lit_chick's 2017 Reading (4)

All aboard for 2017's literary adventures, everyone!

This is my seventh year with our most articulate 75 Books Challenge group. I do not structure or plan my reading at all. My book choices are made on the fly and in the moment. One might say I like to fly by the seat of my pants. This works for me!

I live in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley with my magnificent five-year-old, jet black, feline rescue, Cairo. My thread toppers this year will feature some of my favourite work by Canada's Group of Seven.



Franklin Carmichael, Bay of Islands, 1930




December
41. The Walnut Tree, Charles Todd
40. Stand Firm, Svend Brinkman

November
39. A Pattern of Lies, Charles Todd
38. An Unwilling Accomplice, Charles Todd

October
37. A Question of Honor, Charles Todd
36. An Unmarked Grave, Charles Todd
35. A Bitter Truth, Charles Todd

September
34. An Impartial Witness, Charles Todd
33. A Duty to the Dead, Charles Todd
32. Shadow Prey, John Sandford

August
31. Into Oblivion, Arnaldur Indridason
30. The Parcel, Anosh Irani
29. Reykjavik Nights, Arnaldur Indridason

July
28. In This Grave Hour, Jacqueline Winspear
27. Strange Shores, Arnaldur Indridason

June
26. The Fatal Flame, Lyndsay Faye

May
25. Seven For a Secret, Lyndsay Faye
24. The Gods of Gotham, Lyndsay Faye

April
23. The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag, Alan Bradley
22. A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles
21. The Queen's Accomplice, Susan Elia MacNeal

March
20. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Brontë
19. Hillbilly Elegy, J.D. Vance
18. The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead
17. Lucy Barton, Elizabeth Strout

February
16. Lila, Marilynne Robinson
15. Black Seconds, Karin Fossum
14. Home, Marilynne Robinson
13. A Great Reckoning, Louise Penny
12. Mrs Roosevelt's Confidante, Susan Elia MacNeal
11. The Prime Minister's Secret Agent, Susan Elia MacNeal

January
10. Nobody's Fool, Richard Russo
9. His Majesty's Hope, Susan Elia MacNeal
8. Princess Elizabeth's Spy, Susan Elia MacNeal
7. Here Comes the Sun, Nicole Dennis Benn
6. The Prime Minister's Secretary, Susan Elia MacNeal
5. He Wants, Alison Moore
4. Another Brooklyn, Jacqueline Woodson
3. Commonwealth, Ann Patchett
2. Brown Girl Dreaming, Jacqueline Woodson
1. Circling the Sun, Paula McLain

Because one never knows when one might need a fainting couch ...

mine

Happy new thread!

Another new one for you!! Hurray!

Nice topper, Nancy.

Happy new thread, dear lady.

>3 drneutron:, >4 Berly:, >5 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Jim, Kim, and Paul : ).

Here you are again! Happy New Thread!!
I like the topper. Something about it screams 1930s to me.... I'm not canny enough to analyze the feeling. Anyway, I look forward to your reading and comments. I'm reminded that I need to do something similar myself.

Happy New Thread, Nancy! Hmm, the neighbourbood I grew up in is named after a couple of the "Group of Seven " and couple of lesser known artists that studied with the Group of Seven. The penny just dropped now. Well, I had an idea. ;) Lismer, Carmichael, Schaeffer, Cullen - rather ugly names for streets I thought. Might revise my thinking. And they say we get too old to learn! :-) Not this chickie! ;)

Where is that fainting couch ?

>7 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy. Interesting that the painting speaks 1930s to you.

>8 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. LOL, made me chuckle about the penny dropping on the Group of Seven names. You go, chickie!

33.
A Duty to the Dead, Charles Todd



Rating: 4/5

2009, Blackstone Audiobooks, Read by Rosalyn Landor

Publisher’s Summary: adapted from Audible.com
The daughter of a distinguished soldier, Bess Crawford follows in his patriotic footsteps, volunteering to serve her country as a nurse during the Great War. In 1916 she promises Lieutenant Arthur Graham that she will carry his dying request to a brother.

When Bess arrives at the Graham house in Kent, Jonathan Graham listens to his brother's last wishes with surprising indifference. Neither his mother nor his brother Timothy seems to think it has any significance. Unsettled by this, Bess is about to take her leave when sudden tragedy envelops her. She quickly discovers that fulfilling this duty to the dead has thrust her into a maelstrom of intrigue and murder that will endanger her own life and test her courage as not even war has.

My Review:
I serendipitously came across this series as one that might be enjoyed by readers who had enjoyed the Maisie Dobbs novels. I had certainly appreciated those, and so I thought to Bess Crawford a try. Not sorry!

As A Duty to the Dead opens, readers are immediately engaged in WWI, on board the HMHS Britannic – as it is going down! The disaster is a worthy segue to the introduction of the Graham family. A shroud of secrecy surrounds the family and its role in an age-old tragedy, and as the mystery unravels, so too do the characters, revealing motivations ranging from the innocence of youth to the sinister perversion of justice. Peregrine Graham is a character I won’t forget.

An intriguing, compelling read: Todd is a fine storyteller. And Rosalyn Landor a fine narrator. The next in the series, An Impartial Witness, is up next. Highly recommended!

