Amsterdam Sketchbook

I have had a difficult time locating this book. After a year of searching various websites I finally found one that had a copy to sell. Artist Graham Byfield has published several other watercolor sketchbooks since Amsterdam was published, with Menorca coming out earlier this year. Byfield's style is loose. He is somewhat detailed in his watercolor paintings but not as detailed as France's Fabrice Moireau. I prefer lots of detail but that is not to say that I don't enjoy Graham Byfield.  

Amsterdam contains paintings of several neighborhoods.  Byfield created drawings in the Oude Zijde, Nieuwe Zijde, Leidsestraat, Rosengracht, Amstel and Vondelpark.  A handwritten font is used to describe each painting which adds a personal touch to the sketchbook.  I think that this sketchbook has more information for each subject than other sketchbooks by both Byfield and other watercolor artist sketchbooks.  I enjoyed reading about the buildings and parks that Byfeild drew.  There are 4 or 5 full page paintings but most pages contain 2 paintings.  The publisher, EDM, always publishes their watercolor sketchbooks on actual watercolor paper so that the paintings are shown in the best format.  

This is a first rate artist's book that inspires me to get busy on my own artwork.  I highly recommend it to artists of all mediums.  It makes a great coffee table book too.  5 out of 5 stars.

Now and Then Stab

Now and Then Stab is the seventh Francis Bacon Mystery novel by Anna Castle.  I thought that the series ended a few years ago when The Spymaster's Brother was published in 2019. However, it will continue. The eighth book in the series will be published in 2022.

The story opens in the Spring of 1593 when a ballad promoting violence against immigrants is found posted on the Dutch Church door in the center of London. After the Lord Mayor promises a 100 crown reward to the person who can identifiy the author, Tom Clarady begins to investigate. He needs that money in order to file legal papers to assert his livery in the Court of Wards.  Tom interviews poets while his patron Francis Bacon analyzes the verse. At first, this investigation is solely about collecting the reward. After two of Britain's best poets are targeted, both are killed. One of them dies after being tortured for information and the other dies under dubious circumstances. Christopher Marlowe, one of Tom's friends from his Cambridge University days, is killed after starting a brawl in a pub. However, Tom doesn't believe Marlowe started the fight and thinks he was murdered.

This novel is one of the best in the series. The period is, as usual, meticulously researched. Our real-life Francis Bacon was at odds with Queen Elizabeth in 1593. The author wrote this fact into her novel to add to its authenticity. English poet Marlowe was, likewise, killed in a bar room brawl. These facts are only background information to the plot, which moved forward quickly. 

The characters are lovable, even the stern Francis Bacon.  I love how their lives advance significantly with each novel.  Here, Francis is about to receive the promotion he has longed for and Tom's love affair with Alice "Trumpet" Trumpington continues after her marriage.  Tom, Trumpet and Tom's university friends provide lightweight fare while Francis Bacon's serious demeanor offers a contrast.

Another great installment of the series!  5 out of 5 stars.

Finishing the Series 2021 Challenge

I was not planning on rejoining this challenge again because I did not read the books I intended to read this year. However, I have just discovered that a few of my favorite authors published additional books in their series and I know that I will be reading these books.  So, why not join the challenge?  

The Zelda Richardson Mysteries by Jennifer Alderson have additional books published in the series.  I read The Lover's Portrait earlier this year. Rituals of the Dead was published in 2018, Marked for Revenge was published in 2019 and The Vermeer Deception was published in 2020.  

Abir Mukherjee has follow up novels to his A Rising Man  They include A Necessary Evil (2017), Smoke and Ashes (2018), Death in the East (2019) and The Shadows of Men which will be published next year.  

The rules for the challenge are simple:

1.    The challenge runs the 2021 calendar year.

2.    Series can be already completed as well as ongoing.

3.    You can have only one book left to read in a series.

4.    Any format and length of book counts - print, ebook, audio, ARC

5.    Crossovers froth other challenges are acceptable.

6.    Reviews are not required but highly encouraged.