Books

 I've been reading a series of books all summer by Lousie Penny.

Her inspector Gamache series.   I saw the author recommended on a tiktok book review site and got the first two in the Gamache series on thriftbooks.  Later this summer when attempting to continue the series I experienced two unfortunate errors with thriftbooks orders and am not so thrilled to use the site again to continue.

I find the series heartwarming and satisfyiing.   Inspector Gamache lives in Montreal and is the head of Quebecs celebrated surete homicide division.  But the surete are not perfect and corruption has creeped in, which plays a major role in several of the books when the inspector, honest to the core, attempts to clean out the rot in his own beloved department.  

He finds himself often solving murders in the idealic village of Three Pines, where there is no cell reception and  people gather in Oliver and Gabri's bistro evenings and get books at Myrna's bookstore.  She lives in the loft over the bookstore.  Peter and Clara are married artists.   And polar opposites.  Old as the hills sour grapes Ruth is a poet, who eventually hatches a rejected duckling egg and Rosa, the duck, is now always with Ruth, the cantakerous, vulgar old poet.  There's a woodworker in the village who swears trees talk and scream when cut.   He had been a forester but had to quit one day when he "heard the trees screaming".   Now he builds beautiful furniture from downed wood.  He is accepted matter of factly too, as a respected and helpful community member.

There are cozy descriptions of food and furnishings and chairs and fireplaces that make me feel the warmth of the village, comfort food and deep friendships that exist despite the faults of one another.  That is, if this perfect peaceful little village didn't have such a high murder rate.

Ha!!  Always something.

Gamache himself is kind, smart, fair and brave and always quoting poetry or history and loves Quebec with all his heart.

Eventually as the series progresses Gamache and his wife move to Three Pines, the village where he's spent so much time already and found such deep and lasting friendships.

You might like the series if you want something a little different, a little deeper, and a little quirkier than the average detective series.

This is the next in the series I'll read

This morning, Tempest, the mom of the river path kittens, who are now with a neighbor, left for a barn home found by Silverton Cat Rescue.  They worked hard to find a place for her and I appreciate that help so much.   I took her up to Salem to meet up with them and hand her over.   I got up at 4:00 a.m. and set a trap in the bathroom, with tuna.  And when my alarm went off again at 6:30, she was in it, sleeping by then.   I flea treated her through the trap, then transferred her from trap to carrier to head up to Salem.   

So long Tempest and good luck.

Fritter, a.k.a. Kujo, a.k.a. Devil Cat, the self proclaimed police unit of the block.  He chases off all other cats, comes up to people like he wants petted then swats the hell out of them....but we all take care of him.  He was first abandoned by his people in the apartments behind the block.  Then a man end of the block took care of him, but died after falling in his garage.  AFter that a young couple moved into the house and took care of him but divorced after a year and both moved.   So he's still got the rest of us looking after him.  He's not young.