Author Archives: pmgilmer

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About pmgilmer

I am a happily married Christian woman with 5 kids that I homeschooled. I recently received my masters in library science from East Carolina University and am now writing some great stories that I trust will bless and encourage others in the near future. I read books of all genres, but my favorite is historical fiction. I am also writing historical fiction, so I will be posting reviews and news in that area. Happy reading!

Favorite Reads from August ’24

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“The only ethical principle which has made science possible is that the truth shall be told all the time. If we do not penalize false statements made in error, we open up the way for false statements by intention. And a false statement of fact, made deliberately, is the most serious crime a scientist can commit.”
― Dorothy L. Sayers, Gaudy Night

Gaudy Night Dorothy Sayers (Lord Peter Wimsey #12) From a mystery series written back in the 1930’s, we meet Harriet Vane, a graduate of Shrewsbury College, Oxford and now a popular mystery writer, going back to attend the annual Gaudy celebration after ten years. While there, Harriet receives a poison pen letter, but goes back home thinking little of it. When other malicious and vandalous acts occur, Harriet is asked to come back to help the professors find out who is behind them, wanting to avoid calling in the police. Though Harriet agrees, she feels in over her head and eventually asks her friend, Lord Peter Wimsey, for help. This mystery is told with an engaging with and through many philosophical conversations. Several in my book club found it too long and wordy, but others (including myself) enjoyed the entertaining dialogue and the chance to improve our vocabulary. 4 stars

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration Isabel Wilkerson (audio—Robin Miles). (non-fiction) From 1915-1970, an exodus of almost six million black people left the South for a better life in the northern and western parts of the U.S. Wilkerson chose three very different people from different decades to illustrate the whys and hows of this migration. Ida Mae Gladney left sharecropping in Mississippi in 1937 and moved to Chicago. George Starling left Florida in 1945 for Harlem. A medical doctor, Robert Foster, left Louisiana in 1953 for California. Their struggles and successes and the changes these moves brought for their families has been well documented by Wilkerson with personal interviews and research. I listened to this on audio and though it got a bit long, I enjoyed it overall. Very interesting look at an important part of U.S. history. 4 stars

Finding Margaret Fuller Allison Pataki. (historical fiction) In 1836, Margaret Fuller was invited by Ralph Waldo Emerson to come to his home and meet his friends who will become known as the Transcendentalists. Fuller becomes close friends with Emerson as well as Thoreau, and eventually Nathaniel Hawthorne. She also meets the Alcott family and enjoys the company of their three young daughters including Louisa May. Fuller forges her own path through her writings and begins to host a women-only literary salon. Horace Greeley hires her to write for his newspaper, and soon sends her to Europe where she becomes the first female foreign correspondent. Fuller falls in love with Italy and a particular Italian noble. A fascinating, though tragic, tale of a woman who made history in many ways yet is rarely heard of today. 4 stars

These Silent Woods Kimi Cunningham Grant. For eight years, Cooper has been living with his daughter, Finch, in total isolation in a cabin in the Appalachian woods. They do have one neighbor who knows Cooper’s secret, but Cooper doesn’t trust him and doesn’t appreciate the way Scotland keeps an obvious eye on the two of them.  Finch adores him, but since she knows only Scotland, Cooper, and the owner of the cabin, Jake, Finch’s approval doesn’t impress Cooper. Jake comes every year to bring them supplies, but one year he doesn’t show up. Cooper has some decisions to make. He knows he can’t stay there forever or keep Finch from the real world much longer. Though I was exasperated with Cooper and his decisions at times, overall, I enjoyed this one, especially the ending. 5 stars

The Golden Tresses of the Dead (Flavia de Luce #10) Alan Bradley. The tenth book in the Flavia de Luce series. If you haven’t met Flavia before, I suggest you go back and read the whole series. You won’t be disappointed. This one opens at the wedding of Flavia’s sister, Ophelia. A beautiful wedding in a small English town in the 1950’s. Beautiful until Ophelia cuts into her wedding cake and screams. Not being your average 12-year old, Flavia is intrigued rather than alarmed and quickly takes charge of the situation. With the help of Dogger, estate gardener and expert in many things, Flavia begins an investigation which, of course, will eventually include murder. 4 stars

