Some Like It Scot

Finished June 29

Some Like It Scot by Pepper Basham

This romantic comedy was a real page-turner for me. Katie Campbell is an award-winning travel writer. Besides writing for the travel magazine World on a Page, she also has a blog and podcast Where in the World is Miss Adventure. She gained the moniker Miss Adventure from the many mishaps she's had on her travel adventures. Dave, her boss at the magazine wants her to travel a bit less and begin editing and mentoring other writers. Katie is also close to her brother Brett and his wife Jess and their kids and talks to them frequently. She has a home base, the farm in North Carolina that she inherited from her grandparents. She also has a secret writing project that she hasn't told anyone but Brett and Jess about. 

Katie has just arrived on the Scottish island of Mull for a three-week assignment on a media introduction to a new specialty resort, where participants are immersed into Edwardian life through activities and dress, in an ancient Scottish estate. This is longer than her typical assignment, but since her grandfather came from Scotland she is interested to see the country. Soon after her arrival at Craighill, she has a mishap spill while trying to avoid a loose bird in the house. 

Graeme MacKerrow is a woodworker and carver whose family has just bought their ancestral home back after more than a century of not owning it. He is working on the restoration, but the family have leased it to the Lennoxes to fund their restoration. It is the Lennoxes who are running the immersive holiday that Katie is experiencing and writing about.

On a solitary excursion into the nearby village, Katie finds herself welcomed into Mirren's Books and the older women who make up the Stories and Stitches Book Club there. As she learns more about the area, thanks to the locals, she also finds herself enjoying many aspects of the Edwardian Experience. 

Graeme has sworn off women after a recent breakup, and the grieving he's done after the recent loss of his sister. He is focused on the estate's renovation, his family, and his carving business. When he finds himself repeatedly being drawn into Katie's activities, he finds himself partly resentful and partly fascinated. 

I enjoyed this romance, getting to know the two characters as we see both points of view. I also liked the depth of character in them. The inclusion of Scots dialect and Scottish/Gaelic terminology was well done and felt natural. A great read. 

Her Big City Neighbor

Finished June 27

Her Big City Neighbor by Jackie Lau

This is the first book in the Cider Bar Sisters series, a series set in Toronto around a group of female friends. Amy Sharpe has inherited a house in Toronto from her great aunt. She takes the opportunity to leave her small Ontario town and go back to university for her masters degree in engineering. Her family has depended on her for a lot of things and they have trouble adjusting to her not being near them. 

In Toronto, she decides to take on a roommate to share her house, and finds one that shares the same name as her favourite fictional character. The roommate introduces her to her friends group and Amy fits in well with the diverse group. 

Amy really explores the city, visiting different areas of it and, since Amy is a foodie, she also explores the wide variety of food and drink available in the city. This is prominent in the novel, with mentions of restaurants, cafés, and bars along with descriptions of the food experiences. 

Amy also notices her next-door neighbour, Victor Lau, only a few years older than her and with a habit of sitting in his yard, and mowing his lawn shirtless. She makes friendly advances and the chemistry between them moves things along. Victor is quiet and keeps to himself, partly because he is still grieving the loss of a sibling. He is close to his sisters and mom who all still live in his hometown of Edmonton. 

There is a theme her of strong female characters, from Amy's grandmother and great aunt to her own generation. Amy works hard to ensure she doesn't fall into traps from the past where she was taken for granted in her relationships. 

A very enjoyable read, and my copy has a teaser from the next book in the series.  

Clifford

Finished June 26

Clifford: A Memoir, a Fiction, a Fantasy, a Thought Experiment by Harold R. Johnson

This is an intriguing book, and the subtitle gives you an idea of the scope of the book. Johnson talks about his older brother Clifford, a man who had a major impact on Johnson's entire life. Early in life, Clifford helped him overcome a speech impediment, so important as formal assistance wasn't an option for them in their small northern Saskatchewan community. We get a great sense of what it was like growing up there and how their lives changed when they were forced to move away into a larger community. 

Their father was from Sweden and their mother was Cree, and their father assimilated into the local Cree community. Clifford died in a vehicle accident, and it was a loss to the family and the community and we get a real sense of this here. Clifford cared about people and showed it through his actions. There is humour and there is sadness, but overall we are shown an extraordinary human being. 

