Even if you are in the "glad to be out" group, I'll bet that school or college was an important phase in your life.  One piece of evidence for this is that academia is a perennial setting for fiction.  

My top pick for "academic" fiction would be Lucky Jim by Kingley Amis.  Jim Dixon, a hapless history lecturer at a "redbrick" British university, has hilarious misadventures as he tries to advance his so-called career.  Muriel Spark's The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, known to many through the film with Maggie Smith, portrays a much more gifted teacher and a much darker series of events.  

Mystery writers have found schools to be a rich setting.  Here are some really good ones:  The Chatham School Affair by Thomas Cook; Death in Holy Orders by P. D. James; Well-Schooled in Murder by Elizabeth George. 

I'll have many more wonderful "school stories" at the "Latest and Greatest" book discussion on Thursday, September 18^th at 12:15 p.m. in the Meeting Room of the West Palm Beach Public Library.  I hope to see you there! 

Happy Reading! 

The Book Goddess

CARELESS IN RED
By Elizabeth George
626 pages. Harper. $27.95.

In her previous two novels the mystery writer Elizabeth George has played fast and loose with the genre’s rules, killing off a main character (Helen, the wife of her aristocratic New Scotland Yard detective Thomas Lynley) and then spending a book examining the motivations of her killer (“What Came Before He Shot Her”). “Careless in Red” begins with Lynley deep in mourning, walking alone down the coast of Cornwall. Near a small resort called Casvelyn, he discovers the body of a young man who has fallen to his death while climbing the cliffs. The body turns out to be that of Santo Kerne and, as a procedural demands, there seem to have been a number of people who might want him dead, including, perhaps, the mysterious Daidre Trahair, at whose cottage Lynley winds up after finding the body.

Source : The New York Times

Even if you are a mystery lover, you may not have read Elizabeth George. This is because, while she is an American writer, she writes mysteries in the English style.  American crime fiction tends to be fast-paced, bodies being thrown out a window or otherwise dispatched every other chapter or so. British crime fiction, conversely, tends to have a slower pace, giving much more emphasis on character. You question such a gross generalization, you say? No less a writer than P.D. James has said:

The American crime novel seems to be very much in the hard-boiled tradition that emerged in the aftermath of the First World War - the end of puritanism, the Depression, Prohibition, gangsterism and so on. Your heroes tend to be tough and sensational, reacting very instinctively to danger and absorbing more punishment. Your stories are also generally set in a more violent society. While on the whole the British detective story is gentler, more pastoral. Because it is firmly rooted in the soil of British literary tradition, it shares assumptions that are strong in our literature; for example, the assumption that we live in an intelligible and benevolent universe; the assumption that law and order, peace and tranquillity are the norm; that crime and violence are the aberration; and that the proper preoccupation of man is to bring order out of chaos.

So there.

But back to Elizabeth George. Her latest novel, Careless in Red, is a continuation of the series of detective novels focusing on Sir Thomas Lynley, formerly of Scotland Yard. This is actually a magnificent book to read as a stand-alone way to enter the series, if you've never read the previous novels and don't want to start at the beginning with A Great Deliverance. That's because Lynley is essentially starting anew in this novel. Having recently lost his wife and unborn son to a horrific random murder, he's resigned from Scotland Yard and run away from the violence of his world. Unfortunately, violence continues to follow him and he happens upon a death in the cliffside surfing town of Casvelyn.

Where George excels is her characters. There are no bit players in her novels. Every character having any relevance to the story has a full history and is utterly three-dimensional. Offhand, I can think of at least 12 major characters in this book, all of whom have sections devoted to their points of view. And yet the reader is never for an instant lost or left to wonder whose character is talking or did what to whom. She also describes her setting to the extent that it seems as real as the next room, and describes it in ways that give insight to the characters as well. For instance, when Lynley is first seen walking along the cliffsides, she writes:

A site marked the edge of the high pasture he'd been following and he climbed it and paused, waiting for the landscape to stop swimming in front of him long enough for him to find the descent to what would be yet another cove. He'd lost count of the inlets he'd come upon in his walk along the undulating coast. He had no idea what this one was called, any more than he'd been able to name the others.

This passage not only describes the landscape, but also Lynley's grief-induced exhaustion and apathy.

Elizabeth George deserves to be read. She's one of the very best there is.

By the way, if you want to debate the fine differences between American and British crime fiction, or if you disagree that there are any differences, fire away in the comments. I'll take on all comers.

About 10 years ago I discovered Elizabeth George's first Inspector Lynley novel, A Great Deliverence, while stocking the Mystery & Suspense aisle at the bookstore where I worked the summer after college. Careless in Red is the 14th and most recent in that series. 

The actual murder investigation that drives the plot here takes a back seat to the development and reinvention of Lynley as a character after the life-changing events of the previous novel, With No One As Witness. That's what I enjoy most about these novels: There's a lot more to them than your average mystery. They are, for lack of a better term, "literary."

The Lynley novels are best read in sequence. If you're looking for a good British mystery, start with A Great Deliverence and settle in for a great ride.

   Psalm 1: 1-3 
     Blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsels of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful, But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season: his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doesth shall prosper.

