The Wonder of Winter

 

I recently ran across a bunch of beautiful quotations on winter and filled up nearly a page of my quotation journal with them. This is one of my favorites ... 

Warmly,

Some Book Reviews from 2019

Yes, I am still catching up on posting my book reviews from Goodreads here on my blog. Some of these reviews go back as far as last October, but they're solid books that I think you may really enjoy reading.

NOTE: I rarely, if ever, give modern (i.e., non-classical) literature books five stars. I mean, what written now can really measure up to Jane Eyre or Much Ado About Nothing? But very occasionally I do give five stars if a modern novel (with or without a historical setting) truly thrills me to the core.

Just know that if I were not such a persnickety person about my classic lit, nearly all of these books would receive enthusiastic "5"s rather than enthusiastic "4"s. Just saying.

And now, onto my thoughts on the following books, all of which I recommend reading:


In This Grave Hour by Jacqueline Winspear
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Maisie Dobbs finds herself facing a second war with Germany, just declared by Neville Chamberlain, and returns home to find Francesca Thomas, an operative who trained Maisie for her trip to Munich and whom she first met while teaching at Oxford while trailing a murderer, sitting on her back porch. Thomas hires Maisie to find out who has murdered a man who was a Belgian refugee during the First World War and stayed in this country even after the war ended, having married a British citizen and settled down to work, have kids, and live a British life.

Maisie suspects that Francesca knows more than she is telling Maisie, but Maisie quickly puts her assistants, Billy and Sandra, on the job as London starts to evacuate their children due to the threat of Hitler bombing London. Maisie ends up sending several people to the Dower House of her in-laws' estate, some to recover from illnesses, some as refugees, including a little girl not yet five years old and completely silent. Maisie takes this little abandoned girl to her heart and strives to locate her family in the midst of more murders of former Belgian refugees and those who helped to place them in 1916.

This mystery is extremely complex, dealing with people still suffering from the previous war as a second war with Germany threatens Britain once again. As the English people pull together once more to "do their bit," Maisie must stop another murder from occurring as she tries to unearth the murderer who may be closer at hand than both she and Francesca Thomas thought.

This is yet another brilliant mystery featuring my new favorite heroine, Maisie Dobbs. It's amazing to see how a costermonger's daughter has become a Lady...although she rarely if ever uses her title or even her former last name. She takes pride in being the daughter of Frank Dobbs and rarely uses her wealth for herself--with the exception of a rather sporty car that will likely have to be garaged during the war since all of the petrol will be needed for ambulances and airplanes rather than personal vehicles. Maisie dreads another war, but the end of this book finds her volunteering once again to help her country stave off the powers of dictatorship.


Who Buries the Dead by C.S. Harris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As I noticed another reader remarking, these mysteries are NOT of the "cozy" variety. Regency London my have seemed sweet to those in the ton whose only thoughts were whether they could obtain vouchers to Almack's and which gentleman/lady would be most advantageous to wed.

No, this series of books deals with the seamy underside of London and the political and social problems (terrors?) of Regency London. Sebastian St. Cyr once again is requested to assist Bow Street with a most grisly murder: a decapitated man of decent wealth and social stature. Meanwhile, Hero, Sebastian's wife (and the daughter of the most powerful man in England, the cousin of the Regent who manipulates the ruler of Britannia with skill and avarice as well as Sebastian's sworn enemy) is researching and writing a scathing article on the plight of the London costermongers and how they face poverty, illness, and death on a daily basis.

While Lady Devlin would never interfere with Sebastian's passion in solving murders and bringing a little justice into an extremely unjust world, Sebastian would never interfere with his intelligent and crusading wife, no matter how much his father-in-law wants him to bring her to heel (and threatens to kill him if anything happens to his daughter and infant grandson). Despite their adversarial and awkward beginning, Lord and Lady Devlin are deeply in love, and their greatest fear is the loss of the other and/or their infant son, Simon.

Sebastian finds himself in more danger than usual as an assassin makes several attempts to kill him and is also having Hero followed as she interviews various costermongers. Who is behind the grisly murder--and the additional murders that follow? And can the missing head of Charles I be located and returned before the Prince Regent discovers its loss?

C.S. Harris has again written another nailbiter of a mystery, one which may skirt the drawing and ballrooms of London's elite but also finds itself in the very dregs of London's poorest (and most dangerous) streets...as usual. I just love Sebastian's and Hero's spirit in seeing the other side of London and doing what they can to protect the innocent and capture (or kill, if necessary) the evil.


Fine Eyes and Pert Opinions: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Maria Grace
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A very different take on Austen's Pride and Prejudice!! Mr. Bennet is the longtime rector of the Pemberley living, and he and his five daughters are coming out of mourning for Mrs. Bennet, a very different type of woman than portrayed in Austen's original. Thus, the Bennet girls have grown up in the environs of Pemberley, and Elizabeth has become a trusted friend and confidant of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, especially where Georgiana is concerned. Georgiana is more spoiled and less shy in this variation, but she has learned to consult Elizabeth on all of her complaints about her controlling older brother.

When Darcy is at his wit's end in dealing with a moody and changeable 16-year-old, Elizabeth suggests having a small house party in which Georgiana can take on some responsibilities and thus feel more grown-up. Colonel Fitzwilliam obliges by bringing along some guests who seem to be more than a little questionable in more ways than one.

This Austen variation includes allusions to events in Mansfield Park and perhaps even Persuasion as well as Pride and Prejudice. It's a masterful mash-up of Austen characters and themes, and also addresses more serious social and personal issues. In other words, there are some themes to chew on here, themes that reach all the way into the 21st century.

A brilliant book, full of heart and soul, Fine Eyes and Pert Opinions is a difficult book to put down...and an even harder one to forget.


Undeceived: Pride & Prejudice in the Spy Game by Karen M. Cox
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very different and quite modern take on Austen's beloved Pride and Prejudice. Set in the early 1980s, Darcy and Elizabeth both work for the CIA. When Darcy, the famous "London Fog," comes to "the Farm" to give a lecture to newbie agents, he offends Elizabeth by his cold demeanor and distaste for the young recruits.

Fast-forward to 1982, and Elizabeth finds herself in Eastern Europe as Darcy's language expert. He falls for her innocence and wit almost immediately while she maintains an emotional distance, given her previous dislike of the man. But soon she is playing the part of his girlfriend, a part which Darcy relishes and Elizabeth does not.

I won't give away any more (I basically summarized the first chapter or so), but this book definitely qualifies as a thriller as Darcy and Elizabeth team up (usually against Elizabeth's will) in the midst of the Cold War Eastern Europe, in a world of double agents, and one who especially has it out for Darcy....

Once I got a chapter or two in, I couldn't put it down. Brilliant book--a real ride!! :D


Gunpowder Plot by Carola Dunn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Daisy, now six months pregnant, goes to the home of a former school friend to write about the family's gorgeous estate, especially their traditional all-out celebration of Guy Fawkes' Day with a bonfire and fireworks--and an apparent murder-suicide.

What was supposed to be a relaxing weekend for Alex when he was to arrive a few days after Daisy turns into quite the case, complete with family secrets, mischievous boys underfoot, and much mayhem.

