CBL reads and knits in 2024 Row 1

Hi! My name is Carrie, and I've lost count how many years I've been in this group. I know it's been more than a decade! I'm an academic librarian living in Seymour, TN with my 12-year-old fur baby, Adrian. Life has kept me from being as active as I would like to be on LT. I'm hoping to find a balance that works for me this year. My other interests include family history research, music (I play the piano for church), and knitting. I tend to watch Acorn or BritBox shows while I knit. I spend a lot of time outdoors when the weather is warmer, walking for exercise and helping to care for the flowers and shrubs at our subdivision's entrance.

My toppers usually feature my sweet Adrian. Here he is snuggled in the blankets on the sofa.

Best of 2023
Parallel Journeys by Eleanor Ayer with Helen Waterford & Alfons Heck (4.5) - Review
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (5) - Review
The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff (4.5) - Review
Hiroshima Diary by Michihiko Hachiya (4.5) - Review
The Third Man by Graham Greene (4.5) - Review
The Complete Poems, 1927-1979 by Elizabeth Bishop (4.5) - Review
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (4.5) - Review
Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi (4.5) - Review
Goodbye, Mr. Chips by James Hilton (5) - Review
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
The Dress Diary by Kate Strasdin (4.5)
The Iron Hand of Mars by Lindsey Davis (4.5)

Best of 2024

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, translated by H. T. Willetts (5) - Review
Right Ho, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse (4.5) - Review
Poseidon's Gold by Lindsey Davis (4.5) - Review
All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny (4.5) - Review
Jane Austen's England: Daily Life in the Georgian and Regency Periods by Roy Adkins & Lesley Adkins (4.5) - Review
Beyond the Body Farm by Bill Bass & Jon Jefferson (4.5) - Review
Woman, Captain, Rebel: The Extraordinary True Story of a Daring Icelandic Sea Captain by Margaret Willson (4.5) - Review

Books Read in January

1. Too Many Women by Rex Stout (3) - completed 1/3/24
2. So Shall You Reap by Donna Leon (3) - completed 1/6/24
3. Black Hearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken (4) - completed 1/6/24
4. The Girls Who Fought Crime by Mari K. Eder (3) - completed 1/14/24
5. The Golden Calf by Helene Tursten (4) - completed 1/23/24
6. 1812: War with America by Jon Latimer (3.5) - completed 1/24/24
7. The Poison Belt by Arthur Conan Doyle (2) - completed 1/26/24
8. Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain (4) - completed 1/28/24
9. The Dead Alive by Wilkie Collins (3.5) - completed 1/29/24
10. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, translated by H. T. Willetts (5) - completed 1/31/24

Books Read in February
11. Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall; illustrated by Hugo Martinez (4) - completed 2/3/24
12. Nina Balatka by Anthony Trollope (3.5) - completed 2/10/24
13. Right Ho, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse (4.5) - completed 2/11/24
14. Poseidon's Gold by Lindsey Davis (4.5) - completed 2/11/24
15. Illness as Metaphor by Susan Sontag (4) - completed 2/11/24
16. All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny (4.5) - completed 2/16/24
17. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume (4) - completed 2/20/24
18. The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kiernan (4) - completed 2/21/24
19. Caprice by Ronald Firbank (2.5) - completed 2/28/24
20. Ordeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie (3) - completed 2/29/24
21. Jane Austen's England by Roy Adkins & Lesley Adkins (4.5) - completed 2/29/24

Books Read in March
22. Maybe by Morris Gleitzman (4) - completed 3/2/24
23. Skellig by David Almond (4) - completed 3/5/24
24. Half a Crown by Jo Walton (4) - completed 3/5/24
25. Beyond the Body Farm by Bill Bass & Jon Jefferson (4.5) - completed 3/9/24
26. The Longmire Defense by Craig Johnson (3.5) - completed 3/15/24
27. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (3.5) - completed 3/17/24
28. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (2.5) - completed 3/23/24
29. Skirts: Fashioning Modern Femininity in the Twentieth Century by Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell (3.5) - completed 3/24/24
30. Deep Sea by Annika Thor (3.5) - completed 3/25/24
31. The Salt Path by Raynor Winn (4) - completed 3/26/24
32. Woman, Captain, Rebel by Margaret Willson (4.5) - completed 3/31/24

Books acquired in January

1. Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain (free ebook) - 1/14/24
2. Caprice by Ronald Firbank (free ebook) - 1/21/24
3. Nina Balatka by Anthony Trollope (free ebook) - 1/21/24
4. Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall, illustrated by Hugo Martinez (purchased) - 1/22/24
5. The Poison Belt by Arthur Conan Doyle (free eaudiobook) - 1/23/24
6. The Dead Alive by Wilkie Collins (free eaudiobook) - 1/25/24

Books acquired in February
7. Contemporary Worship Classics arranged by Mark Hayes (purchased) - 2/7/24
8. The Under Dog and Other Stories by Agatha Christie (library book sale) - 2/22/24
9. Venezia 1957-1986 (library book sale) - 2/22/24
10. Warwick Castle (library book sale) - 2/22/24

Books acquired in March
11. The Macdermots of Ballycloran by Anthony Trollope (free ebook)
12. La Vendee by Anthony Trollope (free ebook)
13. The Tiger in the Attic by Edith Milton (free ebook)

American Author Challenge

JANUARY
Mark Twain - Life on the Mississippi (4) - completed 1/28/24

FEBRUARY
Susan Sontag - Illness as Metaphor (4) - completed 2/11/24

MARCH
Truman Capote - In Cold Blood (3.5) - completed 3/17/24

British Author Challenge

JANUARY
Joan Aiken - Black Hearts in Battersea (4) - completed 1/6/24
Arthur Conan Doyle - The Poison Belt (2) - completed 1/26/24

FEBRUARY
Ronald Firbank - Caprice (2.5) - completed 2/28/24

MARCH - Welsh authors
Half a Crown by Jo Walton (4) - completed 3/5/24

Nonfiction Challenge

JANUARY - Prize winners off the beaten track
1812: War with America by Jon Latimer (3.5) - completed 1/24/24
Society for Military History's Distinguished Book Award

FEBRUARY - Women's work
The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kiernan (4) - completed 2/21/24

MARCH - Forensic sciences
Beyond the Body Farm by Bill Bass & Jon Jefferson (4.5) - completed 3/9/24

HistoryCAT

JANUARY - North & South American wars & conflicts
1812: War with America by Jon Latimer (3.5) - completed 1/24/24

FEBRUARY - Georgian/Regency Britain
Jane Austen's England: Daily Life in the Georgian and Regency Periods by Roy Adkins & Lesley Adkins (4.5) - completed 2/29/24

MARCH - Science & medicine
Beyond the Body Farm by Bill Bass & Jon Jefferson (4.5) - completed 3/9/24

PrizeCAT

JANUARY - Long-running prize
1812: War with America by Jon Latimer (3.5) - completed 1/24/24
Society for Military History's Distinguished Book Award

FEBRUARY - Prize from your own country
The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kiernan (4) - completed 2/21/24
Merze Tate - Elinor Ostrom Outstanding Book Award - American Political Science Association

MARCH - Prize new to me
Maybe by Morris Gleitzman (4) - completed 3/2/24
(KROC: Kid’s Reading Oz Choice Award)
Deep Sea by Annika Thor (3.5) - completed 3/25/24
(Nils Holgersson-plaketten)
The Salt Path by Raynor Winn (4) - completed 3/26/24
(RSL Christopher Bland Prize)

CalendarCAT

JANUARY
The Dead Alive by Wilkie Collins (3.5) - completed 1/29/24
Author has a January birthday (Jan 8, 1824)
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (5) - completed 1/31/24

FEBRUARY
Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall, illustrated by Hugo Martinez (4) - completed 2/3/24
Black History Month
Nina Balatka by Anthony Trollope (3.5) - completed 2/10/24
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume (4) - completed 2/20/24

MARCH
Skirts: Fashioning Modern Femininity in the Twentieth Century by Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell (3.5) - completed 3/24/24
Woman, Captain, Rebel: The Extraordinary True Story of a Daring Icelandic Sea Captain by Margaret Willson (4.5) - completed 3/31/24

