Book of the Week: ‘When in Rome’
When in RomeNgaio Marsh1971, 260 pagesClassic mystery Sometimes I want the comfort of reading one of my favorite authors, and to read a classic mystery. Ngaio Marsh was a New Zealand author who wrote wonderful mysteries and plays. She also directed plays, many of them by Shakespeare, and some of her mysteries reflect this.When in Rome is a departure for her, and is set, not surprisingly, in Rome. Her detective, Roderick Alleyn, goes...
Book of the Week: ‘Finding Dorothy’
Finding DorothyElizabeth Letts2019, 351 pagesFiction This creative novel is centered on the fascinating character of Maud Baum. Maud was the wife of L. Frank Baum, the man who wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. This famous book was made into the beloved film, The Wizard of Oz. It starts in Hollywood in 1938 when 77-year-old Maud, now a widow, visits the MGM set. She wants to see how they are turning her husband’s book into a film. She...
Book of the Week: ‘Unto Us a Son is Given’
Donna Leon 2019, 259 pages Mystery Detective Guido Brunetti is asked by his father-in-law, Count Falier, to look into something for him. One of the Count’s oldest friends, Gonzalo, a wealthy man, wants to adopt a good-looking and much younger man as his son. If he is adopted, this man would inherit Gonzalo’s entire fortune, which greatly concerns his friends. Count Falier is very concerned about this and hopes that Guido can help him....
Book of the Week: ‘Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet’
Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant, editors 1996-present Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction “How can you be glad about apple strudel when babies can’t even depend on gravity, and dogs grow out of people’s hair?” Julie Andrews fields this question through her mail slot in “The Problem with Strudel” by Seth Tourjee; you can read the full story in issue no. 25 of Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet (hereafter, LCRW or...
Book of the Week: ‘Meet Me at the Museum’
Meet Me at the Museum Anne Youngson 2018, 272 pages Fiction In 1964 a young girl named Tina was fascinated by the Tollund Man, a mummified body from the Iron Age found in Denmark. His body had been preserved in a bog. She and her schoolgirl friends wrote to Professor Glob about it, and he dedicated his book, The Bog People, to these young girls.Now, more than 50 years later, Tina writes to the professor again. She has always wanted to...
