WPLongform

We need to be open to the light

A Good Reed Review Book Review , , ,

By Ande Jacobson

How the Light Gets In is the ninth full-length mystery novel in Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Armand Gamache (of the Sûreté du Québec) series, and was first released in 2013. This book resolves several long story arcs that have grown throughout the series. The most emotionally impactful is how the rift between Armand and his trusted second, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, finally resolves. Throughout the previous few books, Jean-Guy struggled with his feelings of abandonment from a traumatic police action that left him and Armand severely injured and many on their team dead. Armand’s superior, Sylvain Francoeur takes advantage of this rift and drives a wedge between Jean-Guy and Armand both personally and professionally. In this current book, that all comes to a head and is finally, and very satisfyingly resolved, but not without some serious consequences and life changes. Continue reading →

Facts vs. Faith

A Good Reed Review Book Review , , ,

By Ande Jacobson

The Beautiful Mystery is the eighth full-length mystery novel in Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Armand Gamache (of the Sûreté du Québec) series, and was first released in 2012. This book is different than most of those before it in the series in that the story doesn’t take place in Three Pines. Evidently the murder capital of Québec took a break, and Armand and his second in command, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, head to the wilderness to a remote monastery forgotten by the church and by society until recently. The Gilbertine order, named for Gilbert of Sempringham, was thought to be extinguished or disbanded during the Inquisition, but instead they merely fled Europe for a remote part of Canada where they built the last remaining monastery to continue their brotherhood. The monastery, named Saint-Gilbert-Entre-Les-Loups, garners Armand’s attention when a monk is found dead, presumably murdered, in the abbot’s garden one morning after Lauds. So begins the adventure. Continue reading →

The timely history of the Bill of Rights

A Good Reed Review Book Review , , , , ,

By Ande Jacobson

Teri Kanefield’s writing is often quite timely, and her latest book is no exception. At a time when individual rights are in peril, Kanefield’s upcoming book, Rebels, Robbers, and Radicals: The Story of the Bill of Rights, tells the story of not only how the Bill of Rights came to be and why it was needed but also how the interpretation of those rights has changed since their initial ratification. The book is due out on 20 May 2025, and it would be a great addition to everyone’s personal library, especially now. This concise volume, clocking in at a slim 224 pages, tells a story every American should know. The Bill of Rights is the collection of the first ten amendments to the Constitution, and in those amendments lie the foundation of our individual rights under the law. The publisher lists this volume as appropriate for young readers ages 10-14, but in reality this book is also an excellent reference for anyone young or old. It’s written at same level that Kanefield used to write her appellate court briefs. She doesn’t talk down to her readers and seeks to inform them through compelling stories about real people from our history to illustrate the critical aspects of each of these amendments. She also incorporates applicable law, explaining terms where unfamiliarity may hinder understanding. Continue reading →

What if they really are out to get you?

A Good Reed Review Book Review , , ,

By Ande Jacobson

Imagine being a teenager and getting your fortune read. Now imagine that fortune is dark, a portent of what you believe might be your demise. What would you do? Frances Adams faced just that situation in Kristen Perrin’s novel, How to Solve Your Own Murder, first released in March 2024. It became an instant best seller and has continued to delight readers worldwide. Frances and her friends Rose Forrester and Emily Sparrow visit a fortune teller at the Castle Knoll Country Fair in 1965, an event that shapes the rest of Frances’ life. The three were longtime childhood friends, and while they suffered some of the usual teenage competition for boys and attention, they were often inseparable. Of course there’s far more to their friendship than readers suspect, much of which becomes clear as the story progresses.

The fateful fortune in question reads as follows:

“Your future contains dry bones. Your slow demise begins right when you hold the queen in the palm of one hand. Beware the bird, for it will betray you. And from that, there’s no coming back. But daughters are the key to justice, find the right one and keep her close. All signs point toward your murder.”

