Read in 2026 - 27: The Museum of You

Back from our hiking holiday in Austria since Wednesday afternoon, before I start writing about the very good time we've had there I want to post this review of a book I highly recommend and finished reading the evening before I left for the holiday:

The Museum of You

Carys Bray

A charity shop find in Ripon, this paperback for a mere £1.49 was one of the best reads I've had so far this year.

The main character is Clover Quinn, whose mother died when Clover was a baby. She lives with her father, Darren, who has raised her alone while working shifts as a bus driver. An elderly neighbour has been most helpful, as has been Clover's granddad. 

The book starts at the beginning of the school holidays. This summer, Clover is finally deemed old and responsible enough to be on her own while her Dad is at work. Instead of having to spend much of the day at her neighbour's, she is tasked with looking after the allotment (which she loves) but otherwise left to her own devices.

Just before school closed for summer, her class went to a museum where the story of the Titanic was told from the perspective of individual passengers; who they were, what became of them and so on. Clover is fascinated with this approach to history and hatches a plan that will keep her occupied all summer: She'll create a museum for the mother she never knew!

She has always known very little about her. It pains her Dad to talk about her, and everyone else who knew her (mainly the neighbour and her granddad) don't freely share their personal memories. But there is the bedroom where her parents slept and that has become a place of storage; full of boxes and things piled up on the empty bed and around the wardrobe. Clover usually doesn't go in there, but now is the time.

Without her Dad knowing what she's up to, Clover systematically sorts through the things she finds in the room, and interprets them in her way. Some items obviously belonged to her mother, like the beautiful skirt balled up at the bottom of the wardrobe. But what about the piles and piles of holiday brochures? And why was she "a surprise"?

When the chapters aren't told through Clover's eyes, it's her Dad's turn. Darren has never stopped loving and grieving Becky, and he loves his daughter with all his heart, making sure she is happy and has everything (and more) she needs. But once upon a time, he thought his life was going to take a very different path, and sometimes he can't help but think of what was, what could have been and what is.

Then one day, before Clover has finished her work in the bedroom and can lead her Dad through the exhibition she has created about her mother, he enters the room by himself, completely unaware of what his daughter has been doing there...

There is much, much more to the book than what I am describing here, but I would like you to read it for yourself and don't want to give it all away. It is very touching; there is friendship and family relationships, happiness and grief, how we remember the same events and interpret the same things differently, and ultimately, love - between parents and children, neighbours and friends.

Some bits are quite funny, others can move you to tears. The language is beautiful and the characters are plausible.

I'd not heard of the author before, but I'd like to read more of her work. Carys Bray's website is here.

Last Week of August

It is Sunday, 30 August as I am typing this, and in a couple of hours O.K. and I will be off on our way to Austria for a bit more than a week of hiking in the mountains. Once there, I might not be inclined or have the opportunity for much blogging (reading and commenting or writing), so you know why if you don‘t see me around much for a bit.

On Monday (24 August) I returned from my husband‘s as usual. My first job of the day was to check on Neo the cat and the two rabbits. They had survived the weekend without me very well, but it was obvious that Neo was more interested in his breakfast than in getting cuddled. We did that in the evening, though, after I‘d been for an after-work walk to Asperg.

Working from home on Tuesday (25 August), I found it so chilly in my flat that for the first time in months I made myself a cup of tea mid-morning, just to warm up! It felt quite nice, really.

Later, I went to see my Mum. On the way home from my Yorkshire holiday, one of the wheels on my suitcase had split, and for our upcoming holiday I wanted a new one. Knowing that my Mum‘s attic is a treasure trove of all things imaginable, instead of going into town to buy a new suitcase I asked Mum if I could have a look at the ones in the attic. I chose a large suitcase and an almost as large bag, both with a handle and wheels; as I travel a lot by train, I need to be able to transport my luggage from my home to the station, then there are often rather long stretches to walk on the large stations where I change trains, and sometimes from one station to the other, such as in Paris and London.

On Wednesday (26 August) I worked at the office as usual. Neo wasn‘t there when I went offer to feed and clean, but he had been eating his food.

Skirt I bought at a charity shop in Ripon this summer, worn to the office for the first time on Wednesday.

After the first half of the week had been relatively cool with some rain, Thursday (27 August) was hot again at a high of 33C. I didn‘t go for a walk after work but did the washing and went for some errands in view of my upcoming holiday. Again, Neo wasn‘t home when I went round, but had eaten.

