Book Lovers Club
Comments
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Yesterday I checked out 20 kindle ebooks from our public library. An interesting situation. DH has a kindle linked to my Amazon account. His kindle has his name on it but when I download books, I get some of his books along with mine.
Also interesting. My kindle knows if I have read a book. Now and then I download a book I have already read. The kindle shows it has been read. The little electronic reader has a better memory than the human!
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Happy Mother’s Day to all you book-loving moms. Hope you get to curl up with a great book today and get pampered by your husband and/or kids!
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MagicLight - I love the IKEA post. Need to "steal" this one. LOL.
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Just finished Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule by Jennifer Chiaverini. Another excellent mostly-historical fiction from this Madison WI author who also penned The Spymistress. This one centers on the wife of U.S. Grant and her relationship with her enslaved companion.
The synopsis from goodreads: The New York Times bestselling author of Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker and Mrs. Lincoln's Rival imagines the inner life of Julia Grant, beloved as a Civil War general's wife and the First Lady, yet who grappled with a profound and complex relationship with the slave who was her namesake—until she forged a proud identity of her own.
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That sounds interesting, Badger!
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Ruth, I know you mostly read non-fiction but you also study Presidential history so you may like these books. Jennifer Chiaverini takes historical figures and adds detail to flesh them out.
Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker was Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley, a former slave who became a successful seamstress, civil activist, and author in Washington, DC. She was best known as the personal modiste and confidante of Mary Todd Lincoln, the First Lady.
The Spymistress was Elizabeth Van Lew, an American abolitionist and philanthropist. She was born to slave-holding aristocracy in Richmond, Virginia, educated by Northern Quakers, and eventually built & operated an extensive spy ring for the Union Army during the American Civil War. She was inducted posthumously into the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame.
I have not yet read Mrs. Lincoln's Rival which centers around Kate Chase Sprague, the Belle of Washington in her time, but I will.
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I have read Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker, and also Elizabeth Keckley's autobiography; very interesting for the facts and also the 'spin' she had to put on her life story so that her mostly white audience would find her book acceptable and buy it.
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DH and I both have been enjoying Martha Grimes mysteries featuring Richard Jury. Amazing coincidence: we both just happen to be reading the same book. Last night when we turned out the reading lights, I asked where he was in the story. We had finished reading the same chapter! He's a slower reader so I will probably finish the book ahead of him.
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That is funny, Carole. Great minds think alike?
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Great 'poster' Ruth.
Carole - I think I have collected almost all of the Martha Grimes mysteries in paperback now. I just can't part with this series since I KNOW I'll want to read them again.
Many years ago I had all of the John MacDonald stories set on the "Busted Flush" and the mysteries solved in Florida. All a color title - like Turquoise or Yellow or .. I gave them away and have been forever sorry.
What's interesting is that I'm coming around to moving out my extensive vinyl record collection - but not the books.
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Minus, my mom had all the Travis McGee books by John D. MacDonald but I was not allowed to read them. So of course I wanted to, and did as an adult. What was naughty then is tame by today's standards. The books have been re-issued but the covers are different. No more scantily-clad beach beauties.
Current book is The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey. Interesting premise. From the book jacket:
Martine is a genetically cloned replica made from Evelyn Caldwell's award-winning research. She's patient and gentle and obedient. She's everything Evelyn swore she'd never be. And she's having an affair with Evelyn's husband. Now, the cheating bastard is dead, and both Caldwell wives have a mess to clean up. Good thing Evelyn Caldwell is used to getting her hands dirty.
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I just finished this book. It tells the story of the migration of African Americans from the south to the north during the early to mid-20th Century . This may sound rather dry, but the author tells the story through the eyes of three of the immigrants and is very interesting and touching (sad, really). It has the feeling of a novel.