Reading Projects: 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (5) - completed 1/31/24
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume (4) - completed 2/20/24
Skellig by David Almond (4) - completed 3/5/24
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (3.5) - completed 3/17/24
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (2.5) - completed 3/23/24

Reading Projects
Agatha Christie
Ordeal by Innocence (3) - completed 2/29/24

Jane Austen
Jane Austen's England: Daily Life in the Georgian and Regency Periods by Roy Adkins & Lesley Adkins (4.5) - completed 2/29/24

Rex Stout
Too Many Women (3) - completed 1/3/24

Group Reads

So Shall You Reap by Donna Leon (3) - completed 1/6/24
The Girls Who Fought Crime by Mari K. Eder (3) - completed 1/14/24
The Golden Calf by Helene Tursten (4) - completed 1/23/24
Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall, illustrated by Hugo Martinez (4) - completed 2/3/24
Nina Balatka by Anthony Trollope (3.5) - completed 2/10/24
Poseidon's Gold by Lindsey Davis (4.5) - completed 2/11/24
The Longmire Defense by Craig Johnson (3.5) - completed 3/15/24
Skirts: Fashioning Modern Femininity in the Twentieth Century by Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell (3.5) - completed 3/24/24
Woman, Captain, Rebel: The Extraordinary True Story of a Daring Icelandic Sea Captain by Margaret Willson (4.5) - completed 3/31/24

What I'm Watching

Great Canal Journeys with Timothy West and Prunella Scales, Season 4, episode 1 - Venice - 1/3/24
Vera Season 3, episode 1 - 1/4/23
Candice Renoir Season 2, episode 5 - 1/4/23
Great Canal Journeys with Timothy West and Prunella Scales, Season 4, episode 2 (Netherlands) and episode 3 (Leeds & Liverpool canal) - 1/4/23
New Tricks Season 7, episode 10 - 1/6/24

I always look forward to the end of year memes. Here's my 2023 meme, using titles of books I read during the year!

Describe yourself: The Confessor

Describe how you feel: All Passion Spent

Describe where you currently live: A Chateau under Siege

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Brick Lane

Your favorite form of transportation is: 4:50 from Paddington

Your favorite food is: What She Ate

Your favorite time of day is: Night Rounds

Your best friend is: Daughter of the Morning Star

You and your friends are: Wise Gals

What’s the weather like: The Coldest Case

You fear: Catching Fire

What is the best advice you have to give: Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History

Thought for the day: Thanks to My Mother

What is life for you: No Longer at Ease

How you would like to die: Not Quite Dead Enough

Your soul’s present condition: Meditations

What was 2023 like for you? The Ardent Swarm

What do you want from 2024? Great Short Books

Here's an alternate meme with a dinner party theme. I think I managed not to repeat any books used in the other meme.

What would you call the event? The Hunger Games

How did they find their way? The Mystery of a Hansom Cab

How did they know they'd arrived? The Knowledge of the Holy

Any special activities? The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown

Did your guests stay over? For Her Own Good

Were there servants to help? Women in White Coats

Was there turn down service? Where There’s a Will

How were the guests greeted? Deborah Calling

Was dinner held for later comers? Over My Dead Body

And dinner was? The Silver Pigs

Afterward? Grandma Gatewood’s Walk

Short Adrian story. A couple of weeks ago, I grabbed something from my closet just before heading out the door for work. When I came home for lunch, I found Adrian in the closet. I hadn't realized that he had followed me in earlier. I thought he was in another room eating his breakfast. He seemed to take it in his stride, and I'm thankful for that. I think it upset me more than it did him!

Happy new year, Carrie. I hope 2024 is a good year for you and Adrian.

>19 BLBera: Thanks, Beth! Happy new year to you too!

Welcome back, Carrie!

>21 drneutron: Thanks, Jim! Happy new year!

Happy reading in 2024, Carrie!

>18 cbl_tn: At least you were not away for the whole day, poor Adrian. Way better to be under the blankets on the sofa!

>23 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita! I am sure that Adrian prefers the sofa. Maybe he won't be so quick to follow me into the closet from now on!

Welcome back, Carrie. Happy New Year!!

Wishing you and Adrian a Happy New Year!
I did that once with my Boxer. I went into the garage and didn't hear her follow me. She was in there for maybe an hour while I searched the house and yard.

>25 lindapanzo: >26 mstrust: Happy new year to you both!

>26 mstrust: I am thankful that I found Adrian before I realized he was "missing". I'm not sure I would have thought to check the closet. I just happened to hear him moving around and wondered why I was hearing noises from the closet.

1. Too Many Women by Rex Stout

Nero Wolfe’s latest client is a Wall Street engineering firm where a rumor is circulating about the death of a former employee. The authorities are satisfied that the death was an accidental hit-and-run, yet a member of the firm insists the man was intentionally murdered. Archie goes undercover in the firm to find out if the rumor is true. It’s a perplexing case that almost stumps Wolfe, until a last-ditch effort flushes out the truth.

This book was less satisfying than most of the other series books I’ve read to date, mainly because so many elements of the murder were withheld until an information dump at the end of the book. Wolfe usually figures out what must have happened before the police or anyone else has a glimmer of understanding, and then he collects the evidence that proves it. In this case, Wolfe spent most of his time trying to persuade suspects/witnesses to tell him what they know, and he was less impressive than I’ve come to expect.

3 stars

Happy new year, Carrie.

Love the final meme answer - great short books work great right?

Star dropped. xx

What I'm Watching: Great Canal Journeys Season 4, Episode 1

This episode finds husband and wife actors Timothy West and Prunella Scales cruising the canals of Venice. This episode is the perfect companion to my current audiobook, So Shall You Reap, the most recent book in the long-running Commissario Brunetti series set in Venice. I'm enjoying this series, which is presently available in Prime Video for Amazon Prime members. Scandi crime fans won't want to miss season 3, episode 5 and the canal journey in Sweden where they meet up with the actor who played Wallender in the Swedish television series and go on a tour of Sandhamn with local author Viveca Sten.

>29 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! Happy new year! Great Short Books is the obvious answer, isn't it?!

Happy New Year Carrie. Poor Adrian, I suppose he just had a good nap.

Happy New Year and happy new thread, Carrie. Love the picture of cuddly Adrian. He looks like he'd have patience to wait for you to come back after he was shut in the closet.

>32 avatiakh: Happy New Year Kerry! I suspect you're right about the nap!

>33 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg! Adrian suffers from separation anxiety. I was worried for a second that he might have scratched up the inside of the door or the dry wall, but I didn't see any damage. He was on the floor with my laundry basket and a couple of pairs of shoes, so my scent may have been comforting to him.

Love your meme answers. I debated on a few of the ones you used for various things, but I had something else I preferred in most cases.

>35 thornton37814: I think you had more to choose from than I did!

What I'm Watching

Last night was a knitting night (I have a project I need to finish ASAP), so that meant TV instead of reading. While I was knitting, I watched:


Vera: The Complete Third Season episode 1


Candice Renoir season 2, episode 5


Great Canal Journeys Season4, episodes 2 (Netherlands) & 3 (Leeds & Liverpool canal)

I am loving Candice Renoir, but I can only watch it when I'm not trying to multitask since I have to read the subtitles. Thankfully, knitting doesn't interfere with reading the subtitles!

ETA: Vera is available on BritBox, Candice Renoir is available on Acorn, and Great Canal Journeys is available on Amazon Prime Video.

>36 cbl_tn: A few of those children's books did come in handy.

2. So Shall You Reap by Donna Leon

Venice’s Commissario Brunetti and his colleagues investigate the death of an undocumented Sri Lankan immigrant. The case is more personal than some for Brunetti because he had spoken with the victim just a day before his death. With very little information to go on, it would be easy to justify quickly moving on to other cases, but Brunetti doesn’t do that. He gives it his full attention.

Brunetti, his family, and his colleagues feel like old friends after 32 novels, and spending time with them is comfortable. I’m having a hard time identifying any other reason to recommend this book. The pace is so slow that my mind wandered to other things while I was listening to it, and I hadn’t missed any important details that made it necessary to rewind the audio to pay closer attention. I was mildly interested in the case’s connection to Italy’s Red Brigade kidnappings in the late 1970s and early 1980s since I recall those because of family members who were stationed in Italy at about that time. The subplot about officer Alvise is superfluous. It isn’t connected to the case Brunetti investigates in this book, but maybe Leon is setting up a plot for a future installment. If I had been this book’s editor, I would have cut large parts of that section.

