What books did you get from the library, bookstore or online ~ 2021

[madrano]

Yes! And the electric plug was in the chandelier. It looked so awkward but i imagine just having electricity was status.

[Alias Reader]

madrano wrote: "Yes! And the electric plug was in the chandelier. It looked so awkward but i imagine just having electricity was status."

Yes !

Also the neighborhood is nice to walk around after one visits the house.

[madrano]

Another Happy Day for Deborah! Tonight i finished reading Jonathan C. Slaght's Owls of the Eastern Ice: A Quest to Find and Save the World's Largest Owl. I am not sure what i liked best--the strong descriptions of this part of eastern Russia (Primorye); the scientific fieldwork descriptions with both highs and lows; or learning about the elusive Blakiston's fish owl.

Thanks to Alias for listing this book a year ago this week. Once i got my hands on it, i found the writing mostly straight forward but when he waxes poetic about the bird or the scenery, i found myself smiling. Not that he is a great writer but a solid one. Heck, i found myself wishing someone would set up some sort of camp or destination inn so i could see this part of Russia, even in winter!

It's rustic there at present but tech inroads are being made as the lumber harvests the ancient woods. This is why Slaght and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Surmach, began their 5-year mission to locate the owls, their habitat and learn as much as possible. Their idea was to share that information with logging companies so they can be more ecologically mindful of the unique wildlife there. And, yes, the companies are listening.

His stories of local Russians who help in their accounting of the forests, critters and banding of the birds was well done. One almost smelled some of the cabins which had been abandoned with moose meat in one corner. Or the closeness of the stoves (Russkaya pechka) in closed spaces. The food, the outhouses, the "sauna" (banya), the roads, the trees, the beauty, the search.

Good book.

[Alias Reader]

Deb, I'm so happy to hear a book from the book list was a winner for you.

I'm also happy that the logging companies are getting on board and becoming more ecologically minded. It always feels like time is quickly running out for us to change our ways and save the planet.

[madrano]

This is why i found i find such books encouraging.

[madrano]

I just finished reading a different sort of mystery, A Siege of Bitterns, written by Steve Burrows. Set in Norfolk, UK, a recently transferred Canadian police detective and avid birdwatcher, accustoms himself quickly to the area thanks to a murder. While i wasn't in love with the story, i did like learning a bit of UK history and, even more so, about birding and bird lists.

This mystery appears to revolve around a privately owned marsh, where birds have gathered for thousands of years. The first murder is of a television activist for the environment. This primary detective, Domenic Jejeune, is interesting in that, while he is an outstanding detective, he doesn't love it the way he enjoys birdwatching.

I liked that at the end of the story the author discussed the bird in the title. I'll try to read more of these, as much for the birding as anything else.

[John]

I'm still making my way through it, but it seems you're the target audience for An Irish Nature Year!

[madrano]

You are quite right, John. This Jane Powers book sounds as though it will please me no end. Btw, yesterday on our walk we found a 18" tall weed growing out of a crack in a 3' stone. It was delightful to see.

[madrano]

December is shaping up to be the slowest reading month i've had in years. Yesterday i completed ONE book. It was the latest installment in the Claire DeWitt mysteries (https://www.goodreads.com/series/9144...). I like the character, DeWitt "the world's best detective", but in this one she is at her disturbed worst. The final mystery appears to be resolved but not really.

Meanwhile, Claire continues to flesh out her teen years in NYC, where she learned of French detective Jacques Silette, and her later years in New Orleans with her mentor, Constance Darling. This book technically, however, unfolds in a 52-hour timeline but also sheds light on how she attained her PI license and more.

Claire is a functioning mess but good detective. In this one she is fueled by drugs, trying to stay alert after an automobile "accident", while solving a mystery. Usually the Gran books take me a short time to read but in this case i am the problem. Still, i surely wish there were several more awaiting me NOW!

And a big THANK YOU to John for introducing me to Claire and her life, in this post, his best of 2019 list--https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[John]

madrano wrote: "December is shaping up to be the slowest reading month i've had in years. Yesterday i completed ONE book. It was the latest installment in the Claire DeWitt mysteries (https://www.goodreads.com/ser..."

Thanks! I'm saving the third (final) one, but can't put it off forever. Also have Gran's promising title Dope on my TBR.

[madrano]

For some reason none of Gran's other works calls to me. But i really like Claire.

[John]

My brother gave me Bollywood Kitchen: Home-Cooked Indian Meals Paired with Unforgettable Bollywood Films as a gift, where I spent quite a bit of Saturday gazing through the gorgeous photos fantasizing about the recipes.

[madrano]

Neat idea for a cookbook! I suspect i would just get too tired to cook after looking at the photos and directions. Yet, i still enjoy looking.

[Alias Reader]

John wrote: "My brother gave me Bollywood Kitchen: Home-Cooked Indian Meals Paired with Unforgettable Bollywood Films as a gift, where I spent quite a bit of Saturday kesgubg through the gorgeou..."

What a wonderful idea for a book. I looked at the pics in the Amazon preview and they were terrific. Enjoy !

[Stephanie]

This week I picked up, Sudden Death and Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder. The Joanne Fluke book reminds me a bit of the Dianne Mott Davidson series ☺️

[madrano]

Stephanie, it sounds like great, relaxing reading is ahead for you. Reading mysteries is calming for me, as long as they are more cozy than not. Both those seem to fit the bill.

The proliferation of mystery novels featuring cooks and recipes has been remarkable. "Back in the day" Diane Mott Davidson was one of the few who included recipes. Now look!

[madrano]

I hope to conclude my reading of That Affair Next Door, a late 19th century mystery which features the first female "detective". At least this was what the link i read said. Anna Katharine Green created a male police detective and wrote two mysteries before throwing Miss Amelia Butterworth, "an inquisitive single woman" of the Victorian Era into the mix. She is a fussy but observant and precise woman who is a neat character. So far, so good.

[Stephanie]

It’s pretty fun, isn’t it? It seems Fluke’s recipes are a bit simpler to make than Mott Davidson’s were too! I may have to give a few a try ☺️

[madrano]

I wonder how many people follow up and actually try the recipes. In the past, i've copied several but cannot think of one i attempted. However, i have used some tips from within the text, such as adding different spices to dishes i already make.