Sunrise on Thursday

Friday (28 August) was largely spent cleaning, once I had wrapped up work; first my flat, then the rabbit hutch as well as their outside enclosure, as well as the cat dishes. 

Early morning, a thunderstorm had passed through, with very strong wind in its wake. When I arrived at the neighbours‘ house, I found several potted plants blown over, as well as the umbrella that stands next to the rabbit hutch to protect it from the worst of the sun. Much to my shock, one of the flaps to the hutch was open, and one of the two rabbits was sitting outside!!

I approached him very slowly and talked to him as I usually do when feeding the rabbits or cleaning their hut, getting ready to grab him if necessary, not knowing of course whether I‘d succeed or just scare him away. I said: „Hello Oskar, what are you doing out here? Don‘t you want to go back in? I‘ll bring fresh food…“ And guess what - he turned round and hopped back inside!

Quick as a flash, I slammed the flap shut and checked on the lock; it wasn‘t broken but probably the umbrella‘s stand knocked it open when it fell. I nearly cried with relief!! Oskar‘s sister Daisy had been in the outside enclosure all the time. Phew!!

Late afternoon I went back, and this time Neo was home, too. He ate a lot and then went out.

I met my Mum and my sister at the pub for a good-bye-drink in the evening.

Afterwards, I went to check on the animals once more, accompanied by my sister, who took this picture of me and Neo.

I got up early-ish on Saturday (29 August) and of course first thing made sure Neo, Oskar and Daisy had all they needed. Their family was going to return from their holiday later that day.

Next, I packed my things, choosing the bag and leaving the large suitcase in the basement. Just after 10:30, I left for the station. Three different trains took me to Offenburg. It was adventurous in that my original connection was cancelled, and then the alternative connection fell through, too. I had to make an entirely new booking last minute, but eventually it worked out and I was in Offenburg at around 2:00 pm.

In the evening, the five of us (my mother-in-law, sister-in-law + husband, O.K. and I) went to a restaurant in the next village for a meal to celebrate my mother-in-law‘s birthday; she had turned 86 earlier in the week. The food and drink were good, and it was a nice, relaxing start of our holiday for us.

A Puzzling Warning + Update

My current post, titled "A Week With Rain", has been put "behind bars" by Blogger. Apparently, my perfectly innocent description of last week contains "adult content".

Rest assured that it does NOT.

All there is to the post is what you are used to, if you have been reading my blog for a while: A short summary of the week at the top, and then for each day of the week a report of what I was doing, what the weather was like, and the photos to illustrate the days.

No photo shows anything unusual; there are sunrises and sunsets, the cat I'm looking after, the mouse he caught, and views of vineyards and the paths where we walked on Sunday.

In the message Blogger sent me they say that I can "appeal" if I feel that my post has been unjustly flagged, but it is a bit confusing how to go about it.

The post may never appear properly on my blog, but I'd be most grateful if any of you could tell me whether you are actually able to read it after you have clicked on a button that states that you understand that this post may contain adult material.

Again, there is nothing "adult" about it! I am really puzzled.

UPDATE:

Yesterday (26.08.2026) I received this message from Blogger:

Hello,

We have re-evaluated the post titled 'A Week With Rain!!' against our Community Guidelines (https://blogger.com/go/contentpolicy). Upon review, the post has been reinstated. You may access the post at https://librarianwithsecrets.blogspot.com/2026/08/a-week-with-rain.html.

Sincerely,

The Blogger Team

Thanks everyone for responding!

A Week With Rain!!

Last week we finally had some very welcome rain and cooler temperatures. I was looking after my neighbours' cat and two rabbits before work as well as in the evenings, and we had the third of four birthdays to celebrate this month.

I worked from home on Monday (17 August), doing an errand for my Mum in between as well as taking care of my furry charges before and after work. 

Also, for the first time in two months I went to have a much needed back & shoulders massage at the nearby day spa. It was lovely to see the lady who usually treats me, but sad to hear the news that the day spa is closing down at the end of September. It's been around for decades, changed hands a few years ago when the founders retired, and I have been a regular for around 20 years. It is unclear what will happen; new owners? Current staff able to continue? Permanent closure? In any case, I will miss this very conenvient opportunity to have my aches and pains taken care of, as well as the conversations with the ladies there.

The day was very pleasant at 19 to 24C/66 to 75F, sun and clouds.

Tuesday (18 August) brought some lovely, gentle rain and was even cooler at 17-23C/62-73F. 

