Plaid and Plagiarism

Plaid and Plagiarism was a disconnect for me.  There were too many descriptive phrases per page instead of action. For instance, Obsessive Outlanders and Born Again Braveheart were one of 10 descriptions on a page.  "Janet and Christine made comforting bookends for the young women in between them." "You didn'task Rab why he rabbited off the harborwall." " I didn't want to ask about his Nessie boxers." "Ooh, is that one of those fancy instant-hot, instant-cold, instant ooh-la-la taps?"  "Let's put the unsavory bits to bed." What the heck do these descriptions mean? I guess the book was written for a UK audience as the author has used many words that only the British use.

Also, the run-up to the murder itself made no sense.  Our two main characters were searching someone's house because it had been trashed. The body was found elsewhere, in a shed, and I did not see the connection between spending 20 pages on searching the house and one sentence on the shed. In addition, when they were peeking into the windows of the house?  Why did they call the police for an emergency when they saw a person move inside the house?  Perhaps the person lived there. Afterward they entered the house to see if more than the kitchen was trashed. Why? This was not connected to the body in the shed and there didn't seem to be any reason why they could enter this house.

What is the book supposed to be about? The publisher's blurb refers to two friends opening a bookshop and they are going to be amateur sleuths solving a murder. Nothing else is written about the plot in the blurb and I can only assume that even the publisher doesn't see any plot action. 

It seems to me that this book is all setting descriptions and no plot. Perhaps the author was trying to set some groundwork for a new cozy mystery series. However, the book was too dull for me to even consider reading any future books in the series.

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows

I loved this story of older women breaking their societal rules on how women should behave.   I especially loved how they treated the young 22-year-old writing teacher who thought she knew much more than them. These ladies exposed her youthful assumption that she was superior to them.  This is something I have to deal with myself on my job. I don't know why the young assume they know more than the old, but they do. This aspect of the story was funny.

The story opens with Nikki accepting a job teaching women how to write at the Sikh Community Center located in London's Southall neighborhood.  When the women, primarily widows, refuse to learn the alphabet they begin to tell stories about meeting men. These stories have an erotic sense to them. The women tell their fantasies about preludes to sexual encounters with strangers.  Nikki is totally shocked that senior women have these kind of thoughts. The women initially believe that Nikki cannot help them write their stories because she has never been married.  Nikki fears that she will be fired if her supervisor find out what is happening in class and wants to make them learn to write.  However, the women are not interested in the a, b, c's but rather storytelling.  Needing the paycheck, Nikki agrees to help them and hopes to compile enough stories to publish in an anthology.

Part of the fun reading this book is being introduced to many interesting older Punjabi women characters. While they all live traditional Indian lives, their imaginations run wild. In addition, the reader gets to know their life stories both in England as well as in India. Indian customs are prominent in the book, including the customs of Nikki's own family, and how these customs affect their daily lives.  You feel like you are at afternoon tea with these ladies while they gossip and tantalize each other with their fantasies.  The widows stretch themselves by continuing to meet even though the community would react strongly against them writing sexy stories. Later in the novel they stretch themselves again by agreeing to have class in the pub where Nikki also works. Punjabi women are not supposed to drink, let alone sit in a pub.

The erotic stories were not too sexy until the midway point in the novel when the action becomes more explicit.  I guess I am prudish enough that I had to skip over a few pages here and there.  The women's lives were compelling enough to keep me reading.  I wanted to discover what happened with Nikki's relationship with her boyfriend as well as her sister's efforts to obtain an arranged marriage.  There is also a mystery playing out in the plot. Did a woman from Southall really kill herself or did someone kill her. 

This was an enjoyable read.  4 out of 5 stars.

Death and the Maiden

Ariana Franklin's daughter Samantha Norman wrote this book. Franklin had no input in the writing. The book that Franklin was writing when she died in 2011 was The Siege Winter, which her daughter finished. Norman is a chip off the old block. Her writing is superb and as a lover of medieval mysteries I am glad that she wrote this final installment in Franklin's Mistress of the Art of Death series.  This historical mystery is set in Norman England during the year 1911.

With this installment of the series, Adelia Aguilar has just lost her friend and patron, King Henry II.  Adelia is living comfortably in retirement and training her 19 year old daughter Allie to carry on her healing craft.  Allie is already a skilled healer and has a particular gift for treating animals. Being of marriageable age, Allie's father, Rowley, the Bishop of St. Albans, and his patron, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, have plans to marry  Allie to an influential husband. 

When Adelia's lifelong friend in Cambridge, Gyltha, falls ill, Allie is sent to Ely to help her.  There she crosses paths with Lord Peveril, a young aristocrat who would make a most suitable match for Allie. However, when Allie arrives in Ely, all is chaos.  A village girl has disappeared and she is not the first.  Over the past few months, several girls from the villages surrounding Ely have vanished.  When the body of one is discovered, Allie manages to examine the remains before burial. The results lead her to suspect that a murderer is on the loose. The question remains, will Allie be able to help find the killer before becoming the next victim?