Daisy, as always, finds herself in the middle of Alex's investigation, helping however she can. Those guileless blue eyes of hers just seem to beckon confidences from the family and family friends. Alex almost can't blame her if it wasn't so maddening!

There is just nothing like a Daisy Dalrymple mystery to give one a laugh or two (and not a few quiet chuckles) while figuring out precisely whodunnit! Such a relaxing way to spend an afternoon or two!!
 

Death in Focus by Anne Perry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book started a trifle slowly, mostly because we had to be introduced to the various characters which is quite different from reading another book in Perry's awe-inspiring Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery series (now with more than thirty titles). In addition, this book pivoted back and forth between the home front in Britain and Elena's adventures in Europe. By the time I reached the end of the first third of the book, I was reading with bated breath, and I compulsively raced through the second half all in one sitting...until nearly 2:00 AM despite having to get up early the next morning.

I might term this book, apparently the first in a new series, more as a thriller than a mystery although it definitely contains aspects of both genres. Although we do not see them together until the very end of the novel, the depth of the relationship between Elena and her grandfather is remarkable. Their relationship empowers the entire novel for reasons that Elena herself does not understand until the final pages of the novel.

The events of 1933, as Britain is inexorably dragged back into war with Germany despite wanting to avoid war at nearly all costs became so much clearer to me through this novel than any of my history classes were ever able to impress on me. I had never truly realized how far so many families who had lost so many loved ones were willing to appease Hitler in order to avoid a second Great War. I knew it, but in this novel, I experienced it. The deliberate blindness of the English ruling classes, as well as all classes, is breathtaking. It's so understandable and yet, on this side of history, so wrong and misguided.

In addition to enjoying a rip-roaring, edge-of-one's-seat thriller, I learned so much about the history of both Britain and Germany through this book, specifically, how the fallout of the Versailles Treaty created the perfect storm by which Hitler could gain power. Again, I knew this as fact, but now I experienced it along with Elena.

I rarely give contemporary fiction a "5" rating, but this novel truly has it all. I have been a devoted fan of Anne Perry's mysteries since my 20s, and this book may very well be her best work.


  Where the Dead Lie by C.S. Harris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In another dark Regency mystery by the brilliant mind of C.S. Harris, Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, is enjoying marriage and his young son, but it is the deaths of many street children in London--the invisible children, many of whose mothers were transported to Botany Bay or to America for petty crimes, often the stealing of food to feed their starving offspring. When Devlin is called in to find the body of a 13-year-old boy who had been repeatedly whipped as well as tortured sexually as well, his stomach turns and his anger and sense of justice are piqued. Unfortunately, the men at the top of his suspect list are both extremely powerful men, one a cousin to the Prince Regent himself and the other a Marquess who is engaged to marry Sebastian's only niece.

Lady Devlin, meanwhile, is writing yet another exposé, this time taking the very idea of the missing children Sebastian seeks justice for and researching the plight of the children left behind homeless and ignored when their parents, especially their mothers, are transported to Australia or to the States in punishment for petty crimes.

This is another compelling mystery, overturning the seeming romance of the Regency era to show the length men (and women) will go to retain power and to prop up a dissolute monarchy and noble class who seeks pleasure in the most disgusting and inhumane of ways. The righteous indignation of Lord and Lady Devlin make them excellent partners in solving these crimes and crusade for the rights of London's helpless and downtrodden, providing a silver lining to the darkness of the human heart in this time period, reminding us also that not much has changed even now in the 21st century.

* * * * *

I hope that you might pick up one or more of these books; they're all excellent reads, and I highly recommend every author on this list. Check out my Goodreads (follow the previous hyperlink or see the sidebar of this blog) for even more of my book reviews and to see what I'm reading now. 

And please post any recommendations for me! I'm always looking for new books to read...especially series! 

Have a wonderful week (of reading), everyone! 

Bookishly yours,

Reviews of My Favorite Mystery Series

I have done a great deal of reading this fall. When pain levels rise, I medicate myself with excellent books, especially compelling mystery series. Since these reviews are all rather detailed and thus longer than usual, I'm only posting four rather than the six to seven reviews I usually post together. Three of the four reviews in this post are from my three of my favorite British historical mystery series of this year: the Daisy Dalrymple series (set in the 1920s) by Carola Dunn, the brilliant Maisie Dobbs series (starting in the Great War and now entering the Second World War) by Jacqueline Winspear, and the Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries (set in the Regency era) by C.S. Harris.

I have read at least a dozen books of each series, and they are all very different yet exceedingly compelling. Dunn's Daisy Dalrymple series is more of the cozy mystery genre with humor and lightness in the midst of murders while Winspear's Maisie Dobbs mysteries are deeper and more psychological in nature--very thoughtful and methodical and oh-so-intriguing.

Harris' Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries are by far the darkest of the three as they explore the underbelly of  Regency London with the crusading Viscount Devlin (Sebastian St. Cyr) solving murders, often in the slums of the city, and his equally noble and crusading Viscountess who writes stories depicting the life-and-death struggles of the poor of London. The Devlins are two sides of the same coin, born to the nobility yet with compassion for the poverty-stricken; it's all political and quite messy.

Also included with these mystery series is Julie Klassen's The Tutor's Daughter, a rather Gothic tale that leans toward the mystery genre (as all great Gothic novels do). I've read a couple of Klassen's books before (she writes in the Christian genre, a subset of books I don't usually enjoy much since the writing often seems substandard to me), and they were enjoyable enough but not particularly noteworthy or compelling. However, The Tutor's Daughter, a British historical novel, was both compelling and much better developed than the previous books I've read by this author. I very much enjoyed it, and Klassen's mysterious tale holds its own in the company of Dunn, Winspear, and Harris.

So let the reviews begin!!



A Mourning Wedding by Carola Dunn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The thirteenth novel in the brilliant Daisy Dalrymple mystery series finds Daisy at her former roommate Lucy's ancestral home, Haverhill, amid her very extended family of Lords and Ladies in preparation for Lucy's wedding to Lord Gerald ("Binkie"). But the murder of Lady Eva, who was a well-known collector of gossip on everyone in the family, causes Daisy to have to call Alec--Detective Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher--up to Haverhill several days before he had planned to arrive. As usual, people flock to Daisy to tell her their innermost secrets--it's those guileless blue eyes, says Alec--which aid Alec and his team in solving not one but multiple murders and attempted murders.

I adore this series; it's light and frothy, filled with all sorts of British slang of the mid-1920s, and Daisy's somewhat loopy yet somehow correct insights both annoys and amazes Alec while Sergeant Tring and DC Piper both believe, as usual, that Daisy can do no wrong. After all, she has assisted in solving many cases for New Scotland Yard both before and after her marriage to Alec. Daisy is a delightfully human protagonist, smart in some ways and rather obtuse in others, yet as an "Honourable," she has access to the nobility (or "nobs," as Sergeant Tring calls them) that Alec often requires as he solves his cases. Overall, this series, and this particular novel in the series, is definitely "Right-O!"


  A Dangerous Place by Jacqueline Winspear
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had taken a short break from the world of Maisie Dobbs; I could sense heartache ahead of her throughout the tenth book in the series, and with all that's going on in my life right now, I wanted something light and fluffy. And Maisie, although intriguing, is not light and fluffy.