I found Neo the cat playing with a small mouse in the garden, which I quickly caught when he let it go. It seemed completely unharmed, just scared, and I carried it to what I consider a safe spot at the end of the garden where Neo can't get to properly, and released it. In the meantime Neo was still looking for the mouse at the spot where he'd last seen it, but he willingly came indoors with me for some food to distract him.

After work, I intended to walk to Benningen but changed plans when reaching Freiberg (the town between Ludwigsburg and Benningen). The rain was becoming more intense and there was thunder; the next part of my walk would have lead across wide open fields, which I thought unwise, and instead took a local train back home from there.

Later I spent about half an hour with Neo on the settee at his house, reading from my kindle while he was purring next to me.

It was hot again on Wednesday (19 August) at 31C/88F but not unbearably so. I worked at the office in Weilimdorf, got off the train one stop after my usual one and walked to Benningen from there - no rain this time.

Sunrise that morning, as seen from my kitchen.

Many fields around here are in such a sorry state this year. Farmers speak of up to 70% loss of harvest for lack of rain.

This could just as well be somewhere in Africa - not on the fields between Freiberg and Benningen!

Neo wasn't home when I came for my evening turn, but he had been eating and so I refilled his dish and took care of the rabbits and went home.

Thursday (20 August) wasn't too warm at 26C/79F, but it was humid and everything felt sticky. Showery rain in the afternoon made little difference but of course the water was welcome. 

My sister and I met at our Mum's and went for a walk on the fields together as part of our extended way home. 

I had another reading/purring session with Neo in the evening.

Sunset that evening, as seen from my study...

...and from my living room.

It was chilly at 15C/59F on Friday (21 August) morning; a definite hint of late summer/early autumn in the air.

Sunrise on Friday

I worked from home until lunch time and then did my usual cleaning. The rabbit hut got a more thorough cleaning, and I had the by now established half hour with Neo on the settee.

It rained in the afternoon, evening and during the night. Together with sunset being much earlier than two months ago and the chilly temperature (a max of 20C/68F), I enjoyed a cosy couple of hours in front of the TV with a blanket and even had a mug of hot vegetable broth.

On Saturday (22 August) was my sister-in-law's birthday (O.K.'s sister). I took three different trains to arrive in Offenburg at around 2:00 pm, where my husband picked me up. We had a quick late lunch on the balcony; the weather was dry and pleasant at 21C/70F and went for a walk around the village later.

In the evening, the five of us (O.K.'s sister and her husband, his Mum, O.K. and I) drove to the nearby town of Lahr, where my sister-in-law had booked a table for us at a nice restaurant to celebrate. We were outside in the garden near a large old tree and enjoyed very good food, friendly service and of course the company.

Sunday (23 August) warmed up to 24C/75F after a chilly start at 9C/48F. We had breakfast on the balcony and "for lunch" went to have ice cream in town before driving to Ortenberg where we walked a favourite walk of ours, starting at Ortenberg castle which you have seen several times on my blog, taking in the views from the vineyards with part of the way leading through woodland.

Schloss Ortenberg (Ortenberg Castle)

Another view of the castle, about half way into the walk

Like every year, some vineyards have been faring better than others.

The woods have an autumnal look already.

The Vosges Mountains (France) on the horizon.

We had arranged to meet a couple of friends at a restaurant in the vineyards; the meal was their wedding gift for us. Again, the food was nice, service friendly and we enjoyed catching up with our friends. They offered to drive us back to where we had parked the car, but we preferred to walk, and it really was very nice in the golden evening light and then the sunset.

Read in 2026 - 26: Killing Time

Agatha Raisin - Killing Time

M.C. Beaton with [by, actually] R.W. Green

There are over 30 books (and counting) in the Agatha Raisin series, and I have read nearly all of them except for the very latest ones. My last one before this was half a year ago; you can find my review for "Hot to Trot" here.

In that book, we were introduced to a few characters new to the Agatha Raisin universum which make a reappearance in this one. She also makes a new friend, but the overall cast is the one regular readers have come to expect and like over the years: Agatha's ex-husband James, her former lover Sir Charles, her friends in the police force Bill and Alice, her enemy in the police force Inspector Wilkes, her employees at the detective agency she owns, her former colleague Roy, her most trusted friend in the village, Mrs. Bloxby, and a few others.

When the books were still written by M.C. Beaton (Marion Chesney), Agatha used to travel more, I think. Now she's back exploring, and we find her in a part of the world that has not yet been visited in the series: Mallorca. The author explains that Pollensa, where Agatha spends some time in this story, is one of his favourite places, which you can tell when he describes the place.

