What I'm reading Wednesday...

This is the second in a mystery series about a forensic pathologist, and an archaeologist who are called to work on cases of bodies found in bogs.  Bogs have a way of preserving bodies, so specialists need to be called in to determine if it is a modern case or a case from a previous age in history.  I read the first in the series a couple of years ago.  I think I bought the third one in the series at the same time for $1.99.  I wanted to read it recently, but thought I should read them in order, so I checked this one out from the library.

I loved this one!  I usually don't like reviews that say a book is funny...if you are the same, then pretend I didn't say it...but I laughed a lot.  I listened to this as a library audiobook, and the funny may have been due to the narrator, so if you are reading a hard copy and not enjoying it, I suggest trying the audio version.  The narrator was excellent (in my humble opinion).

This is by the author of Lessons in Chemistry.  Peck & Peck is about a boy who loves poetry.  His family is loving and supportive, but doesn't really think he can make a living in poetry.  

A local quilting group of mostly senior quilters find out a regional quilt show is set to come to a town near them.  They boost their membership by recruiting two gay men who have never quilted before, though one of them has worked in a quilt shop for several years.  As a member of a quilt group myself, I have to say the group dynamic is pretty spot on.  :)

What I'm reading Wednesday...

 

Why did I read another book by this author so soon?  I don't know...because it was available from library as an audiobook, I guess.  

I didn't love it.  The main character had memories for about a thousand years in different incarnations.  His life in Spain...no.  His time in 'hospital'...no.  His friendships in the nursing home...yes.  Oh, I also liked that he was once a cat belonging to Oscar Wilde.  Having recently read The Picture of Dorian Gray, it was a funny coincidence.

I'm not going to rush to read any others by this author.

On another note, I like that Goodreads just changed their rating system, and you can now give star ratings by fractions instead of just whole stars...quarter, half, and three-quarters options make it easier to choose a rating for me.

2026 Midterm...

First day of early voting, and happy to have it done.  Now I don't have to worry about becoming incapacitated in some way before I have my say in the vote!  LOL

An hour in line.  Several people were sitting at the table that was set up for people who had to fill out a provisional ballot by hand.  People who were not on the computerized list of registered voters...whether because they had registered a little late...or they had moved so their address didn't match what was on the list...etc.  Glad to see so many people at the polls.

And with a nod to the Boomer Girl, I decided to document the beautiful sage in the library's garden as I walked by it.  We are enjoying a few days of lower temperatures; low 60s overnight, mid 80s in the afternoons.  Would not be a bit surprised to see 90s again.  Heck, we've spent many a Christmas wearing shorts because of a non-wintery warm spell.  :(

What I'm reading Thursday?...

This was the third of the Cal Hooper trilogy.  I really liked all three...this one maybe not quite as much as the first two.  If I was writing this on another day, I might give it the half a star back.  I really enjoy the author's writing, and I think I will try some of her other books from the Dublin Murder Squad series.

This is the newest from Jonathan Evison.  I've never read any of his previous work.  This is a good read, but kind of difficult subject matter.  A couple nearing 90 have to deal with the realities of caring for each other and themselves.  Personally, it is a reminder that we need to make changes to our home sooner rather than later.  It is told in a dual timeline format, which I usually am not keen on, but it makes sense to tell the story of their relationship and family that way.

Well, I have gotten my numbering all mixed up  again.   I start a new Goodreads bookshelf at the beginning of each year, and add all the books I read within the year to it.  Goodreads says that you can add reread books, but I haven't had luck getting them on two different bookshelves.  So confusing.

What I'm reading Wedesday...

Fighting Edge by Margaret Mizushima

I was looking on library website for an audiobook I could listen to while I did some other chores.  I couldn't believe they had the newest book in this series, but boy was I happy!  

I love the characters in this series.  A female sheriff's deputy has a K9 partner, and I really like reading about their cases and training protocols, and the love they share with each other.  Also, one of the main characters in the book is a veterinarian, and I appreciate that the author's husband is also a veterinarian, so the fictional vet practice reads as very realistic info.

The topic of this installment of the series dealt with an illegal forced labor operation.  Reading this on the heals of Daughters of the Sun and Moon brought up comparisons in my mind of forced-labor practices then (19th century) and that we are still dealing with.  Today we call it human trafficking.  59th book of the year.

 

The Star Garden: A Novel of Sarah Agnes Prine

by Nancy E. Turner

This is the third in a trilogy.  First one is These is My Words, second is Sarah's Quilt.  All were very readable, but the first one was my favorite.  58th book of the year.

Currently I am halfway through The Keeper by Tana French which was published in the spring of this year.  It is the third book of a trilogy as well.

What I'm reading Wednesday...

Daughters of the Sun and Moon by Lisa See

 I could not resist reserving Lisa See's newest book at the library.  Love her work!  Her research is great, and I always learn something.  Characters are so well developed and relationships are compelling.  I was so busy last week, that I didn't get to read, and it was due back to the library today.  I finished it about 6:30 this morning after reading all night.  :)  57th of the year

What I'm reading Wednesday...

 I hardly read at all this week.  Just a few chapters.  But today was Book Club, so I thought I'd share how it went.  

The group really got into the spirit of Victorian England, since our selection of this month was The Picture of Dorian Gray.  We had Finger Sandwiches, Treacle Pie, Sourdough Bread, and fruit and cheeses.

One club member came with Scotch Eggs and a story about the upper classes getting hampers from Fortnum and Mason for picnics and train travel, in which Scotch Eggs was a portable and popular food for travel.  I was really impressed by hers, as I tried to make them one time (decades ago) and found them to be a LOT of work, and mine didn't turn out very well.  Hers were beautiful and delicious.

The Beef Wellington Bites did fine from frozen.  I moved them from the freezer to the refrigerator yesterday morning to thaw.  This morning I brushed them with egg and baked.  They were great, and it was so nice to have the majority of the work done last week.  

I also did Green Bean Bundles wrapped in bacon, brushed with a glaze and baked.  Last time I made them, I baked them in my upper oven which is small and I think they were too near the element, because they burned.  This time I roasted them in my lower, larger oven and they did great.

Somehow I can't see jalapeńo poppers on a Victorian buffet, but they are welcome anytime on mine!  Delicious.  Hers were topped with a large shrimp and a piece of bacon.  Yum!

The Treacle Pie (top right) was really good.  I would describe it as somewhere between a Buttermilk Pie (my favorite) and the filling of a pecan pie.  The other two desserts were flaky, crusty pastry with fruit and cream cheese filling.  So yummy.  

I am still SO full.  And ready to go to bed and read a few more chapters.  I may stay in bed and read all day tomorrow!  :)