Author: HCNewton Page 258 of 610

Saturday Miscellany—11/27/22

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On November 27, 2021

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

Anyone else spending too much time fretting about the end of the year approaching? (and by too much time, I mean a stray thought here or there, not hours sitting in a corner rocking and chewing nails). There are a handful of books (and other things) that I promised myself I would read in 2021 and I’m not sure I’m going to get to them–especially as it seems that every library hold I’ve placed this fall is arriving at once. Library due dates trump just about every other plan that I have.

On the other hand, if in 2021 these are my most pressing woes? I’m going pretty good.

Speaking of pretty good–I hope you’ll find at least something “pretty good” below. Maybe even better:

Odds n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
bullet NPR Unveils: “Books We Love,” an Interactive Reading Guide—I think I could fall down this rabbit hole for a while (thankfully with 360 books, I’d eventually hit bottom–unlike a YouTube hole)
bullet A Scientific Explanation for Your Urge to Sniff Old Books: Jude Stewart Breaks Down the Chemical Reactions Behind Olfactory Bibliomania
bullet The Hare and the Tortoise—a profile of author Ian Robinson
bullet The Dresden Files Destroyed My TBR! (Spoiler Free Series Overview)—Honestly, I’ve only watched a couple of minutes of this–I have a hard time finding 20+ minutes for a YouTube video, but they were a good couple of minutes. I will finish this soon.
bullet The #R3COMM3ND3D2021 series over at Damp Pebbles, had some great recommendations this week. Check out the contributions from:
bullet BookBlogger Sue Bavey
bullet BookBlogger Nicki Mags
bullet Yours Truly
bullet BookBlogger Veronika Jordan
bullet BookBlogger Nicki
bullet Reviewer Angi Plant
bullet Author and BookBlogger Zoé O’Farrell
bullet Five Books I’ve Read about Readers—a list of books about people most of us can really identify with
bullet my favourite bookish travels of 2021—I like the approach to this best-of list
bullet My Faves So Far: 2 Years of Reviews—a good way to commemorate the anniversary
bullet Book Reviews: Star Rating Systems for Books
bullet Captivating First Lines

Lastly I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to EmmabBooks.com who followed the blog this week.

The Friday 56 for 11/26/21: All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle

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On November 26, 2021

In Currently Reading, Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, News/Misc., Quotations, The Friday 56

The Friday 56This is a weekly bloghop hosted by Freda’s Voice.

RULES:
The Friday 56 Grab a book, any book.
The Friday 56 Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your ereader. If you have to improvise, that is okay.
The Friday 56 Find a snippet, short and sweet.
The Friday 56 Post it

from Page 56 of:
All the Lonely People

All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle

The sense of relief Hubert felt when he saw Joyce walking toward him as he waited outside the entrance to the Regal was enormous. Her desire to go to the pictures with him hadn’t been an elaborate dream, a figment of his imagination, or a practical joke. She was here, she was really here, and the sight of her made him grin from ear to ear. She was, he thought, even more beautiful freed from the confines of her Hamilton’s uniform of demure black dress with dainty white bow and lacy collar. Sporting a navy-blue duster coat over a flowery lemon dress with green heels, she was a vision of spring and Hubert told her so.

“Thank you,” she replied. “The dress is new. I made it myself from a pattern in Vogue. Mum wasn’t sure about the color but I think it’s cheerful, don’t you?”

Hubert smiled.

“It’s like a piece of sunshine on a dull gray day.”

Joyce gave him an admiring glance.

The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise by Julia Stewart: A Quitet, Charming, Quirky, Tragic Tale

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On November 26, 2021

In Fiction, General Fiction/Literature

The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise

The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise

by Julia Stewart

Hardcover, 304 pg.
Doubleday, 2010

Read: November 16-18, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise About?

Balthazar Jones has inherited the world’s oldest living tortoise from his family—it’s been handed down for generations. It’s not the most interesting thing about him, but it’s going to prove pivotal.

