June Reading: Fiction and Poetry

 Before I get to the books, for those of you following along with the shower saga, we've hit a snag. When Bill took a shower, the water was very slow to drain and was backing up. He successfully completed the shower and went about his day. The following day, I just washed up at the sink as I had been doing. Good thing because later when I was upstairs and picking up the bath mat, I discovered that it was soaking wet. Then I checked the scatter rug F had left upstairs. It's long so I folded it in half, placed it alongside the shower (on the side, not in front of the door), and put a plant and a box of books on top of it. Sure enough, it was wet. The wet had soaked through two layers of the rug and the box was so wet it was falling apart when lifted. Fortunately the books were fine and I was able to remove them and put the box with the recycling. F contacted plumber who arrived that evening and was puzzled about it all. He added more silicone. He discovered that there was a defective piece at the bottom of the shower door that was creating a gap in the seal. A new piece has been ordered. Not sure what's happening next, but we're steering clear for now. With that update, let's get to a more pleasant subject--books!

With everything that was going on at the beginning of the month, I was craving my favorite classic mysteries. I have many on my e-reader and it can be hard to choose sometimes, but I went with Miss Silver. When I was done with that book, I went on to the next in the series. These were the perfect reads for the moment.

The Clock Strikes Twelve by Patricia Wentworth (e-book, personal copy)

The patriarch of the Paradine family wants everyone to be at dinner one night. This includes the family members that live in the house--his sister and her adopted daughter, his sons and daughetr, as well as his employee. He also expects some extended family members who live nearby to be there. He sends an urgent message to a colleague telling him to show up as soon as possible. He too stays for dinner, where there is an announcement accusing one of the family of committing a crime. He informs everyone that he will be in his study if the person wants to come and confess. Everyone there knows his routine and all are well aware that at midnight he steps out onto the verandah, where there's a steep drop, for a breath of fresh air before bed. He never gets to bed on this night because he is found dead at the bottom of the drop. Was it an accident or did someone push him? As is usual, someone knows someone who was helped by Miss Silver and suggests that she be called in to investigate. She agrees to take the case and things go on from there. I enjoy these books. I like Miss Silver and her no-nonsense ways. 

The Key by Patricia Wentworth (e-book, personal copy)

World War II was a part of the background to the previous book and it plays a slightly more prominent role here in that the victim is a scientist, Michael Harsch, who escaped the Nazis and landed in England. His wife and daughter did not escape and did not survive, so he feels he is on a mission with regard to his scientific research into an element that he thinks can be used to make powerful weapons. He is driven because he wants revenge. His experiments are successful and he calls his contact in the British government to tell him so. They make plans to meet the following day and Dr Harsch goes to the church to play the organ, which he often does to unwind. He never leaves the church and is found slumped at the organ with a gun on the floor at his side. It looks like suicide. Someone thinks of Miss Silver and she agrees to investigate. 

Sometimes when I stitch I like to listen to podcasts or audiobooks. As I was scrolling through the 'new to library' section of the BorrowBox site, I came across the first two books in a cozy mystery series that I'd never heard of. Both were available so I decided to give them a try. Both are set in Australia and the narrator is Australian, which was interesting in terms of hearing slang and turns of phrase that were new to me. After I listened to these two I looked up more about the series and discovered that there are several more books. The author is using the alphabet to come up with her titles and I think I saw book titles through F. If I saw more of these books in a charity shop or on BorrowBox, I'd probably pick them up/borrow them, but I don't think I'll be actively seeking them out. They were good listens and I certainly enjoyed them enough to keep listening, though.

