Favorite series and catching up - The Night Hawks by Elly Griffiths and The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny

I have always read mystery series and tried to stay current with favorite ones.  I will admit that my 'favorites' have changed over time.  Many of them just fell by the wayside when I added more and more to my list and I've meant to return to old favorites.  Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't.  I do stay current with Louise Penny's books and also Elly Griffiths' series featuring Ruth Galloway.  And I have a few things to say about their newest.

I'll start with The Night Hawks by Elly Griffiths.  This is the 13th book in the series and I hope that series goes on and on.  I love Ruth and all her friends and family.  Over the course of time, this author has added character after character and this reader always longs to find out what been going on with Nelson and Cathbad and Judy and Cluff and Kate and, and...

The Night Hawks was one that I enjoyed quite a bit.  Ruth has returned to Norfolk and her cottage.  She has a new position at work and Kate is growing up.  A body is found by a group of metal detectorists - The Night Hawks - along with some ancient artifacts.  A curious legend about a 'black dog', more crimes, more secrets, more new characters.  Changes are happening all around and Nelson is being encouraged by his boss to retire.  Will he or won't he?  I'll be happy to see the next entry into this series, hopefully next year.  

I also am caught up on Louise Penny's series set in Three Pines, Quebec, Canada.  If asked who is my favorite author of mysteries, I often say 'Louise Penny'.  And I do love her way of telling a story and of bringing deep concepts to the reader while also relating a crime tale.  Have I loved every book she's written?  No.  I do have my favorites and I find it interesting that other readers often prefer the books to stay in Three Pines or not to stay in Three Pines.  They often love certain characters or don't love certain characters.  I will say that this is a series I do feel is best read in order because lots and lots of things happen over time and while you probably can figure out the backstory, it's more fun to read all the details.

The Madness of Crowds is the 17th book in the series and I'm being honest here in saying that it is my least favorite of all the books.  I didn't hate it, but....I also didn't love it or even like many aspects.  It is quite dark and that's not necessarily unknown in her series.  However, for me, the hope that is usually evident in various ways was not as clear to me.  I'm going to refer you to some thoughts that Lesa from Lesa's Book Critiques published the other day here if you'd like read more.  Lesa does not relate spoilers, but she does tell more about the story than I shall.  

It's going to be interesting to see how authors deal with the pandemic and all the myriad of issues that the last couple of years have brought to the world.  I know that some have said they will avoid it if they can and some will figure out how to include it.  Part of the problem is that we are still in the midst of things, unfortunately.  Louise does include many of the things that have been faced by the world and also speaks of other problems through her story.  And this book is getting very high praise from most.  For me, it was just a little too 'something'.  Will I reread at a later time?  Not sure.  Will it provide lots of food for discussion?  Absolutely.  I know I haven't said really anything about the storyline itself.  Suffice it to say that the issues here will challenge Armand Gamache and his team and his family like no others.  And yes, Rosa the duck, and Ruth are included in the book.  I think Rosa might be my favorite character in The Madness of Crowds.  Ha!  

If you're planning on reading this book, please know that this is my opinion only (of course).  If you've not ever read a book by Louise Penny, I don't think this is where to begin.  If you've read this, I'd love to know your thoughts.  And now, on to the next book!      

Another walking picture as August comes to an end...

 

Hello book friends and how are you?  I am well and am sharing another 'walking' picture that I've entitled 'Kerrville Ducks'.  Ha!  I think I've had ducks on my mind as I've been reading Louise Penny's new book, The Madness of Crowds.  If you haven't read those, there is a duck named Rosa that is a frequent character - a duck that is 'fowl'-mouthed - LOL!  Anyway, I'm going to have opinions about this book, but won't share any of those at this time.  I need to finish it first and see what I think - hmmm....

Otherwise, we have been back and forth a bit - still waiting on so many things that I don't even want to talk about.  I just cannot focus on our 'to-do' list and shall not.  All will eventually get accomplished and I've decided to challenge myself to see how many books I can complete before the end of 2021.  I read 130 books in 2020 and this year, 2021, I've only completed 42 as of almost the end of August.  That is probably the smallest number of books I've read in 8 months for over 20 years - maybe longer.  I know that part of my issues with focus and anxiety have been because my reading life has been 'off'.  I'm going to work on it and try to let the rest of my worries go.

