Storymusing: Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann

 

Three Bags Full

by Leonie Swann

After seeing the preview in the theaters for “The Sheep Detectives” I came across this book on the return cart in our library. I came to the conclusion that the movie, which had looked so funny and appealing to me, was based on this very book. I checked it out immediately.

I was taken with the cast of characters, sheep like Miss Maple, obviously a nod to Miss Marple from author Agatha Christie. Names like Sir Ritchfield, Zora, and Othello also give the sheep a thoughtful feel with a nod to other literature. Other sheep have more “sheepy” names like Cloud, Heather, and Mopple the Whale.

Set in a village in Ireland, this book is remarkably philosophical while maintaining a fascinating perspective from the sheep view, where sheep think about things like grazing and relate events to what they know.

The air was perfect; a cool wind blew off the sea, the meadow was fragrant. All the same, the whole place suddenly smelled of death, new death and old, almost forgotten death. Maple began to graze.

Grazing is a comfort to her and the other sheep, but much is made of scents in this story. The sheep can purportedly smell human emotions, though that is not so far-fetched. The sour smell of the sweat of someone who is scared, for example. Or the smell of death on the butcher, which petrifies them.

But George, their shepherd, has expanded their world view by reading to them. Perhaps not great literature, but he has shared ideas with them.

Some of the sheep have been out in the wider world, discovering different points of view, like Othello who was forced to fight dogs, and Melmoth, who wandered free for years.

They are all currently part of George’s flock. Then they find George dead with a spade through his chest.

“He didn’t die of an illness. Spades are not an illness.”

The flock begins to question how this came to be and takes up the call for “Justice!”

As they sneak about the village and investigate, we learn more and more about both the sheep and the lives of the villagers, until they are rich and varied characters.

I was a tiny bit disappointed by the ending because I didn’t feel like the sheep figured it out for themselves, but rather had the truth revealed to them. Nevertheless, they did a great deal of detective work getting to that point.

After reading such an exceptional book, I’m a little afraid to see the movie because I know it can’t possibly measure up. No, I’ll have to wait several months and remind myself that a book cannot usually be directly translated into a movie. They are, as it were, different animals.

Storymusing: Wait Till Next Year by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Wait Till Next Year

by Doris Kearns Goodwin

I picked up this book as a sports memoir for my thematic book club. It begins with Goodwin talking about how she used to listen to baseball games on the radio as a child and record information about the game to share with her father after dinner. It was a warm memory of bonding time between the two of them and clearly profoundly influenced her love of baseball and therefore her life.

Wikipedia says, “A sports journalist as well, Goodwin was the first woman to enter the Boston Red Sox locker room in 1979.[22] She consulted on and appeared in Ken Burns' 1994 documentary Baseball.[23]”

The author is very careful to write her perceptions from the perspective of the age she was at the time. She doesn’t intrude with “looking back, I now know….” It makes the book read much more like a novel than a history book.

This is the story of an almost idyllic childhood of an upwardly mobile white community on the south shore of long island during the fifties. Goodwin puts all the neighbors and owners of stores in the framework of whether they rooted for the Dodgers, Giants, or Yankees.

However, the memoir quickly moves into broader reminiscences in the story of her father and the tragic loss of his family when he was young – one brother died at 15 months, another died of tetanus after a street car accident, his mother developed complications from the stress and died in childbirth, then his father seemed to die of a broken heart leaving he and his sister to be divided between relatives. At eighteen he got a job and apartment then brought her to live with him. A year later she died of complications after anesthesia during a dental procedure. For all that he was a very involved father, he never spoke with her about this until much later in life.

There were also the very scary episodes of Angina her own mother suffered while Goodwin was young. She had to watch without being able to do anything but comfort her. It seems to be something she learned from her mother, who was quick to comfort her in the night during thunderstorms. Sadly, her mother had an early complete hysterectomy which aged her body and made her appear old before her time. But her mother read a lot and shared that love with her daughter. Another profound influence on the author.

