjaEzyEAFh028xZvls9B46YLgmMvG_HY/s1695/Isaka_Bullet_Train_03.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1695" data-original-width="1071" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUss_9dko3mQZ81EXfzWgo5A5pq0Cn-xf2eyzr8ogbNZvkE5fyDnnYz3g4xzJrJdnalwb-RxYBHYqfH7E0M1UfuNwK8NxtCOIRUIHrH2cFrW829O72Qe_Y2o2dbJzXoBQwshs2F0DwIsRoiZJlUDDKZB6K9oofjaEzyEAFh028xZvls9B46YLgmMvG_HY/s320/Isaka_Bullet_Train_03.jpg" width="202" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-vanderbeekers-of-141st-street.html" target="_blank">The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street</a></i> (2017) by Karina Yan Glaser</h3><p>The Vanderbeekers live in Harlem, in an apartment that takes up two floors of an old brownstone. There are five Vanderbeeker children between the ages of 4 and 12. Mr. and Mrs. Vanderbeeker struggle to make ends meet. Eleven days before the end of the year, in the midst of preparations for Christmas, the Vanderbeekers are notified that the lease on their apartment will not be renewed; they have to be out by the end of the year. This is a lovely middle-grade book, with nice illustrations. The first book in a series of seven.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ5ko3FF4q_lVGu7PH9FeQDvOdahKLpwqhHhjTVsqggPoBg-LE2zRZs7D4jg39vCCen1N8HLqQx8FqS3XYE7mY7-08-S3LMeXCvXtzykoT2rcxcNpIKR9Z0QEkGI_YHYK3w_Tkb1Nk-MOPTrltlXjhupzDLxcmooSr9DZzShxZykDY2g7q7NjO7ZIias8/s1502/Glaser_Vanderbeekers_141st.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1502" data-original-width="997" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ5ko3FF4q_lVGu7PH9FeQDvOdahKLpwqhHhjTVsqggPoBg-LE2zRZs7D4jg39vCCen1N8HLqQx8FqS3XYE7mY7-08-S3LMeXCvXtzykoT2rcxcNpIKR9Z0QEkGI_YHYK3w_Tkb1Nk-MOPTrltlXjhupzDLxcmooSr9DZzShxZykDY2g7q7NjO7ZIias8/s320/Glaser_Vanderbeekers_141st.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>TracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-29094300030897192422023-12-31T16:40:00.000-08:002023-12-31T16:40:49.950-08:00My Year in Books: 2023<p><br /></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I saw this meme at <b><a href="https://bookertalk.com/my-life-in-book-titles-2023-edition/" target="_blank">BookerTalk</a></b> this morning and on a whim I decided to try it. The rules are: use only the titles of books I read in 2023 and try not to repeat any titles. </span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: center;">I had never been successful at it in the past, but here it is ...</span></span></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCCC_waoM40t3xEbUgjgVF7YN5vSusXR2bLk51zZ1PypOVeU2Q_iXunLM_ErIg6hTpe-aT99XUfeCt89A11lYPSILe4Ewmfus69ilvkA9agnhDBACQIAhkW9mDxKMCODYl9TqqTN3nclOYYMafvxMk80y1xrlS9ZahrBQVNu0YnoUMR2xH-5J82KNL5-Q/s1568/Welty_Optimists_Daughter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1568" data-original-width="1003" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCCC_waoM40t3xEbUgjgVF7YN5vSusXR2bLk51zZ1PypOVeU2Q_iXunLM_ErIg6hTpe-aT99XUfeCt89A11lYPSILe4Ewmfus69ilvkA9agnhDBACQIAhkW9mDxKMCODYl9TqqTN3nclOYYMafvxMk80y1xrlS9ZahrBQVNu0YnoUMR2xH-5J82KNL5-Q/w256-h400/Welty_Optimists_Daughter.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><p><b><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>In high school I was:</b> <i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-optimists-daughter-eudora-welty.html" target="_blank"><b>The Optimist's Daughter</b></a></i> (Eudora Welty)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>People might be surprised by:</b> <i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/09/short-story-wednesday-hilma-wolitzer.html" target="_blank"><b>Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket</b></a></i> (Hilma Wolitzer)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>I will never be:</b> <i><b>Something Wicked</b></i> (Elizabeth Ferrars)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>My fantasy job is:</b> <i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/06/short-story-wednesday-miss-marple.html" target="_blank"><b>Miss Marple</b></a></i> (Agatha Christie)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>At the end of a long day I need: <i>Books for Living</i></b> (Will