Three Reviews for the Price of One Post!

 

First Line from Prologue: Île de la Cité, Paris 2019. The fire peels Notre Dame like an illuminated manuscript soaked in water, its layers separating, releasing their secrets.

Skylark is a dual-timeline story about underground Paris. The timelines take place in 1664 and 1939, and concern the daughter of a master dyer at the Gobelin Tapestry Works who tries to save her father when he is unjustly accused of a crime, and a psychiatrist faced with the Nazi persecution of Jews.

The prologue concerning the burning of Notre Dame led me to expect more from the present day; however, it was used just to show readers how certain events can uncover stories and secrets. 

Seventeenth-century dye-making techniques and the three hundred plus kilometers of tunnels and catacombs under Paris made for some very interesting reading, but the story ultimately never engaged me as much as I thought it might. 

Skylark by Paula McLain

eISBN: 9781668028179

Atria Books © 2026

eBook, 464 pages

Historical Fiction, Standalone

Rating: B

Source: Net Galley

First Lines: I never meant to see what was in his drawer. I was never a mother who snooped.

In this thriller, two teenage girls have been found dead in a wealthy Chicago suburb, and high school counselor Abby Rosso begins to suspect that her son might be their killer.

Occasionally, I forget that I have to be careful with the psychological thrillers that I choose to read. In the case of What Boys Learn, I found whodunit to be much too easy to deduce and the neurotic Abby Rosso extremely annoying. The pace of the book was very slow, and more editing would not only have sped the story along but also not given me the time to realize how little I cared for any of the characters.

What Boys Learn by Andromeda Romano-Lax

eISBN: 9781641296922

Soho Press © 2026

eBook, 464 pages

Standalone Psychological Thriller

Rating: D

Source: Net Galley

First Line from Prologue: Cambridge, 1935. The banks of the River Cam were a bustle of activity on the first day of the Lent Bumps.

When Iris Sparks' friend from her Cambridge days is suspected of being a Soviet operative, British Intelligence coerces her to find out the truth. First, she and business partner/friend Gwen Bainbridge must find a way for the suspect to hire their marriage service.

I have enjoyed this series from the very first book, and having the opportunity to see the irrepressible Iris Sparks in her university days was a treat. Fire Must Burn also gives readers a chance to watch a spy-in-training while navigating the murky dealings of the intelligence service. 

While reading this eighth book in the series, I suddenly realized that one of the reasons I like it so much is the repartee between Sparks and Bainbridge, and that repartee is reminiscent of T. E. Kinsey's Lady Hardcastle series, another favorite of mine.  

Bring on the next adventure for Iris and Gwen! These books are definitely "more-ish."

Fire Must Burn by Allison Montclair

eISBN: 9781448315949

Severn House © 2026

eBook, 256 pages

Historical Mystery, #8 Sparks & Bainbridge

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley

The Red Shore by William Shaw

 

First Lines: The boy wakes, scared. Something is wrong. It is all his fault.

Metropolitan police detective Eden Driscoll is quite satisfied with his single and childless life, but then the phone call comes. His estranged sister has vanished from her boat, leaving him the responsibility of Finn, a nephew he didn't know he had.

Resettled in the seaside town of Teignmouth, Eden finds adjusting to parenthood to be difficult, but he soldiers on. Problems mount when his sister's body is finally found. Her death is ruled an accident by the local police, but Eden isn't convinced.

Now the only thing he can do is search his sister's life for answers and continue to forge a relationship with a very recalcitrant little boy.

~

Being an unabashed cheerleader for William Shaw's standalone thrillers and his Alexandra Cupidi series, I couldn't wait to get my hands on The Red Shore, the start to a brand new Devon-set crime series. Wow! When my copy arrived from the UK, I jumped right in and was immediately hooked when I met Finn, a scared little boy alone on a boat at sea.

The Red Shore has an atmospheric setting (par for the course for Shaw) and a 

fantastic mystery that kept me turning the pages-- and even thinking about it when I was forced to stop reading, but the characters bring this book to an entirely different level. Eden, seemingly satisfied with his life in London, yet unable to escape his unconventional childhood. Finn, a little boy who's scared to death by his mother's disappearance and wants nothing to do with this uncle he didn't know anything about.

