Author: Book Girl

The Queen Who Came in from the Cold

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The Queen Who Came in from the Cold: Her Majesty the Queen Investigates by S. J. Bennett

This book is the fifth mystery in one of my favorite series, featuring Queen Elizabeth II and her assistant private secretaries. This one is set in 1961, as Buckingham Palace is preparing for a state visit from the Kennedys. Before that, Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and their staff are going to Italy. I especially enjoyed the scenes set on the royal train and the royal yacht, HMY Britannia. A number of years ago I got to tour Britannia, now a floating museum in Edinburgh, and it was lovely to picture the family quarters while reading this mystery.

On the train, Sandra Pole, a temporary lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret, says that she saw a body flung into a pond from the train, but no one else saw anything, and is she a reliable witness? It may have been too dark for her to see much, at any rate. The Queen, along with her assistant private secretary, Joan McGraw, has some experience in solving crimes without taking any of the credit. Joan, a former codebreaker at Bletchley Park, does some investigating. A missing photographer, possibly connected to Princess Margaret’s new husband, could be the victim. But where to search? The Queen interviews a clergyman with a passion for trains and railways who has some useful information.

The Space Race and the Cold War come into play, as a possible defector was in contact with the missing photographer, and the Britannia may be involved. Scenes in Rome and Venice add to the story, and the pace and danger intensifies. While Joan is a fine sleuth, Queen Elizabeth is the star here, and it’s great fun to see her in the 1961 setting, and also while trying to keep secrets from Prince Philip, who is very supportive. We don’t see much of the Queen’s corgis here, but there is a very naughty chihuahua on board the train, and the Queen Mother makes an appearance. The previous book, A Death in Diamonds, is set in 1957, while the first three, beginning with The Windsor Knot, are set in 2016 and 2017.

Brenda

Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure

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Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure by Rhys Bowen

Ellie Endicott is surprised at breakfast one morning in 1938 when her husband Lionel tells her of his plans to get a divorce and marry a younger woman named Michelle. Also, he wants the house that Ellie has furnished and decorated over many years. Ellie can, perhaps, have a small cottage by the train station instead. After decades in Surrey, southwest of London, Ellie has had enough. Her household help, Mavis, and older, outspoken Dora encourage her to make a fresh start.

They all end up in Lionel’s Bentley, heading for the south of France. They wind up in St. Benet, a small fishing village, along with scared and pregnant Yvette. Ellie speaks excellent French, and Dora speaks enough, while Mavis is willing to learn. They find rooms in a guesthouse just getting ready to close for the season, and get to know the villagers. Then the war begins, and Lionel and their grown sons encourage Ellie to come home again.

The village and the scenery are beautifully described, along with the larger hillside house Ellie decides to rent and restore, with help from the villagers. As the war progresses, they acquire a pair of goats, chickens, and a beehive. Ellie learns to drive a speed boat and occasionally visits a monastery on a nearby island. Dora’s failing health improves and Yvette’s baby arrives. There are no battles in St. Benet, so the plot is mostly about life and food in southern France during the occupation, making do, trading food, and helping the resistance. Also, unexpectedly, finding love. Ellie is resilient and very good company for the reader. Not every villager makes it through the war years, and there is certainly danger and hardship, but Ellie is still happy with her choice to stay in St. Benet. Splendid storytelling with a strong sense of place makes this a good choice for readers of World War II fiction on the homefront.

Brenda

Gemini

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Gemini: Stepping Stone to the Moon, The Untold Story by Jeffrey Kluger

Mercury astronauts were first in space while Apollo astronauts went to the moon. Gemini, the NASA program in between, sometimes gets overlooked. Kluger, the author of Apollo 8 and Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13, tells the story of Gemini very well. The Gemini Project began in 1961 and was always meant to set the stage for the Apollo missions. The new spacecraft held two men (no mention here of the Mercury 13 women who hoped to be astronauts), used a larger rocket to launch, and included the first spacewalks and attempts to rendezvous with another spacecraft. Ten manned missions were launched in 1965 and 1966, which was truly unprecedented.

The names of many of the astronauts who flew the Gemini missions will be familiar to space buffs, including John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell, and Gus Grissom, as well as flight directors Chris Craft and Gene Kranz. The quest to build the spacecraft did not go smoothly, and there was always the pressure of not enough time, trying to catch up and pull ahead in the space race with the Soviet Union. The flights themselves make for compelling reading, and the personalities of the astronauts and NASA engineers are memorably sketched. Very interesting and informative reading. Here’s one fun fact: NASA pronounces Gemini as “Geminee”.

