Dogearedcopy’s 100

Hello!

I’m returning to the “100 Books” world after several years absence: I played along from 2013-2016 and TBH remember it being a bit more chaotic but then again, so was I! 😂

This year my “ulterior motives” are to read through a couple series (James Bond celebrity narrator editions, Series of Unfortunate Events in print), advance in a couple of other series and/or author catalogues (Master and Commander, John LeCarré, Stephen King) and dig into my TBR stacks a bit.

I read across most genres and currently tend to favor history, historical fiction, SFF and romance; but adding a few more mysteries into the mix this year.

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Bit of a late start in setting up a thread but hoping to catch up soon! 🙂

year.

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Completed 100 Books on November 27, 2024

OP: JAN 14
ETA: JAN 16 - Ticker & Intro
ETA: DEV 08 - Completion Date

001. "Two Faces of Janus: A Short Story of Ancient Rome" (by Linnea Tanner) Short story set during the time of Caesar Augustus, a young man is at a crossroads when his loyalty is tested: Does he stand with the Caesar or with his own father? Well researched but plot fails to engage on an emotional level. ⭐️⭐️

002. Noir to Hide: A Temporary Detective Novella (Temporary Detective by Hansen Scott) - A 29-yo temp worker is assigned over to the office of a private detective. Lots of 40s noir mixed into a twenty-first century setting as our hero gets mixed up with neckless thugs, a femme fatale, fedoras and a lot of cold hard cash. It’s all a bit awkwardly mashed-up and the hero acts like a high school student. ⭐️⭐️

003. At the Edge of Time: Exploring the Mysteries of Our Universe's First Seconds (by Dan Hooper; narrated by Graham Winton) - A noted astrophysicist and cosmologist who specializes in dark matter, Dan Hooper presents, in layman’s terms, what the scientific community has proven in regard to the Big Bang Theory. He also talks about the challenges that those who study the beginnings of the known universe face. Absolutely fascinating and the audiobook narrator is clear and engaged with the material; but really long, oddly placed pauses inserted to the recording take away from the performance. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

004. Live and Let Die (James Bond #2 (by Ian Fleming; narrated by Rory Kinnear) - Cold War spy thriller featuring 007 and Mr. Big— the latter being the Black American voodoo supervillain smuggling pirate treasure in from Jamaica. Rory Kinnear is fine if a bit unenthusiastic at times— but understandable given some of the racist stuff in there. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

005. The Bad Beginning (Series of Unfortunate Events #1; by Lemony Snicket) - The Beauledaire children Violent, Klaus and Sonny are orphaned when their parents are killed in a house fire. The children are sent to live with a distant relative, Count Olaf, a money-hungry theater performer who connives to get his hands on the fortune. Children’s book but interesting world-building ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

006. Moonraker (James Bond #3; by Ian Fleming; narrated by Bill Nighy) - Cold War spy thriller in which 007 faces off with Richard Branson er, Elon Musk, no… Hugo Drax! A rocket ship with a weapons payload is scheduled to launch from the cliffs of Dover even as Bond races against the countdown to thwart a German-Soviet plan of attack. Bill Nighy sounds a bit older than I like but I also might be projecting because we know what he looks like. Nonetheless, his interpretive skills of the text are very good. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

>1 Tanya-dogearedcopy: it looks as though you've already caught up!

>8 pamelad: Almost!😅

007. Her Dragon Daddy: A Dragon Shifter Romance (Black Claw Dragons #1; by Roxie Ray) - I was seduced by a writing sample online; but it turns out the excerpt was pretty much the only well-written part of the book. A single mom moves back to her small hometown after her son has a violent altercation at his high school. The father of the boy is the town’s deputy sheriff and immediately recognizes his son. The anger issue is managed as can only be handled by alpha dragons and their families… OK, I’m not going to spill too much ink on this review: Suffice it to say that there was no tension to the plot; that the plot overall was well conceived but poorly developed; and the sex scenes (2) were lame. ⭐️⭐️

008. Diamonds are Forever (James Bond #4; by Ian Fleming; narrated by Damian Lewis) - 007 is sent to the USA to disrupt a diamond smuggling operation originating in Sierra Leone but ultimately funding Soviet Russia, in particular SMERSH (a spy killing arm of the USSR). He’s definitely working in unsanctioned territory but he meets up with his old friend Felix Leiter (ex-CIA now Pinkerton agent) and they take off for the race track at Saratoga and the casinos of Las Vegas. Fleming evokes the jet set life and the atmosphere of mid-century America with a painterly deftness. Damian Lewis narrates the alliterative and sometimes onomatopoeic prose with ease and even poetic fluidity. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

009. From Russia with Love (James Bond #5; by Ian Fleming; narrated by Toby Stephens) - Fleming had planned to end the series with this story and he goes all in: over-the-top villains, hidden & disguised weapons, brutal fight scenes… SMERSH trains a young female agent to seduce Bond with the idea of ultimately involving him in a scandal that will blacken MI6’s reputation. To bait the trap, the lovely Tanya Romanova promises to defect and is bringing a cipher machine to Istanbul. This story is by far the closest to being “Hollywood” with its action lines, intrigue and local color (Turkey). Toby Stephens played the villain in a non-Fleming Bond movie, Die Another Day and delivers a pitch perfect performance. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

010. The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa; translated from the Japanese by Louise Heal Kawai) - Rintaro is an introverted teen and loner who is cleaning up his late grandfather’s bookstore one evening when a cat wanders in. That the cat can talk is not the most unusual thing that happens: Over the course of the next few nights, the cat leads Rintaro through surreal labyrinths on a mission to save books. The style borders on the twee and yet the dreamscapes are so beautiful and the ultimate message so succinct it would be remiss not to note its elegance even in translation. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

>8 pamelad: OK, Now caught up! Time to explore other people’s threads 🙂

011. The Dorito Effect: The Surprising New Truth About Food and Flavor (by Mark Schatzker) - This is a fascinating look at food production in this country since the 1950s and how “natural” and artificial flavors play a role in our shared agricultural history. These added flavors are tricking our brains into eating foods with poor nutritional values & disappointing blandness. Engagingly written and eye-opening!

I don’t remember how this book came to be on my radar; but I suspect it was a magazine article about the fragrance & flavor manufacturers in New Jersey and a mention of this author/book. If I happen to remember and find it, I’ll post a link to the article here later.
Anyway, the book definitely altered my perception of the food aisles! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

012. The Monster of Florence (by Douglas Preston & Mario Spezi; narrated by Dennis Boutsikaris) - From 1968 to 1985, a serial killer lurked in the Florentine hills of Italy and slayed seven couples who were making out in their cars. Afterwards, he would engage in a gruesome post-murder ritual that would become the inspiration for Thomas Harris’s character, Hannibal Lector.
The first half of this true account is the story as told by Mario Spezi, an Italian journalist who covered the killings and became known as something of an expert in the topic. The second half of the book recounts Douglas Preston’s move to Italy twenty years after the last killing and becoming intrigued with who the murderer might actually be. Spezi and Preston proceed to initiate an investigation of their own, much to the ire of the local police. Spezi and Preston would end up being hauled before the Polizia for questioning and suffering consequences for their actions.
The Monster of Florence provides tantalizing leads but as admitted in the interview with Douglas Preston at the end of the audio, the identity of the killer, like Jack the Ripper will not likely ever be known with any certainty.
The audiobook narrator was clear and confident with his delivery and Italian but I had one quibble: All the Italians in the book were given comical American voices with heavy Italian accents. A bit cringey and a little distracting but you sorta get used to it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️-1/2

013. Beautiful Graves (by L. J. Shen) - This is a standalone contemporary romance novel about first love and second chances. Everlynne “Ever” Lawson meets her soulmate while on vacation in Barcelona when she is nineteen-years old. Kismet plays a role in bringing Joe and Ever together; but fate rears its ugly head when she returns to the United States. Tragedy strikes Ever and she ends up ghosting everyone, including Joe. For six years, she hides out in Salem, Massachusetts until Dominic enters the picture. He takes her, broken and all, into the world and while she doesn’t feel the love for Dom as she did Joe, she realizes that she needs to move forward and so she commits to this new relationship. I won’t spoil the plot twists which bring Joe back into the picture but the situation becomes messy and real. The author, known for her signature a$$hole boyfriend characters, takes a different approach and breathes life into an old trope and with perfectly imperfect people. ⭐️⭐️⭐️-1/2

014. Apollo in the Age of Aquarius (by Neil M. Maher; narrated by L.J. Ganser)— a non-fiction book about NASA’s space program in the 1960s and in context with the social movements of the time. In the introduction, the author states that the book shows how the Apollo program worked in synergy with the Civil Rights, women’s rights and environmental movements. Instead of “synergy” though, Maher demonstrates how NASA functioned in spite of and in opposition to those movements and only caving in under political and financial pressure to address those concerns. By its own stated metric, the book failed to prove its point, instead demonstrating how NASA exacerbated social and cultural divisions. Overall, it’s an informative but awkwardly written book that inevitably leaves the reader disappointed with arguably one of the US’s greatest achievements. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

015. Between Two Fires (by Christopher Buehlman; narrated by Steve West) - A dispossessed knight turned brigand, a drunkard priest and, a little girl travel across the Godforsaken lands between Normandy and Avignon in 1348. On a quest prompted by the little girl, the trio navigate a landscape ruined by the Black Plague as angels and devils wage war in a time and place rife with despair and ruin. Part historical fiction, part horror, part fantasy… it’s greater than the sum of its parts in its scope and vision. Steve West has a rich British voice that served the main narrative and male characters well but mispronunciations (“scythe” in particular came up often) and the voice he gave the little girl did the book a disservice in audio. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️-1/2

016. Her River God Wolf (Obsessed Mates #1; by Ariana Hawkes) - There are accepted tropes in werewolf romances and the author strictly adheres to them: The inner wolf who is separate from and yet a part of the human host and; instant recognition of one’s true mate… In this case a lone wolf/guy discovers a young woman who has been cast off from her pack for not being “wolf enough”. Turns out she just hadn’t met the right wolf/guy. Short and not particularly memorable. ⭐️⭐️

017. Hooked (Never After novel by Emily McIntire) Dark contemporary romance using Barrie’s characters from Pater Pan— but set in a modern world. Hook is a drug kingpin (distributing pixie dust) when his operations are threatened by Peter Barrie, a competing drug lord. Hook uses Peter’s daughter Wendy in a political game with Peter and the whole thing becomes a mafia-style story of graphic sex and murder. The re-working of the Classic lit characters is clever but the message of moral relativism/convenience plus the disturbing depictions of gangland executions make this a hard pass in terms of reading other books in the series. Not rating.

018. The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World (by Steve Brusatte) - NF book written by a working paleontologist, pop science in tone and style but geared toward an adult audience.

The number of advances in the field of paleontology in the past twenty years, i.e., readily accessible & more sophisticated technology, discoveries in China and new mathematical/statistical modeling have opened up a lot of “secrets” and corrected a lot of mistakes about the studies into the Mesozoic Era. From the end of the Permian Era (before dinosaurs) to the violent end of the Cretaceous period, the author brings color and life to a time of great geological upheavals and an incredibly diverse set of dinosaurs and their cousins. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

019. Dr. No (James Bond #6; by Ian Fleming; narrated by Hugh Quarshie) - James Bond is recovering from his near-death experience (From Russia with Love) — so Q sends him to Jamaica on light duty: A British agent and his secretary have disappeared after having investigated ongoings on Crab Island and; The Audobahn Society has their feathers ruffled because a population of roseate spoonbills, as well as two of their scientists, have disappeared. A reclusive, enigmatic figure, the eponymous Dr. No, may provide the answers to both mysteries.