While I was trying to figure out the mystery, I was constantly intrigued by the dynamics between Eden and Finn. I have to admit that I found Finn to be very mouthy and abrasive at first, but his circumstances made his behavior make sense, and I did gradually warm up to the little boy. (Hey, I'm childless, just like Eden.)

The Red Shore is probably the best book I've read in 2025, and I cannot wait for the next book in the series. Write faster, Mr. Shaw! 

The Red Shore by William Shaw

ISBN: 9780008720407

Hemlock Press © 2025

Hardcover, 384 pages

Police Procedural, #1 Eden Driscoll

Rating: A+

Source: Purchased from Amazon UK.

A Determined Weekly Link Round-Up

 

Why is this round-up determined? Because I've been waging war against bees that insist on trying to commandeer the hummingbird feeders. It's not really war because I don't want to hurt the bees, but I don't want them chasing away the hummingbirds. Bee stings can kill hummingbirds, and I definitely don't want that!

Found Image

I've switched the type of feeders to one that bees can't get to the sugar water, but they are persistent little beggars and keep trying to find a way to get at it. And they're also jealous because-- since they can't get at the sugar water, they've been chasing away the hummers. I've got a spray that's supposed to be a deterrent yet safe for all. I took a look at the feeder awhile ago, and there were no bees on it. If they have finally given up when I've finished this post, I won't have to use the spray. Come on, guys, go someplace else!

Virtual holiday hugs to you all-- especially to those, like me, who may need a bit more cheer.

Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year for 2025 is "slop," the AI-generated junk that fills our social media feeds.
• What to know about Australia's social media ban for kids under 16.
• Are influencers harming the book industry? (I don't know about you, but even the term "influencer" makes me turn away.)
• An entire library board in North Carolina was dissolved over one picture book about a trans kid.
• AI is supercharging the war on libraries, education, and human knowledge.
• How a near-shipwreck on a luxury ocean liner inspired The Poseidon Adventure and a decade of disaster movies.

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• An ancient Egyptian valley temple is being excavated, and it's connected to a massive upper temple dedicated to the sun god, Ra.
• This painting of a doomed duke just became the priciest Elizabethan portrait ever auctioned, selling for $4.2 million.
• Archaeologists are unraveling the mysteries behind deep pits found near Stonehenge.
• New discoveries at Hadrian's Wall are changing the picture of what life was like on the border of the Roman Empire.
• The Ash Pendant: The only known depiction of a pregnant Viking woman.
• Scientists are pulling up the first riches from the "Holy Grail of Shipwrecks" that sank off Colombia in 1708.

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• A newly discovered mantis species dances like a snake to avoid death after sex.
• These owls took a free vacation on a cruise ship, but they'll soon be heading home.
• Beavers are dam good for biodiversity, bringing bats, butterflies, and other critters to their neighborhoods.
• Wild horses return to the Golden Steppe.
• More than 2,000 golden retrievers gather in an Argentina park in an attempt to break a world record.
• Inspired by bird feathers, this new "ultrablack" fabric absorbs nearly all the light that hits it.

►The Wanderer◄

• This landscape inspired some of Georgia O'Keeffe's best-known works. Now, it's receiving new protections.
• This one-of-a-kind Christmas tree is made of 2,000 handmade glass ornament.
• 17 can't-miss Christmas places to visit. (One of them is a few miles from me.)
• Notre-Dame Cathedral's controversial new stained-glass window designs go on display.
• What happens when a country loses most of its lakes?
• China's Great Green Wall: The giant artificial forest designed to slow the expansion of two deserts.

►Fascinating Folk◄

• British artist Es Devlin put 2,500 of her favorite books in a massive rotating library on Miami Beach.
• Three brothers found a 1939 copy of "Superman No. 1" in their mother's attic. It just became the most expensive comic book ever sold.
• In the 1930s, grocer Sylvan Goldman wanted to make it easier for his customers to buy more. They just needed a push.
• Ziegfeld's Folly: The actress, the showman, and the mystery of the missing jewels.
• Andrew and Lee Child on Jack Reacher, past and present.
• Hector Guimard, the architect who designed the iconic entrances to the Paris Métro, is finally getting the attention he deserves.