I requested the e-book from the library, but then waiting until it was nearly due three weeks later before I started it...and with more than a bit of trepidation. And I was right about the heartache. I had thought that the heartache could go one of two ways, and it did go one of these directions, but with deeper repercussions than I had guessed. I won't say more; as River Song reminds us so often in Doctor Who: Spoilers!

This mystery finds Maisie on Gibraltar in 1937. Just across the Spanish border of the British protectorate, civil war brings great suffering as the Fascists attempt to rout the Nationalists. Britain is walking a dangerous tightrope of appeasement in their attempts to avoid another European war like the one twenty years previously, a war in which Maisie had worked as a nurse near the front in France (see Book #1). But appeasing Fascism and Nazism will not work, as those on the ground are seeing daily.

Maisie happens upon a man who had just been murdered on the grounds of the premiere hotel in Gibraltar. And despite taking an extended break from her work as a psychologist and investigator, Maisie jumps right back in, delaying her journey home to Britain from India. The man killed was a well-known Jewish photographer who supported two sisters, and Maisie meets many intriguing people in her quest to discover Sebastian's murderer, including one who is linked to a beloved mentor in Maisie's life; she also finds herself facing an old acquaintance and the possibility of soon seeing others she knows from her work in Britain.

It's a bit of a slow burn, as many of the Maisie Dobbs mysteries are, but I love the depth in which Winspear takes her readers, revealing much of Maisie and of life and reality and learning to face both after major changes have hacked their way through one's existence. Once I got through a couple of chapters, I was hooked again.

Maisie Dobbs may be one of my favorite fictional characters of all time, and for someone who reads close to 100 novels a year, that's saying something. I would love to have all of the series in hardcover lined up on my bookshelves so that I can dip into them at any time, but in the meanwhile, the library's e-book borrowing program works nicely, especially when I want to jump into the next book immediately.

I rarely give novels that are not classics higher than a "4," but this one deserves a "5" which I have only given to the first book in the series. After this book, I have only four more left in the series until Winspear pens another, so I may read some other books and then return to this series to savor my time with Maisie.


The Tutor's Daughter by Julie Klassen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Christian novel/mystery that isn't too preachy. Miss Smallwood accompanies her tutor father to the home of two former students who used to stay at their academy as the younger brothers require instruction, and Mr. Smallwood needs a change after the death of his wife two years previously.

Emma Smallwood had become friends with the younger Weston brother, Philip, but the older brother, Henry, had antagonized her constantly during his years at the Smallwood Academy. While her father is refreshed by the sea breezes of Cornwall, Emma finds herself in the odd position between servant and guest as she assists her father in teaching the 15-year-old twins, Julian and Rowan.

But their arrival is met with surprise as Lord Weston had forgotten to inform the rest of the family regarding his invitation to Mr. Smallwood and his daughter. Lady Weston, stepmother to the two older sons and mother to the twins plus ward to seventeen-year-old Lizzie Henshaw, is immediately suspicious of Emma's motivations, thinking that she seeks a husband of one of her older sons. Her rudeness dims Emma's usually positive attitude.

In addition, soon after their arrival, mysterious events begin to occur. The north wing of the house is forbidden, but Emma hears strange howls from its empty hallways. Someone enters Emma's room at night to steal her journal, then later returns it with a page torn out. Exquisite pian music wafts from the music room in the middle of the night, but Emma finds no one present when she seeks the mysterious musician. Philip suddenly returns home from Oxford with a garbled explanation, while Henry continues to be aloof; he also seems to be running the house instead of Sir Giles...and he never stops needling Emma just as he did when a boy. The twins are resentful and disrespectful, but Mr. Smallwood starts getting them in hand.

The Cornish coastline has long been the site of many a shipwreck, but the poorer people treat the cargo recovered from shipwrecks as their own, which they can do legally if there are no survivors. When Henry seeks to assist in the rescue of sailors as well as warning ships away from the rock-lined coastal beaches, he finds himself at odds with many villagers, including a sly, read-headed man named Teague who steals from survivors and seems to have an odd relationship with the Weston family.

When the threats become both more personal and dangerous, what will happen? And will Emma's faith, grown cold after the death of her beloved mother, finally find its way back, especially when confronted by the very real chance of death at sea?

This was a much better book than the other series I read by Julie Klassen. The characters were better-developed, and the faith elements were woven naturally into the story rather than being awkwardly forced. Overall, this was a mysterious tale with Gothic elements, a bit of romance, tons of suspense, and some thrilling excitement!!


Why Kings Confess by C.S. Harris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This ninth book of the Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries was amazing!

More people from Sebastian's past seem to be making appearances as the most propitious time in his life is about to occur. He finds himself a target as some of the French emigres from the French Revolution remain in London, including the Bourbons who are hoping to take back their throne from that Corsican upstart, Napoleon.

When a young doctor is murdered just before Sebastian happens on the scene, he feels drawn to solving the murder--and several more that occur, all seemingly focused on discouraging a small delegation from France who hopes to gain English support for a return of the royalists to France. The man who would become Louis XVI remains in England as well as the daughter of Marie Antoinette and King Louis XIV, both hoping to be restored to their "rightful" place in Paris.

In the middle of all of this drama is Paul Gibson, a one-legged Irishman and Sebastian's best friend. He does autopsies for the police and brings home the sister of the murdered man. She was badly beaten but left alive when her brother was killed and his heart ripped out. Her life also seems to be in danger from the same ones who killed her brother, plus because she testified against a man for killing his wife and the man died in jail, the man's brother is stalking her and threatening to kill her.

Sebastian finds himself embroiled in the story of the possible escape from the Bastille by the young Dauphin and the possibility of his existence is a question that seems to be at the heart of the murders being committed on the wet streets of London while France is once again undecided between a republican government or the "return of the King."

Sebastian must also face the very real fears regarding what frightened many a young man in this time: the coming birth of a child and the dangers inherent for both mother and offspring during this time when the best specialists in delivering children are men who still believe in "balancing the humours" by bloodletting and basically starving pregnant women to keep them calm. With pregnancy complications, things do not look good...and if the mother dies, her father promises to kill Sebastian.

So yes, suspense fills this novel from the first chapter to the last, and it's a difficult book to put down. It's wonderful to see Sebastian in love again even if he fears the outcome of the pregnancy that he both hopes for and dreads. He's rather a changed man in some ways but not at all in others, but I find him and the other main characters to be fascinating characters with depth and breadth. A very well-written series!

* * * * *

Three of these books, as I mentioned before, are titles from my three favorite mystery series of the year. I read these earlier in the fall and have read additional books in all three series since I read these. In fact, I have only one book left in the Maisie Dobbs series, and only two left in the Sebastian St. Cyr series. I'm currently reading The Bloody Tower, the 16th book of the 23 titles in the Daisy Dalrymple series, so I have a few more delightful Daisy mysteries ahead of me. I'm saving the final Maisie Dobbs for the week between Christmas and New Year's, and I'll likely finish the Sebastian St. Cyr series in January.  

Happy Reading!

The Joys of Camping: With a Horse o' Course! (Part 2)

Continued from last week's post...

