Monday, May 3, 2021

I Would Like to Recommend

Photo courtesy of wikipedia

 
LUCY BURDETTE: Remember when our pal Ingrid Thoft used to do a post every once in a while called “I’d like to recommend…”? I always enjoyed the answers, which could be about anything! So if you’re not reading or watching anything new or noteworthy, feel free to recommend food or anything else that comes to mind. That said, I’d like to recommend a Swedish crime show we’ve gotten addicted to. It’s called the Sandhamn Murders and it takes place on the islands off the coast of Stockholm. And that means the (ever-so-appealing) characters are always roaring off to answer a call in their motorboats. It has me dying to visit Sweden, even though these particular little towns are developing the Cabot Cove syndrome.


I also just started Paula Munier’s third Mercy Carr novel, THE HIDING PLACE. She’s become an expert at raising the emotional stakes for her characters, plus the setting is so distinct and the book is chock full of wonderful animals. That’s enough from me. How about you Reds?


JENN McKINLAY: Well, I already raved about Ted Lasso (nudge, nudge) so I then started watching Resident Alien (thank you, Jay) and I’m loving it so far but with a book due in a matter of days I’ve had to limit my intake of episodes - but seriously, so good! As for books, I recently finished a Katherine Center reading bender that was just lovely. My favorite was Things You Save in a Fire about a female Boston firefighter. Excellent! And as for food, let me just say, Detroit Style Coney Dogs - soooo good! Hub started making them during the pandemic and they’ve become a household favorite because sometimes you just NEED a hotdog.


LUCY: I am a big fan of Katherine Center too Jenn, and so far that one is my favorite as well.


HALLIE EPHRON: I confess, I’ve been off any kind of emotionally fraught or humorously silly programming for months now, with the exception of NEW TRICKS (with the original cast) which is streaming (Netflix? Amazon? Can’t remember which) and a complete escapist delight. 


What seems to hold my attention right now are documentaries. On Netflix, just for instance “Dancing with Birds,” “The Pixar Story,” “Murder Among the Mormons,” “Indian Matchmaking.” Also “American Oz” -- all about L. Frank Baum who wrote the Oz books, on public television. And I did get through one drama -- “The Dig” (dramatization of a true story - a ship from the Middle Ages is discovered buried on a woman’s farm in England - loved it). 


HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Yay, Ingrid! Love her. We’ve been watching This is a Robbery, about the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum heist, which is really well done, and even more interesting because I covered it as a reporter. We are trying to watch the Kate WInslet police series called  Mare of Eastham (is that right?) and I am not sure about it. It’s most fascinating trying to listen to her do a US accent.  (Philadelphia? I think?)

We also watched Inhuman Resources which was AMAZING until it wasn’t. And we have been watching a lot of old movies. I had never seen In the Heat of the Night, oddly, and it’s riveting. We watched The Man Who Knew Too Much. SO much fun. And The Heiress. And Anatomy of a Murder. 

I am also in love with reading on my Fire while walking on the treadmill. This is a GREAT THING! I read Edith Wharton’s book on writing, and am now in the midst of one of my all time favorites, The Custom of the Country.  And I absolutely tore through the pages of FALLING  by TJ Newman, whoa, and completely adored FOR YOUR OWN GOOD  by Samantha Downing. And I get exercise at the same time.

Finally, I have discovered the joys of breadcrumbs. But a blog for another time.

And does anyone do the Spelling Bee in the NY Times? I am addicted, and cannot continue my Sundays without solving it.


JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Hank, you covered the Isabella Stewart Gardner robbery? I’ve always been fascinated by that.


Let’s see, I can recommend something that’s probably been done before, but I’m working my way through the BBC’s Agatha Christie adaptations from the past few years, most of which are on Amazon. They’re so well done, it doesn’t matter if you know whodunnit. I’m also slowly going through THE EXPANSE, the five-season and counting SF series, also on Amazon. Does anyone else seem to settle into one streaming service for a while?


My latest reads are THE VENICE SKETCHBOOK by our own Rhys Bowen, and it’s wonderful! I just finished THE GALAXY, AND THE GROUND WITHIN by Becky Chambers, the last of four loosely connected novels set in a galaxy filled with aliens, in which most of humanity resides in a fleet exiled from Earth. This latest is the opposite of space opera - it’s a sweet and tender exploration of character of five people trapped for a few days together. Which is also the theme of SHIVER by Allie Reynolds, another Agatha Christie-type tale of a group whose reunion weekend takes a dark turn when they’re stranded in their remote, snowbound resort. I just love this subgenre of mystery; I wish we could come up with a more definitive name than “Christie like.”


