Between a Flock and a Hard Place

One of the fun aspects when reading this series of crime novels by Donna Andrews is when will the birds referred to in the title first make an appearance. In this thirty-fifth book in the series, a flock of wild turkeys make their presence felt right from the start. How and why did they all arrive in the one location in the town and who was responsible? Needless to say these questions are added to Meg's ever expanding to-do list.

In Between a Flock and a Hard Place, Meg sets out to inspect a home site which is being renovated as part of a television show. The locals are not impressed by the intrusion of the television crew in their lives but they are even less impressed when a flock of wild turkeys arrives in the middle of the night. Who brought the turkeys into their neighbourhood?

Meg and Randall Shiffley are even more concerned when they discover the state the house is in. As a number of the major supports have been removed Randall shuts down the site until repairs can be made. Meg, of course, offers to relocate those affected by the building project to rooms in her own house until it is safe for them to return home. Plans are made to capture the turkeys but as proceedings are about to begin a body is located in the house. Another project to be solved.

I look forward to these cosy crime novels published around this time each year. It is a joy to once again catch up with Meg and her family and the weird and usually amusing situations they find themselves in.

The Dark Wives

When a body is found in the grounds of a children's home Vera and her team investigate. Josh Woodburn, a university student, had only worked at Rosebank for six weeks when he died. But Vera and her team are not only investigating Josh's death. A fourteen year old girl - Chloe Spence - has also disappeared. Then a second body is found.

Rosie Bell is a new addition to the team, working with Joe, Charlie and Vera to solve the murders and locate Chloe. Vera greatly misses Holly who had died when working on a previous case. Would Rosie be able to fit in as a successful member of Vera's team? 

The Dark Wives is number 11 in the Vera Stanhope series written by Ann Cleeves. As the detectives work to solve the murders and locate Chloe the reader gets to experience much of the Northumberland scenery plus a glimpse of the history of the former coal mining area. Three large standing stones, the Dark Wives, feature throughout the novel.

Ann Cleeves has written another suspenseful character driven murder mystery which will keep readers involved until the novel's conclusion.

Madame Brussels: the life and times of Melbourne's most notorious woman

Much has been written about life in parts of Melbourne towards the end of the 19th century. One section in Lonsdale Street, near Parliament House, was well known for its brothels. Madame Brussels' establishments were the best known and were often visited by politicians, landowners and some senior police.

In Madame Brussels: the life and times of Melbourne's most notorious woman by Barbara Minchton and Philip Bently, the authors present the findings of their extensive research on the life and times of Madame Brussels.

Caroline Lohmar was born in Prussia. In 1871 she married Studholme George Hodgson in London before they travelled to Melbourne. When Stud joined the police force and relocated to northern Victoria, his wife needed to find a way of supporting herself so she gradually began establishing what were, for a short time, the most impressive brothels in Melbourne.

This study examines the facts known about the rise and fall of Caroline's business until the early 1900s. She gradually came to use the name Madame Brussels which added to the prestige of the operation. Much of the information for the book comes from court documents - she was tried before the court on a number of occasions - and newspaper reports. Especially towards the end of the nineteenth century there was a movement to remove brothels from the city and newspapers, particularly Truth, often produced long stories venting against women such as Madame Brussels and their industry.

An interesting account of an aspect of Melbourne's history.

By Any Other Name

Over the years much has been written about William Shakespeare and the many plays and poems he is credited with having written. Part of the speculation has occurred because little has been documented about the life of William Shakespeare. How did he receive the education to write the plays? How did he achieve the knowledge to write on the variety of topics and places depicted in his plays?  In By Any Other Name Jodie Picoult puts forward the theory that a number of writers wrote the plays that carry Shakespeare's name including a woman, Emilia Bassano.

The story is told in two time frames. In this work of historical fiction the life and writing of Emilia Bassano is portrayed as she attempts to have her writing recognised. Meanwhile in the twenty-first century Melina Green, a descendant of Emilia, is also attempting to have her own work published and performed.

In the novel, when she is thirteen Emilia becomes the mistress of the Lord Chamberlain until she becomes pregnant. She is then dismissed from the Lord Chamberlain's household and forced to marry a cousin who only wants her money. Kit Marlow introduces her to a man names Shakespeare who is prepared to pay her for her plays though she never receives any credit.

Meanwhile Melina Green has written a new play inspired by the life of her ancestor, but when a friend submits it to a competition without her permission, life suddenly becomes difficult for all involved. 

The novel is largely a discussion on the discrepancy of the value of a work of writing or art depending on whether it is produced by a man or a woman or a minority group. We learn much about life of women during Elizabethan England as they struggle to survive in a world largely dictated by men.

