The Forgotten Affairs of Youth

I had just finished Alexander McCall Smith's The Unbearable Lightness of Scones when a trip to the library turned up his latest Isabel Dalhousie novel, The Forgotten Affairs of Youth. Ms. Dalhousie is my favourite McCall Smith character. She is a philosopher by trade and a inquisitive heroine by nature. When a visiting philosopher from Australia on sabbatical in Edinburgh asks Isabel's help in finding the identity of her biological father, Isabel is only too happy to help.
The question posed is "should the forgotten affairs of youth be left in the past, or can the memories help us understand the present?" I did not think this book was quite as good as previous ones, but still enjoyed it and the many ponderings McCall Smith presents via Isabel Dalhousie. One of the answers provided seems to be a new understanding of the meaning of family.

Sharyn McCrumb has been a favourite author of mine ever since I discovered her "ballad series" books many years ago. Her latest in that series is The Ballad of Tom Dooley. I daresay, most people were introduced to this legend via The Kingston Trio's hit recording, The Legend of Tom Dooley, in 1958: "Hang down your head Tom Dooley, Hang down your head and cry. Hang down your head Tom Dooley, Poor boy your bound to die. I met her on the mountain, there I took her life. Met her on the mountain, stabbed her with my knife."
McCrumb's painstakingly researched novel gives a more detailed and, for me, believable, version of what really happened in the 1866 killing of Laura Foster. Tom Dula may have taken the blame and been hanged for the murder, but it seems clear he was protecting his paramour, Ann Melton. The book is alternately told by former North Carolina governor Zebulon Vance, appointed as public defender for Dula, and by Pauline Foster, a cousin of both Laura's and Ann Melton's. The story has been referred to as an Appalachian Wuthering Heights.

I continued my enjoyment of reading the Gaslight Mysteries series by Victoria Thompson with number seven: Murder on Lenox Hill. "When the affluent Lintons of Lenox Hill summon Sarah Brandt to examine their teenage daughter, their worst fear is confirmed: She is with child. The pregnancy is a mystery, however, as the young woman - mentally still a child herself - is never left on her own and denies any man has ever hurt her. To help her discover who is responsible, Sarah, after much prodding, enlists the aid of her friend, Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy, who is reluctant to get involved, since no crime has been reported."

Every once in awhile when I choose a book by its cover, I get a real dud. The subject matter was interesting to me, however, so I kept reading. The Last Key by Donna Van Cleve is the fifth book in her Taylor Family Saga. Even if our library had the other books in this series, I would not read them.

If you want to read a good book about the September, 1900, hurricane that devastated Galveston, Texas, read Erik Larson's Isaac's Storm instead of the Van Cleve novel. I read Larson's book about the "deadliest hurricane in history" several years ago after reading his acclaimed The Devil in the White City.

I love Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series and I'd much rather read the books than listen to them, but I've been trying to listen to books while exercising. Previously I listened to one that was read by the author, and just assumed this one would be also. However, it is read by Orlagh Cassidy. At first, I felt the reader detracted from the story (because I had enjoyed Ms. Winspear's voice so much), but I came to appreciate her ability of creating a unique voice for each character. Her deep voice was even convincing in the male roles.
It took me awhile to listen to this book as it is nine CDs long. Set in London in 1931, Maisie Dobbs, psychologist and investigator, has been retained by Georgina Bassington-Hope to investigate the death of her twin brother and artist, Nick, whose death has been ruled an accident by the police. Before long, the evidence surrounding Nick's death leads Maisie to the beaches of Dungeness in Kent and London's art museums. I wish I could have read the Maisie Dobbs series in order even though each one is a different mystery to be solved, the evolvement of ongoing characters would be more enjoyable if taken in order.

I wonder what I'll be listening to next?