   Everyone knows that passage, but don't skim over it. I found that when I read this the other day and PAID ATTENTION, it was SO rich! Go through it again!

Jeremiah 17: 7&8
  Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful [anxious] in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yeilding fruit.

   I never saw that passage before (that I can remember) and I found it to be such a blessing to me!

Isaiah 58:11
  And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat they bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

   I hope that this has been a blessing to you. It's what I've been learning. (Among other things.) If you like hearing my devotions, then I'll bring more to the blog! Just tell me what your thoughts are! 

   All of these thoughts were inspired by my devotions as I'm going through A Young Woman After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George. This was from chapter two. I've really been enjoying this book and would highly recommend it. One thing to let ya'll know is that she does not use the KJV, so I read my Bible alongside. It's good to read another version, but I like the good ol' KJV best.

If you visit the Masterpiece Theater website you can read more about the series, follow a link to post questions for Elizabeth George (the author of the Inspector Lynley series), or sign up for a chance to win a copy of the new Inspector Lynley mystery Careless in Red.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="81" caption="The Kool-Aid Mom"][/caption]

Q & A with Adrienne Ehlert Bashista, author of Mishka: An Adoption Tale

 

 

 

 

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="108" caption="Mishka: An Adoption Tale"][/caption]

Thank you so much! I'll take the fact that it made you "weepy" as a compliment ;)

Q My first question is, what is the back story for Mishka?

My husband and I adopted our son Jamie from Russia in 2003. When we adopted him there were no books for children adopted from Russia or EE available, and so I decided to write one with a great deal of encouragement from my family, particularly my mother! My first book, When I Met You: A Story of Russian Adoption, came out in 2005. When I Met Yougot a great reception and I am really happy with it, but When I Met You is also more of a concept book - it doesn't tell the actual story of adoption. So I felt like there still needed to be a story about the actual process of adoption from Russia or EE. That's why I wrote Mishka. It took me a long time to figure out the character of Mo, actually, but I'm so glad I did! At first I had the story from the point of view of the parents, but in my (not so humble) opinion, books written about parents are actually written for the parents, not the children. Then I had it from the little boy's perspective, but there wasn't a story there. So once I invented Mo I had a character who could go through the whole process with both the parents and the child.

Q. In your dedication, you wrote your son Jamie is your “Yuri”, and I read in your bio you have an older son Jacob. What made you decide to adopt, and why did you choose to go to Russia for a child?

After we had Jacob I had a series of miscarriages, and the last one was at 22 weeks. I was pretty exhausted from the whole thing and after that last, late miscarriage I finally convinced my husband that we should look into adoption. Up until then he hadn't been very interested, but the miscarriages (and fertility treatments, which did nothing in my case - I got pregnant the months I wasn't taking the drugs) wore us both out. We went to an agency that did domestic adoptions and they suggested we go international - specifically Russia - because of the stress we'd been under from the miscarriages. Russian adoption has changed a lot in recent years, but when we were in the process things were very cut-and-dry: you filled out all the paperwork, applied to the various governments, paid the fees, and then bam - you got your child, quickly. That's how it worked for us. From start to finish Jamie's adoption took 7 months. We'd been told that any other adoption - domestic or international - would take a lot longer. So that's the main reason we chose Russia. Now, I understand, it takes a lot longer and there have been some uncertainties in recent years. We adopted him during an easier time. If we were to adopt again, which I'd love to do, I'm not sure which way we'd go. Part of me is drawn towards Russia, but we have lots of friends who've done foster-to-adopt and it worked out well for them, and in the past several years I've also learned a lot about open adoption, which I think really benefits the child.

Q. Here in Logansport, there is a large group of families who have adopted from China and they all get together once a month to celebrate their children’s heritage and holidays. Do you have that where you live in North Carolina?

We belong to a group called FRUA - Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption (and other countries) - which gets together occasionally, and we also have a playgroup we attend that is made up of children adopted from Russia and EE, but we haven't been in a while. Jamie loves it when we can get together with these kids, but we don't have a super active group like many other places. I would love to do more of this.

Q. Do you do anything to encourage Jamie to remain connected with his heritage?

Primarily, I answer any question Jamie has about anything to do with his adoption as openly and frankly as I think he can handle. But that doesn't really answer the question about "heritage" - more about adoption. As for that - we have lots and lots of books about Russia and we talk about it a lot. He is very interested in the non-fiction books we have and he is quick to pick up on any time Russia is mentioned. We also attend the playgroups, as mentioned, and we've gone to events like the Russian Festival in Amherst, Massachusetts (we live in NC but grandma and grandpa live in western Mass). As he gets older we'll do more of this. He's just turned 6 now and has just started to show interest in the subject.

Q. In Mishka, Yuri is an young child, as opposed to an infant, during the adoption. Was this the same for Jamie, and was this something you chose?

