It took me a while to find a copy of My Name is Bill: Bill Wilson and the Creation of Alcoholics Anonymous, by Susan Cheever, which Constant Reader suggested some time back. It was excellent! There were other groups and plans, back then, for those with a drinking problem, some with a modest success rate. From them Bill, (and co-founder Bob Smith) developed the guidelines that have made AA (and the many spinoffs) highly successful. Talking and listening to other drunks is better than a speech or sermon. Calling to check in when you want to drink works. Committing to one day at a time is achievable, and any one is welcome at a meeting (which can be held anywhere) ... there is a spiritual aspect, but not religious (he saw folks walk away from groups where that was a requirement), anonymity was key. (He would later turn down awards/honorary degrees because of this). He and Bob wanted the program to be as accessible as possible for anyone who wanted to stop drinking. It was an amazing process.

It took a while for the idea of hiring someone to walk your dog caught on in England. Kate MacDougall was one of the first to offer this service. Her book: London's Number One Dog-Walking Agency: a Memoir is a nice telling of those experiences. Of course, it's not just about the dogs, is it?! There's always the owner ... and some were ... interesting, eccentric, maybe just a bit crazy. Not a bad way to spend a much too hot summer day (for me, anyway) in front of a fan.

Reading Hermit With Dog

 

Women who wanted to be doctors faced a lot of resistance. When they were finally allowed into medical schools they were either denied jobs after graduation, or limited to treating women and children only. World War I changed all that. No Man's Land: the Trailblazing Women Who Ran Britain's Most Extraordinary Military Hospital During World War I, by Wendy Moore, is that history. Well researched and written, this is a compelling story of hard work and dedication. The buildings given to these women had often been vacant and neglected for years and needed a major clean out (which they did, more than once), then supplies would be delayed, or refused (so they found their own suppliers), but they were finally accepted into the Military. Which helped. Some. There was no denying, though, how good the care they gave the wounded was. If the men were startled at first, by being in a hospital completely run by women, it didn't last long! Some, if they could, even requested Endell Street. There were hospitals in France, too. Fair warning here: descriptions of the conditions (trench warfare, shrapnel, mustard gas, mud, bugs, disease) and wounds are vivid! Still, even with the backing of the Military (sort of) it seemed like men wanted the women to fail. Many of the convalescent cases sent were those who were considered 'hopeless'. Just about all of them survived! The hospitals closed when the war ended, (well, almost, there was that pesky Spanish Flu pandemic) and sadly, many of these incredible doctors found themselves either without a job, or back to treating just women and children again. (There is a nice, is sometimes sad, follow up on many of them).

On a whim I did a search for books on rain and found (no surprise, really) this one: Rain: Four Walks in English Weather, by Melissa Harrison. It's just what is says it is, four nice essays on walking in the rain in four different parts of England, at four different times of year. I think my favorite part though, was the glossary of 100 rain words at the end.

Reading Hermit With Dog

 

In Victorian England, in high society, a scandal is not permissible (this does not mean 'something' is not going on, it just can't make it into the local gossip), so you can imagine the impact of someone showing up saying she is married to George Hazelton, currently engaged to Frances Wynn (widow of the late Earl of Harleigh). This same woman claims all sorts of other odd things, too, but which are true? Then, a man shows up saying he is her husband. To further complicate matters, her body is found in Frances' garden. Untangling this web of lies makes for another fun entry to the Countess of Harleigh Mystery series by Dianne Freeman. This one is A Fiancee’s Guide to First Wives and Murder.

This would be a fun book to read in December, but July is when I found it, so July is when I read it! A Toot Hansell Christmas Cracker, by Kim M. Watt. It's one of the Beaufort Scales books, but does not to be read in any particular order with the others (well, except maybe the first one so you know what's going on). It's also a fun spin on the Twelve Days of Christmas song ... with recipes! Christmas really is a magical time of year. Not all of it good.

Reading Hermit With Dog

 

I came across something I'd read some time back now: A Dog is Listening: the Way Some of Our Closest Friends View Us, by Roger A. Caras. Good observations and fun anecdotes on dogs (some are a bit dated). It felt a bit stilted in parts, but overall a good re-read.

One of my favorite books, as well as the movie, is Hidden Figures. That took place on the east coast, but there was 'space stuff' going on here on the west coast as well. You can learn about that in Rise of the Rocket Girls: the Women Who Propelled Us, From Missiles to the Moon to Mars, by Nathalia Holt. The first challenge was how to make an airplane engine strong enough to let the plane take off from a ship ... so, think early jet engines here! Granted, much had to be done concerning ballistic missiles, and even some with the voyage to the moon (which many considered dull)(!), but the real interest for these amazing women were the flights to learn more about the planets in our solar system. Some of the descriptions of the fly bys for those actually gave me goose bumps! (And now we have those amazing images from the James Webb telescope)!

