CBL (cbl_tn) reads more than 75 in 2021 - Part 1

My name is Carrie, and I've lost count how many years I've been a part of this wonderful group. I am a librarian living in Seymour, TN, with my 9-year-old shih tzu, Adrian. We found each other more than seven years ago, and he has been a bright spot in my life ever since, especially in the year that was 2020.

I'm a fairly eclectic reader, but I gravitate toward mysteries and history. I enjoy dipping into the British and American author challenges and the nonfiction challenge, and I look forward to dipping into those challenges again this year.

While I don't expect to be as active as I've been in some past years, I hope that I will be more active this year and not drop off the radar midway through the year. Thanks to the wellness program at work, I have been making an effort to walk a lot more. I reached the end of 2020 in better health than I was at the beginning of the year. All the walking has eaten into my reading time and thread time. I barely made it to 75 in 2020 and I'd like to do a little better than that in 2021.

My thread toppers usually feature Adrian. Here he is to start things off!

Best of 2021

The Plague and I by Betty MacDonald (4.5) Review
Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers (4.5) Review
Race Against Time by Jerry Mitchell (5) Review

Books Read in January

1. The Address Book by Deirdre Mask (3.5) - completed 1/3/21
2. The Golden Egg by Donna Leon (3.5) - completed 1/6/21
3. Dead as a Dinosaur by Frances Lockridge & Richard Lockridge (4) - completed 1/9/21
4. Five on a Treasure Island by Enid Blyton (3) - completed 1/10/21
5. The Western Wind by Samantha Harvey (4) - completed 1/17/21
6. Next to Last Stand by Craig Johnson (3.5) - completed 1/22/21
7. The Plague and I by Betty MacDonald (4.5) - completed 1/25/21
8. Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers (4.5) - completed 1/31/21

Books read in February
9. A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley (4) - completed 2/2/21
10. They Were Her Property by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers (3.5) - completed 2/7/21
11. Spring by Ali Smith (4) - completed 2/7/21
12. Race Against Time by Jerry Mitchell (5) - completed 2/14/21
13. Orley Farm by Anthony Trollope (3) - completed 2/26/21
14. Banker by Dick Francis (4) - completed 2/27/21
15. Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker (4) - completed 2/28/21
16. In the Teeth of the Evidence by Dorothy Sayers (3.5) - completed 2/28/21

Books Acquired in January

1. Wuhu Diary by Emily Prager (SantaThing gift)
2. They Thought They Were Free by Milton Mayer (free ebook)
3. Orley Farm by Anthony Trollope (free ebook)

Books Acquired in February
4. Radio's America: The Great Depression and the Rise of Modern Mass Culture by Bruce Lenthall (free ebook)
5. The Glass Universe by Dava Sobel (purchased ebook)

British Author Challenge

January - Children's Literature
Five on a Treasure Island by Enid Blyton (3) - completed 1/10/21

February - LGBT+
Spring by Ali Smith (4) - completed 2/7/21

American Author Challenge

JANUARY - All in the Family
Dead as a Dinosaur by Frances Lockridge & Richard Lockridge (4) - completed 1/9/21
The Plague and I by Betty MacDonald (4.5) - completed 1/25/21

Nonfiction Challenge

FEBRUARY - Minority Lives Matter
They Were Her Property by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers (3.5) - completed 2/7/21
Race Against Time by Jerry Mitchell (5) - completed 2/14/21

GenreCAT

JANUARY - Nonfiction
The Address Book by Deirdre Mask (3.5) - completed 1/3/21
The Plague and I by Betty MacDonald (4.5) - completed 1/25/21

FEBRUARY - Memoirs/Biography
A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley (4) - completed 2/2/21

HistoryCAT

JANUARY - The Middle Ages
The Western Wind by Samantha Harvey (4) - completed 1/17/21

FEBRUARY - Modern (1800 to now)
They Were Her Property by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers (3.5) - completed 2/7/21
Race Against Time by Jerry Mitchell (5) - completed 2/14/21
Orley Farm by Anthony Trollope (3) - completed 2/26/21

Group Reads

The Golden Egg by Donna Leon (3.5) - completed 1/6/21
Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers (4.5) - completed 1/31/21
Orley Farm by Anthony Trollope (3) - completed 2/26/21
Banker by Dick Francis (4) - completed 2/27/21
Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker (4) - completed 2/28/21
In the Teeth of the Evidence by Dorothy Sayers (3.5) - completed 2/28/21

Welcome back!

>12 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!

Sounds like you have some positive goals for 2021, Carrie.

>14 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg! I hope I don't let myself down!

Lovely to see you back for another year, Carrie. xx

>16 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul! And thank you for keeping my 2020 thread warm! I didn't end the year well.

>17 cbl_tn: I was doing my best, Carrie, but so many of our friends were struggling this last year that it was difficult to keep up spirits all the time. xx

>18 PaulCranswick: Thanks so much, Paul. The pandemic has been more distraction than struggle for me. I have been coping with physical activity rather than reading and LT. I spend as much time as I can outdoors and I'm able to have socially distant conversations with my neighbors.

Happy new thread, Carrie. And a happy new year. Your physical activity coping seems like a great idea.

>20 EllaTim: Thanks! Happy new year to you as well!

