Author: Kate Mosse

This is a book I picked up at a yard sale this summer. The biggest draw to the book was the size – over 700 pages. I noticed that this is listed as a time-lapse book in that the story takes place during a couple of time frames.

Leonie Vernier is a 17-year old girl living in Paris in the late 1800s. When an aunt asks her and her brother to visit her on the family estate, Domaine de la Cade, they are happy to get out of the city. The brother is embroiled in “something” and Leonie is happy to have the company of her brother to herself.

Meredith Martin is writing a biography of Debussy who lived in the apartment below the Vernier’s. Her reason for visiting the Domaine de la Cade in 2007 has very little to do with Dubussy. It is her belief that somewhere in her past she has a link to the Vernier family.

The story takes you into the occult and a unique deck of tarot cards. A bit like an Anne Rice novel, but not quite as good. This is the second book in a trilogy but the other books are also time-lapses and a quick review didn’t seem to have much to do with this particular story.

Goodreads Rating: * * *

Author: Vikram Seth

I picked up this book from the shelf in March, thinking it was a novel. When I found it was a biography I was okay with it as I assumed it was a biography of the author. In fact, it is a biography of his Uncle and his aunt, by marriage. I continued to read it while I waited for books I had on order from the library. I finally decided it was time to get it off my Currently Reading shelf in Goodreads.

The book is well written and the background of his Shanti Uncle (this is how he is referred to in the book) comes from family history. The life of his Auntie Henny (who was German) was mainly put together from here correspondence to and from friends. Henry escaped Germany just before war broke out but her mother and sister were killed at different camps near the end of the war.

The author made an interesting comment at the end of the book mentioning that both Shanti and Henny lived through traumatic times in the 20th Century – life in India under British Rule and the subsequent partition into India and Pakistan , the Holocaust, and the Second World War to name just a few.

Goodreads Rating: * * *

Author: Kate Mayfield

UPDATE: This is one of the books included in Kathryn’s 2025 birthday bag. On her birthday Kathryn received a bag of books (second hand that I’ve pre-read) each wrapped in brown paper. The idea is that once a month (on her birthdate) she can pick a book to read. Each book includes a bookmark of some sort. It wasn’t that long ago that I read this book so when I was putting the packages together I didn’t re-read it. As it turns out it was Kathryn who gave me the book but she was gracious and said she wouldn’t mind reading it again.

I’m not sure where this book came from; it was on the shelf at the studio. I doubt I would have purchased it as I don’t often read, or enjoy, a memoir.

It is well written and reads a lot like a novel. The author describes her life growing up above a funeral home that is owned by her father. They live in a small Southern town and are often ostracized not only due to their family business but also because they are newcomers.

Although it doesn’t go into too much detail, there was a lot I learned from the discussions the author had with her father regarding the funeral industry.

Goodreads Rating: * * *

Author: C.J. Box

I guess if you’re going to read one Joe Pickett book you may as well read two. This one is #18 so only a couple of years have passed. The usual characters are all in attendance and it seems that in spite of what he would like, Joe is constantly thrust into and solving police cases.

This story involves an English CEO who goes missing after spending a week on a very posh dude ranch. Joe’s daughter, Sheridan, just happens to work at this ranch. Joe is working at the request of a new governor and it would appear he has been set up to fail in his mission and, therefore, lose his game warden job.

I really do think this will be the last one in the series that I read.

Goodreads Rating: * * *