Unlike the Hollywood Bonds, these adventures do not dismiss the vicissitudes of spy craft: People are hurt, killed, tortured, maimed… and Bond himself does not escape unscathed. The women and 007’s relationships with them are much more nuanced as well. There are still some incredulous action scenes and some “McGiver” cleverness in play but HEAs are not guaranteed— at least not in the way you might expect.

I’m loving the readings the celebrity actors are giving these adventures (high praise indeed considering I usually shy away from celebrity narrators) and due credit must be given to whom ever directs the studio sessions. The rough edges of Fleming’s narrative (e.g. dismissive tone towards the old ladies and their birds) is fully contextualized within the character speaking and allows the near poetry of some passages to shine through.

Hugh Quarshie, an older Ghanaian-British actor narrates this story. He has a very soft, “blurry” British accent akin to Michael York but with a finer ear for the Jamaican patois. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

020. The Hangman’s Daughter (Hangman’s Daughter #1; by Oliver Pötzsch; translated from the German by Lee Chadeayne; narrated by Grover Gardner) - A mystery set in 17th c. Bavaria -
A young boy’s corpse is discovered with a mark drawn on his body and the local midwife is quickly arrested on charges of witchcraft. The hangman, Jakob Kuisl (who also serves as an instrument of the interrogation as a torturer) believes the woman to be innocent but unless she confesses, a full-blown witch hunt in which many more women will be accused and executed will commence. Soon, two more children’s bodies are found and the pressure to convict the midwife increases even as a darker conspiracy starts to emerge.
The author has written this historical fiction based on the real-life figure of his forefather and incorporated family folklore, extensive research and his own imagination in creating a vivid if somewhat unsavory picture of life in a small town in present day Germany. The main protagonist is the executioner with a progressive town doctor and the eponymous hangman’s daughter playing secondary and tertiary roles respectively (which makes the title of the book seem odd). There are a few repetitive points made (e.g. the consequences of a full blown witch hunt) and overall the story comes across as rather prosaic (Author‘s writing style? Translator?) but an interesting look at a corner of the world rarely if ever depicted in fiction. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

021. Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger (by Stephen King; narrated by George Guidall) - The first in the 8-volume epic horror fantasy introduces us to Roland, the last gunslinger in a future time and dystopian place on a plane different than our own. The landscape resembles an American Old West but contains remnants of the past that reflect our own 20th century history: “Hey Jude” plays on the piano at the honky tonk, a gas station becomes an enigmatic and religious relic… Roland is in pursuit of the Man in Black, a powerful sorcerer who contains knowledge about Dark Tower, Roland’s ultimate goal. There is a lot of allegorical and metaphorical language, symbols and ritual that makes this story rich if a little obtuse on the first reading but the richness and vivid descriptions make the dreamscape and fable-like plot seem real. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

022. Transcendent Kingdom (by Yaa Gyasi) - Gifty is a girl of evangelical faith who becomes apathetic towards God after the death of her brother and her mother's depression. As a young woman, Gifty pursues neuroscience as a way to understand something of her brother's death but all the while reflecting on what is missing in her spiritual life. Seeking a reconciliation of her beliefs, her Ghanian-American culture, and the lab work she does, she reflects on her past, her familial relationships and friendships. Introspective and contemplative, it's a novel incorporating Christian philosophy and identitarian values even as the protagonist tries to move beyond them-- only to circle back. Overall a tepid read and a disappointing sophomore effort from the author of Homegoing but it may appeal to those who are experiencing a crisis of faith. ⭐⭐⭐

023. Requiem of Sin (Zakrevsky Bratva #1; by Nicole Fox - A contemporary romance in which Demyen Zakrevsky, a Russian casino owner and organized crime figure seeks revenge against the girl who falsely testified against his brother in court years ago. Carla, the little girl who testified, is now a single mom who walks into one of Zarevsky's casinos and hits a jackpot playing the slots machines. She accidentally runs into Demyen and there's insta-lust which develops into a relationship despite his plans to sell her into white slavery and her being really about as bright as a burnt out light bulb. Nicole Fox usually writes duologies, a single story spread out over two volumes. This time she chose a rather ambitious trilogy, each volume over 400 pages. This first volume is bloated with passages showcasing how abusive Carla's last relationship was, digressions from Demyen's plot of revenge and hopes of exonerating his brother and, oddly placed scenes of sex and intimacy. The author seems to have had several plots in mind when she wrote this book and tried to mash them all into one. ⭐⭐-1/2

I started the second volume in the set, Sonata of Lies and just couldn't finish. I reached the point where Dem was trying to teach Carla, who he has also hired as a housekeeper (what?!), how to surf (!?) and boredom set in. It's all just too ridiculous and just... bad ⭐

024. The Reptile Room (Series of Unfortunate Events #2; by Lemony Snicket) - The second installment in the misadventures of the Baudelaire orphans initially finds them happily ensconced at the home of a distant relative-- a herpetologist named "Montgomery Montgomery." However, their happiness is all too brief before they are threatened by their arch nemesis, Count Olaf and they must rely upon themselves to survive. These dark tales (the series as a whole) are lightened only by the sheer absurdity of the situations and the author's style of explaining vocabulary & phrases, e.g., "hackneyed", "back at the ranch"... Nonetheless, it should be noted that there are deaths, threats of death, and child abuse. The children prevail after a fashion, but it's definitely not a set a set of fairy tales that end "... happily ever after". The pen & ink artwork by Brett Helquist is detailed and comic and a point in favor of reading the book in print (versus listening to in audio, though the performance by Tim Curry is highly entertaining and the CD editions have elaborate jacket designs and; the discs themselves are etched.) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

025. The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three (by Stephen King; narrated by Frank Muller) - "The Drawing of the Three" picks up where "The Gunslinger" ends, Roland on a beach with large, predatory crustaceans and his ammunition spoiled, but his mission nonetheless clear and unmitigated by challenges soon presented. At three different times and places in the Gunslinger's world, a door appears to Roland, each leading to NYC in 1987, 1964 and 1977 respectively. In crossing over, he inhabits each of the people he is fated (see tarot card reading in The Gunslinger) to partner with on his inexorable journey to the Dark Tower; but his other world body remains on the beach in poor & deteriorating condition. There are cinematic gunfights and treachery, but nonetheless a code of fair play and even a little romance. This second tale is less allegorical in tone than 'The Gunslinger' but still resonants with dark horror/fantasy vibes. The audio recording is an older one narrated by Frank Muller and, as with the first book (narrated by George Guidall) you can hear the tells of pre-digital recording: tape hiss, edit cuts and even some background noise in a few places. But one issue with "The Drawing" in particular is that the download from Audible is so very fast! It's sounds like Jack Nicholson on speed. I had to slow it down to .80 in order for it to sound intelligible and reasonably "normal". ⭐⭐⭐⭐

026. The Silver Pigs (Marcus Didius Falco #1; by Lindsey Davis; narrated by Christian Rodska) - Historical Mystery set in Ancient Rome, 70 CE - Marcus Didius Falco, a private informer, rescues a pretty young girl from her pursuers in the Forum and becomes embroiled in a conspiracy involving illegal silver ingots and a threat against the new emperor, Vespasian. Though I understand that new revelations about the casting of silver ingots in Imperial Rome has come to light since the book was written, this is a well-researched book that incorporates the author's groundwork nicely into a narrative that feels realistic and natural. Moreover, though descriptions of the sometimes brutal aspects of life and crime of Ancient Rome are rendered with detail, this falls on the side of being a cozy series, told from the POV of the protagonist. Christian Rodska is an older British narrator who has chosen some suspect pronunciations of Latin names & places, but remains consistent and, to be fair, it's not really distracting.

So, how often do I think of the Roman Empire? Honestly, a little bit every day but I'm probably going to be doing so for longer stretches at a time as I've decided to commit to this series. I read a number of them eight to ten years ago, but honestly, I don't remember much of anything. I don't think this is the fault of the author, more likely a reflection of where I was at mentally all those years ago. ⭐⭐⭐

027. Shadows in Bronze (Marcus Didius Falco #2; by Lindsey Davis; narrated by Simon Prebble) This second book in the MDF series picks up pretty much where the first book, The Silver Pigs left off. Falco is now tracking down a number of the conspirators that pose a threat to the Emperor Vespasian and; The relationship between Falco & a senator's daughter, Helena becomes "complicated". There are quite a number of original & surprising plot twists and at times I had trouble keeping track of the characters but it does sort itself out by the end. I stayed up last night to finish listening to this one and I have a bit of a hangover-- not only because I stayed up later than usual but because it unexpectedly exerted an emotional toll. Simon Prebble, an older British narrator is subtly different than Christian Rodska, perhaps not as crisp and with a different set of suspect pronunciations but he pretty much disappeared from the story in my head-- so I was hearing the story and not him. ⭐⭐⭐

I keep my TBR list to an arbitrary maximum, so if I want to add one I have to take another of. The purpose is to not let it become unrealistically long.
And just yesterday I removed Silver Pigs to make way for a new addition, but your reviews have made me add it back on. So now what book has to be sacrificed?

>30 scunliffe: My father used to keep a small wine cellar. I think he kept something like 40 bottles, over the course of 50+ years. As he had limited space, when he brought a bottle in, another had to sent to the table for drinking.
So using the same idea, maybe read a book and knock it off your TBR stacks quickly?

028. Save Me the Plums (written and narrated by Ruth Reichl) - This is an account of the author's 10 years editorial stewardship over Gourmet magazine-- from 1999 to the day it shuttered in 2009. Condé Nast purchased the magazine (among others) and hired the author who was then a noted food critic for the New York Times. The memoir is filled with accounts of the large expense accounts, personal reflections and a few recipes so there something that should appeal to most readers--- except me. I found the author's claims of boho sensibilities disingenuous considering that she 1) lived in NYC; 2) Her son had a nanny and; 3) When 9/11 hit, she was able to escape to her place in upstate NY... Also, I am not a foodie so the fascination with food did nothing for me much less the more exotic items. And finally, I'm a pescatarian so some of the descriptions of beef and pork dishes made me a bit queasy. So why did I read it? Well, it is my book club's selection for March and, as the audio is short (7+ hours), thought it would be a quick and painless read. I needed a little break after the last Marcus Didious Falco Audiobook and thought this would be the perfect bit of mental floss. But to add insult to injury, Ms Reichl's reading was pretty uninspired. One positive note however was that the book pointed me towards two books that I am very much interested in adding to my stacks: M. F. K. Fisher's, Consider the Oyster and David Foster Wallace's Consider the Lobster and Other Essays. Not my Cup of Tea/No Rating

029. The Dark Monk (The Hangman's Daughter #2; by Oliver Pötzsch; translated from the German by Lee Chadeayne; narrated by Grover Gardner) - About a year after the events in the first-in-series, The Hangman's Daughter, a flu-like epidemic has swept through Schongau, Bavaria (present-day Germany) and the parish priest has been found dead in the church. However, the priest did not die of the flu, overindulgence or, even hypothermia; and it becomes apparent that he was murdered by poisoning. The town doctor's son, also a medical professional (though not officially the town doctor) pursues the how and why-- which leads him on a literal treasure hunt. Insane monks, Templar Knight puzzles, and a time & place that cling to old superstitious ways all make for a dark melodrama. After a while, the constant tension becomes mundane and the author's research and redundancy burden the narrative down. The plot is reminiscent of both The Name of the Rose (by Umberto Eco) and The DaVinci Code (by Dan Brown) but without the erudition and fast pacing that make the later two books work respectively. ⭐⭐-1/2