Here is a review that sums it up nicely:
"The Warmth of Other Suns is a beautifully written book that, once begun, is nearly impossible to put aside. It is an unforgettable combination of tragedy and inspiration, and gripping subject matter and characters in a writing that grabs the reader on Page 1 and never let's go. . . . Woven into the tapestry of [three individuals] lives, in prose that is sweet to savor, Wilkerson tells the larger story, the general situation of life in the South for blacks. . . . If you read one only one book about history this year, read this. If you read only one book about African Americans this year, read this. If you read only one book this year, read this." —The Free Lance Star, Fredericksburg, Va.
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Ruth, agree. A great book about another untold aspect of American history. Hard cover edition in my library.
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Ruth - thanks for the recommend. This book was already on my list but it will move up some notches.
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Just picked up The Warmth of Other Suns based on your recommendations. I am familiar with some of the history because Milwaukee and Beloit WI were places of in-migration for Black people from the South.
The Echo Wife was good, a quick read with an interesting premise (wife v. cloned wife) and an ending I did not predict. Also read Later, the new Stephen King. It was in the "Hard Case Crime" book series, something with which I was not familiar but will investigate further as I like that genre. Of course, being a Stephen King, there's a supernatural/horror element. Also polished off Someone to Watch Over Me, the new book in Robert B. Parker's legendary Boston PI series, now written by Ace Atkins. Spenser and Hawk take on a mega-wealthy a*hole pedophile and his partner-in-crime female recruiter/enabler. It was OK but the series is wearing thin. This one was obviously modeled on Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
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The Warmth of Other Suns was an excellent read - interesting and informative. The format, focused on the three people, kept it from being dry.
Picked up three books at the library yesterday. One is for my DH and two are for me.
Robert Ludlum's The Treadstone Exile by Joshua Hood. Another former black ops guy sucked into intrigue and danger while trying to live a normal life.
Send For Me by Lauren Fox. The goodreads summary reads as follows: An achingly beautiful work of historical fiction that moves between Germany on the eve of World War II and present day Wisconsin, unspooling a thread of love, longing, and the ceaseless push and pull of family. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53481714-send-for-me
The Secret Life of Groceries by Benjamin Lorr. It's subtitled "The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket." The praise by Mary Roach sealed the deal.
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been reading many great books but I bringing this one back to the library in a minute so I am writing a quick review NOW - Cathy Bonidan's The Lost Manuscript - "translated from the French by Emma Ramadan". This is an epistolary novel about a woman who finds manuscript in a hotel bedside table, reads it and is inspired to search for the author so she can return it. She can't stop, though, when she finds the author, she continues til she finds all the hands and countries it has been through in the 30 years that it had been missing. The story in the manuscript is transformative, although you the reader, never get to read it yourself - changing in big and small ways, all who have read it and they all contribute to uncovering the manuscript's history. The story is told via an exchange of letters over a period of months. It was a wonderful read.
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Thinking about taking an English course this Fall. If I do, I am thinking about taking Intro to Lit. by Women. I would save money on one of the books they have assigned as I have it in my personal library.
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Mommy - sounds like a GREAT class.
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Yep
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If you get a chance, please post a list of the assigned books. If would be fun to see how many I might have read at my advanced age. But more fun to see what I've missed so I can catch up.
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I'm currently listening to Zero Fail which is the history of the Secret Service by Carol Leonnig . It's really fascinating and on the light side I'm reading an ARC of a cozy mystery called A Brush with Murder.
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Jane Eyre
Passing
Handmaid's Tale
Pride & Prejudice
So far it looks like no one's signed up for the class, so it might get cancelled. If it does, I might just do the Creative Writing course. My mom gave me a good book suggestion as she knows I love reading. She said I should get Gone with the Wind to read.
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I've never read Passing, but I'll look it up. I've read the other three. On re-reading, I think I liked Wuthering Heights better than Jane Eyre, but that with grown up eyes. I never cared much for Pride & Prejudice, but it's a well loved book. I'm ready to read Handmaids Tale again.
And yes,if you've never read GWTW, you really should. I have a first edition inscribed from my Mother to HER Mother - "thought you might enjoy". And I first read it in my teens - under the covers with a flashlight because it was WAY past my bedtime every night. Long book (I think over 1000 pages) but I recall I finished it in record time.