Jamie was a baby when he was adopted, but not an infant. He was 15 months old. You cannot adopt infants from Russia as they're on a national orphan database for 6-8 months after they're placed in the orphanages. Many children are "older" when adopted from Russia or EE, however, as they enter the orphanages as older children or they just aren't adopted when they're babies. There are 600,000 - 700,000 children in orphanages in Russia at any given time and the past couple of years only about 3-4000 have been adopted into the U.S. each year and even fewer are adopted within Russia by Russian people. So there are kids of all different ages available for adoption. If my husband and I adopt again and if we go to Russia we would adopt a slightly older child about the same age as the little boy in the book (except we'd want a girl!). Yuri, by the way, is Jamie's middle name now - it was his given name at birth: Yuri Yurievich.

Q. You also run DRT Press, which is your own micropress, which is expanding to include other authors as well as releasing your first activity book. How are you balancing your time as writer/publisher/mother/wife?

Well, this is a pretty funny question to me because while I was typing this my husband came in and started talking to me about something random...then Jamie came in and started telling me what he wanted for breakfast(even though his dad was in the kitchen and I was in the office) ...as if I was doing nothing sitting here at the computer. I find it really hard to work out of my house, actually, although it helps when the kids are at camp. I also work full-time as a school librarian during the school year, which I started doing a year and a half ago. Before that I worked part-time. I am really hoping that after this year I'll be able to stop (although I love my job and the kids at my school) or at least go part-time, because I am trying to do way too much. My ideal situation would be to have an out-of-the-house office where I did my work. When I came home, I'd be home. But that's at least a year off. I know some people love working out of their house, but I am not one of them. But I'm stuck with it for the time being. I don't make enough to quit my job and I certainly don't make enough to justify renting another space. But I'm trying really hard to get to that point.

Back to your question - how do I balance? I don't think I do. It's more like a see-saw. One day it's all wife/mother stuff, the next it's all work. Once school starts I'm going to have to give up television (not a bad thing to do, but one of my pleasures in life is sacking out on the couch with my husband, watching whatever we'd Tivo'd for the night). One of the great things about my life is that I have family around - my mom moved here right before we had Jacob (my older son) and she's been a great help. My husband is also very hands-on with the kids and he has a pretty flexible work schedule, which is also crucial. If we were both 9-5ers working 12 months/year there'd be no way for me to have this little business on the side. Next year the kids are coming to school with me, too, which will help with our commute (last year we were at 3 different places which was a pain - where I live is fairly rural so my daily commute was a good 45 minutes in the morning and an hour and a half in the afternoon with all the pick-ups at various places).

Q. One thing that especially touched me was the very last page of Mishka. Five percent of DRT Press’s profits is donated to various charities that are close to your heart. Why have you made this choice, and to which charities does the money go? Why these particular charities?

I don't think anyone who's visited a Russian orphanage can come away from it without feeling very strongly about the plight of the children left behind. I wrote this earlier, but between 600,000 and 700,000 children are in the orphanages over there at any given time, and most of them will live their entire childhoods in an institution. I don't want to sensationalize what it's like in the orphanages, nor do I want to condemn what the orphanage workers do over there, but in the majority of the children's homes the conditions are substandard. I'm talking 17 babies to 2 caretakers, no diapers (too expensive), no hugs or kisses or stimulation. I am not saying they don't try or they don't value things that we value in Russia - not at all. But if you were in charge of feeding, changing, and keeping 10 toddler safe and relatively clean that is all you would have time to do. You wouldn't have time to teach them to talk or to walk or any of the things that children are taught in a family. It's all about crowd control. Add to that the fact that the longer children spend in institutions the more developmentally delayed they will become and the harder they will be to take care of - it's an awful picture. Then they turn 16 and if they're lucky, the government helps them a little and finds them a place to stay and a job or some training, but if they're not (which is what I understand happens to the majority), out they go onto the streets.
It wasn't a hard decision at all for me to commit a tiny portion of what little profits I make to helping the kids!

As for how I choose the charities, it's fairly random! I hate to say it, but it's true. Some of the organizations, like EEAC, are specifically for people who are adopting from Russia, but most of them help children directly. Two of my favorites are Ascent Russian Orphan Aid Foundation and ArkAngels for Russian adoption. They are both relatively small organizations that have very specific missions.

My family also has a yearly party/potluck/fundraiser called "Family Day," around the anniversary of Jamie's adoption, where we ask all our guests to contribute to whatever organization we're interested in. One year we asked people to bring a pair of new shoes, which we donated to Buckner's Shoes for Orphan Souls project - I think we had 35 pairs of shoes we sent, and another year we "bought" some sheep for a self-sustaining farming orphanage in Siberia through Ascent Russian Orphan Aid Foundation. This year I'll let my kids pick where they want to give.

Q. Finally, my favorite question for everyone: I’m a big fan of the shortlist. What books are on yours?

This is a HARD question! I am a children's librarian as well as a book lover so it's really tough. For kids books, I have TONs that I love. How about adoption books? The Sea Chest, by Toni Buzzeo, is a picture book I think is just perfect. Another is The Family Book, by Todd Parr. A Mother for Choco, by Keiko Kaska, is another, simple adoption book that any kid could enjoy.