DEBORAH CROMBIE: Thanks to Julia's recommendation some time ago, I've been bingeing on the CHRONICLES OF ST. MARY series by Jodi Taylor, about a time-traveling historian named Madeleine Maxwell. These are such fun, although a bit harrowing, as Max does manage to get into a lot of trouble. And they really make history jump off the page!


I've read the latest Ben Aaronovitch novella, WHAT ABIGAIL DID THAT SUMMER, which I loved, and I'm listening to the Audible versions of his books, more or less backwards. The narrator, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, is the best audio narrator ever. I would listen to him read the phone book (if there still was such a thing.)


TV-wise, we are still working our way through SCHITT'S CREEK, which I think has saved my sanity the last few months. It's just so good, so funny, and so darned sweet. And I'm a perpetual fan of THE VOICE, so am enjoying that this season. Snoop Dog has been the mega-mentor, and he is fabulous! Who knew?


Rhys Bowen:  chiming in very late as we’ve just driven back from Arizona. I’ve been binging Britbox ( Vera and Death in Paradise) and also series on Prime with an Edwardian Farm and then a Tudor farm. 

Your turn Reds! What would you like to recommend?


65 comments:

  1. Hank, I love the Spelling Bee! And “Falling” [T.J. Newman] was amazing . . . .

    “Faithless in Death” [J.D. Robb aka Nora Roberts] is the latest [the 52nd] in the In Death series, which I really enjoy and do recommend. Set in New York City in the near future [2061], homicide detective Eve Dallas is the central character.

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    1. I LOVE the In Death series by J.D. Robb. Already looking forward to the next book in September.

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    2. Count me in on that one, Joan! I think I've read all (or nearly all) of the In Death books--some of them more than once. The characters keep me coming back.

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    3. In Death series has been my binge reading series this past year.

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  2. Oh Jenn, I don’t think Ted Lasso can be raved about enough! I watched all of it this past week, and I can’t quit telling everyone how much I loved it. I’m so happy the show has been renewed for two more seasons. And, Debs, Schitt’s Creek is the shy hat got me through the last of 2020. Up next for me is Keeping Faith on Acorn TV. Clare Mackintosh was raving about it in a panel for Cymru Crime Festival today.

    Debs, another one we have in common, or soon will, is the Jodi Taylor series. I have the first three downloaded on my Kindle and hope to start this week. I’m currently reading Emma James’ Death at Seascape House, her first in a new series that takes place in the Scilla Islands of England. Next up is Rhys’ The Venice Sketchbook.

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  3. I binged the first season of Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist back in September. Emotional at times, funny at others, and sweet overall. The talent on that show for the singing and dancing is fabulous. And some of the guest stars are extremely talented. Enjoying the second season now.

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  4. I love sci-fi movies, just watched Stowaway on Netflix. Also enjoy family movies, just watch The Mitchells vs The Machines, again on Netflix.

    As for books, Runner by Tracy Clark-comes out in June. Her Last Breath by Hilary Davidson-comes out in July. Just started Southern Sass and a Battered Bride by Kate Young-love this series with a quirky cast of characters.

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    1. DRU,, tomorrow Ellie Alexander is doing a live on Facebook for "May the Fourth Be with You" referring to Star Wars if you are interested?

      Diana

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  5. So many recommendations! Last night I finished A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas. Next up is The Companion by Kim Taylor Blakemore. And Paula's new book too.

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  6. Getting a shout out from Jenn McKinlay is sure a great way to start the day. And I definitely recommend the TV show Resident Alien for anyone.

    And I miss Ingrid. I hope she will have a new book out sooner rather than later.

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    1. Ingrid was featured in my Alumni Magazine recently. She does have a WIP.

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    2. Terrific, can't wait to have her back to the blog!

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  7. So many excellent suggestions! There is absolutely no excuse for boredom these days, is there? Hallie, also enjoyed "The Dig" and "Murder Among the Mormoms", which was riveting, and shocking. Talk about a plot twist! But a true story.

    Acorn has a new season of "Brokenwood Mysteries", with a new episode out each Monday, and "Murdoch Mysteries", the same. The two stars of Murdoch, Yannick Bisson and Helene Joy, are now executive producers of the show, and it's lacking some of its former oomph, somehow. The plots have always been pretty silly, but the steampunk and historical figure aspects were always great fun, and they are no longer as evident in later seasons. But Brokenwood is still good, and the new Aboriginal sidekick is a great addition to the team.

