Book Eight: An Imperfect Spy by Amanda Cross

This book was a recent library sale purchase and a quick read at only 228 pages. It helped that my computer froze last night so I was too frustrated to write a post, and I couldn't go to sleep.

Amateur detective and literature professor Kate Fansler and her attorney husband Reed Amhearst are both teaching a semester at Schuyler Law School. In addition to her teaching duties, Kate finds herself investigating the death of the school's only tenured woman professor. 

I didn't like this book. Harriet, a woman Kate met only briefly, breaks into her and Reed's apartment. Kate and Reed not only don't kick her out, but serve her scotch, and treat her as a friend and ally during the course of the book (she happens to run the secretarial room at Schuyler.) Harriet also seems obsessed with drinking their good scotch. 

I also didn't buy that a law student would punch out a professor simply because he didn't like the professor's and Kate's course on law and literature. 

I've never been as big a fan of Kate as I am of  Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski and Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone. I usually enjoy Kate's mysteries. I'm disappointed. 

A Trite Trope

Jeff and I are Star Trek fans. In our 35 years together, we've watched the series: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, Discovery, Picard, and Strange New Worlds and various films. Last night we watched the first two episodes of the third season of Picard. 

Jean-Luc Picard receives a message from his former medical officer Beverly Crusher asking for his help without Starfleet. Picard recruits his former first officer Will Riker to help. It's revealed that Beverly had previously cut off contact with her shipmates. Eventually, Picard and Riker find Beverly's ship and find her injured and in stasis. Then they discover her previously unknown son Jack is on board.

Uh-oh I thought. Is he going to be Picard's son? No, they won't go there. I thought of the Indiana Jones Crystal Skull movie and innumerable soap opera plots. In the soaps, anytime someone has a rare disease and needs special blood (or whatever) a new sibling or child conveniently pops up. 

Spoiler alert: they did go there. 

It's lazy writing and makes me mad. 

Book Seven: Caught in the Revolution by Helen Rappaport

Historian Helen Rappaport has written seven books about Russia. This is the second one that I've read. I've enjoyed both books. Other books I've read about Russia focus on the Romanov family and the end of their dynasty. This book focuses on foreign diplomats, businessmen, and journalists, and others living in Petrograd in 1917. Basically the people dealt with eight months of food shortages, uncertainty. and threats of violence. 

When I wrote about the Romanov Sisters, I thanked Rappaport for giving the Grand Duchesses voices. Here, I thank her again for giving voices to these witnesses to the Revolution. 

Mid-week Check-In

I usually think of Wednesday as mid-week. But if  you consider the whole seven days, and not the traditional work week, Thursday is mid-week. So, here I go.

I spent most of Tuesday thinking it was Wednesday--I didn't feel well, so didn't go to the New Canaan Nature Center to care for the birds of prey. That's what messed up my sense of days. Anyway, Wednesday felt like Thursday. Now, I feel like I've found an extra day.

The best part of yesterday was my morning with Jace. We sat together on the bed and I pet him for about 20 minutes. We both had breakfast before we took our first walk at 9:20. It was 30 degrees when I woke up at 6:30. It was around 40 degrees when we went out. We got the only sun of the day, and it was nice. This morning, we're back to damp, bleak, and dreary. It's also colder, our days of temperatures in the 50s and even 60s are gone for awhile. Jace and I encountered some sleety show on our late afternoon walk. Can we really get through February with virtually no snow?

I've done a lot of light cleaning over the past few days, plus I cleaned the kitchen floor (not a light cleaning job.) I also (finally) installed the new shower head that I bought for Christmas. I kept forgetting and/or procrastinating. Jeff helped by explaining that the "ball pipe" was part of our old showerhead and not part of our shower arm, and I could remove it with our large wrench (not with our standard tool kit.) I'm not handy so I'm proud of any handiwork that I manage to do.

This morning I got up around 6 to get started on the laundry. Three loads done and it's not even 10 o'clock yet. I still need to fold it and put it away, but that's the easy part for me.

I'm going to spend the bulk of the day writing. That's something I don't say or do enough. I have a story due for class on Monday. Right now I have an idea and 85 words. I also have a book on railroads to review and a Thurber short story that takes place on the Housatonic Railroad to read. 

Let's get to it. 