As for other books for kids, someone I work with told me I'm actually a boy because I love lots of books that my 3rd grade boys love, like Captain Underpants or the Septimus Heap series, by Angie Sage, or the Hiccup Horrendous Haddock books by Cressida Cowell, and at school I can talk those books up much better than I can the princess or pony books. But I think it's because I read a lot with Jacob, who's 9, and I also like a story that's funny and fast-paced. I am not against princess or pony books, they're just not what I'm picking up in my spare moments!

Books for grown-ups? Ha! Who has time? When I do get a chance to read for pleasure I like to read mysteries by Elizabeth George and Ruth Rendell and P.D. James, and I also admire Alice Munro quite a bit. I just read Eat, Pray, Love, too, by Elizabeth Gilbert, and loved it - but who didn't, really?

Maggie has a question I never thought of: Was there a "Mishka" in the true story with you and Jamie?

Please let Maggie know that we gave Jamie some toys in between trips, but he didn't have a mishka of

his own. He was actually too little to keep track of toys and in his orphanage they didn't let kids sleep with stuffed animals like they did in Yuri's. In the book, Yuri is probably about 4 or 5, but Jamie was a baby (14 months) when we first met him and he was only a month older when he came home with us. I know that many children *do* get to keep the toys their new parent(s) bring them, because people have written to tell me so, but Jamie didn't.

Also, in the review Maggie said she wished their was a plushie to go with the book - lots of people say that! I think Miranda, the illustrator, did a great job creating Mo. He would make a perfect stuffed animal.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you, Adrienne, for taking time out for this interview.  I'm grateful for the wonderful book both for Maggie and me AND for the one lucky reader to win!

I am giving one SIGNED copy of Adrienne's book, Mishka: An Adoption Tale her at Mt. TBR. Along with you entry on the giveaway post, comment here and at Mishka's review, as well as post the link on your own blog, and you'll get a total of seven entries!

I was also reading in Hebrews 13 today, and this passage stuck out to me in the context of what is written above..."'Make sure that [you are]...content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,' so that we confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid..." verses five and six. And verses 8, 15, and 16; "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever...Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."

I do not know what God has for me in my years of singleness, but I do know it is not to be pining away for the married life; that's definitely not being "content with what you have". Jesus is the same, always and forever, and His Word never changes. He has given me a purpose for this time; He has given me things to do and plans to accomplish; and I should not be shirking them. If you ever struggle with feeling as though God can't possibly live you if you're still single, take a look at these following verses...you'll have to change your mind.
"'Fear not, for you will not be put to shame; and do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced; but you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. For your husband is your Maker, whose name is the LORD of hosts; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, who is called the God of all the earth. For the LORD has called you, like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even like a wife of one's youth when she is rejected,' says your God. 'For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In an outburst of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting lovingkindness I will have compassion on you,' says the LORD your Redeemer. 'O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony, and your foundations I will lay in sapphires. Moreover, I will make your battlements of rubies, and your gates of crystal, and your entire wall of precious stones. All your sons will be taught of the LORD; and the well-being of your sons will be great. In righteousness you will be established; you will be far from oppression, for you will not fear; and from terror, for it will not come near you. If anyone fiercely assails you it will not be from Me. Whoever assails you will fall because of you. Behold, I Myself have created the smith who blows the fire of coals and brings out a weapon for its work; and I have created the destroyer to ruin. No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; and every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me,' declares the LORD." Isaiah 54:4-8, 11-17.

I was also reading in Hebrews 13 today, and this passage stuck out to me in the context of what is written above..."'Make sure that [you are]...content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,' so that we confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid..." verses five and six. And verses 8, 15, and 16; "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever...Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."

I do not know what God has for me in my years of singleness, but I do know it is not to be pining away for the married life; that's definitely not being "content with what you have". Jesus is the same, always and forever, and His Word never changes. He has given me a purpose for this time; He has given me things to do and plans to accomplish; and I should not be shirking them. If you ever struggle with feeling as though God can't possibly love you if you're still single, take a look at the following verses...you'll have to change your mind.
"'Fear not, for you will not be put to shame; and do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced; but you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. For your husband is your Maker, whose name is the LORD of hosts; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, who is called the God of all the earth. For the LORD has called you, like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even like a wife of one's youth when she is rejected,' says your God. 'For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In an outburst of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting lovingkindness I will have compassion on you,' says the LORD your Redeemer. 'O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony, and your foundations I will lay in sapphires. Moreover, I will make your battlements of rubies, and your gates of crystal, and your entire wall of precious stones. All your sons will be taught of the LORD; and the well-being of your sons will be great. In righteousness you will be established; you will be far from oppression, for you will not fear; and from terror, for it will not come near you. If anyone fiercely assails you it will not be from Me. Whoever assails you will fall because of you. Behold, I Myself have created the smith who blows the fire of coals and brings out a weapon for its work; and I have created the destroyer to ruin. No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; and every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me,' declares the LORD." Isaiah 54:4-8, 11-17.

Your Scandalous Ways
by Loretta Chase

I finally had a chance to read this, and I loved it. It combines so many of my favorite elements in a book--intrigue, espionage, a heroine with a past, a hero with his own emotional baggage, witty repartee, fascinating secondary characters, a beautifully realized setting (Venice, 1820). I loved the fact that the heroine is not only a courtesan, she's unapologetic about it. I loved that the spy hero really feels the soul-destroying strain of the business. I loved that Francesca and James seemed so well-matched.