Throughout the book quotes from Shakespeare's plays and poems become part of the general text and a listing of these quotations appears at the end of the work. The author also includes information about many of the people who appear in the novel and admits that there is no concrete evidence as to how the plays attributed to Shakespeare were written. The debate continues. Meanwhile Jodi Picoult provides an interesting take on the debate in this work of historical fiction.

Musical - The Dark Lady 

Emilia Lanier (Bassano) - Wikipedia

Shakespeare's Dark Lady of Spitalfields - Spitalfields Life

Emilia Bassano Lanier - Historical Research - City Theatre

Miss Eliza's English Kitchen

Eliza Acton wants to be acknowledged as a poet. Her father arranged for one book of poetry to be published but she hopes this time that her work will be accepted by an established publisher. Instead she is told to write a recipe book. Needless to say she is not impressed with this reaction but when she starts looking at recipes in cookery books she realises that she could write a much better cookery book than those already published.

When her father becomes bankrupt, Eliza's mother sets up a boarding house and Eliza becomes the cook providing her with the opportunity to test recipes.  She needs a scullery maid to help her and Ann Kirby is employed in this role. Ann comes from a poor family where her father is an alcoholic and her mother is placed in an asylum. Ann has wanted to be a cook so this is a great opportunity for her although she feels guilty about not being able to look after her parents, especially her mother.

In the kitchen Eliza and Ann soon establish a strong working relationship as they experiment with recipes and ingredients. Existing recipes frequently did not list the quantities of ingredients to be used. As Eliza collects recipes for the book she plans to write, she makes a list of the required ingredients and the quantity required before writing instructions to prepare the dish. Eliza also continues to read poetry and write poems. 

The plot is revealed in alternate chapters through the voices of Eliza and Ann. The novel is about friendship, the joy of cooking and creativity with food.There is lots of food. It also explores the limited options for spinsters in the nineteenth century, especially if they are to gain some independence. Eliza's mother is not impressed with her daughter's plans and tries to persuade her not to admit that she actually cooks in the kitchen though it is acceptable if people know that she plans the recipes. The novel paints a picture of life for different parts classes of society at this time.

Miss Eliza's English Kitchen by Annabel Abbs is a work of historical fiction so many of the characters are based on real people though others, including Ann, have been created by the author. A selection of recipes is included at the end of the book plus a list of books for further reading and information about some of the real people and places mentioned in the novel. There is also a suggested list of questions for book groups.

The cookery book, Modern Cookery in all its Branches (later published as Modern Cookery for Private Families) was first published in 1845.

Eliza Acton - Modern Cookery in all its Branches - History in the Making

Eliza Acton - Wikipedia

Modern Cookery for Private Families - Wikipedia

Head to the Hills

Set in the peaceful Adelaide Hills, Head for the Hills by Tricia Stringer is the story of a community that is disrupted when it is proposed to build a hotel on the outskirts of the town. Opinion in the town is divided as to whether this proposal will benefit or harm the community.

Margot is definitely against the project and organises meetings and a petition to support the case of those who oppose the new project. Meanwhile her sister, Roslyn, has been given the task of ensuring that the wishes of the previous owner of the land on which the hotel is to be built are carried out. Gunther wanted money from the sale of the property to be used to assist those in need in the community. Then Amber arrived in the town escaping from domestic violence.

The story, told from the viewpoint of the three women, examines how communities and families can be split over an issue. Over time many in the community alter their minds about the issue, while others remain firm in their original decision.

Towards the end of the book Roslyn remarks to Amber that "Sisters can be complicated". Head for the Hills demonstrates that communities and families in general are also complicated and that relationships that appear strong can be fragile. How can community spirit and family cohesion be restored?

Tricia Stringer has written another thought-provoking book examining family relationships and the dynamics that make a community. Many thanks to Better Reading and H Q Fiction for a preview copy of this book.

The Hobbit

In the 1960s I read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by JRR Tolkien. These joined my list of favourite books. I read The Hobbit to my three sons when they were young and they all later read The Lord of the Rings. When the films were released in the cinema we went to see them as a family group. This year my twelve year old grandson and I read and enjoyed the story of The Hobbit together.

Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit and like other hobbits he enjoys the quiet life living in his hobbit hole in the hill. Then the wizard Gandalf visits Bilbo and Bilbo's life dramatically changes.A few days later there is a knock on Bilbo's door and a dwarf enters. Bilbo hurriedly organises afternoon tea. Before long his house is filled with dwarves and then Gandalf returns and tells Bilbo about the adventure they are to undertake together.

During the book Bilbo and the dwarves encounter elves, Gollum, spiders and many other characters including Smaug the dragon as they endeavour to retrieve the treasure that once belonged to the dwarves. This is a great magical adventure which can be enjoyed by adults as well as children.

In 2024, The Hobbit was one of the books that my grandson and I enjoyed reading together.