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Laurel's Chronicles of a Crazy Cat Lady (2025 Lists and Reviews)
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#65
Braids of Song: Weaving Welsh Music into the American Soul4.5 blue stars, rounded up.
Very creative, and shows impressive scholarship. My favorite parts of this book - while I enjoyed learning about other Welsh immigrant musicians and composers - were the parts about Mari herself, and her father. I'm familiar with Joseph Parry's opera Blodwen, but now I need to go find a recording of Arianwen! The chapter about Mari's experiences and the healing power of music after the 9/11 tragedy was very moving. I have known Mari since before her immigration to the U.S. and I was a part of the North American Welsh Choir in its first five or so years. I left because all of the travel was quite beyond the means of a part-time librarian, but I was very proud to have been part of it. Now that I am retired, I may give it another go. The fact that it is still going strong more than 25 years later is a tribute to Mari's leadership and musicianship. I hope that Mari will take all of her research and consider writing full biographies of these musicians, who are mostly not well-known outside of Welsh circles. I had never heard of Marie Novello, and the part of this book about her was all too brief.
Description: Memoir of four musicians who left Wales to pursue their art in the USA: composers Joseph Parry and Daniel Protheroe, pianist Marie Novello and the author herself. It is written in a blend of literary styles, from creative non-fiction essays to dramatic monologues and letters, all laced together with songs and poems – both found and original – into a grand concert of tales. These overlap and interweave in time to show what it is to be an immigrant with a creative soul in the vast land of opportunity that is America.
Cumulative pages: 17,864
Mod
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer4 red stars. Reread.
A childhood favorite and one I reread several times, although not for many years n..."
Enjoyed both of these classics. A very different time and both books bring about tough discussions. I managed to grab copies off kindle which were divvied up into smaller books for some reason. It made it more digestible for me.
#66
Company of Liars4 red stars.
A sort of Canterbury Tales, with travelers forming a company and telling tales along the way, except that these travelers are not pilgrims on a religious quest, but on the road for various reasons and running to escape the plague. But where is safe? Enter a medieval world, full of superstition and violence and fear. There are thieves, murderers, and charlatans. There is also a touch of the supernatural, though perhaps not enough to call this a fantasy. Certainly it is a world without a lot of redeeming qualities, and each of these travelers (including the narrator) is hiding a potentially shocking secret. Probably all of the seven deadly sins are represented. The company is being stalked by something - whether human or supernatural we do not know - and one by one they are either murdered or driven into suicide. Can anyone be trusted? Will any of them survive? The world building was great, the characters were well-developed, and there was no lack of creepiness. But to be honest, I thought the ending was pretty weak. Some hint of reward or redemption for the characters would have been welcome. I'm giving this 4 stars on the strength of atmosphere and world-building, and keeping me guessing, but be warned there isn't much redeeming for the reader either. Still, it is rather compelling....
Description: The year is 1348. The Black Plague grips the country. In a world ruled by faith and fear, nine desperate strangers, brought together by chance, attempt to outrun the certain death that is running inexorably toward them. Each member of this motley company has a story to tell. From Camelot, the relic-seller who will become the group’s leader, to Cygnus, the one-armed storyteller . . . from the strange, silent child called Narigorm to a painter and his pregnant wife, each has a secret. None is what they seem. And one among them conceals the darkest secret of all—propelling these liars to a destiny they never saw coming.
Cumulative pages: 18,440
#67
To Fetch a Felon5 blue stars.
Utterly delightful! I was sold from the start on the fact that Emma can understand her corgi, Oliver, though only her corgi and not other dogs or animals. It was presented so matter-of-factly and seemed completely natural, although Emma has to be careful not to let other people know that she can do this. It is a family trait apparently. The author knows her dogs, and the voice of the corgi is so quintessentially "corgi" it is hilarious. There is also a Yorkie named Percy in the story. I am acquainted with Yorkies and I can attest to the fact that she nailed it here too. The human characters are also fun. The usual cozy mystery tropes are largely avoided here. The constable is efficient and even a little scary. She also reads palms... We have an Indian inspector, the owners of the hotel are Jamaican, and the furniture shop is run by two gay men. None of them felt like caricatures. The mystery plot was complex and kept me guessing. Although I had a hunch about a suspect early on, I didn't figure out the why, and the reveal at the end was quite satisfactory. I will definitely be reading more in this series.
Description: Emma leaves London and her life in high finance behind her and moves to an idyllic village in Cornwall, with its cobblestone streets and twisting byways. She plans to open a village tea shop and bake the recipes handed down to her from her beloved grandmother, and of course there’ll be plenty of space for her talking corgi, Oliver, to explore. Yes...talking. Emma has always been able to understand Oliver, even though no one else can. As soon as Emma arrives in the village she discovers that the curmudgeonly owner of the building she wants to rent for her shop hates dogs and gets off on the wrong foot with Oliver. Although some might turn tail and run, Emma is determined to win her over. But when she delivers some of her homemade scones as a peace offering, she finds the woman dead. Together, Emma and Oliver will need to unleash their detective skills to catch a killer.
Cumulative pages: 18,770
Mod
Ditto what Bill said! Quite an interesting cast of characters, it seems.
Laurel wrote: "#67 To Fetch a Felon5 blue stars.
Utterly delightful!"
I agree with Bill and Karol, it looks like a fun book. So much so that I've borrowed it from the library today :)
Gosh! Well, I hope you all enjoy it. I listened to it on audio. Not the greatest narrator perhaps, but she did try to give the corgi a Welsh accent, which I found hilarious.
#68
A Vow of Silence3 green stars. Caution.... spoilers....
