Orchid Mysteries by Michelle Wan

Only once was I able to visit Powell’s Bookstore in Portland, Oregon — the largest independent bookstore in the world. Husband and I were there on a short holiday to see the gardens (beautiful), explore the city (nice), and of course this infamous bookstore. Husband took a long look at the sign, then saw my astounded and delighted face — and decided he would retreat to a bar across the street to watch the basketball playoffs. It’s still a wonder that he puts up with me.

It was a wonderful hour or so just exploring and browsing. But, we had flown up to Portland for a long weekend, with only two small bags, so I had to limit my purchases to what I (and/or Husband) could carry. In the end, I showed up at the bar with tired feet and just a small bag of books.

These books were part of that haul:

These are the first two in a series of orchid murder mysteries set in Dordogne region of south west France. I read the first, Deadly Slipper immediately upon returning from out trip, but the second one, Orchid Shroud, has long waited patiently on my shelves, unread…

I went back and skimmed through the first to remind myself what the mystery was about and soon I was re-reading entire chapters. I found my notes in the back of the book, so will tell you this all about this well-written and unique mystery

Deadly Slipper by Michelle Wan

In the Dordogne in the south west of France, Mara Dunn is trying to find out what happened to her twin sister, Bedie, who disappeared nineteen years earlier. While it is a long shot, Mara needs to find out what happened to her sister and get on with her life.

Beatrice “Bede” Dunn was fascinated with wild orchids and wild orchid hunting, and became passionate about documenting the existence the breeding grounds of a particular species. In 1984 she and her boyfriend, Scott, went on a hiking and orchid hunting holiday in the Dordogne. When it began to rain, the couple had an argument about whether to leave their camp and seek shelter elsewhere or to stay put. Bede was adamant about remaining and so she did – alone. When Scott returned two days later the tent and their things were still at the campsite, but Bede was gone, along with her camera, backpack, Michelin guide and a book on wildflowers and orchids. No one ever saw the young woman again. After a massive search and investigation, which garnered much publicity, no evidence of foul play was discovered as there was no body, no crime scene.

Mara has found a loaded camera that she believed was owned by her sister, and had the deteriorated film processed and prints made. She has come to the Dordogne area to consult with orchid expert Julian Wood to see if he is able to identify the locations shown in the photos. The police have already told Mara that there is not enough identifying features in the photos, but she is determined to learn the truth.

Julian feels there is no chance of finding where these photos were taken, let alone finding Bedie, but he is fascinated with the final photo – a photo of Cypripedium – Sabot de Venus in French, sometimes called Lady’s Slipper in English. Julian becomes motivated to begin a search as Mara, but for different reasons. And since this rare wild orchid does not grow in the Dordogne, or anywhere in Europe, he has his own mystery to unravel – and he decides to become involved with Mara and her investigation.This extremely rare orchid could not be growing in this area — yet there it is, clearly photographed.

Not only a good literary mystery, Deadly Slipper was a really a fun book to read. Filled with an exotic cast of characters – from the local bogeyman and his mother, who is even scarier than her son, to the bizarre Sauvignac family, (the local nobility), to an indifferent French police inspector, to Julian Wood’s fanatic orchid hunting nemesis, and the regulars down at Chez Nous, the town’s cafe/bar/gourmet restaurant. The narrative surrounding the orchids are fascinating, and then there’s the food, wine and the gorgeous countryside – the setting is totally realistic and French.

Ms. Wan is a fascinating person as well. She was born in Kunming, China, grew up in the United States, and has lived in India, England, France and Brazil. She and her husband, a tropical horticulturalist, visit the Dordogne annually to photograph and chart wild orchids.

One day in southwest France Ms. Wan found her first wild orchid, and thus orchids and murder came together in the Death in the Dordogne series.

So, I’ve decided to keep these books, and put the second one Orchid Shroud on my staggering TBR file. But first I have to finish one – at least one — of the three books I’m currently reading (see previous post).

There are still two more in the Death in the Dordogne series ~~perhaps? maybe? should I?

Creative Book Sellers

I’d love to tell you about a book I’ve finished, but regretfully, I have none to share. It’s not that I’m not reading — I am! But I’ve got myself reading several books at the same time, so my book completion rate is nil.

