What We’re Reading

LUCY BURDETTE: I’ve been all over the map with reading lately so here’s the run-down. I finally picked up ALL THE LIGHT YOU CANNOT SEE (very late to this party!) because John and I were going to St. Malo (more on that later this week.) Quite fascinating! Then I read CAT AND BIRD by Kyoko Mori–I’ve always been a fan of her books as she gives so much insight into the culture of Japan and her very difficult family. This was a beautiful, quiet book about the author’s intense relationship with her cats, as well as the birds in her life. Of course, much more is revealed about her family and her life along the way. I picked up THE PARIS WIDOW by Kimberly Belle because it won best paperback original at the Edgars. A fast moving story, plus Paris! Next up BACK AFTER THIS by Linda Holmes. Loved the characters, and also loved that the romance trope did not feel at all forced. My favorite of her books so far! On the way home from our trip I finished MRS. ENDICOTT’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE–another captivating standalone from Rhys Bowen! Although this book is less mystery/suspense and more historical fiction crossed with women's fiction, it's a wonderful read. The characters develop beautifully over the course of the story, the bad-ish guys get their comeuppance, the heroes emerge during the brutal years of WW2--all this is presented in an appealing small town coastal setting. Can’t wait for you all to read it in August.

How about you Reds, what are you reading?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Well, I am thrilled to be reading Ruth Ware’s upcoming THE WOMAN IN SUITE 11,  she’s such a genius! And the amazing Shari Lapena’s new one, SHE DIDN’T SEE IT COMING, and then my idol Lisa Jewell’s (I am interviewing her GOH at Bouchercon! Whoo!)  DON’T LET HER IN. And yes, of course Mrs. Endicott, a must read! I also just finished FROM THESE ROOTS by Tamara Lanier, about her quest to get her enslaved relative’s daguerreotypes back from  Harvard. It’s amazing. And I am longing to get to CUE THE SUN, about the history of reality TV. And CARELESS PEOPLE. Talk about scary, both of them!

Oh, and please please do not miss WELCOME TO MURDER WEEK by Karen Dukess. Truly. Trust me. It is a lovely and smart and perfect book. ALL the reds and readers will love it.

RHYS BOWEN: I finally got around to Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club while I was in England. A pleasant easy read so I’ll tackle the subsequent books. I’ve also got to read Louise Penny’s The Grey and Black Wolves as we are being interviewed together for the Book Passsge Mystery Conference in July. Right now I’m reading a non fiction book I have to blurb about a woman becoming a farmer in WWII. Ghosts of the Farm

HALLIE EPHRON: I just finished Nita Prose’s THE MAID which I completely loved. What a great voice and boy howdy did the ending surprise me. And surprise me again. And what a great character, Molly Gray, even if she is yet another on-the-spectrum detective. There’s a reason why the trope works.

And I was riveted by Malcolm Gladwell’s TALKING TO STRANGERS. We’re so sure we understand one another, and yet all the science points otherwise. Got to be a must-read for anyone trying to write police procedure or courtroom drama. So many insights about how we get each other wrong. Counter-programming for the Karen Read trial.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: At a bookstore event for the wonderful Eliza Reid (former first lady of Iceland) and her debut DEATH ON THE ISLAND, I picked up EVERYTHING IS TUBERCULOSIS by John Green, author of THE FAULT IN OUR STARS and other YA best sellers. This book, however, is non-fiction, and is so fascinating I could hardly put it down. What an eye-opener!

Then, from another book event, THE DARK MAESTRO, the latest by Brendan Slocumb. Who else could combine a brilliant cellist, comic book heroes, and gangsters? What a fun read! Also, I’ve listened to the entire 15 hours of THE KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES by Jussi Adler-Olsen, the book on which the Netflix series DEPT Q is based. I’m fascinated by how they adapted this long book, what they changed while keeping the bones of the characters and plot.

Now, I’m finally indulging in Natalie Jenner’s charming AUSTEN AT SEA, and I especially love her portrayal of Louisa May Alcott. This one is a much-anticipated gem that I’m stretching out in small doses because I hate for it to end. Coming up soon is the new Damien Boyd, BLUE BLOOD, for those of you who love British procedurals. THEN, in July, the very much anticipated new Ben Aaronovitch, STONE AND SKY. And one more, I just downloaded the Netgalley of THE MANGO MURDERS by our own dear Lucy Burdette and cannot wait to dive in!