Continue reading →

Artistic murder

A Good Reed Review Book Review , , , , ,

By Ande Jacobson

A Trick of the Light is the seventh full-length mystery in Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Armand Gamache (of the Sûreté du Québec) series, first released in 2011. This time, Clara Marrow has finally made it as an artist, as she has her solo show at the famed Musée d’Art Contemporain in Montreal. Unfortunately, her night of celebration ends with a tragic murder that isn’t discovered until the next morning. No, Clara isn’t the one murdered, but her one-time friend turned arch enemy is, and Three Pines is again on edge as there are too many suspects that Armand and his team must sort through to find the why and how and identify the real killer. Continue reading →

History, mystery, and beyond

A Good Reed Review Book Review , , ,

By Ande Jacobson

Bury Your Dead is the sixth book in Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Armand Gamache (of the Sûreté du Québec) series, first released in 2010. This time, there are three separate, yet strangely related cases at hand. One is a case that happened between books and has caused Armand’s team serious harm. The details in the aftermath seep out throughout the book, bringing to light more of Armand’s and Jean-Guy’s inner fears and strengths. One is the case from the previous book, The Brutal Telling. Armand, never satisfied with the outcome of their last Three Pines murder asks Jean-Guy to return to Three Pines to re-investigate quietly to see what they might have missed. The third and primary case is a new mystery that brings into question aspects of Canadian history. Penny did a great deal of research for the main story this time delving much deeper into her nation’s history and various assumptions about the clashes between the Francophones and Anglophones who live side-by-side in Québec. Continue reading →

Tax time choices

A Good Reed Review Commentary & Pubs , , , ,

By Ande Jacobson

For close to 30 years or so, I’ve been a faithful TurboTax user. Prior to that I still did my own taxes, but I did them the really old fashioned way – i.e., I got my forms from the library, wrote everything by hand and mailed them in. Although TurboTax has been around since 1984, I finally got around to trying it in the late 1990s. The software made filing my taxes easy and was initially pretty inexpensive. As time went on the software evolved to a very robust package. Also over time, it got more expensive, especially after Intuit segregated which forms were available through the interview in each version. The more complicated the return, the more expensive the package became. The H&R Block software, TaxCut, is much the same thing, although since I was in the TurboTax realm I never explored that one. Still, I’ve been considering looking for a less expensive option for some time. We have to file our taxes, but we shouldn’t have to pay an exorbitant fee to do so if we choose to do them ourselves. Continue reading →

On the edge

A Good Reed Review Commentary & Pubs , , ,

By Ande Jacobson

Here I sit at my computer at the start of a very consequential week. I have much to be thankful for in my life, and I try to focus on the good things. My friends. My family. Even the state where I live. I have challenges as most of us do. In my case, I’ve been dealing with some serious medical issues all of my life, and they’ve gotten worse over the last several years. Even so, I’m still able to take care of myself and even provide an ear to my friends and family to discuss the things that concern us. Continue reading →

Where do old spies go?

A Good Reed Review Book Review , , , ,

By Ande Jacobson

Kate Quinn’s The Alice Network is a masterful look at the heroic efforts by a female spy ring during WWI and beyond. While a work of historical fiction, she weaves in a lot of history following two timelines. The first is WWI and the efforts by the women of The Alice Network, a real underground network of British spies operating in foreign territory gathering huge amounts of crucial information that ultimately helped win the war. The parallel timeline in the “present” is just after the end of WWII. The story follows Charlotte (Charlie) St. Claire on her quest to find her missing cousin. On her travels, she connects with Evelyn Gardiner, a cranky, eccentric old woman with gnarled hands and a mysterious past, and her driver and protector, Finn Kilgore. The trio make their way through Europe first to help Charlie with her quest, but also to satisfy an old score of Eve’s. Continue reading →

Thoughts as 2024 draws to a close

A Good Reed Review Commentary & Pubs , , , ,

By Ande Jacobson

I used to write a holiday letter each year to share with friends, mostly those who were far away. At first I sent them in holiday cards via the mail, but over time I started writing them as emails, and later as articles on my website. They detailed my big events through the year. Sometimes they noted my personal accomplishments. Other times they covered my struggles. Over time though, I stopped writing them. Instead, I started writing an end of year essay thinking about what had happened over the year in broader terms. My individual exploits no longer seemed all that important in the grand scheme of things, either to me or to those I cared about. Continue reading →