Maybe I’m becoming more discriminating in my reading tastes – or maybe I’m just getting cranky in my old age. Over the last week, I’ve started three books that I didn’t finish.

Taking a page from Jackie over at Farm Lane Books, I’m throwing this out to you, my dear readers. Is there some compelling reason I should finish any of these books? Do you agree with my decision that my reading time is better spent elsewhere? I’d love to hear from you either way.

1. The Magnificent Spinster: A Novel by May Sarton

Sarton published over a score of novels and nearly four dozen collections of poems between 1938 and her death in 1995, including The Magnificent Spinster in 1985. I found the premise of a “novel within a novel” intriguing and enjoyed reading this for a while. But at about page 200, the exploits of Jane Reid began to feel mundane. At page 220, just over half-way through this book, I quit.

So tell me, is there a plot twist – or even just a plot? It’s going to take more than just well-expressed prose and the rest of the “fifty-year friendship between two women” to keep me reading the last 160 pages.

P.S. This book did yield one of the best cat names I’ve ever heard: Snoozle. Love it!
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2. The Other Life by Ellen Meister

Quinn Braverman has “two lives that run in parallel lines, like highways on either side of a mountain. On one side, the Quinn who stayed with [an ex-boyfriend] is speeding through her high-drama, childless life in Manhattan. On the other, the Quinn who married Lewis lives in the suburbs, drives a Volvo, and has an adorable young son and another baby on the way.”

Although I don’t read anything to do with the paranormal, I can very occasionally be tempted by science fiction that plays into everyday life. Since I enjoyed the movie Sliding Doors starring Gwyneth Paltrow, I was intrigued by the premise of this book.

In the movie, the Paltrow character finds herself in one of her two parallel lives when the doors of the subway train slide open, with no control over which she happens upon. In The Other Life, Quinn finds ‘portals’ behind the antique ironing board in her basement, and at the bottom of the green beans bin in her local supermarket (!) – and who knows where else in the pages I didn’t read, and the choice seems to be hers to make. A ‘high-anxiety’ day for Quinn, one that might cause her to make the decision to ‘slip away’ into her other life is one in which her toddler has a runny nose (which her husband offers to take care of), and she can’t find a comfortable shirt to wear without resorting to ironing or wearing maternity clothes (which she’ll probably be doing in a couple of weeks anyway). Get a life – (pun perhaps intended)!

So, is there anything in this book that digs down into the nitty-gritty of human emotions? That would cause me to really agonize with Quinn about her ‘choices’? That would be worth spending a day or two reading The Other Life? Let me know.

3. The Sandalwood Tree by Elle Newmark

I love letters, and books that are based on, or include letters. I’ve been intrigued lately books about India. I love reading about the middle decades of the twentieth century. And I love mysteries. So what could go wrong with a book that promises “A sweeping novel that brings to life two love stories, ninety years apart, set against the rich backdrop of war-torn India…In 1947… Martin and Evie find themselves stranded in a colonial bungalow in the Himalayas due to violence surrounding the partition of India between Hindus and Muslims. In that house, hidden behind a brick wall, Evie discovers a packet of old letters, which tell a strange and compelling story of love and war involving two young Englishwomen who lived in the same house in 1857.”

I should have looked more closely at the genre classification for this, because I DO NOT like romance novels, and this is without a doubt a romance novel. I didn’t get beyond the first chapter before the overly-sweet names, abundant co-incidences and cloying prose stopped me cold.

So, what do you think? Can the power of India overcome the romance premise of this story? Is there depth to any of the emotion felt by either Evie OR Felicity?

There you have it, dear readers: three non-finishers . Should I change my mind on any of them?

Links for my Canadian readers:

The Magnificent Spinster

The Other Life

Sliding Doors / Les Portes du Destin

The Sandalwood Tree

Remember how our mothers and grandmothers used to “spring-clean”? It’s not much mentioned these days, it seems. But I learned when I moved to the country and started to heat with a wood furnace, just why Grandma did it – to wash away the wood soot that ends up on everything.