►I ♥ Lists◄

• The ten best photography books of 2025.
• The 173 best book covers of 2025.
• 19 books about real women as fascinating as any novel.
• Dig into these seven addictive Egyptian mysteries.
• You'll want to check out these new mysteries ASAP.
• 15 new cookbooks by your favorite chefs.

That's all for this week! No matter how busy you may be, don't forget that quality Me Time curled up with a good book!

A Casa Kittling Christmas

Why is it that time never flies when you want it to and does when you don't? Typical! I'd better stop complaining and start sharing the Christmas decorations I put up this year. 

In large part, my ability to decorate this year is due to all the hard work my English nieces put in. Nothing like being out in the blazing heat of Arizona in June, going through the contents of two sheds and ensuring that all the Christmas decorations are in the shed that their mobility-challenged aunt can get into! Bless 'em all-- Karen, Daisy, and Suzanne. They are treasures, each and every one.

Let's get to the decorations!

At the front door. Denis's jacket and Royal Navy submariner cap are hanging on a hook.

The craft room. I could've cropped out the light, but it reminds me of Denis. Denis couldn't deal with low light, and every light fixture he installed was bright enough to bring in planes for a landing. 😄

Mom's carolers that she made in 1965.

Santas and mistletoe

Snowpeople and friends

The second caroler set my mother made in the 60s.

This snow couple dates from the 1960s.

This little guy plays my favorite Christmas song. I had to replace the battery because his singing was getting a bit s-l-o-w.

A cozy place to relax with a good book.

Denis's recliner with the Santa pillow. The fiber optic tree was 40 years old and died a few days ago. I had to dive into my coffers and find something to replace it.

I replaced it with teapots and a nutcracker.

My acachirpa choir and the "proper robin" table runner.

Snowmen decorating the knitting tree.

The kitchen

I think this was Denis's favorite ornament-- and one of mine, too. It always makes me smile.

Virtual holiday hugs to you all!  To those who feel that they haven't really accomplished anything in the past year, remember-- sometimes the very best accomplishment is that you survived. 

A Busy, Busy, Busy Weekly Link Round-Up

 

I've been buzzing around here like a blue-arsed fly, as Denis would say-- and yes, that's a common phrase in the UK (at least in the north). I unloaded Christmas decorations from the shed and dragged them into the house, then spent the weekend decorating and hauling the empty containers back into the shed. One thing I learned from this is that I need to do another purge of my Christmas decorations, but that's going to wait until Daisy and Suzanne come to visit in the spring.

There's something about having the house decorated for the holidays that never fails to lift my spirits, so it's a good thing I had them up when there was a six-hour power outage one day. I snuggled up in my Christmas afghan, read my Kindle, and didn't mind all that much that I was in a cold, gloomy house. Special people "just peeking in" to see how I'm doing have brightened my spirits, too. I am so fortunate to have them in my life.

This will be another busy week with all the usual chores as well as my mammogram and my visit to the wound care clinic. Which reminds me... I'd better get out my Christmas sweater to wear for my appointments. And my jingle bell earrings! 

Holiday cheer from a messy desk

As I get out and about for my appointments, it will be front and center in my mind that not everyone is going to be experiencing a happy holiday season. I will not only be wearing my Christmas sweater and jingle bell earrings, I will also be wearing a smile and-- more importantly-- being kind to all those I meet.

Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• The French government is considering an AI bill "to protect copyright and reward creators."
• How "cozy lit" became the latest and most shameless form of digital escapism.
• Tess McGeer: Books That Made Me Gay: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.
• The last video rental store is your public library.
• In November's school board elections, voters stood with librarians.
• The sweeping Supreme Court decision that led to widespread high school censorship.
• AI is coming for your toddler's bedtime story.
• The Kindle Store is getting wrecked by SEO-stuffed book titles, and readers are fed up. (Count me as one of the fed-up ones.)