Physical activity really helps my mental outlook. I've been cooped up indoors for the last several days due to the weather. Today is warmer and the sun is melting the ice from the road so I was able to get out and walk for an hour before lunch.

Happy new thread!

>22 quondame: Thank you!

Wishing you a happy 2021!

>24 mstrust: Thanks so much! You too!

>19 cbl_tn: my neighbours were my saviour during our 50 day lockdown here. We chatted over the fence, and in the streets outside our homes, even holding a byo food and drink 90th birthday for one of our members!

>26 LovingLit: We had a parade for one of our neighbors who turned 90 this year! Another neighbor has a convertible and he drove her through the neighborhood. We all stood outside our homes and waved and cheered as she drove by.

>27 cbl_tn: that is so cool! What a ceremonious thing to do!

Dropping a star, Carrie, and wishing you happy in 2021.

Happy (soon-to-be) 2021, Carrie! You’re very smart to look after your mental and physical well-being with exercise, fresh air, and neighborly connections.

>29 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie! A happy 2021 to you as well!

>30 AMQS: Hi Anne! I am praying for a milder winter so that I can keep the walking up. We'll see what the next two months bring.

Hi Carrie! Great to see you in 2021. Great picture of Adrian.

>32 The_Hibernator: Hi Rachel! I am blessed to have such a photogenic dog!

Best wishes for a better 2021!

Happy new year, Carrie!

Hi and Happy New Year, Carrie and Adrian!
Hope the 2021 is packed with great books!

Happy reading in 2021, Carrie!

I always love to see pictures of Adrian.

>34 DianaNL: >35 katiekrug: >36 Carmenere: >37 FAMeulstee: Thank you all! I wish you all a new year filled with good books.

>37 FAMeulstee: I will do my best to oblige with photos of Adrian, when I can get him to look at the camera.

Here's my take on the end-of-year meme:

Describe yourself: The Girl in the Woods

Describe how you feel: Second Wind

Describe where you currently live: The House of Twenty Thousand Books

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: The Bookshop

Your favorite form of transportation is: Death Walks in Eastrepps

Your favorite food is: Five Red Herrings

Your favorite time of day is: Gaudy Night

Your best friend is: Gold Rush Girl

You and your friends are: The Pioneers (my high school team was the Pioneers)

What’s the weather like: Clouds of Witness

You fear: The Danger

What is the best advice you have to give: Suffer the Little Children

Thought for the day: Murder Must Advertise

What is life for you: A Question of Belief

How you would like to die: At Home

Your soul’s present condition: Amazing Grace

What was 2020 like for you? Beastly Things

What do you want from 2021? Love and Freindship (the misspelling is Austen's)

And keep up with my friends here, Carrie. Have a great 2021.

Happy new year!

>39 cbl_tn: Always fun to do, Carrie, and to see from others.

Happy New Year Carrie!

I wish you a Happy New Year. May it be better than the old one.

>40 PaulCranswick: I love that list!

>41 quondame: Thank you, Susan!

>42 FAMeulstee: It's always fun to put the list together! It was a bit of a shock to look at titles of things I read pre-pandemic. It seemed like I'd read them in a different year.

>43 SandDune: >44 Ameise1: Thanks, Rhian & Barbara!

First up in 2021:



The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal about Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power by Deirdre Mask

Happy New Year, Carrie! I especially like your answer to "Describe where you currently live."

>47 harrygbutler: Happy new year! I might have exaggerated just a little bit.

Trying to post my happy new year image from my phone ....

Happy new year Carrie!

>50 tymfos: Thanks Terri! And good work on getting it posted from your phone!

>51 The_Hibernator: Thanks, Rachel!

I like your meme answers, Carrie, particularly the vague and pervasive one you fear: The Danger. If that wasn't a 2020 mood...

ETA I've taken a book bullet already, and it's not even noon on New Year's Day (in CO that is).

>53 AMQS: Thanks, Anne! I agree it does sum up 2020 pretty well!

>39 cbl_tn: What is the best advice you have to give: Suffer the Little Children
Lol, sounds like it could also pass as a threat!

>46 cbl_tn: I'd be interested to see how that one goes for you. Sounds promising.

Happy New Year, Carrie, to you and Adrian. I've been trying to walk as well although winter makes it more challenging.

Hi, Carrie, welcome back! Best wishes for your reading year. :)

>56 BLBera: Hi Beth! I'm finding winter more challenging, too. The days I work from home I can walk at lunchtime if it's not nasty out. It rained most of the day today, but I was able to get out and walk for an hour late this afternoon with 60ish degree temps.

>57 lyzard: Thanks, Liz! You too!

Dropping off my and wishing you the best of new years in 2021!

>59 ronincats: Thanks Roni!

Hi Carrie, and happy new year! How great that you left 2020 behind in better health than you found it - not many people can say that. I'm trying to be more active, too, though I'm doing (almost) daily yoga instead. I should get out and walk more often so maybe that could be a goal for 2021. If I'm walking all by my lonesome, I usually listen to a podcast or audiobook to make the time pass faster.

>61 PawsforThought: Hi Paws! It helps to have a dog and a neighbor to walk with! One of my neighbors is as careful as I am about Covid so we are comfortable walking together. I need to add yoga to my exercise regimen. Maybe I can find a class to join post-pandemic.