The period details of the era were beautifully described. One detail that I have never read about before was the level of power a bishop had over the communities he oversaw. In this case, an interdiction was issued that prevented a priest from performing mass, funerals and burials. Bodies that could not be buried were piling up outdoors with no where to be interred. The effect this had on individual people was aptly described; they were horrified.

The writing was good but there was one thing that bothered me. The murder to be investigated happened late in the story. While I was reading I was captivated by the background information but I kept expecting a crime to occur. It finally happened at the halfway point but, for me, the crime should occur early in the story. I prefer for it to be in the first two chapters but this doesn't always happen in a historical mystery.

4 out of 5 stars.

A Rising Man

Abir Mukherjee's first novel is a masterpiece. Taking place in the early 1900s Calcutta, a newly arrived Scotland Yard detective, Captain Sam Wyndham, is confronted with the murder of a British official. Desperately seeking a fresh start after his experiences during the Great War, Wyndham has been recruited to head up a new post in the police force. He is immediately overwhelmed by the heady vibrancy of the tropical city, but with barely a moment to acclimatize or to deal with the ghosts that still haunt him, Wyndham is caught up in a murder investigation that threatens to destabilize a city already teetering on the brink of political insurgency.

The body of a senior official has been found in a filthy sewer, and a note left in his mouth warns the British to quit India, or else. Under tremendous pressure to solve the case before it erupts into increased violence on the streets, Wyndham and his two new colleagues—arrogant Inspector Digby and Sergeant Banerjee, one of the few Indians to be recruited into the new CID—embark on an investigation that will take them from the opulent mansions of wealthy British traders to the seedy opium dens of the city.

I always love historical fiction set in India. This particular book focuses more on the local police department and its investigative methods than the usual partying done by the British. While I like those books too it was refreshing to read about a new aspect of life in India 100 years ago. The weather is a big issue for our detective. He has difficulty moving from a cold, rainy England to 110+ degrees India. It affects his ability to do his job and the author did a great job writing this setting into the story.

The men featured in the story were prominent characters. The women were important but the comeraderie, or lack thereof, among the men moved the plot forward.  Captain Wyndham cannot break through the tight group of male characters. He is considered persona non grata. Usually when a person lands themselves in India the British society welcomes that person with open arms. Wyndham's experience was atypical for the time period.

There is plenty of historical detail written into the story.  The characters need to navigate through a minefield of political pitfalls in order to do their jobs well. Wyndham and his Indian sidekick Surrender-Not Banerjee make a great crime fighting duo who can carry this fantastic new detective series forward. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

5 out of 5 stars.

Chunkster Reading Challenge 2021

I used to participate in this challenge annually but think that it was discontinued for a few years.  I love the feel of a big book in my hands. In fact, I don't really feel like I am reading with a physical book in my hands.  It has made 2020 difficult to get used to reading ebooks.  I am happy to see that this challenge is back in 2021.   It is being hosted by Annette at the Impressions in Ink blog.

There are some requirements for the challenge.  

1)    All books must be at least 450 pages.

2)    The challenge runs the 2021 calendar year.

3)    All book formats are accepted for the challenge. Audio and ebooks are OK.

4)    There is no minimum number of books that you must read. 

4)    You don't need a blog to participate.

I have already purchased a few chunksters.  I will be reading Elizabeth George's With No One as Witness which she published in 2005.  It has 627 pages.  Stephanie Dray's My Dear Hamilton has 637 pages and her America's First Daughter has 587 pages.  I also plan on reading former President Obama's memoir A Promised Land.  It is over 700 pages but is just the first installment of his official memoir.  

What's in a Name 2021

I have participated in this challenge off and on over the years.  However, it was fun this year so I am rejoining the challenge in 2021.  The challenge is hosted once again by Carolina Book Nook. Of course, the challenge runs the calendar year.  Any format of books is acceptable.  However, you cannot use one book for more than one category. As usual, there are 6 categories of words that must in the title of every book you read for the challenge.  The 2021 categories are:  

1)      One/1

2)      Doubled word , ie, in a dark, dark wood

3)      Reference to outer space

4)      Possessive noun

5)      Botanical word

6)      Article of clothing 

The possessive noun category will be difficult for me as I will need to think what a possessive noun is.  Perhaps I should try to knock off that category ASAP so I don't have to think about it all year.

Top 10 Books I Want in 2021

Some of my favorite authors will be publishing books in 2021. I am excited to read the newest installments of my favorite series such as:

1.        Evil in Emerald by A. M. Stuart

2.        Honey Roasted by Cleo Coyle

3.        Haunted Hibiscus by Laura Childs

4.        The American Adventuress by C. W. Gortner

5.        Hemlock by Susan Wittig Albert

6.        Protector by Conn Iggulden

7.        Kingdom of Bones by James Rollins

8.        The Shadows of Men by Abir Mukherjee

9.        The Bombay Prince by Sujata Massey

10.      Bloodline by Jess Lourey