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I'd love suggestions for "cozy mysteries" for my mom. She like mysteries without too much sex & violence. For example, she's read through The Cat Who ... series by Lilian Jackson Braun; David Rosenfelt's series featuring Andy Carpenter, attorney and dog lover; and Diane Mott Davidson's food-themed books. I found a Cozy Mystery List website but it's overwhelming!
The Secret Life of Groceries was very good. I may never eat shrimp again, given the horrible conditions under which it is raised and harvested.
Really enjoying Send For Me. Started yesterday and already halfway through. (It's been cold & rainy here, perfect reading weather.) From the dust jacket: "Annelise is a dreamer: imagining her future while working at her parents' popular bakery in Feldenheim, Germany, anticipating all the delicious possibilities yet to come. There are rumors that anti-Jewish sentiment is on the rise, but Annelise and her parents can't quite believe that it will affect them; they're hardly religious at all. But as Annelise falls in love, marries, and gives birth to her daughter, the dangers grow closer: a brick thrown through her window; a childhood friend who cuts ties with her; customers refusing to patronize the bakery. Luckily Annelise and her husband are given the chance to leave for America, but they must go without her parents, whose future and safety are uncertain.
"Two generations later, in a small Midwestern city [Milwaukee, where the author lives], Annelise's granddaughter, Clare, is a young woman newly in love. But when she stumbles upon a trove of her grandmother's letters from Germany, she sees the history of her family's sacrifices in a new light, and suddenly she's faced with an impossible choice: the past, or her future. A novel of dazzling emotional richness, Send for Me is a major departure for this acclaimed author, an epic and intimate exploration of mothers and daughters, duty and obligation, hope and forgiveness."
Picked up another non-fiction at the library: A Place for Everything by Judith Flanders. Couldn't resist the subtitle: The Curious History of Alphabetical Order.
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Badger, I’m a sucker for cozy mysteries! Here’s a few ideas for your mom:
The Daisy Dalrymple mysteries by Carola Dunn. First in the series is Death at Wentwater Court. Takes place in post WWI England. A socialite/writer solves mysteries that often focus on British landmarks or mansions. The series is close to 20 books long.
The Aunt Dimity series by Nancy Atherton. First in the series is Aunt Dimity’s Death. A woman receives a large inheritance from a godmother she never knew and moves to England. In each book, she solves mysteries with the help of her godmother, who communicates to her through a magic journal. (It makes sense in the books!) Another long series.
The Mrs. Pollifax mysteries by Dorothy Gilman. First one is The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax. An elderly woman is feeling bored and restless and becomes a CIA agent. Written in the 70s/80s but still enjoyable.
The Lady Hardcastle mysteries by T.E. Kinsey. First is A Quiet Life in the Country. A retired spy and her maid solve mysteries in their village.
Monica Ferriswrites a series centering on a needlework/yarn shop. First is Crewel World.
The Tea Shop mysteries by Laura Childs. First is Death by Darjeeling. A woman who owns a tea shop in Charleston solves mysteries on the side. There’s usually recipes in the back of each book too.
Finally, IMO the quintessential cozy mysteries are Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple books. My favorite is A Sleeping Murder.
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I read cozies all the time--at least one a week. Here are some contemporary cozies series I have been enjoying:
The Domestic Diva series by Krista Davis --https://cozy-mystery.com/krista-davis.html
Amish Candy Series by Amanda Flowers
Sherry Harris's Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mysteries https://sherryharrisauthor.com/sarah-winston-garag..
The Deadly Edits series by Kaitlyn Dunnett
The Haunted Library Mystery series by Allison Brook
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Thanks for the recommendations! That should keep mom busy for a while. :-)
Serpentine, the new Alex Delaware by Jonathan Kellerman was good. Alex helps Detective Milo Sturgis with a cold case involving a female serial killer.
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I think I read the Alex Delaware books just for Milo - a great character
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Finished my first book since my house renovation started. The Wrong Family by Tarryn Fisher. You absolutely will not see the twists & turns coming.
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