>1 lit_chick: Beautiful Carmichael painting! It reminds me of my brother's cottage place in Georgian Bay.

I love the look of those fainting couches, although I'm not sure how comfortable they would be!

Two books down and only three days into the month! Happy reading!

Happy new thread, Nancy!
After the start of your previous thread I have been looking online at some of the paintings of the Group of Seven. Thanks for sharing them here.

Happy new thread, Nancy.

I've read a couple of the Bess Crawford series, but I like Maisie Dobbs better.

>12 ChelleBearss: Hi Chelle, I'm with you on the fainting couch, LOL. Can't remember which book I read that gave me the idea that I needed one on my thread ...

>13 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita, so glad you looked up some of the Group of Seven paintings.

>14 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. I like Maisie Dobbs best too. But I enjoyed the Maggie Hope series, and I hope will enjoy this one.

Hi Nancy, happy new thread my dear and a great thread topper, hope you are having a good weekend dear friend and send love and hugs.

>2 lit_chick: Perhaps I needed the fainting couch instead of a regular sofa earlier today when I threw my back out trying to get up. Fortunately heat seems to be helping. Pain is still there, but it doesn't hurt so much when heat is applied.

>15 lit_chick:

Jane Austen's Love And Freindship? "We fainted alternately on the sofa." :D

Like the colors on your topper, Nancy. Stunning.

Yet another series for Maisie Dobbs fans :) Keep 'em coming. An old rich family with a tragic past and big secrets. Like it already.

>18 lyzard: that one sounds probable!

Happy newest (and articulate) thread :)

>16 johnsimpson: Thanks, John, hugs to you and Karen.

>17 thornton37814: Hi Linda, feel better! Glad heat is helping.

>18 lyzard: Great guess, Liz, but I haven't read Love and Friendship.

>19 ctpress: Thanks, Carsten, I love this painting too. Great minds think alike in terms of excellent story line: rich, old family with tragic past and dark secrets.

>20 LovingLit: Thanks, Megan : ).

Happy new thread, Nancy!

>22 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori.

34.
An Impartial Witness, Charles Todd



Rating: 3/5

2010, Blackstone Audiobooks, Read by Rosalyn Landor

Publisher’s Summary: adapted from Audible.com
Tending to the soldiers in the trenches of France during the First World War, battlefield nurse Bess Crawford can't help but notice the photo of a young pilot's wife every time she tends to him. But then at the railway station, in a mob of troops leaving for the front, Bess glimpses a familiar face – the pilot's wife, with another man. Later, back in France, Bess sees a newspaper with a drawing of the woman's face on the front page. She'd been murdered – the very day Bess saw her. Bess is soon on the search for a devious and very dangerous killer – a search that will put her own life in jeopardy.

My Review:
Intriguing mystery beautifully performed by Rosalyn Landor. Todd has included a wonderful variety of secondary characters here, if somewhat two dimensional, ranging from the steadfast Simon to the cruel Victoria to the codependent Serena. Crawford’s character is like one I have not come across: she’s a nurse, not an investigator – yet she behaves like the latter, asking questions that are none of her business. What’s more peculiar is that people answer! I am enjoying the series and have the third novel, A Bitter Truth queued for listening, but I find this point hard to reconcile.

Great review, Nancy! Sounds good! Hmmm about the . Crawford’s character is like one I have not come across: she’s a nurse, not an investigator – yet she behaves like the latter, asking questions that are none of her business. What’s more peculiar is that people answer! I am enjoying the series and have the third novel, A Bitter Truth queued for listening, but I find this point hard to reconcile.. I plan to eventually read Bess Crawford, but I wonder if that will " stick in my craw " too. Glad you are enjoying the series!

>25 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. Can't wait until you get to Bess Crawford: I need to know if that will stick in my craw too. That made me chuckle! But I'm serious in wanting to know what you think of the series. I'll wait ... impatiently, LOL!

Hi Nancy, just stopping by, sending love and hugs.

>24 lit_chick: Great review. I love your point about a nurse asking questions. Once I've spotted something like that in a book it tends to niggle, impressed you kept going.

I'm glad to hear Maisie Dobbs is still the best! And I have so many of them to read…or listen to. It's always sad when one gets caught up with a series and has to delve into other waters. I hope your school year is going great now that the opening "jitters" are over. Probably more jitters for the students than you. Lol.

>27 johnsimpson: Love and hugs back to you and Karen, John.

>28 charl08: Hi Charlotte, I will see how the niggling goes in the Bess Crawford I'm presently reading. If I can't deal, I won't continue with the series.

>29 Donna828: Hi Donna, Maisie hands down! School year is off to a roaring start, after a ton of frustration with the technological tools we need to do our jobs not working properly. Argh!

Stopping by. Love the Carmichael at the top. Wonderful sense of wind and movement in it.

>31 sibylline: Hi Lucy, glad you love the Carmichael. It does have a wonderful sense of wind, doesn't it?

Hi Nancy! I haven't read past the first Maisie Dobbs, but I think I need to! Nice comments about An Impartial Witness - Rosalyn Landor is a favorite narrator.

Happy new thread to you! How about some Cairo pics?

>33 AMQS: Hi Anne, I think you will really enjoy Maisie Dobbs. Was not familiar with Rosalyn Landor until this Bess Crawford series, but she is excellent!

