Friday, October 14, 2022

A Tribute to Peter Robinson

This past week has gone by relatively fast.  Doug had his stitches out and the healing process is going very well. We are planning a few outings with the RV and maybe I can get some photos this time. Weather wise I wish we'd get some cooler temperatures as it's still hitting the upper 80's here in the afternoons. 

New to me / Puzzles have been enjoyable and I recently finished this one with book covers featuring dogs.


Splurged on a New Yorker puzzle and was disappointed to see it's only 500 pieces.  That will teach me to read the description fully. The pieces are so large.  
All the others in my cart are 750 to 1,000 pieces so...next time :-)
Also purchased a puzzle featuring seed packets.


In bookish news I was saddened to hear author Peter Robinson died in early October. With the exception of his last published book I have read each and every one of the Inspector Banks novels. (Our library didn't acquire the last one and I am trying for an interlibrary loan).  His last book,  Standing in the Shadows ,will be released in April 2023 in the U.S.  There will be 28 books total once the last is published.

What made these police procedurals/mysteries so appealing was it was written in real time.  In the first novel published in 1987 Alan Banks is much younger and in excellent health, his children are small and he is happily married.  As each year passes Alan Banks ages and so do the musical delivery systems he uses.  He has a Walkman, an 8 Track player, Cds and eventually an iPod.  Music is a huge part of Alan Banks' life and I have occasionally looked up the musical pieces and enjoyed them. 

The TV series was a disapointment as it doesn't follow the books well and for some reason they have the 5'9" detective played by 6'2" Stephen Tompkinson.  If you read the novels you'll see why this was so bad.

THIS is an excellent summary of some of the books along with the music played and alcohol enjoyed.  Alan Banks led a full life.  R.I.P. Peter Robinson 📚😢


Just finished reading / All That is Mine I Carry With Me by William Landay.  This is an ARC from NetGalley.  I give this 4.5 as this is a story that sticks with you.  The characters were so well written and came to life.  After reading this book I had to read the first chapter again as it all dovetails back to the end.  Exceptional character development.

The beginning seemed like the author's preamble and I was going to skim it but then, realized the story began.  In 1975 Jane Larkin simply disappears, leaving her criminal defense attorney husband and three children with zero trace of her whereabouts.  Her car is found at a train station but no trace of Jane.  Was she murdered, did she run away or was there an accident? In the beginning you'll hear the different perspectives from her ten year old daughter, an older brother, her husband Dan and the police ...you will ponder so many possibilities about what could have happened to Jane Larkin.

The story develops over an 18 year period and is both ordinary, from the missing person/criminal investigation viewpoints, yet fascinating to watch the family as they hope and suspect.  Highly recommended.


This was a  complimentary copy from NetGalley.  All opinions are mine and I was not compensated fro the review.  This will be published March 7, 2023 by Random House Books (Ballantine). Genre: General Fiction (adult) and Literary Fiction.

That's it for me this week.  I hope all is well in your world :-)

Linking with 

Marg at The Intrepid Reader for 2022 Historical 

Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday





31 comments:

  1. I didn't realize Peter Robinson died! I LOVED his books with his descriptions of songs and food, and great stories!!! All That is Mine sounds like a good read!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jackie, I found out via my favorite author update emails from Goodreads. I was surprised and sad.

      Delete
  2. Glad Doug is healing well.

    I need to get that book/dog puzzle. Two of my very favorite things!

    Sorry to hear about Petter Robinson :( I haven't read anything by him but will look up his books.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vicki, thank yuo, Doug is healing very well. I sent you a surprise in the mail :-)

      Delete
    2. You did, I can't wait to see what it is! Thank you!

      Delete
  3. I'll be looking for new mystery/police procedural series once I catch up on Deborah Crombie's books, so maybe I'll start in on Peter Robinson's. I know my mom has enjoyed them over the years. Hope you get out again in the RV without any problems!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Les, hopiing to head out soon but we are currently experiencing side effects from the flu vaccine. ugh. We will see how we feel upcoming. I have loads of Robinson's books on Kindle and recently gave away all my paperback and hardcovers when I thought we were moving.

      Delete
  4. I've read quite a few of Robinson's books, and (I'm afraid) mainly forgotten them. But it's hard to keep mysteries in mind.

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mae, they were enjoyable but having said that, he's not the quality of Tana French!

      Delete
  5. Love the puzzles!! Have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I like the sound of the books being real time! So often the detectives in series never seem to age!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Marg, that was one of the things I loved about that series. This week I just didn't get it together for a foodie post but...this week I have it sorted!

      Delete
  7. I'm glad that the healing process is going well. Those puzzles are interesting. It's always sad to hear when people are no longer with us.

    Have a good weekend.

    Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
    My post:
    https://budgettalesblog.wordpress.com/2022/10/16/sunday-salon-25/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You as well, Emily. Hope you all get to feeling better.

      Delete
  8. A puzzle with book covers featuring dogs! Isn't that fun. I can see how a 500-piece puzzle would feel too easy after doing a few 1000-piece puzzles.

    It's so sad to hear that a beloved author has died. It's the end of that person, of course, but it's also the end of their created world.

    It's still getting up into the upper 80s here, too. And still very little rain.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deb, also the 500 piece one, once I started, was weirdly cut so multiple pieces seemed to fit togetehr where they didn't match. I sent it back.

      Delete
  9. Upper 80's sound kind of nice since it's gotten downright chilly here, especially in the evenings and mornings. Even though I like fall weather it is a bummer to see the sunshine and nice temps go...

    Puzzles are fun although I don't do them that often. I was thinking of getting some though. I do like a lot of New Yorker art and have even looked up a few artists who I've liked.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Greg, if we didn't have 8 months of HOT I'd be happier. The temps are my only gripe...love the fall clothing and sitting outside when it's about 50 degrees!
      The puzzles are fun for me, a new challenge

      Delete
  10. Love that puzzle... it looks like fun! The New York Puzzle Company has such good puzzles, but with varying piece counts. I've done a few 500s, but just got a new one that's 1000. Heading to FL soon, so not sure when I'll start it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JoAnn, I had to send the 500 piece one back. Just started one with photos of seed packets. Take care on your trip.

      Delete
  11. I saw somebody else ask about the puzzle. What's the name or where you got it? It would be a perfect gift for me dog loving reader sister! AND, I immediately went to netgalley and requested the Landay book; it sounds amazing. Thanks so much for the visit....
    Terrie @ Bookshelf Journeys

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Terrie, this is a fun puzzle and here is the link:

      https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VWCFZ4R?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

      Delete
  12. ooh now i'm intrigued as to how a five inch height difference could matter so much? :=)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sherry, it wasn't just the height difference. Banks smiled and was full of life. The actor on TV is always so grumpy and never smiles. Surprised they went that way with the character.

      Delete
  13. Oh! I see Big Red in the puzzle of covers!! I loved those books as a kid!!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. That's so sad to lose a beloved author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joy, it is indeed. I had hoped in my lifetime he would end the series so we'd have resolution on Banks' future. A roundup.

      Delete
  15. I'm so sad to see Peter Robinson died. I've yet to read anything by him but his books are on my TBR. The casting with adaptations can be so odd. It's magic when they cast someone who just fits but every once in awhile you have to wonder if the casting agent read the books at all - or even a character description.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Katherine, you will have loads of books to read if you start the series. I love the real time aging process.

      Delete

Welcome and thank you so much for visiting. If I don't answer you here I will get back to you on your blog. Also have had to switch to approving comments due to some SPAM lately. Alas...

It's been a good run...........