Part 2 of 2

We kids would take turns going out on early morning or late afternoon trail rides with one of our parents, and the ones left behind would often hike up Stonewall Peak, a local mountain accessible from basecamp at the Paso Picacho Campground; it was two miles up the peak topped with gargantuan boulders and two miles back down, not counting the two-mile hike to the base. Or we might explore the remains of the local goldmine, Stonewall Mine, from which two million dollars of gold was unearthed in the 1880s. Now surrounded by chain-link fencing, we’d walk the perimeter, trying to peek down the huge hole that marked the main mineshaft. A small cabin nearby hosted photos enlarged to poster-size recounting the history of the most prosperous goldmine in our local mountains.

Hot afternoons were spent napping under the pines, reading quietly or playing not-so-quiet card and board games. We usually played games after dinner, too, gathered around our Coleman lantern on the red-and-white plastic tablecloth, the color worn away in places from frequent scrubbings after dinners of spaghetti or barbecued burgers or our favorite: grilled Spam with baked beans, fried potatoes and onions, and brown bread sliced from the can which we always enjoyed on our final night (after the fresh meat was long gone) before packing up and leaving for home the next morning.

Sometimes after dinner, we’d scrape the plates and leave them to soak in the dishpan while we kids leaped into the back of the ancient, bent-backed ranger's 1950’s Ford truck, and he drove us along backroads inaccessible to all but the park staff, motioning us kids to be quiet as we kept an eagle-eye out for deer and bobcats coming out to feed at dusk. One night, we counted over twenty-five deer in half an hour. The ranger, Vern, looked as if he were a century old, with gnarled hands, a thin, wrinkled face, and rheumy eyes. Several nights during our trips, he visited our campsite after dinner and told us stories about his cowboy days in the ‘20s and '30s while we munched Jiffy-Pop popcorn or gooey s’mores. Some of Vern’s stories must have been tall tales, but it was hard to tell when he was joshin' us; as we grew older, the twinkle in his dimming eyes usually clued us in.

Lake Cuyamaca and Fletcher Island before the 2003 Cedar Fire

In the summer after we reached our teens, Dad rented a rowboat for my brother and me, and the two of us spent a whole day floating on calm Lake Cuyamaca. Tom fished while I read from a stack of favorite books (usually featuring Louisa May Alcott, Nancy Drew, or Trixie Belden), and we met the rest of the family for a picnic on the island in the middle of the lake, hiking up the hill to the very top of the island where the picnic tables (and a small one-holer “toilet”) were permanently installed. Tom never caught much except for a nasty sunburn and rather sore muscles from rowing us about, and sometimes I came back with a headache from the sun glaring off the white pages of my books for more than eight hours, but the peace and quiet of the lake on a weekday were magical.

Another tradition of our camping trip was taking a day to drive into Julian, a former mining town and now a tourist area. We bought candy and snacks at the Cider Mill, browsed through some shops, and stopped at the old-fashioned drugstore for strawberry sodas at the marble soda fountain. Skipping the ubiquitous apple pies for which the town was famous, we replenished our ice chests at the corner grocery store and perhaps picked up more fresh meat before we drove back down the winding roads to Los Caballos, hoping no one would get sick in the car after all the sweets we had enjoyed.

Cuyamaca Rancho State Park near Los Caballos, before the 2003 Cedar Fire

We spent up to two weeks camping nearly every summer at Los Caballos, as our mother had before us starting in the 1950s, and as our kids did for part of their childhood; our parents loved teaching their grandkids the joys of camping. When we were younger, our grandparents, aunt, and uncle often came up for a day; my grandfather, a former member of the Escondido Police Posse, often took a short ride with my aunt who was as horse-crazy as my mother and sister. When we were older, we often brought along Scott, our neighbor from across the street, for a few days, and he insisted on climbing Stonewall Peak daily during his stay. My parents’ best friends often came up for a couple of days with us, too—although they actually slept inside their tents (perish the thought!) and thus missed most of the raccoon fights in the creek bed. We loved every moment of our trips to Cuyamaca Rancho State Park.

Unfortunately, Los Caballos burned in the 2003 Cedar Fire which devastated so much of San Diego County, and because of Native American artifacts around the camp, it was never rebuilt. Occasionally, I still drive up to Julian, always stopping to pause at the metal gates blocking access to our beloved campground, the metal horse stalls still visible through the devastation wreaked by the fire sixteen years ago.

Stonewall Peak and Little Stonewall to the left, northern exposure from Lake Cuyamaca, after the fires (2009)

Every time I drive (or am driven) down the mountain on Interstate 8 into San Diego, I automatically turn my head to the right at a certain point before the Highway 79 exit where the nearby mountains part perfectly, revealing the distinctive rocky southern face of Stonewall Peak. Every time, memories of hiking that mountain with my dearest family and friends come to mind. 

And I smile. 

Thanks for strolling down memory lane with me!

Warmly,

The Joys of Camping: With a Horse, o' Course! (Part 1)

Part One of Two

Groaning at the loud, domestic arguments of the Stellar Jays in the trees above us, I woke to the scent of bacon on a brisk summer morning. Deciding the brave the cold, I stumbled out of the tangle of my sleeping bag atop a canvas cot, one of five lined up in a row beneath the magnificent oak tree in Campsite #16 of Los Caballos Horse Camp. Pulling on shoes without socks and then a jacket over my pajamas, I made my way to the tent to dress in warm clothing on this 40-degree morning. 

After hiking to the one bathroom for the sixteen campsites with my sister, we returned to toss flakes of hay to Brownie and Sweetpea whose metal-pipe stalls were within the half-circle driveway of our campsite. We filled their water buckets, and once the horses were munching away on their breakfast, we could enjoy ours. We folded our legs and slipped sideways to sit at the sturdy wooden picnic table that was the centerpiece of the site which was backed to a dry creek bed, making it more private than the other campsites. Mom placed plates filled with scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and fried potatoes and onions before us, and we dug in, still shivering, while Dad tossed kindling and logs into the cement ring a few feet away, rebuilding the fire from the still-glowing coals of last night’s blaze.

After breakfast, my brother and I helped with washing the dishes, filling the huge aluminum pot from the nearest faucet, then carrying it back carefully between us, each of us holding a handle. Mom took the heavy pot from us and set it on the battered Coleman stove to heat the water for washing the dishes while my sister and Dad saddled Brownie, our ancient bay mustang gelding with a greying nose, and Sweetpea, our buckskin quarter horse mare, a former barrel-racer. Both were excellent, if somewhat plodding, trail horses, and getting an early start was vital before the temperatures soared into the nineties later in the day.

The three of us started washing the dishes as Dad and Tracey moseyed out of the site and crossed the paved asphalt road, picking up the trail around the perimeter of Lake Cuyamaca. Mom, Tom, and I planned to hike over later to meet them with a picnic lunch on Fletcher Island in the center of the lake. Meanwhile, the three of us might hike down to Paso Picacho, a large non-equine campground a couple of miles southwest of Los Caballos, or we might settle into beach chairs around the fire with books or play another game of Yahtzee! or Gin Rummy at the picnic table. 

