In celebration of dogs
The phrase “the dog days of summer” comes from the ancient Latin phrase diēs caniculārēs, meaning “days of the dog star.” The ancient Greeks and Romans thought that the brilliant light and proximity of Sirius (the brightest star… Read More
Mad Mabel
I was really looking forward to a new Sally Hepworth novel. Although I have felt lukewarm about a couple of her titles, I liked The Good Sister well enough to read it twice, and so many people raved… Read More
At the base of the tower
I have previously spoken here of how delightful I find the fantasy tales of T. Kingfisher. While she does write completely original stories (as well as some that are more horror than fantasy), many of her books are… Read More
Bonecrack
I was in the mood to pick up another Dick Francis novel last week, and this one was much more suspense than mystery. From the beginning we know who the bad guy is, and the plot becomes an… Read More
Blood sport
There seem to be several opinions about why horse racing has been called a blood sport. One definition I found submitted that it was because of the term “bloodstock”—the selective aristocratic breeding of thoroughbreds from pure bloodlines. But… Read More
Letting go before the end
Today I decided not to finish a book, which is a rarity for me but does happen. I had been waiting weeks on the library waitlist for Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro. I never picked this… Read More
A mesmerizing tale
I just finished reading The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield. It’s kind of a mystery to me—not the book itself, but my history with it. My Goodreads listings show that i read the book in 2015, and that… Read More
The Orchard
I have been quite baffled by the last few books I have read by Peter Heller. His earlier books had a plot, an arc, and a conclusion, if not the perfect resolution, and then I ran up against… Read More
The Book Adept 