Between cleaning and getting into the garden on the few non-rainy days we had this past month, I ended up spending less time reading. Here’s the eight books I managed to get through.

1. Agnes Warner and the Nursing Sisters of the Great War by Shawna M. Quinn
Agnes Warner of Saint John, New Brunswick served as a nurse in WWI in France & Belgium. She sent letters home, which her friends there bound into a small book to sell to raise funds for Warner to carry out further relief work. That booklet forms the core of this well-researched book about Agnes Warner, her work, and the role of nurses, particularly Canadian ones, in the War (that was supposed) to End All Wars.

2. Radio Shangri-La: What I Learned in Bhutan, the Happiest Kingdom on Earth by Lisa Napoli
Napoli, who works in American radio in Los Angeles, spent several months helping Bhutan’s youths to launch and refine their own radio station. You can read my review of her account here.

3. In the Shadow of the Glacier by Vicki Delaney
First in the Constable Molly Smith mystery series, set in fictional Trafalgar, British Columbia (near non-fictional Nelson). The mystery was decent and I enjoyed the Canadian setting, but the surprise ending that came out of nowhere yet was there all along, elevated this book to above average.

4. The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford
Published in 1942, this fictional account of gentry-class girls growing up in 1920s and 1930s England is wickedly funny.

5. Love in a Cold Climate by Nancy Mitford
The second in the ‘Fanny’ trilogy, this one is still funny, but a little more outrageous as the “lumping Colonial” (from Nova Scotia!) who is to inherit Hampton Court turns out to be Cedric, a swishy “Little Lord Fauntleroy” who becomes the life of 1930 London society.

6. The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley
Published in 1952 and set in the summer of 1900. The jacket says: “While visiting the country estate of a classmate, Leo becomes the charmed and innocent carrier of messages between the beautiful daughter of the house and her lover, a handsome tenant farmer. It is a secret known only by the three, the deeper meaning of which is not perceived by the youngster. Then one terrible night, a sudden and agonizing glimpse into adulthood seals forever Leo’s blighted fate.”

7. The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives by Lola Shoneyin
Set in modern-day Nigeria, in Baba Segi’s polygamous family. An interesting study of personalities, and a culture and a social situation unknown to me. The family dynamic was both foreign and familiar. The secret of the title is easy to discern, though, and seems anti-climatic when it is finally revealed to Baba Segi. The presentation of the subject matter can be a tad raunchy, which detracted from my enjoyment of the book.

8. Tabloid City: A Novel by Pete Hamill
Highly billed, this low-key thriller started out promisingly but built to several anti-climaxes. Set in NYC, a city I love to visit but don’t know as well as I’d like, it may have been more interesting to me if I could have pictured the exact locations cited as each character’s situation was documented. Some foul language, which seemed mostly unnecessary.

Links for my Canadian readers:

Agnes Warner and the Nursing Sisters of the Great War

Radio Shangri-La: What I Learned in Bhutan, the Happiest Kingdom on Earth

In the Shadow of the Glacier

The Pursuit Of Love

Love In A Cold Climate

The Go-between

The Secret Lives Of Baba Segi’s Wives: A Novel

Tabloid City: A Novel

I’m not sure how I carved out so much reading time this past month (although I think this most months), but I managed to get through these twelve novels.

1. Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie
Considered to be among the very best from the grande dame’s pen, this Hercule Poirot mystery focuses on five suspects in a 16-year-old murder. Told in Poirot’s conversation with each, and then an accounting by each in a follow-up letter, at first it seemed repetitive. Then I began to notice small inconsistencies between the stories.
This is one of the only Christies that I have solved partway through the book, but rather than being disappointed that it was easy (it wasn’t), it was fascinating to watch the author misdirecting readers. Very satisfying, and worthy of its reputation.