030. The Secret, Book & Scone Society (The Secret, Book & Scone Society #1; by Ellery Adams) - A cozy mystery set during the present day in a fictional small town in North Carolina. People flock to Miracle Springs, a liberal utopia near Asheville, in search of healing and for some, a fresh start in their lives. Neil Parrish, part of a real estate development team that’s financing new home sales nearby, comes into town early for a meeting but is discovered dead on the railroad tracks. Nora— a bookstore owner, seller and “bibliotherapist” (someone who helps people with their troubles by recommending books to them)— and her three new friends, Estella, Hester and June do not believe it is suicide and decide to uncover the truth. Each member of the Secret, Book and Scone Society has her own secret— as well as seemingly every secondary, tertiary and passerby character in the story. The pages are over embroidered with details and literary allusions; and the mystery itself is underdeveloped. Overall the story is tiresome and not particularly exciting, even at its climax. ⭐⭐-1/2

031. Conquest (The Four Groomsmen of the Wedpocalyse #1; by Lilian Monroe) - a contemporary rom-com set in a small town using the fake fiancé trope: Leo St. James is notorious for having spread the clap to his college class and ten years later, is still known by the moniker, "Pest" (short for "Pestilence"). Amelia is a data analyst who, six years ago had a relationship with a guy who damaged her self-esteem so greatly that she hasn't dated since. Over the course of a week at a company retreat hosted by Leo's boss, Leo and Amelia pretend to be an engaged couple while also solving a light mystery: Who stole a pink diamond worth $12-million?
Technically nothing wrong with this story: well-edited, paced, and plotted with one steamy sex scene but honestly, Leo isn't very bright. I kept wanting to warn the brainy Amelia that one day, after sex, they were going to want to have a conversation about well, anything... ⭐⭐⭐

032.The Plot is Murder (Mystery Bookstore #1; by V.M. Burns) - a cozy mystery set in a small town in Michigan: Samantha, "Sam" Washington is a widow who opens up a mystery bookstore on the shore of Lake Michigan. Right before her store officially opens, her realtor knocks on the shop's door, desperate to talk to her. Having had contentious dealings with him, she refuses to let him in and turns away. The next morning, he is discovered dead on the property. Teaming up with her grandmother and three other "Golden Girls" analogs, Sam solves the mystery while also writing a mystery of her own. The structure of the book is different in that Sam's work-in-progress, a whodunit set in 1930s England involving a dead body found in a maze during a house party, is given equal play with the framing story. But neither story is particularly well developed and both suffer from a lack of descriptive detail. ⭐⭐⭐

033. The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower III; by Stephen King; narrated by Frank Muller) - There are two "Books" to this third installment of the dark horror fantasy that serve as the keel or backbone for much of King's horror writing. In the first part, Roland the Gunslinger, Eddie and Susannah continue on their quest to to The Dark Tower but Roland is starting to go insane: Having sacrificed Jake Chambers in The Gunslinger, he saved Jake's life in The Drawing of the Three. Both realities exist and the paradox is debilitating Roland's perceptions and ability to function. Similarly, in 1979 New York City, Jake becomes aware that he is both alive and dead and as a result breaks down during finals week at his school. In both Jake's and Roland's world, signs must be interpreted correctly for a portal to open and Jake to cross over, thereby insuring one timeline and sanity for both. In the second part of The Waste Lands, Roland and his group-- called a ka-tet (those bound together by a common fate/destiny)-- push onwards in their journey and end up in a New York City analog called Lud. Survivors lurk in the makeshift ruins but escape for the group can be achieved if they can figure out the riddle, "Blaine the train is in pain". Even as terrible things happen, they persevere with hope and grim determination. I'm lookin forward to Book IV and the next set of riddles. . ⭐⭐⭐-3/4

034. Venus in Copper (Marcus Didius Falco #3; by Lindsey Davis; narrated by Simon Prebble) - While the previous installments are concerned with court intrigue and conspiracies, the plot in this story turns away from the gaze of Emperor Vespasian's eye and returns Falco to the less royal streets of Rome. He is hired by a freeman's household to investigate and thwart a gold digger from marrying into the family but complications set in and the case turns into a whodunit.
In addition to the cozy mystery, Ms Davis also provides insight into the classism of first century Rome: Vespasian is a "middle-class" soldier who has risen in the ranks and become Emperor; Emancipated slaves can ply their wiles in the market and it is neither impossible nor illegal for them to climb the social ladder to nouveau riche status; Republicans and citizens can scramble for greater respect and household goods but without considerable money, cannot hope to attain higher standing as a Senator or, in Falco's case, marry a Senator's daughter. There are times when Ms Davis's descriptions border on inventory listings but she manages to blunt this artlessness by having Falco have an auctioneer's acuity learned from his father. What saves the whole from mediocrity is a scene late in the book which winds up tension and then releases it with an emotional punch. It sounds as if even the audiobook narrator is affected. ⭐⭐⭐-1/2

035. The Iron Hand of Mars (Marcus Didius Falco #4; by Lindsey Davis; narrated by Simon Prebble) - There is a lot going on in this book, maybe too much... Vespasian recalls Falco to court where Falco is assigned a diplomatic mission with a dash of espionage: Falco is to present a new standard of arms to the 14th Gemina in Germania, suss out their actual loyalty, find out what happened to a missing military officer or two and, locate two local rebel Celtic leaders and talk to them-- one of which is a prophetess. Along the way, there's graft and murder involving the local pottery trade, a hairdresser accompanying Falco who may or may not be just a hairdresser, twenty newbie soldiers, Falco's girlfriend's brother, the girlfriend herself, and stories that are tied to the land if not the plot. The author clearly had a wealth of research to work with but the actual story might have been better served with a stronger editorial hand. As it stands, it's not always clear what's going on or how what is happening is relevant. ⭐⭐⭐

036. Poseidon’s Gold (Marcus Didius Falco #5; by Lindsey Davis; narrated by Simon Prebble) - A cozy historical mystery set in motion when Marcus is accused of having killed a centurion he has been seen recently arguing with. Marcus is drawn in to the legacy of his late brother’s schemes, missing statues, suspected fraud, the volatile relationship with his father and, his love for the strong-willed Senator’s daughter, Helena. The plot is solid and the peeks into the auction and art houses of Ancient Rome are interesting— though perhaps the overly detailed descriptions of furniture in every room of every place the characters move through might seem a bit tedious. There is a short history lesson showcasing Vespasian’s role in Judea and subsequent rise to power but the story shies away from court intrigue and runs through the streets and taverns of Rome. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

037. Royally Cursed: A Fated Mates Wolf Shifter Romance (Fated Love, Fated War #1; by Skye Wilson) - Bad writing and a big waste of time. I was again seduced by a writing sample from a Facebook ad in my feed. To insult to injury, there were a lot of typos, transposed words, and incorrect word usages. ⭐-1/2

038. It Walks by Night: A Parisian Locked-Room Mystery (Henri Bencolin #1; by John Dickson Carr) - Henri Bencolin is a French juge d'instruction (examining magistrate) in the Paris judicial system who is called upon to protect the new husband of a recent divorcée. The groom, Duc de Saligny, has been specifically threatened by the women's first husband-- a dangerous lunatic who has undergone plastic surgery-- so no one knows what he looks like now. At a casino, the Duc is seen to enter a room with two watched/guarded doors-- but though he enters alone, he is soon discovered dead. This is a solid locked-room whodunit with no cheats and some great descriptive passages conveying the time and place of 1920s, jazz-age Paris. There is a second, short story called "The Shadow of the Goat" included in the British Library Crime Classics edition; but it is not nearly as well developed as the main attraction. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

039. The Beggar King (The Hangman's Daughter #3; by Oliver Pötzsch; translated from the German by Lee Chadeayne; narrated by Grover Gardner) - Jakob Kuisl, the hangman of Shongau, responds to a letter written by his sister and hurries to care for her in her time of sickness. Soon after arriving in Regensburg however, he is arrested for murdering his sister! What follows are flashbacks to Jakob's wartime service in the Thirty Years War, an exploration of the ancient and commercially thriving town of Regensburg, a glimpse into the politics of the day and, of course, a dark melodramatic plot involving Jakob's headstrong daughter, Magdalena and her lover, Simon. This installment in the series depicted some scenes in rather graphic detail-- to the point that I question whether this third title in the run and the series as a whole can be considered "cozy.” But it is a series that is getting smoother with each story in terms of flow, pacing and, repetitive statements. ⭐⭐⭐-1/2

040. Last Act in Palmyra (Marcus Didius Falco #6; by Lindsey Davis; narrated by Simon Prebble) - A court spy and rival of Marcus Didius Falco sends Marcus into what is now known as Syria where his cover and mission are quickly made clear to have been blown. Stranded with Helena in the desert region of the Hellenistic Decapolis, Marcus takes up with a traveling theater company as its playwright while also on a search for a missing hydraulis player and for a murderer of one of the acting company’s actors. Once again, the author tries to over a lot of ground— straining the credulity of the plot(s), larding the story with an excess of characters and locales, and laying in as much research as possible. But to her credit, Ms Davis does paint vivid depictions of the settings and create dynamic characters. So far this series has been a bit uneven, wavering between 3.0 and 4.0 stars for each book. I’ll be generous with this story and tip it to 4.0 if only because of what seems like a throwaway scene (Marcus lies drunk in a tent while Helena talks about him outside) actually demonstrates the author’s ability to portray emotional depth without dropping into melodrama (of which there is plenty later). ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

UPDATE: I've had time to sit with this awhile and I'm actually knocking this down to 3.5 stars from the original rating of 4.0. The previous book in the series, Poseidon's Gold is a solid "4" , and despite the heartfelt scene I described above, the whole of the novel is not quite as good as the fifth book in the series.

Original Post: 05/10/2024
Updated Post: 05/26/2024

041. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Hercule Poirot #4; by Agatha Christie) - I am embarrassed to say that even though I had not only listened to the audio a few years ago and considered it my favorite Poirot mystery (though admittedly I have not read many), I was completely taken by surprise! I thought I knew the trick of it but I misremembered… Written in 1926, it still stands up absolutely as a whodunnit: In a small village, one day between the times of 9:30pm and 10:00pm, a man is murdered in his study. Is his death related to a blackmail scheme? Avarice over the household income which he controlled? Upstairs/Downstairs drama? Petty theft? Plenty of motives and suspects but of corse, Poirot uses his “little grey cells” to solve the mystery.
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

042. The Name of the Rose (by Umberto Eco;translated by William Weaver) - A touchstone book in many literary circles whether the focus is on lit-fic, mysteries, historical fiction, or theology, this is a 500+ page novel that should have appealed to me strongly. Set in the Medieval Era (14th century) with discussions of prevalent heresies, a flavor of semiotics, vivid descriptions of the place, people, and atmosphere, the story is an immersive experience into an abbey beset my a string of murders. However, even though I was able to get back into the swing of the Latin and German fairly quickly, I found the untranslated sections to be tedious "speed bumps" and, the esoteric language annoying. At one point, there is a clue that relies on such extremely archaic knowledge that I feel no hesitation in calling "foul" as far as fair play in the mystery goes.

Years ago, I read Foucault's Pendulum (same author and translator) and ran into similar issues, but I was willing to try Eco again if only because The Name of the Rose is pretty mainstream and I got the impression it was more accessible than it actually is. Well, I will only say this , "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me". Eco is not for me.

BTW, I did see the movie (starring Sean Connery) based on the book when it first came out in 1986 and really loved it. I watched it again after reading the book and while it seemed a little bit more dated and didn't resonate as strongly with me, it still wins out over the book. Yep, I said it, the movie is better than the book.