Schwalbe)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>I hate being: <i>The Doomsday Carrier</i></b> (Victor Canning)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>I wish I had: <i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/11/vera-wongs-unsolicited-advice-for.html" target="_blank">Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers</a></i></b> (Jesse Q. Sutanto)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>My family reunions are: <i>City Under One Roof</i></b> (Iris Yamashita)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>At a party you’d find me with: <i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-guernsey-literary-and-potato-peel.html" target="_blank">The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society</a></i></b> (Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>I’ve never been to:</b> <b><i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/09/84-charing-cross-road-helene-hanff.html" target="_blank">84, Charing Cross Road</a></i></b> (Helene Hanff)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>A happy day includes: <i>Book Lust</i></b> (Nancy Pearl)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>Motto I live by: <i>Sworn to Silence</i></b> (Linda Castillo)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>On my bucket list is: <i><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2023/02/bullet-train-kotaro-isaka.html" target="_blank">Bullet Train</a></i></b> (Kotaro Isaka)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>In my next life, I want to have<i>: The Paris Diversion</i></b> (Chris Pavone)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5ZPaIIzD9Arhcgam2sGKDyOKCdQvJKylsJ1W-7trbeH3rMvpZLZJ7RBvj91foiiE7Ll777mHQrzluxNsGsnDCbB-IfVlSgITlFMYgXO3YHOMEezCH7K60tOb_em2i0xOA1vKHw50Q43y9ZF6EyTQMhRjvQsXc4ArrymQPss9kdBnrTaWD5m8qOOqKfU/s1562/Sutanto_Vera_Wong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1562" data-original-width="996" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5ZPaIIzD9Arhcgam2sGKDyOKCdQvJKylsJ1W-7trbeH3rMvpZLZJ7RBvj91foiiE7Ll777mHQrzluxNsGsnDCbB-IfVlSgITlFMYgXO3YHOMEezCH7K60tOb_em2i0xOA1vKHw50Q43y9ZF6EyTQMhRjvQsXc4ArrymQPss9kdBnrTaWD5m8qOOqKfU/s320/Sutanto_Vera_Wong.jpg" width="204" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Also see this meme at <b><a href="https://746books.com/2023/12/29/16274/" target="_blank">746Books</a></b> and <b><a href="https://annabookbel.net/my-life-in-books-the-2023-version/" target="_blank">AnnaBookBel</a></b>. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Annabel has done this meme for many years, starting in 2009!</span></p><p><br /></p><div><br /></div>TracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-78393348453162712412023-12-26T23:31:00.000-08:002023-12-26T23:31:18.604-08:00Short Story Wednesday: More Christmas Stories<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrspWcaw-F0Af7O-m6Gq8HSBomQxMMR9ntqpZVwyXeGLfk7jU_qo2TYRa8ghpiOTqYH9Y2V2GP5bEFLDKUU3yZf3wkPbhDAnYWCnUF6rnjA3svAga4Z3LZSlqViXJ3x4isy7-ymbbSJfHmZ-28W_Ze6HJC_jm5kSFIPv4mB_E0HKJQHroh_5E2k09W7y4/s300/short_story_SSW_new.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrspWcaw-F0Af7O-m6Gq8HSBomQxMMR9ntqpZVwyXeGLfk7jU_qo2TYRa8ghpiOTqYH9Y2V2GP5bEFLDKUU3yZf3wkPbhDAnYWCnUF6rnjA3svAga4Z3LZSlqViXJ3x4isy7-ymbbSJfHmZ-28W_Ze6HJC_jm5kSFIPv4mB_E0HKJQHroh_5E2k09W7y4/s1600/short_story_SSW_new.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>I have now read 17 of the 26 stories in <b><i>Murder for Christmas</i></b>, edited by Thomas Godfrey. I did not read all of those this month; some of them I had read previously in other anthologies.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlQVmQP1Awqz-M-EFnKaVoPyXrMdhu5Y0oXVZZb0Qq-ITQFgBCNwMsaWo1SDIiomhVrY25lhX5UNfvekJjA1lwx_oHRBf94YwiR47bvwg6Bmg0OIbqybSvNe85U-zq0h8t4i5ux3nRc4dPOJrGYRTClrCMl49rkAUtd6qI9GvGvYIk3UbKn6KIGzf__s/s1788/Godfrey_Murder_for_Christmas.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1788" data-original-width="1192" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlQVmQP1Awqz-M-EFnKaVoPyXrMdhu5Y0oXVZZb0Qq-ITQFgBCNwMsaWo1SDIiomhVrY25lhX5UNfvekJjA1lwx_oHRBf94YwiR47bvwg6Bmg0OIbqybSvNe85U-zq0h8t4i5ux3nRc4dPOJrGYRTClrCMl49rkAUtd6qI9GvGvYIk3UbKn6KIGzf__s/s320/Godfrey_Murder_for_Christmas.