Every Step She Takes

Every Step She Takes by Alison Cochrun, 384 pages

Sadie has never truly enjoyed a date she's been on, despite her mom and sister constantly setting her up with perfectly fine guys. Maybe it's because she's too wrapped up in her work selling and refurbishing antiques — after all, she can't remember the last time she went on a vacation or got a chance to relax. When she's presented with a chance to take her travel influencer sister's spot on a trek along Portugal's Camino de Santiago, Sadie decides to go for it. Perhaps some time away from home, work, and her family will help reset her brain a bit. But then the combination of wine and turbulence on her flight to Europe prompts Sadie to spontaneously tell the stranger sitting next to her that she might be a lesbian, and suddenly Sadie has a lot more to consider. Especially when Mal, the stranger from the plane, turns out to be a fellow hiker in Sadie's tour group.

While there are a couple of eyebrow-raising elements in this romance novel (I'm not sure I fully buy into the "hey, we're kissing for practice, since you've never kissed a woman before), overall it's a lovely exploration of self-discovery with  a swoony, supportive romance. And it really makes me want to take the 100-mile trek of the Camino pilgrimage. That's not too far, right? :) Anyway, I highly recommend this to readers of Casey McQuiston's The Pairing who wanted a bit less spice.

Life After Life

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson (2013), 611 pgs. 

In England on November 11, 1910, a baby girl is born. Soon after she takes her first breath, she takes her last.
In England on November 11, 1910, a baby girl is born, and the presence of a doctor saves her life. The girl, Ursula, lives happily with her family in the English countryside until an accident once again cuts her life short.
In England on November 11, 1910, Ursula is born over and over again, as new choices and chance happenings slightly alter the version of her life she is building. She must do what she can to protect herself and those around her from making fatal mistakes, while also navigating young adulthood during a devastating war. Will the cycle ever end? Ursula does not know. All she knows is that she must make the most of her life each time she lives it. 

This is quite a long book but also a very captivating one--especially for those interested in historical fiction. The horrors of WWII on Europe are central to this story, but they are not the only thing that proves fatal. Danger lurks around every corner of Ursula's lives in the form of strangers on the road, faulty gas lines, and sudden air raids. The way the chapters are organized in a jumble of time allows readers to put themselves in Ursula's shoes for a moment by knowing the things that could happen at any given time. It is scary to think how close we all may have come to death, but perhaps, as Ursula does, we are simply living out our second/third/fourth chance.

The Pairing

The Pairing by Casey McQuiston, 411 pages

Theo and Kit had been best friends for years before they started dating. Four years ago, they tried to take a romantic food and wine tour of Europe, and a fight on the flight over ended their romance and they haven't spoken since. Now both of them have separately cashed in their vouchers for the tour at the last possible moment, and they're separately determined to make it through the trip as friends. And what better way to do that than create a competition over who can hook up with the most locals on the trip?

This isn't exactly the most likely setup for a romance novel, and there are certainly those who will balk at Theo and Kit's free-love, sex-positive vibes. However, as she always does, McQuiston creates characters that are endearing and flawed, and situations that are holy cow spicy, which may win over a different set of romance readers. Also, I particularly enjoyed Theo's character development, as someone coming out as nonbinary and finding their place in the world — it made me miss their point of view when it switched to Kit's POV for the second half of the book. But all in all, this is another winner from McQuiston.

Nightwood

Nightwood by Djuna Barnes (1936) 182 pages

I listened to the audiobook on Hoopla narrated by Gemma Dawson. The Atlantic published a list of The Great American Novels earlier this year. There was a lot more diversity amongst the authors on this list compared to others I've seen, so I added several books to my reading list. I had also recently seen a review of a graphic biography about Djuna Barnes that will be published later this year. I jumped into this novel, which is Modernist, without knowing much about the Modernist movement. T.S. Eliot wrote an introduction praising the novel as an example of this artistic movement. He suggested that people who like poetry would appreciate her use of language. It certainly is florid in its literary stream-of-consciousness. Eliot also prepared me not to expect much plot, but I really like a strong plot. Audiobooks are "real" reading, but it is more passive. By the end, I had forgotten how the two characters, who converse about a woman's love for another woman, connect to the characters introduced at the beginning. I struggled to fully understand this book. It was not for me.
 

The Guncle Abroad

The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley, 320 pages

Four years after his niece Maisie and nephew Grant came to stay with him for the summer, actor Patrick O'Hara finds himself once again in charge of his niblings. But this time, they're gallivanting about Europe in the weeks leading up to the wedding of Patrick's brother to an uber-wealthy Italian woman. Maisie and Grant aren't too keen on the idea of their father getting remarried, and understandably are worried that their stepmother will try to replace their mom, who died just before that summer with Guncle (gay uncle) Patrick. So while he's escorting them through London, Paris, Salzburg, and Venice, Patrick's also trying to teach Maisie and Grant the many ways people can show love for one another — including allowing their dad to get married again.