I did wander into my local bookshop the other day, ducking out of the rain before meeting a friend for lunch. I didn’t buy anything (see my quandary above) but I did admire this very clever display for Valentines day.

It got me thinking about how creative booksellers have to be. Not only keeping displays fresh, but also coming up with events. Every week, my local bookshop hosts a children’s reading hour, a knitting night, open poetry readings, and of course, lots of author readings – lots of work to sell a book or two or three.

Kepler’s Bookstore once had a display called Blind Date with a Book which looked something like this:

I wonder how many customers actually buy books blind, I’m not sure I would, but it is a very creative idea.

There’s funny displays based on customer questions ~~

Scary and spooky Halloween reading recommendations:

And a great idea for around the holidays, a perfect gift for a reader on your list — a series of books, a book for each day of Hanukah or a book a day advent calendar.

Perhaps I’ll start planning my bookish gift list now.

But enough distraction, back to the pile of books I’m currently reading…

They’re all so different that I can read in and out of each without confusion…depending on my mood. But then again, I’m barmy.

Westlake Anniversary

While this was a major milestone anniversary — 45 years — we kept it low key as we’re celebrating this summer with a big trip, (more on that when it’s closer).

We went to Westlake, a quirky suburb just south of us, in Daly City.

We like to walk this neighborhood, admiring the unique mid-century homes…

Developed by Henry Doelger, Westlake is notable for its 1950’s architecture, created by a team of designers to encompass nearly every building in the development. While there are many unique homes like the ones above, the majority of homes are known for architectural blandness, exemplified by its endless rows of boxy houses, which were the inspiration for the folk song “Little Boxes” an anti-conformity anthem of the 1960’s.

You can see why ~~ here’s a photo (not mine) from the air.

There’s even a very cool book about the development.

Westlake is also home to one of our favorite restaurants ~~ Westlake Joe’s.

Opened since 1956, it went through an extensive renovation a few years back, which kept and enhanced the original style and mid-century feel.

It still has much of it’s original menu, known for steaks, classic Italian, and retro cocktails.

It seems most of the Bay Area flocks to Westlake Joe’s as reservations are almost impossible. So, we clean up, don our best duds and walk-in ~~ we’re never turned away.

Just take a look at the interior… classic bar, plush seating, even the old menu covers have been re-created.

The food is always great and yes, it’s expensive, what restaurant isn’t these days? For such a special occasion – we threw the budget out the window and enjoyed glasses of red wine, a nice perfectly cooked, small steak (me) and a huge plate of lasagna (Husband). We ended our meal with the best dessert I have ever eaten – really my absolute favorite. Warm butter cake – sigh.

So what does 45 years together feel like?

Well, it certainly doesn’t seem like 45 years ago we were this young and excited.

I’m laughing because Husband hurt his ring finger playing volleyball a few days before, and it was still sore. He winced and was in pain when I put his wedding ring on. Later, as we were formally posing for the photo above he said he hoped it wasn’t a warning.

Happy Anniversary to my cute Husband, partner, friend ~~ still making me laugh every day.

Our Town by Thornton Wilder

Every January I like to re-read the play Our Town.

I know, I know Our Town has a terrible reputation. Every high school has performed this play with often pathetic results. Please try to sweep those memories away and let me convince you to read, really read this play.

I believe it is some of the best writing out there – strong words you say, well stick with me here…

First published in 1938, it delivers a hauntingly real look at life….and death….and love. It takes place in Grover’s Corners a small New England town, actually based on a real town called Peterborough where Wilder often spent his summers and near where I lived in New Hampshire.

The three acts of this play are structured in a manner that encompasses the most basic features of human life: everyday living, love/marriage, and of course death. Much attention is usually paid to the third act of the play because it is here Wilder really closes in to make his point most obviously.

Yes, the third act is brilliant, and still chokes me up every time, but I like to linger in the first two acts – which are about the ordinariness of life — and it’s the ordinary that actually makes life extraordinary — just as it is. Mr. Wilder gently pushes this point, all life, any life, is special –and perhaps most of all, sharing this amazing life with others around you.

These subtle life observations give even greater rewards as one gets older, when time has passed and life has slapped you around – the words suddenly become heart achingly real and relevant.

