Maisie Dobbs

I'm not that much of a mystery reader. I have nothing against the genre, but for whatever reason, I only seem to dip into it once in a while. What's more is that I've even passed up books in the past, thinking, "Oh, I don't know if I feel like a mystery...". That was the reaction I had whenever I would come across Maisie Dobbs in the bookstore. I was drawn to its post-WWI England setting (I promise I'll move on to a new fictional time and place soon), but always put it down, not quite in the mood to follow Maisie, a maid-turned-battlefield nurse-turned-detective, track down her latest case. I recently read a couple of glowing reviews of it, though, so I finally decided to give it a try.

I was hoping to love this book, if only for its upstairs/ downstairs theme. I think I only managed to like it, however. Although Maisie is logically a very likable character, I didn't feel any strong connection to her. The case she's trying to solve is framed around a large flashback to Maisie's own personal history, which is the more compelling part of the story. As the first book in a series, it's clear that the author was trying to fully introduce Maisie and set her up for future adventures, but the mystery plot suffered as a result, seeming to be relegated to left field and lacking any real sense of drama or tension. I came away with the sense that it was a pleasant story, but not one that I felt personally invested in. I may read another in the series sometime, but I'm not running out right this minute to do so. Which is probably just as well. I don't exactly need more fuel for my Downton- era obsession.

What's your take on mysteries? Do you like to read them? Do you have any favorite authors?

Friday Fancies

I'm afraid that this was another one of those weeks where I found myself skimming through more blog posts than I would have liked in an effort to keep up with everything. (Google Reader, you are both a blessing and a curse!) So with that in mind, just a few favorites for this week.

(image via here)

I was charmed by these sweet and wintry sketches by Krisatomic.

I was intrigued by this interesting DIY for glowing paper lanterns.

And I was glad that Leslie shared this video, showing 2011 in one second per day.

Window Shopping on Etsy

I love Etsy, but I tend to run a bit hot and cold with it. I have a tendency to forget about it for a month or two, only to swing back into obsessively searching it for new shops. I thought I'd share some of my recent finds, starting with a few that sell quirky and whimsical art pieces.

For some reason, I've been really drawn to watercolors lately. The ones from JessicaIllustration have an especially bold, graphic quality to them. My British alter ego may want to pick up some of these UK inspired prints.





Based in the Netherlands, IsabellasArt creates intricate shadow puppets based on literary characters, like Mary Poppins and Pippi Longstocking. These would be so fun to incorporate into a children's room.



And on another literary note, if I ever find myself in need of a doll version of an author, UneekDollDesigns seems like it would be the place to look. Isn't the resemblance pretty uncanny on these Shel Silverstein and Joyce Carol Oates dolls?


Have you discovered any interesting Etsy shops?

The Sense of an Ending

I had never read anything by Julian Barnes until my book club chose his short novel The Sense of an Ending as our current selection. The thing that struck me most about his writing was its ease. The narration, which seems to combine the autobiographic quality of Philip Roth with a certain British refinement that reminded me of Ian McEwan's work, hit just the right note for the story and had a natural feel and flow to it from the very first page. That's not necessarily an easy feat, either, when the plot involves memories, and discrepancies of memory, from a character's past.

The novel's narrator, Tony Webster, is completely upfront with the reader about the possible unreliable nature of his memories. The first part of the book is a series of scenes that paint a picture of the close knit group of friends of his youth. Drawn to different universities and girlfriends, they drift apart and are ultimately hit with the tragic death of one of their own. Years later, a chain of events forces Tony, now a sixty-something divorced grandfather, to revisit these memories. Through a series of twists and turns, he learns that he may have misinterpreted the facts of his past.

I found the twists that Tony uncovers to be truly surprising. I shared his bewilderment at certain points in the story and thought I'd just about figured things out when I suddenly realized that things weren't exactly what I (or he) had been expecting. Looking back now, I can't decide if I really think the ultimate plot twist was truly believable or not. That's almost irrelevant, though, since I think the most interesting takeaway from the book is its portrayal of a narrator who is very self-aware, even about his own lack of awareness in certain areas, yet who is forced to completely reappraise himself and revise his view of his own past.

Hot Chocolate Scones

There's a little coffee shop near me that I love. They serve good coffee, they have a nice neighborhood feel, they're dog-friendly, and it didn't take them long to learn my regular order. All of that makes them pretty great, but what really sets them over the top is that they make some of the best scones I've ever had. They're moist and buttery and are served sliced in half, filled with berry jam. I usually stop and pick one up as a Friday morning breakfast treat for myself. Last Friday, I noticed that a new flavor scone had arrived on the scene- hot chocolate. Obviously, I ordered one.

I thought it might just be a fancy name for a chocolate chip scone, but I was thrilled to find out that I was wrong. The scone itself had a slight chocolate flavor and was spread with a layer of practically molten chocolate, with a few gooey marshmallows added in. I had to go back on Sunday to get the one you see here (strictly for blog documentation purposes, of course).

It's going to be very hard to keep my Friday morning treat from becoming a Monday morning, or Wednesday morning, or any morning treat.