I miss camping. My husband is not a camper despite his many camping trips as a child. We also grew up camping every summer, often trailering our horses up to the local mountains a mere forty miles from home to a splendid and quiet horse camp in the Cuyamaca Mountains northeast of our hometown of El Cajon, California. It was always a challenge to drive those forty miles, which felt like a hundred given our excitement and our concerns that our ancient International Travel-All, christened “Tizzie,” which pulled our equally-ancient double-horse trailer (both painted a cheap Earl Scheib chocolate-brown to match), might overheat on the journey during which we climbed nearly 4,000 feet in elevation. 

Dad drove Tizzie, which, with two of the three bench seats removed, sported two bales of hay and a huge bucket of oats plus empty water buckets for the horses in the back, while Mom drove her sporty 1971 green Plymouth Duster which hauled the small aluminum-lidded trailer that contained all camping our gear, food, and clothing. We three kids were distributed among the vehicles: two in the back seat of the Duster, a pile of pillows between us, and one in the front seat of the Travel-All beside Dad, all of us keeping our eyes peeled for potential steam coming from either vehicle despite our early departure. 

We tent-camped, but the tent was mostly used for changing and storing our clothes; we slept outside at night since the only rainstorms that attempted to drench us occurred in the afternoons. And if we camped in mid-July, as we usually did, we'd miss even those storms. Camping in August, however, was a different and much wetter story.

Part Two...Next Week! 

Awash in memories,

Summer Book Reviews in September

I love reading and writing on my front porch, especially when the sun starts dipping behind the tall trees, then beyond the violet-blue mountains cupping our little village in its palm. Over the past few September days, the nights have become quite cool, sinking to the mid-40s, and the days have been pleasant in the high 70s to low 80s. It's perfect porch weather!

So here are more of my summer reads and reviews. I'm remaining ahead of pace for reading eighty books in 2019, currently three books to the good according to Goodreads, I believe.


Letters from Home by Regina Jeffers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This story was not at all what I was expecting. As Regina Jeffers has penned many excellent Jane Austen variations and continuations, I was fully expecting this novella to be a "take" on Persuasion. However, this novella chronicles a young widow, Mrs. Faith Lamont, attending a Christmastide house party as her beautiful but selfish cousin's companion.

The new gentleman of the house, who had fought in the same military company as her husband (unbeknownst to her) had fallen in love with the woman's letters which her husband had read aloud to the entire company, although her husband viewed her beautiful earnestness and love for him as a farce to be laughed at.

However, Lord Simon Langford had fallen in love with the letters: their beautiful descriptions of England--of home--had captured his mind and his heart and had also comforted many of the other men, a development that George Lamont's young wife had never intended. Faith was embarrassed beyond belief to discover her husband's betrayal; how could he have read these most private and personal of letters aloud to the entire company?

But Simon, injured in the same battle that took George Lamont's life, is sick and tired by the usual ladies of the Ton. He finds himself delighted to have found a woman of true quality, but Faith is far more reluctant. Can Faith get past her humiliation at her husband's hands? Can Simon marry a poor war widow and remain part of London society?

Regina Jeffers never disappoints. Although this novella was not at all what I had expected when I ordered it, I found it delightful and extremely compelling. It's a quick read; in fact. I believe I read the whole thing easily within 24 hours. And while it is a quick read, it is also a highly satisfying one.


The Contract by Melanie Moreland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When this book was first released, I had checked out a sample of it and had really enjoyed it. In addition, one of my fanfic friends, Jeanne McDonald, had highly recommended it, and I knew I would have to finish reading it at some point.

I think that this story was first a Twilight fanfic before it was edited into an original contemporary romance. Sometime in the last couple of years, I had purchased the e-book but somehow never managed to read it. When I was looking for a somewhat familiar book to read (sometimes I don't want to take the mental energy to "meet" new characters), I rediscovered this book on my tablet.

I quickly re-read the first two chapters I had received as the sample and raced through the rest of the novel, finding it unusually compelling and definitely a page-turner. The character development, the plot, the romance--all of it took me into a world that seemed both completely foreign yet oh-so-familiar. I absolutely LOVED this book and am hoping to purchase the second volume of the series when I get paid for some essay grading.

This book chronicles an incredible transformation of one man who falls for a woman far too good for him. In his stunted state, mostly due to his neglected childhood, he seems unable to love anyone, including himself. But the influence of an unselfish woman, her "aunt" with Alzheimer's, and a new cooperative work environment help this man to become a different person in a fairly realistic way.

I definitely fell in love with these characters--all of them! It's a heart-warming and heart-rending tale, and it's one that I highly recommend.

(NOTE: I save "5" for the classics or for absolutely extraordinary current writing; a "4" is an "excellent" for me while a "5" is "extraordinary.")


A Gift of Ghosts by Sarah Wynde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An intriguing premise to this paranormal tale. Akira Malone, a physicist, is hired by General Directions, a vague and somewhat mysterious entity owned by Max Latimer, in a small Florida town called Tassamara. Zane Latimer, the man who hires her and the son of the owner of the company, seems to do so reluctantly, and she isn't really sure why she accepts their offer to move from her academic position in California to this rather ephemeral job across the country.

But she soon discovers the mystery behind General Directions and the reason why she is hired. First of all, the firm is headed by members of the Latimer family, including the handsome Zane to whom she reports weekly. In fact, her hiring itself was a series of tests...but not of her intellect nor of her scientific research. Although she continues her research in the area of sonoluminescence, she quickly finds out that she has been hired for a very different reason--a very personal reason for the Latimer family.

I found this book quite compelling, considering that I started reading it only last night and finished it the next day. It's the first of a series, but I'm not sure I can continue it since I will have to purchase the books through Amazon since they aren't available through our library system. With an extremely limited book budget (that encompasses 99-cent bargains through BookBub and Book Gorilla which is how I obtained this first book), I can't afford to continue reading the series.

If one enjoys stories based in the paranormal and a rather heady romance, then this book--and likely the series--will definitely appeal. The climax of the story was excellently written, and I found the whole book to be a delightful and truly mesmerizing experience.


Murder at Morrington Hall by Clara McKenna
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A delightful first mystery in the Stella and Lyndy mysteries set in 1905. Lyndy, a young viscount, is amused by the young American woman, Stella Kendrick, whose father is the typical "rich ugly American" with no class but somehow became a millionaire by breeding top racehorses in Kentucky. Stella, however, is one of those Americans who possesses excellent intentions but manages to make a muck out of every honest attempt, to her eternal chagrin.

Stella and her father arrive at Morrington Hall where she discovers her father's plan: Mr. Kendrick will give the Earl of Atherly, Viscount Lyndhurst's father, the sire of the most promising thoroughbred in a generation in exchange for Lyndy marrying Stella. Having a daughter with a title seems to be the most expeditious way to get rid of Stella for Mr. Kendrick, and the father has no compassion for the position in which he has thrust his daughter: she is basically treated as part of a horse swap which does not endear her to her father's plan in the least.

Stella rebels immediately, but her argument with her stubborn and quite cruel father is cut short by the murder of the vicar who was to marry them the next day. Lyndy is afraid that his best friend may be the murderer while Stella also wishes to reveal the identity of the killer. Working together to solve the murder, Lyndy and Stella develop an admiration for one another--and perhaps even more. Stella discovers Lyndy's kind heart while Lyndy admires Stella's courage and sense of humor.

