A Christmas Vanishing

It's become a tradition for my husband to put a copy of Anne Perry's annual Christmas novel under the tree for me.  This year it was A Christmas Vanishing (#1,192) which featured Chalotte Pitt's grandmother as the main character.  It seems fitting that this is the last book I will blog on for 2023, as A Christmas Vanishing is Anne Perry's final holiday novel.  She will be sorely missed in the coming years.

The reason her books had become a Christmas tradition was that these small novels always contained moral food for thought.  Yes, sometimes all you want to do is go along for a mindless ride with a holiday romance or "feel good" book, but if you stop to ponder the true meaning behind the holiday, your soul yearns for more.  Anne Perry's books always provided it.

Here, Mariah Ellison, Charlotte Pitt's grandmother from the popular mystery series, is invited to spend Christmas with an old acquaintance whom she hasn't seen for many years.  But a stay in a quiet country village she is fond of seems just the ticket.  The problem is that when Mariah arrives at Sadie Alsop's doorstep, her husband informs her that she is not at home, and that Mariah, despite being invited, is not welcome to stay.  

Why would Sadie invite her, and then not be there to greet her?  And where will Mariah stay for the night?  Something is not right, and Mariah intends to get to the bottom of it.  What she uncovers is a number of uncomfortable truths, not least about herself...

As always, Ms. Perry's holiday novel ends with a promise of hope.

I hope your New Year will bring many good things with it.

Bright Lights, Big Christmas

Bright Lights, Big Christmas (#1,191) by Mary Kay Andrews puts a different spin on this holiday romance.  Kerry Tolliver is feeling stuck in small town Tarburton, North Carolina, after she is fired from her graphics art job in Charlottesville.  She lost her position in a corporate merge, but she can't seem to settle.  When her estranged father suffers a heart attack just before Thanksgiving, Kerry is forced to help her grumpy older brother with the Tolliver Family Tree Farm stand in the heart of New York's West Village.

Jammed into a tiny trailer with no functioning kitchen or plumbing, Murphy introduces her to the neighbors on Abingdon Square, where he and their father have set up their Christmas tree lot for years.  Everyone knows and likes Murphy, so they welcome Kerry, too.  Despite the freezing weather, it doesn't take long for Kerry to meet a charming man with his young son in a parking misunderstanding.  Soon she finds her creative juices stirring as she creates a series of drawings for a book for young Austin.  When two brothers set up a rival tree stand across the street, things begin to get complicated...

You can see where this is all going, but you won't mind a bit as you settle down with this Christmas cozy!

Twas the Bite Before Christmas

What's Christmas reading without an Andy Carpenter mystery?  This year, it's Twas the Bite Before Christmas (#1,190).  It opens at the Tara Foundation Christmas party when Homicide Chief Pete Stanton arrives to arrest one of the dog shelter's volunteers.  On his way into the squad car, Derek Moore begs Andy to take care of his two rescue dogs, Sasha and Jake while he's in jail.

Of course Andy, Laurie and their son Ricky take in the golden and the dalmatian along with their own three dogs.  And of course, Andy agrees to temporarily represent Derek on murder charges.  The police believe they have an open and shut case, but when Andy starts digging, things just don't add up - the evidence is way too convenient.  If Derek is being framed, who could be behind it, and why?

It's a fun ride, and my husband and I both figured out a couple of the plot points before author David Rosenfelt reveals them in the narrative.  It was almost like a special Christmas gift because we were smart enough to solve part of it!

Loved all of Ricky and Laurie's over-the-top Christmas enthusiasm offset by Andy's "bah, humbug" riffs.  Plus, the cover photo of the dalmatian with the gingerbread cookie in his mouth is adorable. No wonder  David Rosenfelt's books always make my Christmas List of "To Reads".

Hunting The Falcon - Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and the Marriage That Shook Europe

I really enjoyed reading this latest non-fiction exploration of the Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn saga by John Guy and Julia Fox entitled Hunting The Falcon - Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and the Marriage That Shook Europe (#1,189).  Yes, it's a pretty dense read (I do have to stop and read the footnotes.) but it emphasizes aspects of this famous relationship which I had never thought about, or even been aware of in most of the other materials I have read about this couple.  Their respective upbringings and the political situation in Europe took center stage here, not the romantical or sexual aspects.  What a difference that shift of focus makes, and how it sheds light on what happened here.

Henry's absolute conviction that anything he thought or wanted was right reminded me forcibly of yet another modern day bloated, narcissistic politician with strong revenge motivations.  The only current distinction between the two at this point is that Henry had the literal power of life and death over his victims.  His pursuit of Anne is a case in point.  He wanted what he couldn't have.  Once he was convinced (with not a little help from those around him with axes to grind) that Anne had betrayed him, there was no turning back.  Not only did he have her put to death, he demolished every trace of her existence that he could find, including all her falcon badges carved everywhere in the royal residences.  Yet it was cutting off his nose to spite his face, as he never found another woman whom he trusted with his thoughts the way he did with Anne.

If you read Tudor history, add this book to your Must Read List.  It's good to get a different perspective, even hundreds of years after the facts.

The Housekeepers

I thought Alex Hay's debut novel, The Housekeepers (#1,188) got off to a great start, but for me, it bogged down in the middle and never really regained its momentum.  The monstrous house on Park Lane in London is a major character in this novel, which no one but its builder seemed to love.  Many suffered within its walls, and for a number of the characters, that's enough motivation to strip it down to its bare bones.

How that plays out is the crux of this novel.  Did I admire or even sympathize very much with the wronged staff and family?  Not really.  I couldn't even quite grasp the motivations of some of them, so that precluded my emotional buy-in to the novel.

