Amazingly, I just found out that Martha Grimes is not a British author!
I have read all her Richard Jury mystery novels and they all have titles that are supposed to be English Pubs. So surprise that Grimes is actually from Pittsburgh and Maryland. This novel, Hotel Paradise, is autobiographical of a setting that Grimes grew up with. As a young girl she spend her summers at the Hotel her mother owned and managed.
Similar to the main character in this series of mysteries, Emma is a young girl who. while her mother is busy running the kitchen of the Hotel Paradise, finds interesting ways to occupy her time. She is expected to help out in the kitchen and wait tables at meal times, but otherwise she has a lot of free time on her hands. She has an elderly aunt who lives in the hotel who she visits in her room. She brings her drinks and food in exchange for stories about the past. In this mystery novel Emma has discovered a story of a young girl who drowned forty years ago. Through newspaper articles and talking to her aunt and other older citizens of the town who may have lived there at the time, she tries to reconstruct what happened. She tries to find out what would make a twelve year old girl commit suicide or was it murder? She seems to spend her days hanging out with a waitress at the local diner and following the police chief around town.
The book has wonderful descriptive language that is more a character study of the people in this small area. There are many different types of people living here being described from the perspective of a twelve year old girl. She seems to accept her position in life and be accepting and tolerant of all the people around her. Though the other characters point out the stereotypes and prejudices toward others, Emma, our protagonist is always reasonable and understanding. There is no violent crime and the actual mystery does not seem to be the focus or point of the plot. The mystery just seems to be the vehicle that drives the story of Emma and her adventures.
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Friday, January 19, 2018
Little and Lion
This is a very interesting book for a teen novel. I am not sure if this is a book I can picture teenagers reading. The subject matter is very intense. There is issues of mental illness and sexual orientation discussed, as well as participating in sexual activity and underage drinking and drugs. It is hard to image that our children have to deal with all these things at such a young age.
Written by Brandy Colbert, the book deals with what it is like to be different within your social circle. The insecurities of being a teen complicated by be a different color, religion or having a different sexual preference. Suzette is a young girl dealing with all those differences, trying to figure out who she is. Also trying to figure out how comfortable she is sharing all her thoughts with others. The fact that she is African American cannot be hidden, but she and her mother live as a family with a white Jewish man and his son. Suzette converted to Judaism and was even Bat Mitzvah because she wanted to fit in with her new family. But when she gets to boarding school she is not sure she is comfortable sharing the fact that she is Jewish. It is easy to leave her Star of David necklace in her dresser. Then she tests out her attraction to both girls and boys. Being away from home and missing her family she gets into a sexual relationship with her roommate. She is not sure if this is what is right for her and when Suzette goes home for the summer the friend she never seemed interested in romantically is looking very attractive.
Colbert talks about growing up in a town where everyone seemed to be exactly the same. She was surprised by the diversity she discovered when she went away to college and later on,
"Moving to Los Angeles after college, I was astounded by how different it was from my hometown. People wore what they wanted and their outfits didn’t all look the same. They had varying shades of brown skin and diverse backgrounds to go with them. They spoke multiple languages and observed various religions—or, sometimes, they practiced nothing at all. They were gay and lesbian and bisexual and transgender and queer. They talked openly about their physical disabilities and mental illness. Sometimes one person claimed several of these identities at once."
Not sure if author, Colbert is trying to take on too many issues at once when she also adds in Suzette's brother's struggle with mental illness. Her "brother" Lionel, nicknamed Lion, is dealing with learning he suffers with bipolar episodes. As they try to balance his medication and accept his mental illness as a family, Suzette, or Little as her brother calls her, has to also choose whether to keep an important secret her brother entrusted her with or tell her parents.
There are so many different issues being presented in this novel. There is so much that a teenager is working through or thinking about themselves that maybe at least of the topics touched on in the book could help the reader. At least there is a lot that could be discussed between a parent and their teen after reading this book. Though the story os complex, it all seems to pull together nicely in the end. I enjoyed reading this book.