I found this first novel in the series quite compelling. Well-written, nicely detailed, with realistic and likable characters plus a wry sense of humor, I think that Clara McKenna's series will become quite successful. I know that I will be awaiting the next book in this series with a great deal of anticipation!! Brava, Ms. McKenna, on a wonderful opening book of the series!!


  Leaving Everything Most Loved by Jacqueline Winspear
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This tenth book in the amazing Maisie Dobbs series was rather heartwrenching. A woman from India was discovered, shot through the head, along the banks of the Thames. When the police fail to find any clues, they give up the case and move on. But when the murdered woman's brother shows up in London several months later seeking answers, the police at Scotland Yard come to Maisie Dobbs and ask for her assistance.

Maisie finds herself at a crossroads. She loves James Compton, yet the idea of giving up her hard-won independence in order to marry a lord terrifies her. James presses Maisie to make a decision, and she will have to search her heart and soul to see which way she will decide. And she also meets some amazing women as she searches for the killer od beautiful Usha Pramal, a former governess working in London as domestic help.

Maisie's assistant, Billy, also finds himself at a crossroads as he returned too soon from injuries that nearly cost him his life, and he is temporarily (or perhaps permanently) unable to do his job. Sandra, Maisie's other employee, is also seeking other work as well.

Perhaps, as Maisie is taken deeper and deeper into the people and culture of India right in her beloved London and as her father finds love at last, this is time for Maisie to travel, to find herself, and to be able to give James a firm answer, one way or another.

A brilliant and heart-rending book that had me in tears several times, the Maisie Dobbs series continues to deliver a thoughtful and thought-provoking heroine deeply involved in her calling yet with a loneliness within that may prevent her from ever truly loving.

Beautifully written, wisely developed, and carefully plotted, this tenth book (of fifteen books in the series at this time) is another standout in the series...as they all are, somehow.


Finally Mrs. Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Novella by Leenie Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A sweet novella in which a widowed Elizabeth once again encounters Fitzwilliam Darcy--a set-up managed by her uncle-by-marriage--and the sparks fly between the two of them immediately. Very little trouble remains in the way of their romance at this point, later in life. It's a story of second chances, of new beginnings, and of a true love that never wanes.

Telling much more would give away too much, but I will say that this is a sweet novella with a very happy ending, indeed!

* * * * *

Thanks for reading my reviews, and please let me know if you have read any of these books--and what you thought of them--or if you would like to read them. I have included the reviews of one of the Maisie Dobbs mysteries that I have been enjoying so much. I'm on a waitlist for the next Maisie Dobbs which has been my passion this spring and summer! 

Happy reading, everyone!

Spring and Summer Reading....

Our county library branch just completed the annual Summer Reading program. Readers from ages kindergarten through the adults track the number of hours we read all summer, and for every ten hours we read, we receive a raffle ticket. When we reach the week before school begins, the Pine Valley Library holds three drawings: the adults, the kids, and the teens, with some fairly impressive prizes donated by businesses or purchased with Friends of the Library funds.

Last Tuesday night, I joined about forty adults crammed into the small community room of the Pine Valley Library. After passing around ice cream (I do love caramel-filled Drumsticks!), we settled in for the drawing. I had twelve tickets in the jar while my friend Cameron topped me with eighteen tickets. She is also a book editor, so a lot of what she read was work-related. (Please ignore any hint of envy in that last statement.😜)

Cameron was also choosing prizes for her husband while I also chose for Elizabeth. Last summer, Elizabeth hadn't won anything, so as I had won the first draw and chose the Kindle Fire 8, I gave to her (since I have a Kindle Fire 10). This year, I managed to get a $25 Target gift card which I also gave to Elizabeth, and with her name drawn late in the raffle with only a handful of prizes left, I chose a USB fan which I have been wanting for quite a while--a necessity when teaching summer school online! A very good ending to a fun and productive Summer Reading Program.

So here are some of the books I have read this spring and summer:


Return to Tradd Street by Karen White
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the 4th of the Tradd Street mysteries, and I enjoyed it perhaps more than the others. The paranormal aspects kept me guessing. The historical research in this series is also fascinating even though the South is not my favorite topic.

The dynamic between Jack and Melanie is stronger here, and the entire plot, spread over four novels, seems to have come to a satisfying conclusion. Melanie, a definite OCD planner, has learned how to let go of control a bit, a control she has definitely needed to assert after her traumatic childhood in which her mother deserted her when Melanie was only six-seven, and her dad become a raging alcoholic after his wife left, leaving Melanie to be the parent when she was still a child. Being in control of her life, her heart, her career, made her feel safe. And ignoring her ability to see dead people was also part of her reign of control. At the end of the four novels, Melanie has softened, learned to go with the flow, and, most of all, learned to forgive her parents and Jack. Her hatred for old houses, despite the old houses of Charleston being at the heart of her career as a realtor, has also waned although she still believes that they are money pits waiting to drain one's bank account. ;) She has learned to love.

A terrific and compelling series; I checked them out via the library e-loan system so that I could start the next as soon as one was finished. There is a Christmas book being released this fall, so I'm happy to know that the series has not ended. I'm excited to see what kind of paranormal mystery Melanie will find herself embroiled in this time!



Written on the Wind by Cate Dean
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this second book in the Maggie Mulgrew series. It's utterly lovely to read a series that is set in an English country village with all of its quirky characters and unique shops. Maggie, an American transplant who inherited her great-aunt's house and business in Holmestead (which makes the best it can among the tourist trade as a village with "Holmes" in its name).

In the first book, Maggie comes to like an archeology professor, Pembroke Martin, who was accused of murder but was found to be innocent and he, Spencer (Maggie's best friend and employee in her antique shop, the Ash Leaf), and Maggie uncover the culprit. Now Martin (he hates his first name) is ensconced in Maggie's flat above the shop and, as her "gentleman-caller," assists her and Spencer in the latest intrigue.

I'm growing to enjoy the villagers more and more, and I just wish that the mysteries were longer; they seem to end so quickly! They are only $3 on Kindle, but I'd hate to buy more...yet they're not available through my library system (I checked it state-wide). So I'll see if I continue reading this series when I have so many other series begging for my attention. 😏


Inspiration: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Maria Grace
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is another sweet novella by author Maria Grace. I had the pleasure of reading nearly half of it online at Austen Variations, and then I helped to proofread the whole shebang. I love the premise of Fitzwilliam Darcy (and Bingley, too) as gentlemen artists. Darcy is undergoing quite the dry spell since his and Georgiana's run-in with Wickham at Ramsgate. He just has no inspiration. And then he accepts Bingley's invitation to come to Netherfield in Hertfordshire where he meets the Bennet family. While Bingley falls for the lovely Jane, it's Elizabeth who becomes Darcy's muse.

Darcy's preoccupation with Elizabeth as his muse is intense. She truly becomes his inspiration, and he cannot paint without her. So Darcy has indeed managed to paint himself into a corner...


The Subsequent Proposal: A Tale of Pride, Prejudice & Persuasion by Joana Starnes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was quite the intriguing and original Austen variation in which Mr. Darcy is engaged to Anne Elliot while Elizabeth Bennet is being pursued by Captain Wentworth. The two men obviously do not mesh well, given that each one is committed (or soon will be) to the other's true love.

