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Rosie Schapp: Drinking with Men a memoir

 

I was really, really excited to finally get my copy of this book from the library (I had been on the waiting list).  I anticipated a  literary version of Cheers told from a female perspective.  I thought of life long friendships with an interesting cast of characters set in the warm, dark smoky confines of pubs and bars, not exactly what I got.

The first quarter of the book is all about a seriously messed up childhood, think teen years, as a Dead Head high school dropout touring the country fueled by booze and drugs and probably lots of casual sex, although that isn’t discussed. A rape is discussed, but in an almost dismissive manner, which led me to assume sexual assaults were so prevalent that it was nothing remarkable.  I almost stopped reading but there were hints that the author turned her life around so I persevered.

The rest of the book highlights the authors quest for “regularity”, that is the state of being a “regular” at a bar.  The memoir does swerve into other areas of the author’s life such as college, marriage, religious training, and work.  I think my disappointment with the book is the lack of depth.  It is like a running narrative of: this happened, that happened, this happened, etc.  None of the characters are developed, other than some detail about Ed, we don’t really get to “know” any of the characters.   I guess I expected more of a focus on relationships and people, not this running cast of “strangers” just passing through the story.

Upon reflection, perhaps I expected too much.  Maybe Drinking with Men is an accurate reflection of  the nature of the “regular” bar relationships.  Having never been a “regular” perhaps I have an overly romanticized vision of the neighborhood bar environment?  Still I expected something more than a running account of a relatively young woman’s life to date.

 

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Jacklyn Brady: A Sheetcake Named Desire

 

Cute cozy mystery.  Definitely a light, quick read.  It has everything you need for a series cozy mystery.  Colorful cast of characters, believable device to get protagonist involved, great setting (New Orleans post-Katrina), popular theme (baking) and red herrings and misdirection to keep the mystery going.  The gist of the story is that Rita has traveled to New Orleans to meet with her husband, who she is separated from, in order to get him to sign the divorce papers.  There is a murder and Rita becomes embroiled with it and the husband’s bakery business.

The only issue that I had was that the characters kept making a big deal that the victim had been acting in an erratic and unexpected manner and Rita even questions if perhaps he was not well.  That is not explored or explained with the resolution. I am not really sure what that was about or if a point was being made that we don’t really know other people.  Maybe it will be brought up later in the series?  Overall, an enjoyable cozy mystery and I will read more in the series.

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Weekend Cooking

My daughter has been home from Europe about a week, but it has been so hectic with other things going on that we haven’t really had a big “Welcome Back” style family dinner, so I’m thinking tomorrow will be it.  Certain foods have always meant home and family as far as I am concerned.  Tomorrow will be some of her favorites:

  • Ginger Glazed Ham (Cooked out on the grill,  kinda, sorta adaptation of one of Nigella’s early recipes. )
  • Macaroni and Cheese
  • Roasted Vegetables in Olive Oil with Sea Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper (bought some pink sea salt to try for this)
  • Cornbread (Chef Spike’s recipe, a family favorite)
  • Chopped Salad
  • Dessert , hmmmm maybe Sticky Treacle Pudding  or Creme Fraiche with Berries drizzled with some honey

Along with the food, we have several bottles of wine and some beer so it should be a good time.

 

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Muriel Barbery: The Elegance of the Hedgehog

 

Initially I read the first few pages and put this book down, realizing that I had to be in the right frame of mind to read this.  I suppose it could be read as a light read, just skimming the surface, but there is much more depth to it than that.  The book tackles many themes, among them philosophy, consciousness,  politics, family, suicide, social class, death, and deception.  There are references to many cultural icons and philosophers.

The two protagonists both live “lives in hiding”.  They have their complex, hidden, inner lives and then the “normal” or expected face they show the world.  An interesting contrast is that one is an older woman concierge of the apartment building, while the other is a 12 year old prodigy from a well-to-do family.   The 12 year old suffers from the fear of  “living the unlived life”, she sees no hope for any other outcome.  Renee, the concierge, doesn’t want to invite  the disparagement that she feels revealing her inner intellectual and cultural life, the life of an autodidact, would  cause.  Both the characters, develop strategies to allow them to maintain the facades that they present to the world.

A tenant in the building dies and and a new tenant moves in to the empty apartment.  This is the catalyst for the protagonists, Renee and Paloma, to meet and interact and eventually change, not necessarily themselves, but their world view.  One of the last passages in the book reflects this shift, “I have finally concluded, maybe that is what life is all about:  there’s a lot of despair but also the odd moment of beauty, where time is no longer the same…Something suspended, an elsewhere that had come to us, an always within never.”

Overall a well written book with many clever, interesting and thought provoking turns of phrase. For me personally, it raises the question of  “How does having a “hidden life” contribute to a sense of disconnectedness from others?”   To get the most out of  The Elegance of the Hedgehog, be prepared to read a little, then stop to digest what you have read before you move on.  Highly recommended read.