I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons Peter S. Beagle. Dragon catcher/exterminator Gaius Aurelius Constantine Heliogabalus Thrax (please just call him Robert) has inherited the job from his father but his dream is to become a prince’s valet. He’s actually rather fond of some dragons. When he is called in to clean up the very infested castle of the king (whose daughter is desperate to impress a prince), the job leads to him meeting the prince’s valet. The valet needs a favor; a big favor concerning a dragon. Can Robert use this to his advantage? I loved these characters, and the way they came together to face their challenges. 5 stars

Vacationland Meg Mitchell Moore. A family drama set in Maine during the summer. Louisa comes to her parents’ home in Maine with her three children (who are just the best characters!) needing to finish her book and full of resentment over her husband’s seeming lack of commitment. Her father, a well-respected judge, is now suffering with Alzheimer’s, and her mother is trying to keep everything together. Kristie has also come to Maine following the death of her mother, trying to find answers concerning her past. Most family dramas seem to involve adult children, which is fine, but I greatly enjoyed hearing the voices of these three: Matty (age 12), Abigail (10), and Claire (7). Their wisdom, perspective, and charm added depth to the book and made even the darkest moments lighter. 5 stars

Favorite Bird Shots of August ’24

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“It can be difficult to accept the fact that a lot of birds have to be identified as “possible” or “probable.”
― David Allen Sibley, Sibley’s Birding Basics

Green Heron

Green Heron (sporting his mohawk)

Red-headed Woodpeckers–Parent showing the newbie the ropes or how to find the best bugs

Little Blue Heron

Barn Swallow

White-eyed Vireo

Ruby-throated Hummingbird–one of my white spotted ones

White Ibis (juvenile)

Summer Tanager (female)

Great Egret

Great Crested Flycatcher

Downy Woodpecker (male)

Northern Flicker Woodpecker

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Young Duck–Mottled or Wood?

Mottled Duck

Acknowledge that Yahweh is God. He made us, and we are His–His people, the sheep of His pasture. Psalm 100:3

Favorite Reads of July ’24

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“As she reads these pages, something verging on magical happens, making her think for the very first time that books might be better than real life.” Clara Reads Proust Stephane Carlier

You may have thought by now that I didn’t finish any books in July, but, au contraire, I did complete quite a few books. Here are a few of them:

Poster Girls Meredith Ritchie. Historical fiction based on the Shell Assembly Plant which was built in Charlotte, NC during WWII. Maggie Slone has moved to Charlotte from Boston to be near her husband’s family while he is at war. Not wanting to totally depend on her in-laws, she gets a job at the plant though she does need her mother-in-law to help take care of her young twin daughters. Dropping off some books at the library, Maggie meets Kora Bell, whose husband is also in the war. Though Maggie is white and Kora, black, through their shared love of books, they become unlikely friends during the days of Jim Crow. Some interesting history about Charlotte that I was unaware of though I’ve lived her for over 30 years. Ritchie does a good job of showing the trials women went through during the war and what they did for themselves and their families as well as illustrating the racial tensions and misunderstandings that inevitably existed between neighbors and co-workers. 4 stars

Kitchen Yarns: Notes on Life, Love, and Food Ann Hood (essays). A group of essays centering around Hood’s life with food. Each comes with at least one recipe. Hood was raised in an Italian American family where her grandmother and mother were constantly cooking and keeping the family well-fed. Though she forged her own path, she never quite forgot her roots. No matter what life threw her, she always had cooking and sharing food to get through life’s toughest times. 4 stars

The Library Book Susan Orlean. (non-fiction) On April 29, 1986, a fire started in the Los Angeles Public Library. The fire reached 2000 degrees and burned for more than seven hours. By the time it was over, 400,000 books were gone and 700,000 were damaged. Though investigators spent much time and energy trying to discover the cause, over thirty years later, it is still unknown who or what started the fire. Besides covering the fire itself, Orlean tells of the history of this particular library, her own love of libraries, and some of the colorful characters that made up the Los Angeles Public Library. 4 stars



Same Time Next Summer Annabel Monaghan. Sam and her doctor fiancé, Jack, have come to her family’s beach house on Long Island. Sam is anxious to show this side of her family to Jack; their laid-back side. Jack doesn’t do laid-back, so is not as impressed as Sam would like. However, he’s willing to check out a wedding venue there since it means so much to Sam. Sam’s plans for a relaxing few days at her childhood beach are quickly ruined when she finds out Wyatt, the boy who broke her heart when she was 17, is also in town. Can Sam lay things to rest with Wyatt? On top of that, Sam might be getting fired from her job in Manhattan. And she can’t decide if that’s a bad thing or not. My second book by Monaghan and it did not disappoint. 4 stars