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• 1,800-year-old "piggy banks" full of Roman-era coins have been unearthed in a French village.
• Roman sun hat: a "very rare" 1,600-year-old brimmed cap that may have protected a Roman soldier from Egyptian sandstorms.
• Researchers have discovered the shocking age of the mysterious Pecos River rock art.
• The Fabergé egg gifted by Russia's last czar broke a world record, selling for $30.2 million at auction.
• A volcanic eruption triggered the "butterfly effect" that led to the Black Death.
• Archaeologists have unearthed a treasure-filled tomb belonging to the first known ruler of a Maya city in Belize.
• Why did the ancient Indus Valley civilization collapse?
• Hundreds of funerary figurines suggest that an ancient Egyptian pharaoh moved another ruler's body and stole his tomb.

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• Claude, San Francisco's beloved albino alligator and "unofficial mascot," has died at the age of 30.
• Two macaque monkeys learned to tap to the beat of the Backstreet Boys. Can they teach researchers about the origin of human musicality?
• This "feisty" Asian elephant at the National Zoo is pregnant. She may birth the first calf born there in nearly 25 years.
• Birds are beeping and booping like R2-D2. Their mimicked sounds are helping unlock the secrets of avian communication.
• A decade-long chimp war ended in a baby boom for the victors.
• More than 1,200 marine animal species eat plastic. Ingesting even a tiny amount can kill them.
• This might be the first recorded tool use by a wild wolf.
• For some male pheasants, love really is blind.

►The Wanderer◄

• Austin, Texas, the city that prides itself on staying weird.
• UNESCO's Cities of Gastronomy-- the most delicious cities on Earth.
• 18,000 dinosaur tracks were discovered along an ancient Bolivian coastline-- and they set a new record.
• China has planted so many trees it's changed the entire country's water distribution.
• Crime and the City: Palm Beach, Florida.
• At the Newark (New Jersey) Public Library, shopping bags carry local history.
• Go behind the scenes at Trinity College Dublin's Old Library as the staff move 700,000 historical treasures into storage.
• 7 scenic drives in America that feel like a movie set.

►Fascinating Folk◄

• Meet four women astronauts from across NASA's history.
• Sydney-based baker Macey Nemer creates edible flower bouquets made entirely of hand-piped buttercream cupcakes (and they are gorgeous).
• College students Marta Bernardino and Sebastião Mendonça are building a robot to replant burned forests.
• Just as the Italian art of glassblowing was on the verge of shattering, craftsman Antonio Salviati in Murano emerged to revive it.
• The hidden history of women game designers.
• Famed street photographer Lee Friedlander chronicled what Christmas looks like across America over the course of decades.
• With his sculptures full of natural splendor, artist Truman Lowe could make wood look like water.
• Althea Gibson: Rising above bias to become the first African American Grand Slam champion.

►I ♥ Lists◄

• 9 holiday mysteries to unwrap this season.
• The best historical fiction coming this winter.
• 100 notable small press books of 2025.
• This season's must-read mysteries and thrillers.
• The best audiobooks of 2025.
• Modern mysteries to read based on your favorite classic sleuth.
• Bizarre inventions found in 1940s science magazines.
• 11 everyday words that were coined in sci-fi stories.

That's all for this week! No matter how busy you may be, don't forget that quality Me Time curled up with a good book!

The Sea Captain's Wife by Tilar J. Mazzeo

 

First Line from Prologue: This story begins in another place, another time, in a world of which only fragments remain.

1856. Both from seafaring families, Captain Joshua Patten and his wife, Mary Ann, dreamed of making their fortune, buying a farm in Maine, and building a family. They'd already made their first clipper ship voyage around the world, and if they could win the race to San Francisco this year, that dream could come true. The young couple thought that the only thing that stood in their way was traversing the most treacherous waters in the world at the tip of South America.

As their ship, Neptune's Car, neared the Cape, the weather worsened, and Joshua fell deathly ill. Confined to his bunk, the ship was in real danger, not only from the weather but from the treacherous first mate, locked in the brig for insubordination and now agitating for mutiny. 

Nineteen-year-old Mary Ann Patten convinced the crew to support her, and together they survived a gale that lasted eighteen days, making it through Drake's Passage and on to San Francisco, a city still in the throes of the Gold Rush.