Agatha gets extremely busy when Charles asks her to organise a glamorous Extravaganza on his estate to put his wine on the map, while at the same time a series of burglaries in local businesses takes a nasty turn when one of the burgled owners is found dead in her shop. She dabbles in the world of antiques auctions and ends up not only with a much-coveted antique clock but also serveral death threats masked in puzzling hand-written verses delivered to her anonymously.

Her love-life reaches an all-time low, her car is burned, she nearly gets kidnapped and almost starts to believe in ghosts - what else needs to happen before she gives up on the chase? Anything or nothing, because once Agatha is determined to solve a case, she does it no matter what, and of course she also succeeds this time.

As a sideline, she occupies her mind with a real-life mystery: The Campden Wonder. I found this a very clever addition to the story, a first (if I remember correctly) for this series.

Once again, R.W. Green has brought Agatha & Co. to life in a way M.C. Beaton didn't quite achieve - she was good (otherwise, my Mum and I would not have stuck to the series for so many years), but he is even better.

Another Hot & Dry Week

Before this week is over (it is Friday already!), let me quickly write up last week. It was once again hot with the coolest day at 30C/86F and the hottest at 35C/95F and not a drop of rain. I hardly went walking other than what was necessary to shop for groceries or to get to and from train stations. There were two birthday parties to attend, plus the solar eclipse to watch.

On Monday (10 August), I arrived home from Offenburg with a half hour delay. It didn't really matter, as I had no appointments or calls lined up, but just worked at my own pace with an early afternoon nap in between. My flat wasn't overly hot and stuffy because of course I had pulled all the blinds down and windows shut to keep the heat out while I was away for the weekend, and was home still early enough to let some fresh air in before it got too hot.

Tuesday (11 August) was the coolest day of the week, starting at a lovely 18C/64F and getting to a mere 30C/86F during the day. I managed a sunset walk of about an hour on the fields that evening.

It was not only my Mum's birthday on Wednesday (12 August) - she turned 82 - but also the Solar Eclipse. 

Photos taken earlier that day at my Mum's by my sister, who brought her the flowers.

Mum on her balcony

I worked at the office in Weilimdorf and, once I was back in Ludwigsburg, met up with my sister to walk to the beer garden where my Mum was celebrating her birthday. 

Crossing the inner courtyard of Ludwigsburg Palace was the quickest way to get to the beer garden.

I don't go anywhere without my fan these days!

There were 7 of us (a couple couldn't make it), and my Mum had wisely ordered the special specs you need to observe the eclipse. Many people had left it too late and found that the specs were sold out everywhere, but my Mum is good at organising things, and she brought enough for all of us.

In the end, only my sister and I walked up the road a little (you couldn't see the sun under the large old trees in the beer garden) and watched the entire "show" - of course all in our Mum's honour :-) Two other guests joined us for the last ten minutes, but my Mum and another couple of guests stayed at the table; they simply weren't all that interested in the eclipse. We found it quite impressive, though, and had a really good view from where we stood in the street.

On Thursday (13 August), I worked from home and left the house only briefly to get a few things from Aldi. 

Friday (14 August) was busy: Because it was going to be another hot day, I cleaned my flat in the morning and also swept the staircase in our house (4 levels), so that I would be finished before the thermometer climbed to 35C/95F again. After that, I worked at my desk until lunch time, while also boiling pasta and preparing the other ingredients´for a salad to eat in the evening .

I went briefly to my Mum for an errand, and later in the afternoon to my neighbour so that she could hand me her keys. The family are away now for two weeks, and I am looking after their cat and two rabbits, house plants and mail like I already did at the end of May/start of June.

My husband arrived at around 10:00 pm, and we ate some of the pasta salad before heading into town, where the annual Wine Fest (Weinlaube) was in full swing.

The logo projected onto the back of Townhall; the Weinlaube takes place in the courtyard by the building in the middle of town.

We listened to the live music (which wasn't brilliant but not too bad, either) and had a drink. While we were queuing for another drink, I told O.K. of a former class mate and at one time close friend whom I had not seen in a while but wouldn't be surprised to bump into here at the fest. Guess what - with our drinks in hand, we walked to find a place when I spotted the very same person I had just been talking about! Sandy and I hugged and laughed when I told her that I'd practically conjured her up. She introduced us to the man she was with, and we chatted for quite some time until we really, really were tired and ready to go home; it was about 1:30 pm when we were back at my flat.