Here's my attempt at the other meme from books I read in 2020:

What would you call the event? The Supper of the Lamb

How did they find their way? Watling Street

How did they know they'd arrived? A Question of Belief

Any special activities? Talking Until Nightfall

Did your guests stay over? At Home

Were there servants to help? The Nine Tailors

Was there turn down service? The Edge

How were the guests greeted? Gillespie and I

Was dinner held for later comers? Now

And dinner was? Five Red Herrings

Afterward? Amazing Grace

>62 cbl_tn: I hope you do find a yoga class when the world begins to open up again. It’s done wonders for my neck. I’m not a class-person so I do all my yoga at home, with the help of YouTube, pandemic or no pandemic.

>64 PawsforThought: I think I would be more consistent with the accountability of a class. There is a gym on the corner near my house that might offer classes, and a local church also has classes, I think.

>65 cbl_tn: Hopefully you'll be able to test them out soon.

1. The Address Book by Deirdre Mask

I’ve had a heightened awareness of street addresses lately as a result of shipping errors to my address during the Christmas season. In one case, a package was misdelivered to my address, and in the other case, a package was correctly delivered to my address but directed to a person unknown to me. Both situations required a fair bit of effort to resolve. So, I was already thinking about addresses and problems associated with them.

Mask takes a wider view of street addresses, including the problems that arise from the lack of a street address. Mask structures the book in sections for development, origins, politics, race, and class and status. Most of the chapter names are cities or countries, and some are a bit misleading. For instance, the chapter titled “Iran: Why do street names follow revolutionaries?” talks mostly about Northern Ireland, using Tehran’s Bobby Sands street as a jumping off point.

The book is similar to the kinds of articles you’d find in Smithsonian Magazine. It raises awareness of the social problems surrounding street names and addresses, and it spotlights individuals and organizations that are working to solve these problems. While Mask stops short of advocating particular remedies, perhaps her readers will be inspired to awareness and action at the local level.

3.5 stars

>67 cbl_tn: I would say you hit me, but I was hit by this book already over in Mary's thread. Two recommendations spells "should read."

Happy Sunday!

>68 AMQS: Great minds and all! Hope you enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

>67 cbl_tn: I'll start The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power after I finish the Rachel Maddow book.

>70 lindapanzo: Hope you enjoy it!

>67 cbl_tn: The Address Book sounds like an interesting read. Onto the wishlist it goes!

>72 jayde1599: Hope you enjoy it when you get to it!

Carrie, your dog is lovely. During the difficult quarantine of 2021, Lilly was my company. I was so very happy that she kept me company.

The Address Book was also listed on another thread. I'll take that as a sign to try to obtain in through my local library.

>74 Whisper1: Thank you, Linda! Adrian has been wonderful company when I work at home. Several of us are reading The Address Book for a Zoom book club meeting, and a couple of others picked it up to read after seeing us mention it. I hope you enjoy it when you get to it!

The Address Book sounds pretty interesting, Carrie.

Happy New Year, Carrie!

I've added a little yoga too, watching the classes given by Adrianne on YouTube. You might take a look.

>76 BLBera: Hi Beth! I think you might like The Address Book!

>77 ffortsa: Happy New Year! I will have to check out the classes by Adrianne.

>77 ffortsa: Adriene is the best! I've followed her on Youtube for years, and have done yoga *with* her almost every day for the last three months. It's the best.

>78 cbl_tn: If you want to try it out, Adriene does a "30 day yoga journey" every January, with a new video posted every day until Jan 31st. She's great in that she always has suggestions for how to do poses and movements differently if your body needs that.

>77 ffortsa: >79 PawsforThought: Thanks for the recommendation! I'll check it out this weekend.

Is the Address Book a relatively new book? My library usually has a large selection, but does not have a copy of this one.

>81 Whisper1: Yes, it's a 2020 copyright. I needed to read it by this Sunday so I ended up buying it. None of my libraries have it yet either. I'm going to donate my copy to the library where I work.

2. The Golden Egg by Donna Leon

At his wife Paola’s urging, Venice’s Commissario Brunetti looks into the accidental death of the deaf and mentally disabled young man who helped at their dry cleaners. The more Brunetti learns (or doesn’t learn) about the man, the more disturbed he becomes. Brunetti wrestles with his conscience as he considers the tactics he and his colleagues use to interrogate witnesses. When did he become so comfortable with lying? And why doesn’t it bother him more? Brunetti also reflects on the nuances of interpersonal relations among the Questura, and faces some unpleasant truths about his own relationships.

This is a solid entry in the series, but it isn’t the place for new readers to start. It’s best appreciated by readers who have a long familiarity with the characters. If you know your fairy tales and fables, the book’s title is a spoiler.

3.5 stars

Currently reading:



Dead as a Dinosaur by Frances Lockridge & Richard Lockridge

>83 cbl_tn: I read that one before it came out because I had an ARC, but I think I may be enjoying it more this time. Perhaps it is the audio format? (although it is a new narrator again)

>85 thornton37814: Maybe that, or maybe just more familiarity with the characters?

>86 cbl_tn: I had read several before that, but I am much more familiar with the characters since I have now read every installment. I decided to give this one another go since it had been about 8 years since I'd read it.

Happy Thursday Carrie!

>88 The_Hibernator: Thanks, Rachel! The best thing about Thursdays are that they are the day before Fridays!