Goodwin also shares fond memories of her much older sisters who seemed glamorous and worldly, almost more like aunts. She gives a broad view of all the people in her family, on her block, and in her community. She places her almost idyllic childhood in the larger context of the 1950s and gives us the perspective of what was going on in society through the lens of her childhood and baseball. From civil rights struggles to the advent of the atomic bomb bringing drills at school and home, plus the struggle of trying to keep children safe from polio, it was a time of upheaval. There are family trials and tragedies as well.

When it comes to polio, there was a great deal of concern at that time because they didn’t know how it was spread. She depicts public service announcements and parents making restrictions to try to keep kids safe. One sister had it when she was three and was nursed at home by hired nurses around the clock and eventually recovered with only a leg brace for a year, while a playmate ended up paralyzed.

There were lighter developments as well, such as the arrival of television. The first family to get a television became the host of block watching sessions. Then, as bigger televisions arrived, the children and families went to different houses for regular viewing sessions.

This book is utterly fascinating, so well written, evocative of time and place, as well as the history of our nation through the lens of Goodwin’s childhood on Long Island. It is an extremely engaging and illuminating weave of elements. I don’t think I can recommend it enough. A five star read. 

 

Storymusing about The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by Jo Nichols

 

The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective: A Mystery

by Jo Nichols

The Marigold Cottages are owned by Mrs. B, Golda Bakofsky. She and her husband, who is no longer living, built them years ago and now they seem to be her sole source of income, though she is very generous in what she asks people to pay.

She is also very selective about who she rents to. There are five people – Sophie, Hamilton, Ocean, Lily-Ann, and Nicholas. Sophie is still skittish from a horrible stalking situation in college. Hamilton has agoraphobia and never leaves his apartment. Ocean is a single mom of two, a teen daughter and a fourth-grade son, who teaches art. Lily-Ann is an elegant and organized proposal manager for a transport company who has left her husband. Nicholas works in the city planning department.

Then Mrs. B adds in an ex-con named Anthony with very badly drawn tattoos and Sophie creates a group chat with her former small group of neighbors., just in case of anything.

A few weeks later, “anything” happens – a man is murdered in the yard and Anthony is taken in for questioning by a detective who assumes it’s very cut and dried.

Then Mrs. B convenes a meeting and asks the small group of neighbors to help clear Anthony of the crime. When that doesn’t happen fast enough, she confesses to the murder and is taken into custody.

Now they have to clear her too.  

It turns out the murdered man was checking out the cottages with the intention of buying and developing the property with another local man. But just who killed him and why?

Of course, each character has their own little idiosyncrasies and even secrets. They are very distinctive and the story is told in alternating very short chapters following each in turn. I find this type of ensemble cast very enjoyable and it keeps the pace driving forward as little bits of information are revealed.

The humor is very evident, from Mrs. B’s dotty old lady act at times to Hamilton’s random fact additions to the group chat. Even the way Nicholas refuses to get involved with the other tenants is humorous. It’s nearly impossible to pull out just one little bit so I highly recommend you give this one a try if you like humorous murder mysteries.

Jo Nichols is actually a pen name for a husband and wife duo, which is often means good writing to me. All the books I know of that were written by spouses are well done.

I definitely want to read more by this duo.

Storymusing on The Black Wolf: A Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novel by Louise Penny

 

The Black Wolf

by Louise Penny

Our theme for my book club in February was “Enemies” and this book fits that bill to a T. The question of just who the enemy is, and if there are multiple, reverberates throughout the book.

This is the 20^th book in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series. Most of the series builds on previous story lines, but Penny does a great job of building in back information so that you won’t feel adrift if you pick up this book out of order.

In the last book, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his senior agents Beauvoir and Lacoste thought they had uncovered the extent of a terrible plot to poison the water of Montreal and arrested the responsible parties. But is there more? Did they get the right person? Was that even the end game?

The three are in agreement, We have a problem.

As Gamache’s deafness and the ringing in his ears continue to plague him, clouding both his communication and thinking, he has just two notebooks and a few numbers on a tattered map of Quebec to lead him forward.

The three dig deeper into the evidence they have and what it means. They discover there are deeper layers beneath the dark web of the Internet. Down deep where the conspiracies thrive and multiply, there is more danger than they could have anticipated. And more meanings in the notebooks and map that a young biologist left behind for them.

