From Jane Austen wannabes to mysteries for dog days of summer

Posted 8/5/16

By Lynda Regolrego@eastbaynewspapers.comI have a lot of books piled up and I’m trying to get to them this summer. I don’t even remember some of them (or where they came from). So, there …

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From Jane Austen wannabes to mysteries for dog days of summer

Posted

By Lynda Rego
lrego@eastbaynewspapers.com
I have a lot of books piled up and I’m trying to get to them this summer. I don’t even remember some of them (or where they came from). So, there have been some nice surprises.
“The Family Fortune” (2006) by Laurie Horowitz was the first book I pulled down. I didn’t realize it was a modernized version of Jane Austen’s “Persuasion.” But, it’s very well done and stands as a sophisticated, funny romance on its own. Jane Fortune is the middle sister in an old Boston family, whose fortune has been used up by her father and older sister, whose shallow lifestyle encompasses shopping and parties. Jane runs a family foundation, which gives a fellowship to a young writer each year. Best-selling novelist Max Wellman, Jane’s first fellowship and first love, comes back into her life. Can she grab a second chance at happiness?
“A Murder in Time” (2016) by Julie McElwain. When FBI profiler and Special Agent Kendra Donovan steps into a secret passage in an English castle and finds herself back in 1815 England, she isn’t sure if she’s delusional or someone’s playing an elaborate joke. Even though she’s obviously an American, the locals are taken aback by her hairstyle, salty language and forward manners. Forced to pretend to be a maid hired for a house party, she slowly comes to believe that she has indeed traveled back in time. But, why and how?
When a body is found – and it’s the work of a serial killer – Kendra believes she’s there for a reason. I’ve always loved books about time travel and “A Murder in Time” is the perfect summer beach read. It’s fun to see Kendra try to help the locals without giving away too much information from the future.
One of my first reviews was on books about people who switch places or travel through time. I think I find them fascinating because of the fish-out-of-water aspect of the character’s interactions with others. My favorites are “Brat Farrar” (1950) by Josephine Tey, “The Scapegoat” (1957) by Daphe du Maurier, “Time and Again” (1970) by Jack Finney and “The Cat Who Walks Through Walls” (1985) by Robert A. Heinlein.
“In a Sunburned Country” (2000) by Bill Bryson. Bryson is a fabulous author, who takes you wherever he goes and makes the place immediate and real. His sojourn in Australia (with a new appendix added on his coverage of the Sydney Olympics in 2000) is magical (and laugh-out-loud funny at times). It really is awful how little we know about this marvelous country that’s been “unaccountably overlooked” as Bryson says. Yes, it’s got lots more than kangaroos, crocs and beer. I was familiar with the interior because “A Town Like Alice” is one of my favorite books, but this continent just teems with life (amazing, but also terrifying) and people worth knowing and a wondrous history. And, there are maps so you can follow his travels. Take a trip Down Under with Mr. Bryson. You’ll be glad you did.
“The Writing Master” (2012) by Kitty Burns Florey was a pleasant read about a writing teacher and penman in 1856 Connecticut. Charles Cooper not only writes letters and documents for people who cannot read or write, but specializes in embellished script for birth and marriage certificates or Bible entries. It’s been four years since his wife and son were killed in a fire, and he blames himself for not being home that night. Then, while visiting his in-laws in New Haven, he becomes involved in the murder of a young woman and meets the beautiful Lily Prescott, a mysterious woman recently arrived from Italy under unfortunate circumstances. Soon he is helping a private detective look for the murderer and considering changes in his staid life. This is one of those historic books that makes the past come to life through the small details of everyday living. The author does a masterful job of evoking the past and is working on a sequel.
“Eligible” (2016) by Curtis Sittenfeld is a modern retelling (and I do mean modern) of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.” Although it’s part of The Austen Project, Jane Austen it’s not.  Set in Cleveland, Darcy is a brain surgeon, Liz is a writer for Mascara, a magazine in New York City, Jane is a yoga instructor, Chip Bingley is a doctor and the bachelor on a reality show called “Eligible.” Lydia and Kitty are potty-mouthed, obnoxiously rude juvenile 20-somethings still living at home. And, Mary is a perennial student, ditto.  Mrs. Bennet is the same idiot and a racist to boot. And, Mr. Bennet is still an ineffectual, absent father and husband. There’s plenty of premarital sex and, while I enjoyed seeing how it would work out (she doesn’t adhere exactly to the original plot), it seemed as if using sex and language, a transgender character and artificial insemination to modernize the tale were overkill. “The Family Fortune” wasn’t as forced.
“The Grift” (2008) by Debra Ginsberg is the perfect summer read. I finished it in one day last weekend because I couldn’t wait to find out what happens to Marina Marks. As a child, Marina’s junkie mother uses her as a fortune teller to make money to buy drugs. Now, Marina makes a living as a psychic in California. But, then her actual “gift” is activated and instead of using the observational powers that made her a great fake psychic, she is having visions and dreams of the past, the present and the future. But, which are which? When she becomes a suspect in a murder, it becomes paramount she learn how to use her abilities. It’s a well-written, fast-paced thriller with a wide-range of quirky characters from the ultra-rich to the working class who takes care of them.

Visit Lynda Rego on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lynda.rego where she shares tips on cooking, books, gardening, genealogy and other topics. Click on Like and share ideas for upcoming stories.

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