Careless in Red
by Elizabeth George

I've been fascinated to see where Elizabeth George would take her series after the recent, audacious plot twist (two books ago, but the last book was in a sense a prequel). I'm currently in the midst of Careless in Red, and completely hooked. It's equally intriguing to watch Thomas Lynley grapple with recent events and to meet a compelling new set of characters. I find myself staying up far later than I intended, driven by the desire to learn more about these people, what secrets they're hiding, what drives them, what will happen next.

The Painted Veil
by W. Somerset Maugham
I love stories about married couples, both as a writer and as a reader. There's so much rich and complex history to explore. The Painted Veil explores the theme in exquisite, heartbreaking detail. Their marriage beset by lies and shattered illusions, Kitty and Walter Fane leave 1920s Hong Kong and journey into the heart of a cholera epidemic.

Possession
by A. S. Byatt
Two modern-day academics investigate a literary mystery involving a secret love affair between two Victorian-era poets. Byatt not only creates vivid, compelling characters in both settings, she wrote the poetry for both her fictional poets. The poetry (each poet has a very different style) is interspersed throughout the book and often contains clues to the mystery. I read this book on a long plane flight, and I was so engrossed in it I wanted the trip to last longer!

Atonement
by Ian McEwan
A haunting, multi-layered book that begins on an English country estate in the 1930s. A thirteen-year-old girl (and aspiring writer) misinterprets her sister's romance with the the son of one of the family's servants, with tragic consequences that shatter lives and ripple through World War II and beyond for those involved. It's a book I thought about for a long time after I read it, because I loved the characters so much and because the book questions the nature and power of what a novel is in a way that fascinated me as a writer. I recently saw the movie and also loved it. I don't think I've ever seen a movie that was so close to the images in th my head as I read the book.

The Lymond Chronicles
by Dorothy Dunnett
This is actually a six-book series, but the books are so intertwined its impossible to pick just one. It was also nearly impossible for me to put them down once I started reading. I devoured the books the summer between high school and college, and have reread them many times since. The story begins in 16th-century Scotland and ranges all over the Continent. The fictional characters are so intertwined with real people and events you'd swear it must have happened this way. There's wild adventure, court intrigue, romance, and at the heart of the series is the mystery of who Francis Crawford of Lymond really is—both the literal mystery of his birth and the tantalizing question of the real man behind the many masks he wears.

The Beekeeper's Apprentice
by Laurie R. King
I was drawn into the world of the Mary Russell series with the first paragraph of this book. Mary Russell literally stumbles across the retired Sherlock Holmes on the Sussex Downs and eventually becomes his apprentice. The mysteries are intriguing, but it's the complex, evolving relationship between Holmes and Russell that makes me return to this book for frequent rereads and eagerly await each new book in the series.

Gaudy Night
by Dorothy L. Sayers
Gaudy Night is one of my favorite love stories. I love the whole Peter Wimsey series, particularly the books that involve Peter's relationship with Harriet Vane. That relationship comes to a crisis point in this book. Peter and Harriet investigate a crime during a reunion at Harriet's college at Oxford, while Harriet struggles with the risks of love and the dangers of passion and Peter realizes there will be no going back from whatever choice she makes about the course of their relationship.

Mortal Sins
by Penelope Williamson
A violent crime brings Lieutenant Daman Rourke face to face with his lost love, Remy Lelourie, now a silent film star and possibly a murderess. The story twists and turns through a dark, vivid, wonderfully realized 1920s New Orleans. The characters are compelling, the writing lush and lyrical, and the plot full of page-turning surprises.

Freedom and Necessity
by Steven Brust and Emma Bull
I keep talking about this book. Breakneck adventure, intrigue worthy of a chess match, page-turning mystery, and heart-stopping romance. There's a brilliant hero on the run, an intrepid heroine, and a tangle of conspiracies, both personal and political. Set in England in 1849 and told in letters, this is one of my favorite books ever.

What's on your summer reading list? Any recommendations to share? Any thoughts on the books I've mentioned?

This week's Fraser Correspondence addition is again from Raoul in the aftermath of Kenneth Fraser's death. One letter to Charles, another to Mélanie.

As usual the children of the Sunday School were rewarded for their attendance by receiving books from the Church.

The books which found their way to our house were

Wait Until Then.

This tear-jerker authored by Randy Alcron helps children understand what the Bible says about Heaven and the New Earth yet to come.  

Nathan has spina bifida and is very interested in Baseball, his Granda teaches him that there are more important things than Baseball by dwelling on the promises of God.

This book could successfully be used to open up the subjects of death and heaven to young children as well as salvation and God's plan for our lives.  The pictures are excellent, my seven year old son was able to read it himself but also the younger kids enjoyed having it read to them.

A little Girl after God's own Heart.

Our  5 year old daughter was presented with Elizabeth George's book A Little Girl after God's own heart.

This book which has many little girly pictures takes the reader through each of the Fruit of the Spirit explaining the importance of each through verse.

an example is from the page on Kindness and Goodness.

