Two nonfiction books about some Very Good Boys and Girls made a nice break from all the crime fiction I've been reading.

"It's hardly likely to be an actual biblical Angel," he said when I'd finished.
"Why not?"
"In a world chock full of murderous blaspheming bastards, why would an omnipotent and omniscient deity pick a couple of obscure Brits to do away with in such a public manner?"
"Maybe they did something particularly bad?"
"Have you looked at the news recently?" ?

Currently reading. Need to go to bed but finding it hard to put this one down!

“To me, the sea is like having a pet dog asleep on the hearth. When I'm near it, even inside my cottage, it's like I can feel it breathing. It's a companion of sorts. It's less lonely to live by the sea.“

(Photo by Adam Thomas on Unsplash)

Maeve Binchy is the definition of comfort reading for me. I think I love the sweeping decades-long sagas of 20th century Ireland most, but I have a soft spot for these interconnected Dublin novels. It's delightful to encounter the same charming characters over and over. Maud & Simon are the kind of kids this childless woman thinks she'd like to hang out with but I suspect they would have me tied in knots &seeking escape in 15 minutes or less 😃

"Happiness is having your own library card."
— Sally Brown

A light contemporary romance with appealing characters across the board. I could have done with fewer jokey asides and digressions because they kept taking me out of the story a bit, but I'm a grumpy old lady so bear that in mind. Overall I'd recommend it.

I feel this so much!

Well, I was right about who the actual villain in this one is: the technology, not the pandemic. It felt a shade too long, and I'm a little peeved that it ends on a cliffhanger that makes it clear there's going to be a sequel. I might've thought twice about reading it if I'd known that going in. Still, overall I'd recommend it.

I was worried it might be too disturbing to read about a pandemic during a pandemic, but it turns out I'm more freaked out by the Black Swan artificial intelligence device.

1. Lily Rowan, Main squeeze of Archie Goodwin in Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe mysteries. Archie is my literary boyfriend. :-)
2. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett.
3. Cute puppies.
4. It's your turn, @Chellebearss !

Thanks for letting me play, @Eggbeater — this was fun!

“... my mother was suspicious of charm. She believed its purpose was to conceal some personal deficit or lack of substance. If your character was sound, you didn‘t need charm.”

I‘m remembering why I liked this one so much when I read it in 2015.

Next up: The second Earthsea book. This is a rather fragile old paperback so I hope it holds up to reading. 😯

1. Small town. Or better yet, no town.
2. Americana is my preferred music genre, but if I‘m listening to the radio it‘s either NPR or a Cubs game.
3. Both? Can I have both? Please and thank you!
4. Pineapple and pizza are both perfectly cromulent foods, but not together.
5. Archie Goodwin.

@readherwriteher #thisorthat

Currently reading.

Third book in the series. Fiona is a unique character and her personal quirks are really put to good use in an undercover assignment to break a massive fraud ring. Ongoing plots are also moved forward. Maybe the best in this series yet.