My main complaint is that it was far too short, and the ending basically ended up to be a lot of nothing. It could have been so much more. (view spoiler) I think it is typical of books like this published in the 80s and 90s to pit traditional religion against paganism. It's been done better. Certainly there are some real crimes here (if not murder) but it all gets swept under the rug. Will these loose ends be further developed in subsequent books? This was far too light a treatment of what could have been truly creepy. (view spoiler)
Description: The sisters at a lonely Cornish convent share a chilling secret they cannot confess...Sister Sophia is dead. Another disappears. And a mysterious last letter from a dying nun is sent to the prioress. Sister Joan has faced her own demons. Now she is sent to the convent to investigate, as well as teach the local children. There are whispers of virgin sacrifice and suicide, and the mother prioress certainly wears pink nail varnish. And who is the young man hiding in the bracken? Meet Sister Joan, a rebel nun who vows to find out the truth.
Cumulative pages: 18,958
#69
The Sunday Philosophy Club3 green stars.
It's funny that I can love some of McCall Smith's series and others leave me feeling meh or even dislike, although his style is similar in all of them. So I suppose it is the appeal of the characters that makes the difference. This series is right in the middle. I didn't love it, but I could certainly stand to read more and see where it goes. The Philosophy Club of the title made no appearance in this book, but philosophy is certainly front and center. Isabel loves philosophy and moral debate, and so we get a lot of thinking along those lines in her inner dialogue. I like Jamie and Grace - Isabel has some very devoted friends. And of course Edinburgh itself is something of a major character. Isabel has lots of opinions, and her intuition is usually spot on, but she still comes across as something of a busy-body. The ending was surprisingly perhaps somewhat morally ambiguous and wasn't really satisfying, even if it was sensible.
Description: Isabel is fond of problems, and sometimes she becomes interested in problems that are, quite frankly, none of her business. This may be the case when Isabel sees a young man plunge to his death from the upper circle of a concert hall in Edinburgh. Despite the advice of her housekeeper, Grace, who has been raised in the values of traditional Edinburgh, and her niece, Cat, who, if you ask Isabel, is dating the wrong man, Isabel is determined to find the truth–if indeed there is one–behind the man’s death. The resulting moral labyrinth might have stymied even Kant. And then there is the unsatisfactory turn of events in Cat’s love life that must be attended to.
Cumulative pages: 19,230
#70
Death at the Old Curiosity Shop3.5 pink stars, rounded up.
I rounded up because I really liked the second half of this book. It's perhaps a little TOO cozy, as it took more than halfway through before we got into the mystery. Otherwise, it's a decent plot, interesting characters that I wouldn't mind reading about again, and we get into some history (Roman archaeology in this case). With its nod towards Dickens and the fact that Alice has a museum background, I look forward to more of that.
Description: When Alice Carroll steps into Curiosity Cottage, a picture-perfect former bric-a-brac shop in the Cotswold Village of Little Pride, she thinks she’s found the perfect place to start the new phase of her life. Freshly separated from her collector long-term boyfriend, she’s excited to embrace her new, minimalist existence. All Alice needs to do is sell off the left-behind stock, and settle in. But the villagers of Little Pride have other ideas, and Alice quickly realizes they won’t give up their beloved shop without a fight. Then a dead body is found buried in her neighbor's compost heap, and Alice realizes there’s much more to Little Pride, and its residents, than meets the eye.
Cumulative pages: 19,474
#71
Clear5 purple stars.
Reread to prepare for leading discussion at book club. Review posted in August (message # 126).
Cumulative pages: 19,670
#72
The Corgi Chronicles3.5 pink stars
A cute story, inspired by Tolkien's The Hobbit, or There and Back Again and the author's pet Corgi. It's written for children (perhaps ages 7-11 more or less), but anyone who loves Corgis might get a kick out of this. Adults will have to suspend disbelief that our band of heroes can travel from Utah to Glacier National Park in Montana in just a few days. Later, they use magical means to get to the Black Hills and then on to the Fermilab (near Chicago) and from there to the Olympic Peninsula. The story is pretty simplistic and rather short, but it kept my interest. I would read another, but this seems to be the author's only book.
Description: Pippin may look like a big-eared, short-legged dog, but he’s a magical corgi. Fairies ride corgis because they’re too small to ride horses. Pippin lives undercover with a human family but his secret mission is to serve Aliiana, an earth fairy, as her faithful steed. Aliiana and Pippin learn that a thief has stolen the Ruseol Gem, the source of all good magic on Earth. If the thief destroys the Gem, all magic will wither and die—including Aliiana. Can they stop the thief before he kills magic?
Cumulative pages: 19,804
#73
Last Call at the Nightingale4 red stars.
This was a very pleasant surprise, being a bit outside my usual comfort zone. A bit too dark for a cozy, but it's not a thriller either. Vivian gets caught up in the dangerous side of 1920s New York City, but she can't leave it alone either, determined to learn who murdered the man in the alley and why. There's a lot going on here, touching on socio-economic status, race, and sexuality. Viv is possibly bisexual, since she seems to be attracted to the nightclub owner, Honor Huxley, as well as the somewhat evasive young man, Leo, who might be a bootlegger. Vivian and her sister, having been abandoned by their mother, live in a poor tenement, but their work also brings them into contact with some wealthy and powerful women. Knowledge is power, and unfortunately Vivian is not above using blackmail when it can give her a better life. Her best friend, Bea, is a black waitress at The Nightingale, and Danny the Chinese bartender is also a good friend. She'd like to trust Leo, but who is he exactly? I enjoyed spending time with these characters, in a setting where they can be somewhat free of life's prejudices.