An interesting glimpse into a bygone time and lifestyle, but this book would never make my list of favorites.

The Blonde Identity

The Blonde Identity (#1,187) by Ally Carter hits all the right notes for an action-packed rom-com.  A blonde with amnesia wakes to find a man standing over her in the street, urging her to get up and "Run!"  She does, but she has no idea why or where she is, or where she might be going, or who's after her.  You really don't need to know much more than that!

It all gets sorted out satisfactorily by the end.  I just hope for two things: one, that there's going to be a sequel (the ending makes that seem likely, fingers crossed!) and two, that someone optioned this book for the movies, it was so much fun!

Run, do not walk, to get your own copy!

Whale Day and Other Poems

I shouldn't admit to gobbling the entire Whale Day and Other Poems (#1,186) by Billy Collins in one sitting, but I did.  Plus, I had the pleasure of introducing Billy Collins' poems to several people who were not acquainted with his work.

Did I have a favorite?  It would be hard to choose, but Whale Day was so appropriate for the cruise I just took, I could hardly stand it!  I also loved The Function of Poetry.

Even if you're like me, and you're not convinced you can love poetry, try reading Billy Collins.  His work surprises, delights and makes you think "Huh."  What more could you ask for?

The Little Village of Book Lovers

Okay, I picked this book based on its title alone, The Little Village of Book Lovers (#1,185).  I didn't realize until I got it home that it was by Nina George.  She wrote the best seller The Little Paris Bookshop.  Most readers loved it.  I didn't.  After dipping into this book for a few pages, I knew this one wasn't for me, either.  Next book, please.

Wreck The Halls

Oh, dear.  I had forgotten to cancel my hold on Tessa Bailey's holiday novel Wreck The Halls (#1,184) before it arrived in my library pile.  I tried, I really did, but I just couldn't cope with all the throbbing and moisture in a Christmas book.  Gave up after a couple of chapters.  Next book, please.

The Last Devil To Die

This is the fourth entry in Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club series.  We encounter many of the same characters from prior novels in The Last Devil To Die (#1,183) and understanding their back stories is key to enjoying this mystery.

Elizabeth and Stephen are at a crossroads as Stephen's dementia worsens.  Past and present are difficult to separate, but when one of his oldest friends is murdered, his confusion will ultimately lead to busting a major drug ring and foiling the theft of antiquities.

Joyce finally seems to be finding her own place in the world, stepping into Elizabeth's shoes quite successfully on several occasions.   Ron seems to have settled into a steady relationship, leaving Ibrahaim somewhat on his own.  Luckily for the Thursday Murder Club, several new people have recently moved into Coopers Chase.  Are there potential new members of their exclusive club among them?  To find out, you'll have to read The Last Devil To Die for yourself.  You'll enjoy your time there.

Drowning - The Rescue of Flight 1421

T.J. Newman has done it again with her novel Drowning - The Rescue of Flight 1421 (#1,182).  I am glad that it's going to be several months before I have to fly over water again after reading this one!  Mere minutes after taking off from Honolulu, Flight 1421 suffers a catastrophic failure and is forced to ditch the plane in the water.

The point of view changes from one survivor to another as the reality of the crash sets in.  The actions they take in the immediate aftermath will determine whether they live or die.  But just when you think they might be all right, something else happens to lessen their chances.

Their experience makes for harrowing, but page-turning reading.  Just don't take it with you on your own flight!

The Night Watchman

I've had Louise Erdrich's The Night Watchman (#1,181) on my "To Read" pile for quite a while.  I decided that a cruise would give me the leisure to appreciate the book.  I was right to save it for this moment.  The subject of the novel is a member of the Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota, ThomasWazhushk.  He tries to be active in tribal Chippewa affairs, fighting against the indifference of the Federal bureaucracy.  Mostly his wins are small, but when he reads about a Utah Congressman's efforts to "terminate" the Turtle Mountain Reservation as a separate entity, forcing the Chippewa off their already meager property and disbanding them as a tribe, something in Thomas snaps.  He cannot let this happen.

Louise Erdrich has famously used her own grandfather as the source for building the character of Thomas, and has peopled the novel with a host of interesting personalities.  Family, friends, tribal and work connections all play a role here.

I guess I was expecting a serious "literary" novel.  What I got instead was an engaging portrait of people just trying to leave their own stamp on the world in the place they were born.  In truth, I found the book hard to put down once I started it.  I'm just sorry it took me so long.  If you haven't discovered what a wonderful writer Louise Erdrich is, The Night Watchman is a great place to start.

Starter Villain

This is my first John Scalzi novel, but I have a feeling Starter Villain (#1,180) won't be my last.  Not only do cats play a pivotal role in this book, so do dolphins and whales.  It was the perfect book to be reading on a transatlantic cruise, where we saw both whales and dolphins.  But having been owned by cats, I thought Mr. Scalzi captured their personalities perfectly.  They are smarter than you, and they don't hesitate to prove it.  

Here, they are out to help out hapless substitute teacher Charlie who lost everything in his divorce but the house he grew up in.  His two older, very well-heeled half siblings are intent on selling the modest house out from under him after their father dies.  Charlie can't even scrape together the down payment for the neighborhood pub he wants to buy.  Everything changes the day the bank turns him down for the loan and he returns home to find his uncle's agent on his doorstep with an offer he can't refuse, provided Charlie agrees to attend said uncle's funeral.  Did I mention the uncle is a multi-billionaire?  Hang on for a very wild and fun ride!

Personally, I would have bought this book based on the cover art alone!  Loved it!