>84 cbl_tn: It get so excited when I see someone reading "my" Lockridges! I hope you enjoy it.

>67 cbl_tn: The Address Book is currently on my Kindle and I'm hoping to get to it soon (one of the other Mary's must have recommended it to Anne). Glad it was a decent read for you.

Love your answers to both the memes, too. Happy new year!

>90 laytonwoman3rd: It was delightful! And the best part is that I still have 25 left to read! I love discovering new-to-me authors. :-)

>91 bell7: Hi Mary! I hope you enjoy The Address Book when you get to it.

3. Dead as a Dinosaur by Frances Lockridge and Richard Lockridge

Someone is placing want ads in newspapers in the name of Dr. Orpheus Preson, a paleontologist. The police think it’s a “crack-pot” and aren’t able to offer him much hope. Preson unburdens himself to his publisher, Jerry North, and his wife, Pam. The Norths are unable to make any sense out of things, either. Then Dr. Preson dies, seemingly by his own hand. Or was it murder? Everyone near Dr. Preson seems to have a guilty secret – his siblings, his niece and nephew, and his professional colleagues. Will the Norths figure out who among the suspects is a killer before they become the next victims?

This entertaining crime novel set in mid-twentieth century New York is perfect escape reading on a dreary winter day. The climactic scene in the institute is so vividly depicted that it seemed as if I was watching a classic movie farce. The quality of the writing is as good as any I’ve encountered in this genre:

Pamela began to read. The cat Martini wriggled around the book and lay over it. People whom cats have honored are not supposed to have other interests. Pamela moved Martini, who voiced an opinion better not translated from the original cat, and crawled back into a position to obstruct.

My dog would agree with this sentiment! I’ll be reading more of the North’s adventures, if my dog will allow.

4 stars

Next up:



Five on a Treasure Island by Enid Blyton

You've been doing some great reading, Carrie. I don't think I've read the Leon yet.

>95 BLBera: I'm off to a good start this year. The Leon reading project has taken a while because she's so prolific. We're nearing the end now, though.

4. Five on a Treasure Island by Enid Blyton

Julian, Dick, and Anne’s parents send them to spend their summer holidays with their Uncle Quentin, their Aunt Fanny, and their cousin Georgina, who prefers to be called George. As an only child, George is used to doing as she pleases without regard to others, but her cheerful cousins soon win her over. She lets her cousins in on her biggest secrets – her dog, Tim, who stays with a fishing family because her parents won’t allow him in her house, and Kirrin Island. The island belongs to George’s mother, but her mother told her that it should be hers. As the title suggests, there may be hidden treasure on the island, and the children are determined to find it. The hunt is a greater adventure than they had imagined.

I wish I had discovered this series as a child. How I would have loved it! This adult reader marveled at the freedom the children enjoyed 10, 11, and 12. The adults in the story had no qualms about allowing the children to row to the island alone and to spend the night there alone. It’s unlikely that today’s children would enjoy the same freedom.

3 stars

Hi Carrie!

Dead as a Dinosaur sounds like a lot of fun!

>98 Copperskye: Oh, it was! I'm so glad I read it! The copy I have belonged to my father. He subscribed to a mystery book club in his teens. It's nice to have that connection with him.

Next up:



The Western Wind by Samantha Harvey

>93 cbl_tn: Love their cats most of all---Martini, Gin, Sherry. In the earlier books there was Pete, who had an unfortunate encounter with a quick-closing door, and carried the resulting crook in his tail for at least one life. I think there may have been another one I'm forgetting. Do you have all of the North books?

Dead as a Dinosaur sounds fun - I will look for a copy. Thanks for the BB!

>93 cbl_tn: Perfect reading for these times! Happy new thread for 2021 (I am a little later here)! SO many challenges. Have fun doing them and for the short-term, I wish you a happy week ahead.

>101 laytonwoman3rd: I love the cats, too, and I'm a dog person! Sadly, they didn't appear much in this book. I think I have one more single volume, plus two or three more in some mystery omnibus collections. Maybe I can borrow the others from the library.

>102 AMQS: Glad I could oblige!

>103 Berly: Happy new year! I still have one more week of break when I can work from home. I am glad for that because our local COVID numbers are pretty bad right now.

>104 cbl_tn: The Lockridges' Captain Heimrich series, set up the Hudson from NYC, features a Great Dane named Colonel.

>105 laytonwoman3rd: I have a couple of those! :-)

In the end, I really enjoyed The Address Book, especially as to areas I'm familiar with. As I read, I wondered if she'd mention the Chicago woman who died in a fire because her Loop office building address didn't match it's actual location, and she did. Lots of food for thought. Thanks for suggesting it.

>107 lindapanzo: I'm glad you liked it! I wasn't aware of places where addresses don't conform to a pattern so that they cause delays for first responders.

5. The Western Wind by Samantha Harvey

Shrovetide, 1491. In an out-of-the way English village, its wealthiest resident has drowned. The village priest, John Reve, dutifully reported the death to the dean, who has come to the village to inquire into the death. The dean proposes to offer a 40-day pardon for anyone who makes confession before Lent begins in three days’ time. Reve will hear many confessions over the course of these days, as he also thinks about the state of his deceased friend’s soul and his own priestly calling.