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p>These are the last four stories I read in this book.</p><p><b>"Back for Christmas"</b> by John Collier </p><p>This is a short but effective story with a very clever ending. Dr. Carpenter and his wife are going to America for a lecture tour. Mrs. Carpenter has told all her friends that they will be back in England for Christmas, but he has other plans. This story was broadcast on television in 1956 as part of the first season of <i>Alfred Hitchcock Presents</i>.</p><p><b>"A Christmas Tragedy" by Baroness Orczy</b> </p><p>This is the first piece of writing by Orczy that I have read. This short story tells how Lady Molly solves the mystery of murder of Major Ceely on Christmas Eve. She and her maid Mary were staying at Major Ceely's home, Clevere Hall, when the murder occurs. The introduction to the story by Thomas Godfrey indicates that there are a series of Lady Molly of Scotland Yard stories; the stories are told by Mary, her faithful maid. Twelve stories in the series were published in <i>Lady Molly of Scotland Yard</i> in 1910.</p><p><b>"Dancing Dan's Christmas" by Damon Runyon</b></p><p></p>This story was a lot of fun and had a great ending, but as usual when I am reading Damon Runyon's prose, I was confused by the street talk and many quirky characters. The story was originally published in <i>Collier's Magazine</i> in 1932.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNnsrZ20Cn_pRyxqB33Ed4hoQk2DilLUYIKEB_S7pm2t9-_kGCJqXwj_CFnAdEYs_J9Pp4qM0GPABhXI3VrZWhAU1GbwvqmsXa3xksjKISpcLqr5v6uQuKMaJBBMf5ojAC205sVTMOX8ayXUbIIVtWAVkK7iGOY14h6kwu7Ds5o2WUuiQQvjE_f1YMBcc/s667/fourtogoTWO.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="404" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNnsrZ20Cn_pRyxqB33Ed4hoQk2DilLUYIKEB_S7pm2t9-_kGCJqXwj_CFnAdEYs_J9Pp4qM0GPABhXI3VrZWhAU1GbwvqmsXa3xksjKISpcLqr5v6uQuKMaJBBMf5ojAC205sVTMOX8ayXUbIIVtWAVkK7iGOY14h6kwu7Ds5o2WUuiQQvjE_f1YMBcc/w194-h320/fourtogoTWO.jpg" width="194" /></a></div><b><br />"Christmas Party" by Rex Stout</b><p></p><p>I have read all of the mystery fiction by Rex Stout, multiple times, and this story was no exception. But it has been nine years since I read it last, and I have always enjoyed it. "Christmas Party" features Nero Wolfe and his assistant, Archie and is one of four stories in <i>And Four to Go</i> by Rex Stout. The story is 70 pages long, so it is really a novella.</p><p>The story starts with Archie refusing to accompany Wolfe to a meeting with a well-known horticulturalist because he already has plans to attend a Christmas party at a ex-client's business. I reviewed "Christmas Party" in 2014 in <b><a href="https://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2014/12/christmas-party-by-rex-stout.html" target="_blank">this blog post</a></b>. </p><p>If you are interested in a list of all the stories in <b><i>Murder for Christmas</i></b>, check out George Kelley's <b><a href="http://georgekelley.org/forgotten-books-148-murder-for-christmas-edited-by/" target="_blank">review at his blog</a></b>. </p><p><br /></p><p>I do have a bonus Christmas story, from the <i>Guardian</i>. My husband sent me a link to the story and I read it immediately. It was just the right length.</p><p><b>"Yankee Swap" by Jonathan Escoffery</b></p><p>This story is set during the Christmas season, on a snowy day in Boston. The main character, Nathan, occasionally drives his car for a rideshare company, and on this day he does it because he needs extra money to fund his airplane flight to South Florida to visit his family for Christmas. The person who called the car for a ride is his ex-fiancee’s husband. Nathan is curious about this man, the man he blames for blowing up his world nearly three years earlier. I loved the way the story is told, how more about each of the characters is revealed during the ride. A very nice story, and a good story to read any time of the year.</p><p>The link to this story <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/dec/23/yankee-swap-a-short-story-by-the-booker-nominated-author-jonathan-escoffery" target="_blank">is here</a></b>.</p><p><br /></p>TracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.com8