Posted in books, tagged England, Mary Russell, mystery, Sherlock Holmes on November 19, 2012| 9 Comments »
Back in August, when I raved about Tommy and Tuppence, Agatha Christie’s young, stylish crime-fighting duo, several of you mentioned the Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell series by Laurie R. King. So when our book club needed a September selection, I suggested the first book, The Beekeeper’s Apprentice. (As I sat reading it in the […]
Posted in musings on July 11, 2022| Leave a Comment »
It’s no secret I love a good mystery series, especially in the summer. But I admit my taste runs toward the American or Anglophone: Maisie Dobbs, Mary Russell, Sara Paretsky, Lane Winslow (not to mention the queen herself, Agatha Christie). So I’ve been particularly relishing my newest mystery kick, for a taste of something different: […]
Posted in books, tagged essays, faith, family, feminism, fiction, food, memoir, middle grade, musicals, mystery, race, Sherlock Holmes on September 21, 2021| 2 Comments »
The books (and the rest of life) are coming thick and fast this month, friends. (Photo from the wonderful Dogtown Books in Gloucester.) Here’s what I have been reading: Fierce Love: A Bold Path to Ferocious Courage and Rule-Breaking Kindness That Can Heal the World, Rev. Dr. Jacqui LewisLewis is a minister and speaker dedicated […]
Posted in books, tagged bookishness, middle grade lit, mystery, summer on June 15, 2021| 4 Comments »
It is officially summer in Boston. We’re not quite at the solstice yet, but we’ve survived our first official heat wave and a couple of downpours, not to mention a few perfect porch-sitting nights. Unsurprisingly, my reading inclinations are going where they always go in the summer: mysteries featuring whip-smart female sleuths, and middle-grade novels. […]
Posted in books, tagged books on books, Chicago, essays, fiction, Ireland, libraries, London, Mary Russell, Monaco, mystery, New York Public Library, nonfiction, Scotland, Sherlock Holmes, swimming, Syria, writing on August 31, 2020| 3 Comments »
Somehow, we’ve reached the end of August. I’ve been writing lots of haiku, running, riding bikes with my guy, and trying to figure out what the fall will look like. And reading, of course. Here’s the latest roundup. (Photo of my current library stack.) The Lions of Fifth Avenue, Fiona Davis I adore the stone […]
Posted in books, tagged Agatha Christie, Clare Fergusson, faith, Maisie Dobbs, Mary Russell, Miss Marple, mystery, Nancy Drew, Shelf Awareness, World War I on February 20, 2020| 4 Comments »
Female sleuths have been my heroes since childhood, from Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden to Miss Marple and Harriet Vane. But these days, my favorite female investigators have an extra dimension: their complex, layered backgrounds inform their approaches to the cases they take. Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs starts out as a scullery maid, but thanks […]
Posted in books, tagged bookshelves, color, rainbow, Shelf Awareness on January 13, 2020| 4 Comments »
Jhumpa Lahiri next to Flavia de Luce. Agatha Christie stacked atop Anne Lamott. E.B. White’s essays, cheek by jowl with Anne of Green Gables. My bookshelves look totally different these days, since I moved to a new apartment this summer and agreed to let my sister color-code them. (It took several hours and at least […]
Posted in books, tagged biography, brooklyn, cancer, classics, dance, espionage, fiction, France, James Bond, memoir, mystery, nonfiction, race, tango, thriller, young adult lit on August 16, 2018| 1 Comment »
We’re halfway through August already (!) and I’m trying to hang on – and diving into all the books, naturally. Here’s what I’ve been reading: Let the Whole Thundering World Come Home, Natalie Goldberg I heard Natalie read from this, her newest memoir, last month in Lenox, Mass. She was a delight, and this book […]
Posted in musings, tagged August Break, daily life, home, kitchen, photos, seasons, summer, transitions on August 6, 2017| 2 Comments »
We moved last weekend, as I may have mentioned. So Friday’s August Break prompt – “where I live” – was perfect. It’s not really home until (some of) the books are shelved. That top shelf is Oxford and Dorothy Sayers (there is some overlap, in the form of Gaudy Night). The second shelf is more […]
Posted in books, tagged England, essays, fiction, grief, Jane Austen, memoir, mystery, poetry, Sherlock Holmes, time travel, World War II, young adult lit on March 31, 2017| 6 Comments »
Thanks to three glorious days in Florida last week (see above), my reading list has been long lately. (I read four and a half books on vacation!) Here’s the latest roundup: How the Light Gets In: And Other Headlong Epiphanies, Brian Doyle I love Brian Doyle’s wise, warm, witty voice and these prose poems – […]
cakes, tea and dreams 