Familyhistorian's Reads for 2023 - Part 10

Welcome to my thread. My name is Meg. I am a bookaholic. That’s not a rare thing around here and it might be catching as my fellow 75ers and enablers can attest to. There will be talk about books, reading, Wordling and travel in 2023. Come along and see where my reading and travel take me. Should be an interesting ride.

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I write about genealogy and history on my blog. Follow my blog posts as I embark on another year of exploring and writing about my ROOTs (the family kind). You can see my latest blog posts at: A Genealogist’s Path to History

Challenges
Reading Through Time

Quarterly

January-March 2023 – WWI (1914-1918) - The Somme Legacy by M J Lee - DONE
April-June 2023 – 20th Century: Between the Wars (1919-1938) - The Bee's Kiss by Barbara Cleverly - DONE
July-September 2023 – 20th Century: World War 2 (1939-1945) - The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin - DONE
October-December 2023 – Modern History: 1946 – the Present Day

Monthly

January: Our Feathered Friends - The Evening Chorus by Helen Humphreys - DONE
February: Lions, Tigers and Bears, Oh My! - Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie - DONE
March: Notorious Women - Wild Romance: The True Story of a Victorian Scandal by Chloë Schama - DONE
April: April Fool - Son of a Trickster by Edin Robinson - DONE
May: The Big City – Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow
June: The Fabulous Fifties - The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro - DONE
July: Revolutions
August: Migration and Immigration - We Were Strangers Once by Betsy Carter - DONE
September: School Days - Curse of the Blue Tattoo by L.A. Meyer - DONE
October: Traditions
November: Indigenous Peoples
December: Reader’s Choice

2023 Nonfiction Challenge

January: Prizewinners and Nominees
February: Hobbies & Pastimes. Gardening, Genealogy, Travel etc. - Trespassers in Time: Genealogists and Microhistorians by Anne Patterson Rodda - DONE
March: Empires - Condemned: The Transported Men, Women and Children Who Built Britain's Empire by Graham Seal - DONE
April: The Sea/Ocean
May: Literary Biography
June: Indigenous/Aboriginal Peoples/First Nations - Northwest Coast Indians by Mira Bartok - DONE - The Face Pullers: Photographing Native Canadians 1871-1939 by Brock V. Silverside - DONE
July: Explorations and Expeditions
August: The World of the Land, Trees and Plants - Holloway by Robert Macfarlane, Stanley Donwood & Dan Richards - DONE
September: Family Ties - Where are the grown-ups? by Ruth Badley - DONE
October: Crimes, Mysteries, Puzzles, Enigmas
November: Matters of Faith and Philosophy
December: As You Like It

List of books for challenges

Reading Through Time

Quarterly

January-March 2023 – WWI (1914-1918)
April-June 2023 – 20th Century: Between the Wars (1919-1938)
July-September 2023 – 20th Century: World War 2 (1939-1945) - An Unlikely Spy by Rebecca Starford
October-December 2023 – Modern History: 1946 – the Present Day - Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

Monthly

January: Our Feathered Friends - The Evening Chorus by Helen Humphreys
February: Lions, Tigers and Bears, Oh My!
March: Notorious Women - Wild Romance by Chloe Schama
April: April Fool
May: The Big City – Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow - Sweet Thames by Matthew Kneale and/or The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros
June: The Fabulous Fifties - The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro
July: Revolutions
August: Migration and Immigration - We Were Strangers Once by Betsy Carter
September: School Days
October: Traditions
November: Indigenous Peoples
December: Reader’s Choice

2023 Nonfiction challenge

January - prizewinners and nominees - Having it so Good: Britain in the Fifties by Peter Hennessy - 2007 winner of the Orwell prize for political writing
February: Hobbies & Pastimes. Gardening, Genealogy, Travel etc.
March: Empires
April: The Sea/Ocean
May: Literary Biography
June: Indigenous/Aboriginal Peoples/First Nations
July: Explorations and Expeditions
August: The World of the Land, Trees and Plants
September: Family Ties
October: Crimes, Mysteries, Puzzles, Enigmas
November: Matters of Faith and Philosophy
December: As You Like It

Shared Reads

Peter Ackroyd's History of England series, a shared read of the series with Paul.

A History of England: Foundation
Tudors: The History of England from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I
Civil War: Volume III: The History of England this was also published as Rebellion: The History of England from James I to the Glorious Revolution - I own both titles
Revolution: The History of England from the Battle of the Boyne to the Battle of Waterloo
Dominion: The History of England from the Battle of Waterloo to Victoria's Diamond Jubilee
Innovation: The History of England Volume VI

Group Reads

11/22/63 by Stephen King in May with Kim?
East of Eden by John Steinbeck in July with Mark, MDoris, Linda P, Lynda, Paul, Anita