The author plays with time in the circular telling of the story, backwards from Shrove Tuesday to Shrove Saturday, the day of Newman’s death. Each chapter in the first half of the book is mirrored in reverse in the second half of the book. It’s no accident that the book is set as the Middle Ages were giving way to the English Renaissance. Narrator Reve ponders existential questions of the life and death of individuals, of civilizations and ways of life, of sacred and profane. The book’s structure begs for multiple readings.

Why can’t time go backwards as well as forward? If time’s not a river but a circle, and if you can travel round a circle one way or another and end up where you started, why can’t it go this way and that?...If time could go backwards, why didn’t it? If God could undo what was done, why didn’t he?

4 stars

Currently reading:



Next to Last Stand by Craig Johnson. Art is at the heart of this one, so it could end up being one of my favorites in the series. We'll see!

They Were Her Property is for a Zoom book club in February. Trying to read a chapter a day.

>110 cbl_tn: I've never read that series but am thinking of checking it out.

>111 lindapanzo: I love the series! So far this isn't one of the best in the series, but it's fun to spend time with the characters I've grown to love. It's not a cozy series, but it still has lots of humor.

>112 cbl_tn: I've discovered that I bought the first one on Kindle many years ago. The Cold Dish? I'll have to give it a try.

Yes, that's it!

I was looking at favourite series over on my thread, Carrie. Would you place Craig Johnson's series in your own personal top ten?

>115 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! The Walt Longmire series is definitely in my top 20. Maybe top 10 of currently active series. For me, the series isn't just about the main character. I love a strong supporting cast that can occasionally upstage the main character. The setting is a big draw, too.

Just my two cents: my mom loves Longmire. She's a big mystery reader but this is her favorite. And Johnson knows to come out with a new book right before Christmas, so I get her a signed hardback from our indie every year.

>117 mstrust: I love that! Didn't Agatha Christie's books come out right before Christmas? I think I remember reading that somewhere. Smart marketing! :-)

6. Next to Last Stand by Craig Johnson

Absaroka County Sheriff Walt Longmire has a soft spot for the Wavers at the Veterans’ Home. These men sit in their wheelchairs at the end of the drive and wave at passing vehicles. After one of the Wavers dies, Walt is surprised to find a box full of cash in his room, along with an old painting that seems familiar. Even though there doesn’t seem to be a case for the sheriff’s department, Walt’s curiosity leads him to Custer’s Last Stand/the Battle of the Greasy Grass (depending on your perspective), a legendary painting of the same, and a shady Russian art dealer and his associates.

It seems like Johnson really wanted to write about Custer and the legends surrounding him, and he had to push the boundaries of the series in order to do it. Walt really had no business launching an investigation without evidence of a crime. I can forgive the plot weaknesses since the secondary characters are much more prominent in this installment. Unusually, Walt is rarely alone in this book. He spends a lot of time with Vic, and he goes on a road trip with Vic and his best friend, Henry Standing Bear. One of my favorite minor characters, Lonnie Littlebird, makes an all too rare appearance in this book. I don’t think this book would work well as a standalone because of the plot weaknesses, but I think longtime series fans will love the ensemble aspect of this book as much as I did.

3.5 stars

7. The Plague and I by Betty MacDonald

In the 1930s, author Betty MacDonald spent nine months in a Seattle sanatorium recovering from tuberculosis. In this memoir, she recalls her treatment at The Pines, her fellow patients, and the doctors, nurses, and other staff who cared for the patients.

I found parts of the book laugh-out-loud funny. I particularly loved Betty’s first roommate Kimi, a Japanese American teenager whose combination of wisdom and wit triggered most of my laughter. I found other parts of the book disturbing. The Pines was a public sanatorium for those who could not afford private treatment. The patients were constantly reminded of this, and the threat of discharge was used as a means of behavior control.

Besides my love for MacDonald’s writing, I also wanted to read her memoir because I had a great uncle who died from tuberculosis in the 1930s after spending time in a sanatorium. MacDonald’s detailed account of sanatorium life gives me an idea of what my uncle might have experienced during his own illness and ultimately unsuccessful treatment.

4.5 stars

Next up: Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers

>118 cbl_tn: I don't know what time of year Christie's books came out, but I know she sometimes had three books a year, so probably. Good marketing though, isn't it?
>120 cbl_tn: My grandmother was in a TB camp here in Arizona. That would have been right around 1950. She had a lung removed.

>121 mstrust: The tuberculosis treatments sound horrible! And it seems some of them were done with just local anesthesia, or occasionally no anesthesia at all.

8. Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers

Aristocratic sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey has finally married the love of his life, detective novelist Harriet Vane. Harriet has always fancied an old country house near the Hertfordshire village where she grew up as the doctor’s daughter. Lord Peter aims to please, so he sets things in motion to buy the house and prepare it for their honeymoon. The newlyweds and Lord Peter’s valet, Bunter, arrive at the deserted house to find nothing as promised. The house soon fills with charwoman, chimney sweep, gardener, vicar, and spinster organist, with each new arrival making it that much more difficult for the newlyweds to find any time to themselves. Then a body is discovered in the cellar, turning the whole adventure into a busman’s honeymoon. The plot is an unusual mashup of an inverted country house party and a locked room mystery, with the house party assembling after the murder instead of before.