Brenda

The Keeper of Magical Things

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The Keeper of Magical Things by Julie Leong

The second cozy fantasy by the author of The Teller of Small Fortunes is not a sequel, but is set in the same world. Certainty Bulrush has been living in the city of Margrave for six years, as a novice in the Guild of Mages. Her only magical talent is to communicate with objects, especially magical objects such as a talking teapot. If she becomes a mage, her family, who have a pear orchard, can afford an apprenticeship for her brother.

Certainty is sent on an assignment with Mage Aurelia Mirella, a farspeaker. Their task is to take two wagons of minor magical artifacts to a remote and unmagical village. Their housing and storage for the artifacts have been pre-arranged, supposedly. The pair are to inventory, organize, store, and ward the collection. Too many magical items at the Guild have created an overflow of magic, leading to some humorous magical incidents. Aurelia has a reputation for being standoffish, and is from a wealthy family in the city. She also has a big secret, which is soon revealed to Certainty. Aurelia has high standards, and neither their housing, storage, or meals meet her approval. Cert has to show by example how to fit in to the village. With assistance from some of the minor magical items, they help the village’s apple orchards, water supply, and help create very tasty pasta. There’s also some romance, and a small catdragon.

When their assignment ends badly, Cert is unfairly blamed and goes home in disgrace to her family, where she is shown … kindness and love. Back to the city she goes, to explain her motives and actions. An enjoyable read, though different in setting and tone from her first book.

Brenda

Hot Desk

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Hot Desk by Laura Dickerman

This engaging dual timeline novel is set in the publishing world in New York City. Two young editors, Rebecca and Ben, work for rival publishers and reluctantly share a desk. They are both trying to meet with a literary legend’s widow for rights to publish a short story collection and one last novel. There are flashbacks to 1982. How is 1982 a historical time period already? Back then, Rebecca’s mom and her best friend Rose are interns at The East River Review, a journal published from the townhouse of the same literary legend, Edward David Adams, known as the Lion.

The book sections set in 1982 are chaotic, exhilarating, and full of secrets. Also, not very friendly for young women aspiring to be writers or editors. AIDS is not yet named, but definitely scary. 2022 is messy, but with situations such as hot desking, working remotely part-time, Zoom meetings where someone always needs prompting to unmute and large publishers buying smaller publishers. Rebecca helps her friend Stella run a dinner club with Rebecca’s charming grandmother, which is getting online buzz. Rebecca and Ben exchange cryptic heated texts, especially about a cactus on their shared desk that neither claims. An immersive read, this is an accomplished first novel.

Brenda

Blind Date with a Werewolf

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Blind Date with a Werewolf: A Novel in Stories by Patricia Briggs

This is a treat for Briggs fans and readers of paranormal fiction. Set in the Pacific Northwest, present day, featuring werewolf Asil Moreno. Asil is set up on five blind dates during the winter holiday season by “your concerned friends”.

Asil is very, very old, powerful, and lonely. His main hobby is growing black roses. Two of the five dates go very badly, but none of it is Asil’s fault. A very pretty man who dresses well, he first goes to a dance with people pretending to be vampires, then has an encounter with a tiger and a lioness. Asil rescues people and fights a wyrm (distant relative of a dragon). Ghost hunters take him through a Victorian haunted house, and an old and treacherous vampire may or may not get his comeuppances. Fun and slightly dangerous, Asil and his wolf suit any occasion, formal or very casual. Some of these stories have been published before, and I had already read one of them. This is a quick, enjoyable, and less intense read than some of the titles in the Alpha & Omega werewolf or Mercy Thompson shapeshifter series.

Brenda

Gracie Harris is Under Construction

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Gracie Harris is Under Construction by Kate Hash

The book cover is funny because Gracie doesn’t actually paint any walls during her house remodel. She does wallpaper her bedroom closet, though, which I think sounds cool. Gracie Harris is on a journey of self-discovery and grief after her husband Ben suddenly dies. She has two great kids and money does not seem to be an issue as the house being remodeled in a small North Carolina town is her second home. I really enjoyed the scene when her bookshelves were being put together because it means she can go on a shopping spree at the local indie bookstore. Imagine having multiple new bookcases to fill, and plenty of money to fill them! I think I’d really enjoy visiting Gracie’s remodeled house.