3 stars

Happy new year, Carrie!

>40 bell7: Thanks, Mary! Happy new year to you, too!

3. Black Hearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken

Orphan Simon arrives in London looking for his friend, Dr. Field. Although he follows Dr. Field’s instructions to a boarding house near the Thames, Dr. Field appears to be unknown there. Simon finds the art school where Dr. Field arranged for him to study and bides his time while he watches for clues to his friend’s whereabouts. Simon is delighted to find his old friend and fellow orphan, Sophie, who is now the companion of the Duchess of Battersea. Simon, Sophie, and several new-found friends must band together to save the duke and duchess and the king from a Hanoverian plot.

What’s not to like about this fun adventure filled with villains, heroes, and mistaken identities? It’s a perfect way to spend a cozy afternoon and evening bundled up against the winter cold.

4 stars

What I'm Watching



New Tricks Season 7, episode 10
This rapidly became one of my favorite shows when I started watching it a few months ago. Thankfully, there are a lot of episodes to enjoy! The one I watched tonight was just long enough for me to finish my knitting project. :-)

What I'm Knitting



My office freezes in the winter, so I knitted myself some fingerless mittens to keep my hands warm while leaving my fingers free to type. This was my first attempt to knit in the round and it wasn't as difficult as I expected.

>42 cbl_tn: So pleased you liked that one, Carrie, because I have it lined up too this month.

>45 PaulCranswick: A shared read then! Great!

Trying to keep track of you this year, Carrie. I think I lost you entirely in 2023.

>47 laytonwoman3rd: No worries! I lost myself last summer. I got so far behind that I couldn't keep up.

What I'm Watching

Last night I watched:


Great Canal Journeys Season4, episode 4 (Bristol)


Darby and Joan Season 1, episode 1
This was a repeat for me. I really hope there is a season 2!


Black Snow Season 1, episode 1
This series was recently added to Acorn. I'm not sure yet what I think of it. The lead detective is kind of creepy and there are hints that he might have been involved in the cold case that he's investigating.

>44 cbl_tn: They look great!

>50 mstrust: Thanks! Now I'm trying to decide what my next project will be. Maybe a hat.

Hello, Carrie! I'm slowly working my way around the threads, and I have finally made it to yours. I hope the new year is treating you well so far.

>44 cbl_tn: Before I retired, the building where I worked had temperature issues, and there were many times where our section got very cold. One of my co-workers knitted a pair of fingerless mittens similar to that. It's very helpful when it's cold like that!

>52 atozgrl: Hi there! Happy new year! I got the mittens done just in time since the forecasters tell us we can expect very cold weather this week.

4. The Girls Who Fought Crime by Mari K. Eder

The Girls Who Fought Crime explores the history of women in the New York City police department largely through the life of one female officer, Mae Foley. This account presents Mae as a larger-than-life character who bent the world to her will. It seems that there were few people, men or women, who could say “no” to Mae when she had her mind set on something.

Mae’s voice and the voices of other women who served alongside her add value to 20th century women’s history. I can’t wholeheartedly recommend this work due to the liberties the author seems to have taken in the telling of Mae’s story. She adds colorful details that no one could possibly know unless Mae had kept a detailed diary or wrote about the conversation in a letter. For instance, the author quotes a conversation that Mae had with her husband John:

”Hmm.” John was reading the newspaper. “Says here there’s a Liberty Loan parade coming up on October 25. They have a real German U-boat in the parade. Now that ought to be a sight to see. You want to go, Mae? Take the girls?”

“John Henry Foley, are you listening to me? I’m talking about runaways.”

John tried again. “Okay, if you don’t want to go to the parade, the city is going to park the U-boat in Central Park. Right there in the Sheep Meadow. You can tour it if you buy war bonds. What do you think?” John looked up, made eye contact. It was a mistake.

“Right there in the Sheep Meadow? John, there are young girls out there right now, far from home and getting into trouble.” Mae stomped her foot for emphasis. As a parent, she knew how to talk to the excitable young girls who thought their trip to New York was all a big adventure. In the back of her mind in every encounter was the thought of her own two girls at home. “What would you do if Florence tried something like this?”

John got the message. He folded the newspaper and looked up.

What source does the author have for this conversation? How does she know that John read this article in the newspaper and that he had a conversation with Mae about it? How does she know that Mae “stomped her foot for emphasis?” How does she know when John looked up at Mae, and when he folded the newspaper? There are no sources referenced for this conversation, so I can only conclude that the author embellished the narrative. This type of technique is used in creative nonfiction, which is the genre that best fits this work. Perhaps creative nonfiction is the best the author could do given the dearth of records documenting the early years of the NYPD. This book gives readers a glimpse of what life might have been like for a woman police officer in the NYPD in the first half of the 20th century. However, it will frustrate readers who want to go beyond feelings to facts.

3 stars

What I'm Watching


Black Snow Season 1, episodes 2-6
I am happy to say that the series got better and the detective became less creepy. I'm confident that he'll never be among my favorite TV detectives. The storyline is compelling with lots of plot twists and turns. Acorn TV


Shetland Season 2, episodes 1-2 (Raven Black) and episodes 3-4 (Dead Water)
I love the atmosphere of Scotland's Shetland islands. I think the books are a bit better than the TV series, though. BritBox


Darby and Joan Season 1, episode 2
Still enjoying this road trip across Australia. Acorn TV.

>54 cbl_tn: I was slightly more generous in my point rating than you were (by a half-point). I agree with you about the conversation though. I think she really didn't have enough to work with and had to heavily rely on what family members told her and what she found in newspapers, etc. I also thought the title and cover are misleading. The book is about Mae, but other female detectives are only incidental to the plot. I expected something that was a bit broader than what we got. Tonight's discussion should be interesting.

>56 thornton37814: Yes it will. I plan to be there but I will be distracted. I'm waiting on them to make a call about closure for tomorrow. I'm concerned about the power going out and being stuck at home without heat. I'm as prepared as I can be. I have plenty of food, I've filled a couple of thermoses with hot water, I'm caught up on laundry, and I've got Adrian's medicines counted out for the week. My phone and iPad are fully charged and I have several external chargers that I'm charging just in case the power goes out. Now just waiting things out.

I decided I'd better put my Anker charger on to charge. I used it a bit the other day, so it wasn't up to 100%. It will be shortly. Phone and iPad will be charging soon. I'm caught up on laundry too.

>54 cbl_tn: I know I had that book in my hands last fall, when we were doing Ladies of Crime in the AAC...I can't find it here now, nor did I make any entry of a finish or DNF date in my catalog. I seem to remember I started it and didn't think it was worth finishing. I may have put it in the donation box without making a note of it. I HATE when that happens.

>57 cbl_tn:, >58 thornton37814: You two made me go see what weather is happening in Tennessee! I hope the storm doesn't wallop you, and especially doesn't leave you without power. Sounds like you're both well-prepared, though.

>58 thornton37814: >59 laytonwoman3rd: I have a dusting of snow on my deck. Praying hard that the power stays on. I have plenty of food and reading material.

>59 laytonwoman3rd: I wouldn't be surprised if it was a DNF for you. With no more raw material than the author had, it was more suited to fiction than nonfiction. In our book club discussion this evening, someone pointed out that it read like a book for a YA audience, and I think that's an accurate observation.

What I'm Watching



Monsieur Spade Season 1, episode 1
This caught my eye when I was looking for something to watch this evening. It's a miniseries about Dashiel Hammett's Sam Spade set in the early 1960s, with Spade semi-retired and living in the south of France. The scenery is gorgeous. The plot is intriguing enough for me to watch the next episode when it drops in another week. The dialogue doesn't feel quite right, though. I imagine that noir isn't easy to write without crossing the line into melodrama. I'm hoping it will improve as the series continues. Acorn TV.

I saw the trailer for that but couldn't watch because our cable box decided yesterday was it's last gasp. But I was wondering why France is suddenly the location for both Spade and Darryl Dixon, like maybe they're giving major financial breaks like Canada and Georgia.