Oh, to be kind and to always do good, 

To say words that help and do what you should!

To quit being mean and making folks sad,

To be really sweet so they will be glad.

Lord, help me bring cheer to those who are down,

To kids who are troubled and wearing a frown.

Let me share comfort, show mercy, and serve,

And give more to others than they may deserve.

We could all learn a lot from this book!

This is the type of book you treasure as a keep-sake, hope your daughter learns much from and passes on to the next generation.

 

The New Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes.

 

This book was presented to our 3 year old.  A colourful little book it  boasts 382 pages, each page has the story on one side with a corresponding picture on the other.  The Bible stories are brief no more than 10 or 12 sentances with three or four probing questions to make the little ones think more.  

What I really like about this Bible story book is that it doesn't just deal with the more popular Bible stories you normally find in a children's book (Noah, Moses, Joseph and Christ) but also many of the stories often omitted in children's books are included here.

 

Have you got any good kids books recently?

Elaine

 

 

One of the glossy magazines dedicated to celebrities (Us Weekly, I believe) has a regular feature showing famous people doing everyday things.  I like seeing rockstars picking up their drycleaning or box office sweethearts biting their nails.  I’m just a voyeur that way.  It’s interesting to see that in some ways they’re ordinary people, just like us. 

In writing this blog I’ve been able to correspond with authors, MY celebrities- MY rockstars, and I began to wonder about them.  Do they like the same books I like?  What do they recommend to their friends?  I don’t have the resources to hire the paparazzi to follow them around and peek into their bedrooms to see what’s on their nightstands, so I decided to pose the same 5 questions to a number of authors.  I got so many great responses that I’ve decided to tackle each question in a separate post.

Question #1- AUTHORS:  WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

Linda Merlino, author of Belly of the Whale:  Firehouse  by David Halberstam.

Jennie Shortridge , author of Love and Biology at the Center of the Universe: A rather odd juxtaposition of fiction and nonfiction:  The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, and Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach. 

Beth Fehlbaum, author of Courage in Patience:  When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris

Megan Crane, author of Names My Sisters Call Me:  Careless in Red by Elizabeth George.  It’s the latest Lynley mystery, and now that I know George will, in fact, kill off longterm characters, I know that no one is safe! 

Jasmin Rosenberg, author of How the Other Half Hamptons:  “The Divorce Party” by Laura Dave, after devouring her debut novel “London is the Best City in America”. 

Edward Hardy, author of Keeper and Kid:  A Voyage Long and Strange  by Tony Horwitz. 

Meg Waite Clayton, author of The Wednesday Sisters:   Dirty Words, edited by Ellen Sussman, which contains so many pieces that are funny, surprisingly sweet, and undeniably sexy.  And The Divorce Party, by Laura Dave, which is an incredibly moving story of two women sorting out how to go forward with or without the men in their lives.

Alan Cheuse, author of To Catch the Lightning:  Lost in Uttar Pradesh: New and Selected Stories  by Evan Connell, an old master, and stories by new Irish writer Claire Keegan, a real prodigy (Keegan's book is titled Walk the Blue Fields).

Mathias Freese, author of Down to a Sunless Sea:  I’m about to begin reading Montaigne’s essays, in part, because Eric Hoffer claimed he learned about writing essays from this master. 

Joshua Henkin, author of Matrimony:  Netherland by Joseph O’Neill.  A terrific novel. 

Susan Woodring  , author of Springtime on Mars:  An Invisible Sign of My Own  by Aimee Bender (I’m on a Bender kick.)

Doreen Orion, author of Queen of the Road:  I’m currently reading a novel by Marisa De Los Santos, LOVE WALKED IN.  The last bookstore I did one of my reading/signing/royal shticks at, A Great Good Place for Books in Oakland, gives authors who do events a choice of any book in the store as a gift.  So, I asked what they particularly loved and this was it.  I started it on the plane back last night and I can see why. 

Don’t you just love knowing that Meg Clayton is reading Dirty Words, or that Doreen Orion is reading that Marisa de los Santos book you’ve been eyeing, or that Alan Cheuse is reading Walk the Blue Fields (which, by the way, has a stunning cover- I may have to get it just for that!)? 

Next time we’ll see what books authors couldn't/didn't finish reading, and why.  I’ve been known to abandon a book now and then, so I’m very curious to see what books authors let go of before the end.

So..what are YOU reading?  

1) I was not crazy about any of the characters and, although she did her usual good job of psychological development, was never really compelled by the plight or pain of any of them. And I will say that at times the psychology of some of the characters did seem rather pat, i.e. Dellen's abused past, Daidre's resentment of Lynley's privilege (why does it always come to that?), etc.

2) the narrative seem to stumble along in a meandering way that lost some of the threads and made it hard to stay intrigued. I had totally forgotten about Cadan's BMX fantasy that was brought up at the beginning and at the end and never developed in between, and Tammy and S. Penrule as characters seemed somewhat extraneous in that the information she provided could have been worked in another way.

3) Lynley's growth and development was interesting and yet poorly articulated (for E George, at least) -- there was something interesting going on between him and Daidre, but it never got past class resentment, latent desire, and the concept of divergent fates. As for Havers, she was reduced to something caracaturish. In the later novels, she was developing a larger emotional range and perspective on the universality of experience which does not come through here.