Description: New York, 1924. Vivian Kelly's days are filled with drudgery, from the tenement lodging she shares with her sister to the dress shop where she sews for hours every day. But at night, she escapes to The Nightingale, an underground dance hall where illegal liquor flows and the band plays the Charleston with reckless excitement. At The Nightingale, Vivian forgets the dangers of Prohibition-era New York and finds a place that feels like home. But then she discovers a body behind the club, and those dangers come knocking. Caught in a police raid at the Nightingale, Vivian discovers that the dead man wasn't the nameless bootlegger he first appeared. With too many people assuming she knows more about the crime than she does, Vivian finds herself caught between the dangers of the New York's underground and the world of the city's wealthy and careless, where money can hide any sin and the lives of the poor are considered disposable.
Cumulative pages: 20,124
November plansOh my gosh, November already! Where does the time go?
October was a great month! I read an astonishing 10 books, although admittedly several were quite short. I need 12 more books for my Pyramid challenge. I'm saving Cats and Chocolate for December.
Need 4 Chronicles titles:
Hounded (Iron Druid Chronicles) - currently reading
READ Outlaw (Outlaw Chronicles) - next up
Need 4 City/Country titles:
City of Masks - currently reading
Next up, not sure yet, but perhaps
READ The Bellbird River Country Choir or
An Irish Country Doctor
Need 1 each for Canada/Cotswolds, etc. and Clubs/Cafes, and I can fill both with
Death at the Village Chess Club - I also still need this one for the RTT August prompt...
Need 1 for Corgis and I'm currently reading:
READ Case of the Fleet-Footed Mummy
For bookclubs, I have two coming up:
Catfish and Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Voyage Through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam for Perspectives
READ The House of Water: a captivating and addictive domestic thriller with an unforgettable twist for Red Dragons
For Reading Through Time for November (The High Seas), I have
READ The Tenth Gift
For non-essentials, I'd still like to read
BlueBuried Muffins (also counts as Clubs/Cafes)
A Cornish Recipe for Murder (also counts as a C location - Cornwall)
Oh, and I have checked out from the library
Daughters of the Deer (also a C location - Canada)
Laurel wrote: "Hounded (Iron Druid Chronicles) - currently readingDeath at the Village Chess Club
Daughters of the Deer
Love how you're already organized for November. The three above look interesting and have added them on to my list. Happy reading!
November log:Finished:
Wicked Autumn - finished Nov 1
Case of the Fleet-Footed Mummy - finished Nov 4
The Rise of Robin Hood - finished Nov 6
Outlaw - finished Nov 10
Death Overdue - finished Nov 17
Cat's Café - finished Nov 18
Mozart's Sister - finished Nov 22
The Grimoire of the Lamb - finished Nov 24
Clan Rathskeller - finished Nov 25
Kaibab Unbound - finished Nov 26
Currently reading:
Hounded - restarted Nov 26
Korgi: The Complete Tale - started Nov 6
The Tenth Gift - started Nov 16
City of Masks - restarted Nov 18
A Cornish Recipe for Murder - started Nov 19
The House of Water: a captivating and addictive domestic thriller with an unforgettable twist - started Nov 23
Long-term projects:
Selections From Straeon Y Pentan - translating with my Welsh Reading Group, Sep through Dec
...And Ladies of the Club - Oct through Dec
Next up:
Death at the Village Chess Club -
The Forgotten Home Child - Audible
BlueBuried Muffins - Kindle
Daughters of the Deer - library book
The Bellbird River Country Choir
Still might read:
Vivaldi's Virgins - checked out on Libby
The Conquest - Kindle
Daughters of the Witching Hill - Audible
The Queen's Gambit - Kindle
Isaiah's Daughter - Libby
New Acquisitions:
The Wondrous Life and Loves of Nella Carter - Amazon First Reads pick
The Tenth Gift - Audible credit
#74
Wicked Autumn3 green stars.
An okay start to the series. The author goes into quite a lot of background on all the characters. Naturally, you don't want any of them to turn out to be the killer... Our vicar is a former MI5 agent, and we got some backstory, but it kind of fell flat. None of it really had much to do with the story, which on the whole describes a sleepy kind of English village with some very quirky characters, and the writing style is kind of borderline silly. I like humor, but at times I felt the author wanted this to be a little more serious and it just didn't quite get there. It still could, and we do have a pretty solid foundation on the village characters. I liked Awena very much, and hope she might become more than a friend for the vicar. The ending seemed both rushed and too drawn out, if that makes sense. I would read more, but I wasn't enamored of it. I'm not sure humor is the way to go. I just think it needs a little more weight.
Description: Max Tudor has adapted well to his post as vicar of St. Edwold’s in the idyllic village of Nether Monkslip. The quiet village seems the perfect home for Max, who has fled a harrowing past as an MI5 agent. Now he has found a measure of peace among urban escapees and yoga practitioners, artists and crafters and New Agers. But this new-found serenity is quickly shattered when the highly vocal and unpopular president of the Women’s Institute turns up dead at the Harvest Fayre. The death looks like an accident, but Max’s training as a former agent kicks in, and before long he suspects foul play. Max has ministered to the community long enough to be familiar with the tangled alliances and animosities among the residents, but this tragedy surprises and confounds him. It is impossible to believe anyone in his lovely village capable of the crime, and yet given the victim, he must acknowledge that almost everyone had probably fantasized about killing Wanda Batton-Smythe. As the investigation unfolds, Max becomes more intricately involved. Memories he’d rather not revisit are stirred, evoking the demons from the past which led him to Nether Monkslip.
Cumulative pages: 20,421
#75
Case of the Fleet-Footed Mummy4 red stars
This was fun. The corgis are adorable, of course. And the plotting was complex enough to keep me guessing. The high school sub-plot was clever. The corn maze and the Halloween vibe was fun. And things are looking good with Zack's relationship with Jillian. I like that the dog Sherlock has the ability to sniff out clues, but the corgi-ex-machina ending was a bit too trite. Barely any mention of the wine-business that was the focus of the first book. The author admits he was rushed writing this, to try and get it published before Halloween, and it shows. But I did say it was fun!
