Some good reading this month although I fell behind on the Two Month Review reading of The Remembered Part. I did listen to the podcasts.
I'm trying to get back to reading things on Project Gutenberg. I'm aiming for at least one a month.
From Project Gutenberg:
The D'Arblay mystery by Freeman, R. Austin. (A.L Burt edition, 1926. I think this was a reprint of the Dodd, Mead edition.)
Every so often I get a yen for a classic crime novel and this was a good choice. There is a nice discussion of this title on Vintage Pop Fictions.
Love the cover (image from Project Gutenberg).
From the library:
fiction:
In a Land without Dogs the Cats Learn to Bark by Garfinkel, Jonathan
Post Soviet Republic of Georgia. Excellent!
August Blue by Levy, Deborah
Another excellent read. Concert pianist faces identity crisis.
Return to Valetto by Smith, Dominic
Italian/American historian returns to the family villa to discover family secrets from WW2.
The Chateau by Goldis, Jaclyn
A sort of locked room mystery. I got a bit tired of the many descriptions of what everyone was wearing and there were way too many descriptions of table settings.
The Guest by Cline, Emma
Homeless, nearly penniless young woman survives on Long Island (the posh part) for a few days. A fairly successful character study.
Hungry Ghosts by Hosein, Kevin Jared
Trinidad 1940s. Well told but depressing family story.
Unnatural Ends by Huang, Christopher
Family mystery. Three siblings join the investigation of the adoptive father's murder. His will says the one who finds the culprit will inherit the estate. The search is the thing and they find lots of stuff they didn't know they looking for, A good romp.
The Blackhouse by Johnstone, Carole
Mysterious (paranormal?) goings-on in the Outer Hebrides.
Pineapple Street by Jackson, Jenny
Whatever, Rich people in Brooklyn.
Crow Mary by Grissom, Kathleen
Based on the life of a Crow woman married to a white trader. Set in late 1800s Montana and Canada
The Lock-Up (Quirke, #9) by Banville, John
Disappointing.
Letters to the Lost by Grey, Iona
More WW2 London. Meek wife of gay vicar falls for Yankee officer. Good story until it wasn't. Really sappy ending.
Dead-End Memories: Stories by Yoshimoto, Banana
An author I've been wanting to read for some time. Now I find out I don't care for her writing. (I also checked out The Lake but didn't get past the first 50 pages.)
The Spectacular by Davis, Fiona
New York 1950s. A Rockette and a psychiatrist help NYPD solve a series of bombings. Yeah, sure. But it was a pleasant diversion.
The Wind Knows My Name by Allende, Isabel
Skimmed a lot, wish I'd skimmed the whole thing. Is she trying to fit a story into social issues (US immigration policies, Trump, gender equality, holocaust, racism, etc) or social issues into a story? It does neither.
You Were Always Mine by Pride, Christine and Piazza, Jo
A white woman abandons her baby for her black friend to foster. Lots of bad decisions are made by everyone but it all works our in the end, Tedious.
nonfiction:
Treasure Palaces: Great Writers Visit Great Museums edited by Fergusson, Maggie
Fun to read. I knew some of the authors and museums, had heard of others, and some were new to me.
Fatherland: A Memoir of War, Conscience, and Family Secrets by Bilger, Burkhard
WW2. Alsace.
Dinner with the President: Food, Politics, and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House by Prud'Homme, Alex
Enjoyable read on the place of shared meals in politics and diplomacy.