>62 mstrust: That appears to be the case! France seems to be offering tax incentives to lure production companies to film in France. It appears to be working.

I hope your cable box is fixed soon!

What I'm Watching



Shetland Season 2, episodes 5 & 6 (Blue Lightning)

This episode set on Fair Isle provided a much-needed escape while I'm snowbound and getting a bit stir crazy.

>63 cbl_tn: That makes sense. I guess we can prepare to see a lot of France.

>65 mstrust: It's a good thing I like France!

What I'm Watching



New Tricks, Season 8, episode 1 "Old Fossils"
Not my favorite episode in the series, but I enjoy them all!

>65 mstrust: I realized last night after watching a Hallmark movie set in Malta that I've been seeing a lot of movies and TV shows set there in the last couple of years. I think they must also be offering subsidies to attract filmmakers.

What I'm Watching



Vera Season 3, episode 2 "Poster Child"

I really love the format of this show. The episodes are longer than many series - close to an hour and a half - but the story is contained in one episode. There's less temptation to sit and watch longer than I should like there is with a series with shorter episodes but a single story arc across the entire season.

>69 cbl_tn: I love that series too, and just got back into it after watching the first season some time ago.

>70 laytonwoman3rd: I held off on it, thinking I would read some of the books before watching the series, but I never got around to the books. Brenda Blethyn is such a good actress, and she carries the show seemingly effortlessly. It's not cozy like Murder, She Wrote, but I love that both of those shows lasted so long and featured women with brains.

What I'm Watching



Monsieur Spade Season 1, episode 2
I'm still undecided about this one. All of the other characters are more interesting than Sam Spade. I'm not sure I care what happens to him, but I care about some of the other characters, so I'll watch the next episode when it drops next Sunday.

5. The Golden Calf by Helene Tursten

Irene Huss and her colleagues in Göteborg’s murder investigation unit must unravel the complex circumstances surrounding related murders. The murder victims are all connected by business and/or family ties to an internet company that crashed when the dot com bubble burst, enriching its founders at the expense of its investors. One survivor knows more than she is telling, and Irene and her partner search for a way to persuade her to talk. Meanwhile, Irene is distressed by some personal news shared by her partner and best friend, Tommy.

In some ways, this is the best book in the series so far. Irene’s domestic life didn’t distract from the murder investigation. Her husband, twin daughters, and dog made limited appearances in this book. The audio reader does a nice job with the narration and dialogue. I wish my library had more of this series available in audio format. There were some enjoyable scenes in a hospital near the end of the book. My other favorite in the series had a hospital setting, so perhaps the medical scene is a familiar one for the author. The ending is spoiled when the tension peaks to early and the investigation concludes with a long briefing (i.e. information dump) from an FBI officer.

4 stars

6. 1812: War with America by Jon Latimer

The back cover describes this book as “the first complete history of the War of 1812 written from a British perspective.” The treatment seems balanced rather than weighted toward the British involvement. Latimer challenges the perception of the War of 1812 as a draw, claiming instead a British victory because the United States achieved none of its stated aims. Perhaps in time the perception will shift, but Latimer is pushing against centuries of entrenched attitudes toward the war and its outcome.

3.5 stars

>74 cbl_tn: I'm making a note of that one. The War of 1812 gets very little play, I feel, and I don't really know much about it at all.

>75 laytonwoman3rd: Hi Linda! Just a word of warning. It's published by an academic press and the writing is very dry. I'm glad I read it now, because I think it will give me a good background for a book I'll be reading next month to fill a couple of challenges - Mrs. Adams in Winter.

What I'm Watching


Escape to the Country on BritBox
I love this show! I watched a couple of episodes this evening. In the first episode a couple was house hunting in Buckinghamshire, and in the second they were house hunting in Cornwall. Beautiful!

7. The Poison Belt by Arthur Conan Doyle

Professor Challenger gathers his companions from The Lost World and their oxygen supply at his home to await together Earth’s passage through a belt of ether that seems destined to poison most of the Earth’s inhabitants. From a window in the professor’s home, the group observes the ether’s effects. Will they survive, and if they do, what will post-apocalyptic life be like?

This novella hasn’t aged well. It seems obvious where the plot is headed because journalist Malone is writing in the first person, and it’s reasonable to assume that he is writing for readers outside of this small group. If this book passes the Bechdel test, it’s with a D minus, and the racial epithets would not be tolerated from a current author as they were in Doyle’s day.

One passage struck a chord with me:
You are to picture the loveliness of nature upon that August day, the freshness of the morning air, the golden glare of the summer sunshine, the cloudless sky, the luxuriant green of the Sussex woods, and the deep purple of heather-clad downs. As you looked round upon the many-coloured beauty of the scene all thought of a vast catastrophe would have passed from your mind had it not been for one sinister sign—the solemn, all-embracing silence. There is a gentle hum of life which pervades a closely-settled country, so deep and constant that one ceases to observe it, as the dweller by the sea loses all sense of the constant murmur of the waves. The twitter of birds, the buzz of insects, the far-off echo of voices, the lowing of cattle, the distant barking of dogs, roar of trains, and rattle of carts—all these form one low, unremitting note, striking unheeded upon the ear. We missed it now. This deadly silence was appalling. So solemn was it, so impressive, that the buzz and rattle of our motor-car seemed an unwarrantable intrusion, an indecent disregard of this reverent stillness which lay like a pall over and round the ruins of humanity. It was this grim hush, and the tall clouds of smoke which rose here and there over the country-side from smoldering buildings, which cast a chill into our hearts as we gazed round at the glorious panorama of the Weald.

This passage brought back memories of the days following September 11, 2001, when the skies were empty of planes and helicopters. I live and work close enough to several airports that the sound of planes and helicopters is background noise, “striking unheeded upon the ear.” The silence is one of my strongest memories from a day I’ll never forget.

2 stars

Trying to see if I can post on someone else's thread. It's not letting me post to my needlework thread.

>79 thornton37814: Well, that's odd! I wonder why?!

>80 cbl_tn: It seemed to be something with the Flickr embed code. It let me post when I moved the photo to my LT gallery. I don't know why because pretty much all the photos I've posted this year have used the Flickr embed code--and they were still showing.

>81 thornton37814: Something similar happened to me a while back, but I've forgotten the details. It's odd.

Hello, Carrie! We love Vera and have added New Tricks to our queue and are making our way through it thanks to you. I also added Monsieur Spade to the queue, but I have not checked that one out yet.

>77 cbl_tn: This looks interesting!

Your Adrian topper made me smile - what a sweet photo. Hoping that both of you are doing well and that Monday is kind to you.

>83 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie! Hope you are well! I'm so glad that you're enjoying New Tricks. One of my favorite episodes is in the first season, I think, when Brian's wife is bedridden for a few days. I feel so sorry for her!

Escape to the Country is a lot like HGTV's House Hunters, except the prospective buyers usually don't buy any of the three houses they're shown. Also, there are at least a half dozen different presenters, so you might want to watch several episodes before you make up your mind about continuing.

It has been a Monday. I walked Adrian right before I went back to work after lunch. I kept thinking something smelled bad after lunch, and finally noticed that I had stepped in dog poop (probably Adrian's) and still had a generous amount on my left shoe. Fortunately I keep disinfecting wipes near my desk.

What I'm Watching


Escape to the Country on BritBox
This weekend I watched a couple more 2022 episodes, one in North Yorkshire and one in Powys.

8. Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain

Before he became a famous author, Twain spent some years as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi. Twain recalls his early experiences in this memoir, with particular focus on his apprenticeship. About a third of the way through the book, Twain transitions to an account of his return to the Mississippi after an absence of several decades. Twain and his companions board a steamboat at St. Louis for a journey to New Orleans, then make the return journey from New Orleans all the way to the Twin Cities. Each landmark on the journey inspires a memory of his own experience or a story he’s heard from another. This part of the book gives the impression of vignettes that Twain has assembled for the reader’s entertainment. Twain actually got two books out of his 1882 steamboat trip. He was already working on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn when he wrote Life on the Mississippi, and he includes in it an excerpt from his work in progress. Twain’s 1882 journey was time and money well spent if it revived long-forgotten memories of river life and helped Twain hone his descriptions of the river in Huckleberry Finn.

