Here is a list on Bookshop.org with all the Maeve Binchy books I’ve read all year.
(I am currently on a short Binchy break as I read an unpublished novel.)
Friday, September 20
- Book: Bellows & Burrows, an unpublished novel by D’s roommate
- Chapters: 1
- Location: Front Porch
- Smoking: Royal Highness
What I’m listening to:
Did I cry?
No, but I did do some happy dancing in my chair as I read.
Thoughts while reading (could be about the book, could not):
Earlier this month, D (my grown up child) asked me if I would read her roommate’s (who we will call SW from here on out) unpublished mystery/fantasy novel. Immediatly I answered yes, because I love new things… and I love reading. This is sure to be a perfect combo.
The book is titled “Bellows & Burrows” and it is a mystery with fantasy elements. It’s a standalone novel with series potential.
(after reading some of it, I think there is more than series potential.)
It will also be the only new thing I read all year.
That part is very exciting.
Let’s dig in.
Okay, according to my Kindle, I’m about 15% of the way through, and I’m enjoying it.
You’ll notice I read this on a “No Type Friday,” so I only have paper notes.
First off, the vibe of this book is fabulous. There was immediate intrigue and a main character I cared about.
I didn’t know if I liked him or not, though. In fact, I still have quite a neutral feeling about him.
But the vibe I’m getting from him is that he exists for the vibrant side characters to play off of, which they do beautifully.
I’m going to try my best to give you some information about the book without giving away anything major, like plot twists or proprietary information.
You know, just enough to keep you interested so that you’ll be dying to know the release date when it comes out. Cause, yeah, it’ll be coming out if it continues to be as good as it is now. And I know at least five of my friends who will love it.
It’s a mystery novel about the murder of a child. An anonymous letter summons a private detective (our main character) to the town of Foxholm. Once there, he finds himself in a city with no connection—meaning his cell phone doesn’t work, nor is there an Internet connection anywhere in the town.
There is a single landline in a common area for anyone who needs it. So, I have something called aphantasia, which means I cannot picture images in my head. Here is a blog about what it is like to read with it. (also, I might get some of the details incorrect because I am 47, in peri-menopause, and my single bout with COVID two years ago gave me terrible brain fog).
SW uses lush descriptions of everything in this book—from characters to locations to clothing. Those who can picture things in their minds are in for a visual feast! However, I just used those details to curate vibes.
So that is how I will talk about them.
The vibes of the town felt like Shrek, but with some Schmigadoon thrown in. It was like a happy, colorful town that one might find in a musical.
The interiors of the property within Foxholm feel like House of Leaves, one of my favorite mind fuck books of all time.
So, the main vibes of this book so far are mysteriously wholesome but with a dark undercurrent.
I wasn’t expecting realizations with new fiction, but here’s one:
There are people who read/watch things because they want the story to work out in the simple way they see it in their heads. Then there are people like me who get bored with that and want to be surprised with new thoughts, new vibes, and new stories.
One more thought before I wrap up today’s entry:
- The mayor reminds me of the former mayor of my town, who has the excellent name of “Wheeler.”
And then one quote (if this is not okay, SW, let me know, and I will delete it.)
“Too much technology distracts us from the present.”
New birds heard:
Nothing but us robins.