Little Free Library

Books culled in 2023

January - 16

February - 0

March - 6

April - 0

May - 6

June - 10

July - 3

August - 6

October - 6



LT Your Library number starting 2023 - 2944

Books read in September 2023

1. This Side of Murder by Anna Lee Huber
2. Factory Girls by Michelle Gallen
3. Gabriel: Lord of Regrets by Grace Burrowes
4. The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
5. Shameless by Anne Stuart
6. The Sewing Girl’s Tale by John Wood Sweet
7. Delusion in Death by J.D. Robb
8. Murder 101 by Richard Boyer
9. Curse of the Blue Tattoo by L.A. Meyer
10. Where are the grown-ups? by Ruth Badley
11. The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin
12. On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn
13. The Hidden Thread by Liz Trenow

Acquisitions in September 2023

1. Agent Josephine by Damien Lewis
2. Love Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
3. The Main Line is Murder by Donna Huston Murray
4. The Butler by Danielle Steel
5. Livingsky by Anthony Bidulka
6. Nineteen Steps by Millie Bobby Brown
7. The Tarot Journal by Peter Pauper Press

Welcome!

Wow, I'm getting in early and wishing you a happy new thread, Meg! I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving as well.

>13 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy, I haven't really celebrated Thanksgiving yet. Came back from a trip on Sunday with cold/possible Covid (not sure, one test was positive, another was negative). I hope your Thanksgiving was much better than mine!

Happy new thread Meg!

>1 Familyhistorian: Now that's a not-so-little free library!

>14 Familyhistorian: I hope you are feeling better soon, Meg. Not the best Thanksgiving for me either as I had to take my husband into Emergency on Monday. He was transferred to Surrey Memorial Hospital but is feeling much better now so I think they will be releasing him soon.

Happy New Thread, Meg .

>15 quondame: Thanks Susan. I had to take a shot of that LFL as I'd never seen one that size before! That was taken in downtown Boston.

>16 DeltaQueen50: Oh no, Judy. Things aren't going well medically for you both lately. I hope they were able to help what was ailing him.

>17 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deborah!

Happy new one!

Hope you feel better soon

Happy new thread, Meg!

>20 figsfromthistle: Thanks for both wishes, Anita!

>21 katiekrug: Hi Katie, and thank you!

162. Agent Josephine: American Beauty, French Hero, British Spy by Damien Lewis



One of the books I picked up in an airport I was in recently was Agent Josephine. I’ve long been interested in finding out more about the life of Josephine Baker. This book covers her actions in WWII and the actions that she and her associates took to further the cause of the allies at considerable risk to themselves. She was a larger than life character of great charisma and the account was good for what it was but I now want to know more about her life before the war and how she got to be the icon that she became.

I was up before the dawn this morning (not really that impressive since dawn came at 7:27) as I wanted to move my car out of the parking lot for our townhouse complex. All parking is outside and there is only one driveway in and out. A paving company has been retained to fix some of the worst areas and they have dug down to the dirt on a patch into my quadrant and on the driveway as well. Looked to me that my car would be stranded inside the complex soon unless I moved it. Supposedly the paving company would let us know about moving our cars but we all know how that goes. Haven't heard a peep at least verbally.

>23 Familyhistorian: I have been eyeing that one at my local library. Thanks for the input on it, Meg!

Happy new thread!

163. The Blackcat by Martha Grimes



I used to devour the Richard Jury mysteries but then stopped. The Black Cat came with me on my travels because it was a mystery that didn’t take up too much room in my suitcase. It was a decent read and memory of the characters came back quickly. As per the formula, it was a murder mystery related to a pub and, in this case, plotted with a nod to Strangers on a Train. I enjoyed the humour and the puzzle was good but I think the reason I left off reading this series is that nothing major happens with the main characters from story to story.

>26 Familyhistorian: I also used to read all of the Richard Jury mysteries as they came out, but I have not read them in years. I liked the character of Melrose Plant and wished the series had concentrated on him more :)

>25 alcottacre: It seems to be a popular book right now, Stasia. It was prominent in the airports I was in recently and I hit a few of those since the beginning of September.

>28 Familyhistorian: I am not inclined to go back to the series at this point - and I am rarely in airports so I will not be tempted.

>27 alcottacre: I can remember waiting for the next one to come out back in the day but, at some point, I stopped reading them as new and shinier mysteries took their place. There are still a few on my shelves and I even picked one up fairly recently because the title is The Knowledge and I was curious how she would incorporate a cabbie's knowledge of London streets into the mystery.

>29 alcottacre: Okay, but it was the Agent Josephine book that came from the airport. The Jury novel was from my own towering stacks.

>30 Familyhistorian: I think all of my Grimes have been disbursed at this point.

>31 Familyhistorian: Ah, Ok. I misunderstood. Thanks for the clarification.

Rather late to wish you a "happy new one" but nevertheless, I do :) That is indeed a very large "little" free library. Sorry to hear you're not well but hope your symptoms will remain fairly light.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread, Meg!

>1 Familyhistorian: I have never seen such a large Little Free Library, and it looks like it is movable. Thanks for sharing.

Hi Meg - Happy new thread. I love the LFL at the top! Although it's not so little.

I agree that the early Richard Jury books were better, but I thought The Knowledge was pretty good.

>32 alcottacre: I'm glad we cleared that up, Stasia. Enjoy Agent Josephine when you get to it.