The book is framed as Johnson camping near the abandoned house that he and his family lived in when he was young. It encompasses memories, the nature around him, the feelings he has about the loss of his brother, the what-ifs, and the way they move forward.

From the examples of scientific discussions we get a great sense of how Clifford's mind worked, so open to new ideas and being able to connect disparate ideas across subjects. His ideas changed over time as he learned new things. 

Johnson is a true storyteller and this book is a great example. 

July Reviews for the 20th Annual Canadian Reading Challenge.

 This is where you add links to reviews of books meeting the challenge that you finished in July. There's lots to inspire for Canadian reading, so I hope you found something that captured your attention.

Add a comment too!

Two People

Finished June 25

Two People by A. A. Milne

Published in 1931, this understated novel follows a couple, Reginald and Sylvia through some changes to their lives. They live in the country and enjoy the life they have. Reginald is forty and Sylvia is twenty-five and they've been married for six years, which is somewhat more common an age difference in that time period. Reginald admires Sylvia for her beauty and kindness and they are well-suited in their physical relationship. When Reginald writes a book, he finds a publisher and then is a bit astonished when it does very well, becoming a talked about novel and made into a play. This success takes them to a rented house in London for the season, and they find themselves meeting new people and interacting in different worlds than they've been used to. They spend less time together, and while they enjoy themselves, there are moments where they worry about their relationship.

Through a series of incidents, Reginald begins to see that Sylvia is also smart and observant and he finds even more to love about her, but he worries about whether he is still appealing to her. 

I really enjoyed a side story that emerges at a dinner party of a missed opportunity for love for their host and how they seem to be the only ones who notice something about the story.

Wry with a dry humour, this novel was a satisfying and surprising read.

A Legacy of Murder

Finished June 23

A Legacy of Murder by Connie Berry

This is the second book in the Kate Hamilton mystery series, set around American antiques dealer Kate as she visits the United Kingdom. Here, she is visiting her daughter Christine. Christine is starting an internship at the estate of Finchley Hall in Long Barston, where she will be organizing the archives. Kate will also be visiting with Tom Mallory, a policeman she met on her recent visit to Scotland.

Kate begins her visit with a tour of the estate, but the tour begins late, and ends abruptly when one of the tour attendees, a young boy, discovers a body in the lake. The body is one of the other interns and Kate's observant nature and curious mind have her giving tips to Tom, who is in charge of the investigation, and digging deeper herself. 

She gets to know local antique dealer Ivor Tweedy, who proves very helpful, and becomes friendly with the owner of the estate, Lady Barbara. There is an odd collection of items known as the Finchley Hoard, that was buried to protect them from theft and then rediscovered more than a century later. This collection will be on display for the first time during an upcoming ticketed event at the estate. Lady Barbara's butler Mugg is worried about the possibility of theft and security for the event is ramped up due to the recent death. 

There has also been mention of a 'strange foreign gentleman' hanging about nearby and rumours link him to Lady Barbara's missing son. Christine, Kate's daughter, is also having relationship issues, something common for her, but these issues bleed into other happenings at the estate and bring Christine under suspicion in the investigation. Kate is now motivated more strongly to get to the bottom of things.

I like this series, finding the antique aspect interesting and I like Kate's character for the most part. She is relatable and interesting. 

Death on Beguiling Way

Finished June 19

Death on Beguiling Way by Patricia McLinn

This is the third book in the Secret Sleuth series. Sheila Mackey has started a new life in small town Haines Tavern, Kentucky. She and her new friend Clara go to yoga twice a week. One evening, their usual instructor is away with a more energetic substitute leading the class. When they go to class the following morning they find their instructor from the previous evening was killed just outside the studio and the police are on the scene. 

While the police talk about the murder being random, Sheila and Clara are sure it wasn't and begin to investigate. As usual, their dogs Gracie and Lulu are helpful in engaging with others and in providing a reason to be places. 

Sheila also has new friend Teague reconfiguring the bedroom closets in her house, bringing along his dog Murphy when he works there. Teague, an ex-cop and now teacher and handyman is discouraging of the amateur detective work, but seems to have inside knowledge of his own. 

I enjoyed this plot, with themes of financial fraud, family disfunction, and women trying to restart their lives. A light, engaging read.