A Thousand Ships, by Natalie Haynes. Pub 2021 Along the lines of Madeline Miller (author of past favourite Circe), Haynes' speciality is historical fiction and Greek mythology from the perspective of lesser-known characters, especially women (see last year's discussion of The Children of Jocasta). In A Thousand Ships, Haynes gives voice to the stories and... Continue Reading →
Framed in Fire, by Iona Whishaw. Book report extra #5* (2022)
Framed in Fire, by Iona Whishaw. Pub 2022 Book 9, the most recent in the series, picks up almost where the previous one left off. It is spring 1948, and (once again) Lane meets a stranger, discovers a body, and gets embroiled in mysteries. SPOILER ALERT: if you haven't yet read this or previous books... Continue Reading →
The Feather Thief, by Kirk Wallace Johnson. Book report #18 (2022)
The Feather Thief, by Kirk Wallace Johnson. Pub 2018 I first heard about this story and book in an episode of the podcast This American Life. It is one of those stories of a seemingly oddball crime by an oddball character that takes the journalist and ultimately the reader to some fascinating places and times.... Continue Reading →
A Lethal Lesson, by Iona Whishaw. Book report extra #4* (2022)
A Lethal Lesson, by Iona Whishaw. Pub 2021 In Book 8 in the Lane Winslow series, the Darlings have returned from their honeymoon and are starting their lives together in King’s Cove when – of course – mysteries begin. As Christmas approaches, a local schoolteacher is found unconscious amidst the wreckage of her own house... Continue Reading →
A Match Made for Murder, by Iona Whishaw. Book report extra #3* (2022)
A Match Made for Murder, by Iona Whishaw. Pub 2020 Book 7 in the Lane Winslow series features the honeymoon of the Darlings, as well as the emergence of leadership from newly minted Sergeant Ames. The Darlings head to Tuscon, AZ for their honeymoon and, as one would expect from Lane, murder and mystery abound.... Continue Reading →
Island of the Lost, by Joan Druett. Book report #17 (2022)
Island of the Lost, by Joan Druett. Pub 2007. This is a book that I’ve been meaning for years to read. I was inspired to pick it up and start (again) after completing an iteration of a webinar I do on leadership lessons based on Ernest Shackleton and his Endurance expedition. Like the Shackleton story, Island of the... Continue Reading →
The Childhood of Jesus, by JM Coetzee. Book report #15 (2022)
The Childhood of Jesus, by JM Coetzee. Pub 2013 I don’t know what I was expecting with this book. I thought perhaps it would be a take on the childhood years of Jesus Christ, a period that is not covered in any great detail in the bible and so subject to much speculation, conjecture, and... Continue Reading →
The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. Book report #14 (2022)
The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. Pub 2005 I don't recall where I heard about this book, but it must have been in late 2021 because it was on the list I gave as Christmas suggestions. I am very glad I did and that it was included in that Christmas bounty, as it was excellent.... Continue Reading →
The Overstory, by Richard Powers. Book report #13 (2022)
The Overstory, by Richard Powers. Pub 2018 This book was a slog and a half. I started it in the first week of January and have whittled away at it over the past 3 months, finally closing it this past weekend. It is long but felt oh-so-much longer with its complex and convoluted characters and... Continue Reading →
A Deceptive Devotion, by Iona Whishaw. Book report extra #2* (2022)
A Deceptive Devotion, by Iona Whishaw. Pub 2019 Book 6 in the Lane Winslow series continues the thread of intrigue and spy-craft from Book 4, with Soviet, British, and Canadian intelligence agencies battling to secure a retiring spy and his important information. As usual, all the plot lines end up leading to Lane’s lovely house... Continue Reading →
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