One more thing I'll share is that I'm also trying to see what new pursuits might be available in my area.  I was just looking at the local newspaper and seeing that the Master Naturalist program will be taking applications for classes to begin in 2022.  I also saw a notice for an afternoon seminar that the local genealogy society will be presenting in a few weeks - an intro to genealogy research.  And I heard about the local historical society and their meetings when I went to my 2nd 'Talking Texas' Book Group meeting on Thursday.  By the way, I enjoyed that book group meeting again - there were 8 attendees - and we discussed Turn South at the Second Bridge by Leon Hale.  This book was originally written in the 1960's and contains 'classic stories of rural Texas'.  I liked it for the most part and enjoyed talking about it with others.  

So, have you tried genealogy or 'Master Naturalist' classes or joined a historical society?  I'm curious.  Hoping to be back soon with some 'book talk'.  Take care!

Back from NM with some nice 'walking' pictures...

Hello everyone!  We are back from our recent trip out to New Mexico - the Ruidoso area - and I have a few more pictures to share from my lovely, cool walks out in the mountains.  As seems to be the usual way of things these days, our plans for the trip had to be adjusted, but we did manage to get there and my husband had a great time playing in a golf tournament.  What was adjusted?  Well, we had planned to fly out there (using some of our airline credits from previous postponed trips to Oregon) and our flight was supposed to leave at about 7:30 a.m.  At around 3:00 a.m. that morning we were awakened by a text to my husband's phone saying that our flight had been cancelled.  Sigh.  Since he had already paid for the golf tournament and also had a partner that lives in Ruidoso, we had to jump in the car and drive out there.  We do normally make that journey by car - it's about 9-1/2 hours - but we weren't expecting it.  Ah well.  We made it and here's some pictures of one of my favorite parts of the world.  The first picture is from the front porch deck of the place where we stayed and the others are from my walks.

We're back in Kerrville now, but will be going to Austin later this week for a few days.  My husband's company was supposed to start their new hybrid thing (2 days in office, 3 days work-from-home) in September, but that is likely to be put off for a while.  We'll see how it goes.  A lesson in how to be flexible and it's about to drive this 'ducks in a row' and 'all things planned ahead' person (ME!) batty.  More walks are needed!  Ha!  One day I'll talk about reading, etc.  Enjoy the mountains (virtually)!

   

  

Even the weeds are pretty right now out in Ruidoso.
  They have had huge amounts of rain (for them).

More 'walking' pictures, a new book group visit, and possible volunteering opportunities...

Hello wonderful book friends!  I'm glad to stop back around here and share some additional pictures from my morning walks.  I'll also tell you about a Talking Texas Book Group visit and share about possible volunteering opportunities.  How are all of you?  Well, I hope and also hopefully enjoying your summer.  We're continuing to settle in our new location, check items off our 'to-do' lists, and will be taking another trip to New Mexico next week for my husband to play in a golf tournament.  Someday, we will move forward on our house renovation lists, but since we are being patient and waiting our turn we decided to enjoy another little vacation.

I was able to stop by the local library and talk with the director and adult services librarians regarding volunteering.  I filled out my paperwork and will start my volunteer work there in September.  A picture of that library is above and it's so light and bright inside.  The Guadalupe River flows through Kerrville and the library is located by the river with larger windows and seating areas to be able to see the trees and water and park area.  It's just lovely.

I also decided to attend one of this library's two book groups to see what they might be like.  There is a 'regular' book group that reads fiction/non-fiction, etc. and I will also try to attend that one in August or September.  The second group is called 'Talking Texas' Book Group and they read and discuss books featuring Texas history, topics important to Texas residents, and/or Central Texas locations.  This group meets at the History Center, which is right across the parking lot from the library.  I wasn't able to tour the History Center quite yet, but I very much enjoyed the book group (even though I hadn't read the book, Woman Hollering Creek, by Sandra Cisneros).  Above, you can see the front of the History Center and also a mother deer and fawn that were hiding on the library grounds.  Cute, right? 