Just for you from my handsome Cairo!:

Cairo is beautiful, Nancy. Glad to hear school is off to a good start. Can you believe we are about a third of the way through the semester? It is flying by.

I've read the first two Bess Crawford, and I don't like them as much as Maisie, either. I may continue, but there is no urgency. There are other series I can catch up with that I like a lot more.

Have a great weekend.

>35 BLBera: Cairo thanks you, Beth : ). Hard to believe already a third of the way through semester! It does fly.

Delurking...Hi!!

>37 Berly: Hi Kim!

35.
A Bitter Truth, Charles Todd



Rating: 3.5/5

2011, Harper Audio, Read by Rosalyn Landor

Publisher’s Summary: adapted from Audible.com
Bess Crawford returns from France for a well-earned Christmas leave to find a bruised and shivering woman huddled in the doorway of her London residence. Bess takes the woman in and learns that she has had a violent quarrel with her husband – still, she wants to return home to Sussex, if Bess will go with her. Duty-bound Bess obliges, but soon discovers that this is a good deed with unforeseeable consequences.

Vixen Hill is a house in mourning. Lydia’s family has gathered for a memorial service for the elder son, who died of war wounds. Her husband, home on compassionate leave, is tense, tormented by jealousy and his own guilty conscience. Then, when a troubled houseguest is found dead, Bess herself becomes a prime suspect in the case. The murder will lead her to a dangerous quest in war-torn France, an unexpected ally, and a startling revelation that puts her in jeopardy before a vicious killer can be exposed.

My Review:
Decent read. Certainly not the caliber of the Maisie Dobbs series, which I came to love, but nonetheless entertaining. Events of the story are plausible, and the mystery involved enough that I didn't see the conclusion coming. Am loving the secondary character, Simon Brandon: young Simon served under Bess's father, Richard Crawford, and has become a family friend. Steady, determined, and fiercely loyal, I find myself hoping he and Bess will get together! I must say again that Rosalyn Landor is perfect!

Sign of life from your friend in Copenhagen :)

Glad that this new serie have improved a bit from the first one, Nancy. A good narrator sure saves the day - and Maisie Dobbs is of course hard to beat. Keep me posted on young Simon :)

Watch-cat in the window - great photo.

>40 ctpress: Hi Carsten, love to have a sign from my friend in Copenhagen! You are spot-on about a fine narrator, and I'll definitely keep you posted about Simon : ).

Sir loves his window perches! His favourite is actually at the top of our stairs because he gets such a panoramic view of the neighbourhood. It's his spot to watch Cat TV!

Sign of life from your friend on the sea side of the province! Hope all's well. LIttle reading being done here but just finished a Ann Cleeves book and I gather that all the tickets for her Vancovuer appearance at the Writers Fest have sold out. Hope all's good with you! Love the Cairo pics. He's a beauty!

>43 mdoris: Hi Mary! How lovely to have a sign of life from another friend : ). Not surprised that Cleeves has sold out at the Writers' Fest. Cairo thanks you!

For Haruf fans, I watched Our Souls at Night on Netflix last night. Did not disappoint! Beautifullly acted by Redford and Fonda.

>45 lit_chick: I have had my eye on that one, must watch it. I have been watching the CBC/Netflix production of Alias Grace, Mondays at 9 p.m. on CBC. It is fabulous! Have you read the Atwood book? I read it a loooooong time ago but sure enjoying the production.

What a handsome man is Cairo!
Hi, Nancy!

>46 mdoris: Hi Mary, like you, I read Alias Grace many, many years ago. I saw that a series had become available, so if it's on Netflix, I'll definitely add it to my list.

>47 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, Cairo thanks you : ).

>48 lit_chick: Nancy I don't think it's on Netflix yet, perhaps after it finishes its CBC time it will be. There are 6 episodes and believe you can find it on the CBC website, perhaps posted one week at a time. I think so far there have been 3 episodes done.

Looking forward to that one, Nancy. Just saw it pop up on Danish Netflix. Two favorite actors. Haruf deserved that.

Just checking in, Nancy... Hope you are having a lovely autumn.

>49 mdoris: Thanks, Mary. I'll check the CBC website.

>50 ctpress: Carsten, I couldn't agree more: Haruf deserved that. Will look forward to hearing your thoughts on the film.

>51 katiekrug: Hi Kate, happy autumn back to you!

36.
An Unmarked Grave, Charless Todd



Rating: 3.5/5

2012, Harper Audio, Read by Rosalyn Landor

Publisher’s Summary: adapted from Audible.com
Spring 1918: the Spanish flu epidemic spreads, killing millions of soldiers and civilians across the globe. Bess discovers, concealed among the dead waiting for burial, the body of an officer who has been murdered. Though she is devoted to all her patients, this soldier's death touches her deeply: the man served in her father's former regiment and was also a family friend. But before she can report the terrible news, Bess falls ill with the flu; and by the time she recovers, the murdered officer has been buried, and the only other person who saw the body has hanged himself. Or did he?

Working her father's connections in the military, Bess begins to piece together what little evidence she can find to unmask the elusive killer and see justice served. But she must be as vigilant as she is tenacious. With a determined killer on her heels, each move Bess makes could be her last.

