Monthly Archives: May 2013

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It was a dark and stormy night…

It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents–except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Paul Clifford (1830)
English dramatist, novelist, & politician (1803 – 1873)

 

There it is, the often parodied quote, “It was a dark and stormy night..”. and tonight, at least here, it is.  But for me, no worries, home in bed with a cup of tea and  a stack of books and a book light too, in case of power outage.  Starting The Elegance of the Hedgehog tonight, finally.  I’ve had it about a week and am  just now cracking the cover.   I also have a few others in case I can’t get into it right a way.  The first sentence was enough to make me want to put it down for a minute, but I’ll give it a try.

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Sue Ann Jaffarian: Twice as Dead

The Odelia Grey Mystery series is a favorite of mine.  I find the characters well developed and realistic.  The series has a great deal of humor and the mysteries are usually well done.  The character of Odelia Grey is what really drives this series.  She is not the stereotypical “big” girl.  She is confident, but yet has enough vulnerability to not be brash or arrogant.  She is a plus sized woman and yet still has sex appeal and also feels sexy.

I just finished Twice as Dead and I did enjoy it.  I would say that it was not my favorite of the series, that title still goes to Too Big to Miss, the first book from the series.  The mystery seems more serious in this episode than in the previous books.  There were twists and turns and visits from characters from previous books that add depth to the story.  Recommended reading for cozy mystery fans.

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Memories of My Dad

Go first in the world, go forth with your fears
Remember a price must be paid
Be always too soon, be never too fast
At the time when all bets must be laid
Beware of the darkness, be kind to your children
Remember the woman who waits
And the house you live in will never fall down
If you pity the stranger who stands at your gate

–  Gordon Lightfoot

Tonight, having both my children home, made me think of my Dad for some reason.  He loved music and the Yankees with equal passion.  My strongest childhood memories of  him always were linked to music.  He had eclectic tastes including Big Brother and the Holding Company, Caruso, Sinatra, and the Beatles, but he seemed to  really love the folk-rock singer songwriters like Bob Dylan and Gordon Lightfoot.  I remember listening to this song with him as clearly as if it were yesterday.

 

 

 

 

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Tea and Elephants

 

“There are few nicer things than sitting up in bed, drinking strong tea, and reading.”
― Alan Clark

So true…as I sit here living this quote.  I’m a huge fan of Williamson Tea, particularly the English Breakfast and the Afternoon varieties.  There is something about  a pot of tea all to yourself, when the rest of the house is sleeping, that seems decadent, in a most comforting way.  It reminds me that sometimes the simplest pleasures are the best.

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Kyra Davis: Sex, Murder and A Double Latte

Just finished last night.   This book is from the Red Dress Ink publishers, a now defunct outfit.  I belong to a group on Goodreads dedicated to this publisher’s books and this is the read for this month.  I have read other books in the series previously (out of order) .

I found the book had several  funny  lines or moments, which is always a plus, but I also found Sophie Katz, the  lead character, immature, impulsive and a little irritating and some of the other characters a little cartoonish.  I don’t  remember coming away with that impression from the other books in the series that I read previously.   So, either my memory is faulty, truly possible, or Sophie matures in the later books and the recurring characters are developed further, or maybe I’m just aging out of the demographics for this book….hmmm.

The mystery was mainly driven by red herrings, Sophie chased after them with wild abandon.  It was an entertaining, fast moving mystery plot. Something was always happening.  I had  figured out Anatoly’s  story line for the most part prior to the reveal, but  other story lines I did not.   The book is well written and edited.   I would say based on my experience that this is a series that improves in the later books.  I often find that the case for first books in a series.

If you enjoy light mysteries that are fast paced and have humorous interludes aimed at the “Sex and the City” set, I think you would enjoy this book.

 

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Elly Griffiths: A Dying Fall ****

After a day of yard work I sat on the porch in the sun, drinking a glass…hmmm some glasses of Jersey Blush, the last in the group of three wines that I bought Jersey Red, Jersey White and Jersey Blush and finished my latest book from Elly Griffiths, A Dying Fall.

I was little concerned because Ruth leaves the familiar setting of Norfolk, where the other books were set. Ms. Griffiths developed such a sense of place in the first books that the setting was almost another character in the series. My fears were unfounded. The setting is not as moody and does not evoke the sense of isolation of the earlier books, nonetheless this book was another good episode in Ruth Galloway and crew’s story. The complicated relationship between Ruth, Cathbad and Nelson is expanded upon in a realistic manner leaving you not knowing what to hope for between them all.