I'll also be volunteering for the Friends of the Library and the jury is out on how well that will work.  I had met a neighbor while I was out walking that is very involved with that Friends group.  She encouraged me to come and get set up to volunteer when their 'Friends Bookstore' was open.  I did stop by and talked with the gentleman that manages that bookstore.  The store is only open 2 hours a week right now and 2 hours one Saturday a month.  All the volunteers have an area of the store that is their responsibility.  There were actually a lot of volunteers and a few customers.  In any case, I'm not sure that they need lots more people to help out right now.  The manager offered me the responsibility of a few different areas.  I did ask about any kind of fiction or especially mystery.  However, I think you'd have to volunteer for many years to get one of those.  Ha!  I ended up with 'Cooking' as my area.  So...not quite what I expected, but I'll see how it goes for a few weeks.

I'll save talking more about volunteering until another post.  I have sort of checked out a local yoga studio, but I haven't attended any classes yet.  Probably September.  I'll finish with more pictures from my morning walks.  I find it interesting that so many people in our neighborhood have various lawn and yard ornaments or special areas.  I could have taken 20 pictures, but I didn't.  Here are a few things that I found charming or beautiful.  Have a good week and I'll likely not post again for couple of weeks.  One day I'll talk about reading.  I am reading, but so, so slowly.  Just not much to share there.  Perhaps in the fall.  

     

A short update with pictures of my new walking route...

Hello book friends!  I'm going to share a short update here and hope to do a longer one next week with additional pictures from my new 'walking route'.  When I last 'spoke' with everyone here we were planning to leave on a postponed trip to Oregon.  Well, that trip was not to be - at least this year.  My husband had some allergy issues that turned into a sinus problem and we ended up cancelling the Oregon adventure yet again.  Maybe next year, right?  It seemed the prudent thing to do as sinus issues and air travel don't mix well.  We did drive out to New Mexico and our usual destination there, Ruidoso, for a few days.  We then returned and the remaining possessions that we had in storage in Austin were transferred to Kerrville.  We will maintain a 'back and forth' thing for a bit, but as time passes we are beginning to settle in and get some things accomplished.  It's going to be long process though with furniture orders and renovation tasks backlogged.  We are being patient and waiting our turn.  Ha!

I'll have more to say about seeking out new volunteering opportunities and yoga classes and who knows what else.  However, today I'm going to share a few pictures I've taken on my new 'walking route'.  Some lovely trees and some very lovely blooms.  Enjoy!

Oh, reading...well, I'm still having some issues in that area.  We'll see if this mega-slump will improve by fall.  I certainly hope so!

  

Is it hot where you are? An update before we head to 'cooler' country...

Hello book friends!  Is it summer or what?  The weather people in our part of the world have just gone wild about warning everyone about the 'feels-like' temperatures (that's a new term, to me anyway) and telling people to wear their sunscreen and take their water and check their backseats for kids and pets, etc.  Sometimes I laugh a little because, though it has been warm here - 90's - with 'feels-like' above 100, it's not unusual for Central Texas.  We get the humidity from the Gulf and it is June after all.  July will also be hot and August will be even hotter, though with less humidity usually.  I think that our area has so, so many people that are 'new-to-Texas' residents and I guess they don't know about summer weather in the southern part of the US.  Well, they will learn.  

Now I have heard that the Pacific Northwest is getting a shot of way, way too hot this weekend.  People up there are probably not prepared for temps 100+.  Hope that weather thing is short-lived and they go back to their normal quickly.  I think a lot of them do not have A/C systems.  When we lived in Portland way back in the 90's, we found it weird to have no A/C.  The house we bought there didn't have it when we came and it did have it by the time we left.  We thought it was needed for a few weeks out of the year.  

We're leaving next week on a postponed-from-last-year trip to Oregon, but we will be staying on the coast and the temps in Bandon have been lows in the 50's and highs in the 60's.  That will be a nice shot of cool for us and may even feel a little too cool.  Ha!  I will say that I don't like to 'drip with sweat' while I'm out walking.  Think Bandon, Oregon will satisfy that requirement of mine.  