Eight years before, Jones moved into the Tower of London with his wife and son, because that’s where Yeoman Warders live and work. Most of the world knows them by the nickname, Beefeaters. A few years later, his son dies suddenly. Jones and his wife, Hebe, stopped really talking or communicating that day—both wrapped up tightly in their grief.

Now, the Queen’s Equerry comes to Jones and tells him that the Queen wants to move the animals she’s been given by various nations to the Tower of London, re-establishing the menagerie there, and he gets to run it. After all, the keeper of the world’s oldest tortoise must know something about caring for animals, right?

His fellow Yeoman Warders aren’t happy about this at first—particularly the Chief Yeoman and the keeper of the ravens. Things go wrong pretty quickly with the animals in the menagerie, but it increases the popularity of the Tower, and tourism is booming. Also, it turns out that most of the Beefeaters end up enjoying the animals.

Hebe works in the Lost and Found for the London Underground where she and her officemate are diligent in seeking to reunite people with their lost property (very frequently odd things, it should be added), and will sometimes go to great lengths to do so. It is this strange little pocket universe they work in, and I was fascinated by that.

There are too many characters to list here—each eccentric in their own way (for example, the Tower chaplain, who secretly writes erotica with a sold moral core).

Around the time that the animals arrive, , everyone’s life changes—some for the better, some for the worse. As the Tower’s residents have to cope with the new arrivals, this collection of characters has to adjust to the changes rippling through their lives.

The Tone

Whimsical, but never outright funny. Comic and yet mournful. Grief permeates this novel—for opportunities lost, for mistakes made, for the death of a son and maybe a marriage—yet there’s an optimistic note throughout.

It’s hard to pinpoint the tone, think Gaiman’s Stardust meets Jennifer Weiner, and you’ll be close. It’s incredibly quotable, with some sparkling sentences (but for the quotes to make any sense, I’d have to go for longer pericopes than I’m comfortable with—so no examples, just take my word for it).

So, what did I think about The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise?

I really liked this. It felt like a fairy tale about the contemporary world and without any real magic (well, maybe).

You can’t help feel bad for all the characters (with one exception—the book would’ve been better without them if you ask me). They’re lonely, they’re heartbroken, and they have no real hope of their lot in life improving. But they keep going. They keep living their sad, lonely lives until something happens to change things. It’s kind of inspirational.

Charming prose, characters you sympathize and empathize with almost immediately, and some very strange events make for a good, entertaining read. At times I felt like I was about to fall in love with the book, but sadly, that didn’t happen—I did like it a lot, though.

3 Stars

2021 Library Love Challenge

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan: An Overdue Sequel to Verne’s Nemo Stories

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On November 26, 2021

In Fiction, Rick Riordan, Science Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

Daughter of the Deep

Daughter of the Deep

by Rick Riordan

Hardcover, 336 pg.
Disney-Hyperion, 2021

Read: November 18-22, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s Daughter of the Deep About?

So here’s the thing—the events and characters of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island are based on actual events and people—but Verne was given a few skewed details. One hundred-fifty years later, descendants of these people are running rival schools their ancestors founded, the Land Institute and the Harding-Pencroft Academy.

Students at HP are only told about their origins at a certain point, and their mission is to graduate future leaders in a variety of disciplines to guard the science that Nemo developed and slowly, carefully introduce it to the world.

Land Institute students are told their origins earlier and their mission is to rush that science out into the world—even if by doing so, it’ll unleash societal upheaval, economic trouble, and will upend established science for years.

The two schools are in sort of a cold war until the Land Institute launches an attack on HP, and the freshman class has to head to sea to try to survive. While on the run, the class is told about HP’s origins and our central character, Ana Dakkar, learns about her family history, forcing her to take a leadership position and more.

Can Ana and the rest of the freshman survive the Land Institute*? Can they utilize Nemo’s technology in ways no one else has? Who will control Nemo’s heritage?

* It is unfortunate that the ocean-going HP Academy is rivaled by the “Land Institute.” It feels a little too-on-the-nose, even though it’s named for Ned Land.