043. When She Loves: A Dark Mafia, Arranged Marriage Romance (The Fallen #4; by Gabrielle Sands) - I was promised angst and groveling-- and it just didn't deliver. The Mafia elements were superficial/artificial, the romance based on lust, the heroine not particularly strong-willed or smart. Ultimately a forgettable story. ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

I recently read a blog post that summarized The Trial: The DOJ's Suit to Block Penguin Random House's Acquisition of Simon & Schuster. The book is expensive (~100 USD) and long (~1200pp) so I'm not likely to get to it myself anytime soon... Anyway, the writer reports that the print sector for romance has been pretty much destabilized with the Amazon self-publishing model. Romance writers can now generate content for their reader base at greater volume and frequency, circumventing professional editing and marketing schedules (which have traditionally been used so that one book doesn't undercut another in terms of sales). My own take on this is that this explains the overall dross that has been silting up my romance lists in the past few years. After decades of being an advocate for the genre, I think it's time to call it quits. I will return for a tried-and-true author but I'm pretty read-out in this category.

>43 Tanya-dogearedcopy: I'm also having trouble finding a romance worth reading and agree that there is an awful lot of dross. I've been giving up after a page, because you can just tell, and instead am looking for vintage authors I haven't yet come across. Dorothy Eden and Joan Aiken were good recent discoveries.

I'd describe a few popular writers of historical romances as semi-literate. Readers don't seem to mind.

044. The Tailor of Panama (by John LeCarré) - Harry Pendel is a former convict cum tailor of bespoke suits in Panama. His domestic and rather dull life are interrupted by the arrival of a smarmy British agent eager to have close-to-the-ground-intel of what the Panamanians are planning on doing with the canal when the United states has relinquished control. The action takes place in the mid-nineties-- so President Carter has already, in 1977, made treaty to hand the canal over to Panama, and less than a decade later, the US has attacked Panama and extradited Noriega. Context is key as the country still reels form the effects of war and colonialism. Speculation abounds as to whether the US will really leave; if France will advance her interests; if Asians, particularly the Japanese will flex their economic muscle or; if Panama herself will be able to take the reins effectively. And here is Harry, the tailor who can make himself small and disappear into the woodwork, the proverbial fly on the wall who can pick up sensitive information from his high-end clientele. Thing is though, his customers really aren't all that but Harry needs the money from the British spy to dig himself out a a financial hole. So Harry cooks up gossip and creates a fabric of lies that eventually smother everyone. The plot is solid, the characters and settings vivid, but somehow this novel lacks the darkness and gravitas of LeCarré's previous novels. Not bad, and definitely entertaining, but a lesser LeCarré. ⭐ ⭐ ⭐-1/2

045. Desolation Island (Aubrey/Maturin #5; by Patrick O’Brian) - Captain Jack Aubrey heads to the Spice Islands with a mission to assess the situation in regards to Captain Bligh, a cargo of criminals to drop off at Botany Bay, and a heartbroken ship’s surgeon. The book covers only a portion of the voyage Indonesia — and though this arc is satisfactory in its close, I’m eager for the next leg of the journey!

046. The Fortune of War (Aubrey/Maturin #6; by Patrick O’Brian) - This is a continuation of Desolation Island, though O'Brian doesn't waste much time on the Spice Islands before he has Aubrey and Maturin returning to the Atlantic. Tensions between Britain and the U.S have ratcheted up to the point that war has been declared. The British Navy sustains several losses of ships and men and and the ship that is transporting Jack back home is captured and burnt-- with survivors onboard taken prisoner. Held in Boston, Jack recovers from injuries sustained during the last action while Maturin tries to elude the French who are outright trying to kill him (as to why, you'll haver to read the book! 😉 ). The story has lots of taut action and laugh-out-loud humor, but you may want to keep your nautical reference guide on-hand/bookmarked as the diagram located at the beginning of the book only shows the sails for a basic square-rigged ship.

047. Verdict of Twelve (by Raymond Postgate). Set in 1938 and published in 1940, it's at the end of the Golden Age of Mysteries but technically still in the mix as it refers to the Great War as its touchstone of world events even as it notes rising anti-Semitism. It's a court drama that centers around the suspected murder an an eleven-year-old boy by his guardian aunt. The characters are portrayed deftly and vividly, and the thought processes during deliberation ring true. Overall well-written as the reader is given no special insight as to the innocence or guilt of the accused until the very, very end. Postgate's social commentary is shrewd and the plot has its "Aha!" moments but the author's cleverness is tonally very cynical.

June 16, 2024
It'a right at the mid-point of the year and time for a check-in!
Compared to years past, I am very much "behind schedule". By the US Memorial Day weekend (end of May), I usually will have read about 60 books with another 40 slated for the Summer, making the 100 book mark by the US Labor Day holiday at the beginning of September. But this year, it looks like I may need 'til the end of the year to reach my goal!

June 25, 2024
I just reached the half-way point count-wise with the fiftieth book, The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy (by Megan Bannen). I have a few (short) children's book on my 2024 stack--so there's hope for me yet to reach the 100-book goal! :-)

>47 Tanya-dogearedcopy: I gave Verdict of Twelve five stars, possibly because I found it refreshingly left wing and humanitarian for a book of the times. It's a shame he only wrote three crime novels. I thought this one was the best, but enjoyed the other two as well. Could be time for a re-read.

>49 pamelad: Verdict of Twelve - It could be probably is most definitely is me. I find myself slogging though a lot of 3.0-3.5 rated reads that I might have been more generous with a 4.0 rating or above even last year. This year I'm feeling a bit off with my reading. I wouldn't say it's a slump as I'm still reading but I find myself more impatient.

A case in point is that I finally read Beach Read (by Emily Henry). I had acquired this one in 2020 but didn't get around to it until now. Billed as a romance and women's lit novel, I was eager to see what the author had to offer that has made her a bestselling writer and a favorite of a well-read friend of mine. Initially wary of picking it up at this time because of feeling "read out" of the romance genre, I was told that this was something "more". The premise is that two writers find themselves as neighbors in a lakeside resort town in Michigan. Gus is lit-fic author with a bend to the dark side of life January writes romance novels. They end up challenging each other to write in each other's genres and participate in a series of research outings that lead them to know each other better. Intimacy and feelings ensue...
Well, the book is definitely a romance whatever other promise it may have held. Still, I'm not disappointed: It has a couple of steamy scenes nicely written in (i.e., did not read like a transcription of a porn movie) and the descriptions of the setting, atmospherics, and people-- while a bit artless were still painterly and vivid. A couple lines of snappy dialogue made me smile. Where I found myself lost was in the emotional landscape that the author painted from January's point-of-view (It's all told from her side). I ended up finding myself absolutely baffled why January would think/do certain things. Because this book resonates with a lot of women and I struggled to engage with the protagonist, it had a doubly alienating impact: I didn't "get" January and I wonder if this is why I've never feel like a part of the Great Sorority of Womankind.
Yeah, I know that's a lot of commentary/thought for a light read; but it is an illustration of that "off" feeling I've been getting from a lot of books I've been reading lately: Sometime it's editing, writing style or tone; Sometimes it's not being able to engage with the main character...

On a related note, I'm feeling really stressed out at work and frankly a bit burnt out. I was talking to my husband about it and openly stated after I catalogued the issues I've been having that 1) I did not have a viable solution; 2) I was not looking for him to come up with any solutions and; 3) It had nothing to do with him at all. After this bit of a dress rehearsal, I then went to my supervisor and she laughed, "Sometime you're Taylor and sometimes you're the listening rabbit!" Huh? She then proceeded to tell me about a children's book, The Rabbit Listened (by Cori Doerrfeld) that she has been reading to her own daughter. It's about listening, empathy, patience: Taylor builds a block castle and then it’s wiped out my a flock of black birds. Sitting in the ruins, various anthropomorphic animals come around to "help". I downloaded it even as we were talking and, it's quite lovely. Honestly, I feel it should be the basis of a management training segment!

In the end, I'm mentally "crispy around the edges" and it's affecting my reading. I can't tell if, as a result I've gone so deep into subjective reasoning that I've circled back to "uber"-objectivity, or vice versa!

050. The Undertaking of Heart and Mercy (by Megan Bannen) - An unusual romance in that it's like the movie You've Got Mail but with a Western theme set in a horror-fantasy world filled with zombie-like "drudges". I know, I know, it's sounds awful/awfully weird but it totally works and once more, it's a well-constructed plot: Marshal Hart, a demigod uncertain of his immortality, and the undertaker Mercy Birdsall have been at odds since the day they met. They unknowingly grow closer via confessional letters sent anonymously to each other, and when they do draw close in real life, the secrets they carry, the burdens of their respective pasts, and the lack of honesty and communication nearly bring an end to their relationship. Dramatic, heart-rending things happen, but there are also moments of joy, silliness and true romance. This is actually a re-read for me (I read it last year) and I was surprised at how all the feelings came back!

Twyla and Frank are featured in this book as long-time friends and colleagues (both are also marshals) and will be the stars of the next book coming out in a couple of weeks, The Undermining of Twyla and Frank and I can't wait! :-)

051. The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events #3; by Lemony Snicket) - The run of dark children's stories continues with the Bauledaire orphans being remanded into the custody of a distant relation, Aunt Josephine. A dowager who had lost her husband in a freak accident at Lake Lachrymose has become an extremely fearful woman. Her cautions as a bid to survive this life have escalated into irrational fears that place herself and the children at great risk in the face of Count Olaf and a hurricane. Overall, the melodramatic turn of events on the water, as over-the-top as they are, remain entertaining and the illustrations (black-and-white drawings that almost look like etchings-- by Brett Helquist) are masterful but the author's cleverness is losing a tiny bit of its edge. The expositional phrases that accompany challenging words or phrases aren't quite on point or helpful though the sense of the term in the context is retained. Nonetheless, it's a quibble set against the larger excellence of the story. Four stars after nearly a quarter century after publication and my second or third re-read :-)

>50 Tanya-dogearedcopy: I hope things pick up for you soon. Glad your supervisor is a human being!

>53 pamelad: I snorted when I saw, "at least a human being" because the number one issue at work right now is the implementation of AI. It's well earning its designation as a "disruptive technology"! As for my actual supervisor, she is not only a human being, but a very smart and capable one at that. I have enormous respect for her but even she is challenged to lead us through this uncharted territory.

052. The Undermining of Twyla and Frank (Hart and Mercy #2; by Megan Bannen) - Twyla and Frank have been neighbors, friends and Marshals in the fictional world of Tanria-- a place of Old Gods and superstition where the threats of Drudges (see Book #1) have disappeared and left law enforcement rather bored. At least, until a beast of legend re-appears, awakened by the detonation of fireworks in underground shafts during an illegal mining operation. So with a criminal enterprise, dragons, and a friends-to-lovers romance, this has the ingredients for another edgy and entertaining story.

