Bunty

Sad news but wow 95 ain't bad.

Murder in Old Bombay by Nev March. If you like historical mysteries, I recommend this one. Blurb

First Woman Detective Isabella Goodwin https://wednesdayswomen.com/isabella-goodwin-nypds-first-female-police-detective/

This is a really sweet article about John and Annie Glenn. https://www.dispatch.com/news/20200519/annie-glenn-john-glennrsquos-widow-dies-from-covid-19-at-100

Hope you like it. Thought of another British author you might like-- Jo Bannister. She has been writing a long time and has several series. My favorite is her Castlemere series : A Bleeding of Innocents(1993) Charisma(1994) A Taste for Burning(1995) No Birds Sing(1996) Broken Lines(1998) The Hireling's Tale(1999) Changelings(2000)

Val Mcdermid A great standalone is A Place of Execution. She also has a series that was made into a great British TV series-- Wire in the Blood with Robson Green Tony Hill/Carol Jordan Books The Mermaids Singing(1995) The Wire in the Blood(1997) The Last Temptation(2002) The Torment of Others(2004) Beneath the Bleeding(2007) Fever of the Bone(2009) The Retribution(2011) Cross and Burn(2013) Splinter the Silence(2015) Insidious Intent(2017) How the Dead Speak(2019)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrxTjgFYoU8 The kick if you would like to see it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UszbmubhPE8 No announcer but video is a little better quality

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2020/04/04/tom-dempsey-dies-73-coronavirus-battle/2950040001/ I had never heard of him but he sounds like a prime example of the underdog finding success in America so I wanted to highlight him in this thread.

The saddest thing about Tomie dePaola death and everyone's death who dies during these times is found in this quote : https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/31/us/author-tomie-depaola-dies-trnd/index.html

David Schramm, Star of ’90s Sitcom ‘Wings,’ Dies at 73. He played Roy Biggins on one of my favorite comedies of all time "Wings" https://www.thewrap.com/david-schramm-star-of-90s-sitcom-wings-dies-at-73/

Take a listen to this if you would like to hear an analysis of what makes a vocalist great and a performance work, as well as a look at music history. Kenny and Dolly singing Islands in the Stream Live

From the map I would also recommend The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

Here is a literature map with suggestions for authors similar to Naomi Novik. https://www.literature-map.com/naomi+novik.html Another suggestion : Mary Robinette Kowal Ghost talkers Kowal's latest is a dazzling alternative history set during the Great War. In the summer of 1916, American heiress Ginger Stuyvesant is engaged to British intelligence officer Benjamin Hartshorne and working in France as a medium in the top secret Spirit Corps, a force that gathers intelligence from fallen soldiers at the moment of death. It is grisly, exhausting work that puts the souls of the mediums in danger of becoming permanently separated from their physical forms, and it is made more dangerous by the discovery that the German army is not only aware of the Spirit Corps but has a double agent assisting them. When Ben is murdered, it falls to Ginger to help him move on by finding his killer and discovering the traitor in the corps while keeping her soul intact. Romance, action, and intrigue propel the plot from Kowal's compelling premise. Ginger's determination to do her duty in the face of lost love and senseless death and her eventual triumph will satisfy fans of Kowal's Glamourist Histories series as well as readers of Naomi Novik and Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan series.--Szwarek, Magan Copyright 2016 Booklist

Tony Horwitz, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author, dies at 60

Bill Yoast, Assistant Coach of ‘Remember the Titans’ Team, Dies at 94 https://www.si.com/high-school/2019/05/25/bill-yoast-assistant-coach-tc-williams-remember-titans-team-dies https://alexandrialivingmagazine.com/news/in-memoriam-t-c-williams-coach-bill-yoast/

I really enjoyed Patricia Briggs early fantasy titles which were more what I guess you would call traditional or high fantasy. My favorites were : Hurog 1. Dragon Bones (2002) Most everyone thinks Ward of Hurog is a simple-minded fool—and that’s just fine by him. But few people know that his foolishness is (very convincingly) feigned. And that it’s the only thing that’s saved him from death. When his abusive father dies, Ward becomes the new lord of Hurog...until a nobleman declares that he is too dim-witted to rule. Ward knows he cannot play the fool any longer. To regain his kingdom, he must prove himself worthy—and quickly. 2. Dragon Blood (2002) Loved this duology. All the characters are so distinct as is a hallmark of her work and there was quite a bit of humor too. Another great duology is : Raven duology 1. Raven's Shadow (2004) Seraph is a Raven mage, and among the last of the Travelers who ensure that the city of Colossae is safe from evil. Unwelcome by those who fear magic, the wizard clans have been decimated by the very people they’ve sworn to protect. But Seraph is spared a similar fate by the ex-soldier Tier—and together they build a life where she is no longer burdened by her people’s responsibility. But now Tier is missing—or dead—and Seraph’s reprieve from her duty is over. Using her magic to discover her husband’s fate, Seraph realizes the prison that holds the evil entity known as Stalker is weakening—and only Seraph can fulfill her ancestors’ oath... 2. Raven's Strike (2005) Loved the sense of family in this one another theme Patricia Briggs does so well. Unfortunately since Ms Briggs began the Mercy series, which is urban fantasy, that is all she has written. And while I read the first few, I'm just not generally a fan of most urban fantasy, with the exception of Michelle Sagara. I keep thinking maybe she will throw me a bone and write something besides urban fantasy but so far nada.

I enjoyed this one as well. Book 2 was just published this year. A Labyrinth of Scions and Sorcery: Book Two in the Risen Kingdoms by Curtis Craddock

If fans of Dick Francis ever want to revisit his early work, which were indeed his best, audio is a great way to go especially anything read by Simon Prebble.

Talking about classics-- college introduced me to the reading of plays, which I would never have picked up on my own. I especially enjoyed Long day's journey into night by Eugene O'Neill and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. Long day's journey into night was made into a great movie with a young Dean Stockwell, Jason Robards, and Katharine Hepburn.

The a cappella group Home Free does a cover of Boyz II Men

2019 has been quite the feast bookwise for me. One of my favorite authors has 2 books out in both her series. Cast in Oblivion by Michelle Sagara #14 in the Chronicles of Elantra series Firstborn by Michelle West (pseudonym) #7 in her House Wars series She uses different names as they are different flavors of fantasy-- Chronicles is more toward the urban fantasy side. Blurb House is more of a grand epic political fantasy

Charlie Worsham wrote and performed a gorgeous tribute to his Mom. It's very simple just guitar and voice.

Love Barbara Michaels and while most of her titles under the name Elizabeth Peters have a different feel I think Devil May Care is similar in style to her Barbara Michaels books.

You are in luck there is a brand new book on the case out in March. The Trial of Lizzie Borden by Cara Robertson

Laurie in Little Women stuck with Amy after being rejected by Jo. Totally hated this when I read it many years ago. The Professor was such a small part of the story I felt no connection to him at all while I loved the character of Laurie and hated he ended up with bratty Amy and not Jo.