This book can't be read without reading The Guncle first, but good lord, they're both excellent books, so get on that already! In the opening pages, I was a bit concerned that this was going to be a retread of the first book (but in Europe!), but my fears were quickly assuaged, and this became an absolutely delightful read. Read The Guncle and then read this. It's fantastic.

*This book will be published May 21, 2024.

The Art Thief

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel  221 pp.

This is the fascinating and unusual story of French art thief Stéphane Breitwieser who stole over 200 artworks worth $2 billion. Breitwieser made his thefts from museums, galleries, and cathedrals all over Europe with the aid of his girlfriend who acted as lookout. The stolen items totaled a fortune but they were not stolen to be resold. Breitwieser kept all the items in his small room where he could admire them daily and eventually had more than the room could hold. He also believed he was rescuing the artworks from the museums he called "prisons for art". His thieving became an obsession/addiction and even though his girlfriend pleaded with him and ultimately left him over it he just couldn't stop. The tension in the story increases with each theft until he is ultimately caught. It's an unusual and intriguing story. See Kevin's blog about it.

The Relic Master

 

The Relic Master by Christopher Buckley  380 pp.

Dismas is a relic hunter in 1517. He makes his living searching for religious relics (many of questionable provenance) to sell to his patrons, Frederick, elector of Saxony and Cardinal Albrecht of Mainz. Albrecht desperately wants Christ's burial shroud for his collection and for the funds it will bring in by luring pilgrims to come see it. Dismas persuades his friend, the artist Dürer to make a forgery. When Albrecht discovers the forgery he sends Dismas, Dürer, and three not-too-bright guards to steal the Shroud of Chambéry. Chaos ensues and Dismas and his party must fight for their lives, more than once. The further along I got in the book, the more I realized I had, in fact read this book before. On checking my lists I discovered I did read it in 2016. I left a more detailed review here.

Mortal Engines

Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve, 310 pages.
When Tom saves the Head Historian of London from a knife attack he unwittingly becomes a part of a great conspiracy. And he suffers for it fast.
London is one of the bigger Traction Cities, mechanized cities that wander the land devouring smaller towns, using them for parts and enslaving their people.
The whole mobile cities eating other cities was new to me (even though this book came out in 2001, I hadn't hear about it) and having the two main characters, Tom and Hester, being on the run in a waste land wherein they would have to find a town or city and then find some way to board said town or city made for an interesting story. The movie is out now (gone now?) and I may see it someday. I look forward to reading the second volume in "The Hungry Cities Chronicles", Predator's Gold.

Mr Gandy's Grand Tour

Mr Gandy's Grand Tour by Alan Titchmarsh, 313 pages

Thanks to downsizing at his office, Timothy Gandy has found himself retired at 55. He's reluctantly preparing himself for settling into years of being told what odd jobs to do by his forceful wife, Isobel, when she suddenly dies of a heart attack. While he's understandably distraught at her death, Timothy also realizes he now has an opportunity to make his own decisions about his life. To kick it off, he leaves on a meandering Grand Tour of the European cities he's always wanted to visit: Paris, Monte Carlo, Florence, Rome, and Venice. As Timothy discovers these new places, he also discovers himself and creates connections that would never have been formed had he settled down into his dotage (which is what his obnoxious son and insufferable daughter-in-law wanted).

This was a lovely light read, and it was nice to see how Timothy and his relationship to others evolved. An excellent choice for summer travels.

Neither Here nor There

Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe by Bill Bryson 254 pp.

Bill Bryson backpacked around Europe in the 1970s. In the 90s he decided to recreate his journey. With his characteristic honesty he describes his travels making clear his likes and dislikes. Often his descriptions are laugh-out-loud funny but I didn't find this book as engaging as Notes from a Small Island. This book seems more dated, probably from it being pre-9/11, and does not depict the changes in travel since then. But it is an enjoyable, light read.

The Relic Master

The Relic Master by Christopher Buckley  380 pp.