    I just finished listening to Michele Obama narrating her own book, Becoming, and have to recommend it. She has a remarkable story. Steve read her husband's A Promised Land, and he raved about it, so I will have to also read it, I guess. But first I am reading the Alicia Beckman/Leslie Budewitz Bitterroot Lake that came the other day. Very good, so far. Next up is The Venice Sketchbook, which I expect to savor!

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    1. We loved Michelle's book Karen. We also listened to Barack all the way up the eastern seaboard. It's in such detail that I lost a little bit of interest, though overall he's a thoughtful and fascinating man...

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    2. I meant to add, I lost interest after about 15 hours LOL!

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    3. That's a lot of history in one big chunk, Roberta! I'd have to listen to music, at least, for part of that time.

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  8. I recommend A House Divided by Sulari Gentill. Rowland Sinclair is an Australian aristocrat with a motley group of friends. And his uncle is murdered. It is set in the early 1930s, and Gentill weaves in a lot of actual history. Politics is an important part -- communists behind every tree. Best of all, it is the first book in a series, and there are 8 other books out there with a new coming out in January. And Rhys wrote the foreword.

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    1. I have read most of her books and love them. Great flavor of Australia

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    2. I love that series, Maureen! Sulari works in historical tidbits that are fascinating. Who knew Hugo Boss designed and made Nazi uniforms? Rowly is a very endearing character and his artist friends are a hoot.

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  9. Fun morning, Roberta! I still cannot watch tv for any amount of time, but I am reading constantly.

    Like many of you, once I find a series that I love, I just tear through it, but not exclusively. So, today I am in the middle of Deanna Raybourn's second book in her Veronica Speedwell series, A Perilous Undertaking. I am loving her characters. I just finished Michael Connelly's Fair Warning. Boy, he is such a good storyteller and the premise about DNA collection is just terrifying.

    I have been taking out library books and still have a few to finsh including the second August Snow book by Stephen Mac Jones. And, I still haven't read Louise Penny's latest which is in my TBR pile on the bookcase.

    I have to thank this blog and also thank Hank and Hannah for First Chapter Fun, where I have discovered so many, many authors I did not know about before. I read Amy Pershing's A Side of Murder and think you all were spot-on telling us how terrific it is! AND, I am loving Iona Whishaw's Lane Winslow series, about a young woman who was a spy during WWII. When she arrives in a small fictional town in British Columbia, Canada, she is escaping from the agency that wants to keep her engaged and the painful memories of the war. The police inspector who falls in love with her is just a delicious guy and if you like romance with your murder, um-m-m. I just finished the sixth book, cannot recommend this series enough!

    I am all caught up and waiting for Jenn's book to arrive on my Kindle tomorrow, and for S.C. Perkins latest book in her genealogy series to also arrive soon. Annette's stand-alone will also be dropping onto my Kindle very soon. In fact, I've loaded my Kindle with so many books by Edith and by other authors recommended here, that I need to stop going to the library so I can catch up on the things I've bought. Rhys's Venice Sketchbook is also loaded and ready.

    As for my Audible, it is a great diversion while I am in the kitchen aand I probably spend 3 hours there each day. I have been listening to Rhys's Royal Spyness series, almost one after the other, and have just arrived at the first book which is read by a new reader. I think she is doing a great job considering the fabulous reader, Kathryn Kelgren, whom she follows in the series.

    I have tried watching TV, but just can't enjoy it like I used to do. I read constantly.

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    1. We are all so happy to have you reading reading reading Judy!

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    2. I really enjoy Deanna Raybourne's books, Judy. I just finished reading the latest one, and it was so much fun. Now I'm going to have to look up Iona Wishaw's books.

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    3. I discovered Deanna Raybourne here on JRW, and love her books. As a Master Gardener, I especially enjoy her tongue-in-cheek use of Veronica Speedwell for her main character, since "Veronica" is the Latin name for the plant Speedwell, a beautiful spiky plant with glorious blue flowers.

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    4. Judy I’m glad you approve of the new reader. I’ve had negative comments about her and wasn’t sure what to do

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    5. Deanna Raybourne is always fun in both of her series. And I love Lane Winslow and Inspector Darling. It is a very interesting setting and both of those characters had wartime experiences in Europe to draw on.