In the author’s introduction (in the form of a letter to three women), Sayers writes:

It has been said, by myself and others, that a love-interest is only an intrusion upon a detective story. But to the characters involved, the detective-interest might well seem an irritating intrusion upon their love-story. This book deals with such a situation...If there is but a ha’porth of detection to an intolerable deal of saccharine, let the occasion be the excuse.

Sayers achieved exactly what she intended to, with intimate moments between Lord Peter and his bride interspersed with detective inquiries. Lord Peter and Harriet’s high spirits rubbed off on this reader. I laughed more through this one than in any of Lord Peter’s other adventures.

4.5 stars

January Recap

Books owned – 6
Ebooks borrowed – 2

Best of the month: Busman’s Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers (4.5)
Worst of the month: Five on a Treasure Island by Enid Blyton (3)

Currently reading:



They Were Her Property by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers
A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley
Orley Farm by Anthony Trollope

>125 cbl_tn: I think I'll be joining you on They Were Her Property for TIOLI, along with the Bruno book.

>126 lindapanzo: Great! I had hoped t o finish They Were Her Property this weekend, but it didn't happen.

>127 cbl_tn: I saw you had it up for TIOLI and hoped to get to it then but I never did.

>126 lindapanzo: >127 cbl_tn: I've got my copy of They Were Her Property pulled out so maybe Linda will be closer to along with me. I'm a little over 1/3 of the way through Bruno, Chief of Police.

>129 thornton37814: It will be a while before I get to Bruno. I have library books I need to read and return first.

9. A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley

When Saroo Brierley was a small child, he became separated from his older brother at a train station and ended up on a train bound for Calcutta. After surviving for weeks, first in the train station and then near the river, Saroo ended up in an orphanage. When orphanage officials were unable to locate Saroo’s family based on the limited amount of information he was able to provide about his home and family, he was offered for adoption to an Australian couple. Saroo had a good life in Australia, but he never forgot his origins and the family he left behind in India. Decades later, Saroo discovered Google Earth and saw in it the possibility of locating the home he’d left behind in India. Finding home would be a long shot, but he had to try.

Brierley’s memoir is the basis for the motion picture Lion. The book is as moving as the film, and as you would expect, it provides more details about Saroo’s search and the reunion with his Indian family. I watched the movie before reading the book, and I think that would be the right order for most people.

4 stars

>131 cbl_tn: That looks to be quite some story, Carrie. I haven't seen the film but I think I would usually prefer book before movie.

>132 PaulCranswick: I think I would have been disappointed in the film if I had watched it after reading the book. It hits the highlights but necessarily leaves out many of the details that make the story even more impressive.

Your thread is still a dangerous place to visit because of the many book-bullets here. Happy to see you still have excellent taste in choosing your books.
>120 cbl_tn: - That one sounds intriguing. Interesting to get inside information of what really happened there, not even that long ago.
>131 cbl_tn: - My sister recommended the film to me and that should have been a sign for me because we have more or less the same tastes. Only, she watches the movie and I read the book. Your review ranks it even higher on mount TBR.

I wish you an excellent Sunday.

>133 cbl_tn: The book never (or virtually never) equals the book, so with that certainty in mind there would rarely be disappointment?!

>134 Trifolia: Hi Monica! I'm so glad you're back this year! I haven't been very active for the last two or three years as other things in life crowded out reading and LT time. I seem to have started this year off at a better pace, and one that I hope I'm able to sustain throughout the yaer.

Glad I could oblige with the memoirs!

>135 PaulCranswick: I wouldn't say the movie would exactly be a disappointment, but it would hold no surprises after reading the book. However, if you watch the film first, there are still a few surprises in store in the book.

>136 cbl_tn: - I was so happy to find you here. I notice that a lot of us have been less active and even absent here on LT. This may be my own interpretation but I sense a kind of weariness with quite a few members. I'll try to stay on board this year and do my best to keep up with the threads, especially from the people I value most.

>137 Trifolia: I will try to do the same. In my case there has been a bit of weariness, but also a commitment to walk more for my health. In good weather I spend as much as an hour to an hour and half walking. That means less time for reading and visiting threads.

>138 cbl_tn: - Something else we have in common :-). I also try to walk at least 40 minutes but preferably more after work. Does Adrian join you on your walks?

>131 cbl_tn: That one isn't my usual kind of book but it sounds interesting and might be something I'd enjoy. Probably a library reserve book for me.

>139 Trifolia: Yes, Adrian walks with me. I also have a neighbor who walks with us a lot. It helps to have company!

>140 lindapanzo: It's a quick read and I think it might interest you. I borrowed it from the library's OverDrive collection.

>141 cbl_tn: I see that ours also has it via OverDrive so I will do the same. With this month's TIOLI plans, I may wait til next month though.

>142 lindapanzo: I'm glad you can get it from your library!

10. They Were Her Property by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers

With this book, historian Jones-Rogers challenges the accepted narrative that slavery in the antebellum South was a patriarchal system ruled by white men. To the contrary, Jones-Rogers offers example after example of white women who controlled slaves, bought and sold slaves in their own right, and physically abused slaves in the name of “discipline.” Jones-Rogers work will shape the future narrative of white women’s active participation in slavery. However, the dryly academic writing may limit the book’s audience to mainly scholarly circles.

