eBook – Page 10 – Carol's Notebook

Magical Midlife Madness by K. F. Breene

May 27, 2021May 27, 2021 by Carol4 Comments

Why have I never read anything by Breene before? Magical Midlife Madness is funny and cute and I loved it. Alright, maybe Jessie being in her 40s helped too, even though I question 40s being middle-aged, I certainly don't feel middle-aged, but Jessie does seem to have more creaky joints than I do. But 40 is definitely not too old to start a new adventure and I love that Jessie goes for it. I also adore that her "team" is older too. Recently divorced and in need of a do-over, Jessie accepts a position as caretaker of Ivy House, an old mansion she visited as a teen. Between the strange butler, groundskeeper, and talkative next-door neighbor, things seem more than a little crazy. We've got plenty of paranormal characters, shifters, gargoyles, a vampire, an alicorn, and who knows what else. We've got a touch of romance that I assume will progress as the series continues. Best of all, we've got a...

High Rising by Angela Thirkell

May 13, 2021May 13, 2021 by Carol6 Comments

I loved High Rising. Laura Morland is a fabulous character. I appreciate how she looks at the world. She's an author of popular novels set in the fashion world, which she chose because she knew women would enjoy reading about it. She has a pretty clear understanding of the people in her life, both their strengths and weaknesses. Other characters include train-obsessed children, loyal but opinionated servants, devoted secretaries with their own agendas, an unflappable schoolmaster's wife, the village doctor, and several potential couples. We get to see the ins and outs of the characters' relationships, the scheming (in a good way), and the helping each other out. It's just charming and witty. The dialogue is wonderful. The characters have fun talking to each other, if you know what I mean. They enjoy the conversations, they don't just have them. High Rising is a slice of life in this fictional corner of the world. People are ridiculous and silly and...

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu

May 6, 2021May 6, 2021 by CarolNo Comments

Interior Chinatown merges the storyline of a TV crime procedural, Black and White, with the life Willis Wu. He and his parents live a fairly unremarkable existence in small one-room apartments in Chinatown. Their building is above the Golden Palace restaurant where the show is in constant production. Wu and his parents and most of their community drift in and out of the series, playing interchangeable parts and hoping their big break might someday come. And I think sometimes they work in the restaurant which seems to actually be a business, not just a set. Wu is often cast as as the "Generic Asian Man," and sees himself holding that role in real life too. It's a clever book, with parts written as a screenplay, parts as Wu's inner monologue, and using snippets of true historical documents. But maybe it's too clever. I appreciated the blurred lines between fiction and reality. I understand that America has been harming Asian...

The Tomb of the Chatelaine by Karen Baugh Menuhin

April 22, 2021April 22, 2021 by CarolNo Comments

Lord Sinclair's chauffeur is dead. It looks like an accident, but it occurred right after Sinclair received a mysterious package containing a dead man's gun. Lennox and Swift arrive at Lanscombe Park at the behest of Lennox's on again-off-again love interest, Persi, to investigate. Turns out it wasn't Persi who called him, but there's still a mystery to solve. Then there's another death, also arranged to look like an accident, and the situation becomes more tense. I like Lennox. He's a bit bumbling, especially when it comes to women, and a bit introverted, more likely to leave Swift to deal with any crowds right up until the denouement, when Lennox takes over. He travels with his dog and cat whenever possible, which is adorable. His butler also goes with him; I would take my butler too if I had one. Lanscombe Park is full of quirky characters, most of whom have to fall under suspicion. There are secrets and lies in the...

Life in a Country Album: Poems by Nathalie Handal

April 14, 2021April 14, 2021 by CarolNo Comments

I don't read much poetry. It takes a savoring, a slow reading, that I'm not good at, that I should practice more. I am glad that I picked up Life in a Country Album, the poems are beautiful and touching and challenging. I read Handal's mini-biography before I bought it, but was unprepared for how much French was in the first section. I have a little French left from my high school years, enough to get the gist of some of it, but not all. On the other hand, maybe that's not important, maybe it's the sounds and the flow and the contrast. For Handal, it seems the world is home. She's connected to places and shares those, but she's not tethered to any, and that's a piece of what she's exploring....

Passing by Nella Larsen

February 23, 2021February 23, 2021 by Carol8 Comments

More of a novella than a novel, Passing starts with a chance encounter at a tea shop between Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry. Once childhood friends in Harlem, New York, Irene and Clare are separated when Clare decides to leave the Black community behind, to ‘pass’ for white, marry a white man, and live as a white woman. While the two women catch up, Clare asks Irene if she could come to one of her parties, explaining that she misses being around Black people. Irene agrees and then she meets Clare’s racist husband. Irene is shocked and angry. She lives within the African-American community, is married to a black man, and is anxious about passing though she does it when convenient, like at the tea shop. In fact, Irene’s biggest desire in life is for security, while Clare is a risk-taker. A couple of year later, Clare reaches out to Irene again, and begins spending more time with Irene, her family,...