The most satisfying part of this novel happens fairly early on when news of Lydia's planned "elopement" (in letter form to Kitty) with Wickham is revealed, and both Mr. Darcy and Captain Wentworth travel separately to Brighton where they catch Wickham the night before they leave. Wentworth, for Elizabeth's honor (which Darcy can't claim as he is engaged to Anne), challenges Wickham to a duel, and the events that occur there are both very surprising and quite satisfying!!

The untangling of these "romances" so that each couple is set correctly again is both intriguing and quite compelling. It's a novel full of angst, mostly written from Darcy's POV, but of course, we end up with the usual HEA common to Austen variations and continuations. Very well-written and quite believable.


A Most Affectionate Mother: A Pride and Prejudice sequel by Maria Grace
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A sweet novella by Maria Grace which focuses on the "plain" Bennet sister after the marriages of Lydia, Jane, and Elizabeth. Now at Longbourn with only Kitty and her mother for entertainment, Mary escapes as often as possible to Meryton's lending library.

While checking out a book in order to assist Charlotte Lucas with a project at Rosings, Mary is confronted by a very rude young man who demands the book Mary has just borrowed, insisting that he needs it himself. In high dudgeon, Mary leaves the young man in the dust.

But this young man is persistent and ends up at Longbourn...where Mrs. Bennet will not allow Mary to ignore him despite the fact that she is annoyed beyond words at the young man's effrontery in pursuing this book. In fact, Mary is forced to share her book with him so that Mr. Johnstone can complete a similar project for his own parish. Mrs. Bennet, with three daughters married, is most eager to plan yet another wedding and relentlessly pushes Mary at the poor gentleman. What is Mary to do?

I enjoyed this book, mostly because I always enjoy Maria Grace's interpretations of Mary as a much stronger and more intriguing and nuanced character than portrayed in Austen's original book. This Mary has quite a temper, stands up to her mother as well as she can (how can one outmaneuver a steamroller?), and takes on an incredible project at the behest of Mr. Johnstone's mother.

While both mothers attempt to make this match, will Mary and Mr. Johnstone agree?

This is another of Maria Grace's books that I had the privilege of reading half online at Austen Variations (or was it Maria's website, Random Bits of Fascination?) before proofreading the whole. It was difficult to slow down my reading in order to proofread; I kept wanting to push ahead and find out what happened!


After the Letter: A Persuasion Continuation by Meg Osborne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An intriguing continuation of Persuasion, picking up right where Austen's novel ends. Despite Anne's happiness, Lady Russell and her father remain somewhat opposed to the match, but Sir Walter accepts the settlement with alacrity, given his financial situation. But Lady Russell continues to actively work against Wentworth, still believing that despite Frederick's wealth and increased stature, he is nothing but an itinerant sailor who will ruin Anne's life.

Will Anne have the strength to stand up against her family and Lady Russell? Or will the couple part once again, this time forever?

I always enjoy Meg Osborne's variations and continuations of Austen's works, and this one is no exception. We feel the pull of being in the middle with Anne, her love for him pitted against Lady Russell's connection to Anne's beloved mother. Frederick isn't often happy in this novella; he is frustrated by the delays suggested by Sir Walter, and it doesn't help that Mr. Elliott remains in town (he didn't elope with Mrs. Clay as in Austen's original) and continues to hang around Anne, to her extreme discomfort.

Definitely an intriguing and compelling novella; I basically read it in one sitting. 😍


Murder on Trinity Place by Victoria Thompson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have been a fan of this series for well over a decade! I was so excited to read the 22nd book in this series, and I definitely enjoyed it. However, I realized as I read it that I had somehow missed reading two of the more recent books in the series, so I am re-reading the book before the two I missed, and then I'll jump into the two books in the series that I haven't read yet.

This book starts at New Year's Eve as the year 1900 begins. There have been many changes in Sarah's household since the early mysteries she came across as a midwife. I won't chronicle the changes here because I don't want to spoil the series for anyone. But I do miss the rawness of the early books and the near-constant danger Sarah faced as a widowed midwife in 1890s New York City. Plus, trying to discover her husband's murderer placed Sarah in even more danger, to the annoyance of Detective Frank Malloy of the New York Police Department. Frank was a hardboiled Irish copper, not deigning to investigate a murder unless the family paid him to do so. He found Sarah to be an annoying "do-gooder" who was always underfoot at crime scenes, and Sarah found his requirement of being paid by the families of murder victims to be reprehensible. That's how the series began, and the situation of the characters has changed quite markedly 22 books later.

This series is a delight for readers who enjoy historical mysteries that focus on character development and a surprising "whodunnit?" ending. The writing is deep and thoughtful, brimming with excitement at times. The characters are memorable and become almost like dear friends, their foibles and flaws noted and accepted while their hearts desire to do the right thing to help the poor of NYC.

And this 22nd book is no exception. I feel that either I have adjusted so well to the author's style that they seem to read more easily, or she has made the series more easily accessible over the years; I'm not sure which. But I still found this book utterly delightful (despite the murders, of course!). The character development is always intriguing as is the mystery itself, one that can indeed be solved by readers who pay very close attention.


Triple Jeopardy by Anne Perry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A clever second book, set in 1910, in Anne Perry's new Daniel Pitt mystery series. While I have read (and often re-read) the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series (focused on mysteries solved by Daniel's parents), the Daniel Pitt series differs in that Daniel is a fledgling trial lawyer in a well-known London firm, fforde Croft and Gibson, who takes on very intriguing cases that need a bit of sleuthing to be solved.

In both mysteries thus far, Daniel relies on his parents (and this time his older sister Jemima married to an American police officer; they now reside in Washington, DC, but arrive in London for a visit and because of a case), a senior attorney named Kitteridge, Marcus fforde Croft (partner in the firm), and his daughter, Miriam fforde Croft, a pathologist.

Once again, the mystery concludes in the courtroom, with Daniel taking great chances to unmask the murderer as he questions witnesses in the stand. He's young--only 25 or so--but Daniel Pitt is making quite a name for himself in solving and winning extremely challenging cases, much as his father has done (and still does) as head of Special Branch.

I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy courtroom dramas, but I grew up watching the old black-and-white Perry Mason TV show during lunch. Raymond Burr was amazing at getting the culprit to confess, either on the stand or in the audience. And while we get to learn only what Daniel himself unearths (with the help of others), it ends up being quite a fascinating and compelling read.

I can't wait for Anne Perry to continue this series. The last Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery I read (#31) fell rather flat to me simply because Charlotte cannot take part in Thomas' efforts for Special Branch, and the fun dynamic between the two of them, plus their maid, Gracie, was what made the series work for so many books (32 of them!). I am quite enjoying seeing Charlotte and Thomas' children grown and solving mysteries on their own (at least in this second volume with Jemima, her Irish-American husband, and their young family visiting London).

A fascinating book, even if I guessed the murderer (but not the accomplice!) about halfway through. I wasn't sure; it was a gut-guess, I guess. 😊

* * * * *

So there we are, a handful of the books I have read and reviewed on Goodreads this spring and summer. I have lots more books that I have yet to review, and I'm currently three books ahead of "schedule" in my goal of reading 80 books in 2019. Considering that I don't watch TV anymore (just a D&D livestream that my kids got me hooked on; three of our four kids are devoted fans and we plan to start our own D&D home game this fall. More on that to come....

