Book Chatter

Miss Benson’s Beetle
By Rachel Joyce
Dial Press Trade Paperback, 9780812996708, November 2020, 368pp.

The Short of It:

What a treat. Fans of Joyce won’t be disappointed.

The Rest of It:

Margery Benson is a schoolteacher in 1950’s London, and not a very good one at that. She can barely get by, is harassed by her own students and isn’t comfortable in her own skin. Pushed to her limit after a particularly bad day in the classroom, she takes off on an expedition to New Caledonia in search of a rare golden beetle that her father once told her about.

But first, she needs an assistant. The last person she had in mind for the job is the one who eventually shows up to take it. Enid Pretty, with her shock of yellow hair, her cotton candy pink suit and her pom pom sandals trots into Margery’s life and from day one is a major annoyance. But Margery is pressed for time as her ship is about to leave the port and she knows she can’t do it alone, so Enid is it.

What a charming story. Although the expedition is a little far-fetched, I found myself hanging on every word as these two take off on their adventure. Two, very headstrong, quirky women traveling to the other side of the world with little to no experience under their belts. This makes for a very entertaining read but it’s not all fun and games. Very early on you are tipped off that something larger is at play. This is one of those stories that you can’t put down because it’s so fun and quirky and yes, different but you know, you just know there is going to be a serious payout. That was definitely the case here.

Fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine would do well by picking this book up. It has the same tone and feel and the way this friendship develops is quite sweet. Overall, it’s a feel-good book although there are two things that happen that made me a little sad. Those who have read it know what I mean. However, don’t let that stop you because I wish I still had more of the story to read. It’s that kind of story. I’ve read two other books by this author, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and The Music Shop and I loved them as well. Joyce knows how to write a good story.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Sunday Matters

Do you feel it too? That sense of peace and calm? I’ve not felt that in months. I feel so much more productive and happy. I’ve been spending more time on my Bible studies and it just feels good to not be walking around with my shoulders all bunched up with stress.

Activity has been good even though some walks were skipped due to those horrid winds. And my path to a plant-based diet has been good too. Right now I am just working on being vegetarian again but my doc suggested a plant-based diet and since quitting meat I have lost eight stubborn pounds and that is huge for just two weeks doing this. She suggested inflammation was the culprit. She might be right.

Right Now:

I am sipping coffee and diving in and out of my current read. This afternoon my daughter has two auditions and then later my youth group meets on Zoom.

This Week:

The upcoming week is blissfully empty. Work, yes but nothing on the calendar requiring my focus.

Reading:

I finished Miss Benson’s Beetle and the review should be up this Tuesday. I am now reading The Wife Upstairs.

Watching:

Still watching Maine Cabin Masters. I would love to own a little cabin. Especially a nicely done-up one on the lake! This show is so cool to watch.

Grateful for:

Easy, breezy afternoons where nothing is going on except me deciding what to read.
Rain. We are finally getting some rain. We need it so badly.
Good storytelling. All I want to do these days is curl up with a good read and there are plenty of books for me to choose from.

Let me know how you are doing. I hope you are all healthy and that your families are doing well too.

Chatting with friends about books and life…