Written by Brandy Colbert, the book deals with what it is like to be different within your social circle. The insecurities of being a teen complicated by be a different color, religion or having a different sexual preference. Suzette is a young girl dealing with all those differences, trying to figure out who she is. Also trying to figure out how comfortable she is sharing all her thoughts with others. The fact that she is African American cannot be hidden, but she and her mother live as a family with a white Jewish man and his son. Suzette converted to Judaism and was even Bat Mitzvah because she wanted to fit in with her new family. But when she gets to boarding school she is not sure she is comfortable sharing the fact that she is Jewish. It is easy to leave her Star of David necklace in her dresser. Then she tests out her attraction to both girls and boys. Being away from home and missing her family she gets into a sexual relationship with her roommate. She is not sure if this is what is right for her and when Suzette goes home for the summer the friend she never seemed interested in romantically is looking very attractive.
Colbert talks about growing up in a town where everyone seemed to be exactly the same. She was surprised by the diversity she discovered when she went away to college and later on,
"Moving to Los Angeles after college, I was astounded by how different it was from my hometown. People wore what they wanted and their outfits didn’t all look the same. They had varying shades of brown skin and diverse backgrounds to go with them. They spoke multiple languages and observed various religions—or, sometimes, they practiced nothing at all. They were gay and lesbian and bisexual and transgender and queer. They talked openly about their physical disabilities and mental illness. Sometimes one person claimed several of these identities at once."
Not sure if author, Colbert is trying to take on too many issues at once when she also adds in Suzette's brother's struggle with mental illness. Her "brother" Lionel, nicknamed Lion, is dealing with learning he suffers with bipolar episodes. As they try to balance his medication and accept his mental illness as a family, Suzette, or Little as her brother calls her, has to also choose whether to keep an important secret her brother entrusted her with or tell her parents.
There are so many different issues being presented in this novel. There is so much that a teenager is working through or thinking about themselves that maybe at least of the topics touched on in the book could help the reader. At least there is a lot that could be discussed between a parent and their teen after reading this book. Though the story os complex, it all seems to pull together nicely in the end. I enjoyed reading this book.
Monday, January 8, 2018
Chewish
Winter is definitely in full swing here in NH. As I sit here on my couch surrounded by books about food, there is a snowstorm blowing around outside. The weather outside is frightful and our natural tendency is to look for comfort foods to cook and eat. They will warm us up physically and emotionally.
Here is a book that reads like the memoir of a food lover, bringing you histories of different kinds of “Jewish” foods and how they became the icons of our collective memory. This is not a cookbook. It has some recipes, but it is really more the history of our people through food.
Sarah Goldberg Wendel writes in her soon to be published book, Chewish: 36 Recipes of Love with Stories from Nama”, “The kitchen is the center of the universe, and the dining room table is the United Nations of world order where the world’s problems can be solved, I am certain, over a nice bowl of matzo ball soup.” Her book is a mix of personal stories of growing up in the Midwest with a grandmother who cooked Jewish comfort foods, that now Wendel remembers fondly and recipes she tries to replicate in her own kitchen. She is trying to share the foods and culture of her Jewish childhood with her children. She is not following any rules of kashrut and her recipes are mainly from the memory of cooking with her grandmother. There are also recipes and stories from other friends of her grandmothers, who were also transplanted from a more religious and culturally Jewish environment to the less observant world of Middle America.
Here is a book that reads like the memoir of a food lover, bringing you histories of different kinds of “Jewish” foods and how they became the icons of our collective memory. This is not a cookbook. It has some recipes, but it is really more the history of our people through food.
Sarah Goldberg Wendel writes in her soon to be published book, Chewish: 36 Recipes of Love with Stories from Nama”, “The kitchen is the center of the universe, and the dining room table is the United Nations of world order where the world’s problems can be solved, I am certain, over a nice bowl of matzo ball soup.” Her book is a mix of personal stories of growing up in the Midwest with a grandmother who cooked Jewish comfort foods, that now Wendel remembers fondly and recipes she tries to replicate in her own kitchen. She is trying to share the foods and culture of her Jewish childhood with her children. She is not following any rules of kashrut and her recipes are mainly from the memory of cooking with her grandmother. There are also recipes and stories from other friends of her grandmothers, who were also transplanted from a more religious and culturally Jewish environment to the less observant world of Middle America.