My Life in France Julia Child (memoir). In the later years of her life, Julia Child shared her early life in France with her husband, Paul’s, nephew, giving us a close-up look of the woman who brought French cooking to America as well as being a forerunner of the now popular cooking shows. Child first came to France in 1948 with her husband, Paul, a diplomat for the U.S. Paul Child had lived in France and could speak French, but Julia could neither speak French nor knew anything about the country or culture. With her boundless enthusiasm, Julia began to get to know her new country by going to the marketplace and taking classes at the Cordon Bleu. The rest as they say, is history. I enjoyed hearing about Julia’s experiences in her own words as well as letters from family and friends. 4 stars

James Percival Everett (audio). A re-telling of Mark Twain’ s Huckleberry Finn, tells the story of the slave, Jim, who decides to run when he hears he is to be sold. The young Huck Finn decides to fake his death to escape his abusive father. Not knowing the other is running, they find each other on Jackson Island, and their flight from danger begins. Everett follows Twain’s story in many ways, but in this one, we see the intelligence of Jim and what he does to hide that from white men. A couple of other twists occur, making this a great one for book clubs. 4 stars

The Cartographers Peng Shepherd. Nell Young has always been fascinated with cartography and wants to do nothing else. Not so surprising since her father, Dr. Daniel Young, is a well-known cartographer with a highly esteemed position with the New York Public Library. But, some years ago, Dr. Young fired his daughter from her job at the NYPL and made sure she would never work again in the field. Nell never learned why her father became so enraged over her finding of a cheap gas station highway map. And now, Dr. Young has been found dead in his office. When Nell finds the supposedly worthless map hidden in his desk, she has to investigate. What she finds leads her into danger and into a strange world where maps have secrets. I greatly enjoyed this fantasy where different worlds and secrets collide. 5 stars

Clara Reads Proust Stephane Carlier; translator-Polly MacKintosh (French). Clara is a hairdresser at Cindy Coiffure. Her job is okay for now, but she wonders if she couldn’t be doing more. When a customer leaves behind the first volume of Proust’s In Search of Lost Time, Clara puts it away but when the customer never returns, she ends up picking it up and reading it. Clara becomes engrossed in a new world and suddenly cannot stop reading. How the book (and subsequent volumes) changes her life makes for a charming read. This is the only book by Carlier translated into English. I hope more of his books will be translated soon. 4 stars

What You Wish For Katherine Center (audio). Katherine Center is becoming one of my go-to authors when I want an entertaining romance, yet they are not shallow or fluffy. Just characters going through stuff and eventually finding love. In this one, Sam is a school librarian who is happy with her job. When the school announces the name of the new principal, Sam is not sure if she should be excited or dismayed. Duncan Carpenter is a name from her past, a fellow teacher from another school, an unrequited crush. But when Duncan shows up and begins immediately to establish new and more rigid rules, she wonders if her memory is faulty because this is not the fun and unpredictable Duncan she remembers. 4 stars

Favorite Bird Shots of July ’24

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“Watching birds is good for mental health, the research tells us; it reduces anxiety, stress and depression and builds a well-being connection that might remain for life.” Miriam Darlington in Owl Sense.

Red-tailed Hawk

White-eyed Vireo

Barred Owl

Yellow-throated Vireo

Red-eyed Vireo

Barred Owl (doing a little fishing)

Pileated Woodpecker

Great Crested Flycatcher

(Another) Barred Owl

Prothonotary Warbler

Eastern Bluebird

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (juvenile male; notice the tongue action)

Barn Swallows

“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.” Psalm 150:6

Favorite Reads from June ’24

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“the strongest couples I know have grown together, supporting their partner’s changes rather than harnessing or fearing them. It’s a bit like growing roses—you don’t get to choose exactly which way the stems unfurl, but if you help them climb you get the pleasure of watching them flourish.”
― Olivia Ford, Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame

Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay (The Neapolitan Novels #3) Elena Ferrante; translated by Ann Goldstein. The third book which centers around the friendship of Elena and Lila, two young women who live in Italy in the 60’s and into the 70’s. As girls, Elena always looked up to Lila, but it is Elena who is able to continue her education and eventually publishes a successful novel while Lila married a boy from the neighborhood. The marriage is a disaster, and Lila’s life is going through some rough times. But, things are not always easy for Elena and somehow another boy from the neighborhood, Nino, keeps showing up in their lives. Elena is married now, but has never quite gotten over the attraction Nino has always had on her. These books are a great story of female friendship that is never easy but lasts for years. 4 stars

On Folly Beach Karen White. I’ve read a couple of books by Karen White that were just okay for me, so I was surprised at how much I liked this one. A dual time-line with one part of the story taking place in 1944 during WWII and the second in more present day (2009). Emmy Hamilton lives in Ohio and has recently lost her husband. Her mother is from Folly Beach, SC and now runs a bookstore. She has received some books for her bookstore from a store she remembers from her childhood in Folly Beach. She encourages Emmy to buy the bookstore down there, so she can have a new start in her life. Emmy is reluctant, but after finding some love letters in the box of books, she decides to give it a try. She is soon caught up in trying to solve the mystery of the letters, though the people who were related to the writers of the letters are not quite as excited for the truths to come out. 4 stars

The Break-Up Book Club Wendy Wax. Four women who are facing different types of break-ups in their relationships can make for some depressing reading, but the friendships they form (which start by meeting for a book club at a charming bookstore) keep this book from being too heavy on the heart. Jazmine is a sports agent and a single mother. Judith is an empty nester with a clueless and insensitive husband. Erin was engaged to her high school sweetheart who decided he didn’t want to get married after all. And Sara’s husband has been working out of town, leaving her saddled with his mother who knows her son could have done better. How these women work through their problems and support each other makes for heart-felt reading. 4 stars

The Golden Gate Amy Chua. Homicide Detective Al Sullivan is summoned to the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley, California. It’s 1944 and presidential candidate Walter Wilkinson has been killed in one of the ritzy hotel’s rooms. Wilkinson has many enemies, but some of the chief suspects are the granddaughters of the Bainbridge family, one of the wealthiest and most influential in San Francisco. What do these three young socialites have to do with a presidential candidate old enough to be their father? And what does the tragic death of their seven year old sister/cousin ten years ago have to do with the case now? Sullivan is determined to untie the threads and find the answer. 4 stars

Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame Olivia Ford. Jenny and her husband, Bernard, have been married for 59 years. Though she loves her husband and her life, Jenny yearns to do something more while she still can. She decides to apply to be a contestant on Britain Bakes, but doesn’t tell Bernard until she has no choice. That’s not the only secret she keeps from Bernard though the other one is 60 years old. Can she find a way to deal with her secret while competing on a national platform? Though I felt a bit uncomfortable with Jenny’s secret keeping, I love finding stories with older protagonists and that this one involves food is icing on the cake. 4 stars

Deacon King Kong James McBride. New York in the 1960’s where two neighborhoods overlap—one black and the other of Italian descent. When a black deacon known as Sportcoat shoots a known drug dealer, everyone is shocked and also scared. Isn’t it hard enough to get along without looking for trouble? I enjoyed getting to know these characters (and they are characters in every sense of the word). Life is not easy for any of them, but somehow they live and work together; standing up for their neighbors and family even when some of them might get on their last nerve. 4 stars

Piglet Lottie Hazell (audio). I listened to this because I heard a couple of people I follow rave about the audio. It was okay, but it might have been better for me if I’d read it in print. I seemed to have missed a couple of important things in my listening, such as: how can an adult woman continue to let people call her Piglet? How can she have any relationship with her parents at all for calling her that in the first place? But, anyway, Piglet (as she is known) is a cookbook editor and she is preparing to marry Kit. Kit’s family is a bit more upper-class than her own, so there’s those tricky waters to traverse. Then Kit drops a bomb on her just two weeks before they’re to be married. He has been unfaithful but wants her to forgive him. Can she? Can she carry on like everything is still peachy? Or will she just eat herself into oblivion? 3 stars

The Kamogawa Food Detectives Hisashi Kashiwai; translated from the Japanese by Jesse Kirkwood. A restaurant in Kyoto is not easy to find but if you make the effort, not only will you be served great food, but the father/daughter team also work as investigators and will find and create that special dish you remember from sometime in your past. Each chapter is about a different person who seeks out the Kamogawas to ask their help in recreating a dish that has a special meaning for them. I enjoyed reading about the different characters as well as the foods described which were mostly unfamiliar to me. 4 stars