3.5 stars

11. Spring by Ali Smith

Richard is an aging filmmaker who’s just lost his best friend, screenwriter Paddy. Brittany is a security guard at an Immigration Removal Centre. Florence is a child with a mysterious ability to get people to do things they don’t want to do. Their lives will unexpectedly collide in Kingussie, Scotland.

The arts are as prominent in this book as in the first book in Smith’s Seasonal Quartet. This time it’s Katherine Mansfield, Rainer Maria Rilke, Charlie Chaplin, Beethoven, and visual artist Tacita Dean. There is grief, depression, and fear, but also the hope signified by spring.

The writing is what I’ve come to expect from Smith, yet it feels a bit derivative. Richard’s conversations with an imaginary daughter is a device Atwood uses to good effect in Hag-Seed. And the whole book has the feel of a Jackson Brodie novel, but without Jackson Brodie.

4 stars

Next up:



Race Against Time by Jerry Mitchell

>145 cbl_tn: - It seems Ali Smith will be inevitable for me to read eventually. Your review makes me even more curious.

>147 Trifolia: Hi Monica! Do give Ali Smith a try. She has a unique style. She might turn out not to be your cup of tea, but it would be worth finding out.

12. Race Against Time by Jerry Mitchell

Investigative reporter Mitchell spent most of his career at the Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi. He was on the court beat early in his career when he volunteered to cover the premiere of Mississippi Burning. The man seated next to him kept up a running commentary during the film, telling him which parts were accurate and which were not. After the movie ended, Mitchell joined his neighbor in a conversation with two men seated behind them. Two of the men were retired FBI agents who had investigated the murders, and the third was a journalist who had covered the murders. The information these men shared with Mitchell set him on a trail that eventually led to convictions in four cold Civil Rights era cases: the murder of Medgar Evers, the murder of Vernon Dahmer, Sr., Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, and the “Mississippi Burning” murders.

Mitchell’s writing had me on the edge of my seat. I had a hard time putting the book down once I started. It’s difficult reading because of the truly evil people Mitchell interviewed as part of his reporting. It must have been infinitely more difficult for Mitchell to live. I only had to read about these people. Mitchell had to meet with them, talk with them on the phone, and worry about which one of them might show up at his home on a dark night. The evil is balanced with the heroic and the brave in the form of the widows, parents, children, siblings, and friends of the victims, and the bittersweet satisfaction of justice after so many decades of waiting.

The book includes a thorough index, end notes, and a good-sized bibliography for further reading. The acknowledgments include a list of successful Civil Rights prosecutions from 1977–2010 including the case name, the victims, the outcome, the sentence, and the prosecution team. Mitchell helpfully provides the reader with the correct pronunciation for the names of all of the main figures. The only thing lacking is a list of the important figures and their roles. I would have referred to such a list frequently if one had been provided.

This book belongs in all Civil Rights collections. Highly recommended.

5 stars

Next up:



The Ravine by Wendy Lower

Stopping by to wish you well, Carrie.

I agree that Ali Smith is an acquired taste but when acquired makes for a satisfying feast!

>151 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul! And thanks for introducing me to Ali Smith through the BAC! I have liked everything of hers that I've read.

>152 cbl_tn: That is good to hear, Carrie. I want to read her Four Seasons. Probably all together one after the other.

I love Ali Smith, Carrie. I am going to reread Autumn and Winter and read through the quartet.

>153 PaulCranswick: >154 BLBera: I see I am in good company with my love of Ali Smith's writing!

Passing through and catching up, Carrie! Hello!!!

Hi Carrie, I wish you an excellent weekend. I hope you are doing fine!

>156 The_Hibernator: Hi Rachel! >157 Trifolia: Hi Monica! Doing well here. I've just been distracted by family history discoveries.

>158 cbl_tn: - Family history discoveries are an excellent reason why it's so quiet on your thread. Good to know that you are doing well.

>159 Trifolia: I made some really exciting discoveries on what has been one of my most difficult lines. :-)

13. Orley Farm by Anthony Trollope

When her son Lucius was an infant, Lady Mason defended the codicil to her much older husband’s will which left his Orley Farm property to Lady Mason’s son, Lucius. Sir Joseph’s heir, Joseph Mason of Groby Park, nursed a grudge against his stepmother and half-brother for two decades. Upon taking possession of the property at age 21, Lucius Mason decides to turn out tenant Samuel Dockwrath from two fields that he has farmed for years. Dockwrath, who is also a lawyer, sets out in revenge to wrest the property from Lucius Mason and put it in the hands of Joseph Mason of Groby Park.

In the face of a new trial, Lady Mason turns to her closest neighbors for support – Sir Peregrine Orme and his daughter-in-law, Mrs. Orme. Lady Mason was defended by barrister Furnival in her previous trial, and she once again seeks his services. Mr. Furnival has an eye for a pretty lady, and he unhesitatingly accepts Lady Mason’s appeal for his services, to his wife’s great dismay.

Lucius Mason is one of a group of young people whose affairs of the heart become entangled. Lucius is in love with Mr. Furnival’s daughter, Sophia, whose hand is also sought by Judge Stavely’s son, Augustus. Sir Peregrine Orme’s grandson, another Peregrine, is hopelessly in love with Madeline Stavely. His rival for Madeline’s affection is Felix Graham, a young attorney who is too honest to succeed in his chosen profession.