My Review:
Todd, as always, does an excellent job of illustrating the far-reaching consequences of war – of the trauma and heartbreak visited on families as well as on servicemen. I enjoyed the secondary character, American Captain Barclay – apparently he is way ahead of Bess in terms of her relationship with Simon Brandon (well, I’m hoping!). That said, I found it difficult to keep track of the characters here – not sure whether this is because I was listening, or because I was disinterested in the Morton family, whose story is at the center of the mystery. Realistically, it was probably a bit of both.

In any case, this is a series I am enjoying and will continue with (it’s not Maisie Dobbs, and not even Maggie Hope) – but it’s readable, I’ve developed affection for Bess and for Simon Brandon, and I enjoy WW1 literature. Next up is A Question of Honor.

Nancy, you are tempting me to become a Netflix subscriber. I am so afraid I wouldn't get anything done if I had access to all that it offers. I don't watch much TV but there are a few series I follow by saving them on TIVO for binge watching. The episodes are piling up…along with my unread books. So your semester is 1/3 over? How did that happen? This year is definitely running away with me! Lovely silhouette of Cairo surveying his kingdom.

>45 lit_chick: I still haven't read Haruf.... must get to that.

Your Cairo pictures are lovely. I am enjoying my aunt's two cats very much, very different personalities but both sweet. (And lovely and warm for a chilly evening!)

Watched Our Souls at Night and thought it was good and in some ways I liked the ending they created for the movie better than the ending in the book. i was really quite upset and furious at the ending of the book. They did a good job of telling the story.

>54 Donna828: Hi Donna, I don't watch much TV either, but I usually have it on for a period of time every evening. Netflix has a lot of wonderful content, and I love that I can watch a series through without waiting on the next week/episode. Cairo spends a good deal of time surveying his kingdom : ).

>55 charl08: Hi Charlotte, Haruf is one of my best gifts from LT! I hope you will love his work as much as I do. Lovely that you are enjoying your aunt's cats : ).

>56 mdoris: Hi Mary, I share your thoughts exactly both book and movie!

>34 lit_chick: THANK YOU! Oh, what a beautiful kitty. I'd love to give him a scritch.

Great reading here. Happy October to you!

>53 lit_chick: Good review, Nancy. It is a series I should perhaps add to my rather overgrown patch.

I am not much of a TV watcher either.

>58 AMQS: Cairo thanks you, Anne, and says he'd love a good scritch, LOL!

>59 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul, I'd recommend Maisie Dobbs far above Bess Crawford, but I am enjoying the series. Made me LOL with your rather overgrown patch.

Fine review. You really have been quick coming well into this serie, Nancy. Hope it will continue to entertain.

Next week I hope to continue my reading. Have a few days of.

Have a great weekend.

>61 ctpress: Thank you, Carsten : ). Enjoy a few days off! I know they are well deserved.

Hi Nancy, hope you are having a really nice weekend my dear and send love and hugs from both of us.

>63 johnsimpson: Thank you, John. Hugs to you and Karen : ).

Hi Nancy--great recent reviews. Haven't read that Haruf, but I do have Netflix. ; ) Happy Friday!!

>65 Berly: Hi Kim, Netflix rocks!

37.
A Question of Honor, Charles Todd



Rating: 3.5.5

2013, Harper Audio, Read by Rosalyn Landor

Publisher’s Summary: adapted from Audible.com
Bess Crawford enjoyed a wondrous childhood in India, but an unforgettable incident darkened that happy time. In 1908, Colonel Crawford's regiment discovered that it had a murderer in its ranks, an officer who killed five people in India and England yet was never brought to trial. In the eyes of many of these soldiers, men defined by honor and duty, the crime was a stain on the regiment's reputation and on the good name of Bess' father, the Colonel Sahib, who had trained the killer.

A decade later, tending to the wounded on the battlefields of France during World War I, Bess learns from a dying Indian sergeant that the supposed murderer, Lieutenant Wade, is alive – and serving at the Front. Wanting answers, she uses her leave to investigate … but when Bess stumbles on the horrific truth, something that even the famous writer Rudyard Kipling had kept secret all his life, she is shaken to her very core. The facts will damn Wade even as they reveal a brutal reality, a reality that could have been her own fate.

My Review:
Another solid read in the Bess Crawford series. As the truth unfolds, a brutal reality is revealed – one that might have been Bess’ own. In the early 1900s, most English servicemen stationed in India left children behind to be reared and kept safe in their homeland. But the reality was that not all foster couples fostered children for good will – some “cared” for the children strictly for money. At the center of A Question of Honor is a group of damaged children who had been fostered by one such family – among them Lieutenant Wade. The children’s pain has followed them into adulthood – with heartbreaking consequences.

My, my. Very dark secrets indeed. Plenty of material to cover it seems. Good review, Nancy.

>68 ctpress: Thanks, Carsten. It's definitely a decent series.

Happy Halloween!!

Happy November 1st, Nancy!

>70 Berly:, >71 ChelleBearss: Thanks Kim and Chelle : ).

Nancy, I'm going to try to be back on my thread later tonight. For the moment , stopping by to say hi and glad you are enjoying your Bess Crawford series. I recall now what put me off the Charles Todd. I read a couple of Charles Todd books in his other series that features Ian Rutledge - an Inspector that served in WW1. After a couple of books, I could no longer read the series. The good inspector spent altogether far too much time driving in his car all over the countryside and fiddling about with two many unneeded details.