Chief Inspector Evelyn Tardiff  is clearly meeting with crime boss Don Joseph Moretti and he is clearly involved in every bit of crime his syndicate can control, but where does she really stand?

The prime minster seems to know more than what he is saying and a friend in the U.S. military is also struggling with what to tell them without becoming a traitor to his own country.

Thankfully, Gamache is surrounded by the warmth and love of all his friends and family in the Quebec village of Three Pines. There is definite comic relief here from the elderly poet Ruth Zardo and her swearing duck, Rosa. There’s a parallel quest for clarity in the form of painter Clara Morrow as she attempts to create a painting that captures the moment just before something momentous happens.

As Gamache’s hearing suddenly becomes clear like a moment of insight, the revelations come in fits and starts and backtracks, like a rabbit running around a snowy hillside.

For me, this book tethers us in the village of Three Pines as it explores the darkest part of what conspiracy theories and power brokers are doing. I love the style and pacing of the book. It’s a relaxing read even though the story has a great deal of tension.

I would highly recommend it and I even might read it again, or at least listen to it on audio.

Storymusing - Glory Be: A Glory Broussard Mystery by Danielle Arceneaux

 

Glory Be: A Glory Broussard Mystery

By Danielle Arceneaux

I admit I picked up this book based on the cover and the title, not knowing much about it. It just looked good. I enjoy novels set in the Southern part of the United States and this did not disappoint.

Glory Broussard felt real and relatable, from her tired body due to years working labor intensive jobs to her tired mind from the various difficulties life has thrown at her. She has a number of prescription pill bottles on her bedside table, though she doesn’t often take them, another sign of depression sometimes.

I was amused to find that Glory is running a thriving business as a bookie through a local coffee house. I loved how she insists her clients observe the niceties before sliding the money across the table in an envelope, discreetly. In contrast, she is strongly invested in her church.

Glory is in the coffee shop when she hears that her best friend, Sister Amity Gay, has been found dead. The police seem all too willing to declare it a suicide but there are many red flags that Glory latches onto.

Thankfully, her daughter, a sharp lawyer, is in town. Glory is glad to have her help with the investigation into Amity’s death, not so happy to have her sorting out her house so that it doesn’t get condemned after someone anonymously tells the town it’s a health hazard.

The settings are well chosen and described – including the coffee shop, Glory’s house in town, a house in the country owned by a well-to-do drug lord, a nominally desegregated country club, the church, and an old, abandoned mill.

Most characters are well developed with back stories of their own. Elements are brought to light at appropriate intervals that illuminate each character in a well-planned trajectory. Of course, the murder of Glory’s friend Amity makes Amity a focal point as Glory wonders what her friend was caught up in that led to her death and what Glory might not know about her life. But Glory herself, and her daughter, are revealed through thoughtful interactions with a variety of people plus well-chosen flashbacks.

Racial disparity is a major theme here, with how people are treated when they are victims of a crime and the lack of opportunities for many people. There’s also the insidious nature of the drug culture and the difficulty of getting out of it and staying out of it. An interesting theme for me was the question of why people belong to a church, the connection to others, both emotionally and networking. Another major theme is people craving connection and love.

There is naturally going to be conflict when someone is investigating a murder and Glory is definitely not conflict averse, though she can be politic when she wants to be. There’s a subplot conflict with her sister over Glory’s house that ups the conflict quotient.

There’s a saying that easy reading is hard work to write. This story read extremely smoothly and was easy to take in. The pacing is perfect, keeping the story moving without overwhelming the reader with facts. The overall impact is a cozy read that is relaxing while still tackling some harsh realities.

I will definitely want to read more by this author.

“Danielle Arceneaux is the winner of the Lillian Jackson Braun for her debut mystery, GLORY BE, which was reviewed and chosen as a best mystery of the year by The New York Times and The Washington Post.” – from https://www.danielleatwork.com/new-bio

Storymusing: The Author's Guide to Murder: A Novel by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White

 

The Author’s Guide to Murder: A Novel  

by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White 

This novel was unexpected and ended up being funnier than I thought it would be.  I was looking for a murder mystery, liked the title, and needed something for my drive home from work, so I just jumped in.  