4 stars

9. The Dead Alive by Wilkie Collins

London lawyer Philip Lefrank, under his doctor’s advice, sets sail for America to recuperate from overwork on a relative’s farm. His visit is not as restful as he hoped. He finds tension in the household, with his host’s sons and his farm manager pitted against each other and his host’s pretty niece sparking jealousy among the men. The farm manager disappears after an argument with one of the Meadowcroft brothers, and the discovery of a human bone and some personal effects in the lime-kiln lead to a charge of murder. Against all hope, Lefrank agrees to make one grand attempt to clear the accused man of murder.

Collins based this novella on a real case of wrongful conviction from the Early Republic era. Wilkie’s title is spoiler-y, as this is exactly what happens in the book – the “dead” man turns out to be alive.

3.5 stars

10. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, translated by H. T. Willetts

What was life like for political prisoners in Stalin era Soviet labor camps? You could read a memoir and let a former prisoner tell you. Or you could read One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and let Solzhenitsyn show you. Readers follow Ivan Denisovich Shukov through a typical day sometime in January from morning to evening roll call. Shukhov and his fellow prisoners exist in the bottom tier of Maslow’s hierarchy, and it’s painful to experience even vicariously.

I’d like to think that the Soviet labor camps are a thing of the past and that what’s depicted in this book would not be possible in the 21st century. I’d like to think that, but human nature hasn’t really changed in the seventy-some years since Stalin’s death.

5 stars

January Recap

Books owned: 1
Books borrowed: 1
Ebooks owned: 1
Ebooks borrowed: 3
eAudiobooks owned: 2
eAudiobooks borrowed: 2

Best of the month: One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, translated by H. T. Willetts (5)
Worst of the month: The Poison Belt by Arthur Conan Doyle (2)

11. Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall, illustrated by Hugo Martinez

The graphic novel format is an unusual choice for a memoir of a historian’s research into the history of slavery and women-led slave revolts, but it works. The clear text and the black and white illustrations combine to impress on the reader the enormity of the historian’s task, the frustration arising from incomplete or missing historical records, and the anger and shame at running up against barriers to access to primary sources that might contain answers to the historian’s questions. The illustrations give form and face to enslaved persons whose names have mostly been lost to history but whose resistance to enslavement lives on in history for those who make an effort to see it.

This book would be useful for college students as an introduction to historical research. Hall describes her research question, the libraries and archival repositories she visited, the record groups she searched, and the other repositories and records the trail led her to.

4 stars

>90 cbl_tn: I just finished that one yesterday, Carrie - and thank you for putting it on this month's TIOLI challenges and thus on my radar. I enjoyed it quite a bit even if the art style was not my cuppa.

>91 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! I'm glad you enjoyed it! The art is different but there are aspects that I like. It certainly caught my attention!

I'm in a Zoom book club that reads mainly nonfiction women's and/or social history. This is our February book. I'm looking forward to the discussion next week.

What I'm Watching


Escape to the Country on BritBox

In the episode I watched this evening, a couple are house hunting in Devon. They got to see an extra house in this episode. I would have been happy living in three of the four houses they were shown. One of the houses had very low ceilings, and even though I'm short, I would find it too claustrophobic.

12. Nina Balatka by Anthony Trollope

In a departure from his typical English or Irish heroine, Trollope presents readers with Nina Balatka, a poor Czech Catholic woman who cares for her elderly widowed father whose business failures have left them living in a house they no longer own and on the brink of starvation. The house is owned by Josef Balatka’s Jewish business partner, Stephen Trendellsohn, whose son Anton has somehow become engaged to Josef’s daughter, Nina. The prospect of an interfaith marriage displeases both families, with Nina’s mother’s relatives, the Zamenoys, determined to prevent the marriage. For the Zamenoys, the end justifies the means, and if lying and cheating will accomplish their goal, they have no scruples about it. The deed to the house occupied by Nina and her father becomes a weapon for both sides, with the Zamenoys using it to try to separate the engaged couple and Anton Trendellsohn using it to force Nina to prove her loyalty to him.

Trollope never explains how the engagement happened. Nina’s part is more understandable. When her own relatives and the church fail to provide either physical or emotional support, it’s no wonder that Nina would respond to love and kindness from someone of another faith. Anton’s motives are more puzzling given the character that Trollope develops for him.

Trollope’s description of the Jewish characters’ physical and personal characteristics reflects the antisemitism of his era. Despite this, Trollope describes synagogue worship practice in a respectful way, and his Jewish characters are better exemplars of a Christian ethic of behavior than are his Christian characters.

3.5 stars

13. Right Ho, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse

Once again Jeeves, butler to Bertram Wooster, proves himself to be a paragon of domestic service. Not only must Jeeves keep Bertie’s household in order, he must also bring order out of the chaos that Bertie stirs up among his friends and relations. Jeeves’s matchmaking ability is put to the test at a house party given by Bertie’s Aunt Dahlia at Brinkley Court. Bertie’s friend Gussie Fink-Nottle has fallen hopelessly in love with Madeline Bassett but can’t find the courage to talk to her. A rift has developed between Bertie’s cousin Angela and her fiancé, Tuppy Glossop. Further complicating matters, Aunt Dahlia is in dire financial straits and the household’s French chef is ready to hand in his notice. Jeeves has his work cut out for him! The audio version read by Jonathan Cecil is delightful and adds to the novel’s humor.

4.5 stars

14. Poseidon's Gold by Lindsey Davis

Roman informer Marcus Didius Falco’s latest investigation keeps him close to home since it revolves around secrets that his soldier brother, Festus, might have been hiding on his last visit to Rome before his death. Falco teams up with is estranged father, Geminus, to search for the truth. Helena Justina once again provides loyal support. Davis gives a new twist to the wise-cracking private eye novel by setting the series in ancient Rome, and by the fifth book in the series I think she’s found a balance that will appeal to fans of either mystery subgenre.

4.5 stars

15. Illness as Metaphor by Susan Sontag

In what originated as a lecture series, Sontag reflects on the harmful metaphorical use of poorly-understood illnesses, tuberculosis and cancer, in literature, psychoanalytic discourse, and political rhetoric. Sontag cites example after example from works of literature, psychoanalysts/psychologists and political theorists to support her argument. Five decades later, cancer is in many ways as much a mystery as it was when Sontag wrote these essays, so their content is still timely.

4 stars

16. All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny

The Gamache family has gathered in Paris in eager anticipation of the birth of Jean-Guy and Annie’s daughter. A few months earlier, Jean-Guy Beauvoir left his position as head of homicide in Montreal for a job in a private firm in Paris. His father-in-law, Armand Gamache, resumed his former position as head of homicide. A family vacation turns into a busman’s holiday for Gamache when his 93-year-old godfather, Stephen Horowitz, is run down and left for dead on a Paris street. Gamache must figure out the real reason that Stephen came to Paris to keep the rest of his family alive.

I should have saved this one for a weekend and lots of uninterrupted reading time. It was hard to put down, maybe because it’s more thriller than police procedural. Gamache is out of his jurisdiction, and his investigative team includes of his librarian wife Reine-Marie, his banker son Daniel, his lawyer daughter Annie. At least his son-in-law, Jean-Guy, has professional experience. The story touches on a lot of themes I love to read about – libraries and archives, art, the Holocaust, and a treasure hunt-like quest. Fellow Reine-Marie fans will be happy that she’s so prominent in this book. I also love that we finally get to know Daniel, who is often mentioned but seldom seen in other books.

4.5 stars

>95 cbl_tn: That's such a good one! Horrible Tuppy Glossop is one of my favorite Wodehouse characters.

>99 mstrust: I'm feeling like it's time to rewatch the TV series. I think I have the whole thing on DVD.

>95 cbl_tn: Wodehouse and Jeeves are still a lot of fun a century on from when they were written, aren't they?

>100 cbl_tn: I remember enjoying that one too - with Hugh Laurie as I recall and Stephen Fry.

Have a great weekend, Carrie.

>101 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! Yes, Wodehouse still feels fresh all these years later. It's really about relationships, isn't it, and people really haven't changed all that much.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

>102 cbl_tn: Yeah he is so on point in his observation of human nature. I read his debut novel Something Fresh recently and it was just that.

>103 PaulCranswick: I really liked that one, too! I love Wodehouse in audio. There's so much dialogue in his novels and the audio format really brings it to life.