I also must tell you that I have pre ordered " The Crown" , first series from amazon ca. I was so delighted to see that I could actually get it. Still have not sorted out the Netflix stuff, but I did make my first interac transfer from my bank to a my credit union , all by myself. Tomorrow the world!( I've been doing online banking for eons, just had never tried an interac transfer. )

>73 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, good to know about the Charles Todd series featuring Ian Rutledge. You probably didn't mean to, but you made me chuckle: spent altogether far too much time driving in his car all over the countryside and fiddling about with two many unneeded details.

I predict you will love The Crown! I binge-watched S1, and I see the S2 is coming soon : ). You need Netflix (you're well on the way if you can do an interac transfer!).

Where is my proof reader when I need him or her! Really , Nancy! :-) I did worse than that , though! On John's thread I typed " half to " instead of" have to " Ah oh! I went back many hours later and corrected it. I was burning the midnight oil, the dog ate my homework, my grandma was at the hospital , it was the autocorrect. I'm sure you've heard all of the excuses! LOL!

Yes I am most eager for The Crown to arrive. It's released on November 7th - not sure if amazon delivers on the same date, or if I have to wait a day or two. S2 coming soon! Exciting stuff!

Hi Nancy - You're really zipping through the Bess Crawford series. I think my next one will be number three. Too many series...

Hi Nancy, hope you are having a really nice weekend my dear and send love and hugs from over the pond dear friend.

>75 vancouverdeb:, >76 BLBera:, >77 johnsimpson: Goodness, apologies to Deb, Beth, and John. I know I answered your posts days ago, but apparently something did not compute.

>75 vancouverdeb: Deb, autocorrect makes me crazy! Why does it "half to" make such a ridiculous mess of my messages?

>77 johnsimpson: Hi Beth, am enjoying Bess Crawford, but it's not 5* material by any stretch. I hear you about too many series.

>78 lit_chick: Hugs to you and Karen, John.

>79 lit_chick: Just keeping current here...autocorrecct drives me crazy sometimes. My favorite spelling mistake is my poor son's name. I frequently type hack instead of jack. Oops!! Why can't it know to fix that?

>80 Berly: LOL, Kim! I agree: how can autocorrect not get that!

38.
An Unwilling Accomplice, Charles Todd



Rating: 3/5

2014, Harper Audio, Read by Rosalyn Landor

Publisher’s Summary: adapted from Audible.com
Arriving in London on leave, Bess Crawford receives an unusual summons from the War Office. She's been requested to accompany a wounded soldier to Buckingham Palace, where he's to be decorated for gallantry by King George himself.

Though she is certain she's never met or nursed Sergeant Jason Wilkins, she cannot refuse the honor. Heavily bandaged and confined to a wheelchair, the soldier will be in her care for barely a day. But on the morning after the ceremony when Bess goes to collect her charge for his return journey, she finds the room empty. Both the Army and the Nursing Service hold Bess to blame for losing the war hero. There is a humiliating inquiry, and the incident is noted in her record.

More disturbing news complicates her already difficult situation: the Army now considers Wilkins a deserter, and Scotland Yard questions her when Wilkins is suspected of killing a man in cold blood. If Bess is to clear her name and return to duty in France, she must prove that she was never his accomplice. But the sergeant has disappeared again and neither the Army nor the police can find him.

My Review:
Following Wilkins’ desertion, and the tarnish it leaves on Bess’ impeccable service record, she and Simon Brandon (c’mon Simon!) set about following a trail of clues across England. They are drawn into a mystery that grows darker with every discovery. For my part, this goose chase read as convoluted – and I did not appreciate the gross coincidence that appears late in the novel in order to resolve the mystery.

Certainly not one of my favourites in this series. But, overall, I am enjoying and intend to continue. Next up is A Pattern of Lies.

Great review, Nancy! Great to see you on the threads. You really must try my new heroine, Lane Winslow of A Killer in King's Cove.

>83 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, great minds ... I just this minutes posted on your thread about the new series you've discovered ... Canadian, too!

And the series even takes place in Nelson B.C, Nancy! We've at least heard of the place! ;-) You've probably visited Nelson, but I have yet to get there.

I will peep in here my friends. I have skied at Whitewater which is the ski hill in Nelson, B.C. and it had a crazy amount of snow, way beyond my ability level. Perhaps you have seen the Whitewater cookbooks (which are fabulous)! I think there are now 4 of them. The cookbooks were developed from the recipes of the ski hill.

Sounds like a good read Deborah, your books that take place in Nelson. Hope you both are having a great weekend.

Ah, better luck with the next in the series, Nancy. And hopefully without a goose chase with an unlikely coincidence....

>85 vancouverdeb: Nelson, BC! The setting is definitely appealing! Thanks, Deb. Actually I have not visited Nelson, but that may need to change.

>86 mdoris: hi Mary, colleague of mine was crazy about the Whitewater cookbooks so I am somewhat familiar with them. But I had no idea they held from Nelson’s ski hill!

>87 ctpress: Too true, Carsten, can do without another goose chase! Undoubtedly, other fans of the series would have a very different idea about this one, but it wasn’t my cuppa.