Thursday, January 4, 2018
The Sunlt Night
The Sunlit Night, by Rebecca Dinerstein is a quirky first novel. I must admit to not being sure what I thought of it when I finally finished the last page.
Frances and Yasha are two young adults, trying to find themselves as they separate from their parents and try to begin life as adults. We follow both of these characters lives as they work through the frustrations that their parents are going through. Both Frances and Yasha are living in New York City, unbeknownst to each other.
Frances lives with her sister and parents in a very small apartment. They have to climb over each other as they share the space. this all becomes too much for them all. Her sister is escaping the claustraphobic life with two Jewish artistic parents, by rebelling in a marriage her parents don't approve of to a computer programmer who is not Jewish. Her parents finally are in the midst of dissolving their marriage. Frances is escaping to Lofoten, Norway where the sun never sets for a art internship with a famous artist.
Yasha has lived above a bakery in Brooklyn with his father for ten years since they left Russia. They have been waiting for his mother to join them, in the naive way his father never wants to face that she has deserted them. Now Yasha is also heading to Lofoten bring his father to the place he always wanted to be buried, following his directions, "Ommot's route, Lapland, Top of the world, Real peace".
Frances and Yasha come to this barren land, Lofoten, an archipelago of six tiny islands in the Norwegian Sea, ninety-five miles north of the Arctic Circle, and there they form a bond that fortifies them against the turmoil of their distant homes, offering solace amidst great uncertainty.
Here they find that though they are both looking for solace and answers to their individual questions they find each other. That in the end love is what everyone needs in their lives.
Frances tells her side of the story in the first person sometimes visualizing her family members there with her in Lofoten in dream like sequences that are deeply reflective, "My sister wearing a Viking sack, stood at the mast. I looked down at the water in panic. Its water changing, darkening. We were far out at sea in such an old boat. Sarah was far out at sea for such a young girl. I had to believe she was ready, because she looked me in the face and told me so. None of us, I saw on the faces of the boys and girls, sitting on the benches, were ready to be where we were, ever farther out in the water..."
Yasha's story is told in the third person by a narrator. Neither of these styles works to bring the reader closer to the characters. This writing style does not feel finished, it is written in away that feels like more of an outline that the author would go back and add dialog and more description to in an effort to fill out the plot. It is very disjointed in its character development.
Frances and Yasha are two young adults, trying to find themselves as they separate from their parents and try to begin life as adults. We follow both of these characters lives as they work through the frustrations that their parents are going through. Both Frances and Yasha are living in New York City, unbeknownst to each other.
Frances lives with her sister and parents in a very small apartment. They have to climb over each other as they share the space. this all becomes too much for them all. Her sister is escaping the claustraphobic life with two Jewish artistic parents, by rebelling in a marriage her parents don't approve of to a computer programmer who is not Jewish. Her parents finally are in the midst of dissolving their marriage. Frances is escaping to Lofoten, Norway where the sun never sets for a art internship with a famous artist.
Yasha has lived above a bakery in Brooklyn with his father for ten years since they left Russia. They have been waiting for his mother to join them, in the naive way his father never wants to face that she has deserted them. Now Yasha is also heading to Lofoten bring his father to the place he always wanted to be buried, following his directions, "Ommot's route, Lapland, Top of the world, Real peace".
Frances and Yasha come to this barren land, Lofoten, an archipelago of six tiny islands in the Norwegian Sea, ninety-five miles north of the Arctic Circle, and there they form a bond that fortifies them against the turmoil of their distant homes, offering solace amidst great uncertainty.
Here they find that though they are both looking for solace and answers to their individual questions they find each other. That in the end love is what everyone needs in their lives.