Ladies’ Lunch and Other Stories (SS) Lore Segal. Lore Segal seems to have been writing forever. She had a story in a recent New Yorker, and she is now 96 years old. These stories mostly revolve around a group of friends who have been meeting for lunch for over 40 years. They’ve been friends long enough and have lived long enough to not hold anything back on what they think or how they feel. 4 stars

Favorite Bird Pics June ’24

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“And here is where nature mocks you absolutely. Birds don’t work on your schedule. They don’t care an iota for your plans or desires. They ridicule your fantasy that you are in control of what it is you see. They appear when they want to and disappear accordingly.” Julia Zarankin in Field Notes from an Unintentional Birder

Baby Barred Owls

Daddy Downy Woodpecker feeding baby

Eastern Kingbird

Belted Kingfisher

Summer Tanager (male)

Hairy Woodpecker

Barred Owl

Green Heron

Goldfinch pair

Goldfinch (female)

Orchard Oriole (young male)

Summer Tanager (female)

Indigo Bunting

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Prothonotary Warbler (belting it out)

Prothonotary Warbler (with dinner)

Killdeer

Hairy Woodpecker (male)

Red-bellied Woodpecker (juvenile)

Ruby-throated Hummingbird at Mimosa Tree

Great Blue Heron

Red-Headed Woodpecker

Young Wood Duck

Mother Wood Duck with ducklings

Wood Duck duckling

Favorite Reads of May ’24

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“Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.”
― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

The Kingdoms of Savannah George Dawes Green. Savannah is a beautiful city to visit—full of history, good food, and atmosphere. But, for the people who live there, there is a darker side which can go unseen unless you know where to look. When a building burns down with a homeless man inside, an unsavory developer is arrested for his murder. Declaring his innocence, he seeks to hire Morgana Musgrove, a pillar of high society, to prove his innocence. Morgana, in turn, pressures her four grown children to help her. No one believes this man can possibly be innocent, but something is definitely going on amongst Savannah’s elite. I read this with a mystery book club. Most of us have visited Savannah at some time or other and are familiar with the landmarks mentioned in the book. A good mystery with some interesting history woven in. 4 stars

Icebound: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World Andrea Pitzer. I don’t know why I enjoy reading of these arctic explorations, but I have read several and find them fascinating. It’s certainly not that I have any desire to walk in the footsteps of these men or even get on a boat and follow the paths of William Barents (as did the author). In spite of the failures of the voyages Barents was involved in, he is renowned for what he brought to the world of navigation. What the men survived (the ones who did) and how makes for entertaining and sometimes cringing reading. Reading of the many polar bear attacks and the effects of scurvy is not for the faint-hearted. They didn’t eat the bear because they didn’t care for the meat? And they didn’t think to use that fur for coats? Humans are strange creatures. One interesting discovery came when they found some barnacle geese on an island sitting on nests. For centuries, people did not understand that birds migrate. “Because these birds vanished each year from their European habitats and returned the following year but were never seen laying or nesting their eggs, it had been a matter of folk superstition common in England and Europe since the twelfth century that they grew out of driftwood, or perhaps shells grown on a ‘barnacle tree’ that fell in the water and matured.’ Barents would be credited with dissolving this myth though it would take many years for it to die completely. 4 stars

The Coincidence of Coconut Cake Amy E. Reichert. Romance and food—two of my favorite subjects. Lou is struggling to make her dream come true of building a successful French restaurant in Milwaukee. When a food critic visits the place on a bad day—a very bad day—Lou’s restaurant seems to be doomed. In spite of this and in spite of going through a bad break-up, Lou meets a charming English man and offers to give him a tour of her city. What she doesn’t know is that this man writes (incognito) as a food critic. And what he doesn’t know is that Lou is the owner of the awful Luella’s he visited one time. Will the truth come out and can their love survive it? 4 stars

Demon Copperhead Barbara Kingsolver. Winner of the Pulitzer and the Women’s Prize for Fiction, Kingsolver takes the well-known Dickens story of David Copperfield and places it in the mountains of southern Appalachia in the 21st century. Demon (nickname for Damon) lives with his mother in a trailer owned by the Peggotts who do what they can for Demon and his mother. After hurting her back, his mother becomes addicted to pain pills. When she marries Stoner for love and security, Demon’s life goes from bad to worse. Much worse. If you’re familiar with the story of David Copperfield, you know how some of this is going to play out, but the story is worth the ride. You will root for Demon and also want to shake him at times. 4 stars

Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships Sarah Grunder Ruiz. Jo Walker  has a condo on the beach she inherited from her grandmother and works on a yacht for a company that caters to different groups of people during the summer. She has made a bucket list of things to accomplish before her 30th birthday, all made in fun and something she has been sharing on her blog. A family tragedy sucks the fun out, but her best friend and nieces want to help her finish anyway. When she does one of the things on the list (kiss a handsome stranger), someone new enters her life. Since they both declare they don’t date (for various reasons), they try to at least to be friends. A sweet, though often sad, story of love, friendship, and family. 4 stars

The Housemaid Freida McFadden. I kept putting this down during the first half of the book. A little too disturbing for me. But, once I got past the halfway point, I had to know what was going on and who was really the crazy one. A woman who has recently gotten out of prison is desperate for a job, so she accepts one as a maid for a wealthy couple and their bratty child. The wife, Nina, makes things as difficult as possible for her, but how can she leave? She knows no one will want to hire an ex-con. Besides, there’s Andrew the kind and extremely handsome husband. Can he make things at least bearable? 5 stars

Favorite Bird Pics May ’24

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“On a day like this, I can’t imagine anything better that might happen in a person’s life than for them to start paying attention to birds—to become aware of this magical world that exists all around us, unnoticed by many but totally captivating for those who know its secrets. This kind of spring day, with its bountiful myriads of colorful sprites just arrived from tropical shores, has to be one of the greatest gifts of life on Earth.”
― Kenn Kaufman, A Season On The Wind: Inside the World of Spring Migration

Wood Duck Mama and Five Ducklings

Prothonotary Warbler

Red-shouldered Hawk baby

Summer Tanager

Scarlet Tanager

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Pine Warbler

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (I’ve had some with white spots coming for several years now. I’ve decided it must not be the plague).

Hummingbird Wars

Cedar Waxwings

Another male summer tanager

Gray Catbird

Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawks

Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawks (from a different nest)

Indigo Bunting

Black-crowned Night Heron (juvenile).

Tricolored Heron

Tricolored Heron

Favorite Reads of April ’24

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“Some of these things are true and some of them lies. But they are all good stories.” Hilary Mantel in Wolf Hall

Being Elisabeth Elliot: The Authorized Biography: Later Years Ellen Vaughn. Though I’ve known that Elisabeth Elliot was the wife of Jim Elliot (a missionary killed in Ecuador in 1956), that’s pretty much all I knew about her. A shame since she was living and writing during my younger years. So, this book relates the second part of Elliot’s life. I did not read the first book, so that’s not necessary but I would like to go back and read it. Though Elliot went through many heartaches and faced discouragement and despair (including often not pleasing the “Christian crowd”), her faith remained strong and she constantly looked to the Lord for answers and direction. Unfortunately, she did not always make the best decisions and there was one that would cause her much grief. A good example of the impact Elisabeth had on others was given by Cornell Capa, a non-believing photographer who spent some time with Elisabeth and other “missionary widows.” Cornell “was exposed to an evangelical subculture he had never known existed. He developed a great curiosity about the work of these people so compelled to carry a message of faith and redemption that they were willing to die for it. Elisabeth, who had grown up in environments where depictions of life had to be airbrushed of any ‘wrong messages’ in order to be presented in a religiously attractive way, loved Cornell’s bluntness, good humor, and uncompromising eye.”

In spite of his own unbelief, Cornell saw that Elisabeth’s faith was deep. “Then there’s you—and a million others—who are not satisfied with the trimmings. You are in the core. You know that He is there because you know He is there. You know that it seems God was NOT THERE when you wanted Him, yet you say you know He was there.” 5 stars

Sovereign C.J. Sansom (Matthew Shardlake #3). The third in this historical mystery series takes place in the fall of 1541. Henry VIII has set out on a Progress to the North to force his rebellious subjects in York to submit to him, turning it into a public spectacle. Lawyer Matthew Shardlake and his assistant Jack Barak have been sent ahead as part of the legal process of submitting petitions to the king. Shardlake has also been instructed by Archbishop Cranmer to look after a prisoner—one destined for the tower. He must make sure the prisoner stays alive to face the rack. Shardlake is unhappy with this task but has little choice. Shardlake soon finds himself investigating a murder and learning more than he wants to know about a conspiracy. Will he and Jack make it home alive? This is an excellent series in terms of historical events and people, constant suspense, and engaging characters. 5 stars. (Note: Sadly, I just learned (4/29) that Sansom has died. This is two days before the Shardlake series is to premiere on Hulu).

