A Perfectly Kept House is the Sign of a Misspent Life
This is such a fun book. It’s huge, and hefty, and is definitely a coffee table book, as opposed to a novel. (If you’re lucky and have a beautiful, large powder room it might even be fun to have it there for guests to poke through.) As soon as I heard about it I put my name on the list at the library, and I had to wait for it, so obviously I’m not the only person out there eagre to learn what to do with all their “stuff”. A Perfectly Kept House is the Sign of a Misspent Life by Mary Randolph Carter is full of beautiful photos, side captions, and bits & pieces of info on how to organize your life and home around clutter, collections, work, kids, pets, and messy husbands. You can pick it up and open it at random and be transported into the lives of others out there who seem to have way of displaying their stuff so it all looks terrific. Though it looks easy since their stuff seems to be all collectibles. Mine seems to be all junk. But there is a photo in the book showing someone’s office and it’s way worse than my hubby’s, which I thought was next to impossible. I chuckled when I read how the author’s mum wrote her important phone numbers on the wall next to her bedside table after she couldn’t keep track of her address book. Now that’s creative, and besides – who cares (the grandkids did think it a bit odd since they’d been taught not to write on the walls) and who sees her bedroom anyway. Leaf through this book at random and I’m sure you’ll find some good advice to help you over the hurdle of that mess I call life. But as the author says on the back cover “Don’t scub the soul out of your home.” Read this… it’s lots of fun!
The Lost Daughter is the second book I’ve read by Lucretia Grindle in as many months. It follows a similar path to her first, The Villa Triste - it’s set in Italy, the book alternates between the present and the past, and once again features Alessandro Palliotti, one of Florence’s most senior policemen. This time he is called upon to investigate the disappearance of American student Kristen Carson. Thinking she’s just another student gone off on a wild weekend, Palliotti and his team don’t seem too concerned until they discover she has been seeing Antonio Tomaselli, a member of the notorious Red Brigades who has recently been released from prison where he was serving time for his role in the 1978 kidnapping and murder of Aldo Moro, one of Italy’s most famous politicians. When her step-mother Anna also disappears everyone sits up and takes notice and Palliotti and his team realize they have to move quickly to find two missing Americans. The story is multi-layered, like her first, and the complexities add to the intrigue and depth of her writing. She’s a ”beautiful” writer… I love this sentence “For the poor at least, for those who labour with their hands, childhood is a modern invention.” and now she’s definitely on my list of favourites. Pick up both of her books and hunker down under a quilt for a great winter read.
It’s nice to start a new year with Jeffrey Archer. I’ve been a huge fan of his ever since I read Kane & Abel many years ago. When I heard he had a new book out I didn’t give it a second thought, I just went and bought it. Then I put it aside to read in winter, and now it’s winter. I’m always eager to read what he’s written. He’s a reliable storyteller, easy to read, yet always comes through with something that will grip you til the very end. Only Time Will Tell is no exception. This is the first in a trilogy called The Clifton Chronicles, and I can’t wait to read the next two installments (part 2 is due out in the spring). This book spans from the Great War to the outset of WWII. Set in Bristol, England, it is the story of Harry Clifton from before he was born when his Dad worked on the docks in Bristol, to the moment Harry lands on the shores of New York City at the outbreak of the Second World War. I love how Archer has titled each chapter after one of the leading characters in the book. We get a look at events from that character’s perspective, each chapter adds layer upon layer to the fascinating saga of Harry, from the time he skipped school to accompany his uncle to the docks when he was a wee lad, to his adventure crossing the Atlantic during the outbreak of the Second World War. And leave it to Archer to end the book with a sentence that no one could have seen coming. A definite “now what?!” moment. Don’t peak!! So of course you’re hooked and need to follow up with book #2. Smart thinking, smart writing, smart story. I loved it!