Description: When a traveling Egyptian exhibit stops in picturesque Pomme Valley, all hell breaks loose after a valuable artifact is stolen and a dead body turns up in an unexpected location. The prime suspect has already been identified but there’s a catch: he’s over 3,000 years old. Zack, along with corgis Sherlock and Watson, comes to the aid of Detective Vance Samuelson. Can the unlikely trio help solve the case before Samuelson's wife is implicated in the theft? Are there any truths to the reported sightings of a mummy wandering aimlessly through town? Was the mummy responsible for the theft, as many have chosen to believe? Pomme Valley’s newest crime-fighting crusaders are on the case with Sherlock, new pack mate Watson, and their reluctant human, Zack. Can they solve the murder and locate the missing loot before any more misfortune can befall the town?
Cumulative pages: 20,690
#76
The Rise of Robin Hood2 yellow stars
A very short story and a teaser for the Outlaw Chronicles. The writing is great - vivid descriptions, maybe too vivid when it comes to battle scenes. Unless you're a series completist, like me, though, I would skip this one. It's so short and doesn't really add anything to the overall series. Well, I did like the Welsh archers... Little punk got lucky.
Description: Two desperate young men undertake their first robbery in the tangled depths of a medieval forest. The first is a cut-throat charmer named Robert Odo; the second a gigantic, battle-hardened warrior called John. But, as the novice thieves quickly discover, they are not the only outlaws in Sherwood.
Cumulative pages: 20,722
#77
Outlaw4 red stars.
This is the legend of Robin Hood, set in the late 12th century during the end of the reign of Henry II. All the familiar characters are here: Little John, Friar Tuck, Will Scarlett, the sheriff of Nottingham (although that position historically didn't exist at this time), and Marie-Anne. The tale is told by Alan Dale, both a warrior and a musician, as he looks back over his life. His loyalty and love for Robin are clear, but this is a very complex Robin Hood. He is quite brutal in meting out his revenge towards his enemies, but also a gifted leader and strategist, and a lover of music and learning - one doesn't really know whether to love or hate him. The 12th century was a brutal time, and the author doesn't shy away from depicting it quite vividly.
Description: When he's caught stealing, young Alan Dale is forced to leave his family and go to live with a notorious band of outlaws in Sherwood Forest. Their leader is the infamous Robin Hood. A tough, bloodthirsty warrior, Robin is more feared than any man in the county. And he becomes a mentor for Alan; with his fellow outlaws, Robin teaches Alan how to fight - and how to win. But Robin is a ruthless man - and although he is Alan's protector, if Alan displeases him, he could also just as easily become his murderer...From bloody battles to riotous feast days to marauding packs of wolves, Outlaw is a gripping, action-packed historical thriller that delves deep into the fascinating legend of Robin Hood.
Cumulative pages: 21,087
#78
Death Overdue2.5 yellow stars
I picked this up around Halloween, being smitten by the cover - and the library setting, Connecticut (where I was born), a cat on the cover, and the presence of a ghost. But it just didn't deliver for me. I found the characters mostly uninteresting. We basically live in Carrie's head. She seems quite immature at first, then lands the job of her dreams in her home town - not to mention the house of her dreams. If you enjoy the tedious detail of a minute by minute account of getting dressed, preparing meals, "then I went and got the mail..." etc. then this might be for you. The ghost was fun, but I wanted her to have more of a presence, and be a little more integral in solving the murders. And then there are the obligatory romantic interests. Just no. I think I'm too old for that kind of angst in the characters. The cat didn't show up until 75% into the book, endeared himself to the library and patrons, and otherwise was another non-entity. Didn't figure into the mystery at all. The most fascinating aspect for me in reading this was pondering how in the world (and on what planet) can this small town library put on the kind of programming that they do? That is the real mystery here! Evelyn, the ghost has potential. Maybe a future book will explore how (and why) she died in the library parking lot. I also liked Dylan, the landlord of the dream house - there's a bit of mystery there, too. So there is some potential here.
Description: Carrie Singleton is just about done with Clover Ridge, Connecticut until she is offered a job as the head of programs and events at the spooky local library, complete with its own librarian ghost. Her first major event is a program presented by a retired homicide detective, Al Buckley, who claims he knows who murdered Laura Foster, a much-loved part-time library aide who was bludgeoned to death 15 years earlier. As he invites members of the audience to share stories about Laura, he suddenly keels over and dies. The medical examiner reveals that poison is what did him in, and Carrie feels responsible for having gone forward with the program despite pushback from her director. Driven by guilt, Carrie is determined to discover who murdered the detective, convinced it's the same man who killed Laura all those years ago. Luckily for Carrie, she has a friendly, knowledgeable ghost by her side. But as she questions the shadows surrounding Laura's case, disturbing secrets come to light, and with each step Carrie takes, she gets closer to ending up like Al.
Cumulative pages: 21,416
#79
Cat's Café4 red stars.
Warm and fuzzy, rather than laugh out loud comic strip. It speaks to the wounded soul in all of us. We all get by with a little help from our friends. And you are okay just the way you are. Nice to dip into, whether you need a bit of gentle self-care or not.
Description: Welcome to Cat’s Café, a neighborhood coffee shop where all are welcome! There's Penguin, who has a bit of a coffee problem; Rabbit, whose anxiety sometimes overwhelms him; Axolotl, whose confidence inspires his friends; the always-supportive Cat, who provides hot drinks made with love and a supportive ear for anyone's troubles; and many, many more. With a sensitive take on real issues and a gentle, positive outlook, Cat’s Café is about the power of acceptance, friendship, and love ... and delicious cups of coffee.