4) this is my smallest quibble with the book but I dare say that the writing was not up to her usual standard and there were many metaphors and turns of phrase that seemed just outlandish. She is a better writer than this book shows -- more sophisticated and less reaching than she sometimes is here.

So -- that is the start of my analysis and I am happy to talk about any of the categories of evaluation!

With this novel Elizabeth George once more proved why she is one of my all-time-favorites. Its a perfect combination of a compelling crime investigation and a moving tale about Thomas Lynley trying to cope with the tragedy of his life. There were moments when it was rather painful to read, because his pain and despair was so real to me, and I never thought that he could ever recover from that. But maybe the people he met in Casvelyn and the events he witnessed might help him to recover. Slowly, but surely.
There were a lot of interesting and accurate developed characters and the narrators point of view switches a few times, which all helped to explore the mysteries and secrets of the families involved. And the plot took quite a few turns, that I didn't see coming. Thomas Lynley on the other hand was the one to take these turns in the first place. Reluctantly, because he didn't see himself as a cop anymore. But the local police was understaffed and he found the dead body and as witness was not allowed to leave, so the Inspector in charge, got him on board, wether he liked it or not. And as much as he wanted to resign from the police, he is a cop after all.
For about 2/3 of the story I didn't have any idea how the different family disputes and secrets were connected to the crime or to each other. But it all fell into place in the end in a rather unexpected way. And then there were these personal secrets that didn't have anything to do with the crime, but were compelling and touching nonetheless. And I think what even helped Lynley to come to terms with what happened to him, was to see, that he wasn't the only one, who had terrible things happen to him. And that other people found a way to cope with their tragedies as well.

Still, my heart went out to him on numerous occasions. For instance whe he asked Daidre to call him "Tommy". Twice. I don't know, why that touched me as much, but it just did. And then there was Havers of course, who really cares about him in her own way. Who always is 100% loyal to him, although it could get her into trouble, because he was not leading the investigation and thus she actually had to answer to somebody else. I loved how both of them objected when DI Hannaford talked about "your superintendent" or "your seargent". Because even though they officially don't belong to each other - in a professional and even less personal way - and thus they have every right to object this, they do in fact belong to each other very much. In a "great team / strange sort of friends / people who deeply care about each other" kind of way. And that will never change. Just like some other things will never change.

"Barbara..." He spoke in a fashion to warn her off: Stay out of my life.
She said, "Don't flatter yourself, Superintendent."
"Tommy. Or Thomas. Or whatever. But not superintendent."
" 'Tommy'? 'Thomas'? Not bloody likely. Are we fine with 'sir'?" And when he shrugged, "Good. [....]

They are just the best and I'm glad to see them back working together. To see them back. Period. And I dread the long long wait for another story. I might read the series again after all. But I guess I'll start with continuing to watch the BBC series based on the first few novels. Yes, I think that will be the plan for tonight.

She said, "Hey. Someone there? I can't hear you. C'n you hear me?"
He said, "Yes, I can hear you, Barbara. The game's afoot. Can you help me out?"

Yes. Yes. Yes! Of course she will. Damn, the story switchs to some other characters and the actual crime investigation.

And yes, I'm at work, but I had to get off the train at the main station in the middle of reading how Lynley is pondering on calling the Yard or not. Then I had to walk to my office, immediately answer a phone call and do the dishes (glasses, cups) from last nights meeting. Only then I could have my usual coffee and while enjoying it I finished reading the last few sentence of that paragraph. But now I'm back to work...

Two days ago I started reading the latest Lynley crime novel "Careless in Red". And of course I failed big time with all my determination. Today I even left the non-fiction at home and bagged the heavy hardcover novel instead. My justfication: The more time I've got to read this, the sooner I will have finished it and the sooner I can get back to all the tasks and chores I need to be doing. Pathetic excuse, I know, and I'm not even buying it myself. I'm just a book-loving-girl with no self-control. It's sad. But on the other hand: it's not. Not at all. I love it.

The story so far (p 195 of 623) has totally pulled me in. There are a lot of interesting characters and almost all of them have their own agenda and I haven't even started to figure out what the relations and connections between all of them or between them and the victim are. It's the good old mystery of a crime novel.

And then there is DI Thomas Lynley, Earl of Asherton, on a lone and gruesome hike along the coast, hoping to come to terms with the horrible things that happened to him. I have to admit I've never been a big fan of Helen. I didn't dislike her either, I just couldn't relate to her like I definitely can to Barbara Havers. Or even Deborah St. James in some ways. But she was Tommys wife and so I sort of liked her by proxy. And seeing Tommy in the state he is in, because he lost the woman he loved, his unborn son, his future and just everything that ever mattered to him, is so painful. Elizabeth George manages to portray him as the broken man he became in such an extraordinary perfect way, that I'm still in awe. I almost want to fly to Cornwell, drive to Casvelyn and give him a big hug :-) But instead I settle back in my armchair with this book, some chocolate cappuccino and maybe some chocolate...