Frances tells her side of the story in the first person sometimes visualizing her family members there with her in Lofoten in dream like sequences that are deeply reflective, "My sister wearing a Viking sack, stood at the mast. I looked down at the water in panic. Its water changing, darkening. We were far out at sea in such an old boat. Sarah was far out at sea for such a young girl. I had to believe she was ready, because she looked me in the face and told me so. None of us, I saw on the faces of the boys and girls, sitting on the benches, were ready to be where we were, ever farther out in the water..."
Yasha's story is told in the third person by a narrator. Neither of these styles works to bring the reader closer to the characters. This writing style does not feel finished, it is written in away that feels like more of an outline that the author would go back and add dialog and more description to in an effort to fill out the plot. It is very disjointed in its character development.
Tuesday, January 2, 2018
Dear Fahrenheit 451
Dear Fahrenheit 451 is a book written by librarian Annie Spence. It is a book written in letters. They are addressed to each of the authors of books she has written. It is a clever and unique way to write book reviews.
That is essentially what this book is, a book of book reviews. The ones I had read were interesting especially if I agreed with how Spence felt about the book. But the idea got stale fast. If I had not read the book, I was not that excited by the letter. If I agreed with her perspective on the book than there were a few times where I was shaking my head in agreement as I read her letter. Some were funny, but some were not that well crafted.
Not a book I would recommend ...
That is essentially what this book is, a book of book reviews. The ones I had read were interesting especially if I agreed with how Spence felt about the book. But the idea got stale fast. If I had not read the book, I was not that excited by the letter. If I agreed with her perspective on the book than there were a few times where I was shaking my head in agreement as I read her letter. Some were funny, but some were not that well crafted.
Not a book I would recommend ...
Sleep No More
P. D. James, who I enjoyed reading her mysteries for many years. This year for Christmas she published a small book of short stories. Some of them are connected to the holidays but these also do not seem to need to be published for the holiday season except that they are short and can be read around someone's preparations for the holidays and the parties.
These were very compelling short stories. Usually I do not think there is much character development in a short story but these were well written and not only held your attention but they were all surprising in their endings.
I would even recommend this book of short stories because they all have surprise endings and you are caught up in each story from the first page.
These were very compelling short stories. Usually I do not think there is much character development in a short story but these were well written and not only held your attention but they were all surprising in their endings.
I would even recommend this book of short stories because they all have surprise endings and you are caught up in each story from the first page.
A Christmas Return
I have not read many Christmas books over the years, but I have started watching "Father Brown" mysteries on NetFlix and I was curious. After having written my masters paper on Jewish mysteries and their authors, I thought maybe the same idea works with other religions.
In a Jewish mystery there is some religious connection. The author either uses cultural references that his readers can relate to and enjoy reading about, or here are food or behavior references that the reader remembers from the past and is nostalgic about. It is similar for these Christian based mysteries. These are books that are trying to push a religious agenda. they are not religious stories that have a moral or message. They are fun light mystery stories that use religion to add to the reasoning for solving the crime and bringing the criminal to justice.
Ann Perry writes a Christmas themed mystery every year. This year in A Christmas Return she writes a mystery that could stand alone without the Christmas references but she has added them to bring in the religious reasoning to focus on both the murderer's conscience and the also the consciences of some of the witnesses who need to testify.
A quick short novella really, that is an interesting mystery with a twist at the end you may not see coming. Good for a cold winter day especially if you are busy shopping and getting ready for the holidays.
In a Jewish mystery there is some religious connection. The author either uses cultural references that his readers can relate to and enjoy reading about, or here are food or behavior references that the reader remembers from the past and is nostalgic about. It is similar for these Christian based mysteries. These are books that are trying to push a religious agenda. they are not religious stories that have a moral or message. They are fun light mystery stories that use religion to add to the reasoning for solving the crime and bringing the criminal to justice.
Ann Perry writes a Christmas themed mystery every year. This year in A Christmas Return she writes a mystery that could stand alone without the Christmas references but she has added them to bring in the religious reasoning to focus on both the murderer's conscience and the also the consciences of some of the witnesses who need to testify.
A quick short novella really, that is an interesting mystery with a twist at the end you may not see coming. Good for a cold winter day especially if you are busy shopping and getting ready for the holidays.
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