Musings on family history, regional history, book reviews, and miscellaneous observations and comments by a genealogist and librarian living near the Great Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee.
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
A Vicarage Christmas
Hewitt, Kate. A Vicarage Christmas. (The Holley Sisters of Thornthwaite.) n.p.: Tule Publishing, 2017.
Anna returns home to the vicarage in Thornthwaite, a Cumbrian village, for Christmas. She avoided coming home for many years, but her mother's insistence along with the promise of an important announcement drew her there. On her first night back in town, she bares her soul to a stranger at a pub whom she later discovers is her father's new curate. The two seem drawn to one another. The book is more or less an introduction to a series featuring Anna and her sisters. It presents spiritual truth about brokenness in a non-preachy manner. While a lot of threads are unresolved, future series installments may address these. I received an electronic copy through Smashwords from the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program in exchange for an honest review.
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
A Murder for the Books
Gilbert, Victoria. A Murder for the Books. New York: Crooked Lane Books, 2017.
A messy break-up prompted Amy Webber to leave her job at a university library, accepting the position as director of a small town library where her aunt resides. The missing Doris Virts turns up dead in the library's archives. Amy meets dance instructor Richard Muir who purchased the home next to hers. The two begin researching his home's history. A lot of old family skeletons begin to rattle. This first installment felt more like a romance novel than a mystery. Some characters, such as Brad,the lead official investigator, needed more development--and needed to be utilized more in the novel. There were some issues with the plot. For example, a cell phone was confiscated by a "bad person" but in a scene shortly afterwards, the owner was using it once again without an opportunity to get it back. Still the book showed some promise. Those likely to be recurring characters are mostly likeable. One character still has a mystery about him which could become fodder for a future plot. As is the case with most cozy mysteries, readers need to suspend believability for some parts of the narrative. Fun read with a likeable setting. The review is based on an advance electronic copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Tuesday, December 05, 2017
Somebody at the Door
Postgate, Raymond. Somebody at the Door. Scottsdale, Arizona: Poisoned Pen Press, 2017.
Henry Grayling's dies in his own home a short time after returning home on the train. Mustard gas caused his death. Some of the man's belongings are found along the road, but the payroll he transported was missing. The vicar provides Inspector Holly with a list of persons aboard the train. As he investigates them, he discovers motives for many of them. The solution may be obvious to the reader carefully paying attention to details; however, others may be left guessing until the revelation.This classic crime will appeal to those who enjoy police procedurals. My remarks are based on advance e-galley provided by the publisher through NetGalley with the expectation of an honest review.
Monday, December 04, 2017
The Country House Library
Purcell, Mark. The Country House Library. London ; New York: Yale University Press, 2017.
A well-researched volume featuring essays tracing the history of English country house libraries. Much of the information on contents of these libraries is derived from estate inventories and published catalogues. One essay discusses its counter-part, the town house library, specifically in the context of those who owned both homes in places such as London as well as in the country. The book was interesting but probably bogs down a bit for the average reader due to its academic nature. The book, however, will interest persons passionate about the history of books and libraries. The book contains a number of illustrations featuring country house libraries and their features. The review is based on an advance review copy received from the publisher through NetGalley with the expectation of an honest review.
Sunday, December 03, 2017
Your Guide to the Apocalypse
Hagee, Matt. Your Guide to the Apocalypse: What You Should Know Before the World Comes to an End. Colorado Springs: WaterBrook, 2017.
While Hagee begins with a discussion of modern-day events and parallels to passages of Scripture, the latter part of the book is a study of the seven churches in Revelation and their parallels to the seven ages of the church. He concludes we are living in Laodicea--a phrase which brings back memories of an old contemporary Christian song (1983) by Steve Camp. I enjoyed the author's illustrations based on his own family history. This is a readable book encouraging believers in the midst of spiritual darkness. I received an electronic galley from the publisher via NetGalley with expectations for an honest review to be published and shared.
Friday, December 01, 2017
Reading Samplers
As I browsed the magazines at the store this afternoon, the top line "Sampler Sleuth: Mystery of Missing Letters" caught my attention on the December 2017 issue of Just Cross Stitch. The article discusses omission of letters, dropped stitches, and more. If you are interested in a brief history of samplers, you might wish to pick up an issue while it is still available on newstands. They usually sell remaining issues online.
The article is:
Jennett, Vickie LoPicollo. "Reading Samplers: Not as Easy as A, B, C, 1, 2, 3." Just Cross Stitch 35, no. 7 (December 2017): 42.
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