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    6. Rhys, I read a negative comment soon after she'd begun but I was just listening to the first books at that point. That commenter railed at you for switching readers and did not realize the tragedy behind the switch. I've just begun to listen to her and so far think she just had a tough act to follow. (Think Roger Moore after Sean Connery.)

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  10. For TV escapism I also vote for Schitt's Creek (Moira!!!), The Dig and the first few seasons of Death in Paradise. But my absolute favorite new find is PBS's Danish import Seaside Hotel (Badehotellet), set in a seaside hotel (surprise)in the 1930s. It's totally charming and unexpectedly funny, with wonderfully written characters and a beautiful setting.

    The list is long for books, but I keep recommending Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club to all who will listen. A remarkable spin on the traditional cozy. And, if you've ever wanted to chuck it all and sail away to warm waters and palm trees, please read Amity Gage's brilliant Sea Wife first. It's a remarkable portrait of a marriage literally at sea. Absolutely gripping.

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    1. Seaside Hotel! I've been wondering about it. With that vote of confidence seems like I need to watch it.

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    2. We're going to check out the Seaside Hotel too...I loved Borgen so much, I could use another Danish show

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    3. Where do you watch Seaside Hotel, Amy?

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  11. "Keeping Faith" on Acorn with the fabulous Eve Myles playing a Welsh attorney caught up in a web of deceit and lies.

    Elly Griffiths POSTSCRIPT MURDERS, followed by Donna Leon's latest, TRANSCIENT DESIRES.

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  12. On TV, most of the things we enjoy have been cited many times already. We basically live on re-watching Midsomer Murders, Vera, Brokenwood, Shetland, New Tricks, The Mallorca Files, and Death in Paradise. Planning to check out Grace, and would love other recommendations of shows that fit with the above list.

    In the past year or two I have branched out of my comfort zone on books, so I am going to recommend a few titles I have loved that don't necessarily fit what we usually see mentioned here. One I've raved about before, but can't resist mentioning again, is When We Were Vikings, by Andrew David MacDonald -- a unique protagonist to love! Another is Sourdough, by Robin Sloan. (Sloan is the author of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Book Store, and this one is just as offbeat and marvelous.) I loved Inheriting Edith by Zoe Fishman, a little book about a woman who inherits a beach house but must also take over caring for her late friend's mother, who lives there in the early stages of dementia. I also loved Recursion, a wonderfully cinematic sci-fi, mind-boggling adventure kind of piece by Blake Crouch, and Less, by Andrew Sean Greer, which feels like a light travel romp as you're going through it but at the end you realize how much you have come to love the main character and how much he has grown. Finally, I recommend pretty much everything written by Kate Quinn. I haven't read them all yet, but I have loved the ones I have read -- they tend to be set in both the current time and in WWI and/or WWII, and are grittier than most historical fiction, but I have found them worth the discomfort.

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    1. Susan, I picked up Less on my first in-person visit to the bookstore in a year, and it is in (one of) my to-read piles. I'll move it up!

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    2. When We Were Vikings was wonderful.

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  13. Has anyone recommended The Detectorists? My 12-year-old son is a passionate metal detectorist and I'd heard about this (fictional) show about two metal detecting buddies in England. We finally watched it and we all fell in love. It is really hard to describe -- funny, sad, indescribably joyous. It's sort of a combo of The Office and The Dig, but more tender and profound. Highly recommend.

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    1. Good to know, Sarah. I've wondered about that series, and I love Toby Jones.

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    2. I watched an episode and wasn’t sure ... I expected interesting discoveries but got drama. Perhaps I’ll try again

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    3. I love The Detectorists - watched it awhile ago. Yes, I agree, it's quirky. And the two lead actors are superbly offbeat.

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    4. It definitely grows on you -- and I think it gets better as it goes.

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    5. The Detectorists is one of those series I recommended to everyone I know. Quirky characters, sweet, funny, poignant. Perfect music and great cast! I loved it.

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  14. Lately I've been bingeing on Jenn's Hat Shop mysteries. Three down, three to go there. They are so much fun. I've also recently read books by Jayne Ann Krentz and I've re-read Amy Pershing's "A Side of Murder," which was just as much fun the second time through.

    Beyond that, I've become a You Tube fan of clips from old Graham Norton shows, and assorted stand-up comedians like Reginald D. Hunter. When I need a laugh, those never fail.