Another Library Book Sale

Just as I was thinking, it's been a long time since there's been a library sale--Pequot Library held its Midwinter Book Sale. I picked up three books.

1.  The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. I read this book in 2019--a library loan, but I knew I'd get my own copy at some point. It's definitely on my to be re-read list.

2.  An Imperfect Spy by Amanda Cross. I liked the last Kate Fansler mystery I read and was happy to see another at this sale. I read the first few paragraphs, and it wasn't familiar, so I bought it.

3. The Princes in the Tower by Alison Weir. I've wanted to read this book since I read Weir's Wars of The Roses. This was a nice find. 

Edward Hopper Exhibit: A Visit to the Whitney

On Saturday, I returned to the Whitney Museum of American Art to see Edward Hopper's New York with my brother and his girlfriend.  We were disappointed that "Nighthawks" wasn't included in the show but really enjoyed the exhibit. I especially loved his use of windows.

The only problem was that the museum was very crowded. It definitely detracted from the experience. 

When we returned, we picked up Jeff for a late lunch at Sedona Tap House. It was a nice day. 

Book Six: The Cabinet of Dr. Leng by Preston & Child

I loved this book, with a big but. The book ends with "TO BE CONCLUDED..." I knew when I got to Chapter 76 with only 13 pages remaining that there was no way Preston & Child could finish the story. 

Constance Greene uses the machine discovered in Bloodless to return to her home of 1880s New York City to save her brother and sister from premature death. In the original time line, Mary is killed in a gruesome death at the hands of Dr. Enoch Leng, and Joe is murdered in a pickpocket attempt gone wrong. Constance also wants to stop Dr. Leng's murderous experiements. 

Preston & Child call The Cabinet of Dr. Leng the third book in the Leng Quartet. The Quartet begins with The Cabinet of Curiosities (so glad I reread it) then Bloodless. The fourth book is now being written. At least Preston & Child write faster than George RR Martin. 

I can't wait to finish the story.

A Visit to Cranbury Park

I took Jace to Cranbury Park today for the first time. I'm not sure why we haven't gone before. We both enjoyed it. Another unseasonable February day. It reached the mid-sixties today. I'll take advantage of these days when I can. 

Happy Valentine's Day

A day late. I got as far as typing the title before I decided I was too tired to post. I soon fell asleep, my book falling from my grasp. 

I picked it up this morning, and well, that will be another post.

We had a nice Valentine's Day. I had my usual Tuesday appointment with the NCNC birds of prey, and Jeff had a physical therapy appointment. After that we had lunch at Oak + Almond. I'd been to the previous incarnation of the restaurant Tuscan Oven several times. This was our first visit to Oak + Almond. My Chicken Milanese was good and I tried a Vermentino.

Then I took Jace to Winslow Park in Westport. The best part of the day was that temperatures reached the mid-fifties. On the way home I picked up dessert at Whole Foods--an individual triple chocolate mousse and an individual carrot cake. We ended up not eating them, so desserts for tonight. 

By the time I left Whole Foods, it was almost five. We had already planned to get sushi for dinner, so Jeff ordered the food and I stopped to pick it up at Little Tokyo. The restaurant was a zoo. About ten people were dining in, and four to-go bags/trays lined the small bar by the cash register. Two of the workers were yelling to each other across the floor and we had a line of people picking up takeout. They couldn't find our order; I waited at least 20 minutes.  Later I realized how mellow I was about the wait. I was joking about it with one of the other customers. If it had happened the previous week, I would have been stressed out. Thank goodness for good moods.

Moods

I ended the week in a much better mood than when it started. I don't know if I was in one long funk or a series of funks. Whatever. I was on edge, easily irritated and stressed, hanging on by my last nerve. 

Then it changed. I was walking Jace around noon on Thursday and realized that I was in a good mood. I had just gotten my hair cut after eight weeks. It was as if I had shed my negativity with my hair. It didn't hurt that Jeff and I were planning to go out to lunch with some friends. We had a delicious lunch at Terra in Greenwich and a good visit. 

Friday I made it to the top of the library's list for Preston & Child's latest book. I also found two pairs of jeans on sale, in a smaller size than I had been wearing, that fit. 

Let the good times roll. 