On the strength of the first book in this series, The Undertaking of Mercy and Hart, I pre-ordered this title and was expecting the same weird, sexy, smart kind of tale but was disappointed. Instead, we have Twyla Banneker, a 53-year old woman with an aging body who has spent her life metaphorically setting herself on fire to keep other people warm-- and then annoyed because she doesn't quite get the respect she feels she deserves. We have no POV from Frank. And the dragons are cute, pink, glitter-bombing pets. And I'm just kinda left wondering if the author used this book as a vehicle for coming to terms with her own mid-life issues. Not my cup of tea and will carefully consider getting the next book in the series if there is one. ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

053. Time to Depart (Marcus Didius Falco #7; by Lindsey Davis; narrated by Simon Prebble) - The story opens on a quay just outside of Rome with the crime lord Balbinus taking advantage of a loophole in Roman law: Like all Roman citizens who have been convicted of capital offenses, he is being giving the opportunity to leave the Empire forever. Should he return, however, he can be executed where he stands. Falco, just returned from Palmyra, bears witness to this event, the culmination of his friend Petronius’s investigation. However, after Babinus' departure, a power vacuum develops in Rome with high stakes heists and kidnappings keeping the Fourth Cohort (combination fire department and law enforcement unit of which Petro is the head) busy. Given limited jurisdiction beyond the Fourth Precinct, Petro and Falco, sometimes working in tandem and other times at odds, work out who could be responsible.
This is a solid mystery, fairly clean of an over-abundance of research of which the author is sometimes guilty. I thought I might have trouble tracking the number of characters (cf Last Act in Palmyra) but I was pleased to discover that I did not need a cast list. ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

054. Tales from the Loop (Tales from the Loop #1; BY Simon Stålenhag) A 10"x11" book that when opened, reveals the incredible photo-realistic artwork of a Swedish artist portraying the things he remembers from his childhood. That's the conceit anyway. The landscape is littered with the remnants of a tech town gone bust: A particle collider has been abandoned and amongst the ruins is evidence of other experiments the government and succeeding corporation, Riksenergi were involved in. Family life continues as children play amongst the ruins even as an ominous note starts to resonate with the account of odd little things seen or known to be happening. This isn't really a narrative per se, but a collection of snapshot memories that create a whole world. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

055. Things from the Flood (Tales from the Loop #2; by Simon Stålenhag) - The author is a little older now and in his early teens. Much of what he took for granted in his childhood is starting to disappear as his family life starts to disintegrate and a new threat from the abandoned particle collider appears. Sea water has flooded the area and biological and mechanical mutations are starting to manifest themselves in disturbing ways. The zeitgeist of this corner of Sweden is dystopian even as the protagonist evinces nostalgia. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

056. The Thursday Murder Club (Thursday Murder Club #1; by Richard Osman) Four senior citizens who reside in a retirement home in the English countryside meet every Thursday to solve a cold case but are interrupted when a murder takes place nearby. Their perseverance is a measure of proving their resourcefulness and utility to themselves collectively and individually as aging, real estate development, and modern life threaten their piece-of-mind. The chapters are short, the pace is fast, the characters interesting, and the plot original. There were some lines that made me snort with laughter, a couple red herrings, and clever plot twists. And yet, something didn't quite land quite right, perhaps the number of coincidences, the made-for-film glossiness (if the character of Elizabeth wasn't written with Helen Mirren in mind, I wouldn't believe it), the unrealistic albeit entertaining character of Elizabeth, and the feeling that the mystery didn't quite play fair in giving the reader enough to solve the mystery or at least make an educated guess. OTOH, if you read it as pure entertainment, the quibbles are just that, quibbles-- and moot. This falls on the cozy side of the genre and while I usually prefer things edgier, if the sequels were to land in my stacks, I wouldn't hesitate to read them. ⭐⭐⭐

>58 Tanya-dogearedcopy: I do enjoy those books, for the same reason you seem to.

057. The Miserable Mill (Series of Unfortunate Events #4; by Lemony Snicket) - The first four books in this 13-title series is its own subset as the three Baudelaire orphans are moved from one legal guardian to the next before being shipped off to boarding school in book 5. In this story, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are transferred into the care of a mill owner who promptly puts them to work under terrible conditions, processing lumber, and living in a stark employee dormitory. Things actually get a bit gruesome in the workplace though we know there are nine more stories where Count Olaf pursues the children for their fortune— so presumably they all come out of it (small consolation as this may be) though I’m beginning to wonder if these children’s tales might get even darker. As the children’s book world turned on its axis to Harry Potter, these books seem to have been relegated to the corners of second-hand shops and out of the common knowledge in the children’s reading circles.
Anyway, the writing is clever though I do think it is a missed opportunity to not have the last word be “lucky” (IYKYK)

There have been a couple film adaptations of this quartet of books: 1 full-length feature and a limited series on NetFlix. I’m going to see both before moving on to the next book. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

058. Master and Margarita (by Mikhail Bulgakov; translated by Richard Pevear & Larissa Volokhonsky) - A satirical fantasy novel set during the High Stalinist period of Soviet Russia that follows three intertwined plots: 1) Satan, in the person of a dark magician named Woland and in the company of a small retinue comes to Moscow and wreaks havoc; 2) A brilliant but panned author referred to as the Master (notably an autobiographical sketch of Bugakov) falls in love with the devoted but married Margarita and; 3) Pontius Pilate passes official judgment on Jesus and unhappily lives with the consequences.

There is so much imagery, symbolism, and allegory in this novel that I was afraid I wasn’t smart enough to understand it. I did listen to the Slavic Literature Pod which gave me a little grounding but more importantly, gave me permission to enjoy it on a WYSIWYG level.

Nonetheless, there is a lot to this story in terms of undercurrents, themes and approaches— so much so that it defies easy synopsis or explanation. Definitely worthy of discussion and a re-read in the future (perhaps with more lit-crit at hand) though I might choose a different translation. There’s something almost too prosaic with this version, an intuition validated by others who have read other translators’ work on this Classic novel and laud the whimsy and humor. ⭐⭐⭐

059. The Swerve (by Stephen Greenblatt; narrated by Edoardo Ballerini). Every once in a while I stumble across a touchstone book— one that alters my view of the world by providing insight or knowledge and makes me go, “Aha!” This is one of those books. It’s about the discovery of Lucretius’ poem, “On the Nature of Things” after centuries of having been buried in a monastery. The Ancient Roman text is Epicurean in nature, vivid in its imagery, and would be a spark that ignited the Renaissance. Greenblatt’s account of the discovery and the exposition of its importance are deft and the audiobook narrator’s performance fluid (even if the letter’s veracity in the pronunciation of the Latin sometimes bordered on “too much of a good thing”.) ⭐⭐⭐⭐-1/2

As I was reading The Swerve, two books came immediately to mind: The Name of the Rose (by Umberto Eco) and How the Irish Saved Civilization (by Thomas Cahill). I just read The Name of the Rose a couple months ago and in hindsight I would probably have enjoyed it more had I read The Swerve first. Greenblatt’s text makes clear some of the more dense prose of Eco’s story and even gives the latter a bit of shape. It would not be out-of-bounds to think of The Name of the Rose as being a novelization of The Swerve plus mystery!

060. How the Irish Saved Civilization (Hinges of History #1; by Thomas Cahill) is a book I last read close to when it was first published in the mid-nineties. I remember thinking it was brilliant then— so perhaps I was bound to be a little disappointed in the re-reading now, especially after having read Greenblatt’s Pulitzer Award-winning work. The premise of Cahill’s book is that the scriptoriums in the monasteries & abbies of the Early Medieval Era preserved Ancient/Classical texts by copying them repeatedly through the centuries and, spreading literacy as the monks went forth and proselytized. What Cahill calls & lauds as “intertextual engagement” (wherein contemporary commentary is added or embroidered onto the original text), Greenblatt calls a corruption and presented the book hunters of the Early Modern Era with the challenge of finding “true” texts.
This first in a 6-title series is extremely Western-centric, more specifically Irish: Having been written by an Irish Catholic about the contributions of the Irish Catholic, it comes across as propaganda at times. While the historical is research is interesting, the claims of the Irish saving civilization are overstated. ⭐⭐⭐

061. Twilight Sins (Kulikov Bratva) #1; by Naomi West)
062. Painted Scars (Perfectly Imperfect #1; by Neva Altaj)

063. I was reading the Introduction to The Complete Romances of Crétien de Troyes (translated by David Staines) and realized that I should go and read "Tristan and Iseult" first!
On gutenberg.com, I found the the 12th-century poem-- a reconstruction of source material by Joseph Bédier (1900); translated from the French into English by Marie Belloc Lowndes in 1913. Its rendering into English has lost its poetical structure and rhythms, and reads like prose now; but you still get a sense of the oral tradition and magic of the story. Basically, Tristan is a trusted knight who falls in love with Iseult, and she with him; but the catch is that she is married. There's honor and heartache, fate, chivalry, and a little bit of melodrama. It certainly evokes a romantic sense of the time and ignites the imagination. King Arthur is mentioned very briefly as the regional authority over the other kings in the Welsh lands. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

064. Beautiful Beast (Perfectly Imperfect #1; by Neva Altaj)

065. The Bear and the Nightingale (Winternight #1; by Katherine Arden) - Vasya is a young woman (teen/young adult) in 14th-century Russia.The daughter of a witch, she has the ability to see & interact with animals and the household gods. When a Russian Orthodox priest comes to the rural village however, the spirits are abandoned and starved, leaving an opportunity for an evil incarnation to devastate the countryside and people. Blaming Vasya and her pagan ways for their collective fates, she nonetheless strives to save her family and the village, entering into an understanding of sorts with the Frost King, Morozo. Based on Russian folklore, the novel is a fairy tale pitting the old gods versus the new, good vs evil... but choices are never as simple as black vs white as people are as mutable as their hearts and social constructs will allow. Though this is the first in a trilogy, the novel does not end on a cliffhanger and can be read as a standalone. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

066. Knot for Me (by Rory Miles)

067. Empire of Silence (The Sun Eater) #1; by Christopher Ruocchio; narrated by Samuel Roukin) - On a distant uranium-rich planet colonized so far in the future than Earth has become a questionable myth, Hadrian Marlowe expects to ascend to his father's throne. However, his father favors the younger son and sends Hadrian off to an Inquisition-like organization. Hadrian escapes his fate, determine to join a scholarly sect but his ship is boarded by pirates and he, himself without resources is stranded on a planet. And from there, we see Hadrian struggle on the streets as his fate unfolds. In this first of a seven-book arc, we get hints to future acts that will lend him fame/notoriety; but this story is pretty much the set-up for the remainder of the series.

As I was reading this story, the lyrics of Queen's "We are the Champions" would cross my mind. There is the expectation of a build-up from the opening lines of dues paid to the soaring stanzas of victory; but Empire of Silence is maddeningly deficient in delivering triumphal notes.

For those who need a Red Rising Saga fix (SFF series by Pierce Brown) this may appeal as they seem very similar in style but for others, this may be a bit of a slog that teases too long and too often about future events that you realize may not come into play until much later in the series. ⭐⭐⭐

068. The Maid (Molly the Maid #1; by Nita Prose) yesterday afternoon. This is a light contemporary mystery featuring a naive and socially awkward housekeeper, Molly at a hotel. On her rounds one day, she discovers the body of a frequent guest, the wealthy and arrogant Charles Black. Molly quickly becomes a person of interest, and even more quickly a suspect in the murder of Mr. Black. Via the protagonist, the author equivocates on the nature of truth, landing on the idea that a lie is a lie in commission but not omission, and that there is a moral relativism to be validated if bad people have bad things happen to them whether or not they are guilty of the charges.
There are also some reservations I have about Molly's portrayal of being neurodivergent. Though the author does not explicitly bring the words "autism" or "neurodivergent" into play, it's strongly implied-- though it's an inconsistent portrait and doesn't quite ring true. Coupled with her OCD tendencies, Molly reminds me most of Anna Kendrick's portrayal of Stephanie in the comedy thriller movie A Simple Favor (also starring Blake Lively and Henry Golding).
Though the plot was clever, it lacks substance. With the added moral ambivalence and untrustworthiness of the main character, I'm taking a hard pass on continuing the series (currently 3 books).