A Highly-Recommended Historical Mystery Series

Although this spring has been crazy-busy with family and work, I have made time for my most important self-care: reading. And have I ever found an incredible mystery series to share with you!! Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series is simply brilliant. (The "Maisie Dobbs" link sends you to Goodreads' complete list of the books in this series.) Set in the years between the World Wars, Maisie is an unusual young woman with brains and talent who was blessed with a university education despite being the daughter of a London costermonger.

The first book in the series is all background: how Maisie Dobbs becomes Maisie Dobbs, including her childhood, her time in service, her training, her time at university, her service as a nurse during the Great War, the rest of her time at university, her training under Dr. Maurice Blanche, to her finally opening her own investigative service. Currently, there are fifteen books in the series, and I have worked my way through the first nine thus far, and all are brilliant with deep character studies (with many characters becoming regulars as the series continues).

Yet the mysteries themselves are rather slow burns, reminding me greatly of the pacing and development of Dorothy Sayers' Peter Wimsey mysteries. I really want to purchase each one and re-read them several times. The books are available both as print and e-books through the San Diego County Library system and are likely to be available via most library systems as well as through Amazon/Kindle.

So here are my reviews of the first three books of this series (I was going to give you six reviews, but then I discovered how LONG these reviews are!):

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This first book in the Maisie Dobbs series is less about solving mysteries and more about Maisie's life: her childhood, going into service, her education, and the Great War which reverberates for decades afterward. This book provides a compelling and memorable backdrop to the series which is beautifully written, character-driven, and simply amazing. For fans of British "whodunnits," this series is NOT TO BE MISSED!!

Maisie is a remarkable character, one who succeeds brilliantly in her professional life but who stumbles frequently in her private life, especially in romance. One of the major reasons for her loneliness stems from events described in this first book. I found it fascinating to watch Maisie grow from a young girl to a professional woman over the scope of this first novel.

Ms. Winspear causes us to dig deeply and thus care deeply for the characters in this series, and we readers learn to care for Maisie Dobbs most of all, cheering her on in her successes and mourning her many losses. She is a flawed character (in this she also reminds me greatly of Sayers' Peter Wimsey, also scarred by the Great War), yet her balance of intelligence and compassion drives her to pursue each case to its (often slightly bitter) end (again, much like Peter Wimsey). 

Originally I read this book via Kindle Unlimited, but now I have purchased my own copy so that I can go back over the details of Maisie's life as needed. I am now reading well into the series and am very glad that I have a copy of this first book at hand to in order to revisit certain scenes.


Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In this second novel in the Maisie Dobbs series, we actually find Maisie embarking upon her first case: a missing heiress. It's now 1930, over a decade since the Great War devastated Europe, including England as well as Maisie's past and, in a way, her future.

While the first book of the series provided us with Maisie's voluminous and fascinating backstory, we get to see Maisie at work now, employing all that she has gleaned during her training by Dr. Maurice Blanche who has become like another father to Maisie. So now that Maurice has retired, Maisie "puts up her shingle" and takes her first case.

In these novels, it's not so much the "whodunnit?" as it is the "why did they do it?" Maisie is not merely an investigator; she is also a trained psychologist, again thanks to Maurice. She has learned his methods of quieting her mind, of putting herself almost literally into others' "shoes" by mimicking their posture, movement, and even their walk. Often Maisie gets a fairly clear idea of the "who," but until she has clearly settled the "whys," she is never satisfied.

In this book, we are also introduced to Billy Beale, a wounded veteran of the Great War (has a "game leg" and damaged lungs from mustard gas) who eventually becomes her assistant just as she was Maurice's. The lovely part for Maisie is that Maurice is nearby, having purchased the Dower House at the Comptons' estate in Kent. Lady Rowan and Lord Julian, for whom Maisie had been a maid starting when she was twelve, continue to support Maisie by insisting that she stay in their London townhouse as they live mostly in Kent at this time. And Maisie's father, a costermonger by trade but a horse expert at heart, remains the head of the Comptons' stables and lives in a cottage near the Dower House.

Thus, Maisie often drives her MG (which she purchased from Lady Rowan) to Kent in order to visit her father, keep Maurice apprised of her cases (and he is happy to point her in a particular direction), and visit with Lady Rowan. From time to time, Maisie also calls upon Lord Julian because of his connections during the war may help with her cases.

I find the way in which Maisie's mind works fascinating. The way in which she and Billy create a "case map" on the back of old wallpaper in order to track all of the various threads is brilliant (as Maurice trained her, of course), and her frequent run-ins with Detective Inspector Richard Stratton, a widower with a young son, is also intriguing.

I'm rather reviewing all nine of the books I've read here--they've all bled together in my mind after I galloped through them without making notes or writing reviews this spring as there simply wasn't time. But I adore Maisie Dobbs, and right now I'm on the waitlist for the tenth of fifteen books in this series.


Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The third novel of the Maisie Dobbs series finds Maisie searching for the truth of an airman's death during the Great War, eleven years after the Armistice. Maurice is concerned about Maisie returning to France to discover the precise events of the airman's death, especially as it seems that one of her best friend's brothers (Priscilla lost all three of her brothers in the war) may also be involved. Maurice knows that Maisie still bears scars from her wartime service as a nurse, especially the bombing of the aid station near the Front where she worked alongside her fiance-in-all-but-name, Dr. Simon Lynch. Together, they had treated Billy Beale who becomes Maisie's assistant, Simon miraculously saving Billy's leg when almost any other surgeon would have given up or failed.

Many secrets are revealed during this time in Maisie's life, including how deeply involved Maurice was in the war effort--namely, in espionage. Maisie unearths much about the death of Priscilla's brother and his involvement in the war and with a young French girl. But following this line of inquiry is extremely taxing for Maisie who has buried so much of the horror of the war deep within her psyche.

She continues to avoid visiting Simon, who survived the war but lost his mind in the attack that nearly killed both him and Maisie. Unable to speak, to recognize, to feed or dress himself, Simon remains in a wheelchair, eyes unfixed on anything, lost in time and space. Maisie forces herself to see him, but each visit is heartbreaking for her.

So Maisie methodically uncovers the truth of the airman's death, also unearthing the truth of Priscilla's brother's death, his legacy, and Maisie's own fragility is also revealed. For her, as for many, many others, the Great War may never cease. A brilliant study in PTSD, the psychology of wartime, the scars left by this first of the world wars, the machinations of governments, and the secret loves that burgeoned during global upheaval.

* * * * *

So I hope I haven't given too awfully much away in my reviews of this series. I have read and reviews the seventh, eighth, and ninth books in this series as well as I await the tenth from the library. While I wait, I am reading the latest Gaslight Mystery by Victoria Thompson, and as I started reading it, I realized that I had somehow missed a couple of books preceding the last few of this series, so I'm going back to re-read the one before the two I missed, then I'll read those two. I've checked out all three e-books from the library. So I can now wait without too much angst for the tenth Maisie mystery with these lovely turn-of-the-century New York mysteries to keep me company.

Reading avidly,