Hi, Nancy. Just popping out of lurk to have a speak. Surely you have vacation time coming soon!

>34 lit_chick: - Cairo! What a beautiful cat he is.

Looks like you are enjoying the Charles Todd books, Nancy. I don't need another new series... really, I don't.

>89 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, yes, thank heavens ... Christmas vacation Dec 22-Jan 8.

>90 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori! Cairo thanks you, too : ). Oh, I so hear you about another new series, LOL!

This is a time of year when I as a non-American ponder over what I am thankful for.

I am thankful for this group and its ability to keep me sane during topsy-turvy times.

I am thankful that you are part of this group.

I am thankful for this opportunity to say thank you.

On this day of Thanksgiving, I am grateful for many things, one of them being my



Thank you for being so wonderful! : )

Happy Thursday Nancy, my dear, sending love and hugs.

>93 PaulCranswick:, >94 Berly:, >95 johnsimpson: Thank you Paul, Kim, and John. What lovely messages, made my day!

One more belated HAPPY, Nancy! It's almost December!!!!!

I hope you are having a great weekend, Nancy. I have a couple of the Bess Crawford series on my shelves. Can they be read as stand alones or is it best to read the series from the beginning?

>97 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy : ). Yes, almost Christmas holiday, thank goodness!

>98 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg, I think the Bess Crawford novels could be read as stand alones.

Nancy a few more weeks to go and you can put up your feet up for a well earned holiday! It's almost here.......

>100 mdoris: Oh, thank goodness, Mary!

39.
A Pattern of Lies, Charles Todd



Rating: 3.5/5

Publisher’s Summary: adapted from Audible.com
An explosion and fire at the Ashton Gunpowder Mill in Kent has killed over a hundred men. It's called an appalling tragedy – until suspicion and rumour raise the specter of murder. While visiting the Ashton family, Bess Crawford finds herself caught up in a venomous show of hostility that doesn't stop with Philip Ashton's arrest. Indeed, someone is out for blood, and the household is all but under siege.
Bess is asked to find the only known witness to the tragedy, now at the Front in France, but when she does, he refuses to tell her anything that will help the Ashtons. Bess does her best to convince him to tell her what really happened that terrible Sunday morning. But now someone else is also searching for this man …

My Review:
Decent read – I wasn’t certain until the end as to which way things would go with the Ashtons. Were they victims of a pattern of lies, or were they criminals? For me, this is one of the signs of a good mystery. I remain rooted in my hope that Simon and Bess will become something more than loyal friends, but Todd is not encouraging me in this direction. I continue to appreciate and enjoy (if enjoy is the right word) the WWI settings: from battlefield, to city, to village – another strength of the series.

Glad you* enjoyed *another Bess Crawford, Nancy. Nice review! I hope your teaching etc is going well.

>103 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. It's been a good fall, but so busy ... I'm more than ready for a break!

Just thumbed your WONDERFUL review of the Brinkmann book. It sound like my kind of read but my library system does not have it...drats!

>105 mdoris: Thanks, Mary! Yes, I think you would enjoy the Brinkman. What's very odd: I was certain I had posted my review of Stand Firm here on my thread, but now I don't see it. Gah!

40.
Stand Firm, Svend Brinkman



Rating: 4/5

Danish psychologist Svend Brinkman encourages those of us who are sick to death of society’s obsession with self-help, self-improvement, self-development, self-esteem – to say no! He is is well-read, witty, and humourous, and the voice of reason in a culture of emotion and self. What a breath of fresh air!

A reviewer writing The Sydney Morning Herald aptly summarizes Brinkman’s work: In a subversion of the typical seven-step self-help guide, he offers his own seven steps, inspired by the ancient Stoics, on resisting the fetishisation of the self: cut out navel-gazing, focus on the negative, say No, suppress your feelings, sack your coach, read a novel and dwell on the past.

Brinkman is upfront that his novel is not for everyone: those who are content in the self-race our society has created and continues to propagate – well, Stand Firm is not for those people. But if, like me, you reject the find-and-develop-yourself ideology as the panacea to happiness and success in our modern society – well, Stand Firm is a must read!

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Best Quotes: (so many!)

On the paradox of society, and our failed attempts to improve working-class lives: I see this so clearly in my work as a public educator where new curriculum, being introduced as we speak at a cost of tens of millions of dollars, perpetrates self-development, self-esteem, follow-your-passion (until I could gag!):

“As a society, we see the paradox machine at work on a bigger scale and in all sorts of contexts: for example, attempts to liberate the working class and its progeny by deploying critical and anti-authoritarian ‘learning by doing’ have merely reproduced inequality (and even exacerbated it in recent years), as these children have found themselves unable to navigate diffuse education structures with their myriad demands for autonomy and self-development. The offspring of the middle and upper classes have encountered no such problems.“ (23)

On the danger of the Yes hat:

“The Stoics see nothing wrong with positive experiences per se, but don’t see pursuing as many of them as possible as an end in itself. In fact, such a pusuit, decked out in a Yes hat and the latest fashionable gear, might stop you achieving peace of mind, the virtue that the Stoics cherish most … But in the accelerating culture, peace of mind is no longer deemed a desirable state. It’s a problem. People with peace of mind are precisely the type who are founded enough to knock back all sorts of (unreasonable) requirements and demands. That is not an asset in an era when the idea is the liquid, flexible, changeable individual.” (51)

