Carol's Notebook

A Racing Murder by Frances Evesham

June 15, 2021June 8, 2021 by Carol1 Comment

This is the second of the Ham Hill mysteries and, while it works as a stand-alone, you will definitely get to know the characters better by reading them in order. Adam is a pub owner and retired police officer and Imogene owns the local hotel. They are the main investigators, although this time around they have the help of a couple of friends, Steph, a reporter, and Dan, a painter. All four are competent and intelligent and each adds their own skills. Belinda is the main suspect in the death, and her desperate mother asks for Adam's help. The local authorities deem the death an accident due to lack of evidence, but the local chief inspector asks Adam to continue looking into the case, not convinced it wasn't murder. It turns out there are actually plenty of suspects, although no one has a really good motive. There are the investors who own the horse that Belinda rode. There are the grooms and...

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

June 11, 2021June 11, 2021 by Carol2 Comments

I almost didn't read Project Hail Mary. I enjoyed Weir's Artemis, but had no interest in The Martian, and a lot of reviewers commented that it was a return to the style of The Martian. But, I had a copy from NetGalley and I have a friend who will definitely be reading it, so . . . Turns out, I actually enjoyed it. It's smart and funny and accessible. There was a lot of science and some of it got a little boring, but I never felt like I was lost in the details. Alien microorganisms, astrophage, are consuming the sun’s energy, which will sooner rather than later make Earth colder and lead to another ice age. Ryland Grace, our narrator, is an 8th-grade teacher is a scientist who becomes involved in researching this phenomenon. He wakes up on the Hail Mary, part of a suicide mission to find a way to save Earth. The book shows two timelines, Ryland...

Magical Midlife Dating by K.F. Breene

June 7, 2021June 7, 2021 by Carol2 Comments

I loved the first book in the series and picked up Magical Midlife Dating, #2, almost immediately following. Jessie has decided to stay in Ivy House and take up all the magic powers that includes. She's decided to settle into her new life and apparently dating is part of that. Granted, it makes for some funny moments, but I'm really not sure that's where her focus should be. And, really, we know who she should be dating. Learning new powers is not as easy as it sounds, and although I love Ivy's House's guardians, they are not always the best at helping. Jessie accidentally ends up summoning others for help, but she has no idea who will show up until they get there. These new folks, and another who shows up later in the book, are a good mix, some I liked, at least one was rather sleazy. Magical Midlife Dating had me smiling and laughing and rooting for Jessie. ...

The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie

June 4, 2021June 3, 2021 by Carol4 Comments

The Secret of Chimneys is one of Christie's earlier works and she tends to not be at her best when her books wander off into international politics and intrigue. However, I found this one surprisingly funny and enjoyable, even if a little far-fetched. Anthony Cade agrees to take on two jobs for his friend James McGrath. Anthony heads for London to deliver the draft of a memoir to a publisher, and to return letters to the woman who wrote them. In England, politician George Lomax persuades Lord Caterham to host a house party at Chimneys. George's cousin Virginia Revel is invited, as is Hiram Fish, a collector of first edition books, along with the principals in a political scheme to restore the monarchy in Herzoslovakia – while assuring that newly discovered oil there will be handled by a British syndicate. Then, a member of the house party is killed. House party mysteries are probably my favorites. I like the...

June Cloak and Dagger Challenge Link-up

June 1, 2021May 20, 2021 by CarolNo Comments

For me, June is the official start of summer. My summer work hours start later this month; we're going to the lake next weekend; we'll plan some fun outings like an amusement park and a baseball game. It feels like life is getting a little more back to normal here, which is nice too. Link up your Cloak and Dagger reads here or in the comments. You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter ...

Sci-Fi Summer Readathon

May 31, 2021June 11, 2021 by Carol3 Comments

The Sci-Fi Summer Readathon starts tomorrow. Thanks, Michelle, for hosting again this year. From Season of Reading: Read-a-Thon dates: June 1 at 12:00am EDT until June 30 at 11:59pm EDT. Since science fiction is a very specific genre, this will be strictly reading science fiction during the event. However, since fantasy is so closely related to the genre (often grouped together), if you feel more comfortable reading fantasy, that is also fine. To check in on social media, we’ll use our new hashtag #SciFiJune. I’m going to try to keep my updates below, but I’m also on Twitter and Instagram. My potential to-read list: Seven Deaths of an Empire by G.R. Matthews A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady MartineThe Echo Wife by Sarah GaileyThin Air by Richard K. MorganProject Hail Mary by Andy WeirDeath's End by Cixin Liu Books finished: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (review) ...