ETA: Upon further Googling, it appears that Nita Prose has stated that she did not write a neurodivergent character. So Molly is just really socially awkward and odd. Comparison to Stephanie in A Simple Plan stands. ⭐⭐⭐

069. The Stopover (Miles High Club #1; by T L Swan)

070. Midnight at the Blackbird Café (by Heather Webber) - Anna Kate Callow travels to the small, run-down town of Wicklow, Alabama to settle the estate of her late grandmother Zee. Anna Kate finds old school Southern charm ("Ma'am"s & "Bless Your Heart"s) as well as estranged family members and the responsibility of running Zee's café for 60 days (the latter is a term of the will). Gradually the magic of the small town and the secret of the blackbirds promise healing and solace. There's are elements of magical realism but this is not a fairy tale (c.f. The Bear and the Nightingale.) Nicely done story about grieving and forgiveness. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

071. The Peril at End House (Hercule Poirot #8; by Agatha Christie) - In this cozy adventure, Poirot is at a seaside retreat, basically pretending to be retired but he really isn't fooling anyone. It isn't long before a woman crosses his path who is the target of multiple attempts on her life. She lives at a decrepit family house (End House) nearby and has a very small circle of friends. Poirot searches for motive, certain that when he finds that, he will have found his would-be killer. I didn't try too hard to solve the mystery, allowing myself to just be entertained by the story-- so I don't know if Christie played fair or not; but I was surprised by the ending. It lands but with a little bit of a wobble. Still, it is amusing to watch Monsieur Poirot engage with the world as he puts his Little Grey Cells to work. ⭐⭐⭐-1/2

072. The Hollywood Marriage Bargain (Hollywood Bachelors #1; by Lila Monroe)

073. Once Upon a Time in the North (His Dark Materials #0.5; by Philip Pullman)
074. The Collectors (His Dark Materials #0.6; by Philip Pullman; narrated by Bill Nighy)

I’m not sure how I missed the whole His Dark Materials phenomenon but I’m here now!

The first prequel is set in Russia, in the snowy realms of the far North where a balloonist, Lee Scoresby lands at a small trading post. For a short story, this packs a lot: local political elections, discrimination against bears (thinking, talking, metal-smithing bears mind you!), an enigmatic and very prim young lady at the boardinghouse, skullduggery at the docks… Plenty of adventure, woodblock-style illustrations and enormous fun. The only quibble I have is the choreography in the warehouse scene I found mentally challenging to track— so I just trusted the author to get me to the other side of the action (which he did!)

The second prequel is set at Oxford College in the early 1970s. Two professors meet to look over a recent art acquisition, a painting of a young woman and an accompanying bronze statue of a monkey. The author sets up an intriguing premise as it becomes clear there’s something a bit off about these two companion pieces. There are a couple of twists delivered convincingly in 32 minutes and Bill Nighy narrates an understated but elegant performance. He suffers by comparison to Anton Lesser (who brilliantly performed the original recordings of the Sally Lockhart series by Pullman) but this is the second audiobook I’ve listened to that he has narrated and I’m getting used to him 🙂

This is a children’s fantasy series geared ostensibly towards ages 8-10 but the vocabulary and content would argue for a slightly older audience. The use of a more sophisticated lexicon is welcome after so much dumbed-down text that proliferates children’s and YA market though I’m sure this argues against the Everyman approach to reaching wider audiences. Then again, HDM perhaps proves that this demographic is being underestimated. I did raise an eyebrow at a line in Once Upon a Time in the North which alluded to sexual activity which I can’t imagine any child would let go without further inquiry, e.g. “What kinds of things does Mr. Scoresby want to do to the young lady that her father wouldn’t approve of?” But perhaps I too am guilty of underestimating the 9-yo mind!

Anyway, I’m a bit a third of the way in to the first full-length novel in the series, The Golden Compass which I expect to finish soon 🙂

⭐⭐⭐⭐ for each and both

075. The Wrong Bride: Ares and Raven's Story (The Windsors by Catharina Maura)

076. The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials) #1; by Philip Pullman) - The first in this adventure-fantasy trilogy which sees Lyra, a girl raised in the shadows of Jordan College, Oxford University and destined to pursue adventure in the Arctic Circle. With an alethiometer (a spherical clock-like device with Magic Eight Ball properties), Lyra hopes to reunite with her father to deliver the Golden Compass (aforementioned alethiometer) and rescue her friend Roger who has been snatched by the Gobblers. As fantasic as all the elements of the story are, the tension, sense of wonderment, and the humanity of the characters (even the bears!) is striking. The story does not end on a cliffhanger per se; but does leave one wanting to jump into the next book to see what's next! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

>68 Tanya-dogearedcopy: I had similar reservations about The Maid and propose that the author's denial of Molly's neurodivergence is to deflect potential criticism of an inaccurate portrayal. Aspects of Molly's character seemed to be necessitated by the plot.

077. My Broken Billionaire Ex-SEAL (by Gianna Evers)

078. A Morbid Taste of Bones (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael 1; by Ellis Peters) - I originally listened to this in the early days of Audible and the transfer from the original tape recordings to digital were poor. I think a couple years later I read it in print but I never went beyond the first-in-series. I finished my re-read last night and it t turns out that I remembered absolutely nothing from my previous listening/reading all those years ago-- so it was all new to me! The year is 1137, and Shrewsbury Abbey is on the lookout for relics to add prestige to their name. In neighboring Wales, there is the long-neglected grave of Saint Winifred which seems like a perfect match for their needs. The Prince agrees; the Bishop agrees... but the local village where the remains are buried aren't too happy about it. The voice of opposition is soon found dead and, despite it being a small village, there are quite a few suspects! Brother Cadfael, who came to the church after a life of military service and several affairs of the heart, is content to tend to his gardens; But his secular experience and cleverness come to the fore as he becomes the catalyst to solving this cozy whodunit. I thought it was fun, evocative of time and place, and the plot played fair, i.e., the reader had a chance at figuring it out-- though admittedly I did not! I gave it a solid four-star rating (up from a unmemorable three star from years past) and have downloaded the next title in the series, One Corpse Too Many.

079. I finished One Corpse Too Many (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael #2; by Ellis Peters) a couple days ago and liked it even more than the first-in-series! Empress Matilda and Stephen are ravaging the English countryside in their bids to marshal forces & resources in their bids for power. Shrewsbury is besieged and some villagers from both sides flock to the Abbey for sanctuary. In the town itself, Stephen has ordered the execution of 94 people who have refused fealty to himself but 95 bodies show up in the ditch. It's the 95th corpse that draws Brother Cadfael's attention and so begins the mystery wherein neither friends nor enemies are who you think they might be. There is an interesting focus on the roles of two young women (one for Stephen and the other Matilda) without passing judgement on either; but overall the theme seems to be primarily on honor, fealty and how war challenges are sense of what is right or just.

As a side note, I'm trying to remember why I was so unimpressed all those years ago when I first tried this series.Was a really that much of a book snob? Not really paying attention? Either way, glad to have re-discovered them now!

080. Running from a Rock Star (Brides on the Run; by Jami Albright)

081. The White Ship: Conquest, Anarchy and the Wrecking of Henry I’s Dream (by Charles Spencer) and have mixed feelings about it. It's clearly well researched with endnotes and a bibliography as proofs and; I learned quite a bit. One thing that was really impressed upon me was the Viking lineage of William the Conquerer. I knew that the Norman conquest had brought blond hair and blue eyes to England; but I hadn't connected the dots to the Northmen! But for all that was shared, I couldn't help but feel like I was reading a very shallow narrative of the events. I understand that there is limited source material to work with and yet, I was still hoping for something more scholarly. Perhaps it was the Everyman language employed or; maybe narrative non-fiction isn't the author's forte. Or more likely, I was too burnt out from work to process it all correctly. Regardless, I've given it a middling rating of three stars for now; but marked it as a future re-read and have expanded my bucket list to include a trip to Reading, England :-)

Hard to Love (by W Winters) - Annoyingly, one story sold in five parts

082. Longing to Hold (#0.5)
083. Hard to Love (#1).
084. Desperate to Touch (#2)
085. Tempted to Kiss (#3)
086. Easy to Fall (#4)

ETA: 04NOV: Since posting on 28 OCT, I have discovered that you can buy all five parts in one volume, Not My Heart to Break. Yeah, so in the hamster wheel that is the life of a romance writer these days, they often write and sell parts to keep up with readers' demand. But if you wait, you can often get the stories compiled into one book and save a couple dollars.

087. Wizard and Glass (Dark Tower #4; by Stephen King;narrated by Frank Muller) - The epic horror-fantasy series set in a Western-style world parallel to our own universe takes a break in its journey towards the Dark Tower as Roland recounts events that preceded the devastation that wrecked not only the landscape and civilization, but the texture of time itself.
At age 14, Roland has been forced into a one-on-one battle to honor "The Face of His Father" when said father is away and his mother is discovered to be having an affair. Winning the battle through unorthodox means and earning a set of Gunslinger guns, he and his two friends head out of town for their own safety. Ostensibly sent to Hambry to take inventory of resources there (an invasion by John Farson upon their hometown of Gilead is suspected), they accidentally confirm Farson's plot. There is intrigue, ambushes, politics, romance, heartbreak, betrayal, triumph and loss... and enough foreshadowing to build tension throughout. It took me months to get through this one, not because it wasn't good (I actually seem to have to rated it higher than other Dark Tower fans), but because I know I had to be in a certain headspace to be able to handle some of the events told in the book. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

088. A Dying Light in Corduba (Marcus Didius Falco #8; by Lindsey Davies; narrated by Simon Prebble) - Falco and his pregnant wife, Helena head to Baetica and Corduba (present day Spain) to investigate a price fixing scheme and cartel formation amongst the olive growers there. Olive oil is a common and necessary commodity in the Roman Empire— having a number of culinary, medical, and practical uses (e.g. being used as lamp oil)— so having the market cornered would profit the heads of a cartel immensely but at the expense of the people at large. There is political intrigue, a generation of privileged/spoiled youth, murderous dancers, and admittedly a somewhat unwieldy number of characters to keep track of. I found a character list online and was able to sort out who’s who relatively quickly when I got a little lost, so not really a big deal but worth mentioning if you listen to the audio edition. In the past, I’ve felt that these live on the edge of being cozies (versus something a little harder) but the humor written in them saves them from being too dark.
The story itself was engaging and interesting in a travelogue kind of way (showcasing the author’s research) and the bones of intrigue were there, but the resolution was not one supported by anything in the text— meaning that while it made sense, it was not one that the reader could figure out on their own. Still, I enjoyed it and plan on continuing with the series. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

089. Monk's Hood (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael #3; by Ellis Peters)
It's December 1139 and the weather is turning cold. The anarchy of the civil war engendered by Stephen & Matiilda's competing claims for the throne has moved away from Shrewsbury, and the Abbey is preparing for Christmas while Brother Cadfael himself is busy making stores of medicines to combat winter ailments. One of his remedies is a liniment oil used to sooth way the pain of aching joints, but can be lethal if ingested. Unfortunately, it looks like someone has eaten a partridge dosed with the toxic oil and there is no shortage of suspects & motives. Though richly drawn, the character list is limited and it's fairly easy to spot the red herrings, but the motive was not. And again, the author has shown that not everything is black & white, there are shades of grey as well as the silvery green of the Welsh landscape.

090. Just Kids (written and narrated by Patti Smith) - This is the memoir of the proto-punk singer/songwriter Patti Smith of the years with her boyfriend, muse, and arguably soulmate, the late, notorious Robert Mapplethorpe. The author paints vivid and evocative portrayals of the people in their circle of friends as well as the heady, bohemian days of living at the Chelsea Hotel in NYC in the Sixties and Seventies. I chose to listen to the audio to hear Patti Smith in her own words; but if I had to do it again, I would go for the fully illustrated edition in print instead. Ms Smith has many extraordinary talents but audiobook narration in not one of them: Her voice is monotone; She does not shape the text well; There are a number of mispronunciations, and she has a distinctive accent which distorts many words. And too, I really wanted to see the artwork she is refers to. Still, this book had me cranking up Horses and nostalgic for a time and place that is long gone.