On the value of literature in a world of psychobabble:

“I am convinced that the novels of Charles Dickens, Vladimir Nabakov and Cormac McCarthy (some of my favourites) will make us better people than Anthony Robbins’ coaching guides or Martin Seligman’s positive psychology. Admittedly, comparing fiction with self-help is like comparing apples with pears – but what they have in common is that they both explore what it is to be human and what life is all about.” (93)

Excellent review of Stand Firm. Thumbed. It sounds like my kind of book.
“I am convinced that the novels of Charles Dickens, Vladimir Nabakov and Cormac McCarthy (some of my favourites) will make us better people than Anthony Robbins’ coaching guides or Martin Seligman’s positive psychology So true, Nancy! Books by many authors will do the same; Wiley Cash , Kent Haruf and the like. Onto the wishlist!

Thanks Nancy!

Nancy, I accessed the review from my home page as your book review link was there. But good idea to post it on your thread!

>108 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. Agree that Wiley Cash and Kent Haruf could definitely be added to this list!

>109 mdoris: Thanks, Mary. I'm not very adept with using my LT home page, so I only see reviews on threads. But you remind me that I need to become more home-page-literate, LOL.

Under "recent news" on my home page the people who I follow as "interesting libraries" or "friends" or "contacts" have their recent books rated and I can access the reviews from there as did yours. I get lots of my ideas from there and then go straight to the library web site and put them on reserve. It is quite handy!

>111 mdoris: Aha! Thank you, Mary!

I'm all over any book that promotes actual learning over self-concept, but I don't feel any need to read the book, having read your good review, Nancy.

>113 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy : ).

>111 mdoris: that's a really helpful tip! I always go straight to Talk, and of course to my books, but I don't often visit my homepage.

Hi Nancy!!

>115 lauralkeet: Hi Laura!

41.
The Shattered Tree, Charles Todd



Rating: 3/5

2016, Harper Audio, Read by Rosalyn Landor

Publisher’s Summary: adapted from Audible.com
At the foot of a tree shattered by shelling and gunfire, stretcher bearers find an exhausted officer shivering with cold and a loss of blood from several wounds. The soldier is brought to battlefield nurse Bess Crawford's aid station, where she stabilizes him and treats his injuries before he is sent to a rear hospital. The odd thing is the officer isn't British – he's French. But in a moment of anger and stress, he shouts at Bess in German.

Bess is uneasy and unconvinced by Matron’s explanation that the soldier is from Alsace-Lorraine, where the border between France and Germany has continually shifted. When the French officer disappears in Paris, it's up to Bess – a soldier's daughter as well as a nurse – to find out why, even at the risk of her own life.

My Review:
A Shattered Tree is not one of the stronger novels in this series: I found it somewhat convoluted, and relying too heavily on coincidence. I’ve observed this coincidental plot in some of Todd’s other installments in the series, too – disappointing, because I think he is a good writer and capable storyteller. Still, the WW1 setting appeals, and I have enjoyed getting to know Bess, her mother and the Colonel Sahib, and Simon Brandon. Another Bess Crawford book, A Casualty of War, was just published in 2017, and I will certainly see the series through to its conclusion.

Sorry this novel did not work out as well for you, Nancy. I'm glad you are still going to see the series to the end. I went to the library and found quite a few good books, but lately I'm thinking I might something light to read. I'm not sure, but I might be reading a cozy sort of mystery that would usually not be my thing. A Murder of Magpies, maybe. I'm about 60 pages in. I'm having a bit of a loss of focus with books at the moment. Easy peasy reading is what my mind craves, I think.

>118 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, A Murder of Magpies looks interesting. Glad you found some new reads at the library, but I completely hear what you are saying in terms of craving light reading. This is the first Christmas holiday I’ve approached in quite some time without a stack of books at the ready ... but that’s fine: will read what appeals in the moment. It has been a very busy and challenging fall: lots of political nonsense going on at work, and I find that very draining on top of a full-time position which is already busy.

Oh Nancy, the political stuff can be supremely wearing. My heart goes out to you! How many more 'sleeps' until your well earned break?

>120 mdoris: Thanks, Mary. Thirteen sleeps! Our break is late this year, the way the calendar falls. But it will be just what the doctor ordered!

Ah, sorry to hear about the political nonsense at work. So wearing. Just Stand Firm. wink - I know it's not that easy at all.

>122 vancouverdeb: LOL, yes Stand Firm indeed, Deb!

Hi Nancy - Stand Firm sounds good. Great comments.

It sounds like maybe the Bess Crawford series is getting tired? I just finished A Bitter Truth, so I am way behind you, but I liked it a lot. It might even be the best one I've read so far. I've been encouraged by your comments until the latest ones.

I hope school is going well. Do you have a break soon? This week is our last week, with final grades due Dec. 21, so I am getting there -- lots of work still left though.

>124 BLBera: Hi Beth, I'm not sure whether the Bess Crawford series is getting tired, or whether I'm just getting tired of it. In any case, I've enjoyed it overall and will see it through to conclusion.

We teach through Dec 22 and then have two weeks off. Looking forward, and I'm certain you are too!