The book takes us to Kinloch Castle in Scotland where Brett Saffron Presley has been found dead in a somewhat scandalous tableau. Bit of a wild name, I don’t know many people named for Saffron and Presley always makes me think of Elvis. 

Three American authors are at the castle, ostensibly as a writing retreat to cowrite a novel. Sounds like a fun way to spend some time! 

I loved the way the three are revealed a little bit at a time. At first, they seem like caricatures of genre writers – Cassie Pringle is a sweet Southern writer of cozy mysteries, Kat de Noir is a sharp and sexy erotica writer, while Emma Endicott is a very proper writer of historical novels. They claim to be best friends. 

“We bonded instantly.” 

Nothing could be further from the truth. They barely tolerate each other, and they have no idea of the deeper secrets each is carrying. I enjoyed how their relationships developed and their back stories are revealed to each other, building their friendship over the course of the book. The way each was involved with the murder victim is a developing thread as well, with some things not revealed until close to the end. 

Cassie is the only one who is happily married, though that happiness is shown to be in jeopardy as the plot progresses. However, Emma and Kat are both single, leaving lots of room for romance with a couple of local men. That too begins rather prosaically. One ends that way too, for my money, but the other takes an interesting turn. 

The authors do a marvelous job of doling out the clues and information as the story progresses to keep the readers guessing. I can safely say I didn’t have a clue who the murderer was, which is the way I prefer it. 

The setting of a castle and a Scottish village was interesting, and I thought rather well developed, based on my watching of BBC television, but then maybe people in Scotland would disagree or even take umbrage. It worked for an American who has never been there. 

Overall, I’d call this murder mystery by three authors about three fictional authors highly entertaining.  

Storymusing: Against the Currant - A Spice Isle Bakery Mystery by Olivia Matthews

 

Against the Currant: A Spice Isle Bakery Mystery

by Olivia Matthews

I needed a nice light read and the cover of this, plus the title, appealed perfectly. It doesn’t hurt that two of my favorite cozy mystery authors, Mia P. Manansala and Raquel V. Reyes, wrote endorsements.

Lyndsay Murray is holding the soft opening of her family-owned Spice Isle Bakery in Brooklyn, which serves West Indian pastries and main course food when a local baker and businessman, Claudio, shows up to try to intimidate them into closing. Lyndsay and her elegant grandmother are minding the front of the store while her parents and her brother handle the baking. Lyndsay assertively tells Claudio to go tend to his own business.

Unfortunately, Claudio soon turns up murdered and Lyndsay’s bracelet is at the scene. The police seem to think that Lyndsay is their absolute best suspect. She is distraught, certain that if she doesn’t figure out who did this she will end up on trial and her bakery dream will go up in flames, crucified in the court of public opinion.

Things I loved about the story – there was lots of flavor and color through the descriptions of food and clothing. Lyndsay’s grandmother, who also works in the bakery, always seems to have a beautiful outfit put together. Her mother and father are also there, though mostly shown through their fears for their daughter and about how fast everything is moving. They aren’t comfortable with her applying for a festival, though her grandmother and brother, Dev, are all for it.

A humorous thread running through the story is that while Lyndsay is a good cook, providing main dishes like curried chicken, she’s not a very good baker. However, her grandmother is giving her lessons and she does improve through the book.

Another neat thread is Lyndsay’s kickboxing. She’s mainly in it for exercise but it serves her in self-defense and confidence, but she’s not too sure when a former classmate encourages her to enter a competition.

Because this is a new series, there’s a lot of time spent introducing us to the characters and neighborhood, so the story moves relatively slow. But that impression could also have been influenced by how I was reading it over the Thanksgiving holiday. It might have gone faster if I had bigger chunks of time to devote to it.

I also enjoyed the cast of characters but at the same time kept confusing two of them. There were so many people coming into the bakery to buy baked goods and meals. Again, that may have just been my brain and the disjointed way I was reading the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely pick up another to read. I’d love to hear a version on audio.