The big event of the month was getting my first Covid vaccination. My, I lead an exciting life! I’ve reached the point where I’m not even sure what month it is. But I have it on good authority (my phone) that it is indeed March, so it’s time for the new book list.

Maisie Dobbs, by Jacqueline Winspear (audiobook) – I was under the impression that Maisie Dobbs 16 was already in print, so when I realized that it wasn’t I had a bad case of withdrawal. I read that Dobbs wannabe last month which left a bad taste in my mouth, so I thought I’d listen to the first Maisie. It’s always interesting to discover the different ways in which print media and audio affect me. This time around I found Maisie even more three dimensional than I had the first time I read this book. Same was true of all the characters; they felt more vivid. Yes I’m a huge fan of the series but I’m also a fan of reading a book in different formats to get a better feel for it. You should try it.

Vienna at Nightfall (Alex Kovacs thriller series Book 1) Richard Wake – Another book that was recommended for people who like Winspear’s work, but this time the result was happier. I enjoyed this introduction to Alex Kovacs, a reluctant spy and self-appointed sleuth, in pre-WWII Austria in spite of some problems (anachronistic dialogue primarily; made me grit my teeth on more than one occasion) and I’ll be reading more. It’s a thriller and so reasonably lightweight, but fun and engaging. Alex and his friends are interesting to watch, and I’m looking forward to learning more about them.

The Spies of Zurich (Alex Kovacs thriller series Book 2) Richard Wake – Well that was a short-lived desire. I got about halfway through this one and completely lost interest. Everything about the universe had become even more anachronistic between the first and second books, and I found I didn’t have the patience to deal with it.

Germs, Genes, & Civilization: How Epidemics Shaped Who We Are Today By: David P. Clark Narrated by: Summer McStravick – Pretty much exactly what the title says it is. I found the material fascinating and learned a great deal about epidemics, pandemics and so on. I did have some problems with the narrator whose pronunciation of a number of words was not at all what I thought it should be, but that’s a minor quibble.

Smoke Signal By: Marie Benedict, Kate Quinn Narrated by: Nicola Barber, Saskia Maarleveld Series: Audible Original Stories – Novella length fiction about Dame Agatha Christie spying for England during WWII. Engaging though not wildly memorable, and it felt just a bit disorganized. But it was included in my Audible membership, so it’s worth a listen if you’re a member.

Tides The Science and Spirit of the Ocean By: Jonathan White Narrated by: Dan Woren – If this one hadn’t also been included in my Audible membership I might not have looked twice at it. But I was in one of those moods; you know how it is, when you want something to read that is different, but you don’t know what, and you think “I’ll try this one,” but you have no idea why you decided on it? (Apart from it being free that is.) I am so very glad I did grab it because it’s proved to be a wonderful book that walks a fine line between being scientifically informative, and deeply poetic and spiritual. The ocean is a living thing as described by White, and its tides are expressions of its relationship with the universe. There is scientific data here, breathless adventure, philosophical musing, and a sense of the deep love White bears for the deep waters. This book made me so happy.

Notes from the Larder by Nigel Slater – One of my birthday gifts last month was Slater’s Greenfeasts Autumn/Winter, a cookbook that reminded me of a book of haiku I bought in my early 20s. It’s so much more than just a cookbook, it’s a journey through the cold months and the foods both available and comforting to the soul. So too is Notes from the Larder, though the range of time is the entire year. Slater gives us highlights of seasonal foods, and thoughts about not just their preparation but their deeper meaning. His cooking is like a dialogue for me, a conversation I participate in inside my own head. This is extraordinary food writing.

Entangled Life – Merlin Sheldrake – This was a reread prompted by a couple of factors, and it was an immensely satisfying one because I got even more out of it this time around than I did the last time. It’s become one of my favorite non-fiction books not because I’m so entranced by mycelium (even though I am) but because of Sheldrake’s ability to lift his subject out of the realm of the purely scientific, onto a wonderfully philosophical plane. I would read anything he wrote; I’m not even kidding.

The No-Fuss Bread Machine Cookbook – Michelle Anderson – I gave myself a bread machine for my birthday. Nothing fancy, just a Hamilton Beach with some nifty tricks like jam making. The manual had recipes, of course, but I figured out pretty quickly that those basic recipes would produce some really basic bread that was fine for what it was, but not particularly flavorful or exciting. After borrowing a stack of bread machine books, I chose this one as the book I was most likely to make use of because I spent one evening lying in bed reading through all the recipes and bookmarking the ones I wanted to try. I chose over two dozen right off the top. Comparing these recipes to the ones in the manual, and to each other was an education in itself, and the inclusion of a couple of kinds of chocolate bread, a brioche recipe that might actually give me something approximating a decent brioche, and some interesting whole grain options were what really appealed. And the price was good. Never underestimate that!

A Great Deliverance – Elizabeth George – The Housemate has been recommending the Lynley books for a while now, so I thought I might take a look at the first one. My response is mixed at best. George doesn’t seem to have ever heard of POV and her head-hopping was confusing. The angst seemed… I don’t know, manufactured? But apart from the POV problems the writing was decent, the plot was interesting and engaging, and I didn’t really see the ending coming even though I’d already guessed at some of it, so that’s a plus. But I did have trouble warming up to the characters and that is always a problem for me. I’m going to take a chance on the second one because it’s been my experience that often the pilot (book or tv program) is often the weakest link in a series because it has some heavy lifting to do. We shall see.

The Library Book – Susan Orlean – I seem to remember someone recommending this to me but can’t recall who. Might have been The Housemate who, when I said I was reading it exclaimed “Oh I love that book!” And I see why she does. It could have been a dry little book about the burning of the Los Angeles public library’s main building back in 1986 which destroyed nearly half a million books, a kind of mystery that has never really been solved. But Orlean has turned it into a history of the library itself; the building, the people who created its culture, about libraries and librarians and her own relationship with them, and almost incidentally about the man who many people think may have set the fire. To this day no one is even certain it was arson, though it seems more likely than not. Harry Peak was known as a “consummate storyteller” (read: compulsive liar) whose story changed almost hourly. In the end there was never enough evidence to charge him with the crime, and he died in 1993. But his story really is small by comparison to the narrative Orlean has created about the library, which emerges as a character in its own right. Wonderfully compelling book for book lovers in particular.

A Brief History of Creation: Science and the Search for the Origin of Life By: Bill Mesler, H. James Cleaves II Narrated by: Sean Runnette — This might more properly be entitled A Brief History of the People Who Sought the Origins of Life. It’s more about personalities than the actual science that has been done, and that’s fine because they’re a colorful lot, brilliant though often dead wrong, and occasionally eccentric enough to bring a smile or a laugh. This one isn’t going to blind you with science. It’s more likely to give you a feel for the long and still ongoing search for how life began seemingly out of non-life.

The Consequences of Fear (Maisie Dobbs #16) – Jacqueline Winspear — I swore to myself I wasn’t going to start this until I finished the second Inspector Lynley book. That promise didn’t last long. It took me two nights to finish and I have to say that I think it might be the best one yet in terms of plot. The time frame is WWII, just before the US got involved, and Winspear gives us a portrait of Maisie who is torn between personal responsibilities (and inclinations) and her sense of duty. Beautifully written, it left me hungry for more.

I’ll be back next month with more, the lord willin’ and the crick don’t rise. Until then, stay well. Get vaccinated.