Cumulative pages: 21,584
Mid-November update:Perspectives met tonight, and we decided to not meet in December and postpone that book I Cheerfully Refuse until January. I've only read about 40 pages of Catfish and Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Voyage Through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam so I think I will let it go for now. It'll stay on my TBR, but it's not a high priority now, since the discussion has come and gone. I'd rather focus on my pyramid goals and maybe add in a few "just for fun" books to finish the year. Yay!
#80
Mozart's Sister4 red stars.
This was really good. I can't quite give it 5 stars, since it took me four months to read it! But, to be fair there were many other books and deadlines competing for my attention. I did think it dragged a bit in the middle, when Nannerl was so wrapped up in depression and anger. But her childhood with Wolfgang was fun, and the last section was good, when Nannerl finally finds some happiness for herself. Indeed, I thought the last part was all too short. I would love to have read more about her marriage to the Baron, her children, and her life after the death of Wolfgang. But what we had was a fascinating imagining of the life of a woman forced to be totally subservient to her father and her brother, her own enormous talent quite squashed. She internalized her feelings to the point of illness. I really enjoyed the part about Ebony the horse. Caring for it gave her a purpose and a reason to want to live again. The Baron with his awful poetry was quite comical. I loved the relationship between them, and sorry it took Nannerl so long to appreciate both his humor and his dedication. If anything, Ms. Charbonnier really shines with her characters. They all came to life - Wolfgang as an impertinent boy, his long-suffering mother, even the servants are well fleshed out. I wouldn't mind coming back to this sometime and reading it again. At the very least it makes me want to read more about Mozart and his sister.
Maria Anna Walburga Ignatia Mozart, affectionately called Nannerl by her family, could play the piano with an otherworldly skill from the time she was a child, when her tiny hands seemed too small to encompass a fifth. At the tender age of five, she gave her first public performance, amazing the assembled gentlemen and ladies with the beautiful music she created. But her moment of glory was cut short, for even as her father carried her around to receive their praise, her mother began laboring to bring a second child into the world. After hours of her mother’s pained cries and agonized shouts, which rang in Nannerl’s ears like a terrifying symphony, the child was born. They named him Wolfgang. Nannerl loved him instantly. As they grew, Wolfgang and his sister became inseparable, creating a fantasy world together and playing music the likes of which no one had ever heard. They were two sides of a single person, opposite in temperament—he lighthearted and charismatic, she shy and retiring—but equal in talent. Yet it was Wolfgang who carried their father’s dreams of glory. And as the siblings matured, Nannerl’s prodigious talent was brushed aside by her father. Instead of playing alongside her brother in the world’s great cities, she was forced to stop performing and become a provincial piano teacher to support Wolfgang’s career. Nannerl might have accepted this life in her brother’s shadow but for the appearance of a potential suitor who reawakened her passion for life, for love, for music—and who threatened to upset the delicate balance that kept the Mozart family in harmony. Mozart's Sister draws you into the lush palaces and salons of eighteenth-century Europe and into the fascinating life of a woman who ultimately found a way to express her own genius.
Cumulative pages: 21,920
Thanksgiving week update:As I turn my attention back to Hounded, book #1 in the Iron Druid Chronicles, I realize that it comes with two short stories included. It turns out that these are both prequels, but there is another prequel short story that is published with book #2 Hexed. I always like to read a series in chronological order whatever the publication order is.
So I have interrupted Hounded in order to read
READ The Grimoire of the Lamb - book 0.4
READ Clan Rathskeller - book 0.5 and
READ Kaibab Unbound - book 0.6
These are all also published as separate ebooks, so then the question is - do I review them separately, or with the book they are published in? It really only matters in terms of my annual page-count challenge which I track along with the number of books. Since I've already met my book challenge for the year I don't care about that total so much, but if a short story is included in the page count of a novel, and I have also listed it separately, then it skews my page count because it is counted twice by Goodreads in my page count totals.
I'm not likely to actually get Hexed read this year, so I suppose I will list that short story separately since I am reading it out of publication order. I'll include the next two stories in my review of Hounded, but for the monthly log that I track here, I will list them separately, if that makes sense. Anyway, this is of no actual interest to anyone (but me) reading this, so let me just wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and/or a happy last week of November!
#81
The Grimoire of the Lamb3 green stars.
This short story was probably meant to be a snack for the Iron Druid fans waiting for the next book. I have dipped into Hounded, the first book published in the series, but this story comes first chronologically so I set it aside to read this first. As it turns out, there are two other short stories that precede the novel. And I suppose there could be more as the author continues to write them. But as a "prequel" this left a lot to be desired in that it tells nothing about the character and how he got to be where he is. But as a sample of the author's writing, it is fine. There is plenty of action, there is humor, there is snark, and there are various gods, immortals, wizards, talking dogs, and a host of attacking cats. Enough to go on to decide if you want to read the rest of the series (and I do.) But I suspect that those who are already familiar with the series, might get more out of it. Well, I can always read it again later.
Description: When he’s not vanquishing villainous gods or dodging demons, two-thousand-year-old Druid Atticus O’Sullivan can be found behind the counter of Third Eye Books and Herbs in modern-day Tempe, Arizona, literally minding his own business. But when an evil sorcerer—and amateur shoplifter—snatches an ancient Egyptian tome of black magic, The Grimoire of the Lamb, Atticus is not sheepish about pursuing him to the ends of the earth . . . or at least to the Land of the Pharaohs. Unfortunately, Atticus already has enemies in Egypt—including cat goddess Bast, who wants her own book of mischief back from the Druid. In the streets of Cairo, she sends a feline phalanx after Atticus and his Irish wolfhound, Oberon. With fur still flying, Atticus must locate the sorcerer’s secret lair—where he will face killer crocodiles, spooky sarcophagi, and an ancient evil Egyptian who’s determined to order the sacrificial lamb special tonight.
Cumulative pages: 21,984
#82
Clan Rathskeller4 red stars.