Plausibility

Because this is aimed at the MG crowd, I can buy the whole “a bunch of preteens/teens outsmart and outperform dangerous and super-smart older teens” nature of the plot—it’s pretty much a given in the genre.

Also, the whole Land Institute teachers/administrators allowing students to start killing people is a pretty hard pill to swallow. For some reason, I had an easier time buying competing mythological figures setting teens against teens.

But hey…if it’s in a universe where everything in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is based on reality, and that Nemo’s tech worked (and still does!)? Well, hey, I can buy a little less-than-plausible High School actions.

So, what did I think about Daughter of the Deep?

I had a lot of fun with this. A goofy premise, but well-executed. I dug the characters, the action was solid and the pacing was good—enough to keep the reader engaged and entertained, while giving enough breathing room for a little character development.

And there’s a giant cephalopod—every undersea adventure needs one of them.

If this is the beginning of a series (and it feels like it), there’s a good chance I’ll come back for more. But honestly? I think it’d be better as a stand-alone.

Either way, this is a fun ride—and one that’ll hopefully spur the target audience into giving Jules Verne himself a try.

3.5 Stars

2021 Library Love Challenge

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

Thanksgiving Book Tag

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On November 25, 2021

In Book Tag, Books, News/Misc.

Thanksgiving Book Tag
I’ve seen this on a few blogs, but it was on Bookstooge’s Reviews on the Road that I decided to do it myself. I don’t know where this originated, so I can’t credit them.

I really tried not to let recency bias rear its ugly head on these responses, but I ended up listing two books I read this year. Whoops.

1. Bread- What book is purely fluff, and has no real plot line?

I’m left scratching my head here–what doesn’t have a plotline?

Love

Love by Roddy Doyle

There’s a plot here, but it’s slight–and covered under layers and layers of clever dialogue. (none of which is a criticism, it worked wonderfully)

2. Turkey- What book made you want to fall asleep?

Zorro

Zorro by Isabelle Allende

It is Zorro–the swashbuckling, womanizing, swordsman who’s a proto-Batman figure. How do you make him dull? I still don’t know how you do it, but Isabelle Allende must, because she nailed it. The only reason I finished this was because I had to see if it ever got exciting. According to my logs, I read this in 2010–but at the time, I felt like I spent more than a decade reading it. So, I guess I might still be reading it.

3. Gravy- What book makes the whole series worth reading?

I’m struggling to answer this one–it seems to suggest that the others aren’t up to snuff, or aren’t even worth the time, “but this one book…” I’m sure there are some, but I can’t think of any. I’m tempted to say Red Dragon or The Silence of the Lambs are so good that it makes Hannibal worth it–but it’s easier to just skip the others.

I guess…

The Name of the Wind

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

I have problems with The Wise Man’s Fear. And, sure, I’d love to read The Doors of Stone. But you know what? I loved The Name of the Wind enough that I can live with what ever’s lacking in the others (including, but not limited to, not being published).

4. Stuffing- What book is stuffed full of action scenes?

A Wanted Man

A Wanted Man by Rob Parker

The first Ben Bracken novel is as non-stop as you could ask for. Pound-for-pound there’s more action in this book than any other I can remember. Sure, Parker can go whole paragraphs without much in the way of action–but he doesn’t do that often here.

5. Mashed Potatoes- What book looked good, and then wasn’t?

Behind Her Eyes

Behind Her Eyes by Sara Pinbrough

A Killer hook. A lot of hype. Some compelling writing. And an ending that made me want to hurl it across the room and into a shredder. It was a library book, however, so I really couldn’t indulge the impulse.

Also…really? l;ike Bookstooge said, what’s up with this slander against Mashed Potatoes? (not just saying this as a reflexive defense of the crop Idaho’s best known for)

6. Cranberries- What book has the sweetest romance?

Not Famous

Not Famous by Matthew Hanover

The first romance that jumped to mind was Nick and Alli from Hanover’s first book. (sure, most of the sweetness came from Alli, but Nick’s not bad, either).

