Author: Book Girl

Courting Dragons

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Courting Dragons: A King’s Fool Mystery by Jeri Westerson

This historical mystery is set in Greenwich, London, at the court of King Henry VIII, in 1529. Yes, that Renaissance King Henry. Court Jester Will Somers is in his mid-20’s and has challenging work, entertaining the King and his court, tumbling, making music, sharing gossip, teasing the nobility, and also being a good confidant for the young king, who he calls Harry or Uncle. Will was a real person, and was a jester for King Henry and even young Queen Elizabeth, and had his portrait painted at least twice. This is the first book in a planned series.

Many of the book’s characters are fictions, including Lady Marion, an embroideress who Will loves. Will also likes men, dallying with a servant and a visiting Spaniard. This secret is dangerous, and he could be blackmailed. As this is a mystery, Will also turns sleuth, when one man is killed, someone else is attacked, and Marion is almost killed. Was Marion the target, or was it one of Anne Boleyn’s ladies in waiting. Anne is not yet queen, as Henry is still married to Catherine of Aragorn, his first wife. The colorful daily life of Henry’s court comes to life, especially as a fool can go almost anywhere. This mystery really kept my interest, and I look forward to reading a sequel.

Readalikes include Thirteenth Night by Alan Gordon, the first of six Fool’s Guild mysteries and A Play of Isaac by Margaret Frazer, the first of seven mysteries featuring Joliffe.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

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Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

This novel, spanning three decades, is about three friends, Sadie, Sam, and Marx, who come together to create, produce and sell video games. The themes are relationships, grief, and collaboration. You do not need to be a gamer to appreciate the story.

To begin with, this is not a happy book. The book’s title is part of a famous soliloquy in Shakespeare’s MacBeth, a tragedy. I quite disliked one of the secondary characters, which I’m sure the author intended. I also objected to the author’s need to have some trauma in each main character’s background, which apparently made them more creative.

That said, this was compelling and immersive reading. It was also interesting to see how important playing video games was to the characters, as reading books, especially fiction, is meaningful to me. The wide variety of games developed and played in these pages were richly detailed and unique; I’m sure many gamers would love to play them if they were available.

This book has been a bestseller for a whole year, and I now understand the buzz that has kept it there for so long. The characters are intriguing and the quality of the writing is excellent; I just wanted a slightly different plot.

The author’s first novel, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, is also bittersweet, and just as memorable.

The Bookbinder

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The Bookbinder by Pip Williams

Peggy Jones, 21, and her twin sister Maude fold and gather sections of books at the Oxford University Press before and during World War I. They live on a narrowboat moored on a canal, with friends on a nearby boat.

Peggy is occasionally scolded for reading the pages as she folds them, and enjoys bringing home sections of books that weren’t good enough to bind.

Maude loves to fold paper, and makes paper stars at home. She doesn’t talk much, mostly echoing phrases she hears other people say. Lotte, a Belgian refugee, starts working at the binder. She finds Maude’s company soothing, so that Peggy can volunteer, along with posh Gwen, to read to injured soldiers, including Bastian, a gravely injured Belgian.

Suffragette Tilda, their late mother’s close friend, volunteers as a nurse’s aide and is sent to a hospital near the front. Her letters to Maude and Peggy, sent through an acquaintance to avoid the censors, keep them informed about life on the front. The war and the influenza epidemic certainly do not make for cheerful reading, but the characters, setting and plot really drew me into the story.

This book made me want to visit Oxford again, or at least reread Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers. Peggy seems real—her dreams, struggles, good and bad choices, and her daily life. Tiffany Girls by Shelley Noble is a good readalike. This was a remarkable read, and will be published later in July.

Mrs. Porter Calling

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Mrs. Porter Calling: The Emmy Lake Chronicles, Book Three by AJ Pearce

In London in 1943, Bunty and her friend Emmy are living in a large house belonging to Bunty’s grandmother. Soon they invite Thelma, who works the switchboard with Emmy at the Fire Service, to move in, along with her three lively children, George, Margaret, and Stanley. Thelma’s husband is oversea with the British Navy, while Emmy’s new husband Charles is with the Army in North Africa.

The house has a large yard with a rundown shed where the kids hope to keep a guinea pig, and possibly chickens. Harold, a family friend, helps fix up the shed. Thelma and Emmy hope that Harold and Bunty will become more than friends.

This all sounds like a very cheerful and charming World War II home front novel, and it is, in parts. However, Emmy’s day job, as an advice columnist for Woman’s Friend magazine, where her kind brother-in-law Guy, is the editor, is increasingly stressful. The magazine has a glamorous new owner, the Honourable Cressida Porter, who sweeps into the magazine office with her tiny dog, planning to modernize the magazine and the office to be more fashionable and upbeat. The staff, with one exception, are horrified and try to keep the practical content and advice their faithful readers love.

Then the war again leaves its mark, with a sudden death. A wonderful group of friends and family take care of each other in the aftermath while the magazine staff make a stand. Heartwarming and compelling reading, but sadder than Yours Cheerfully (Book 2), though not as tense as Dear Mrs. Bird (Book 1).

The White Lady

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The White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear

This historical novel set in Belgium, France, and England, is not part of the author’s celebrated Maisie Dobbs mystery series. Featuring Elinor White, or Linni DeWitt, this is a story set in three different time periods, all narrated by Elinor. In 1947, Elinor is living in a cottage in Shacklehurst, and has a flat in London. When her neighbors Rose & Jim Mackie and especially their young daughter Susie are threatened by members of a London gang, Elinor draws on her connections from work with the SOE (Special Operations Executive) during World War II, which sent her to Belgium with Steve Warren, now a Detective Chief Inspector. As a girl, Linni and her older sister Cecily, along with their English mother Charlotte, worked with the Resistance in Belgium during World War I, then later escaped to London to live with her grandmother. The Belgium setting during the two world wars made for a very interesting though very dark setting. There are a number of dramatic plot twists and turns, with a few too many coincidences. Elinor is a fascinating character, and this is a compelling read. Readalikes include books by Cara Black and Laurie King, along with The Bookbinder by Pip Williams.