A short story, published with the latest edition of Hounded, book #1 in the Iron Druid Chronicles. This one actually does sort of function as a prequel. We meet Atticus, a 2000-year-old "druid," the last of his kind, and his faithful wolfhound Oberon. Because of a binding spell, Atticus and Oberon can communicate telepathically and their conversations are usually pretty funny. We learn that Atticus is sort of in hiding from the Tuatha de Danaan and various Celtic dieties, in Tempe, Arizona where he runs an antiquarian bookstore and tries to minimize his use of magic in order to avoid detection. So we get a bit of backstory - not a lot, but enough - and some explanation of the sorts of magic he can use - binding spells, "night vision," super strength, warding spells, etc. We also learn about some of the other magical beings that are part of the Iron Druid world - gnomes, fairies, gods, and demi-gods. This takes place around Christmas-time about 10 months before Hounded.
#83
Kaibab Unbound4 red stars.
The second of the short stories included with Hounded. This one takes place about two weeks before that book. This one shows us just what Atticus is meant to do - keep the natural world in balance. When three modern day witches (though they may be older than we think, like Atticus is) manage to create a spell in the Kaibab Forest that traps an elemental to be used for their own power, Atticus is summoned to help free it.
And now I think I shall restart Hounded since I wasn't that far into it, but I read the beginning some time ago.
Laurel wrote: "#79 Cat's Café4 red stars.
Warm and fuzzy, rather than laugh out loud comic strip. It speaks to the wounded soul in all of us. We all get by with a little help from our friends..."
I've been looking for a graphic novel to get started with . . . perhaps this would be a good one for me.
Karol wrote: "Laurel wrote: "#79 Cat's Café4 red stars.
Warm and fuzzy, rather than laugh out loud comic strip. It speaks to the wounded soul in all of us. We al..."
Well, it's not a graphic novel, just a collection of comic strips.
December plans:Well, we are coming down to the wire, but I don't have much left in the way of must read goals. There are no book club reads for December - well except for the Reading Loft, but those are optional. I think I have spent this first year of retirement learning how to let go of obligations. I've already combined categories to restructure my Pyramid Goals, and at this point I'm ready to say I'll count any remaining goals as long as I START the book in December.
For the Reading Through Time prompts, I still need
Death at the Village Chess Club for August and
The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. for the 4th quarter, and it will also work for December.
I need one more book for Chocolate, and that will be
The Chocolate Cat Caper
For City/Country/Cottage I am currently reading
City of Masks
Then I'll need 3 more:
READ The Bellbird River Country Choir
The Cat of Yule Cottage and maybe
An Irish Country Doctor
No longer required, but still want to read (these may be carried over to 2026 as "Leftovers:"
The Solitary Sparrow (Chronicles)
The Winter King (Chronicles)
The Forgotten Home Child (Canada)
Daughters of the Deer (Canada)
Vivaldi's Virgins (Composers)
That leaves the fun Christmas reads - definitely not required, but these are the ones I want to read:
Christmas with the Queen
Death at the Village Christmas Fair
Case of the Holiday Hijinks
Christmas at Corgi Cove
More (mostly cat) books that I still want to read:
Cats' Eyes
Pangur Ban
BlueBuried Muffins
Purrs and Peril
The Dalai Lama's Cat
One Cat For the Road
Chocolate House Treason
Series started this year that I want to continue:
Home (Gilead #2)
By Love Divided (Lydiard Chronicles #2)
Murder Always Barks Twice (Chatty Corgi Mystery #2)
The Last Drop of Hemlock (Nightingale Mysteries #2)
And, as long as I'm in a planning mood, books I purchased in 2025 that I'd like to read sooner rather than later:
Complicit
A Hunting in Venice: Hercule Purr-row Case Files
Introducing the Medieval Dragon
The Iliad - Wilson translation
The Odyssey - Wilson translation
Named of the Dragon
Okay, that's enough!
December log:Finished:
The Tenth Gift - finished Dec 6
Korgi: The Complete Tale - finished Dec 9
The House of Water - finished Dec 12
Swan for the Money - finished Dec 13
Selections From Straeon Y Pentan - translating with my Welsh Reading Group, finished Dec 18
The Bellbird River Country Choir - finished Dec 20
Currently reading:
Hounded - restarted Nov 26
City of Masks - restarted Nov 18
A Cornish Recipe for Murder - started Nov 19
Friends, Lovers, Chocolate - started Dec 21
Long-term projects:
...And Ladies of the Club - Oct through Dec
Next up:
Death at the Village Chess Club
The Chocolate Cat Caper
An Irish Country Doctor
The Cat of Yule Cottage
The Winter King - Libby hold
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart - Libby
Still might read:
The Forgotten Home Child - Audible
BlueBuried Muffins - Kindle
Daughters of the Deer - library book
Vivaldi's Virgins - checked out on Libby
The Conquest - Kindle
Daughters of the Witching Hill - Audible
The Queen's Gambit - Kindle
Isaiah's Daughter - Libby
New Acquisitions:
The Bellbird River Country Choir - Audible purchase $3.13
The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. - Audible credit
Laurel wrote: "Karol wrote: "Laurel wrote: "#79 Cat's Café4 red stars.
Well, it's not a graphic novel, just a collection of comic strips.
."
Ahhh, thanks for the helpful clarification. I missed that somehow . . . still seems like a fun book to take a look at.
#84
The Tenth Gift4 red stars.
