Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Characters I'd Like to Go on Vacation With

Today I'm linking up with Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl which is all about lists.  Since lists are one of my favorite things this is one of my favorite linkups!  Today's topic is about 10 characters I'd Like to Go on Vacation With.  This was a bit of a challenge since I read a lot of mysteries which means most of the characters I read about are constantly tripping over dead bodies which doesn't seem like would be much fun in reality!

1.  Mrs. Pollifax - I have very mixed feelings about this!  I'd love to spend time with Mrs. Pollifax but things do tend to go horribly wrong and you frequently end up in a country different from the one you started with.  

2.  Jessica Fletcher - Some glitzy author event.  Jessica is down to earth and doesn't take herself too seriously so she'd be fun to be with but she's well known enough to get us to meet all kinds of people.  My main goal would be avoiding getting suspected of murder.  

3 - 5.  Jane Marple, Hercule Poirot, and Patricia Wentworth's Maud Silver - A cruise.  We'd sit on the deck and people watch.  It'd be so much fun.  We'd probably discover all kinds of secrets and scandals.

6.  Kat Holloway from Speculations in Sin by Jennifer Ashley - Anywhere as long as it has a full kitchen.  Kat seems like a fun person to be around and she's a miracle worker in the kitchen so maybe a mountain cabin?  She'd probably enjoy the peace and quiet and clean air and Grace would have a fun time exploring.

7.  Sonya McTavish from Inheritance by Nora Roberts - A staycation at her house.  Sonya has a massive old house in Maine with antiques and ghosts and other mysteries.  I'd spend a happy week just exploring.

8.  Phileas Fogg from Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne - Pretty much anywhere because we'd always get where we're going with minimal delay.  He's resourceful and not much of a complainer - plus doesn't mind spending money to get what he wants.

9.  Dicken from The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett - A walking tour through the English countryside.  Dickens knows so much about how things grow, animals and nature that he'd be fascinating to go on a hike with.  

10. Della Hamilton from The Blackbird Trilogy by Heather Graham - Anywhere historic.  Della can see and communicate with ghosts which would add a fun element to touring historic places.

Authors I've Been Meaning to Read - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

At the beginning of the year I made a list of authors that I've been saying I need to read and commit to reading at least one book by each of the authors in 2024.  Here's my thoughts on one of those books/authors.

Goodreads:  The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Blurb:  Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story nears its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

My Thoughts:  I knew a bit about this book going into it so the love of Evelyn Hugo's life wasn't a surprise.  However, the focus of the book did end up being a surprise.  Yes, this is a story of a glamorous movie star but the real focus is on what happens if you don't let yourself truly be yourself and don't accept who you are.  At times this message felt a bit heavy handed.  I enjoyed the old Hollywood bits and watching Evelyn as she navigates the changing world of fame as times change and she gets older.  I wasn't sure how her life and Monique's life connected until it was revealed and that was quite a surprise.  Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about this book which seems reasonable as Evelyn was a complicated woman and nothing was ever easy.  I will say that the author made her so vivid and made her seem so real that I caught myself almost Googling her to see what she really looked like.  My Rating: Liked It! (3.5 Stars)

This Week in Reading - April 14

 
It's Sunday Post time!  This is hosted by the awesome Caffeinated Book Reviewer and gives us all a chance to recap our week.

What I Got:

A Deceptive Composition by Anna Lee Huber - This is the next book in the Lady Darby mysteries and it is a series I really enjoy so I"m really looking forward to it.  (Publisher)

Reading Between the Lines by Lynn Cahoon - I've read all the books in the series - the first I loved, the second I was meh on, and the third I really enjoyed - so I'm curious to see where I fall with this one! (Publisher)

The Jig is Up by Lisa Q. Mathews - This is a new book in a new to me cozy mystery series that looks really fun! (Publisher)

Olive You to Death by Lynn Cahoon - This is the most recent in a long running cozy series so of course I couldn't resist it!

Currently:

Reading;  Murder in Rose Hill by Victoria Thompson and Blood Red by Wendy Corsi Staub

Listening:  Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

Last week we were in Arkansas for the eclipse.  We saw the one in 2017 and since the next one isn't until 2045 we decided we had to make the drive!  We stayed in Branson, Missouri and drove over to Mammoth Spring, Arksansas to watch the eclipse and had such a good time!  I was so impressed with the rangers who were running the parking situtation and the park was beautiful.  As much fun as the trip was it is definitely great to be home again.  

Where you able to see the eclipse from your location?  Have a great week and happy reading!