 

 

 

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Jenn McKinlay: Due or Die

 

 

Cozy mystery time is here again.  I picked up this book and another in the series Book, Line, and Sinker.  I am reading it out of order, primarily because my library didn’t have the first in the series.  For some reason, when it comes to cozies that is often the case, oh well.

This was a well written library-centric cozy.  Usually any cozies that have to do with books or reading are some of my favorite.  The characters are cute, classic “small town” types.  The librarian is the “upstart newcomer from the big city” who disrupts the way the library has been run by “the lemon”, a sour faced librarian.  There is a circle of friends who gather to craft, gossip and support the Lindsey, the newcomer.  A misunderstood, bad boy ex-convict, who seems like he may become important later in the series and many others.  This is the primary weakness in the book, the characters are a little too flat or stereotypical, but it is still early in the series so perhaps they are not developed yet.

The plot is well done and the mystery and clues are convincing.  It was an engaging read and paced well.  I will read Book, Line and Sinker next to see where the story goes.

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Long Gone by Alafair Burke

This book had a lot going for it.  A female protagonist floundering along her career path, something I can relate to well.  A current plot hook to drive the story, identity theft connected to social media.  A Hollywood royal family rounds out the cast of characters.  All of these factors should add up to a great book, but for some reason it was just okay, not great.  I didn’t really feel that sense of suspense that you want to feel building in a thriller.  There were no feelings of dread or foreboding.  I just read through to the end with no real feeling of anticipation for the resolution.  I can’t point to any one attribute of the book that caused this lack of emotional response to it, but nonetheless there it is.

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S.J. Bolton: Now You See Me


I read this book as a selection from the British English Kindle Mystery group on Goodreads. It was a very engaging and well written mystery.  So much so that I actually took my Kindle to work so I could finish it at lunch because I didn’t want to wait to find out how it ended. Twists and turns throughout, but still kept within the realm of the probable. I got slightly confused at one point but I assume that was due to the boatload of cold meds I was taking while reading .Although, I knew some of the mystery prior to the reveal, I didn’t have all the details right.

Great, well-developed characters with strong, authentic feeling personalities. The character of Lacey Flint is complicated with secrets of her own, much like a real person.  The chemistry between Lacey and DI Joesbury keeps the reader guessing throughout the book.

The author took a big risk with the “Jack the Ripper” hook. There are so many Jack the Ripper books and movies that it is difficult to be original.  S.J. Bolton managed to keep the story line fresh and interesting in Now You See Me.  There were some similarities to a plot from an old Dirty Harry movie, but to say more would be a spoiler so I won’t…besides most people reading this now probably don’t even know who Dirty Harry was :). Highly recommended for British mystery fans.

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Wedding Tiers & For Better, For Worse

So, anyway last night as a result of various cold meds, I woke up at midnight and couldn’t go back to sleep. So, I read Wedding Tiers by Trisha Ashley and For Better, For Worse by Carole Mathews.

I really like Trisha Ashley books in general and this was no exception. I loved the small village setting. The characters were well designed and I liked how the love triangle played out. I found the reactions of their friends to  Josie and Ben’s breakup was very true to life. Charming book with a likable main character, Josie, a woman who built a life with her teen sweetheart and then had to rebuild it without him.

The second book I read in my insomnia based reading session was For Better, For Worse by Carole Matthews.

Quite enjoyable chick lit. Fast read. The premise of an about to be divorced woman going to be in a wedding is very promising. The writing was fast paced and the story was told from multiple view points which helped to move it along. I have to say I didn’t really like the Jack-Martha-Glen story line, but I think that is my personal issue. I don’t tend to care for the whole “infidelity just happens, everything is okay” kind of stories. I did find Josie and Matt’s story fun to read and well done with all the near misses and the final resolution.

It was sort of funny that in both of the books, the main character’s name was Josie, but that was just by chance not design. Both were fun, romance reads, but if I had to pick one over the other I would definitely go with Wedding Tiers. I just found Trisha Ashley’s Josie more of a person I could relate to and I thought all the story lines in the book were well done

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Fragile: Lisa Unger ***

I haven’t read anything by this author before or at least I don’t remember if I have. I picked this up because I thought it would be a lighter read than what I am supposed to be reading, The Elegance of the Hedgehog, and it was. I believe it is supposed to be more of a mystery than a thriller, the plot really involves two mysteries, one that was assumed to have been solved. and a new one happening currently.

The real story though, is about the long term effects of deceit, guilt and abuse. These themes run through several of the characters lives in a sometimes convoluted, multi-generational web. The long term impact of secrets kept and the question of what if?? haunts some of the major characters.

The book raises some serious questions without attempting to solve them, more like just serving them up as food for thought. How well do we really know anyone else? How far will we go to protect our family and how justified will we be in our actions? Are some people irredeemable?

For all the good that there is in this book and there is plenty to be found, I still found some of the voice to be too trite, (think “inspirational” quotes used in dialogue), the perpetrator was obvious, really obvious, and I didn’t find some of the resolution realistic. Overall, it was a decent, light read with a good job done maintaining multiple story lines, past and present, and then linking them together.