    But I also highly recommend getting out in the garden. My roses survived the February Freeze here, and are just stunning this year. Every time I step outdoors I inhale clouds of perfume and take scads of photos, which mostly look just like the photos I took of the garden last year, but still. Plant something pretty if you can!

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  15. We are binge-watching the fifth season of Great British Menus on Prime. The winners -- if we ever get to the end -- will cook at a banquet for Prince Charles et al. Great fun but be sure to watch after you've had a meal. Trust me.

    We start each evening with just one episode of QI, have seen them all time and again, but they're the best mood lifters on TV.

    If you haven't watch Upstart Crow on Britbox, you should. You can thank me later.

    I've been devouring Kazuo Ishiguro lately, such great books that never disappoint. (He wrote Remains of the Day) And I also discovered a book I'd bought back in January, a debut novel by JoAnne Tompkins, What Comes After. I read it in two evening. There's a bit of everything in there, overlaid with a religious philosophy I know nothing about, the Quakers. I thought of Edith all the way through. There's a bit of mystery, a lot of angst, a little sex, and a huge dollop of human dynamics. After finishing it, I found out the author lives in a tiny island town in Puget Sound, Port Townsend, where two friends of mine moved last year. Small world. Ms. Tompkins manages writing from five different viewpoints, never confusing the voices. Not an easy task.

    It is early spring up on the taiga. The lilacs are beginning to bloom and well as the dogwoods. The forsythia is done and the tulips have lasted a month. The creeping phlox covers the rock garden and the roses are setting buds.

    PS It snowed a bit Saturday night but we are NY tough, plants and all.

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    1. Ann, you might enjoy this article in today's NY Times about Stephen Fry. I hope it's not behind a paywall.

      http://tiny.cc/44ywtz

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    2. I’ve been watching that too, Ann, although we couldn’t understand the Scots in their episode!

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    3. Rhys, I turned on closed captioning on all devices so my half-deaf husband could understand dialogue. The side benefit is now we can both understand dialogue that has heavy accents, too. I highly recommend it.

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    4. Hilarious last week when I visited Poisoned Pen and couldn't understand half of what an Irish author was saying. Your solution sounds perfect, Karen!

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    5. Ann, thanks for the heads up on Great British Menus!

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  16. This past year, I have gone back to TV shows that I found too weird or too cringe-worthy when I watched the first episode (years ago) and given them another chance. First it was The Good Place, which I ended up really enjoying. The second was Schitt's Creek, which became one of my favorite series of all time (I am obsessed with Dan Levy).

    Now I'm doing a deep dive into the US version of The Office. I also discovered the podcast called Office Ladies with Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey. I watch an episode of The Office, which typically runs about 21 minutes, then listen to the podcast episode that breaks it all down with behind-the-scenes details, interviews, answers to fan questions, and the like. So much fun! These podcast episodes typically run an hour or more. Once I started, I discovered the once-a-week podcasts had been running since October 2019, so I am just now catching up. I'm almost finished with the fourth season (there are 9), and I just can't get enough. I can't wait to send in my own questions and have them answered on air. And just this week, I purchased the complete Blu-Ray box set because it comes complete with deleted scenes, bloopers, commentaries, and special bonuses. Plus, I may have ordered a Schrute Farms Bed and Breakfast T-shirt.:) I'm all-in!

    Another pure pleasure is a Patreon group I joined with Melinda Doolittle, my favorite American Idol contestant of all time (she was robbed--came in third in season 6, 14 years ago). My husband and I had the pleasure of seeing her in concert about 10 years ago, and we agreed it was our favorite concert ever. The group gets together on Zoom once a week and breaks down that week's episodes of Idol and The Voice, and Melinda's insights are priceless and hilarious. Not to mention that Melinda is a delight--so nice and funny. We also get some special mini-concerts from her, just for our group.

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  17. I love all the recommendations--I'm gathering them all up for when I can sit still long enough to watch tv and for when my reading gets up to speed again. I did manage to get all the way through Bitterroot Lake by Alicia Beckman/Leslie B. I heard echoes of Leslie in those pages! Also, I've been looking for something to read along the lines of William Kent Krueger's mystery series and have found Paul Doiron (thanks, Julia!).

    Getting outdoors and working is something I can do and highly recommend--we don't have roses yet (Gigi!), but the bushes seem to be thriving. Columbine setting buds--if only I can keep the slugs drunk and drowning in beer--might have some foliage left to go with the flowers this year. Pink dogwood has a glorious mass of blossoms (it has never bloomed so beautifully--only got 2-3 blossoms first year here and none in the intervening decade or so until now!).