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession Michael Finkel. The strange true story of an unusual art thief. Most art thieves focus on a particular object and do it for the money. Stephane Breitwieser saw an object he wanted and generally just walked off with it. Living with his girlfriend in his mother’s attic, his room was soon filled with priceless objects from museums and cathedrals all over Europe. In just eight years, Breitwieser made off with over two hundred objects. Was he a kleptomaniac? A true art lover? Or just mad? And what about his girlfriend? Did she never feel a twinge of conscience or was it all just a game? 4 stars

City Under One Roof Iris Yamashita (Cara Kennedy #1). When a severed hand and foot washes up on the beach near the small town of Point Mettier, Alaska, Cara Kennedy, a detective from Anchorage, shows up to investigate, but also with her own agenda. Point Mettier is quite isolated and when a blizzard closes the tunnel that leads into the city, everyone (including Kennedy) is stuck there indefinitely. All 205 residents of the town live in the same building and it doesn’t take long for Cara to meet several of this strange and motley crew. As if that wasn’t enough, a gang from a nearby village shows up armed and ready for trouble. A great start to a new series. I look forward to reading the second which came out recently. 4 stars

The Winter Sea Susanna Kearsley (Scottish Series #1). Carrie McClelland writes historical fiction and during her research in Scotland, a story becomes alive to her in ways she can’t explain. Does she have ancestral memory? Is there such a thing? In the spring of 1708, Jacobites are making plans to bring James Stewart out of exile in France to reclaim his crown in Scotland. As characters come and go at Slains Castle, plots are formed, romance blooms, and betrayal is uncovered. Kearsley is one of my favorite writers of historical fiction. The third book is a prequel of this one, and I hope to get to it soon. 4 stars

The Prisoner of Heaven (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books #3) Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Translated from the Spanish, this series began with Shadow of the Wind one of the best-selling books in Spain and for good reason. I have heard you don’t need to read these books in order. Well, of course, you don’t need to but you will certainly miss out on a lot of backstory if you start with this one. We pick up Daniel and Fermin’s story from Shadow of the Wind, and David Martin from book two is also featured. Fermin is about to be wed but he has a problem. He has been using a false identity for years. How can he legally marry without putting himself in danger? Daniel is unaware of Fermin’s dilema until a sinister-looking stranger shows up at the Sempere bookshop looking for Fermin. When Daniel tells Fermin about him, he eventually learns the whole story of Fermin’s past. It’s not a pleasant story and I found it difficult to get through some of that, but overall enjoyed learning more of Daniel and Fermin. 4 stars

Wolf Hall Hilary Mantel (Cromwell #1). Winner of the Booker Prize in 2009 and the Walter Scott Prize in 2010 (and nominated for several others), Mantel writes of England in the 1520’s. Henry VIII desperately wants to annul his marriage of twenty years and marry Anne Boleyn; even (maybe especially) if it means taking control of the church and making himself the head of the church in England. Thomas Cromwell is willing to do whatever the king wants and has the charm, persuasion, and amorality to do it. Mantel’s writing can take some getting used to, but worth the trouble as you get into the rhythm. I read this a few years and read it again to participate in a year-long read-along (#wolfcrawl) with all 3 books in the Cromwell Trilogy. 4 stars

Favorite Bird Shots of April ’24

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Pileated Woodpecker

Wood Duck ducklings

Ducklings and Otter

Wood Duck pair

Red-winged Blackbird

White-eyed Vireo

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (male)

Red-headed Woodpecker

Great Blue Heron (notice the fishing line around his legs)

Solitary Sandpiper

Red-shouldered Hawk on nest (I paid for this shot. When I turned my back, she dive-bombed me and hit me on the top of the head. I thought a coconut had fallen out of the tree).

Red-tailed Hawk

American Redstart

Mother Mallard and a few of her (at least) 14 ducklings

Prothonotary Warbler

Pine Warbler

Barred Owl Fledgling

Mama Wood Duck plus three

Eastern Kingbird