Besides the pub date, my search also returned results for many well-known novelists who have mentioned their short stories on their websites, only they do a better job of promoting themselves and the anthology than I do. They actually mention the titles of their stories, for one thing, and maybe a sentence or two about their stories. This got me thinking...

Self-promotion: A skill that doesn't come naturally to me.

End result, I need to exhibit a little shamelessness. It's not like I have oodles of fiction credits under my belt yet. I mean, really, the following tidbit is big news for a newbie like me:

Elizabeth George, New York Times bestselling novelist, sent me an email asking me if I'd like to write a short story for her anthology, edited by her. I'll be one of a few newbies included in a section entitled "Introducing...."

Very cool, yes? I ought to fling the news about for the whole world to view. Look at me! Look at me! Which is what this blog post is all about (all the while feeling uncomfortable even though I can be as full of myself as I wanna be on my blog!).

Self-promotion: Not for the faint of heart.

The funny thing is that for the seasoned novelists, the anthology is probably not a huge deal. I imagine most of them pumped out their short stories in under a week while I worked my fanny off over quite a few months to get mine right. Once again, sigh.

Here's the scoop on Two of the Deadliest: It will be an all-female collection of mystery and crime stories centered around the themes of lust and greed -- "two of the deadliest" sins. My story is called "Paddy O'Grady's Thigh" and features an inexperienced journalist, two Irish Travellers, and one dug-up corpse.

There.

Self-promotion: Not so bad when I cringe and do it anyhow.

Did you do any research into grief?

Apparently, from what I gathered in the rest of the interview, one of the main characters died in a previous book. (I only know the Thomas Lynley series through the PBS adaptations aired on Mystery, but I'm leaning toward making a visit to my local library SOON! ;-) ) So, the question wasn't out of place.

It actually brought to mind what I believe is a sort of trendy approach to creating characters that a number of authors are talking about. I'm referring to the use of psychological charts and personality tests to properly depict a character.

Here's George's response to the grief-research question:

No. One of the reasons that they call it creative writing is that the writer should be able to project herself into the lives and experiences of characters totally unlike herself, and that's what I've tried to do all along. When I create characters and a situation, what I'm looking for are basic truths of what they're experiencing. I ask at the end, "Is it honest? Is it true? Is it real?" If is is those things to me, I'n satisfied. I didn't do any research into grief at all. I would have probably been constrained by that.
– Elizabeth George, Whittier Daily News, May 25, 2008
emphasis added

As I was reading her answer, I couldn't help wondering about "research." I mean, isn't one form of research for the writer to observe people? But is observation of others of greater merit than reading, studying what others have observed?

And by "projecting herself into the lives and experiences of characters totally unlike herself," is George attributing to them her own reactions, not their own? Or is she identifying the threads of commonality, the reactions that make her and them alike?

When I got to the "constraining line," something jumped inside me. Oh, yeah. Constraining and formulaic. Boxed. As if every person will "do grief" exactly the same way.

And yet there are commonalities. Truths.

Is this because humans have been made in the image of God? Our flaws are our own; our Humanity is from God.

The key component, I think, is that we are all shaken and stirred in different ways, which gives us each an individual flavor.

So, I'm not a big fan of charts and tests that pigeon-hole people. But I also don't want every character I write to react like I do. So research? I think it's necessary, but I prefer the first hand kind, the stuff that sends me to the primary source—people. It's an area I need to sharpen.

I don't tend to like stories in which a major part of the conflict is based on a misunderstanding. And yet to some extent that 's true in The Scarlet Pimpernel, a book I love. But the misunderstanding is so grounded in who Marguerite and Percy are as characters that it makes for fascinating reading (and there's never a sense of "oh, if they just had a conversation they could clear this up."). I don't like series in which an ongoing character, particularly a love interest dies, and yet I'm currently thoroughly engrossed in Elizabeth George's Careless in Red, despite the events of her last two books. I have a really hard time with books in which children die, but several writers I very much admire--Dorothy Dunnett, Sebastian Faulks, Penny herself--have used this plot element in ways that were so integral to the story I couldn't quarrel with it, however devastating the scenes.

In general, I prefer books with happy endings. But I recognize that happy endings don't suit all books. I found the ending of Atonement so fascinating in what it was saying about the very nature of fiction, that I can't imagine the story ending in a different way (or perhaps I should say "ways" :-). In our conversation, Penny and I agreed that Casablanca wouldn't work with a happy ending--that, in fact, if Rick and Ilsa went off together, it would somehow cheapen the power of their love for each other.

Are there elements in books that are deal-breakers for you? Things that will make you not pick up a book or stop reading a book or series? Have you ever read a book with an element you thought was a deal-breaker for you but found it worked for you in the context of that story? If you read the Charles & Mélanie books, are there any turns the series could take that would be deal-breakers?

Be sure to check out the Fraser Correspondence. I've just posted a letter from Aspasia Newland to her sister, written as Aspasia is about to leave for the house party at Dunmykel.

Update 28 May: I'm blogging today on History Hoydens about the ethical and logistical challenges of writing fictional stories that involve real people and events. Do stop by and join the discussion.

Careless in Red: A Novel

By Elizabeth George