    I can't seem to read much--so I started to reread a series I love. Some series I adore, but I never go back and reread because the stories are so intense. Deborah's books were one such series for me. What stays with me are the characters and emotional intensity of each book. So rereading has been like discovering the plots all over again. Page-turners--Deborah, I stayed up until 4 one morning, couldn't put the book down--Water Like A Stone. And I reread A Finer End twice, straight through.

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  18. HALLIE,

    NEW TRICKS is on Britbox and i love that series. It was Jacqueline Winspear who mentioned the series in her blog some years ago and it was still on PBS at that time. I watched it a long time ago and am watching it again on Britbox.

    Diana

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    1. Really enjoyed it until all the originals were gone. Then we lost interest.

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  19. I'll have to join the chorus on Schitts Creek. So goofy. My sister and I were ca-cawing each other over the phone for a while thanks to Moira. I am still reading like crazy. Some authors that never disappoint are Lauren Willig (Band of Sisters is the latest), Karen White, and Beatriz Williams. I am doing a read along of Anna Lee Huber's series beginning with The Anatomist's Wife. The questions and comments by others are enlightening, as are Anna's explanations from time to time. And we haven't even gotten to the date set for the official discussion. There is a Facebook page called Lady Darby Read-Along that anyone can join. Lauren Willig is doing something similar with her Pink Carnation series. I jumped in at book 3; late to the party. I recently read the first of a brand new series by S.M. Goodwin called Absence of Mercy. Loved it! Crimean War veteran, second son of a duke, stutterer, and investigator for the London police. Set in the late 1850's our hero finds himself "volunteered" to assist the NYC police department train investigators. This author also works interesting bits of history into her story, such as the infamous Great Police Riot of 1857. I rarely recommend books to my son and to my husband (Ben Aronovitch is the exception) but I did this one and they both read and loved it.

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  20. So many wonderful recommendations, Jungle Reds.

    I have been on a reading slump lately because I had frequent headaches and maybe a cold too. However, I managed to read YOUR INNER HEDGEHOG by Alexander McCall Smith, which I loved. I finished reading several Advanced Reading Copies for NetGalley.

    I finished rereading HER ROYAL SPYNESS by Rhys Bowen. I started reading PRIDE AND PREMEDIATION. There are so many books that I started reading and did not finish in April.

    After my second vaccination, I may either be tired all the time and sleep or stay up and read more? We will see.

    Diana

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  21. I loved James McBride's DEACON KING KONG, considered "literary" but there are crimes and cops in it. It's funny and joyous while set in devastating circumstances. And I just received Mia Manansala's ARSENIC AND ADOBO.

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  22. Rhys-"also series on Prime with an Edwardian Farm and then a Tudor farm. " What is this or are these?

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  23. I just finished "Sooley" by John Grisham...I zipped through as usual, and it has a twist ending that leaves you feeling....? I am reading "Up From Slavery" by Booker T Washington and it's a pretty amazing story. Still waiting for new books by my favorite authors so I'm reading an old favorite author, Cecilia Holland.

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  24. I am rereading MOCKERY OF JUSTICE about the Sam Sheppard case. I think everyone should have a copy. It is so good -- and a disturbing reminder of how things can go so wrong on a case. Cynthia L. Cooper and Sam Reese Sheppard wrote it. And solved the case. Something the prosecutors should have done!

    The Finder has really grabbed me. Since it is a first read I'll read it when I can give it my full attention.

    In these times when one avoids going anywhere one doesn't have to, I have been extra appreciative of Gutenberg.org. They have many Mary Roberts Rinehart novels I have tried to find for years and couldn't. She even wrote a short story on the flu pandemic of 1918. For some reason reading that was STILL more soothing than reading about present times!

    Brenda Perrott Williamson

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  25. I’m probably late to the party, but I just discovered Peter Grainger’s DC Smith series and am binge listening on Audible. I now have a bit of a crush on Smith, but maybe it’s just his sense of humor that reels me in. I’ve also laughed aloud with Kelley Garrett’s Hollywood Homicide and Hollywood Ending. Narrated perfectly.
    Honestly, I’ve pushing Call My Agent to my friends for a couple of years. Unfortunately, some are closed caption phobic and are resisting me.
    After Life, with its perfect casting, led me to the hilarious Gameface with Roisin Conaty. And I finally got around to Killing Eve, which
    kept me up all hours, thinking “Just one more episode before bed.”

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