2. The Pig Did It by Joseph Caldwell
Creative writing instructor Aaron McCloud travels from NYC to his Aunt Kitty’s in Ireland’s County Kerry to “suffer. He had come to deepen the lines on his forehead, to implant a mournfulness into his eyes that would forever silence the joyful and inspire shame in the indifferent.” When a pig that Aaron has gotten himself entangled with digs up a human skeleton buried in the backyard, the stage is set for an Irish country comedy of manners in which each of the three main Irish characters are suspicious of the others, and Aaron is left put-upon in his own mind. Caldwell puts farcical doings into lilting language that was beautiful to read for a while, but couldn’t keep me interested in the book which had no discernible plot. I gave up half-way through. Not fair to rate.

3. Wrecker by Summer Wood
A warm story about non-traditional family. You can read my review here.

4. The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown
The story of three sisters who arrive at their parents’ home in small-town Ohio, ostensibly to help as their mother undergoes treatment for breast cancer. Each has a secret she is reluctant to share, and problems that must be resolved. I posted my review here.

5. Bullet Work by Steve O’Brien
Murder and mayhem on the backside of a horse-racing track. You can see what I thought here.

6. Skipping a Beat by Sarah Pekkanen
This best seller about a highly successful couple (she, a high-end events planner; he, a soft-drink entrepreneur) was disappointing. Michael & Julia leave behind their poor WV roots and make it big and very rich in Washington D.C. When Michael survives a four-minute clinical death, he decides to give away his wealth. Julia is angry with him for spending so much time making the money, and then angry with him for giving it away. I was ready to vote her as this year’s protagonist you-love-to-hate. If you’re under 40 and haven’t yet realized that wealth is not a security, you might enjoy this – it seems many have.

7. Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult
After Max leaves Zoe and a decade of marriage, Zoe meets Vanessa and they become a couple. When Zoe asks Max to sign off on her fertilized eggs that are left from IVF procedures they undertook, the evangelical church he has become involved in takes up the case in “his behalf” and the parties end up in court. If you enjoy John Grisham court dramas, you’ll like this. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters, so wasn’t emotionally involved but wondering about the outcome kept me reading to the last page.

8. The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
The story of two sisters, Hannah & Emmaline, told in flashback by 98-year-old Grace who was a maid in their English country home in the years surrounding WW1. Loved the setting, the characters, the mystery, and the story itself. I will definitely read more Kate Morton.

9. Thereby Hangs a Tail: A Chet and Bernie Mystery by Spencer Quinn
The second book in the absolutely delightful Chet & Bernie mystery series. See my review

10. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
“The book” is a five-hundred-year-old copy of a Jewish Haggadah, a text used at Passover meals. This real-life treasure came to light in Sarajevo in the 1990s and Brooks has imagined a rich history for it in this novel.

11. Murder on Astor Place by Victoria Thompson
First in the Gaslight Mystery series, this features Sarah Brandt, a thirty-something widowed midwife in 1895 NYC. The setting was very interesting, and will be even more so to those who know New York well. Sarah was raised “in society” but now lives simply without her family’s money so we glimpse both the upper & lower classes. Sarah is likable, if a little too competent, and the mystery moderately good.

12. His Majesty’s Yankees by Thomas H. Raddall
A novel set in Nova Scotia, the “fourteenth colony”, during the American Revolutionary War, this follows the life of young David Strang who fights for the “cause” of freedom from the king’s tyranny. A rich lesson in history, geography, politics and culture. Read for the June meeting of our local club, The Loquacious Compendium. This is a stop on my Literary Road Trip.

Links for my Canadian readers:

His Majesty’s Yankees: a Novel of Nova Scotia in the Days of the Revolution

P.S. These links are affiliate links so I will receive a small percentage of any purchase you make after clicking through from this blog.