Reading this little play always snaps me out of my post holiday blues (thus, why I re-read it in January) as I once again realize that what Mr. Wilder is urging – what we should, but seldom (or never) actually do.

I chuckled this time at this quote ~~ “We don’t have time to look at one another” ~~ if that was true in 1937, imagine how much more true it is today.

You may agree with the many critics who have charged Our Town with being overly sentimental and perhaps it is, but I don’t consider this a negative — we should be sentimental about the things we love.

Now, if I have you convinced to give it a try once again –every library has a copy and it’s very short.

Here are my favorite underlined passages:

Wherever you come near the human race there’s layers and layers of nonsense.

We all know that something is eternal. And it ain’t houses and it ain’t names, and it ain’t earth, and it ain’t even the stars… everybody knows in their bones that something is eternal, and that something has to do with human beings. All the greatest people ever lived have been telling us that for five thousand years and yet you’d be surprised how people are always losing hold of it. There’s something way down deep that’s eternal about every human being.

Good-by, Good-by, world. Good-by, Grover’s Corners… Mama and Papa. Good-by to clocks ticking… and Mama’s sunflowers. And food and coffee. And new-ironed dresses and hot baths…and sleeping and waking up. Oh, earth, you’re too wonderful for anybody to realize you.

Yes, now you know. Now you know! That’s what it was to be alive. To move about in a cloud of ignorance; to go up and down trampling on the feelings of those…of those about you. To spend and waste time as though you had a million years. To be always at the mercy of one self-centered passion, or another. Now you know — that’s the happy existence you wanted to go back to. Ignorance and blindness.

Only it seems to me that once in your life before you die you ought to see a country where they don’t talk in English and don’t even want to.

Read Our Town and perhaps it will remind what a gift it is to be alive and you must, must pay attention — to everything.

NB: Our Town was recently recommended by Ann Patchett as good background for her new novel Tom Lake, which I haven’t read, but is getting great reviews. Many recommend the audio version narrated by Meryl Streep. I don’t get along very well with audio books, but that sounds like it might be worth a try.

Here we are.

Well, here we are folks, a New Year and almost midway through January (how did that happen?).

It’s been a string of rainy and dull January days. The Christmas decorations are put away, the tree is down, the house is back to everyday, the bills are coming in, and wannabe dictators threaten on the horizon.

But, hey lets cheer up and talk about books, always a good place to go when things seem grim.

I only read one (only one!) Christmas book, I picked up and put down several before settling in on a lovely novel set in an English bookshop, (of course). It’s put away with my notes to tell you about next year.

Santa gave me a lovely book…no, no, truth be told, I bought it for myself. While at favorite independent bookstore, buying a book for a friend, I stumbled across this little gem – and how could I resist?

This is a new addition to the Everyman’s Pocket Classics series. These are beautiful smallish books, bound with cloth in Germany. The dust jackets are, without exception, stunning. The books in this series are always nice to hold in the hand. (Funny how some books aren’t great to hold…)

Everyman’s Library was conceived in 1905 by London publisher Joseph Malaby Dent, whose goal was to create a 1,000-volume library of world literature that was affordable for, and that appealed to, every kind of person, from students to the working classes to the cultural elite.

All the Everyman’s editions come with this circa 1905, somewhat stilted, introduction and a sewn-in ribbon bookmark.

From the inside flap:

An enchanting book about books: a beautiful hardcover Pocket Classics anthology of stories that testify to the irresistible power of the written word.
The characters in the delightful stories collected here range all the way from the ink-stained medieval monks in Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose to the book-besotted denizens of Ali Smith’s Public Library and Other Stories. In these pages readers are invited to enter the interior lives of librarians in Lorrie Moore’s “Community Life” and Elizabeth McCracken’s “Juliet” and are ushered into a host of unusual libraries, including the infinite rooms of Jorge Luis Borges’s “The Library of Babel” and a secret library in Helen Oyeyemi’s “Books and Roses.”

I’ve been happily skipping around reading a story here, a snippet there. So far, a wonderful collection of stories for book lovers, it even includes excerpts from 84 Charing Cross Road.

So, I’m closing the drapes, making a cup of tea I got for Christmas, and enjoying my new book.

So goodbye old year. Hello new year – bring it on!