Another Chapter

I'm the manager at Owl's Nest Books, an independent bookstore in Calgary.  This is where I keep my rants, reviews and other random thoughts that leak out of my brain. Stuff I say on this blog does not necessarily reflect...disclaimer...disclaimer..

[duthieyyc]

A few months ago, my book store, Owl’s Nest, received an advertisement postcard and bookmark in the mail, along with a letter.  It was from the Calgary-based author, Lauren Elliott, letting us know of her forthcoming cozy mystery.  Since Owl’s Nest specializes in mysteries, I immediately emailed asking if we could host the launch and I was so pleased when the author not only said yes, but offered to get me an advanced copy.  

(Owl’s Nest will have the pleasure of hosting the hometown launch of Murder by the Book. Join us at Owl’s Nest Books in Calgary, Alberta on Tuesday, October 30th, 2018 at 7pm.)   

I finally got a chance to dip into Murder by the Book over the last few weeks and found myself always eager to go back.  

It feels like a long time since I was able read a true cozy mystery.  So much of the mystery genre these days is dark and violent.  It was lovely to sit down with the characters of Murder by the Book.  Of course, being a bookseller, the fact that the setting involved a second-hand book store only added to my pleasure.  

Murder by the Book centers around Addison “Addie” Greyborne, who has just moved into her inherited family house in a cozy New England town and opened her second-hand book shop.  She is holding back the trauma of the recent deaths of her fiancé and father (ruled an unsolved burglary-turned-wrong and an accident respectively) but her emotions still break through every now and then.  

The day her shop opens, Addie make a friend of one business-neighbour and an enemy of another.  When a prominent businessman is killed and Addie’s new friend is accused of the murder, Addie is determined to use her sleuthing skills (honed from tracking the provenance of rare books) to solve the mystery.  

With Murder by the Book, you get exactly what it says on the tin.  A cozy small town with its usual small town politics, an intriguing puzzle that keeps you guessing, and the bonus of just a little romantic tension with the local police chief.  When I got to the end, I immediately read the blurb for the second book in the series, something I rarely take the time to do.

I’m looking forward to recommending Murder by the Book as one of my staff picks, and I might have to see if I can pull strings for a peek at the sequel, Prologue to Murder.  

[silvershanica]

I decided to take a bit of a break from staying ahead of the Senior Owlets reading and delve into something a little different. I have some delightful fantasy novels I’m reading, but they are all intense and, with the wicked heat we have been having, I’m afraid I just haven’t been up for them.

This has lead me to this fantastic find - a recommendation from a couple of my co-workers to whom I owe a great deal of thanks ( @duthieyyc). It is only because it would disturb my family intensely for me to be falling out of my chair constantly that I refrained from laughing as hard and long as I really wanted to reading this book! Miss Tarabotti has to be one of my favourite all-time characters. The mix of humour, action, romance and fantasy in this book is a breath of fresh air. It is a good reminder that nothing, not even fiction, need be so serious all the time. I absolutely cannot wait to read the rest of the Parasol Protectorate novels!

[duthieyyc]

I love when people love my recommendations!

[silvershanica]

In my continuing quest to read the books for the upcoming season of the Senior Owlets book club, I have now complete our November pick: The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron.

My good friend and co-worker @duthieyyc has been raving about this book since it came out in hardcover in 2016. It’s been on my personal TBR list, and putting it on the book list for the book club just seemed like a good way to kill two birds with one stone, so-to-speak. I’M SO GLAD I DID!!!

The Forgetting is an amazing roller coaster of a read. The people of Canaan forget everything every 12 years. The only way to “remember” anything about their lives is to read what they write in their books - diaries meant for them to record their lives, with rules dictating the recording of all important information. But Nadia doesn’t forget. She must hide this truth from everyone, but it also makes her question the world she knows and fuels her urge to know what is beyond the walls of the city.

The concepts of what makes a person who they are, what is “truth” and how it is affected by your own point of view are wonderfully explored in this unique YA science fiction novel. It has the depth and quality that adults can appreciate it and moves at a pace that teens will enjoy. I highly recommend it for anyone 12 and up.

[duthieyyc]

Great review!

[duthieyyc]

Was looking for some don’t-make-me-think brain candy. This started out great, but by the end it really tested my suspension of disbelief, even for fluffy-brain-Candy. This is an advanced reader’s copy and the final version is not out until October. Hopefully some changes will have happened. (I’m thinking of a particular scene to check when the final version comes out to see how much ridiculousness stayed in.)

[duthieyyc]

July 1st Check in

Yikes!  Hard to believe we’re halfway through the year already.  I’m very behind on my goal of reading 100 books this year.  

Check out my April 1st check-in.

Books read so far in 2018: 33 books

Breakdown by Quarter: January - March: 19 books April - June: 14 books

Author demographics: Male authors: 12 Female authors: 21 Minority (POC) authors: 8 LGBTQ+ authors: 2

Second Quarter Breakdown: April: 5 books May: 5 books June: 4 books

So, it seems that I’m slowing down, which as I mentioned doesn’t bode well for my 100 books goal, but I figured I’m on track to match or beat the 67 books I read in 2017, which means I’m improving, which is really what counts.  

[duthieyyc]

New title to hand-sell: Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee. It’s Tash like “posh”, not Tash like “ash”. This is very important. Really pleased to see an asexual protagonist in teen fiction. They did not exist when I was younger. And of course I’m a fan of any author or character who’s a fan of Tolstoy. I also love that it made me get a peek behind the scenes of the making of a web series. Very fun book.

[duthieyyc]

Tonight was my last night as “point guy” of the store’s mystery-themed book club. I hope to attend as a member, but I’m turning the organization over to a very capable coworker from now on. Enjoyed this book, as I read it in 48 hours, but it feels like the type of book I’ve read so many times before: “feisty heroine who refuses to conform to Victorian mores and modes discovers there may be more to her birth than she’s been told.”

[duthieyyc]

Another slightly rushed read, as it was due today with holds behind me. Odd kid of common sense and “studies have shown but more research needs to be done”. Apparently you both are and aren’t supposed to have protein before bed.

[duthieyyc]

Getting back into the reading groove after stalling on too many titles. It feels so good to blast through a book in two days. Going to see Trevor Noah live tonight. Very excited!

[duthieyyc]

If I’d been planning ahead, I would have paused my library hold of the Hamilton bio. There are many folks behind me, so no renewals. Also want to finish Infractus before the event with the author on Thursday. Zelda will be pleased with the increased reading time.

[duthieyyc]

You’d think I’d learn. Book club meeting has snuck up on me yet again. Don’t know if I’ll get it done in time, but I’ll at least try.

[duthieyyc]

Seems soberly appropriate to be starting this one today.

[felree]

when you put off reading a book, not because you don’t want to read it, but because you know that you won’t be capable of doing anything but reading the book once you start

[duthieyyc]

Once again, it’s a frantic rush to get the book club selection done. At least this time it’s a re-read so I can skim a little.

[duthieyyc]

Decisions, decisions…

I’ve been asked by Wordfest to host the Calgary stop on the Timeless Tour with Susanna Kearsley and Genevieve Graham.

But which do I read first?

Event is May 2nd at 7:00 in the Wordfest Lab (second floor, Memorial Park Library). Tickets on Eventbrite.

[duthieyyc]

Decided to continue with the Burnett. This time found a free version. Hooray for the public domain!

[duthieyyc]

Home from Theatre Calgary’s production of The Secret Garden. Of course, now I have to reread the book. These are the moment where I do begrudgingly admit to some of the advantages of ebooks.