I gobbled up several mysteries in April, getting through thirteen books in total. I have no idea how I had time to read them all but…

1. The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz
This is the first in a mystery series featuring 28-year old Isabelle (Izzy) Spellman whose family runs a private investigation firm. Fast paced and funny.

2. The Death Instinct by Jed Rubenfeld
A mystery set around the real-life September 1920 bomb on Wall Street that killed 38 people and injured 143. Witnessing the blast are war veteran Stratham Younger, his friend James Littlemore of the New York Police Department, and Younger’s friend, a French radiochemist named Colette Rousseau. A fine mystery, second in the Stratham Younger series, but stands alone.

3. Mark of the Lion by Suzanne Arruda
First in the mystery series featuring Jade del Cameron and set in 1920 British East Africa (Kenya). My review is here.

4. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
This classic WWI tale is told from the point of view of an eighteen-year-old German soldier. His experiences, common to men on both sides of the conflict, make clear the horror of war. I read the illustrated edition which includes many period photos.

5. February by Lisa Moore
On February 15, 1982 the oil rig The Ocean Ranger sank in Canadian waters off Newfoundland. with all hands lost. February is the fictional account of one woman whose husband died in the disaster.

6. The Obamas: The Untold Story of an African Family by Peter Firstbrook
Firstbrook traces the history of the Luo tribe in Kenya, of which Barack Obama Sr was a member. The book details the life and character of President Obama’s father and grandfather. Interesting history.

7. The Beekeeper’s Apprentice: Or On the Segregation of the Queen by Laurie R. King
First in the mystery series featuring Mary Russell, a young English woman who meets her neighbor – a retired Sherlock Holmes, and apprentices with him to become a super-sleuth. If you like Sherlock Holmes stories, you’ll love this.

8. Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie
Featuring Miss Marple and considered to be one of the best books written by this author. Great mystery and wonderful period piece.

9. The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie
An earlier Miss Marple story, slightly convoluted but still worthwhile.

10. They Do It With Mirrors (also published as Murder with Mirrors) by Agatha Christie
Another Miss Marple, with a slightly different flavor. You’ll solve it if you choose the correct paradigm – but therein lies the challenge.

11. In the Queens’ Parlor, and Other Leaves from the Editors’ Notebook by Ellery Queen
Behind the scenes observations on authors, publishing, plotting, naming and other mysteries of mysteries by Manfred Lee and Frederic Dannay who wrote scores of mystery novels as the fictional Ellery Queen. First published in 1942 and updated several times, the last in 1957. Out of print, but I was lucky enough to get a copy on inter-library loan from Halifax. Loved it. (It’s available used on Amazon.)

12. The Hunt for Sonya Dufrette by R. T. Raichev
First in the Country House Crime series set in England. I knew from the second chapter what happened to Sonya on the day of the 1981 royal wedding of Charles and Diana. Kept reading, hoping for surprises, but there were none.

13. Evans Above by Rhys Bowen
First in the mystery series featuring Constable Evan Evans of Llanfair, Wales. A very good mystery with all the necessary clues and lots of red herrings. If you like M.C. Beaton’s Hamish MacBeth, you’ll enjoy this series. I’ll be reading more of Evan Evans.

Links for my Canadian readers

Evans Above: A Mystery

P.S. If you click through the affiliate links in the book titles, you may notice a different cover. I like to see the cover that’s on the copy I read – and it’s usually different than Amazon.com because they display the American release, and I read the Canadian. Again, the links are affiliate links so I will receive a small percentage of any purchase you make after clicking through from this blog.

A road trip to Ontario gave me some riding time for reading. Here’s what I got through in March; four of the ten are by Canadian authors.

1. Man in the Queue by Josephine Tey
Set in 1929 in London’s theatre district, the first in the Inspector Alan Grant series. Grant is presented with an unidentified body found in the ticket line for a musical comedy. He must first discover who the victim is before he can find who killed him and why. My review is here.