091. Minor Mage (by T. Kingfisher) - A novella that the author posits is a children's tale while everyone else around them raises an eyebrow (see Acknowledgments at the end), this is the story of a twelve year-old boy who knows three little spells; but who is nonetheless sent out by the village to go and bring back rain from the Rain Shepherds. It's an interesting look at mob mentality, moral responsibility when on the defense, and working with what you have as opposed to what you want. In today's polarized world of instant gratification and non-contextual but summary judgments for/against people, this is a little and welcome respite about due consideration and doing the hard things even when, especially when, you don't want to and, in fact may be against your best interest. Yeah, a lot to pack into a few pages, and I wonder if the average twelve year old would have the patience for it; but definitely worth the couple of hours to read it regardless of age.

092. The Son and Heir (by Alexander Münninghoff; translated from the Dutch by Kristen Gehrman; narrated by Stefan Rudnicki). The author, a noted Dutch journalist recounts his family’s history starting with his paternal grandfather. Johan “The Boss” Münninghoff was the patriarch of the family whose Roman Catholicism, Dutch nationality, and business empire were the driving forces of his life. He weaponized his iron will, intelligence, and connections in the service of his dynastic ambitions. However, his fortunes would take a huge reversal during World War II when the approach of Soviet troops forced him to abandon his adopted country of Latvia and return to the Netherlands. The author asserts that The Boss was connected to Great Britain’s M16 but also notes that his grandfather used his son’s identity as a SS officer to hedge his bets.
So yeah, the author’s father, Franz Münninghoff identified as German and managed to become a SS Sergeant and fight as a soldier during the war. He inherited his own father’s strong will but not much else and developed a life-long antagonism toward The Boss. He unsuccessfully schemed to achieve a fortune greater than his father’s and ended up sacrificing his own immediate family to his greed and naivety/stupidity.
Franz’s son, the author of the book would grow up in the lap of luxury but within a fractured family structure. He would find his own way through the world, ironically smarter and seemingly more principled, but ultimately the heir of nothing but familial pathos.

Despite the author’s attempts to present a fair picture of The Boss and his son, they were selfish, contemptible, and manipulative. The cruelty each would exhibit would scar their respective sons. World War II with its inherent menace as a war writ large and its specific threats manifested as Soviet invasion would be the backdrop and catalyst for the Münninghiffs’ fate but never a satisfactory explanation for their awfulness.

093. Goldfinger (James Bond Celebrity Voices; by Ian Fleming; narrated by Hugh Bonneville) - Auric Goldfinger, one of the wealthiest men of the time (1959), card- and golfing cheat, and obsessed with gold, is planning to knock over Fort Knox in the USA! In the service of SMERSH, the Soviet strong arm of the KGB, Goldfinger hopes to not only finance SMERSH but to undermine the British gold-based economy. Britain's M16 is hoping Bond will be able to intuit the "invisible factor" that will nail Goldfinger and soon Bond is zipping all over France and the US in cars going as fast as 40-50 mph (LOL) in pursuit of Goldfinger. I've mentioned before that one of the things I like about the bond books is that they do not shy away from the vicissitudes of spy craft: People can and do get hurt/killed in unexpected ways with no Hollywood ending or HEA. In this case, we see how others outside of the main players can get swept up into the action. If not innocent bystanders, there should still be pause given to reflect on degrees of "justice".
At the end of the audio, there is a few minutes of an interview with Hugh Bonneville (who played a minor role in one of the Pierce Brosnan Bond films) and he mentions that it was bold of Fleming to address lesbianism but obviously, the sentiments expressed would not fall on receptive ears today (Bonneville did NOT say "politically incorrect" but that was the jist of the comment). This is something of an understatement as Fleming manages to produce his most cringeworthy moral tirade to date in the series. Because of this, the movie (1964, Sean Connery), which follows the plot fairly closely, is actually the more palatable offering over the book in ignoring the issue altogether.

094. Saint Peter's Fair (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael #4; by Ellis Peters) - Argh! I was stuck in a motel room on Friday night and I had only brought one book with me, a music critic's take on Patti Smith's seminal album Horses. I realized pretty quickly that I was in no mood/too tired for the author's bloviated style and hubris. I've tabled that one for another time and quickly downloaded the next Brother Cadfael mystery onto my iPhone-- so yes, tiny screen but I managed!
It's the Summer after the year of the siege by King Stephen's forces at Shrewsbury. The town's walls are damaged but the onslaught of vendors and merchants promises to bring in quite a bit of money into the town. The charter for the fair though, dictates that the monies be collected by the Abbey, not the townspeople who need to rebuild. Tempers flare and then a murder is committed. Brother Cadfael, witness to the original argument is soon tasked by the new Abbot to keep an eye on things.
So far, the series is 4/4 for being murder mysteries and it's not difficult to figure out who committed the crime; but the motive is always hidden from the reader until the last pages. Nonetheless, these are interesting, well researched, and with evocative imagery, especially of the countryside and the abbey gardens.

095. For Your Eyes Only and Other Stories (James Bond Celebrity Voices #8; by Ian Fleming; narrated by Samuel West) - Five short stories written in 1960: “From a View to a Kill,” “For Your Eyes Only,” “Quantum of Solace," "Risico," and "The Hildebrand Rarity”; plus a short interview with the audiobook narrator at the end; Surprisingly well written shorts from Ian Fleming that showcase character development (James Bond), gorgeous descriptive portrayals of the landscape, and humor without the overly provocative political incorrectness of the novels. The only story that didn’t quite land was "The Hildebrand Rarity”: Bond equivocates and doesn’t rise to the occasion when a woman is being brutally beaten, showing a moral weakness not unexpected but still disappointing. The ending too lacks a satisfactory answer to the mystery.
Samuel West is a British actor who delivers what initially seems to be a perfectly ordinary and competent reading; but who has actually expertly delivered a performance which allows to stories to come to life while he disappears into the text.

096. Medieval Horizons: Why the Middle Ages Matter (written and narrated by Ian Mortimer) - This is a book that defends against the argument that the Middle Ages were a stagnant period of time. Mortimer compares and contrasts the years 1000 and the year 1600 to show how significant social changes spurred great achievements that we still benefit from today. I might quibble that the Middle Ages ended by the end of the fifteenth century, and that by putting some of the events from the Renaissance into the Medieval Ages time span, his argument is somewhat undermined; but he still stands corrected in that the Dark Ages weren't as dark as you might think!

I've had a lot on my mind this past weekend so I wasn't able to give the book the full attention it deserves but I still got a lot from it and hope to return to it for a deeper reading. I listened to the audio and while the author is very sincere and clearly well-educated, I found his sibilance distracting, and his passionate defense a bit crackpot in tone-- so I've put the print edition on my wishlist for next time.

097. The Ice Harvest (by Scott Phillips; narrated by Grover Gardner) - Charlie Arglist is a Mob attorney who runs a series of strip joints and peep shows in Wichita, KS. He is also an embezzler, having skimmed from the operating funds over the course of a few years. Ready to bolt, he is caught up in an ice storm on Christmas Eve as he dots the "i"s and crosses his "t"s before he leaves. There is money, a femme fatale, and quite a bit of ironic humor if you can pull back far enough from seeing the seamy side to the city. The book has a very "Sopranos" look & feel to it. It's all more than a little bit sordid, but the writing is sharp, capturing a time & place (1979, Wichita) with believable characters.

098. Chenneville (by Paulette Jiles; narrated by Grover Gardner) - Near the end of the Civil War, John Chenneville suffers a traumatic brain injury and spends close to a year recovering before he can go home. Back in Missouri, his uncle eventually informs him that John's sister, her husband, and one year-old son have been brutally killed; And yet no one has been held accountable. As John goes forth seeking vengeance, the author paints a glorious landscape of post-war Texas both in its unspoiled vistas and the ruin & wrack of those who survived the War.
My only quibble is that Ms Jiles artlessly tied-in News of the World and Simon the Fiddler. The NOTW reference was fleeting and maybe even cute; but the STF tie-in felt awkward and even a bit of a cheat in more fully developing the story.
Still, I'm marking this one and STF for a re-read when she publishes her next novel. It looks like she's setting her stories in the same biblioverse of post-Civil War/Wild West/Texas :-)

OP: 11/22/2024
ETA: 11/24/2024 - The more I think about this, the less I like this book for its weak ending. The gorgeous writing and character development is sadly capped by a cop-out that doesn't correlate with the story of Simon the Fiddler (Yes, I checked).

099. Lord Edgeware Dies (also published as Thirteen at Dinner (Hercule Poirot #9; by Agatha Christie) - American actress and social climber Jane Wilkerson has her sites set on Duke Merton but there’s a catch in that she is presently married to Lord Edgeware. The problem seems to be solved, as the title suggests but there is a surfeit of suspects each with a strong motive for murdering his Lordship. It’s a Classic whodunnit and there is enough in the plot for the reader to figure it out. That said, though I knew who and why, I couldn’t quite work out the how. It reminded me of The Mysterious Affair at Styles where you had to track teacups— though this time it was about tracking taxi cabs!

There is some serious Anti-Semitism in the form of stereotyping. Written in 1933, it reflects common sentiment but it was a poor and unnecessary choice. The story could have stood without it and given the rise of the pogroms, more specifically the Holocaust within a few years of the writing, it’s even more distasteful.

100. Death Comes as the End (by Agatha Christie), a historical fiction mystery set in Ancient Egypt in the year 2000 BCE - The widowed patriarch of a family brings home a young, beautiful, absolutely malicious concubine, and it does not go well. High body count, psychological motives discerned among suspects, painterly descriptions of the Nile Valley, no deus ex machina, and strong women characters tipped this into a solid four-star rating from me.
Research was obvious (According to the introduction that the author wrote, it's based on some writing on scrolls/papyri found in Luxor. Though, having been written in 1944, I wonder if it still stands up to scrutiny); And too if the protagonist’s thought processes might be too modern? Still, an entertaining read.