I’m not convinced that cranberries are really all that “sweet,” however. Tart? Sour? Sure. Sweet? Eh, only with anough sugar added. Unlike everything Hanover’s written.

7. Corn- What’s the corniest book you’ve ever read?

The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists

The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists
 by Gideon Defoe

This is just a ridiculous novel–I laughed a lot. I cringed a lot, too. It was a delightful batch of corny silliness.

8. Green beans- What book is too long and needs to be shortened?

Lethal White

Lethal White by Robert Galbraith

Part of the reason that I haven’t jumped on Troubled Blood is that this one was just too long. At the time (or since), I couldn’t figure out what needed to be cut, but something sure needed to.

Unlike any green bean dish I’ve ever had, however, I enjoyed Lethal White in the end.

9. Pumpkin Pie- What book do you read to get out of a reading slump?

Misc Wolfe covers

Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin by Rex Stout

It’s been a while–a very long while–since I’ve been in a slump. But I could always count on some of my favorite Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin novels. They’re pure comfort food–tasty and sweet.

10. Dog/Cat- What’s your favorite Thanksgiving food that you would steal from the table?

Stuffing

This varies a lot from year to year, but more often than not, I’d say stuffing.

(image borrowed from Happy Life Blogspot)

As usual, I’m not tagging anyone in this—but I’d like to see what you all have to come up with.

Thanksgiving 2021

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On November 25, 2021

In Calendar Items, News/Misc.

Happy Thanksgiving/Turkey Day/Thursday

On this day that has been set aside for us in the U.S. for expressions of gratitude, it’s been my custom take a moment and mention a few of the things that The Irresponsible Reader is thankful for.

bullet The readers of this blog, the authors who’ve corresponded with me/provided books for me to read/encouraged me—even promoted this here project.
bullet Books—the stories, characters, and/or things I’ve learned are what keep me sane, entertain, and inspire me.
bullet Authors! If not for them, I wouldn’t have the above.
bullet Audiobooks and talented narrators—ditto
bullet Coffee (and other beverages both caffeinated and adult)
bullet Time to read
bullet The Nampa Public Library (and The LYNX! Consortium)
bullet Rediscovered Bookshop, Rediscovered Bookshop – Caldwell, and Libro.fm
bullet My supportive, understanding, and encouraging wife and kids. They all do a pretty decent job pretending to care when their old man drones on and on about what he’s reading or what’s going on with the blog. They’ve also done a good job on the brainstorming front lately.
bullet Again, all of you who read, follow, like, tweet, comment, email, etc. this page—you have no idea how much every little bit is appreciated.

For my fellow Americans, I hope you have a pleasant day with your friends and/or family. Non-US types, I hope you enjoy today and that you enjoy having the same pant size tomorrow as you do today.

WWW Wednesday, November 24, 2021

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On November 24, 2021

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., WWW Wednesday

It’s Thanksgiving Eve, time to take a break from thinking about too much food and glance at what I’ve been up to the last week with a WWW Wednesday.

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Easy enough, right?

What are you currently reading?

I’m reading the ARC for The Twelve Monotasks: Do One Thing at a Time to Do Everything Better by Thatcher Wine and am listening to Super Powereds: Year 1 by Drew Hayes, Kyle McCarley (Narrator) on audiobook.

The Twelve MonotasksBlank SpaceSuper Powereds Year 1

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Rick Riordan’s Daughter of the Deep (which was exactly what I needed to keep me reading his stuff) and The Astonishing Mistakes of Dahlia Moss by Max Wirestone, Lauren Fortgang (Narrator) on audio (a different narrator for this book, and maybe a better one).

Daughter of the DeepBlank SpaceThe Astonishing Mistakes of Dahlia Moss

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle—it’s been over a decade since I’ve read Gayle, and am eager to see how he’s developed. Wrapping up my Alex Verus revisit just in time for the finale coming out in December, my next audiobook should be Forged by Benedict Jacka, Gildart Jackson (Narrator).