I can’t resist wandering into every bookstore I see. It drives my friends crazy. And I love it when I discover a new Canadian author, which sometimes happens when you just wander up and down the isles. Erasing Memory is Scott Thornley’s first book. He’s well known in the design industry. He designed the Gemini Award for the Academy of Canadian Television, as well as the logos for Mary Poppins and The Little Mermaid. He’s obviously very creative, and his creativity has translated really well into his first mystery novel. Set in the southern Ontario industrial city of Dundurn (hmmm… it sure smells like Hamilton to me) senior police detective MacNeice (Mac to his buddies in the force) and his team are called to the discovery of a murdered young woman. Lydia Petrescu’s body is found in a summer cottage, dressed in an evening dress, with the Schubert Piano Trio playing in the background. Right away he is reminded of his wife’s recent death… they both had the mark that distinguishes dedicated violinists – that telltale bruise under the chin. Lydia was very talented, and had just graduated from the Conservatory. The appalling, gruesome circumstances of her murder lead the team to uncover her family’s connection to longstanding grievances in Eastern Europe, and MacNeice and his team set out to discover who killed Lydia and why. All the characters are well written and interesting, but as hard as I tried I could not remember MacNeice’s first name, and I couldn’t find it when I flipped through the book afterwards. Maybe he doesn’t have one – yet. I’m hoping there will be many books in this series.* This first book is great start to a new career path for someone who is obviously very talented.
Wow, Wow, Wow!! What an amazing woman and what an amazing story. I can pat myself on the back for finding this book all by my lonesome. What made me choose it? A comment from a reader on the web said “In 5 years of our book club… this was only the 2nd book that was unanimously loved by our whole group.” The Nine Lives of Charlotte Taylor is written by Sally Armstrong. You probably recognized her name from Homemaker’s Magazine. More recently, she’s an author and human right’s activist, reporting from Bosnia, Somalia, Rwanda and Afghanistan. Her great, great, great grandmother, Charlotte Taylor, was one of the very first women to settle in what is now New Brunswick. As a young girl she fled from England to Jamaica with her family’s black butler, causing such a rift in the family that she never heard from any of them again. When Pad, her lover, dies she’s alone in this far off land with no prospects of a decent life anywhere near what she left behind in England. Through the grace of Commodore George Walker she ends up on a ship bound for the east coast of Canada where she’s told she can soon catch another ship back to her family in Britain. But she never sets foot on that ship. How can she, she’s pregnant with a black servant’s baby. From the moment she sets foot on Canadian soil, her life story becomes mingled with the history of New Brunswick. She lives among the Mi’Kmaq for awhile, marries 4 times (all husbands die tragic deaths) and manages to raise 10 children. It is a totally engrossing story that at times made me think that all generations of women since are slightly wimpier than the last. I just can’t imagine the hardship, loss, vulnerability, and back-breaking work that she was forced to endure. This is a riveting book. It’s found in the fiction section of the bookstore, but based on fact. Armstrong did a huge amount of research into her family tree to pull it all together, and she does it really well. She’s a wonderful writer. I can see why any book club would unanimously agree that it is one of their favourites.
The Art of Living according to Joe Beef by Frederic Morin, David McMillan & Meredith Erickson - a cookbook of sorts - is a feast for the senses… it’s beautiful to look at, fascinating to read, and it’s full of delicious food. I don’t usually recommend cookbooks, but at this time of year if you’re looking for a Christmas gift for someone who loves food (they don’t even need to love to cook, - just eat), and who loves Montreal, you won’t score higher points with any gift. Trust me! The recipes are almost secondary here, it’s the joie de vivre feeling that comes across for Montreal that is uppermost in the writing, photography (yes! gorgeous photos) and even in the recipes. I’m not sure whether this book belongs on the coffeetable or in the kitchen, it’s that type of book. It’s part travel log, history lesson and biography as well as cookbook. And how could I not recommend a book, a cookbook no less, that has a chapter called Trains! Even the chapter on how the name Joe Beef came to be is an interesting read. The menu and wine list are written on blackboards, the dishes are mismatched, the clientel a hodgepodge of Montreal cultures, and the food deliciously prepared by chefs who, up to the writing of this cookbook, never had written recipes. And the menu changes daily so you can imagine how many recipes they have. The restaurant is located in Little Burgundy, in the southwest part of the city. It’s an area that has seen better times, but those in the know realized the potential of this neighbourhood and are now flocking to this area not only to eat, but to live there as well. Yes, everything old is new again. Reservations are definitely required , and I think you should reserve a copy of this fantastic ”cookbook of sorts”, for your favourite foodie this Christmas. It’s delicious!