Make Way for Ducklings. . . er, Bagels?
I live nowhere near the Boston Public Gardens, but a nearby lake, one of my favorite places to walk, has more than its fair share of Mr. and Mrs. Mallards looking for a place to live.
I enjoy it because the walkway, which goes all the way around the lake, is mostly in the shade, and the lake is home to a ridiculous number of waterfowl. It’s mostly ducks and geese, with the occasional ibis or other visitor.
Despite the number of posted signs asking people please not to feed the waterfowl bread, folks persist in doing so. It’s common to see someone, or a small group of people, absolutely overrun by the fowl denizens once they’ve spotted a thrown crust.
Normally I watch where I’m putting my feet pretty carefully, because, with all those winged creatures thronging the place, the slightest misstep can send a walker tip over teakettle. Goose poop is especially slippery.
Occasionally, though, something brings my head up. Recently there was just such an occurrence.
A rather handsome goose caught my attention as he tiptoed daintily toward me, a couple of friends following. Suddenly, three geese became six, then a dozen, then too many to count, and as more and more started following the leader, he picked up the pace. Geese were converging from every direction and I stopped walking, enraptured and wondering what was causing this stampede.
When the lead goose got close enough, I could see why. Somewhere he had snagged an entire half of a bagel. He wanted nothing more than to find a quiet spot to enjoy it, but his friends and family were having none of that. Before two minutes had passed, he had gone from tiptoeing, to strutting, to running, and now he was hop-flying. At one point I thought he was surrounded, but he saw an opening and zipped across the road, wings flapping just enough to keep him a few inches above the tarmac.
Needless to say I found the spectacle quite entertaining, and went on my way chuckling. I thought for a moment about whipping out my phone and videotaping it, but decided I’d rather just watch.
And who knows? This scene might be immortalized in a book some day.
Speaking of books, I’m happy to say I’ve progressed from revisions to rewrites. I’m not sure there’s much substantive difference between the two, but in my mind, “revision” refers more to structural elements and “rewrites” refers more to the words on the page. It may be a distinction without a difference, but it works for me.
What I’m Reading
Harriet Gordon Mysteries
This was actually a very exciting reading week for me!
I received an ARC (advance reader copy) of the fourth book in the Harriet Gordon series by AM Stuart, Terror in Topaz.
I mentioned the series here, and I was really looking forward to the fourth in the series so getting it in advance of publication was a thrill.
It’s hard to write anything about it without sharing spoilers, so I’ll just say it was equally as well written as the previous three, something I can’t say about every series I read, and finally allowed Harriet and Curran to identify the criminal behind the theft, murder, kidnapping, and sex trafficking of the previous books in the series.
If you like historical mysteries (this one begins during the height of the suffragist movement in Britain, during the first decade of the twentieth century), and strong female protagonists, you’ll enjoy Harriet. It takes place mostly in Singapore, where Harriet has moved to get away from the unpleasantness at home and assist her brother, a minister and headmaster of a boys’ school.
In the first book, Singapore Sapphire, shortly after arriving in Singapore, Harriet advertises her services as a qualified shorthand typist, and is thrilled to land a client right away. Unfortunately, Harriet comes into contact with the police after she finds the murdered body of her first client. Together she and Inspector Robert Curran figure out who’s responsible, and uncover a dark web of treachery and dirty dealing.
Revenge in Rubies brings Harriet and Curran together in another investigation, this one involving the death of the very young wife of the older lieutenant colonel in charge of the local British regiment.
Evil in Emerald shows Harriet, as a departure from murder and crime, involved in a local community theater production of Pirates of Penzance. She’s enjoying it. That is, until members of the cast start getting bumped off.
Terror in Topaz weaves all the threads together in a satisfying finale. Well, satisfying except in the sense that I still want to know what Harriet does next, after helping to stop a criminal mastermind.
Some of the links I include in this post may be affiliate links. What does that mean? It means you pay the same — or in some cases a little less — if you click and purchase, and I get a small commission. It’s not a lot, but it helps me buy a few chai lattes here and there. . . Or, if you like what you're reading, you can Buy Me a Chai. Thanks!
Death in Westminster by Emily Organ
This is another new release, the fifth in the series featuring Augusta Peel, second-hand bookseller. These are set in post-World War I London. (I reviewed the fourth in the series here.)
Augusta and her friend, Detective Inspector Fisher of Scotland Yard, are looking into the stabbing of one of her customers in the grounds of Westminster Abbey. They’re hampered by Fisher having to babysit a young, thoroughly unqualified detective who just happens to be the son of one of the Yard’s VIPs. Augusta is also a bit distracted when strange people seem to be using her shop as a shortcut into and out of another office in the building.
Another thoroughly entertaining foray into the life of a not-so-average bookseller.
Notable Quotes
Max Davies was a nice enough man if you liked arrogant, know-it-alls who think they are God's gift to, well, you in particular.
- Scripted to Slay by ACF Bookens
Gotta have my daily dose of snark!
‘And the more I think about it, the more intrigued I am to find out what this is all about.’ ‘It’s probably nothing interesting at all,’ said Augusta. ‘I think we should both prepare to be underwhelmed.’
Death in Westminster by Emily Organ
Ah, the famed British understatement, stated.
So after a few blocks of endless sniffing and urinary greetings to the rest of the neighborhood dogs, I tugged the pups toward home
- Picture Book Peril by ACF Bookens
Ouch! This is why we all need editors and proofreaders, because it looks like the narrator tugged the pups toward home after she, herself, had sniffed and peed her way down the sidewalk. It’s a rather disturbing picture. . .