The Mystery of the Blue Train - Classic Mystery Review

Goodreads: The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie

Rating:  Really Liked It! (4.5 Stars)
Source:   Purchased

Description:  A mysterious woman, a legendary cursed jewel, and a night train from London to the French Riviera -- ingredients for the perfect romance or the perfect crime? When the train stops, the jewel is missing, and the woman is found dead in her compartment. It's the perfect mystery, filled with passion, greed, deceit, and confusion. Is Hercule Poirot the perfect detective to solve it?

Genre:  Mystery - Classic

Why I Picked This Book:  This was the March pick for the Read Christie 2024 challenge.

My Impression: I've read that Christie was made to change the ending of this mystery and because of that was never fully satisfied it.  After reading it I can completely believe that.  This has all the hallmarks of a great Christie mystery - a murder on a train, multiple suspects and motives, and criminal elements lurking inthe shadows - but somehow just never has made it to my favorite list.  It's also one I never quite remember.  

This is a solid mystery with a good main character in Katherine Gray and a really good use of Poirot.  The mystery has lots of elements and anything invovling historic jewels can't be bad!  This is one I always look forward to reading when it comes up on a list but isn't one I think of or one I typically recommend for new Christie readers.  The final reveal just never quite makes the best of all the elements that come up in the book.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Of course!  I always in the middle of some kind of Christie reread!

Would I Recommend this Book? While this isn't the top Christie mystery I recommend to new readers it's an enjoyable read with a solid mystery.  Definitely one to add to your TBR!

Friday Fives - Five Books Set in Missouri

I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much.  We've been in Missouri this week so we could be in the path of the solar eclipse.  It occurred to me Missouri isn't really a state I visit fictionally very often so of course I had to find 5 books that are set in Missouri!  It was more of a challenge than I expected.

1.  If Bread Could Rise to the Occasion by Paige Shelton - It's been awhile since I've read anything in this series though I have enjoyed it.  This is the next book for me to read and it sounds pretty fun - plus it takes place in small town Missouri.

2.  Little Shop of Homicide by Denise Swanson - This looks like a fun cozy mystery series set in an old-fashioned five and dime general store.

3.  The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain - I was convinced I had read both Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn but when I read Huck Finn a few years ago I discovered I absolutely had not read it so now I'm wondering if I've read Tom Sawyer.

4.  Dark Places by Gillian Flynn - I've only read Gone Girl by this author which I did enjoy and I've been meaning to read more by her for more than a decade.  

5.  The Deep End by Julie Mulhern - I've read several books in this cozy mystery series set in the 1970s in Kansas City, Missouri and it's always a good time.  Now I need to go back and read the first book!

Do you know of any books set in Missouri?

Books from the Backlog - Surviving Savannah

Today I'm linking up with Carole from Carole's Random Life of Books for Books from the Backlog.  I really enjoy the chance to feature a book that's been hiding in the piles of books for far too long!

Goodreads:  Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan

Blurb: When Savannah history professor Everly Winthrop is asked to guest-curate a new museum collection focusing on artifacts recovered from the steamship Pulaski, she's shocked. The ship sank after a boiler explosion in 1838, and the wreckage was just discovered, 180 years later. Everly can't resist the opportunity to try to solve some of the mysteries and myths surrounding the devastating night of its sinking.

Why It Needs to Come Off the Shelf:  I checked this out from the library but had to return it before I read it.  Then I saw it on sale at Audible and I bought it.  It's been awhile and I still haven't read it!

Around the World in Eighty Days - Classic Review

At the end of 2022 Wendy over at Literary Feline posted about these fantastic TBR Tarot Cards she had picked up on Etsy and that sounded too good to resist so I immediately ordered my own set.  So when I'm not feeling strongly about what to read next I pull out my cards and pick a book based on the prompt.  Here is a book the fates chose for me recently.

Goodreads: Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne

Description:  One night in the reform club, Phileas Fogg bets his companions that he can travel across the globe in just eighty days. Breaking the well-established routine of his daily life, he immediately sets off for Dover with his astonished valet Passepartout. Passing through exotic lands and dangerous locations, they seize whatever transportation is at hand—whether train or elephant—overcoming set-backs and always racing against the clock.

TBR Tarot Prompt:  Pick a book that has been made into a TV show or movie

My Throughts:  This book was on my list of possible reads for this year so when the prompt came up it seemed like a perfect fit.  I've never read anything by Jules Verne so I was a little nervous going in but overall I really enjoyed it.  This is quite the adventure with pretty much every form of transportation available in 1872 at least considered if not used and all kinds of adventures - both good and dangerous.  The prose is a bit cumbersome at times and there are some very dated stereotypes but for the most part this was a lot of fun and I'm so glad that the TBR Tarot picked it for me.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)