So excited to learn that Mr. Carrington’s new book, Clean in 15, is in preorder! To learn more:
I have followed his cleaning adventures for years and have always learned something new.
Well done, Mr. C!
Category: Books
From The Reading Table: There Will be Bodies
There Will Be Bodies: A Flavia Albia Novel by Lindsey Davis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the first book in the series to take place out of Rome. I admit I rather enjoyed that! Falco & Helena Justina used to leave Rome every once in a while, which seemed to give the reader (and I suspect the writer) a much needed change of pace.
This time, Flavia Albia and Manlius Faustus are tasked by his uncle Tullius to clear a property that he just purchased sight unseen. Said property was damaged when Vesuvius erupted 10 years earlier.
Needless to say, bodies were found, mysteries were discovered, and to no one’s surprise, Flavia Albia is caught up in the search for the truth of what happened.
I enjoyed spending more time with Faustus’ workmen. I also enjoyed the folks who journeyed with them to the villa, and who came along later. Most of all, I enjoyed Faustus and Albia together. We get a look at a solid partnership, much like Falco and Helena’s.
I always enjoy the epilogues. Ms. Davis has a wonderful habit of dropping pebbles throughout her books about many things but it is in the epilogues that she provides a glimpse into the future. I admit I am often caught off guard by the realization that these books, as with the Falco series, are memoirs written many years after the fact.
It was heartbreaking to learn of the impact the volcano’s eruption had not only on Falco but the rest of the family. Albia’s recollections filled out what little we had learned about Falco heading to Pompeii to find his nephew and family only to return empty handed and broken hearted. She had accompanied her father, seeing the destruction at the time and now the ravages 10 years after.
I find myself pondering Suza’s recovery from her adventures i the prior book. Dromo might actually be maturing. A bit. Maybe. How many children???
Looking forward to an audiobook I hope will be coming soon. As much as I enjoy reading these books, I prefer to listen to them!
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From The Reading Table: Southern Spirits
Every once in a while I enjoy a cozy mystery. I found this one thanks to an Audible sale and liked it enough to tag the rest of the series.<br /><br />Verity is smart (mostly), sassy, determined, and tends to get herself into situations that…scare the wits out of her. Any anyone reading along. Not your generic Damsel in Distress. Ditto her friends and family, not to mention the location of the story.
I like the characters, which don’t feel cookie cutter to me (hoping that continues). I love the skunk. IYKYK. The twists and turns could be a tad confusing but everything seems to even up at the end. The ghosts are some of the most realistically portrayed characters I’ve come across in a long time. Their stories are relayed sympathetically rather than being cliche.
So far, I am enjoying this and looking forward to more.
Hard Copy Rules!
It is no secret that I love books, all sorts of books but my cookery books have to be in hard copy rather than electronic form. I don’t have time, patience or the need to wrestle with a device to cook a recipe. And, yes, I do have a few cookery books in electronic form but, truth be told, I don’t plan on doing much cooking from them. And, yes, I get the irony, too. <shrug>
Recently Anna from Cooking The Books made an excellent point about depending upon online recipes as she showed her home made pickles. Click HERE to check it out.
While there is an advantage to being able to search for a recipe online, the reality is that nothing online is permanent. And we all know that the power never goes out and WiFi never stops. /s
A paper copy gives you the advantage of having what you need, what you use, when you need it to use it. And there are options for how you use that paper copy.
Also, cooking from scratch enables us to be able to create the most amazing things without depending upon someone else to deliver, set up, etc.
Food for thought…
From The Reading Table: Rereading Miss Moriarity, I Presume?
Lately I have gone back to reread (in my case relisten) to the entire Lady Sherlock series to date. I’ve enjoyed the experience but more importantly I discovered details I had not noticed before…
Miss Moriarty, I Presume? by Sherry Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have been revisiting this series lately and when it came time to listen to this book again, I admit, I wasn’t too enthusiastic. It wasn’t a favorite when it first came out. I had assumptions based on what I ‘thought’ the story told bur as the relisten (audio book) progressed, I realized I had either missed or not remembered things correctly.
Big Mistake.
Sherry Thomas’ writing can be very visceral. This particular book is a great example.
The encounter with Moriarity left me exhausted and wound so tight I couldn’t breath for a few minutes. Clearly, I had absorbed the reactions from Charlotte and the group. Then again, the addition of a gattling gun in Sherlock’s bedroom was a bit…
The discovery of a rather important but carefully, craftily noted detail had gone unnoticed until this relisten. Moriarity himself reports to someone higher??????!!!!!!
O.M.G.
Learning this after listening to the entire series many times left me pondering what I might expect with the next book in the series (which can not come fast enough).
This book is an amazing adventure. We have the opportunity to learn more about our key players and discover things that are surprising and intriguing. It is also early enough in the series for me to realize just how carefully crafted the entire series is, not just the individual books.
Clearly, this is a much bigger puzzle than I originally thought.
Moriarity likes to maneuver and manipulate everyone. There are no lengths he will not go to. Pitted against not only his daughter but Charlotte & Company the game becomes far more deadly and the plotting becomes extremely ambitious.