On Saturday (15 August), I took advantage of the cooler morning air to walk to the bakery for some fresh rolls and croissants for our breakfast. We went for a walk after that, followed by a rest at home.

The neighbours had left mid-morning, still taking care of their pets themselves, so I only needed to start my carer duties in the evening. 

Neo on the door mat in front of his house, a favourite place of his. He is one year old this month.

After that, we changed into nicer clothes; my sister arrived, and the three of us walked the ten minutes or so it took us to reach the Italian restaurant where a friend of ours was celebrating his 70th birthday. The food there was excellent, the service professional and friendly, and the conversation at the table (there were 11 of us) free-flowing. It was a really nice evening, and the heat just about bearable under the large umbrellas in the restaurant's garden.

Sunday (16 August) morning saw me back at the bakery. After breakfast, O.K. and I went for a walk in what goes for "woods" (it is hardly more than a copse) at the southern end of town.

In the early afternoon, we went to see my Mum; later at home, we had a little snack of diced cheese, nuts and crackers with a non-alcholic Crodino Spritz, followed by a bowl of pasta salad each and some delicious ice cream for dessert (Magnum "Crackables" Pistachio, if you want to know). 

When O.K. left at round 8:00 pm for the long drive home, I went to look after my four-legged charges once more; Neo the cat had been there only in the morning. I didn't see him again that night but he had obviously been in, since his food dish was empty. I made sure that he'd find fresh food when he'd come home, and then called it a day (and a week).

Read in 2026 - 24, 25

Because of my backlog of reviews and other posts I want to write, today I'm publishing two book reviews in one post (also because neither book, in my opinion, really "needs" its own post).

# 24: Voices of the Universe

Elias J. Connor

 

This was one of those books I kept reading in spite of not really enjoying it – I was hoping the story would pick up, and the main character would grow on me.

Neither happened, although the story as such held enough potential.

 

We meet Janie when she’s 12 years old, a shy but not unhappy girl who loves to watch the stars at night.

She thinks a lot about her place as a tiny human being in the vastness of the universe, and writes about her thoughts and dreams in her diary.

 

After the breakdown of her parents’ marriage and her Dad moving away, Janie becomes more and more withdrawn.

She doesn’t get along with her mother, and a first tender romantic interest with a boy at school who seems to understand her ends in tears.

 

University follows, and once again Janie feels like the odd one out.

But it is there, with the help of fellow students and a handful of other people, that she finally asserts herself and even finds love.

 

Life looks really good for Janie now – until she receives very sad news…

 

I am not going to say more about the actual story, only that Janie goes through more ups and downs until the book ends with her peaceful death at old age.

 

The story itself is not bad, but the writing is repetitive, and continuity is not always maintained. For instance, as an adult all of a sudden without explanation Janie and her mother are very close and supportive of each other, when before they hardly spoke, and Janie lived away from home.

Also, editing wasn’t up to scratch – apart from the repetitiveness, there are several instances where Janie’s and her daughter’s name are muddled up, and her daughter suddenly is called her grandchild when she is actually Janie’s mother’s grandchild.

I am quite picky when it comes to such inaccuracies; small mistakes, but they could be so easily avoided.

 

Not a total waste of time but definitely not a must read, and I am glad that it was a free ebook and didn’t cost me more than the time I spent reading it on the train.

 

 

Not my picture, but the same edition

# 25: Rembrandt’s Hat

Bernard Malamud

 

My book-swapping friend A. lent me this paperback, and no doubt she’ll want to know my opinion.

Well… it is hard to really explain my impression of this collection of short (and not so short) stories.

My overall verdict is that I can very well go on living without ever reading anything by Malamud again, while I don’t doubt his skill and talent as a writer at all.

 

It is simply that I could not engage with the stories, on no level.

Some of them are outright absurd or bizarre, but not in a funny way (at least not according to my sense of humour).

Others are simply sad, leaving me as a reader somewhat downcast while at the same time relieved that my life is nothing like what is depicted in the story.

 

I guess Malamud and I got off on the wrong foot when I started to read the first story and was appalled by his nasty description of a girl with Down syndrome.

The collection of stories was originally published in 1973, but some of the stories are older, from the 1950s and 60s.

 

Although Malamud as an author’s name was familiar to me from my years working at the library, I’d never read anything by him before now.

Maybe I am the one being nasty now, but I honestly can’t see what made him win the Pulitzer Prize – at least not based on these stories.