Lots of rich details and the 1625 story is fascinating. I didn't know about the raids on Cornwall that early. Also I loved all the details about Morocco and the culture. The dual timeline was okay, but I felt it weakened the story of Catherine Ann Treganna. In fact, I could have done without Julia's story altogether. It was woefully undeveloped and a bit unbelievable. The romance aspect was really played down. Even her conflict with her ex-lover fell a bit flat. Michael trying to get the book back, including ransacking her hotel room, just didn't have enough of a sinister aspect. Perhaps if this had focused more on being a thriller it might have been more successful. There was also a hint of something supernatural, but that wasn't really followed through either. I expected the characters to discover a genetic connection. Maybe there was one, but it wasn't brought out strongly enough. Really, this should have just been straight historical fiction and focused on Catherine and her story, and expanding on the role of Robert Bolitho in attempting to rescue her. Because that really was the heart of the story. Except for the existence of the book and Julia's search to find out if Catherine's story was real or not, there wasn't enough to connect the two story lines.
Description: In an expensive London restaurant, Julia Lovat receives a gift that will change her life. At first glance it is a book of exquisite seventeenth-century embroidery patterns belonging to a woman named Catherine Ann Tregenna. Yet in its margins are the faintest diary entries; they reveal that “Cat” and others were stolen from their Cornish church in 1625 by Muslim pirates and taken on a brutal voyage to Morocco to be auctioned off as slaves. Captivated by this dramatic discovery, Julia sets off to North Africa to determine the authenticity of the book and to uncover more of Cat’s mesmerizing story. There, in the company of a charismatic Moroccan guide, amid the sultry heat, the spice markets, and exotic ruins, Julia will discover buried secrets. And in Morocco—just as Cat did before her—she will lose her heart.
Cumulative pages: 22,404
#85
Korgi: The Complete Tale3.5 pink stars.
Cute corgis, but despite the fact that this is told all in pictures with no words, it is not suitable for young children. The aliens and monsters depicted are quite creepy. A very imaginative magical world with "korgis," elves, fairies, a magical wizard/toad, alien creatures, robots, and an undead unicorn. The short stories would be okay for young children, I think, but not some of the graphic novels. Some of the stories were a little hard to follow, although I got the jist of it. The little biographies at the end of the novels helped, and would have been more helpful up front than at the end. I did like the last tale which connects the world of 12th century medieval Wales to the magical korgi realm. Anyway, a bit of fun even if it got a little too gruesome at times.
Description: When day breaks in their woodland village, Ivy and her corgi pup, Sprout, have no idea that they’ll soon be swept up in an astonishing adventure! Soon they’ll journey across land, sea, and air, from past to present and beyond, to learn more about themselves, escape the forces of evil, and uncover the ancient mysteries behind their magical world. The sumptuously detailed pen-and-ink drawings of former Disney animator Christian Slade make every page a joy to behold, using the power of “silent comics” to bring every moment wordlessly to life for readers of all ages.
Includes all five Korgi graphic novels but also every bonus short story previously exclusive to comic books.
Cumulative pages: 22,988
#86
The House of Water4.5 blue stars
This book defies description a bit. Can we call it a literary, cultural, domestic, psychological mystery? It isn't really a thriller - it is too slow-moving, maybe like a river slowly rising and threatening to inundate everything you know. And that is kind of exactly what this is all about. The book is deeply imbued in Welsh culture, language, and history. Certainly some knowledge of Tryweryn would be helpful for the reader. The writing is also deeply philosophical. About death and dying, about nature vs. nurture, about what it means to be connected to a family, and a place, and then to have all of that taken away. The mystery wasn't terribly surprising. (view spoiler) So it wasn't the what of the story being told, so much as it was the slow peeling back of the why. A book that I will be thinking about long after reading it. And I want to read more by this author, either in English or in Welsh...
Description: Iona Griffri returns home one evening to find her family murdered and her father, Eurov, missing. Her family home is entirely submerged in water, and a strange, unnamed girl lies dead in her bed. As the police declare her father the main suspect, Iona is forced to confront how much she really knew about the man who raised her. Could he have been capable of such a crime? And who is the mysterious girl left behind? With the help of the morgue attendant looking after her family''s bodies, Iona goes on a journey to uncover the truth behind those final weeks of her family''s life. Hidden in the fragments of her father''s final manuscript, recovered from the flood, an unimaginable secret slowly rises to the surface. A terrible sin finally revealed...
Cumulative pages: 23,274
#87
Swan for the Money4 red stars.
Fun as usual, and quite a bit "tamer" than some of her other books. This all revolves around the hobby of growing and showing roses, and trying to develop that elusive truly black rose. Meanwhile, we have a wealthy, but eccentric, neighbor - everything about her and her farm (including the animals) is all white and black, with maybe some gray here and there. There are also the usual exotic animals: black swans, belted Galloway cattle, "vampire" horses (they can't be allowed outside during the day as the sun dilutes their black coloring), and fainting goats. The question of who was the murderer was too easily guessed, nevertheless I love spending time with Meg and her family and was up until 4 am finishing the book.
Description: Meg Langslow’s eccentric parents have a new hobby: growing roses and entering them in highly competitive shows. Dad’s gardening skill and Mother’s gift for selecting and arranging the blossoms should make them an unbeatable team---and Meg is relieved they’ve taken up such a safe, gentle hobby. She even volunteers to help when the Caerphilly Garden Club sponsors its first annual rose show. But after a few hours of dealing with her parents’ competitors, Meg is worried. Rose growers are so eccentric that they make Meg’s family seem almost normal, and so competitive that they will do nearly anything to take home the show’s grand prize---making them prime suspects when Meg discovers that someone is attempting to kill the wealthy woman on whose estate the competition is being held. Of course, the intended victim had other enemies---her treatment of her farm animals had aroused the interest of several animal welfare activists, including Meg’s zoologist grandfather. Meg tries to leave the detecting to the local police and focus on protecting her parents’ chances to win the coveted Black Swan trophy, but she soon finds herself compelled to solve the crime before any more rose growers die.