2. Alligator: A Novel by Lisa Moore
You can read my review of this novel set in modern-day St. John’s Newfoundland here. I just picked up Moore’s February from the library and I’m looking forward to cracking it open next week.

3. Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry
Set in modern-day Mumbai India, this story of family patriarch Nariman Vakeel, an elderly widower of the Parsi minority, who lives with his two middle-aged stepchildren gives us a good look at that city. Although quite interesting, it’s not up to A Fine Balance.

4. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
1899 classic set in and around New Orleans, this chronicles the cultural and sensual revolution that takes place inside one society woman.

5. Mr. Shakespeare’s Bastard by Richard B. Wright
The latest from the author of award-winning Clara Callan, this book is set in 17th century Oxfordshire & London, England. You can see what I thought of it.

6. An English Murder by Louise Doughty
Also called Honeydew, this story is set in modern-day rural England and involves the murder of a middle-aged couple by their teenage daughter. Said to be a soft spoof of English murder mysteries, it didn’t satisfy as either that or a real mystery.

7. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
Compared by critics to Tolstoy, this book is one of the richest I have read. You can find my review here.

8. Building the Pauson House: The Letters of Frank Lloyd Wright and Rose Pauson – foreward by Allan Wright Green
A beautiful win from the publisher. See my review here.

9. Agatha Christie’s Secret Notebooks: Fifty Years of Mysteries in the Making by John Curran
Non-fiction analysis of the notebooks that Christie used in plotting many of her books. Fascinating – and one I want for my own bookshelf. Here’s my thoughts.

10. The Coffin Trail by Martin Edwards
First in the Lakes District series featuring DCI Hannah Scarlett and historian Daniel Kind, this modern-day crime mystery is oddly named but enjoyable. I’ll likely read more in the series.

Links for my Canadian readers:
The Man in the Queue
Alligator
Family Matters
The Awakening
Mr. Shakespeare’s Bastard
An English Murder
A Fine Balance
Building the Pauson House: The Letters of Frank Lloyd Wright and Rose Pauson
Agatha Christie’s Secret Notebooks
The Coffin Trail

Or better yet, buy from a independent book seller.
Buy from an independent book seller by searching this site that has links to independent booksellers across North America.

P.S. If you click through the affiliate links in the book titles, you may notice a different cover. I like to see the cover that’s on the copy I read – and it’s usually different than Amazon.com because they display the American release, and I read the Canadian. Again, the links are affiliate links so I will receive a small percentage of any purchase you make after clicking through from this blog.

A double dose of the ‘flu and lots of snowy weather combined to give me tons of reading time last month. Here’s what I got through.

1. The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova
A psychiatrist attempts to solve the puzzle of a non-communicative patient arrested for trying to attack a painting in the National Gallery

2. Stanley Park: A Novel by Timothy Taylor
Set in Vancouver’s iconic green space, and in a trendy restaurant across town, and centred around the relationship between anthropologist father and chef son.

3. The Art of Eating In: How I Learned to Stop Spending and Love the Stove by Cathy Erway
In the heart of NYC, where restaurants are ubiquitous and eating out is simply a part of the culture, Cathy Erway decided to eat at home for two years – and blog about it.

4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
First in the Millenium series, this thriller by Swedish author Larsson has enjoyed top-seller status.

5. The Hard Detective by H. R. F. Keating
First in the Harriet Martens series by this prolific author of mysteries.

6. Holmes on the Range by Steve Hockensmith
This is the first in what promises to be a delightful series: brothers Old Red & Big Red Amlingmeyer are cowboys in the American west of the 1890s, but Old Red harbors a deep admiration for the exploits of one Sherlock Holmes.

7. Amy and Isabelle: A novel by Elizabeth Strout
In the very hot New England summer of 1969, mother and daughter learn about life, love, and each other.