The best part about it though, for me, was that the story line involved King Arthur and that has always been a favorite of mine. I read The Once and Future King and I think I have seen just about every TV serial/movie/History Channel discussion about Arthur, Camelot and the attending legends and history. Elly Griffiths’ exploration blends legend, fact, and an original twist for a satisfying take on King Arthur.

The mystery is well crafted and I didn’t figure out the culprit until revealed. There are red herrings and twists and turns in the plot that keep you guessing the whole way. If you enjoy mysteries of the “soft boiled” variety, I highly recommend this series. The tally is four stars for the book and the wine was good, too.

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Kylie Logan: Button Holed ***

This is a first in a series about a …button expert. I will say I would never have picked up this book on my own. It is just not something that would have attracted me. However, that is one of the reasons I belong to book clubs on Goodreads. This was a selection from the Cozy Mystery Corner group. I joined because cozies are a genre that are close to my heart (think MC Beaton, Simon Brett, Diana Mott Davidson, Agatha Christie). That is a plus for this book, definitely a genre I enjoy.

The book is written well, as far as editing and language, and the series protagonist Josie Giancola is a likable character, however a little too stereotypical “shy girl swooped off her feet by extroverted cad”. The theme (button collecting/antiquing) does not overwhelm character or plot, which can be a problem with some of the more cutesy and theme specific cozy mysteries.

My main issue with this particular outing is that you will need to practice some serious belief suspension. Josie, button expert extraordinaire, is recruited by a police officer, Nevin, and embroiled in the mystery in a rather unbelievable, heavy handed manner.

To be fair, perhaps the problems I had with the book were caused by it being a first book in a series. It really had a feel that the author was setting things up for future books, establishing background, setting and relationships. With that in mind, I gave Button Holed 3 stars and given the opportunity, I would give another book in the series a chance .

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Jersey White and sunshine

Today’s wine was Jersey White and it paired perfectly with today:).   The sunshine was beautiful this afternoon. I sat out in the yard with my Mom, carefully ignoring the fact that the yard needed mowing. We read and drank a bottle of Jersey White. Lovely afternoon. This is what weekends should be about.

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Molly Wizenberg: A Homemade Life ****

 

First, let me preface this by saying I love cooking and I love memoirs, so a cooking themed memoir…well, its like hitting the jackpot.  I have read My Life in France, Julie and Julia, The Sweet Life in Paris, and many others.  That could have been a plus or a minus for this book, on one hand I’m familiar with the setting and the genre and like it already, on the other hand it has some pretty stiff competition.

This book is less of a memoir in style and more of a series of personal narratives and I loved that organization.  There is a vignette and then the recipe that it leads up to.  It works very well, it is highly engaging and makes the reading very fast paced.

The writing is very accessible, the reader feels as though Molly Wizenberg is speaking to them and what makes that work so well is that the writer is, at least as represented by this book, a truly likable, decent human being with some important things to say.

The nature of food and family and food and love is explored in loving detail.  Memories of family are firmly entwined with food and here they are presented as complements of one another.  Food as a celebration of family and love, a refreshing break from a culture which in some ways presents “food as the enemy”.

The author’s memories of her father, her celebration of his life and her grief at his passing are indeed heartbreaking.    This quote expresses her sense of being “cheated” , a sense that many of those who have lost someone have experienced:

“When your father dies, especially if he is older, people like to say such things as, “He was so lucky.  He lived a long, full life.”  It’s hard to know what to say to that.  What often comes to mind is, “Yes, you’re right.  he was seventy-three, so I guess it was his time.  But did you know him?  Did you see how he was?  He bought wine futures seven months before he died.  He saw patients the afternoon he was diagnosed.  He wasn’t finished.”

I don’t mean to infer that this book is all sadness and grief, there is much joy and celebration of life as well.  The author details her meeting of her husband and the life they built together through a shared love of food, friends and family.   In one passage, discussing her first meeting with her future husband, a friend exclaims “I’m so excited for you….You’ve been taking this on with your whole heart and that oversized mind of yours.  Don’t stop now.  This is the bread and butter!  This is what it is all about.”   Lovely sentiment, lovely quote.