Cumulative pages: 23,580
Mid-December update:I've been a bit lackadaisical this month and not focusing on finishing goals, but I think I can still do it! With a little tweaking of the lists... no, it's not cheating exactly.... but I realized I could count The Tasha Tudor Family Cookbook: Heirloom Recipes and Warm Memories from Corgi Cottage which I read in July as one of my City/Country/Cottage titles, so that means I only need 3 and I'm currently reading 2 of them. Also, for chocolate, the book I was planning on reading has a short story prequel, so of course I have to read that first - and it's only 19 pages!
So here's what I need to finish:
3 more city/country/cottage...
City of Masks - currently reading
READ The Bellbird River Country Choir - currently listening
The Cat of Yule Cottage - only 208 pages. I can read it in one day if I have to...
1 more chocolate...
The Chocolate Kidnapping Clue - prequel to The Chocolate Cat Caper. Short story is including in Crime de Cocoa which I have just put on hold at the local library.
1 more chronicles...
Hounded - currently reading
a "chess" book yet to read for the August RTT prompt...
Death at the Village Chess Club - next up as soon as I finish Hounded. I also need one more book for Cornwall/Cotswolds/Canada and it is set in the Cotswolds.
Finally, I need a book for the 4th quarter RTT prompt...
The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. and since this also fits the 1st quarter 2026 prompt, and one of my 2026 themes, I will carry this over into 2026. I will still count it for the 4th quarter as long as I get it started before the end of the year. NOT cheating! Laurel's Rules...
So that is 6 items to finish, and 1 to start and carry over. 3 are in progress, and of the remaining 3, 1 is a very short story. I can do this!!
#88
Selections From Straeon Y Pentan5 blue stars.
See message #151 for my review of the English translation of Straeon y Pentan.
This is a reproduction of a book published in 1910. It contains seven of the short stories in Daniel Owen's Straeon y Pentan. It was intended to be a reader for students of the Welsh language, and that is exactly how I have used it with my Welsh language students. The stories are annotated with notes on the grammar and idioms, and there is a very useful glossary as well as an extensive grammar section with tables of the substantive verb, auxiliary and irregular verbs, and verb-noun paradigms. We will continue on with more of Daniel Owen's stories, but this provided an excellent introduction and jumping off point.
Cumulative pages: 23,674
#89
The Bellbird River Country Choir3.5 pink stars
This isn't a story about a choir, although music is part of it. It is about 5 very different women who come to be part of the choir, each with different problems, looking for a way to make things work in their lives and find a way to move forward, whether it's a cheating husband, trying to re-establish a relationship with one's children after being in prison, an opera singer dealing with the grief of vocal damage, a single mother whose child is utterly miserable after moving to this small town and is being bullied, or dealing with an abusive (and married) boyfriend. Each of them finds friendship and support within the choir, and maybe nothing much changes except the way they think about things and deal with things and stand up for themselves. Typical feel-good chick lit, not very memorable, but I enjoyed escaping into it for a little while.
Description: Bellbird River, 1998: Teacher and single mum Alex is newly arrived in the small NSW country town of Bellbird River after escaping the city in search of a change of pace and the chance to reconnect with her young daughter. Across town, well-known matriarch Victoria and her globe-trotting, opera-singing cousin Gabrielle find themselves at a crossroads in their personal and professional lives, while local baker Janine and newcomer to the district Debbie are each secretly dealing with the consequences of painful pasts. With its dusty streets, lone pub and iron-lace verandahs, Bellbird River could just be a pit stop on the road to somewhere else. But their town holds some secrets and surprises - and it has a heart: the Bellbird River Country Choir. Amid the melodies and camaraderie of the choir, each of the women will find the courage to leave the past behind. And together, they'll discover that friends are much closer to home than they'd ever realised.
Cumulative pages: 24,106
Needed another audiobook, and nothing on my must read list is audio. I have holds I am waiting for on Libby, but needed something to start right away. I could have picked one that I own but no longer need to read THIS MONTH, like The Forgotten Home Child or An Irish Country Doctor and I will get to those. I wanted to get one of my "chocolate" selections on audio and they weren't available. Then I realized there WAS one I could get right away on Libby - the next in the Isobel Dalhousie seriesFriends, Lovers, Chocolate
It's not terribly long - about 8 hours. Maybe I won't need that other short story after all, but the hold came in and I'll still read it. So I started this yesterday. I think I am enjoying it a little more than the first book. We'll see if Isobel's meddling gets on my nerves this time. The book is narrated by Davina Porter, so it is very pleasant to listen to on my drives to town and back.
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An Irish Country Doctor (other topics)Friends, Lovers, Chocolate (other topics)
The Forgotten Home Child (other topics)
The Bellbird River Country Choir (other topics)
Friends, Lovers, Chocolate (other topics)
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4.5 blue stars.
Daniel Owen was a Welsh novelist from Mold. He is generally regarded as the foremost Welsh-language novelist of the 19th century and the first significant novelist to write in Welsh. This translation of Straeon y Pentan is excellent, and I am enjoying also working through the stories in Welsh. But for those who don't know the language, this is an important translation and I hope it will be reprinted so that it is available to a wider English audience. I visited Mold 25 years ago, and tributes to Daniel Owen were all over the town. Until now, I had not read any of his work, and I will certainly be reading more. His characters are memorably drawn, and 1890's Flintshire, Wales comes vividly to life.
Description: Populated by a cast of beautiful women, over-zealous preachers, gullible simpletons and the occasional ghost, Daniel Owen's Fireside Tales appear here in English for the first time. This new collection of nineteen short stories showcases the trademark quick wit and good-natured satire for which the author's novels are admired. Often based on popular urban legends of the period, Fireside Tales is full of fascinating, often funny depictions of nineteenth century life in Wales. This book was intended to be read by the fireside on long Victorian evenings; it is sure to bring a welcome warmth to our modern lives.
Cumulative pages: 17,624