Carol – Page 50 – Carol's Notebook

The Raven Thief by Gigi Pandian

February 14, 2023February 14, 2023 by Carol2 Comments

There are some things I loved about The Raven Thief and some things I could do without. The mystery itself is well-done. Tempest and her grandfather are invited to a "seance" to rid a woman's house of the bad vibes of her ex-husband. Right in the middle, however, her ex drops onto the table - dead, surrounded by raven feathers. Ash, Tempest's grandfather, becomes the chief suspect, so of course, Tempest has to do everything she can to clear his name. Tempest is a former stage magician, so is the perfect person to figure out how the "trick" was done. I'm pretty sure it's a fair play mystery, that the reader gets all the same clues as Tempest and her sidekicks, but I didn't put them together. These books rely a lot on misdirection on the killer's part that our magicians and builders need to unravel, which is fun. I enjoy the puzzle of it. Tempest is a great character, too...

Where the Wild Ladies Are by Aoko Matsuda

February 10, 2023February 9, 2023 by CarolNo Comments

I enjoyed the collection of stories in Where the Wild Ladies Are. All of them are loosely based on traditional Japanese stories of yōkai, ghosts and monsters that figure prominently in the country's folklore. But Matsuda adapts them to a modern setting and gives them feminist themes that are very relevant in the present day. In the title story, a young man named Shigeru finds himself at loose ends after the suicide of his mother. He's looking for work but finds himself unequipped to search for a job while he feels so drained. "Shigeru felt barely capable of surviving a gentle wave lapping up on shore, let alone a turbulent sea. Between him and a sandcastle built by a kid with a plastic spade, Shigeru suspected he'd be the first to collapse." But he eventually lands a position on an assembly line at a mysterious company that connects the stories. And then odd things start happening. When he visits his mother's grave,...

Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift

February 8, 2023February 8, 2023 by Carol3 Comments

While I'm sure Gulliver's Travels is a masterpiece and has much to say about human society, politics, racism, what have you, I didn't enjoy it. It was a bit boring and I found myself not really caring what Swift was trying to say. Our narrator is Lemuel Gulliver, a ship's surgeon who ends up going on four fantastical journeys. The first Gulliver adventure is the most famous one, in the land of Lilliputians where the people 15.24 centimeters tall. Here Swift highlights the human tendency to consider themselves the most important creatures despite their small size, being unaware of their insignificance in the universe. He also shows their absurd justice system and their obsession with rules. On the next adventure, Gulliver visits the land of Brobdingnag, a land of giants. So, an individual's dominance is a relative concept, as where Gulliver was powerful in Lilliput, here he is vulnerable and almost insignificant. The king and queen treat Gulliver as a kind of toy,...

The Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman

February 6, 2023February 6, 2023 by CarolNo Comments

I absolutely adore the Thursday Murder Club. This time around Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim are looking into the ten-year-old unsolved murder of Bethany Waites, a journalist/co-host of a television news show. Along with this mystery, Elizabeth has an “encounter” with a man they are calling “The Viking”, who is trying to force Elizabeth to kill someone for him or he will kill Joyce. Each of our characters gets a chance to shine. Elizabeth gets to see spend time with an ex-KGB acquaintance. Joyce gets to flirt with a handsome TV personality. Ron makes a couple of new friends, and Ibrahim gets to do some brainstorming and use his therapy skills. Donna, Chris, and Bogdan are back too. Bogdan is still my favorite character and I love how his relationship with Donna is progressing. The mystery was maybe a little convoluted, but I enjoyed it. Yes, it's unlikely that all these characters would form friendships and work together to bring down (another)...

Against the Currant by Olivia Matthews

February 3, 2023December 12, 2023 by CarolNo Comments

Against the Currant is the first in a new cozy mystery series set in a newly opened Caribbean bakery. Lyndsay Murray's dream has always been to open a bakery/eatery featuring food and recipes from Grenada where her family came from. It's finally opening day and everything is going wonderfully until in storms Claudio Febrizi, another local baker who does not want any competition. He causes a scene in front of a bakery full of customers and Lyndsay ends up arguing with him and asking him not so nicely to leave. When Claudio turns up dead the next day, Lindsay finds herself as the number one suspect. Lyndsay and her family are close and it was nice to see their connection and how supportive they are to each other both in work and in their personal lives. We get a sense of family, but of community too. We see how the community can band together to support local businesses and culture. I...

Murder at an Irish Castle by Ellie Brannigan

February 2, 2023February 2, 2023 by Carol2 Comments

I wanted to love Murder at an Irish Castle. On her 30th birthday, Rayne's boyfriend leaves her, taking all of her money and the wedding dresses she's made with him. As the police search for him, Rayne heads to Ireland for her uncle's funeral and finds out she's inherited a castle, but with stipulations. And the uncle's death was murder. Rayne was fine enough as a character on paper, kind of a fish out of water, but creative and determined. I just never really connected to her. Why didn't she check the weather before she packed for Ireland? Why does she not have any normal clothes? Yes, I get that she loves fashion and comes from Hollywood, but it's no wonder her cousin, Ciare, calls her princess. Ciare thought she was going to inherit the castle and is angry that Rayne got it instead. But Ciare is angry and mean and prickly almost the entire book. It's a bit too much....