>33 RebaRelishesReading: Isn't that a huge Little Free Library, Reba? I just had to take a photo when I saw it in downtown Boston. They grow things bigger there!

>34 drneutron: Thanks Jim!

>35 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita, I've never seen one that size before and, yes, it looked like it was movable.

>36 BLBera: They did seem to peter out towards the end, didn't they. I noticed that The Knowledge was book 24 in the series so the series must have had some legs just not for the more discerning, I guess. Good to know you thought The Knowledge a good read, Beth.

>1 Familyhistorian: I love the idea of "Little Free Libraries" and even more so when they are not that little.

Happy new thread, Meg.

>39 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul. I hope you will be in the land of little free libraries soon!

Happy Friday, Meg. Happy New Thread. I love The Little Free Library topper. There should be one on every corner. 😁

That little free library is huge!

>41 msf59: Thanks Mark, love the LFLs but not everybody does. A lot have been vandalized in our area.

>42 The_Hibernator: I've never seen one that large before, Rachel. Had to take a picture to share on LT.

164. Calculated in Death by J.D. Robb



It was so good to get back to borrowing library books after all my time on the road. I was able to get the next installment in the in death series, Calculated in Death and devoured it almost right away. This one involved an entitled NY business mogul using murder to get ahead in business. The problem was that he cheaped out on the help and it was up to Dallas and the team to put an end to the killing spree while being part of the glitz and glamour of the NY opening of The Icove Agenda. It was another solid entry in the series.

I'm supposed to be working on my novel in progress, there's a deadline to meet, but hey, there's a few days yet so, of course, I'm looking to see what else I can sign myself up for.

So far, it looks like October is going to be madly busy what with SIWC (Surrey International Writers Conference) and the Vancouver Writers Festival happening at the same time. I also want to fit a postponed Thanksgiving dinner in with my son. Also during the time of the overlapping longer events, my real life book club is meeting, I want to go to that as it will be the first one I have been able to attend in a while. Oh, and yeah, I also told my friend I was good to attend at concert with her one of the nights too.

I'm going to try a Book Club meeting at my local library on Monday. I just finished reading Chop Suey Nation and it was pretty boring, to my way of thinking. I honestly wonder what sort of discussion can be had on the topics in the book. Thank goodness it is a lead by a librarian. I'll do my best to try to contribute something positive to the discussion. There are 10 other people, so surely we can fill in the allotted hour. That's really positive, eh Meg?

>46 vancouverdeb: Well, at least a book club at a library will discuss the book, Deborah. That's not always the case with in-person book clubs. I hope that you enjoy the meeting!

165. Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders by Tessa Arlen



I was last in Victoria, BC a couple of years ago. One aim was to visit bookshops in the downtown area. At the time, I was interested in mysteries set in WWII and Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders caught my eye. It was set in a small village which was also the site of a US airbase. There was friction between some of the locals and the newcomers which made Poppy’s job as air warden harder. But things became more fraught when village women started turning up dead. All signs pointed to US involvement especially as all the women had been dating the newcomers. But were they really at fault for the murders? Poppy had her own reasons for not wanting it to be so as she was interested in one of the airmen herself. It was hit and miss before she finally understood who was responsible in this fun mystery which revealed an interesting aspect of WWII life.

Hi Meg. Some interesting books here. I'm eyeing Agent Josephine at post 23. I think I might WL it for now. My TBR mountain is starting to look alarming ob the bedside table-shelf!

I hope you don't have Covid after all the travels. And smart move to park the car where the paving work won't obstruct your access to the main road. We recently had sidewalk repairs contracted by the municipality and had to park a block away.
The contracting company was slow as molasses in January and inconsiderate in obstructing driveways where no repairs were needed. At lest everything is don now. I hope your place is soon finished despite the rains.

>49 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy, Agent Josephine was an interesting one especially if you are into books about WWII. My interest in that conflict was piqued at an early age due to the affect it had on my immediate family.

I took a second test and it was negative so I don't think I had COVID especially as the person I was travelling with had the same symptoms and tested negative twice.

The paving work was over and done in two days - I think they wanted to take advantage of the weather. Replacement of some curbs is also in the contract and I'm not looking forward to that as my parking spot is right next to a curb. The whole job is just a patch up rather than a redo and, unfortunately, my parking spot didn't get touched so I still park in a puddle.

166. No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister



The narrative of No Two Persons was centered around a book and the way it affected people’s lives, from the author, to the agent to the narrator and everyone who used it in any way. It was essentially a series of short stories with the book as a connection but, even though I am not a fan of short stories, I felt it was really well done. Not your average short story collection and thought provoking at the same time.

I have been so busy since I got back from my trip that I haven't posted any pictures. At the beginning of our journey we spend several days in Boston, taking in historical sites.



Like Faneuil Hall



Boston Common including the Frog Pond



And the obligatory pic of Paul Revere's statue

Love the photos. I wouldn't mind going to Boston again ... but it's VERY far so may not happen.

>53 RebaRelishesReading: I understand the feeling of VERY far, Reba. I think it was even further for me but Boston was worth the trip especially as it was just the beginning of our travels.