>104 cbl_tn: That is funny because I discussed Wodehouse with my son Kyran (who loves audio books) and he said exactly the same thing you did.

>105 PaulCranswick: I am in good company then!

Okay, I wasn't going to mention it, but since there are fans of the Laurie & Fry series here, I'm going to sing Fink-Nottle's song: "How do you feel when you marry your ideal? Ever so goosey-goosey-goosey!"

>107 mstrust: Thank you for the song! I love having a musical thread! Come for the book talk, stay for the musical entertainment. :-)

What I'm Knitting



Last night I finished knitting a hat for my brother for his birthday next weekend. It matches the scarf I knitted for him for Christmas.

What I'm Watching



Father Brown Season 11, episodes 1-3 (BritBox)
While I was finishing my brother's hat last night, I watched several episodes of Father Brown, including a crossover episode with Sister Boniface. It was a prequel to the Sister Boniface series, since Father Brown is set in the 1950s and Sister Boniface is set in the 1960s.



The Madame Blanc Mysteries series 3, episode 2 (Acorn)
My new TV arrived today so of course I needed to test the picture quality with a favorite episode set in the south of France! (Although I believe the series is filmed in Malta.)



Escape to the Country series 23, episode 8, Somerset (BritBox)
Still testing the picture quality with another favorite show filled with gorgeous scenery.

17. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

11-year-old Margaret’s family has just bought a house and moved from a New York City apartment to suburban New Jersey. Only child Margaret must make new friends and start a new school for sixth grade. The year is filled with even more transitions, as Margaret and her friends and classmates break in a first-year teacher and deal with the onset of puberty. Unlike most of the other children in her class, Margaret has no religious faith, and she’s beginning to be curious about religion. Without any religious instruction, Margaret develops a prayer life and talks to God about all the changes she’s experiencing.

I didn’t read this book as a tween since it was considered controversial then. Perhaps it still is. I’m not sure why. Margaret’s experiences over the course of her sixth-grade year are typical for anyone who went through middle school in the 1970s. Margaret develops good interpersonal skills as she learns that gossip isn’t always true, and as she learns to admit and apologize for her mistakes. If you enjoy audiobooks, don’t miss the audio version narrated by Laura Hamilton.

4 stars

18. The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kiernan

Kiernan explores the role women played in World War II’s Manhattan Project Oak Ridge, Tennessee location. The plant and the town of Oak Ridge sprang up nearly overnight as the project went into high gear. Women were involved in every aspect of its operations, including secretarial work, human resources, statistics, chemical analysis, equipment monitoring, janitorial work, nursing, and journalism. There is some selection bias since the women profiled were still living at the time Kiernan began work on this book. Many of the women still live in Oak Ridge or its vicinity, but some of the women had moved on to other locations.

Since I’m a Knoxville native, this is local history for me. Oak Ridge has not been a secret in my lifetime. I’ve always been able to go there, either with my family or on school field trips to the children’s museum or the Museum of Science and Energy. I’ve always been curious about its secret history, and this book didn’t disappoint!

One minor quibble. Kiernan includes the story of Ebb Cade, an African American construction worker who was subjected to medical experimentation without his consent. Cade wasn’t one of the “girls” of Atomic City, nor were the doctors who experimented on him, so he doesn’t belong in this book. He deserves his own book, but it seems that it hasn’t yet been written.

4 stars

>111 cbl_tn: That's funny, I just finished reading this book. It was this month's book for my Challenged Books Club. In discussion, we decided that Margaret's search for a religion and possibly the depiction of her Christian grandparents were what most folks objected to. According to Wikipedia, it was still on ALA's list of most challenged books through the first decade of this century, though it dropped off the last list.

>112 cbl_tn: I was going to check this one out from my library, but when I was finally able to get to it last week, all four copies were checked out, so I'll have to look for it later. We visited Oak Ridge last summer on our vacation. My dad was at Los Alamos during the war, so I have a personal interest in the Manhattan Project.

>113 atozgrl: I would say that religion is actually the main theme of the book, and I was surprised by that. I had never heard anyone mention it in connection with this book.

You definitely need to read The Girls of Atomic City with your family connection! Los Alamos comes up in the book, even though it's not the main focus. Maybe you would enjoy Dissonance. It's a novel, and Los Alamos plays a part in it.

>114 cbl_tn: I know--I wasn't expecting religion to play such a big part in the book.

Dissonance looks interesting! I'll have to see if I can find it.

19. Caprice by Ronald Firbank

This novella is set in the London theatre world of the early 20th century. Sarah Sinquier feels constricted in the cathedral town where her father is a canon. She longs for the London stage, and she runs away to fulfill her true calling as an actress. Sarah quickly falls in with a theatre crowd. Most of the novel builds toward the opening night of a production of Romeo and Juliet. Young Sarah learns how quickly triumph can turn to tragedy.

Apparently, Firbank’s novels are characterized by a heavy emphasis on dialogue. I’ve always appreciated this quality in Agatha Christie’s novels. Sadly, Firbank is no Christie. A century later, most readers will not have enough context to easily make sense of the dialogue. However, I’m not sure readers of a century ago would have had enough context either, unless they moved in the same social circle as Firbank. Maybe that was the point.

2.5 stars

20. Ordeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie

The nature versus nurture debate is at the heart of this standalone psychological mystery. Jacko Argyle died in prison after he was convicted of murdering his mother by hitting her over the head with a poker. A couple of years after the trial, a new witness appears with exculpatory evidence that proves Jacko was not in the house when his mother was murdered. But if Jacko was innocent, then someone else must be guilty. The rest of the family and the household employees will live under a cloud of suspicion until the real murderer is discovered. The witness, Dr. Calgary, feels responsible for stirring up the cloud of suspicion, and he believes he has a moral obligation to solve the crime and free the innocent from suspicion.

This novel is very similar to many of Poirot’s cases, and I think it would have worked better as a Poirot mystery. It suffers from lack of an easily identifiable protagonist/detective. Sometimes Arthur Calgary works on the puzzle. Sometimes the local police superintendent works on it. Sometimes Philip Durant, the murder victim’s disabled son-in-law, fancies he can solve the mystery. Christie excelled at revealing character through conversation, and her dialogue carries her best novels. This novel focuses more on what various characters are thinking to themselves, and there isn’t a lot of dialogue. I think that’s why the pace seems to drag.

3 stars

21. Jane Austen's England: Daily Life in the Georgian and Regency Periods by Roy Adkins & Lesley Adkins

Husband and wife authors and historians Roy and Lesley Adkins provide readers with insight into daily life as Jane Austen (1775-1817) would have experienced it. Each chapter looks at various aspects of life, from marriage and family life to home comforts, clothing and fashion, religious life, occupations, leisure and recreation, travel, crime and punishment, medicine, and death. Excerpts from letters, diaries and journals, and other writings of the period provide plenty of examples for readers. Besides examples drawn from Austen’s writings and writings of her family members, the Adkins also incorporate examples from the diaries of Somerset vicar William Holland, the diaries of Norfolk Parson James Woodforde, and the letters and diaries of north country governess Nelly Weeton. The volume of information makes for dense reading, but it’s never dull.

4.5 stars

February Recap

Books owned: 2
Books borrowed: 3
Ebooks owned: 2
eAudiobooks borrowed: 4

Best of the month: All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny (4.5)
Worst of the month: Caprice by Ronald Firbank (2.5)

22. Maybe by Morris Gleitzman

The war is over, and 14-year-old Felix, Gabriek, and 16-year-old Anya are on their way back to Gabriek’s farm to make a new home. Things don’t work out as planned, though, and soon Felix is making plans for a new home in Australia. Maybe things will be better there. Felix must keep looking over his shoulder for the murderous gangster, Zliv, who blames Felix for his brother’s death and is determined to make him pay.

I’ve grown to love Felix over the first six books in this series. He is a survivor, but not in a selfish way. Felix has a gift for friendship, and he surrounds himself with others who need his help who can also help him. This book is a reminder that, for many, suffering and hardship didn’t end with the defeat of the Nazis. Felix and his friends are better off than when they started, but they still have more challenges ahead of them. I look forward to reading the final book in the series to see what a new life in Australia has in store for Felix.