All the Lonely PeopleBlank SpaceForged

How are you spending this holiday week (if you’re in the U.S.)? I’m curious about the rest of the world, too, but it feels awkward to ask how you’re spending a perfectly generic week…

Catch-Up Quick Takes: The Case of the Missing Marquess; Dark Arts and a Daiquiri; Breaking Silence; Everything Happens; Based on a True Story: A Memoir; How to Resist Amazon and Why; Nothing Like I Imagined

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On November 24, 2021

In (Auto)Biography, Audiobook, Fiction, Humor, Jo Perry, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Non-Fiction, Politics/Current Affairs, Urban Fantasy

The point of these quick takes posts is to catch up on my “To Write About” stack—emphasizing pithiness, not thoroughness. This time, I’ve got a handful of 3 Star reads/listens (I don’t think I planned it that way, it just worked out).

The Case of the Missing Marquess

The Case of the Missing Marquess

by Nancy Springer, Katherine Kellgren (Narrator)
Series: Enola Holmes, #1
Unabridged Audiobook, 4 hrs., 31 min.
Recorded Books, 2008
Read: November 1, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

(the official blurb)
This is a cute read for people who like the idea of Sherlock Holmes, but aren’t that interested (or ready) in the real thing. Which may sound dismissive, but it’s not supposed to be. I can easily see why the people behind the movie(s) latched onto this character. I can also easily see why they tweaked the content of this book and expanded it for the first movie (does the second book some/all of what they used to expand?).

I don’t know that I’m going to go the distance with this series, but I can easily see going for one more dip in the pool.

Fast, amusing and pretty clever. This look at Sherlock and Mycroft’s little sister is a pleasant little book.

3 Stars

Dark Arts and a Daiquiri

Dark Arts and a Daiquiri

by Annette Marie, Cris Dukehart (Narrator)
Series: The Guild Codex: Spellbound, #2
Unabridged Audiobook, 7 hrs., 39 min.
Tantor Audio, 2018
Read: October 22-25, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

(the official blurb)
For book 2 to remove our non-magical bartender to a guild of Magic Users from the Guild Members for the majority of the book is a pretty gutsy move. I’m not sure it was the right way to go, and I’m not sure it was successful. But it was gutsy.

The story was…okay, I guess. It really didn’t do a lot for me, but the last few chapters—pretty much when Tori reunites with her friends made the whole thing worth it. And the Dresden File hat-tip was fantastic.

I’m still in on this series/group of series, but I bet when all is said and done, this’ll be the one to forget.

3 Stars

Breaking Silence

Breaking Silence

by Linda Castillo, Kathleen McInerney (Narrator)
Series: Kate Burkholder, #3
Unabridged Audiobook, 9 hrs., 21 min.
Macmillan Audio, 2011
Read: October 20-21, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

(the official blurb)
Another horrific murder in Amish country. I’d love for a few books to involve other crimes in this community. I realize it’s her shtick, but a little variety could help things.

That aside—the villain of this piece is horrible and creepy, and you can feel the evil. Watching Kate and Agent Tomasetti try to figure out the motive behind the killing and the identity of the killer was a fun ride. I really do like these individually—even if I wonder about the series as a whole.

3 Stars

Everything Happens

Everything Happens

by Jo Perry
Kindle Edition, 119 pg.
Fahrenheit Press, 2019
Read: October 18-19, 2021

(the official blurb)
This starts as the story of a nurse trying to get a quickie divorce from a loser and then turns into a story of carjacking, kidnapping, attempted kidnapping, robbery, vengence, betrayal, and car chases.

Basically: just another weekend in Vegas.

I was riveted throughout, but…I couldn’t stop asking, “Why?” I’m not sure I saw the point of the whole thing—but you know what? I didn’t care, I enjoyed it too much to bother with things like that.

3 Stars

Based on a True Story: A Memoir

Based on a True Story: A Memoir

by Norm Macdonald, Tim O’Halloran (Narrators)
Unabridged Audiobook, 7 hrs., 18 min.
Random House Audio, 2016
Read: October 12-14, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

(the official blurb)
A fictionalized version of MacDonald’s memoir, it’s hard to tell what’s memoir, what’s a joke, what’s a mixture. The more obviously genuine moments are marred by their vicinity to the clearly fictional. As a book? This is a mess—a self-indulgent, erratic, mess.

