Autumn weekends on the Coast...

The past two weekends have been gorgeous. Here's a photo I took last Sunday - you can see the grass is starting to grow:

From Blog Photos

This weekend we spent much of our time outside. On Wednesday, burning season opened (the period during which landowners can legally burn brush/deadfall - within limits *g*), so we took advantage of the glorious weather (sunny and about 10º C, to build a fire and haul stuff to it for burning. We had it going pretty well yesterday, so well in fact that the core stayed hot, hot, hot overnight - this is what we saw this morning when we stepped out onto the porch:

From Blog Photos

And our grass is now visible, even in early morning light:

From Blog Photos

Meanwhile, on the clearing next door to ours, the mist had settled in:

From Blog Photos

Inside the house, the cats have been up to the usual - being cute:

From Blog Photos

From Blog Photos

From Blog Photos

and occasionally (especially in Cleo's case) a bit naughty:

From Blog Photos

I'm working tomorrow and Tuesday. Tomorrow is my first full day shift - should be fun as it's also the first day EVER the Sechelt library will be open on a Monday!

How about you - how was your weekend? Did you do anything interesting?

Teresa

Currently Reading: The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley
Link of the Day: Old Roads of Scotland

Book Review: Every Secret Thing...

Last night I finished this fantastic book, written by Emma Cole (awa Susanna Kearsley). I'm a big fan of SK's books, so when I saw she'd branched out into suspense fiction, I immediately checked my library and was thrilled to find they had a copy.

Journalist Kate Murray is surprised when a man approaches her on a London street, saying they need to meet and talk about a long-ago murder. She's even more surprised when he tells her she has her grandmother's eyes. Minutes later, he is dead, the victim of a hit-and-run.

Spurred into action, Kate decides she must find out what murder he was referring to and how he knew her grandmother. But after the old man's nephew, then her own grandmother are killed, she realizes things are more complicated than she'd thought. On the run and in disguise, she heads to Portugal, where the man's past lies, tied up with the British Secret Service and war-time espionage.

I LOVED this book. It was one of those I didn't want to end. The mystery is deftly plotted, with plenty of twists and turns while Ms. Cole's multi-dimensional characters, past and present, keep the plot moving at a swift pace without sacrificing depth. War-time New York and Lisbon are brought to life with just the right amount of period detail. The contemporary settings, including Toronto and Whitby, ring equally true.

Kate is a believable heroine, well-motivated and easy to cheer for as she unravels the past while trying to keep herself alive. Deacon, her mysterious informant, is gradually revealed as a man of integrity and loyalty, one who made a supreme sacrifice for the woman he loved.

I think what impressed me most, though, was the way the author dropped subtle hints throughout the story. Some of them I picked up on, others I didn't. It was a fascinating read, trying to keep up with the various threads and waiting for the next clue to be revealed. At one point near the end, a big coincidence threatened to pull me out of the story, only to be explained in a unique and plausible manner, another testament to the writer's talent.

The movement from present to the past and back was handled deftly, told through the eyes of several different characters. A lesser author might not have been able to handle such a device, but Ms. Cole succeeded brilliantly. Each was distinct and added key elements to the plot.

I highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves mysteries, stories set in WWII or just a damn good read. A copy will most certainly find its way onto my Keeper Shelf, alongside my other SK titles. In fact, I'm now reading the latest book by Ms. Cole's alter-ego. The opening chapters of The Winter Sea promise another enthralling read from this talented Canadian author.

Teresa

Currently Reading: The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley
Link of the Day: History of Camp X

Happy Thanksgiving....

to all my fellow Canucks :) Hope you're having a lovely holiday weekend.

It's raining here today, but that's ok. I've lots to be thankful for.

Teresa