This summer, Gracie’s kids are spending 8 weeks at a sleep-away camp 30 minutes from town. Gracie is writing a memoir and trying to do interviews but has a rough time with nerves and grief during her first major interview. Josh, her realtor’s brother, is remodeling the Craftsman house part-time for Gracie. Over lunches, Josh asks Gracie questions she might face at future interviews, and gives her advice on the best coffee shop for her writing sessions. To no one’s surprise except Josh and Gracie, they fall for each other. Even Gracie’s daughter thought they might start dating.

Not a rom-com, and not a steamy romance, this is a sweet and tender story about starting over and second chances, plus some good advice about working through the messy seasons of grief. Well, the romance is kind of steamy, but the bedroom door stays almost closed for the reader. This is Kate Hash’s first novel, and it’s a memorable, compelling read. I look forward to seeing what she rights next.

Brenda

Ghost Business

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Ghost Business by Jen DeLuca

Ghost Business, an enjoyable read, is the second spooky rom-com by DeLuca, who also has four wonderful romances set at renaissance faires, beginning with Well Met.

Ghost Business is the sequel to Haunted Ever After, and both stories are set in Boneyard Key, somewhere on Florida’s Gulf Coast. I’ve visited Florida several times and never once thought of ghosts or hauntings, but maybe I haven’t visited the right towns. Carol Perry writes a cozy mystery series set in Florida, beginning with Be My Ghost, which are readalikes for Ghost Business. The Spirit Moves is the fourth and most recent. Cedar Key was the inspiration for Boneyard Key.

Tristan moves to Boneyard Key for six months, staying in a condo his dad’s just bought for an investment. He’s there to start up a ghost tour, which he and his college buddy Eric run in several tourist towns across the U.S. Right away he meets Sophie, who also runs a ghost tour in Boneyard Key every weekend. She doesn’t have a website, so Tristan and Eric didn’t know they’d have competition. Sophie, a local, knows that Boneyard Key is truly haunted, and tells the stories of the resident ghosts. Tristan, with Ghouls Night Out, just wants to entertain his customers with familiar ghost stories with no real connection to Boneyard Key. Of course, Tristan doesn’t believe in ghosts, which leads to some funny scenes.

Tristan and Sophie are rivals, though quite attracted to each other, and Tristan has a hard time getting the locals to welcome him. A few months after he’s settled in, a hurricane is headed for the Gulf Coast, and Boneyard Key. No one in town is injured, but it’s pretty intense reading. Tristan needs Sophie’s help, and they fall for each other. Rivals to lovers is a common but pretty good trope, and DeLuca is a very good storyteller. I look forward to her next page-turner, wherever it’s set.

Brenda

North to the Future

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North to the Future: An Offline Adventure Through the Changing Wilds of Alaska by Ben Weissenbach

Young journalist Ben Weissenbach, when not scrolling on his phone, is fascinated by Alaska. At 20, he spent the summer of 2019 with climate scientist and adventurer Roman Dial trekking across the eastern Brooks Range. During another trip to Alaska he experienced an Arctic winter fortnight on Kenji Yohikawa’s off-grid cabin near Fairbanks, tending to his reindeer. Ben also flew over part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge with glaciologist Matt Nolan, occasionally dealing with smoke-filled skies.

The longest section of the book is about a hiking and pack rafting expedition in the Western Brooks Range in 2021, led by Roman Dial, studying the spread of spruce trees in the Arctic. Many adventures and misadventures are described, including encounters with wolves and grizzly bears, along with his struggle as to simply be present in the amazing expanse of Alaska. I very much enjoy the combination of real-life adventure, travel, science, and memoir, and look forward to reading what he’s up to next.

Brenda

The Testimony of Mute Things

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The Testimony of Mute Things: A Penric & Desdemona novella by Lois McMaster Bujold

This fantasy novella is set fourth chronologically, after Penric’s Fox and before Masquerade in Lodi, which I am now rereading. Desdemona is Penric’s demon, who retains the memories of ten women, along with their languages and medical knowledge. Penric is secretary, translator and personal physician to Princess-Archdivine Llewen, and is several decades her junior. They have just travelled by mule over mountains to attend a several day temple conclave in Carpagamo.  Two areas both claim the border town of Occo, and three archdivines will decide the matter.

Penric turns detective when an accountant dies in her boarding house before an appointment with Llewen and he tracks her account books to an orphanage. This is a very nice blend of fantasy and mystery with a teenaged orphan thief added in. Penric and Llewen’s working relationship is greatly developed here, and we learn more about Desdemona, and her former host, Ruchia. The first novella is Penric’s Demon, which is also in a collection called Penric’s Progress. Bujold has won multiple Nebula and Hugo awards.

Brenda