Stopping by to wish that the remainder of your Sunday is lovely, Nancy.

Hi Nancy - first real day of our long school holidays here, and I am catching up on LT, and about to attack a huge pile of laundry.

I think I have another Charles Todd on my Kindle unread but not a Bess Crawford one. I love that you have read so many in the series in a row - I usually get sidetracked and have so many unfinished series.

Hope the last 13 sleeps before you get a break from school go fast.

Boo to workplace politics, and Hooray for upcoming holidays!
Stand Firm landed firmly on my TBR pile.

>126 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. Here's hoping your Sunday was lovely, too.

>127 cushlareads: Hi Cushla! It's true, I've enjoyed reading the Bess Crawford series back to back. Hope you and your family will have a wonderful holiday, too.

>128 nittnut: Hi Jenn, I think you will enjoy Stand Firm

Nancy--Sorry about the workplace politics. Yuk. Love the sound of Stand Firm. And happy Thursday, which is the day before Friday which leads to the goodness of Saturday!!

>130 Berly: LOL, Kim, you've got the days of the week aptly pegged!

Hi Nancy hope you had a good weekend my dear and wishing you a good week ahead on the run up to Christmas dear friend. Sending love and hugs.

>132 johnsimpson: Thank you, John. Hugs to you and Karen.

Hi Nancy - Great review of Stand Firm and great quotes.

It was also relevant for me in all the work-related stuff I go through with constant new organization and goals for a new year etc. Hope you'll enjoy a good holiday and not think about work at all :)

>134 ctpress: Thanks, Carsten: I appreciate your bringing Stand Firm to my attention with your own fine review! Let's both make it a goal to enjoy a good holiday and not thing about work at all.

Hi Nancy, stopping by to wish you and your loved ones peace, joy and happiness this holiday season and for 2018!

Merry Christmas Nancy. Hope you'll enjoy the holiday.

Hi Nancy, wishing you a very Merry Christmas my dear and sending love and hugs to you from both of us dear friend,

Knowing you lights my world!
Merry Christmas! Peace and Joy!

(Or in other words, Happy Christmas, to you and yours!)

It is that time of year again, between Solstice and Christmas, just after Hanukkah, when our thoughts turn to wishing each other well in whatever language or image is meaningful to the recipient. So, whether I wish you Happy Solstice or Merry Christmas, know that what I really wish you, and for you, is this:

Dear Nancy, best wishes to you and yours at Christmas!

Wishing you all good things this holiday season and beyond.

Merry Christmas from Philadelphia, Nancy!

Thank you, everyone! Merry Christmas, LT Friends!

Happy Boxing Day!!

I bet you are having a super holiday break. Wishing you a wonderful 2018, full of the best reading!

Hope you had a wonderful holiday!

>147 Berly:, >148 mdoris:, >149 ChelleBearss: Thanks Kim, Mary, and Chelle : ).

42.
The Walnut Tree, Charles Todd



2012, Harper Audio, Read by Fiona Hardingham

Publisher’s Summary: adapted from Audible.com
In 1914, while visiting her friend Madeleine, Lady Elspeth Douglas's life is thrown into chaos when war breaks out and the Germans quickly overrun Belgium, threatening France. Having just agreed to marry Alain, Madeleine's dashing brother, Lady Elspeth watches him leave to join his unit, and then she sets out for England, only to find herself trapped on the French coast. To her rescue comes Captain Peter Gilchrist, who pulls her away from the battle and leads her to safety. But before they can properly say good-bye, Elspeth and Peter are separated.
Haunted by the horrors she witnessed in France, Elspeth enrolls in a nursing course, where she meets a fellow nurse in training, Bess Crawford. It is a daring move, made without the consent of her guardian, her cousin Kenneth. Yet Elspeth Douglas is a woman with a mind of her own, which – as she herself says – is a blessing and a curse. She is determined to return to the battlefields of France to do her part, and to find the man she has no right to love, no matter how far Kenneth may go to stop her. But before she can set things right with Alain, he goes missing and then Peter is gravely wounded.

My Review:
Todd does a fine job of illustrating how restrictive the contemporary world of The Walnut Tree was for women. Privileged and sheltered Elspeth battles not only her gender, but also her social position and title, in her quest to contribute to the war effort. She longs for her life to have some meaning – longs for something to do which is more important than what dress to wear to the next party. Her guardian, Kenneth, aptly represents social thinking of the time – a high-handed man with rigid notions of class and femininity.
Todd’s motives in creating the love triangle between Elspeth, Alain, and Peter are not entirely clear to me, but the situation does create personal and moral tension, which of course needs to be resolved by Elspeth.

I thoroughly enjoy when characters cross into other novels, and loved that Elspeth encountered Bess Crawford in nurses’ training. Too, The Walnut Tree is holiday tale, and reading it at Christmas was well-timed. Fiona Hardingham does a fine job of narration. Recommended!

2017 Wrap-Up:
This was a very slow reading year for me, but I do want to pay homage to the following wonderful books ...

The Best:
Circling the Sun, Paula McLain
Here Comes the Sun, Nicole Dennis-Benn
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Brontë
A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles

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And with that, this thread, along with 2017, is closed!

Sneaking one more in:

Happy Valentine's Day to you Nancy!