8. Drawing the Line (Lina Townend Mystery) by Judith Cutler
First of the mystery series featuring twenty-something ex-troubled youth Lina Townend, a budding antique restorationist.

9. Cat on the Edge: A Joe Grey Mystery by Shirley Rousseau Murphy
First in the mystery series involving Joe Grey, a talking cat.

10. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
Translated from the French, this novel about the concierge of a condo building and her interaction with her tenants is currently a bestseller.

Links for my Canadian readers:

The Swan Thieves: A Novel
Stanley Park
The Art Of Eating In
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
The Hard Detective
Holmes on the Range: A Mystery
Amy and Isabelle: A novel
Drawing The Line
Cat on the Edge
Elegance Of The Hedgehog

Or better yet, buy from a independent book seller.

Technorati Tags: The Swan Thieves, Elizabeth Kostova, Stanley Park, Timothy Taylor, The Art of Eating In: How I Learned to Stop Spending and Love the Stove, Cathy Erway, NYC food blog, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson, The Hard Detective, H.R.F. Keating, Harriet Martens, Holmes on the Range, Steve Hockensmith, Old Red, Big Red, Gustav Amlingmeyer, Otto Amlingmeyer, Amy & Isabelle, Elizabeth Strout, Drawing the Line, Judith Cutler, Lina Townend, Cat on the Edge, Shirley Rousseau Murphy, Joe Grey, The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Muriel Barbery, Paloma Josse, Renee Michel

Disclaimer: All of these links are affiliate links so I will receive a small percentage of any purchase you make after clicking through from this blog.

It’s winter here in the Maritimes and that means lots of long, dark evenings for reading. Here’s what I made my way through last month. Reviews for some will follow.

1. Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey
Set in Australia in the late 19th century. Made into a movie starring Cate Blanchett and Ralph Fiennes.

2. The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag by Alan Bradley
The second in this great mystery series featuring 11 year old Flavia de Luce. Eagerly anticipated (I was on the reserve list for our local library’s copy for six months) and did not disappoint.

3. Barney’s Version by Mordecai Richler
Set in Paris, Montreal and the Laurentians, this novel by Canadian icon Richler has been made into a recently released movie.

4. A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka
Not at all what I expected. Set in modern-day Britain.

5. Postcards by E. Annie Proulx
Set in Vermont and across America, beginning in the early 1940s. Fascinating but left me feeling bereft.

6. An Impartial Witness by Charles Todd
The second in the wonderful Bess Crawford mystery series. Set in England during WWI.

7. Billy Boyle by James R. Benn
Also a mystery, the first in this series. Set during WWII, in London England, but from the point of view of an American character.

8. Stratton’s War by Laura Wilson
First in the mystery series featuring London England police officer Ted Stratton. Also set during WWII.

9. An Expert in Murder by Nicola Upson
Another first in series, also a mystery, featuring the writer Josephine Tey and fictional Detective Archie Penrose. My review here.

Links for my Canadian readers:
Oscar And Lucinda
The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag
Barney’s Version (Movie Tie-in Edition)
Postcards
An Impartial Witness: A Bess Crawford Mystery
Billy Boyle: A World War II Mystery
Stratton’s War
An Expert In Murder: A Josephine Tey Mystery

Or better yet, buy from a independent book seller.

Technorati Tags: Oscar and Lucinda, Oscar & Lucinda, Peter Carey, The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag, Flavia de Luce, Alan Bradley, Barney’s Version, Mordecai Richler, A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, Marina Lewycka, Postcards, E. Annie Proulx, An Impartial Witness, Bess Crawford, Charles Todd, Billy Boyle, WW2 mystery, WW1 mystery, WWI, WWII, James R. Benn, Stratton’s War, Laura Wilson, An Expert in Murder, Josephine Tey mystery, Archie Penrose, Nicola Upson

Disclaimer: All of these links are affiliate links so I will receive a small percentage of any purchase you make after clicking through from this blog.