In 16th century Europe, Dismas is a relic hunter, one who hunts for "authentic" religious relics to sell to wealthy patrons. His best customers are Frederick the Wise of Saxony and the soon to be Cardinal Albrecht of Mainz. When Dismas' savings are lost by a crooked banker, Dismas and is friend, the artist Dürer create a forgery of the shroud that is sold to Albrecht. The forgery is discovered and Dismas is sent to Albrecht's dungeon to be tortured and killed but Frederick comes to his rescue. An agreement is made that Dismas will fulfill a penance for his crime by acquiring the "real" shroud from the Court of Chambery. The guards that accompany Dismas on the journey soon become involved in the misadventure involving battles, impersonations, and alchemy. This story has history, action, and humor. The "Last Supper" tableau complete with opium and hallucinogenic mushrooms is a high point. Fun once you get past the descriptions of torture.

Catastrophe 1914: When Europe Went to War

Catastrophe 1914: When Europe Went to War by Max Hastings, 628 pages.

I always enjoy reading histories by Hastings because his works are detailed, balanced, and do a great job of giving a broader picture than many other contemporary historians. Catastrophe devotes a fair amount to the successes of the Russian army, to the battles between Serbia and Austria-Hungary, and to the hopeless meandering of the British Expeditionary Force under John French. There's no hagiography with Hastings, he points out the mistakes made by all actors in the drama and does not seem interested in assessing blame because of country of origin. German General Helmuth von Moltke is shown as a man out of his depth, clinging to a plan that was never practical. British Commander in Chief, Field-Marshal Sir John French is shown to be a defeatist, with almost no interest in cooperating with his allies. His subordinate and eventual replacement, General Sir Douglas Haig, while shown to be an opportunist and conniver, has his reputation as a military commander somewhat restored, with the excellent summation: "where no general of any nationality much enhanced his reputation, Haig was an abler soldier than caricature allows."
The text follows a loose chronology, moving through lead up to the war and the war itself, but following on account in one area through to the end before doubling back to cover a simultaneous, but geographically separate situation.
I enjoyed listening to the downloadable audio, admirably read by Simon Vance, but the scope of the book, the names and places covered during this one year (and mostly the last quarter of that year) made keeping it straight very difficult without the text to consult.

King of the Vagabonds

King of the Vagabonds: The Baroque Cycle #2 by Neal Stephenson  282 pp.

The second book in this series introduces two new characters: Jack Shaftoe aka Half-Cocked Jack aka King of the Vagabonds and Eliza, prisoner of a harem. Jack meets Eliza after stealing a Turkish Vizier's horse to chase an ostrich to steal its feathers to make some cash. He frees Eliza from her captors and they flee the siege of Vienna. Together they travel around Europe. Eliza is the shrewd one and Jack is the muscle. Much is discussed about the business practices of the French and Dutch during the era as Jack and Eliza attempt to make money through various "investments." However Jack is also suffering the effects of last stage syphilis and his mind wanders into fantastical episodes that may or may not be real. Throughout the story they encounter many figures known to history including Winston and John Churchill (ancestors of the 20th century Prime Minister), William of Orange, William and Mary, and many others. Evidently the next book ties together the characters of this book with Daniel Waterhouse and others from the first installment. There is a lot more action in this part than in the first book but the audiobook takes a lot of concentration to keep from getting confused.

The Prague Cemetery

The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco  444 pp.

I have always enjoyed Eco's novels but this one did nothing for me. Even the audiobook read by George Guidall couldn't save it. It was very hard to get into because the narration is the ramblings and rants of a man with multiple personalities who hates just about everybody (Jews, the Jesuits, the Freemasons, the French, Germans, Russians, etc.). He is writing a diary after the events of the previous forty years about the multiple conspiracies that took place during the late 1800s. I kept hoping this one would get better because I wanted to like it. If I were to rank the Eco books I've read this one doesn't come close to comparing with Baudolino or The Name of the Rose and trails far behind The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana.

Europe Under the Old Regime by Albert Sorel

Europe Under The Old Regime by Albert Sorels
80 pages

[Brief disclaimer: I may be related to the author.]

This extremely brief work is actually the preface to another work of Albert Sorel (1842 - 1906), Europe and the French Revolution. It covers the art of international politics and diplomacy from the Renaissance to the French Revolution. It describes the end of Universalism in international relations and the rise of Machiavellian thinking, first employed under Cardinal Richelieu (1585 - 1642) as raison d'etat. It's a great way to brush up on your European history.

New Europe / Michael Palin

New Europe by Michael Palin. 288 pp.

A recent (2007) one of Palin's travel books. Reading this made me acutely conscious of how weak my grasp of recent important events is, especially when he was in the former Yugoslavia talking about the war in the 1990s. My memories of that are embarrassingly fuzzy. (Also my grasp of Central European geography is embarrassingly bad, but I already knew that.) Palin revisits a couple of places that he went in one of his earlier books, Pole to Pole, which makes me want to re-read that now.