4 stars

>120 cbl_tn: I agree with you, Carrie. Felix is a great character and a lovable one too.

>121 PaulCranswick: Another Felix fan! :-)

>122 cbl_tn: Indeed I walloped the first three books and I have the next two on the shelves good to go.

>122 cbl_tn: Yes indeed. I walloped the first four books in the series and have the next two on the shelves good to go.

>124 PaulCranswick: You are short one book then. There is a seventh, and it's the only one I have left to read. I already have a copy. I just have to decide whether I want to read it right away to find out how Felix's story resolves, or save it so I can enjoy the anticipation of having one more Felix adventure waiting for me.

Adrian and I had fun at Mardi Growl on Saturday. It was held at the World's Fair Park in downtown Knoxville. It stopped raining before the event started, but it was still pretty muddy. I took Adrian's stroller so I could keep him from getting his paws too dirty.

23. Skellig by David Almond

Ten-year-old Michael faces more than a child his age should bear, with his family’s move to a house in poor repair and his prematurely born sister’s fight for life. As Michael explores the garage, he encounters a strange creature who changes his life. Is he a man, some sort of beast, or maybe even an angel? Soon Michael’s new friend and neighbor, Mina, shares in the secret.

This is an unexpectedly touching story. Michael’s intense worry for his baby sister manifests in acts of kindness toward the creature in the garage. Old soul Mina is a source of comfort for Michael and understands him in a way that only another child can. The author’s audio narration captures the innocence and awe of these children. My only reservation about this story is the occasional cursing. It would have been out of place in the home I grew up in and among my elementary school classmates.

4 stars

24. Half a Crown by Jo Walton

In an alternate Great Britain in 1960 where the nation made peace with Germany in 1941 and Hitler is still living, the nation is preparing to host a peace conference with representatives from Germany and Japan. 18-year-old debutante Elvira Royston is preparing to be presented to the Queen, and her guardian, Peter Carmichael, has his hands full preparing for the peace conference as head of the Watch. Elvira and her friend Betsy accept an invitation to a fascist rally at Marble Arch. Everything starts to go wrong when a riot breaks out at the Rally and Elvira is swept up in the aftermath. Does Carmichael have enough political capital to protect her without exposing his clandestine activities?

This was a page-turner as tension built around Elvira and Carmichael. The resolution was a little too quick and easy and it left some threads hanging. I wish I could say that the alternate world that Walton created in this trilogy would never really exist, but in the current state of the world, it’s all too easy to imagine such a repressive social structure developing.

4 stars

>126 cbl_tn: Looks like you had fun, and maybe Adrian got some kisses!

>129 mstrust: It wasn't as much fun as the other dog events I've been to with Adrian. It was too big and the live music was too much. It didn't bother Adrian because he's deaf, but I think it stressed out some of the other dogs.

>126 cbl_tn: Lovely picture of you and Adrian, Carrie!
Strollers are very useful in muddy environments. Does Adrian like to be in his stroller?

>131 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita! Adrian enjoys his stroller most of the time. Sometimes the stimulation of his surroundings is too much, though, and he wants to be on the ground where he can smell all the wonderful smells and greet the other dogs.

25. Beyond the Body Farm by Bill Bass & Jon Jefferson

Legendary forensic anthropologist and “Body Farm” founder Dr. William Bass describes several of the cases that he’s worked on in his decades-long career. The cases highlight different aspects of forensic anthropology and the methods available to criminal investigators for identifying unknown corpses and determining cause of death. Bass is wearing his educator hat as he writes, and lay readers will come away with a basic understanding of forensic anthropology, its history, and related fields such as forensic dentistry and forensic entomology. Although Dr. Bass retired more than 30 years ago, he has continued to consult with criminal investigators. One interesting thing that this book illustrates is just how influential Dr. Bass has been in this field. Many of the professionals whose groundbreaking discoveries continue to advance the practice of forensic anthropology studied under Dr. Bass or under one of his former students.

4.5 stars

That looks very interesting and unsettling. I believe I've seen a tv segment on Bass.

>134 mstrust: It had a particular interest for me since he is local. He retired from full time teaching at the University of Tennessee the same year I graduated with my master's in library science, and he was the graduation speaker that year. I remember several of the cases in the book from local news coverage.

26. The Longmire Defense by Craig Johnson

Absaroka County Sheriff Walt Longmire opens a can of worms when he finds an old rifle hidden on his family’s elk camp. He remembers his father’s story about an accidental shooting that resulted in the death of one of Walt’s grandfather’s hunting companions. Walt, who never got along with his grandfather, wonders if his grandfather might have been a murderer. Walt’s questions catch the attention of people in high places, for whom it seems the past isn’t really dead. Meanwhile, Walt’s relationship with his undersheriff, Vic, takes a new turn.

I liked a lot of the elements of the story – a historical mystery where family history is important, well-read characters who think it’s natural to talk about books, dogs as supporting characters. However, the plot is so convoluted that it’s hard to keep track of all the important elements. I liked that Vic is absent through a lot of the book since I prefer her in small doses due to her foul mouth. If Johnson intended for his readers to be surprised that Vic had moved into Walt’s cabin, he shouldn’t have been so heavy-handed about Walt avoiding going home. Every time Walt wondered to himself where Vic had gone, I’d tell him “She’s at your house,” but he didn’t listen.

3.5 stars

What I'm Watching


Death in Paradise Season 13 (BritBox) - I'm all caught up.


Monseiur Spade (Acorn) - I finished this. It was OK, but not a series that I will rewatch.


Murder Is Easy (BritBox) - I really liked this adaptation of one of Agatha Christie's standalones. David Jonsson is great as the central character, Luke Fitzwilliam.


Father Brown (BritBox) - I'm really enjoying season 11, and I'm all caught up.


The Madame Blanc Mysteries (Acorn) - I've been watching this one with a friend, and we're one episode behind.


Britain's Secret Treasures (BritBox) - This documentary caught my eye. The presenters count down the top 50 treasures discovered by regular people. It reminded me of a news story from when I lived in St. Albans about 35 years ago, when a local resident dug up a Roman coffin in their garden.


Escape to the Country (BritBox) - This is one of my go-to shows when I want to chill in front of the TV, or to stream while I'm cooking.


Britain by the Book (Acorn) - This showed up in the new episode list a couple of days ago. Actors Martin Clunes and Mel Giedroyc travel around Dorset exploring the county's literary history.


New Tricks (BritBox) - I'm partway through season 8 and still loving this show about retired police officers investigating cold cases. It's a blend of comedy and drama.

27. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

This is the book that seems to set the standard for the true crime genre, so perhaps my expectation was too high. The book’s construction is like many novels, with frequent shifts of scene to follow different characters and their narrative journey. Capote tells the story of the murder of four members of a Kansas family by alternately following the family’s last day, the journey of the murderers toward their crime, their travels following the murders, the investigation, the trial, and the time on death row awaiting the execution date. Capote seems particularly sympathetic toward one of the murderers, Perry Smith, to the point that it ought to raise questions about his objectivity. There are no footnotes or endnotes for readers to verify the facts of the case.

3.5

"Capote seems particularly sympathetic toward one of the murderers, Perry Smith, to the point that it ought to raise questions about his objectivity." It most definitely has raised those questions, Carrie. Some have suggested it was more than sympathy...that it was something of a romantic obsession.

>139 laytonwoman3rd: I guess I'm in good company, then! I've been aware of this book for as long as I can remember, but only in general terms. If I've seen anything controversial about the book in the past, it didn't stick in my memory. It wouldn't take much to persuade me that Capote had a romantic obsession with Smith.

If FamilySearch's Relative Finder is to be believed, Nancy and Kenyon Clutter were something like my 9th cousins once removed and Bonnie was my 8th cousin twice removed. Our supposed common ancestors died about 300 years ago. They would also be distantly related to author Rex Stout.

>140 cbl_tn: I think with that degree of cousin-ship almost everybody is related!

>141 laytonwoman3rd: Yes, although there are an awful lot of genealogists I'm not related to, or at least, not on lines that I can prove! The Stouts are better documented than a lot of my lines, largely thanks to several generations of membership in the Quaker church, at least one branch affiliated with the Latter-Day Saints, and the legends about Penelope Stout. I don't have many ancestors that have their own Wikipedia article.

