December 21, 2022 EDGE OF SEVENTEEN

 

Seventeen years. That's how long my book club has been together. Funny thing is though-- we still DON'T have an official name. We've tried a few out BUT THEY DIDN'T STICK. So we are just THE BOOKCLUB.  It seems like yesterday when we had our first meeting. I still remember the book and the place. WOW. Time sure flies when you're having fun. Over the last seventeen years, we've read at least 170 books. That's a lot of books. But it's not just books we've shared. We've shared so much more. Good times and bad--AND we've stuck together and supported each other through it all. We might not always see eye to eye on things BUT that's okay. I count myself lucky to be in the company of such exceptional women. Thanks for everything and remember--WHAT HAPPENS IN BOOK CLUB--STAYS IN BOOK CLUB. Ha. Onto the book review. If you enjoyed Hamnet then you will love  Maggie O'Farrell's new book The Marriage Portrait. This is historical fiction at it best. O'Farrell takes some basic historical facts and weaves an unforgettable story about Renaissance Italy. It is 1550, and Lucrezia De'  Medici finds herself promised to the Duke of Ferrara after her sister dies suddenly on the eve on the wedding. This is a marriage to secure an alliance between Florence and Ferrara and Lucrezia is the pawn. At the tender age of 16, Lucrezia becomes the Duchess of Ferrara and is cast into a court of betrayal and cruelty at the hands of her new husband, Alfonso D' Este. The novel is about the aristocracy, power and their dire need to produce an heir at any cost. Find out what happens to Lucrezia, Alfonso and the other exciting characters in this gripping tale that is hard to put down or forget. It's about 350 pages or a 4 mile run that you will thoroughly enjoy. 

December 1, 2022 CRAZY FOR YOU

 I get a little crazy when it comes to books. Example: I read Kate Atkinson's books Life After Life and Transcription a few years ago. I liked them BUT I didn't love them. I knew she was a good writer SO I didn't give up. I was in South Carolina last summer SWEATING MY ASS OFF and decided to cool off in this great little book store. It was there that I came upon the 25th anniversary edition  of Kate Atkinson's first novel Behind the Scenes at the Museum. And I was hooked. I was all in. Crazy. I'm currently in the middle of a DEEP DIVE. It's Kate Atkinson OR BUST.  Who knew she wrote a detective series that became a TV series in 2011? Me--as I'm currently living in Edinburgh helping Jackson Brodie solve his latest mystery. Did I say CRAZY.  Seriously though--Reading takes me to places I've never been and introduced me to so many memorable characters along the way. It's simply amazing. Atkinson's detective series is currently five books so I'll review the first, Case Histories.  Jackson Brodie is a former policeman working as a private investigator in Edinburgh. He's recently divorced and is the protective father of a daughter named Marlee. As the story unfolds, Brodie gets more then he bargained for as he gets wrapped up in several mysteries that revolve around the Land family. Three year old Olivia's disappearance thirty years earlier, the murder of the husband by the wife years later and the most recent murder of a woman in a law office. Brodie, himself, is a case history, as the reader learns about his past and the demons that haunt his dreams and drive him in his chosen profession. The story is filled with interesting characters, insights, biting humor and twists at every turn.  Winter is coming and this is the perfect series to get you through those cold nights. This novel is about 336 pages that you will thoroughly enjoy. Oh yeah--it's important to read this series in order as many characters return in each novel.