~

Here's yet another story of an incredible woman who had become lost to history. The Sea Captain's Wife is a fascinating story, although the book did have its problems. 

For one thing, the author spent so much time telling us about the couple's ancestry that my eyes kept glazing over. In my mind, I was shouting, "Enough already-- get to the mutiny!" Indeed, the absolute best part of the book describes the voyage of Neptune's Car through Drake's Passage and around Cape Horn, and I would love to wax poetic about just what nineteen-year-old Mary Ann Patten did, but I'm leaving it up to you to find out. A young girl, traveling aboard a clipper ship in an age when women aboard ships were frowned upon. A young girl whose husband was at death's door. A young girl who somehow managed to convince a crew of hardened sailors to believe that she could guide them through the most deadly waters in the world. It is the stuff of dreams.

Once back home in New England, Mary Ann became the world's darling, and this acclaim helped her through some very tough times; however, few records remain of her life after that voyage, and the book felt as though it ran out of steam and stuttered to a stop.

I applaud the author for all the research she did. (For example, she filled in the gaps in explaining how sea captains could become filthy rich.) It's not her fault that Mary Ann's story faded into obscurity once she was out of the limelight. But her story should be told and remembered. I only scratched the surface of what Mary Ann had to contend with during that voyage. All in all, I think The Sea Captain's Wife would be better told as a novel of historical fiction. Even thinking of Mary Ann Patten's story being told in that manner makes my eyes light up with joy. What a book that would be!

The Sea Captain's Wife: A True Story of Mutiny, Love and Adventure at the Bottom of the World

by Tilar J. Mazzeo

eISBN: 97812500352590

St. Martin's Press © 2025

eBook, 274 pages

Non-Fiction

Rating: C+

Source: Net Galley

Silent Bones by Val McDermid

 

First Line: New Year's Eve, 2013. She'd never imagined a Hogmanay thrash like this, never mind that she'd be invited to it.

When a landslide on a motorway uncovers a skeleton, DCI Karen Pirie, head of Police Scotland's Historic Cases Unit, finds herself and her team investigating the death of investigative journalist Sam Nimmo.

Nimmo had been the prime suspect in the murder of his girlfriend when he disappeared. Was his death revenge for killing his girlfriend? Or was he investigating something worth killing over? In the meantime, the supposedly accidental death of a hotel manager has raised an allegation of murder. 

Now Karen and her team have a series of puzzles that will test them to their limits.

~

Val McDermid's Karen Pirie series is right at the top of my list of favorites. I've consistently rated these books highly-- either as Best Reads of the Year or as "A's." Although I do have to say that this latest entry, Silent Bones, felt a bit lackluster, a lackluster McDermid novel is still better than most writers' best. 

One of the reasons why McDermid's writing is so strong is due to the cast of characters she creates. Karen and her team of Daisy and Jason are interesting people, and not only do I enjoy keeping up with their private lives, but the way the team has come together is fascinating. Jason, in particular, was originally treated as if he were a joke, but with Karen's guidance, he's become much stronger and is a valuable member of the team. 

The plot of Silent Bones centers on a group of the well-heeled and entitled who think the rules do not apply to them. My patience wears thin with those types of people, and the only new character in this book that I took a shine to was Folasade Cusack. Her comment about an industrial hoover made me snort tea up my nose. Yes, I definitely wouldn't mind seeing her again!

As I said earlier, the plot of Silent Bones didn't really grab me, but any time spent with Karen, Daisy, and Jason is time well spent indeed. I look forward to the next book in the series.

Silent Bones by Val McDermid

eISBN: 9780802164407

Atlantic Crime © 2025

eBook, 432 pages

Police Procedural, #8 Karen Pirie

Rating: B

Source: Net Galley

Taking This Week Off to Count My Blessings

 

I'm posting this early because I've decided to take the week off to relax and to count my blessings. 

That may sound odd, since I did lose Denis in June, but he brought so much to my life that I can't be anything else but thankful to have had him as my love, my companion, and my best friend. 

And, if anything, this year has shown me what wonderful family and friends I have. See? So much to be thankful for that I don't even need to mention material things.

Blessings (and Hugs) to all of you. You, too, are an important part of my life.