But wow. This was funny—even most of what I didn’t like was funny.

Don’t go into this thinking you’ll understand MacDonald’s life, career, or humor better. Go into it expecting a strange performance art-like experience with some giant laughs and you’ll be set.

3 Stars

How to Resist Amazon and Why

How to Resist Amazon and Why:
The Fight for Local Economics,
Data Privacy, Fair Labor,
Independent Bookstores,
and a People-Powered Future!

by Danny Caine
Paperback, 113 pg.
Microcosm Publishing, 2021
Read: October 6, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

(the official blurb)
This is a no-holds barred critique (screed?) against Amazon—their business practices, the way they treat employees, the way they deal with governments, their security products…and just about everything else. It’s also a call to arms against the giant.

I have a lot of sympathies for Caine’s positions and desires—and agree with most of them. I also follow some of the practices he espouses (not as many as I want, but hey…I’m on a budget).

Still, I’m not sure the megastore is a super-villain—it may resemble one, very closely. As much as we might want it to be.

Read this—blanch at some of it—but take it with a grain of salt.

3 Stars

Nothing Like I Imagined

Nothing Like I Imagined (Except for Sometimes)

by Mindy Kaling
Unabridged Audiobook., 2 hrs., 19 min.
Brilliance Publishing, 2020
Read: October 1, 2021

(the official blurb)
I really enjoyed Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) and Why Not Me?—this has the same kind of humor—and the audio versions of all three are equally charming.

But I don’t know, this seemed lifeless? Sweet and genuinely funny, but it left me wanting a bit more. I don’t think it was just the length, either.

3 Stars

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase from any of them, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

The Dead House by Harry Bingham: Fiona’s Latest Case Takes Her to the Darkest Places

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On November 23, 2021

In Fiction, Fiona Griffiths, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

The Dead House

The Dead House

by Harry Bingham
Series: Fiona Griffiths, #5

Kindle Edition, 391 pg.
2016

Read: August 11-13, 2021

What’s The Dead House About?

The big task force that Fiona’s in, trying to get at the group she’s been on the heels of since book 1, is about to be shut down—they’re just not getting results. Predictably, Fiona isn’t dealing well with it. She needs something else to do to remind her why she’s with the police.

Circumstances too elaborate to get into lead her into being a detective on-scene near a small village to oversee a found body until the local police with jurisdiction can take over—but in the end, we have Fiona alone in a room with a corpse for a few hours. Naturally, she develops a strong emotional connection with the body and becomes determined to find out what happened to this woman.

There are no obvious signs of violence—and even some signs of care—to the woman, but she’s dead and she’s been left in a remote location without anyone notifying the authorities. And, it turns out, she’s been missing for quite a while.

Fiona needles her way into the investigation, of course (because what else is she going to)—and the path that she and the DI she’s assisting leads far beyond the small town they start in and to some truly dark places. (yeah, that’s incredibly vague, but I’m faced with being vague or giving you a few thousand words almost spoiling the story beats on this one)

So, what did I think about The Dead House?

Yes, over the last couple of books particularly, Fiona’s doing a good job on socializing, on connecting with people, on acting “normal” (a goal she longs for and yet doesn’t want at all). I love seeing that kind of development, as much as we like to see damaged protagonists struggling to cope—it’s always great to see them making healthier choices.

But at the same time…you put Fiona in a room alone with a corpse for too long so she develops a bond with the person she starts calling “Carlotta” (and resists using Carlotta’s actual name when she’s eventually identified)? I’m in. Fiona as the creepy detective who’s way too interested in dead bodies is just fun to read about.

Bingham doesn’t throw out all the progress she’s made, Fiona just sidesteps it for a little bit. Her natural tenacity and the people skills that she’s developing aid her in this investigation (and her self-destructive tendencies hinder her, too). It’s really the best of both worlds as far as Fiona’s character goes.