JENN McKINLAY: I’ve just gotten back to reading as my deadlines were CRUSHING me. I’ve been on a fantasy bender and devoured EMILY WILDE’S COMPENDIUM OF LOST TALES by Heather Fawcett (you need to read the first two to fully appreciate it), THE TELLER OF SMALL FORTUNES (delightful!) by Julie Leong, and on deck for when I head to Canada, I have an ARC of Rhys’s MRS ENDICOTT’S SPLENDID ADVENTURE, and Hub just handed me ASSASSINS ANONYMOUS by Rob Hart, which he highly recommends!

What are you reading Reds?

Thoughts for Father's Day

RHYS BOWEN:  I had a completely different post planned for today until I realized it was Father's Day. It's something we've never celebrated because it didn't exist in England and John has always maintained that it is a fabricated holiday designed to make people spend money. The kids will send him cards, I expect, apart from Dominic who will be on a Greek island.  But we don't do the big meal that we do for Mother's Day.

As I said,we didn't celebrate it in England but I would have liked a day to celebrate my dad because he was an all around good guy. He was kind, soft spoken, generous. He adored my mother and would have walked through fire for her.  They did everything together, including the supermarket shop at weekends. he visited his mother every Friday. The absolute family man. We talked about picnics the other day.. during the summer we went out as a family, usually to the seaside and would have a picnic along the way. When we were older we played tennis or swam. Memories of him often involve beaches. My dad loved to be on the beach with the kids. We'd play cricket or some kind of ball game. He'd build sand castles for us, on in my brother's case, a sand racing car in which my brother sat. 

One summer vacation we were in Wales. the weather was awful--cold, rainy, windy. He and I made a bet to swim in the sea every day. We'd drive the car onto the hard sand of the beach, park near the waves, dash in, swim up and down, dash out and jump back in the car. All the time laughing and shivering. We did it.

I didn't meet him until I was three. He was sent out to North Africa before i was born and after Rommel was defeated he was sent on to Palestine as the British occupying force until after the war. He often talked about it and was proud of the small part he played.

Other memories were of his generosity. I had seen a necklace I loved in a store and when I was visiting at home I asked if I could have it for my birthday (which was a few months away).  As my dad drove me to the train station he handed me some pound notes. "Go and buy your necklace," he said

Every Christmas he put four pairs of nylon stockings on the tree for my mom. boring but practical. One Christmas she got the same four pairs, but with a gold Swiss watch inside. 

He was a research engineer by profession, self educated as he grew up in the depression, but he held several patents by the end of his life. Always practical and busy. He ran a paper factory and their sister factory made wallpaper. So our house was the trial for new wallpapers. When one room was finished we started on another, all different and often rather lurid wallpapers.  He loved tinkering with his car and it always ran perfectly. 

He was incredibly social and friendly. When one of his workers got terminal cancer Daddy visited him in hospital every evening on his way home.  When they moved to Australia after he retired they took the cross country journey on the train--3000 miles from Sydney to Perth. By the end of that trip Daddy knew every person on that train and their history.

Later in life he loved his garden. They moved to Australia when he retired and he grew wonderful things in that climate. All their own vegetables and fruit. Every afternoon they'd take a picnic to a nearby beach. I visited several times, enjoying the incredible beauty of the place they had chosen.  He had a major heart attack at 65 and after that his heart grew weaker until it stopped beating. I flew out when I got the call that he was in hospital and not expected to survive and arrived three hours too late to say goodbye to him. I've always regretted that.

Now please share memories of your dads and let's raise a glass to them all today!

What I Did On My Summer Vacation!

 RHYS BOWEN: I have just returned from a short trip to England. It was all very intense as the object was for John to see all his family members.  His sister lives in Cornwall in a fifteenth century manor house (she married into an important Cornish family). Her sons and their families mostly live within reach so we had one big family meal after another.

One of the things I love about being in Cornwall is eating my favorite foods. Cornish pasties:

Cream teas:

The good news is that all calories leave when you pass the Cornish border.

The driving is always interesting as the roads are, well, rather narrow.

One of my favorite excursions is to St. Michael's Mount. This time the tide was up but when it's out you can walk across.

Then we went on to Bath and I spent two lovely days wandering around my home city, evoking memories and enjoying the new spa with rooftop pool. 

In London an extra treat. It was the Chelsea Flower Show and the main street in Chelsea and turned itself into Chelsea in Bloom with every shop doing a fabulous flower display:

As I look at this photos I'm already filled with nostalgia. It seems like a simpler, more sane life over there. 

What are your vacation plans this year? Who is going abroad?