My reading has still been very slow, but a couple of favorite authors will be having books come out while I'm on my trip.  I hope to get both and perhaps read them.  The first is Elly Griffiths' new Ruth Galloway book, The Night Hawks, #13 in that series.  The second will be Linda Castillo's new Kate Burkholder novel, Fallen, also #13 in the series.

Right now I'm reading Her Dark Lies by J.T. Ellison.  Very Gothic.  I picked this one up because I enjoyed a Poisoned Pen podcast where Barbara Peters discussed the return of some more Gothic-type books to the mystery/thriller genre with J.T. and also Jayne Ann Krentz.  I'm a Gothic-type mystery lover from way back.  I'm enjoying Her Dark Lies so far and I'll write an update about it if I finish before we leave.  

Otherwise, things are going well.  We're continuing to slowly get things accomplished and crossed off our lists.  I did find out that Kerrville will be having their Chalk Festival, which I wrote about here when I attended it in 2019, the weekend of October 16-17.  I'm excited and hope to go again and also have some great pictures.  Hope everyone has a nice weekend!  Stay cool!

Last two books I read - The Survivors and Bitterroot Lake - and a couple of podcasts I like...

In my update post yesterday I mentioned that my 'reading life' has been a bit (or more than a bit) sparse.  It's also been very annoying to me that I've been unable to focus on my 'happy place'.  Honestly, if I'm unable to read, that crosses over into other aspects of my life and I feel very out of sorts all the way around.  Reading is my refuge, my escape, my joy, my hideaway.  My husband and daughter would both tell you that if Kay isn't reading, she's not herself.  At all.  It's improving - that part of my life - but it's still not 'normal'.  However, I'll share a little about the last two books I've read and then praise a couple of podcasts that I enjoy:

I really like Jane Harper's writing.  I've read all her books up to now and really liked them all, especially the ones featuring Aaron Falk.  No, I haven't seen the new TV movie adaptation of The Dry.  Have any of you seen it and was it good?  Her latest book is The Survivors and it's another stand-alone, set in Tasmania.  I liked it very much and enjoyed the beach setting, the description of the caves and shipwreck and all aspects of small town life in Evelyn Bay.  Kieran and his wife, Mia, have brought their baby girl home to help Kieran's parents pack up their life and make big changes.  Kieran's father has dementia and his mother needs assistance as things have gotten a bit too tough to deal with.  The story also includes some past trauma, missing girls, a murder, and secrets.  Lots of secrets.  This definitely held my interest.  I always look forward to what she'll write next.  

I also liked Bitterroot Lake by Alicia Beckman.  This is the first book by the author or first using this name.  She's also writes cozy mysteries under the name Leslie Budewitz.  Bitterroot Lake is set at a lakeshore lodge in Montana.  One weekend 25 years ago, Sarah, her sister Holly, and two other friends were at their family's lodge, along with three guys.  A tragedy occurs, someone is killed, and things were not ever quite the same.  Sarah comes back to Whitetail Lodge after her husband dies from cancer.  Sarah's mother has encouraged her to come and help the family figure out what to do with the property.  As it turns out, the four friends all return to the Lodge and they must dig through secrets, lies, and some curious family history about Whitetail Lodge.  Oh, and there is another death.  And some spooky dreams.  Another book that held my interest and I'm hoping that Leslie/Alicia continues writing some suspense novels.  I'd enjoy that very much!

I'll also mention a couple of podcasts - I really like Anne Bogel's What Should I Read Next? and am finally caught up on back episodes.  I also really enjoy some of the author discussions that the Poisoned Pen Bookstore share on their podcast.  I'm not interested in all of them, but many are with authors that I love or books that I'm curious about.  Links attached and I encourage you to check them out.  

Now I'm off to see what I can find to read next...

Finally, an update...

A little hint...

Hello my book friends!  I know it has been quite a while since I checked in with all of you.  I am glad to be here for a bit to give an update and share a few things.  I was going to talk a little about books, but I think I will do that in a separate post perhaps tomorrow or this weekend.  