Trollope had a point to hammer in this novel regarding the English justice system and the disconnect between legal guilt and innocence and moral guilt and innocence. For all intents and purposes, Lady Mason is the protagonist, with Madeline Stavely and her suitors and Sophia Furnival and her suitors as subplots. Yet Trollope writes as if (or perhaps as if his readers will expect that) the young people are the central characters. I think this is why the pacing felt uneven to me. Lucius’ character also seems underdeveloped given his importance to both his mother’s central dilemma and the romance sub-plot. Lucius was more absent than present so that I feel like I saw his persona and not the inner man.

3 stars

>161 cbl_tn:

That's a really nice summation, Carrie!

Thanks so much for joining the group read. Hopefully I will see you back at the thread for a bit more chat. :)

>162 lyzard: Thanks, Liz! I enjoyed Orley Farm on the whole, although not as much as several of his other books.

14. Banker by Dick Francis

Merchant banker Tim Ekaterin works for a firm that bears his family name. The family talent for figures skipped Tim’s father, who was better at gambling away wealth than accumulating it. Thus, some firm members are wary about whose footsteps Tim will follow - his father’s or those of the company’s founder. As confidence in Tim’s ability grows, he is given an opportunity to evaluate a potential investment in a stud farm’s purchase of a champion racehorse. It seems a safe bet, until something goes horribly wrong. Inevitably, Tim will be held responsible for the loss of the firm’s investment, until an even more horrifying possibility emerges. What if the looming disaster isn’t just bad luck? If it’s the result of deliberate action, then a chillingly evil actor is behind it.

As is typical for a Francis novel, the plot is nicely twisty. Francis’s romance subplots are hit or miss for me, and this one is a miss, largely because I don’t buy Tim’s boss’s acceptance of the mutual attraction between his wife and Tim and his trust that their relationship will remain platonic. It’s a triangle not unlike Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot. The book also has a higher body count than many other Francis adventures, and one of the deaths is especially gut-wrenching.

4 stars

15. Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker

Since this is the first book in a series, it’s as much about introducing Bruno and the small Dordogne village of St. Denis as it is about solving a murder. Readers might be forgiven for thinking that policeman Benoit “Bruno” Courreges sounds a lot like sheriff Andy Taylor, and that the atmosphere of St. Denis seems a lot like Mayberry. Like Sheriff Taylor, Bruno doesn’t carry a gun. He doesn’t even have a deputy with a gun and a bullet. Bruno spends his time helping the village residents outwit EU inspectors from fining market vendors for selling the locally produced delicacies that don’t meet the EU regulations imposed by Brussels bureaucrats. However, Mayberry’s tranquility was never disturbed by a brutal murder, and Sheriff Taylor was never called upon to investigate his friends and neighbors for such a heinous crime. The idyllic setting, the luscious descriptions of food, and the warm community spirit may appeal to fans of Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series and the village of Three Pines.

4 stars

16. In the Teeth of the Evidence by Dorothy Sayers

This collection of Sayers short stories includes two stories featuring her famous detective Lord Peter Wimsey, five stories featuring traveling salesman Montague Egg, plus several other stories. Sayers is better at plotting than at character development, and this is especially true of her short fiction. I read the stories over the course of a month, and at the end of the month the most memorable stories for me were the Montague Egg story “Dirt Cheap” and “The Inspiration of Mr. Budd,” about an unassuming London barber who may have a wanted criminal for a customer.

3.5 stars

February recap

Books owned – 3
Books borrowed – 1
Ebooks owned - 1
Ebooks borrowed – 3

Best of the month: Race Against Time by Jerry Mitchell
Worst of the month: Orley Farm by Anthony Trollope
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>165 cbl_tn: I just came across that one while re-arranging shelves. I read it several years ago, and haven't picked up another in the series; I'm not sure why. I seem to have enjoyed meeting Bruno...
ETA: I see I did read the second Bruno entry, and didn't get too excited about it. I think I'll see if I can get my hands on Black Diamond and reacquaint myself with St. Denis and its police chief.

>167 cbl_tn: You should join us in the group read! We'll be reading #2 in April - The Dark Vineyard.

>169 cbl_tn: See my edit in >168 laytonwoman3rd:. Thanks for the invite! If you get around to #3, let me know.

>170 laytonwoman3rd: #3 will be in June. We're alternating the Bruno series with Donna Leon's Brunetti series.

>161 cbl_tn: - Trollope have been on my TBR-list forever sinceI think I will like his books. But it seems Orley Farm may not be the best one to start with.

>171 cbl_tn: Noted, thanks.

I loved Bruno as well, Carrie, even though I was always hungry when I was reading it. I need to continue with the series.

>172 Trifolia: I think you would like Trollope, Monica. I agree that you shouldn't start with Orley Farm! My favorite Trollope is Barchester Towers, but you really need to read The Warden first, and I struggled with it. So maybe you should start with Can You Forgive Her?

>173 laytonwoman3rd: You're welcome!

>174 BLBera: Yes! I kept a lookout for Bruno in my kitchen and he never showed up to cook dinner. :-(

>172 Trifolia: I feel the same way about Trollope. I read Barchester Towers decades ago and remember liking it, but nothing more. He is one of those authors, like Zola and Balzac, that I'm always meaning to read more of but never seem to.

>176 labfs39: Liz's group reads have been a big help to me in reading Trollope.