Waking too early.
Listening to light rain bouncing off the roof drains, I reach for my phone. Too early to play my word game- the new one isn’t up as yet. The other games don’t interest me right now.
My phone shows me the ebooks I have partially read. Which one to start again, to put me back to sleep, maybe?
Do I want to follow that penurious artist in the French countryside village who has returned to his room at the inn, having been discharged from the hospital after cutting off his own ear in a mental frenzy? Sounds like Van Gogh’s story.
Or do I want to get on the motorcycle of a rider in Italy who doesn’t know how to control his vehicle in busy streets? Or perhaps visit the writers trapped with a murderer on a small, privately owned Greek island?
Decide on a motorcycle ride in Italy? Not very sleep inducing, but it suits my present mood.
I opt instead to get up and write this Sunday post.
Books that didn't help me get back to sleep
I am enjoying reading about the Artist who stays in a little French village called A-, at Madame Sorel's lodgings, gets up to paint all day in the fields overlooking a farm, and drinks at the nearby inn. The Artist is short of money, relies on his brother in Paris to send him funds. I'm at the point where the Artist, who is subject to strange buzzing in his head that sends him almost mad, has cut off his ear in one of his frenzies, and just returned from the hospital.
Sounds like the Artist might be modeled after the life of Van Gogh. I'll keep on reading.
Writers and Liars by Carol Goodman, Publication: July 15, 2025; William Morrow, NetGalley
I do like mysteries set on Greek islands!
Several writers have been invited by Argos to his secluded island, to take part in a writing retreat, the second one he has organized over the years.
However, Argos is found dead when the writers arrive and they find themselves stranded on the island with no radio contact with the mainland or outside world. This is a classic locker-room type mystery and I don't know where it's going, but the writers are on the island with a murderer!
Code Word Romance by Carlie Walker, March 18, 2025; Berkley, NetGalley
I love setting and the plot. When the CIA offers would-be chef Max a deal, five milliion dollars to pretend to be Sofia, a female prime minister on her annual Italian vacation, cash strapped Max doesn't hesitate and heads for the Amalfi coast in Italy. The book opens with a chase, when Max on a bike is being chased by the mafia who want her dead.
The three books above that I tried to read in the early morning, did not put me back to sleep. Instead they got me going to my office to write this Can't Sleep post.
Note: The ebooks above are all ARCs from NetGalley, and not yet published or available in libraries or bookstores.
Memes: The Sunday Post, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Sunday Salon, and Stacking the Shelves