Arson at the Art Gallery by Catherine Lee (BorrowBox e-audiobook)

Addison is about to become an empty-nester as her daughter, Olivia, prepares to go away to university. Her son is already on his own. Her husband has been dead for a couple of years. She feels it's a good time for a change so on a whim, while at Getaway Bay, a place she has fond memories of from childhood, she buys a beach house, thinking she might convert it into a bed and breakfast. Her cousin, who is an artist and gallery owner, lives in Getaway Bay too. Addison's uncle (the cousin's father) is suffering from dementia and is in a care home. It's thought that he doesn't have much time left, so Addison's other cousin arrives and stays at the art gallery. Addison and her cousin are out one night when they learn that the gallery has burned down and the other cousin didn't make it out. Addison, having been married to a police detective in Sydney, starts looking into things herself, with the help of some new friends, her daughter, and her cousin--and the local police detective who is also a transplant from Sydney and knew Addison's late husband. There's an interesting mix of quirky characters and the expected village vibe. It was an enjoyable book to listen to and I liked it enough to go on to the next one.

The Body at the Beach House by Catherine Lee (BorrowBox audiobook)

In this one, work is ongoing at Addison's beach house but things are far enough along that people can stay there. When everyone gathers for the usual Friday night drinks on the patio, one person is missing. When people go to find him, they find the door locked from the inside so they break it down and discover him hanging from the wardrobe door. It certainly looks like suicide, but that theory is disproved pretty quickly. Who would want him dead and why? Once again Addison and the gang are on the case.

One evening I was sitting here knitting when I got a message from a friend. He was out walking the dog near the wee free library up the hill and took photos of what was in there. I spotted the following book, which I'd never read. I did listen to a dramatization on BBC Radio 4 years ago, but I thought I'd like to read the book. He brought it back for me and I picked it up right away. When we were in the process of moving and I went to drop off stuff at a charity shop, I stopped to look at the books they had there and came away with 4, one of which was a different novel by the same author. I have yet to read that one. Maybe soon, since both of these are books I don't plan to keep and will deposit into the wee free library at some point in the not-too-distant future.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (personal copy)

This book has been around for a couple of decades. It's narrated by Kathy, who was a student at Hailsham which at first seems like a regular boarding school. However, it quickly becomes clear that there's something special about Hailsham and something that sets the students apart. Unease starts to grow as it becomes more evident that what sets the students and Hailsham apart is something quite sinister. In case someone hasn't read the book, I won't say more than that about the plot itself. In the book, Kathy is looking back at her life and her relationships with her closest friends and others. It's a good book with heartwarming moments mixed in with the sinister undertones, anger at what is occurring, and deep sadness as we follow these children through their adolescence and young adulthood.

Murder Takes a Holiday by various authors (BorrowBox e-book)

Always with the classic mysteries 😁 I do love them. This book combines that love with another of my literary loves, short story collections. This is a fun collection of classic crime stories. The editor, Cecily Gaylord, has also put together several Christmas classic crime collections and another summer-themed one which is ready for me to read as I type. This collection is exactly what the title suggests--mysteries that involve being on holiday in some way. I admit that nothing much beats a Christmas classic crime story collection for me, but this comes very, very close. It's a fun read.

I read a few poetry collections last month. One will be in tomorrow's post which will include soon-to-be-published books. One was a collection that I'd started a while back and read a little at a time, finishing in June.

The Penguin Book of the Prose Poem: From Baudelaire to Anne Carson by various poets (personal copy)

I love short story collections. I love the work of Lydia Davis, who sometimes writes short stories that are just a line or two. These stories have a poetic quality to them and through them I became interested in finding out more about prose poetry. This is an excellent collection with a very informative introduction. It's a book I will dip into again and again, with poems ranging across time and geography. The line between prose poetry and short stories is impossible to pin down, so if you're a fan of poetry, short prose, short stories, this is a great collection to have.

The Tree is Missing by Sharon Kuta Kelly (BorrowBox e-book)

I found this on the BorrowBox website and checked it out. It contains powerful poems about borders, crossing them, what they mean, and how they impact her and her sense of identity. Other themes include history, political and personal turmoil, and more. This is an excellent collection. 

This is long enough, so I'll be back tomorrow with some nonfiction and soon-to-be-published books. Happy reading!

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