SO MANY BRILLIANT BOOKS. (And some pure fun n fluff too.) I almost don’t want to pause from reading to list them, but I am compelled to share. It’ll be quick though because I have a whole new pile of borrowed books that are calling for me.
I’m not sure how I’ve not read The Color Purple until now, but wow – turns out, it’s a genuine page turner as well as a literary classic. The other book that particularly lodged itself in my psyche so far this summer is Moon of the Crusted Snow. It’s an incredibly realistic, beautifully written apocalyptic novel that takes place in today’s world in a First Nations community in northern Ontario. SO good.
Molly Miranda: Thief for Hire (Book 1) by Jillianne Hamilton. The title pretty much says it all. That’s not a slam, just an observation.
Murder on the Mind by LL Bartlett. Cool premise: guy gets a head injury, becomes somehow able to envision a murder and murder scene. When I write it down so baldly, it seems weak, but it’s a good read.
Scraps of Paper by Kathryn Myer Griffith. I was distracted by how the author never seemed to settle on an age for the heroine. It felt like the book was written with a 20-something heroine in mind, then half-ass edited to make her 20 years older so the story’s timelines would work.
Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory. Utterly charming as I have come to expect from Ms Guillory. And refreshing – the budding couple at the heart of the novel are mature adults (mature as in being old enough to have adult children themselves).
Ice Cream Murder by Leighann Dobbs. Cosy.
The Color Purple by Alice Walker. Addictive and illuminating.
Matchmaking Can Be Murder by Amanda Flower. Cosy.
Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice. I bet every published review for this novel uses a word like “haunting.” It is.
Who Killed Tom Thomson? by John Little. A famous Canadian painter and precursor to the Group of Seven, Tom Thomson died unexpectedly in Algonquin Park while canoeing. It doesn’t seem like a regular drowning. Plus his original grave in the park that’s supposed to be empty – his family wanted him buried close to home – isn’t. So what happened? This book unpacks all the historic information, plus tracks many first-hand and hearsay accounts of Thomson’s time in the park.
The Temple of My Familiar by Alice Walker. Follow-on that shines the light on what were secondary or incidental characters in The Color Purple. Also so lovely.
The Cutting Season by Attica Locke. Excellent mystery that takes place on a former plantation that is now a museum and living history park. Two families’ histories interweave from post Civil War until present day. The former overseer’s family now owns the plantation, while a former slave’s descendant (the protagonist) runs it. A migrant woman worker is murdered in an adjoining field. Is history repeating?
Death by Disputation by Anna Castle. A cosy that takes place in Elizabethan England that positions Francis Bacon as spymaster who sends the protagonist, Thomas Clarady, to Corpus Christi College on the hunt for extremist Puritans. Christopher Marlowe also guest stars. I had this novel on my Kobo for ages (I may have downloaded for free?) and hesitated to read it for the possible cheese factor. I had been unfair; it was a fine read.
Destiny’s a Witch by Lucy May. Needs a copy editor, but a great set-up for a series.
The Lion’s Den by Katherine St. John. This is your beach read! Look no further.
On the pod:
Still not doing a ton of driving, so not a lot of podcast listening either. One I enjoy following and pick and choose which episodes I listen to is Fresh Air from NPR. Hosted by the seemingly unflappable Terry Gross, this radio show features interviews with a wide range of interesting people about topics dear to their heart or delving into their expertise.