I'm going to see if I have access to "Britain By the Book", that looks great!

>136 cbl_tn: You're obviously quite far along in the Longmire series. I think I own the first book and have been meaning to try it.

I'm feeling like I'm all caught up in a lot of long-running series and need to add some new ones.

>143 mstrust: I really enjoyed it, and I'm listening to my current audiobook because the book and its author were featured in the program. Martin and Mel met up with Raynor Winn, who read excerpts from her bestselling memoir The Salt Path. It was so lovely that I immediately logged on to my public library's Overdrive and downloaded the audiobook version that she narrated.

>144 lindapanzo: Yes, I think I'm all caught up with the Walt Longmire books until the next one is released. This was book 19, I think, but only about 4 1/2 years have elapsed in the book's world. I wonder if Johnson is regretting making Walt and his best buddy, Henry, Vietnam veterans.

28. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

While in Paris for a conference, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon gets caught up into a murder investigation with symbolic meaning. The Louvre’s director has died, leaving behind cryptic clues about the motive for his murder. The victim intends for Langdon to solve the clues, but instead they implicate him. It’s doubly imperative for Langdon to unravel the mystery in order to prove his innocence.

This book created a sensation upon its publication a couple of decades ago because the plot weaves in unorthodox theories of Christianity. The controversy probably generated more readers than it deserved on its merits as a thriller. I didn’t have any trouble deciphering most of the puzzles, so it seemed like I was constantly waiting for the “expert” characters to catch up. There are better thrillers, and there are better sources than a novel for learning about Christian history from both an orthodox and an unorthodox perspective.

2.5 stars

29. Skirts: Fashioning Modern Femininity in the Twentieth Century by Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell

Fashion historian Chrisman-Campbell looks at the history of women’s fashion in the twentieth century through ten iconic styles: the Delphos, the tennis skirt, the little black dress, the wrap dress, the strapless dress, the bar suit, the naked dress, the miniskirt, the midi skirt, and the bodycon dress. Each chapter includes one or two black and white illustrations, plus there are 22 color plates. It’s still not enough illustrations, and most readers will need to Google images of some of the looks that are discussed that don’t have accompanying illustrations. This really needed to be a coffee table book, although it would have increased the cost and decreased its reach. I was hoping for more of a high street fashion history, which would have been of more interest to me than this history of high fashion and designer labels.

3.5 stars

" I didn’t have any trouble deciphering most of the puzzles, so it seemed like I was constantly waiting for the “expert” characters to catch up." That's exactly how I felt when I read The DaVinci Code...it was a page turner, but I was amazed at how many people thought it was sensational---I had encountered most of the content in non-fiction reading long before. I guess we weren't his target audience!

>146 cbl_tn: I thought that its narrative drive was deserving of a decent score, Carrie, but it didn't - as I remember - blow me away either.

>148 laytonwoman3rd: Apparently not, Linda!

>149 PaulCranswick: Paul, I originally gave it a 3 but downgraded it after some reflection. When I stripped out the controversial aspects of the plot, I didn't think the writing was very strong compared to other books in the same genre. My reading has shifted away from the thriller genre in recent years, but I used to read a fair amount back in the day.

What I'm Watching


Still enjoying New Tricks Season 8 (BritBox)


I did not watch the original run of Bull on whatever network it aired on, but I've recently discovered it on one of the Ion channels. Then I discovered that it's available on Prime Video, so I've been working my way through Season 1.


I have a neighbor who loves to watch Escape to the Country (BritBox) with me. We've been watching one or two evenings a week, but that might slow down now that the days are getting longer and the weather is getting warmer. Several of us in the neighborhood enjoy visiting outdoors in the warmer weather.


The season 2 episodes of Britain's Secret Treasures (BritBox) seem to be shorter, so it's easy to fit them in when I want to relax for a few minutes between activities.


I watched the last two episodes of Season 3 of Madame Blanc Mysteries (Acorn) over the weekend. I loved how the season ended, and I'm hoping there are more seasons to come.


I am again caught up with Season 13 of Death in Paradise (BritBox). I think the next episode may be the last one for this season. It's been fun to see past characters return over the last couple of episodes (J.P. and Dwayne).


I'm all caught up with season 11 of Father Brown (BritBox), too. I think this might have been the last episode of the season. I'm happy with how this one ended, too, and I'm hoping there is at least one more season in store for this series.

30. Deep Sea by Annika Thor

It’s been four years since Stephie Steiner and her younger sister Nellie arrived from Vienna as Jewish refugees in Sweden. Stephie is in her final year of grammar school and boards in town with her friend May’s family, while Nellie still lives on the island with her host family. Stephie has many worries. She is in her last year of grammar school. Will the relief committee pay for her to continue her schooling, or will she be forced to leave school and get a job like almost all of the other girls her age? Why is her friend Vera behaving so strangely? Why has Nellie become sullen, angry, and distant? By far her biggest worry is the health and welfare of her parents, who are imprisoned in the Theresienstadt concentration camp.

I loved A Faraway Island, the first book in this quartet. It reminded me quite a bit of Anne of Green Gables. I became invested in then twelve-year-old Stephie’s story, and I want to see how her story ends. The books increasingly address more adult themes as Stephie ages, and this book includes themes that would be more appropriate for older teens, about the age that Stephie is in the book (15-16).

3.5 stars

31. The Salt Path by Raynor Winn

Raynor Winn and her husband Moth experienced a major financial setback that resulted in the loss of their home and livelihood. The very next day, Moth was diagnosed with a degenerative brain disease with no cure. With no home and no jobs, the couple decided to walk the South West Coast Path from Minehead to Poole, passing through Somerset, Devon, Cornwall, and Dorset. Because they have no money for hotels or campgrounds, the pair plan to wild camp along the trail. Winn’s memoir tells of their adventures on the path, and of coming to terms with Moth’s illness and with their homelessness. It’s a moving reflection on life, love, aging, resilience, and the restorative power of nature and physical activity. The audio version read by the author made this an extra special experience.

4 stars

>151 cbl_tn: Our PBS is wrapping up the final season of Doc Martin, which we have watched faithfully through the years and I'm sorry to see it go.
>153 cbl_tn: That sounds like an interesting, but tough, read.

>154 mstrust: I keep putting off watching the final season of Doc Martin. It's been a fun series to watch!

The Salt Path isn't as difficult as it sounds. It's a hopeful book. The author has followed it up with two more books, and as far as I know Moth is still living. He has far outlived the life expectancy for his diagnosis. I believe they said that the only way to know for sure if he has the disease he's been diagnosed with will be an autopsy, so maybe the diagnosis is wrong. Or maybe the long distance walking and wild camping has slowed the progression of the disease in a way that specialists don't understand.

Last night I watched a YouTube video with Raynor Winn and Paddy Dillon, the author of the guidebook that the Winns carried with them on their walk. It was so interesting to hear them together and see the respect they have for each other.

>152 cbl_tn: I need to read that one. I didn't have (and still don't have) access to an e-book copy, but perhaps I can get one of Knox County's copies this summer to read.

>156 thornton37814: This one is mine. I will put it aside for you for the next time we meet up.

32. Woman, Captain, Rebel: The Extraordinary True Story of a Daring Icelanding Sea Captain by Margaret Willson

In a time before living memory, Icelandic women worked alongside men on oar-powered fishing boats. One woman, Thurídur Einarsdóttir, became a highly-sought fishing boat captain. She also had a strong sense of justice and compassion for those on the margins, especially women and children.

Thurídur’s story survived thanks to Iceland’s storytelling heritage. The author combed archives to find any reference to Thurídur that has survived in the writings of her contemporaries and their descendants, in letters, in legal documents, and in poetry and legend. Since this is narrative nonfiction, the author’s preface includes a general statement on the quotes and paraphrased conversations in the book, and the “narrative liberties” employed to add color to the account. Such liberties in nonfiction works annoy me when they are unacknowledged, and the author earned my trust by acknowledging them from the outset.

4.5 stars

March Recap

Books owned: 3
Books borrowed: 3
Ebooks borrowed: 2
eAudiobooks borrowed: 3

Best of the month: Woman, Captain, Rebel by Margaret Willson (4.5)
Worst of the month: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (2.5)