Taken after reading the rest of the series you begin to understand the stakes and contemplate what Charlotte has been planning. Prepare to have your mind boggled!
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From The Reading Table: A Gentleman and a Thief
A Gentleman and a Thief: The Daring Jewel Heists of a Jazz Age Rogue by Dean Jobb
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I tripped over this as I browsed an Audible 2 for 1 sale.
Every once in a while I find something way out of my normal rut. This was not only on a different road but a different time period than my usual.
A true crime story about a man whose name is mostly forgotten, 100 years ago Arthur Barry was a burglar who ran the local constabulary in circles until the inevitable end … sort of.
Arthur was one of those kids who was smarter than was good for him and his need for excitement set him on a path that started when he was 12 or 14 and ran until he was nearing 50. He developed a game plan for burglarizing homes that almost always guaranteed that (a) he got what he came for (b) he got away and (c) no one was injured or killed.
Polite, well mannered, bright, quick thinking. Arthur was all that and more. His story is amazing and amusing and even surprising.
Looking for something a bit out of the ordinary? This is it!
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From the Reading Table: The Shardlake Series
I recently encountered the BBC dramatization of the first 6 books in this series by C. J. Sansom on Audible and decided to give it a try. I’d not heard of the series before but now…
As a rule, Tudor England is not a period of history that captures much of my interest. I know a passing amount about Henry VIII and his family. This isn’t unusual if you have access to some sort of viewing screen and a streaming platform or two… Perhaps that is why I don’t claim any real Interest (yes, capitalization and all that goes with it) in the period.
That being said, I could say the same about Cadfael, that wonderful series starring Derek Jacobi from 1994. Different period of English history but still mysteries. <shrug/grin>
Shardlake is beautifully presented with interesting characters and more than a passing reference to historic people and places. It gives you an opening to walk through a looking glass, so to speak, and meander among the locals.
The stories are well written and the mysteries do not require the reader to dive in head first if they don’t want to.
This article, from the Adventures of a Tudor Nerd, provides a great introduction and might answer any questions you have before you dive in. Click HERE to read it.
I thoroughly enjoyed the BBC production but I will also be checking out the standard books in the series.
If you are inclined, Hulu / Disney+ has the 4 episode live action series. It is on my To Be Watched List.
From The Reading Table: It Seemed Like A Bad Idea At The Time
It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time by Bruce Vilanch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Every once in a while I come across a book that is so much fun, so delicious an experience, I hate to see it come to an end.
This is one of those books.
I admit I am a fan of the Hollywood Behind The Scenes scene. I love the stories about the things that go on that most folks have no clue about (even with social media) and I love it when I learn about stories that go back decades to a time when I remember either the show or the performer from days gone by.
This is one of those books.
For some readers (or listeners like me) the names might not connect but for others, we know who those folks are/were and had seen the shows or performances.
Memory lane!
For good or bad, every person has one of those folders in their heads labelled “It Was A Good Idea At The Time”. This is just a collection of items in a differently labelled folder.
Fun? Yeah.
Interesting? If you like the material.
Worth a listen or a read? Yep!
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From The Reading Table: Murder Crossed Her Mind
Murder Crossed Her Mind by Stephen Spotswood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This read (listen) came about because of a 2 for 1 sale on Audible.com. I have to say I am quite pleased to have discovered it.
I love Nero Wolfe and Sherlock Holmes and have listened or read many takes on each collection. Archie was always more interesting than Wolfe and Watson caused some humor but made Holmes more accessible.
Both Pentecost and Parker are interesting people in their own right but bring them together and there is something a bit arcane about their relationship. Each woman is very individual and interesting and not a cookie cutter cut out of some other literary character.
The time frame is also interesting and unusual. Later than either Wolfe or Holmes and in New York City, no less, the reader is treated to a post-war environment that is not cozy or mundane. Can I just say I love the idea of the brownstone?
My entry into the series was book 4 and as such a lot of the foundation has already been put into place. Juggling several cases (mysteries) at once makes the reader engage or just keep pace, there is no mid way if only to keep up with the various mysteries.
Speaking of the mysteries, wow! When each starts out I found myself thinking that I ‘knew’ what was coming but as each evolved it became clear that the author was in control and what IO ‘thought I knew’ was not what was actually going on. I love it when the author does that!
The cliffhanger ending was a both expected and surprising. And I can’t wait to find out what comes next!
I know I will be going back to Book 1 to learn more about Pentecost and Parker. I also know that I will have to pace myself as the author takes no prisoners and I suspect each book will be intense and wild.
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From The Reading Table: Life’s Too Short to Stuff A Mushroom
Life’s Too Short to Stuff a Mushroom: Really good food without the fuss – foolproof recipes, shortcuts and hacks by Prue Leith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Written by a well known cook but focusing on the reality that not every home cook has the time, let alone inclination, to be exceptionally fussy about cooking. Sometimes you really just need (want) to make use of shortcuts.
While this is not a huge book, there are some interesting features that could be useful for those who would use and appreciate them. The hacks and tips are useful but I think the QR Codes that will take the reader to videos showing how to do something might be the book’s best benefit.
All of this makes the book useful to every level of cook.
I think this is one worth taking a look at and maybe even trying out a couple of the recipes.
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