Reading Hermit With Dog

 

Murder Most Fowl is the twenty-ninth (!) entry in the Meg Langslow Mystery series by Donna Andrews. It's a busy summer for Meg and her family. Hubby is directing a production of MacBeth and the cast and crew are lodging in their house. Also on the grounds is a group of 'reenactors' trying to create an authentic military camp of that time period (a line was drawn at open trench latrines, however)! Not everyone is nice, or well liked, including a young man with a camera, and his showing of what he has filmed, well, let's just say it does not go over well. When his body is found, there are lots of possible murderers! There's vandalism, and a strange book that doesn't belong found in the library, and three witches casting evil spells, a poorly shorn sheep (who finds safety with the llamas) and Pomeranians. Don't forget about them! Just a fun read, with a wonderful final scene!

I rarely read fiction, just fiction ... it's usually a mystery, or mystery/historical type writing, so This is Happiness, by Niall Williams, was a change for me. It was pretty darn good! It's set in a small town in Ireland, where it rains. Often. I loved the descriptions of the different kinds of rain and how the residents are not surprised that it is raining, but that it stops! (And five days of clear skies are too much). Narrator is an old man looking back on the year he was 17 and the town finally got electricity. It will be a huge change for this small town that hasn't seen change in hundreds of years. Read carefully, the writing is elegant. Thanks go to Tall Reader for the loan.

Reading Hermit With Dog

 

Since the basic toga, clothing has been a wearable status symbol. Styles change over time (some good, some bad ... some you wonder what folks were thinking). Dress codes came about as a way to maintain some sort of control. Learn more about all of this in Dress Codes: How the Laws of Fashion Made History, by Richard Thompson Ford. Nicely researched, with a great bibliography, but I will say I found it a bit dry at times and did some skimming.

Reading Hermit With Dog

 

An anniversary, of sorts, is coming up. There is a film crew in the area, recreating the events of some two hundred years ago. There were three murders, and the man convicted of them was put to death at a bluff/cliff now named after him by having him jump (or be thrown) off said cliff. Now, the body of the lead actress for the re-enactment was found at the bottom of the cliff. Did she fall? Was it suicide? Murder? In solving these questions, Inspector Graham also discovers new things about the case from so long ago. The Case of Sampson's Leap, by Alison Golden and Grace Dagnall, is another good read in the Inspector David Graham Mystery series.

Tall Reader loaned me a book last month: The Question of Max, by Amanda Cross. Published in 1976, the information on the cover calls it a "glorious tribute to the genre of detective fiction perfected by Dorothy Sayers." It really is a most intriguing mystery! An author has died, and while she left a house and property to her children, she left all her books, papers and other 'literary' stuff to Max. Why? And what does he learn? And why was the body of a grad student found on the cliff near the house? Adding to a good mystery story, there is also the mystery as to where the book came from ... it's a discard from a library back east, so how did it get to Tall Reader's shelf?

Reading Hermit With Dog

 

I often listen to my CDs of The Vinyl Cafe radio show, but this past week I read some of those stories instead, in Revenge of the Vinyl Cafe, by Stuart McLean. The stories are familiar, but sometimes with some added bits that didn't make it on air, and just made for a very nice read. There are stories of a starry summer night, a fish head that can predict weather (well, it can if rain is coming), a special kind of honey, and more. I could hear Stuart's voice in my head as I was reading.

Reading Hermit With Dog

 

It is Lady Georgiana's first Christmas as a married woman. She has plans for a quiet, low key holiday. Instead, she has been invited to a gathering by her husband's aunt at a small house (relatively speaking) near Sandringham (where the Royals spend the holiday). Included in the guests are the Prince and 'that horrible woman' (Mrs. Simpson). There have been strange happenings, starting the previous December, and the Queen wants Georgiana to keep her eyes and ears open. There are more deaths, and a possible attempt aimed at the Prince of Wales. What is the connection here? God Rest Ye, Royal Gentleman, one of the Royal Spyness Mystery books, by Rhys Bowen was a one day read!

She's back! The Queen, that is! This time it's a missing painting, or rather, one that showed up where it didn't belong. Then there's a body. Or two. While she is investigating (discreetly, of course) a decades old 'network' of thieves is discovered. Over the years, it seems, small things have been 'removed' from the royal residences and sold. Then there are the notes, nasty notes, some so bad that employees leave working for the Royal Family, what's that all about? All the Queen's Men, is the second book by SJ Bennett featuring Queen Elizabeth II doing a 'royal' version of investigation.

Reading Hermit With Dog