Catching Up

on some summer reads.

Priscilla Royal's medieval mysteries always satisfy me.  In The Twice-Hanged Man, Prioress Eleanor, Infirmarian Anne, and Brother Thomas end up in the Marcher lands for the birth of her sister-in-law's child.  A murder, a hanging, and a second hanging when the beam breaks, a ghost?, and more twisty incidents.  Brother Thomas has a particularly hard time.  As usual, excellent research and intriguing plot with characters I like.

NetGalley/Poisoned Pen Press
Medieval Mystery.  Aug. 6, 2019.  Print length:  384 pages.



I read Alex Walter's Winterman a while back and liked it, so thought I'd try one of his other books--which turned into three other books:  Candles and Roses, Death Parts Us, and Their Final Act.  A trilogy featuring DI Alec McKay.  There are three different plots that are self-contained, but also an over-arching connection.  Kind of neat to have a trilogy of thrillers. There are definitely some dark elements.  Kindle Unlimited.

Where the Crawdads Sing was just as good as everyone said.  The writing was the highlight for me.  I read parts aloud because they were so good.  This has been reviewed so frequently, I'm not going to say anything else--except that it more than lived up to expectations.  Recommended.  

Purchased.





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I have a great appreciation for public libraries and librarians.  The UK has had such a difficult time keeping libraries open--and the articles about cutting hours and staff and closing libraries have made me sad.  ("Since 2005 we have lost more than 10,000 library workers and more jobs are being cut all the time.")  That is just once sentence from this article  about the importance of libraries in ways we don't always consider.

U.S. libraries, too, have become community problem solvers.  But libraries in the U.S. have also faced problems:

According to the Public Libraries News figures, since April 2011: 57 'static' libraries(buildings) have closed; 53 'mobile' libraries (based in vehicles) have closed and 46 libraries have been taken over by volunteers, social enterprises or parish councils.Jul 31, 2012

 I looked for more recent statistics, but only found closures or funding cuts to individual libraries.  

On the positive side, in 2017, the House voted to save federal funding for libraries, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.  Evidently a majority of Americans recognize the importance of these institutions.  Nevertheless,  I imagine the battle for funding will continue, and we will need to be aware and ready to defend our libraries, arts, and humanities.

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It's so hot!  80+ degrees at 6:00 AM.  That's just wrong.  I've cut back on gardening, but read, do my mail art, and embroider while I binge watch Netflix.  

Right now, I want books set in cold climates with lots of snow.