Our Wild Farming Life

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Our Wild Farming Life: Adventures on a Scottish Highland Croft by Lynn Cassells and Sandra Baer

Two women with no farming experience, one from Northern Ireland and one of Swiss and Scottish heritage, apprentice as Rangers for the National Trust. As a couple, they buy Lynbreck Croft in the Scottish Highlands, with gorgeous, hilly views. At first, they live on the croft and commute to work, but really want to live and work on their 150 acres of land. They plant many, many trees, and acquire some native breeds of chickens, pigs, cattle, bees, and briefly, sheep. Sandra and Lynn plant a large kitchen garden, and apply for grants and loans. It sounds like extremely hard work in a very scenic setting. Selling farm produce shares and later offering farm tours and classes and appearing on the 3rd season of BBC2’s This Farming Life, along with sales of this book, help make their vision a reality. It’s still just the pair of them, continuing the hard work of living close to their land. Inspiring, this was a quick, memorable read

Murder Before Evensong

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Murder Before Evensong: A Canon Clement Mystery by The Reverence Richard Coles

This English village mystery, the first featuring Canon Daniel Clement, is set in Champton. A reference to Celine Dion winning the Eurovision Song Contest for Switzerland establishes the year as 1988. Daniel Clement has been the rector of Champton for 8 years. He shares the rectory with his dachshunds Como and Hilda, and his opinionated and outspoken mother Audrey. She often asks the questions Daniel is too polite to ask. Daniel’s younger brother Theo is visiting, studying up for a television role as a clergyman.

Some members of Daniel’s congregation are upset that Daniel wants to remove two back pews from the church to install a restroom. The Flower Guild ladies want a room with a sink, but not a lavatory. Others claim that that the pews are very old and mustn’t be removed, or perhaps just don’t want to lose their favorite pew.

When a body is discovered in the church, followed by another death, Daniel investigates to discover what secrets have led to the deaths. Daniel and the dogs are very good company, and his mother and brother are entertaining as well. I look forward to Canon Clement’s next mystery. Murder Before Evensong will be published in July in the U.S. and is already a bestseller in Great Britain.

Readalikes include The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood, Isabel Puddles Abroad by M.V. Byrne, and Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder club series.

100 Morning Treats

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100 Morning Treats by Sarah Kieffer

Sarah Kieffer’s first cookbook, 100 Cookies, is a favorite of mine, and I especially like her recipes for Neapolitan Cookies and Cinnamon Roll Blondies. I’ve been in more of a savory baking mode than sweet lately. I’ve made and can easily recommend four recipes from her brand-new cookbook, 100 Morning Treats: Ginger Orange Carrot Bread, Toasting Bread, Crème Fraîche, and especially the Overnight Crème Fraîche Waffles. This recipe makes quite a few waffles, and there are still some in my freezer.
Next up are probably Chocolate Pudding Bundt Cake and Cinnamon Scones. There are quite a few other recipes I’d like to try, including Milk Chocolate Rye Bread and Popovers with Fig Butter. Sarah’s recipe directions are clearly written, and there are one or more color photos for most of the recipes. Many of her delicious recipes, including the Ginger Orange Carrot Bread, can be found at Vanilla Bean Blog.

Happy Baking!
Brenda

Life on the Mississippi

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Life on the Mississippi: An Epic American Adventure by Rinker Buck

Perfect reading for armchair travel and history buffs, by the author of the entertaining The Oregon Trail. With lots of help and plenty of advice, both good and bad, Rinker takes a year to build the flatboat Patience. With a varied crew, Rinker spent four months in 2016 traveling the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans. Many people told Rinker that it couldn’t be done, especially navigating the mouth of the Wabash River and dealing with the commercial barge traffic on the Mississippi. Chapters about the Ohio River portion of the journey show his fondness for the journey, especially the kind folks he meets in Newburgh, Indiana, and other river towns. There are broken ribs and other mishaps, but Rinker is most worried about keeping the boat and its crew supplied with fuel and water. The Mississippi River is certainly more challenging to travel, including the rip rap embankments, but even there Rinker encounters helpful tug and barge captains. This is a compelling, memorable, and sometimes lighthearted tale.

Brenda

Falling Hard for the Royal Guard

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Falling Hard for the Royal Guard by Megan Clawson

Maggie has a boring job selling tickets with three awful coworkers at an amazing place – The Tower of London. Occasionally she has to take the day’s ticket sales to a safe in a basement that’s almost certainly haunted. Running out of the basement one evening, Maggie runs straight into what feels like a lamp post, but is really Freddie, one of the King’s Guards, holding a wooden box. It is not a meet cute moment, though it is memorable. One day when Maggie’s ex-boyfriend Bran shows up at the Tower to try to persuade her to take him back, Freddie frightens Bran away.

Maggie actually lives in the Tower of London, as her father is a Yeoman Warder. She meets Freddie’s mates, fellow Grenadier Guards. The guys overserve Maggie and persuade her to go on five dates through a popular dating app (though not with them). Most of the dates are pretty awful. Occasionally Maggie has a hangover after these dates and runs through the Tower grounds on her way to work, with her unruly red hair, clumsiness, and tendency to blush captured on security cameras, to her chagrin. I intensely disliked Maggie’s ex and her coworkers but really like her dad and the other Yeoman Warders and the Grenadier Guards. Fun fact: the author has red hair and lives in the Tower of London. Readalikes include Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler and Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston.

Brenda