Book Five: All This, and Heaven Too by Rachel Field

This was another book sale purchase and another another purchase inspired by a film (like Julie and Julia, Mr. Blanding Builds His Dream House, Ragime, and Laura.) 

The film stars Bette Davis (that's why I watched it) and Charles Boyer. I never did get the charm of Charles Boyer. Now, I can't watch him without thinking of Car 54 and Sylvia Schnauzer. ("I'm so glad I'm married to Leo Schnauzer and not Charles Boyer.") 

I thought the book might be just a soapy melodrama. I second-guessed my purchase. I resigned myself to putting it aside if it wasn't any good. Instead, I enjoyed this book much more than I expected. 

Rachel Field is a vivid writer. 

Here are a few lines from A Letter of Introduction from the book's author to its protagonist:

"Fragments of your wit and sagacity have survived, like chips of flint left where arrowheads were once sharpened."

From Chapter Nine:

"The sky showed brilliantly blue and polished in gaps between yellow and bronze overhead, but for all its clearness a faint, bitter blue haze drifted. One was always losing and finding it again, like fragments of an old tune."

Rachel Field is telling the story of her great aunt Henriette Desportes in three parts. Part I details Henriette's life as a governess to the Praslin family and her involvement in a scandalous murder.  In Part II, Henriette is teaching at a girl's school in New York City. Part III focuses on Henriette's married life as Mrs Henry M. Field. 

Part I is the most dramatically interesting section and is the basis for the Bette Davis film. But Henriette had a rich life beyond the Praslin scandal in Part III. I keep coming back to the idea of Henriette as a kind of Forest Gump who witnesses and participates in key moments in American history. 

I was particularly intrigued by Henriette's reaction to first seeing Edwin Booth on stage. She recognized him, in his New York debut, as a great actor. The Field family was also involved in creating a commercial telegraph cable across the Atlantic Ocean. I'm interested in reading more about the telegraph as it relates to the growth of the railroads. 

I love when I find connections between seemingly different things I am interested in. 

Cold

Today is the coldest day of the year--five degrees during my morning walk with Jace. At least it wasn't windy. Obviously, I didn't want to be out walking in five degree weather, but that's part of the deal in having a dog. In other words, "you knew the job was dangerous when you took it."

Other than Jace walks, I stayed in. I wrote. I made oatmeal, soup, bruschetta with tuna steak (left over from last night's dinner) a carrot salad, and chicken parmesan. 

Tomorrow temperatures will shoot up 20 degrees. Looking forward to that. 

Book Four: The Tudors in Love by Sarah Gristwood

Despite a title that could indicate a romance novel, Gristwood's book is a serious study of courtly love as a framework for the history of the Tudor dynasty. While some historians question the validity of the concept of courtly love, Gristwood deems it important to consider how the Tudors used the legends and stories to give themselves credibility and legitimacy in a time of dynastic uncertainty.

Gristwood traces the development of courtly love from King Arthur and Queen Guinevere through the Tudor reign. I wasn't that interested until Gristwood got to the Lancasters and the Yorks. I wish I had understood a little about courtly love when I first wrote about Anne Boleyn for my high school term paper. I remember an awkward phrase or two on that subject. 

I recommend this book to other Tudor history geeks, but not to the general public. I'll add that I found some of writing a bit confusing because of the overuse of the parenthetical expressions. I lost track of some of the sentence subjects. 

Welcome February

February is my least favorite month. But I welcome it because we need to get through February to get to March and spring. Plus I didn't enjoy the last few days of January. I went into a funk last week at this time. I had an ambitious to-do list and barely made a dent in it. Then I got thinking about self sabotage; I had trouble with my story; Jasper landed on my head. I started to turn things around yesterday.

***

I woke up to snow on Tuesday and Wednesday. It's as if winter itself suddenly woke up and said, "I better get to work." It had been in the fifties on Sunday and Monday, and the snow didn't linger. New York City got its first snow of the season yesterday--apparently a news story of the utmost importance.

I checked the news to see what Punxsutawney Phil predicted. Whatever he says, we have six more weeks of winter--I just hope it feels like spring. 

*** 

February brings Valentine's Day. It's overhyped, but I still enjoy it. Jeff and I are talking about dinner plans. I'm thinking a sushi appetizer and a saketini. Do I want to cook or get more takeout? Oh, we'll need dessert too. Decisions.