When last we 'talked' I shared that my husband and I had decided to sell our house outside the Austin area and perhaps buy or build one further out into the Texas Hill Country.  We have done that!  My husband's company will be doing a hybrid sort of work situation starting in the fall - 2 days in the office and 3 days working from home.  We have an apartment in Austin that we are currently staying in.  We have also bought a house in Kerrville.  Our plan is to spend part of the week in Austin and part in Kerrville.  You can search 'Kerrville' in the sidebar on the right here and see other posts where I mentioned this lovely town that we have visited many times.  

We're still in the process of getting a few things updated for our new house.  Did you know that it's a little tough to schedule home renovation right now?  Well, between materials shortages and labor issues and lots and lots of people wanting to 'fix' things, it's been a challenge indeed.  We are going to have to be patient, but I'm sure we will eventually cross all the items off our list.  Even new furniture is tough to acquire - as I said, patience is called for.

A happy thing is that we are going to be taking a vacation early next month - a trip that was planned for last year and postponed.  It's to lovely places in Oregon that I've talked about before and I'm sure I'll have new pictures to share after that time.  

My reading has been challenging as well - just getting through a book.  I have been distracted and kind of grumpy about reading at all.  My count of 'books completed' for this year is about half of my normal, if it's even that.  However, I do have a couple of books that I want to share about in my next post.  I've gotten back to my walking routine and have now caught up on some podcasts that I enjoy.  Hopefully, audiobooks will be next.  

Hope all of you are well.  I'm gradually coming back around and posting a few comments on your blogs.  The picture at the top of this post was one I took a couple of years ago at the Kerrville Chalk Festival.  It's planned again for this fall.  Hope I get to attend.  The picture below is on the grounds of the Kerrville Library.  Yes, I'll likely be checking into volunteer opportunities there as we spend more time in that location.  It's good to be back to this blog.  As I said, hope you're all well and will have a peaceful, joyful, restful summer season. 

Extending my 'spring break'...

Hello book friends!  Hope you are all well and had a Happy Easter yesterday.  I don't have any flower pictures for you this time, but I wanted to share a bit of an update on what I've been doing in the last few weeks.  And also say that my 'spring break' will be extended for a while longer.  No flowers are blooming in our yard quite yet, but our plants are slowly beginning to come out of their shells after the mega-cold weather our area experienced in February.  I was comparing to last year at this time and there are definite differences.  The bluebonnets are finally beginning to show up in Central Texas and also other wildflowers, but they have been much slower to appear.

As to regular life, we have been quite busy.  After a lot of thought, we decided to move forward with our eventual 'retirement' plan - location wise anyway.  We had always planned to move further out into the Texas Hill Country when my husband retired.  He is not doing that for a few years, but with the housing market in our area at an all-time peak, we have decided to sell our current house and look for one further into the Hill Country of Central Texas.  Nothing is finalized quite yet, but we plan to have an apartment in the Austin area and then decide on a place an hour or two away from Austin.  With my husband still working from home and the idea that his company will likely do a 'hybrid' type work thing in the future, it has seemed a workable plan.  Lots of decisions and work involved.  

I have been distracted and busy and my reading has really taken a hit.  It will bounce back again after I don't have quite so many things to do and think about.  So, I'll be missing for more weeks.  Missing the chatting here, but I will definitely be back eventually.

Hope you all take care and enjoy your spring!

An early 'spring break'...

 

Hello book friends!  Just coming by to say that I'm going to take an early 'spring break' for a bit.  No, it's not time for the bluebonnets quite yet in our area, but in another month they will likely be beginning to bloom.  So, I decided to share those above.

Nothing is wrong and we have been well.  However, we've got a lot going on and we'll be busy for a while.  And my review writing mojo has evaporated for a time as well.  I just didn't want anyone to worry if I didn't check in for a bit.

Take care and I'll be reading your blogs even if I don't comment all the time.  I'll be back in a few weeks!  Happy early 'spring break'!  And Happy Valentine's Day this coming Sunday!