I wasn’t as taken with this story as I wanted to be—as I expected to be. And when the final whodunit reveal was made, I’d been waiting for it for longer than I should have been—not because I’m all that clever, but who else could it have been? That said, when the motivation and methods behind the reveal are made clear? That blew me away and creeped me out.

I can see how this is going to help the overall arc of the series, it had some great moments—and any time spent in Wales with Fiona is a reward. But I wanted a bit more from this one. Don’t start with this one if you’re interested in the series, but if you’ve read the rest, you’ll enjoy this one.

3.5 Stars

20 Books of Summer '21

Top Ten Tuesday: Characters I’d Love An Update On

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On November 23, 2021

In News/Misc.

Yes, I’m posting two separate Top X Lists today—just the way it worked out. I haven’t done either a Top 5 Tuesday or a Top Ten Tuesday in a long time, but today’s prompt from both sounded fun…so, why not?)


The topic for this week’s Top Ten Tuesdays is the Characters I’d Love An Update On (Where are they now that the book is over?).

This was a fun exercise, and one I could repeat—I could easily do two or three more of these.

Top Ten Characters I’d Love An Update On

In no particular order, just as they occurred to me:

10

Leroy Brown (from the Encyclopedia Brown books by Donald J. Sobol)

I’m curious what he’s like as a grown-up. What did he do with his life? Join the police, the FBI? Become a professor? Go on Jeopardy! and clean up? Go live a quiet life as an accounant somewhere and just read a lot of true-crime? Now that I’ve started thinking about it, I haven’t been able to stop. I seriously need to know this.
9

Tabitha-Ruth “Turtle” Wexler (from The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin)

We got a good look at grown-up T.R. in the closing pages of the novel, but I’d like to see more of her in action as an adult. Turtle was one of my favorite characters as a kid (and I still have a soft-spot for her), I’d love to see more of her.
8

Patrick Kenzie/Angie Gennaro (from Dennis Lehane’s series)

Yeah, it’s technically two characters. But since they were both titular protagonists, I figure they qualify as one entry (also, getting an update on one would involve an update on the other anyway). I realize that Moonlight Mile served as one given the 11 year gap between it and Prayers for Rain. But it’s been 10 years, and I’d like another update.
7

Albert (from A Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark by Harry Connolly)

I don’t remember his last name and haven’t had time to look it up, his aunt’s last name was Jacobs, maybe that’s it. The novel didn’t demand a sequel—and Connolly’s flat-out said he doesn’t have one in mind—but I would enjoy one—at least a novella-length thing. I liked the guy (eventually) and am curious how things worked out for him after these events.
6

Clay Jannon (from Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan)

Really, anyone from that book, but I figure there are more stories to tell with Clay (and we spend more time with him than anyone else, so, gimme more)
5

Rae Spellman (from The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz

From the instant we meet her in the first book, Rae felt like someone who could carry her own series—and she just got more interesting from there. I’d love to know what happened to her from her mid-20s on.
4

Doug Parker (from How to Talk to a Widower by Jonathan Tropper)

I could probably go for an update from just about any Tropper characters (anything to get him back to novels!), but Doug’s always been my favorite and I’d like to see that life worked out for him.
3

Carol Starkey (from Demolition Angel, and then a couple of the Elvis Cole novels by Robert Crais)

It really looked like Crais was going to do something with Starkey in the Cole novels, and he either abandonded that idea or just hasn’t gotten around to following through yet. Even when she showed up in the Cole books, I thought that Crais under-used her. She deserves better.
2

Tres Navarre (from Rick Riordan’s adult series)

I don’t know that there were many more stories to tell with Tres, but I thought there was a little more gas in the tank before Riordan realized he could make a lot more money by being the USA’s answer to J. K. Rowling.
1

Jane Eyre (from, well, duh)

I’d love to see what Jane’s like given a loving and supportive environment, a mission in life, and a stable place to live—just any kind of stability in her life, really.

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