I made my 100! A little later than expected but early enough to fit in a few more. I think I’ll keep my ticker at “100” though. All the rest is just icing on the cake 🙂

101 Improbable Meet-Cute Collection - 6 individual short stories available on Amazon for Kindle:

• The Exception to the Rule (Improbable Meet-Cute #1; by Christina Lauren)
• Worst Wingman Ever (Improbable Meet-Cute Collection #2 (by Abby Jimenez)
• Rosie and the Dreamboat (Improbable Meet-Cute Collection #3; by Sally Thorne)
• Drop, Cover, and Hold On (Improbable Meet-Cute Collection #4; (by Jasmine Guillory)
• With Any Luck (Improbable Meet-Cute Collection #5; by Ashley Poston)
• Royal Valentine (Improbable Meet-Cute Collection; #6; by Sariah Wilson)

102. In 1934, Agatha Christie wrote a play featuring Hercule Poirot called Black Coffee-- And it has #AllTheThings for a Golden Age cozy: a locked room, tea cups, spills in a vase atop the mantel, and a murder! Sir Claude Amory is a physicist whose formula for an atomic bomb has been stolen. Once he realizes that the formula is gone, he sequesters everyone into the sitting room and calls for Hercule Poirot. Upon arrival however, Poirot & Hastings discover that the scientist is dead! Reading this in play form was fun for the imagination with the cues, stage directions, and set descriptions setting up the scenes with detail, and I was able to follow the plot easily, though admittedly I was tracking teacups more than the comings-and-goings of the characters! Interestingly, Charles Osborne, a biographer of Agatha Christie's adapted this play into a novel in 1998. It might be interesting to compare the play with the novelization, but for now I think I'll stick with the play 🎭

103. Under the Mistletoe Collection - 5 individual short stories available on Amazon for Kindle:

• Cruel Winter with You (Under the Mistletoe Collection #1; by Ali Hazelwood)
• Merry Ever After (Under the Mistletoe Collection #2; by Tessa Bailey)
• All by my Elf (Under the Mistletoe Collection #3; by Olivia Dade)
• Merriment and Mayhem (Under the Mistletoe Collection #4; by Alexandria Bellefleur)
• Only Santas in the Building (Under the Mistletoe Collection #5; by Alexis Daria)

104. Once Upon a Billionaire (First Time Falling #3; by S. Cinders)

105. Single & Single (by John LeCarré; narrated by Michael Jayston) - Single & Single is the name of a father-and-son law firm that specializes in handling the newly found wealth of Russian "entrepreneurs" in the wake of
perestroika. The mix of oligarchs, immense wealth, and capitalism leads to ever bolder actions until quiet shell companies and money laundering activities lead to large scale smuggling, betrayals, and murder. LeCarré blends the complexities of the relationships between fathers-and-sons with the intrigue of international corruption with matched cadence throughout the plot by showing how the professional roles of Single & Single are based on human interactions-- and vice versa. With flawed humans, the results are, if not surprising, impactful in their results/consequences. LeCarré's earlier works are rather dark, and this is no walk in the park; but in a post-Soviet world, his novels contain small notes of hope against a wider scope than the warrens of Whitehall and the actions of Karla could allow.

106. Thunderball (James Bond Celebrity Voices #9; by Ian Fleming; narrated by Jason Isaacs)

So I need to preface this review with a little background: My husband and I are watching Mad Men now as when it originally aired, we were busy being parents. Once we had gotten a couple episodes in, DH remarked that he was expecting a satire but instead, realized we were really watching an exposition on male fragility. That has really stuck with me, and given me a new perspective on the Bond novels. Way back at the beginning of the year, when I was listening to Casino Royal (narrated by Dan Stevens), I was surprised to hear the subtext behind the overtly sexist remarks. I realized that Bond was reacting to a very deep and immediate betrayal-- lashing out in pain as it were. Now, with the idea from Mad Men idea in focus, and applying it to the contemporary James Bond, he has a lot more dimension. I long ago divorced the idea of Hollywood Bond from Fleming's Bonds, but now 007 is something even more fully realized if if I am projecting.

So. In this, the ninth book in the series, Bond is sent to a health spa. His medical exam at HQ has raised an eyebrow at his smoking , drinking, and womanizing-- and the whole premise affords Fleming the opportunity to poke fun at healthy lifestyles as being emasculating. Anyway, Bond is sent to this health spa where he becomes suspicious of another patient who sports a gang tattoo. This leads to a petty but dangerous tit-for-tat between the two and sets up the lead-in to an international post-SMERSH conspiracy to blackmail the West: money in exchange for not detonating two atom bombs. The SPECTRE scheme plays out in the Bahamas and Fleming once again shows us his love for the environs with descriptions of a lush underwater paradise even as barracuda and sharks ply the waters.

Every few years, I return to the Bond novels with a fresh take-- and each time I came away with a renewed respect for Fleming's works. These have risen from being cheap, camp fiction to something much more nuanced and reflective of the times. I don't think I would have gotten here if I had just read the print. Something about listening to various actors narrate the books triggered a new awareness-- well, that and watching Mad Men!

107. The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials #2; by Philip Pullman) - Lyra has crossed over into another world and encountered Will-- a boy with a destiny/fate his own but that he will end up sharing with Lyra. Will's world is our own and we discover that moving between worlds in a multi-verse is possible. A combination of quantum physics and religion explains much of the action which centers around Will searching for his father and, Lyra trying not to do irrational things. There is tension (so much so that I had to put the book down for a couple of days until I was ready to trust the author to bring me through a particular situation), drama (bordering on melodrama, but forgiven since I love literary melodrama), and heartbreak (devastating). Pullman manages to draw these emotional scenes with remarkable effectiveness. What I'm not so crazy about is the development of the religious theme. We have an idea that religion is based on previously misunderstood scientific phenomenon, but no less powerful, dangerous or real for that. Beyond that, Pullman seems to be saying that non-corporeal entities can be empirically proven. I don't think science and religion are truly reconcilable, much less the same thing so I find this particular fantasy less credible.

108. The Spy Who Loved Me (James Bond Celebrity Voices #10; by Ian Fleming; narrated by Rosamund Pike) - This is an unusual entry in the Bond lineup as it's told from the POV of a young woman, Viv Michel. A Canadian escaping the romantic debacles of her past in England, she's now traveling down to Florida, but has stopped at a motel in upstate New York. She agrees to work for a few weeks and shutter the place at the end of the season; But on her last evening there, a severe thunderstorm hits and, coming in from the rain are two mafia thugs sent to "help". A tense situation quickly develops into a life-threatening one when Bond also shows up, looking for a place to stay for the night after a tire has gone flat on his car. So now we have a Bond, a Bond girl, and two bad guys--which seems pro forma except no one here is out to take over the world, make a million dollars, or undermine Western security. The scale of the plot is localized and moreover, Bond's character is ancillary to that of Viv Michel.
When I wrote my remarks about Thunderball (above) and referenced Mad Men, I talked about male fragility; but what has since occurred to me is that the show also reflects female vulnerability at a time when many women were moving out from under absolute control of the traditional mores of 1950s America. Again, in applying insight gleaned from the TV series to the contemporary Bond series and this book in particular, we see Viv Michel in a new light. This has never been one of my favorite Bond novels as I had often found ViV rather stupid, but seeing her in the context of a woman at the end of the 1950s/early 1960s trying to make her way through the world and without precedent, she looks rather brave.
I appreciate this story more this time around, though I did find the audiobook narrator, Rosamund Pike annoying AF. This is the second time I've encountered her in my listening (the first time was a recording of Pride and Prejudice and both times I have found her delivery too saccharine for my tastes.

109. Merry Ever After - Five contemporary romance shorts in one volume:

• "Hot Item" by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward
• "One NIght Only" (by Lucy Score)
• "A Kellan Holiday" (by Tijan)
• "HolidaySwing" (by Kennedy Ryan)
• "Nochebuena" (by Marie Force)

110. The Complete Romances of Chrétien de Troyes (translated from the Medival French & edited by David Staines) - In the 12th century, a poet by the name of Chrétien de Troyes transcribed some Arthurian romances, preserving a record of an oral tradition. The dedication to Christianity, the stone castles, the hand mirrors and, described armor are all tells from a later period than the 4th-6th century hypothetical timeframe for King Arthur— which shows how the romances were dynamic, evolving works. Ironically, writing them down would set them in place to serve as inspiration for the more famous Arthurian legends in the centuries to come even as they, the originals would fade into relative obscurity.

We meet King Arthur, his queen Guinevere, Gawain, Perceval, Kaye, Lancelot and others as they go on quests, uphold the ideals of chivalry, and lead the most Christian’s of lives; But also commit adultery, trash talk each other and, spoil for fights/jousts on sight!

There are five stories:
• “Erec and Enide” (King Arthur is mentioned but not a part of the story; similar to “Tristan and Isuelt”
• “Cliges” (You can call it true love, but it’s still adultery and fraud. This is something of a parable that explains why women were kept on lockdown forever afterwards)
• “The Knight of the Cart” (Chivalry as demonstrated by Sir Gawain and Sir Lancelot)
• “The Knight with the Lion” (Sir Yvain and chivalry… but also Sir Kay is pretty much the $h!ttiest guy at King Arthur’s court. Why does everybody put up with him?)
• “The Story of the Grail” (Sir Perceval is a rube and Sir Kaye is still a snarky SOB; The idea of the Grail is not fully developed and, the story isn’t really finished— so my least favorite story of the collection)
• “William of England” (Disappointingly not about William the Conquerer. Also, no King Arthur at all. But still an interesting look at the workings of High Middle Ages society)

111. The Tudors: The Complete Story of England's Most Notorious Dynasty by G. J. Meyer; narrated by Robin Sachs) - History is written by the victors and future generations tend to believe it. Then someone like G. J. Meyer goes and starts digging through documents with something akin to journalistic fervor and says, “Stop. Don’t buy into the propaganda. Take a look at this…” In The Tudors, Meyer smashes through the romanticism of the English Renaissance monarchs. Five rulers across three generations would build a brand that still endures despite the brutality, selfishness and sketchy motives that would get them canceled in modern times. (Or maybe not. I did see some uncomfortable parallels to current news— which made me think about the systems of control we as a people agree to submit to and our overall resiliency, as well as our breaking points… but I digress). Meyer does admit up front that attempting to draw the curtain back on the Tudors may be futile given media and entertainment portrayals over the past 400+ years.

I used to think the author was cynical but it’s really not that at all but a dry-eyed, acute, historical sobriety. And I am here for it. I loved his work on WWI, A World Undone and the Wilsonian legacy, The World Remade and have looking forward to this one on the Tudors. Meyer takes the same approach in making a statement in each chapter and then also providing contextual sections which help bridge the chapters and/or setup an important concept that will help the reader better understand and appreciate the moment or conundrum. His work hits a metaphorical reset button which is essential to truly understanding not only the why of then, but the why of now and even the future.

The late Robin Sachs is the British narrator of the audio edition and he’s okay. There were times I wished he sounded a bit more engaged with the material but overall, his deep, even voice carried me through the successive reigns. A note though about the audio edition: I have to go check against the print but it seems that chapter 26 is missing some text. There is an indication that someone did two terrible things but I didn’t find out what exactly they were!

112. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (James Bond Celebrity Voices #11; by Ian Fleming;narrated by David Tennant) - This is by far my favorite Bond story: A damaged and vulnerable woman, Tracy Di Vicenzo catches Bond's eye on the roads in Switzerland. Her father Draco, desperate to save her from herself, strikes a deal with Bond in which a marriage is negotiated. There are conditions that must be met on both sides however: Tracy must undergo psychiatric care and be mentally stable before Bond will marry her; and as for Bond, he's off to confront his old nemesis, Ernst Stavro Blofeld before retiring form the service and devoted his life to Tracy and marital bliss. With his future father-in-law's assistance, he locates Blofeld in the villain's newest incarnation as an allergist ensconced at a Swiss clinic. This is actually a cover for a biochemical plot to destroy the UK's agricultural industry (ergo the financial and political underpinnings of England as well).
So, there is skiing, bob-sledding, fast cars... all the things you would expect. What is a pleasant surprise is the character development of both Bond and Tracy, a mid-century love story and, a future beyond M15 for Bond.
In the film adaptation, George Lazenby plays Bond, Diana Rigg plays Tracy, and Telly Savalas plays Blofeld. The casting and adaptations are so perfect that it's no disgrace to envision the film 's scenes as the book's narrative unfolds.
What is unfortunate is that David Tennat narrates the audiobook edition. I mean, I get it: Tennant is a celebrity, his Scottish brogue comes into use and, thankfully, he doesn't mumble his way through the story. His French and German are articulated well, though it's c;ear form the micro-seconds of hesitation , that neither come naturally to him. What's saddest is that he doesn't really bring anything to the table: In the interview afterwards, he mentions the French and the German, the long sentences that required breath control as he was narrating, and compared the movie to the book-- but in regards to the story, doesn't really seem to understand why Bond has agreed to get married, treating the volte face as perhaps something spurious.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service will always be my favorite story, but this isn't my favorite presentation: Definitely a missed opportunity in bring fresh insight to the material.