Ask and you shall receive. I’ve heard cat lovers speak of “Cat Central,” a mystical agency that assigns cats to their destined homes, often by opaque or circuitous chains of cause and effect. Sometimes I think there’s a version of this for books and authors, bringing a certain volume into your hands at just the …
Review: Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew’d by Alan Bradley Read More »
Honestly, I tried. November – February is its own liturgical season at my house: the Unending Feast of St. Cadbury. We roll straight from Thanksgiving to a birthday, Christmas, two more birthdays, Valentine’s Day and yet another birthday. It’s a lot of parties, a lot of travel, a lot of cleanup, and a lot of chocolate. …
“There is no surer foundation for a beautiful friendship than a mutual taste in literature.” –P.G. Wodehouse Maia Chance and I are going to be very good friends. Don’t worry, I haven’t gone stalkery. But when I opened Teetotaled and saw a P.G. Wodehouse quote as the epigraph, I knew I’d just made two new …
Growing up in my house was a constant refrain of “Tomayto, Tomahto.” Dad liked red wine and oysters. Mom was a teetotaler and hated any seafood but canned tuna (which hardly counts, face it.) My brother built model airplanes and read the entire Dune series (all two dozen). I made up interpretive dances to the …
I began this book eagerly anticipating the arrival of the beloved sleuth, Mr. Campion. However, Miss Allingham weaves her tale so skillfully that by the time I realized he was not going to show up, I didn’t miss him. The novel takes a somewhat unusual point of view – in a typical mystery plot, our …
The Girl in the Plain Brown Wrapper by John D. MacDonald My rating: 3 of 5 stars A quick, enjoyable read. Travis McGee stands smack in the tradition of the likeable hard-boiled gumshoe. A rough and ready, very sympathetic protatonist, MacDonald writes McGee with humor, verve, and an appealing narrative voice. He invests enough emotion …
Review: The Girl in the Plain Brown Wrapper by John D. MacDonald Read More »
After Margery Allingham’s death in 1966, Agatha Christie lauded her fellow writer: How sad it is that there are not more of her stories to which we can look forward. Not only to enjoy on publication, but to read often and often again, enjoying them anew each time. For those who feel the same, [amazon …
Review: The Return of Mr. Campion (Uncollected Stories) Read More »