Happy Tuesday and my pick today is back to romance and it is one of the new releases that I read last week and there’s another coming up tomorrow in the quick reviews too.
Kalpana is planning the wedding of her dreams, or at least the wedding of her fiancé’s dreams. Marcus is a literary fiction superstar and Kalpana is a romance writer. He’s from old money and she’s the third generation of her family born in the UK but they’re in Sri Lanka with their wedding planner Sampath to plan the big traditional Sri Lankan wedding that Marcus wants – even though Kalpana isn’t sure those traditions feel right for her. Sampath is a great listener – and seems to hear what Kapana wants in a way that Marcus seems not to be.
I read it across less than twenty four hours over the weekend and it was a real treat. As you can tell from the title this is a love triangle type situation, but I don’t think this is going to ping anyone’s cheating monitor for reasons that I can’t really explain without it being a spoiler. As well as the romance, Charika is exploring feelings of identity and culture and also looking at the place of romance and commercial fiction in the bookish infrastructure all of which is right up my street. It also really made me want to visit Sri Lanka – it paints such a vivid picture of the future places they visit and the potential wedding venues.
My copy came from NetGalley but this came out last week and I’m not sure how easy the paperback will be to find but it’s on Kindle and Kobo for £1.99 at the moment as are some of Charika’s previous novels some of which I’ve written about here like Picture Perfect and Knowing Me, Knowing You.
Welcome to August everyone, all the usual start of the month stuff coming up over the next week or so. In the meantime, here’s the list from last week, which includes three of my Bristol purchases, three new releases (included one I mentioned in the Summer romance releases) and the last of the St Justs I hadn’t read which meant I could finally write that post on Friday! This week it’s meant to be hot and sticky again and I’ve got at least one theatre trip planned so we’ll see how all of that meshes with the reading list.
In response to popular demand in the comments, here’s my look back at last weekend’s Bristol Book Conference. I’ve already posted my book haul, and told you about my sales. We did turn it into a proper outing – with stops on the way down and a day out in Bath on the Monday afterwards, so this isn’t the last you’ll see of the Bookish Odyssey of 2026!
Once again we were back at Wills Hall at the University of Bristol, which has the delightful old Quad that looks like it could have come out of a boarding school story and a new quad that comes straight from all my experience of 80s and 90s-built school and uni buildings! As ever the official name of the conference is Twentieth Century Schoolgirls and their books, but the theme this time was Fresh Air and Freedom, so books with holidays and sports were the main subject of the talks.
As ever the main series were represented – with a dedicated talk on Elsie J Oxenham and the Chalet School popping up in more than one talk. There was also a fairly large spattering of Enid Blyton this year, because holidays feature so heavily in her books as many of her series occur during school holiday time, which definitely helped me at the sale table. I had a stack of Blytons that I dithered over taking to sell because traditionally I have a lot of stuff that is too common for anyone else to buy, but took on the off chance – and I only went and sold the lot! Not for much, but a sale is a sale and given that you don’t get any money if you donate them to somewhere, it’s a total win.
Because I’m at the younger end of the attendees, often my favourite talks are about discovering a new author, often a bonkers one – we’ve had Rita Coutts and C Bernard Rutley, this time it was Dorothea Moore and the insane rate of disasters in her books. I’ve only ever read Judy, Patrol Leader of hers which I spot all the time at vintage shops which is absolutely crackers (and which I sold my copy of last weekend, sorry mum!) but it was fun to see that Judy’s exploits (starting guides at her school, foiling two burglaries, several rescues and finding emeralds stolen by an 18th century highwayman) are by no means out of the ordinary for the Moore Oeuvre!
This was my fourth time at conference and as I said back in my post about my first time, it is wonderful to be able to talk to people who love the same thing that you do. I was hesitant about going the first time because I’m basically a massive introvert and large groups of strangers make me anxious. In fact I probably wouldn’t have gone if it hadn’t been for the fact that I had another friend going (and we agreed together that we were going so she may well have been the same). But I’ve now got a little group of friends that I’ve made through conference – we have whatsapp groups and even meet up when it’s not conference – and there’s a whole group of people that know through conference, which means that I have plenty of people to talk to and if I ever fancy going to one of the other groups that’s related to these books I will know people there too. There were a bunch of first timers this year too – I chatted to loads of them – so if you’re thinking about going in two years time and worrying about being the only newbie don’t be.
I leave you with a slide from my friend’s presentation about unusual sports in books – mostly because the book in the picture traumatised me and my sister when we read it as children and it turns out we’re not the only ones. A true if you know you know – I won’t spoil it for you but it’s so shocking I’ve never re-read it and never wanted to – and gymnastics is one of the sports that I watch! Have a great Sunday everyone – and here’s hoping we have a tenth conference in 2028!
Welcome to the first of the Bristol Book Odyssey posts – the sale acquisitions. Here we have three hardback Drina books so that I can continue to compare the original text to the updated 1980s versions that I read as a child, Drina goes on Tour is probably my favourite of the whole series, it’s certainly the one that I read the most as a child, so I’m looking forward to seeing how the original tour experience of digs and exposure and the reveal of Drina’s secret went down.
There’s a strong dancing theme this conference as I also picked up three Linda books about ballet, musical comedy and television and then The Recluctant Ballerina, all by Linda Graeme. That Detestable New Girl was a recommendation and finally my quest to fill in some Dimsie gaps only resulted in the one book – but it does mean I have now read the first book and the events which are much referred to later on in the series.
And as a bonus before I go: a photo from the end of the book sale last Sunday – some much emptier boxes with and one gone entirely, and lots of loose books also gone so you can see the scale of the clearout!
Happy Friday everyone and today for the series post I’m writing about G M Malliet’s St Just books. I’ve already written about her Max Tudor series, most recently back when I did a spy-themed week a couple of months back. But this week I finished the last book in the series I hadn’t read (reading severely out of order!) and so now I can tell you about then.
Our detective is Arthur St Just, a police Detective Chief Inspector and the crimes are Christie or Golden age-esque. Many of them are set around rich families, authors or Oxbridge colleges, or some combination of the above. St Just is from Cornwall but primarily based in Cambridge but Oxford also makes an appearance or two. St Just is a widower but does acquire a fiancée later in the series for some continuity of running characters as well as the fact that is it even a mystery series without a love interest?
It is very much a series of two halves as there was a decade or so gap (and a change of publishers) between book three and book four, and in fact I hadn’t realised that the series had restarted until I saw Death and the Final Cut on NetGalley last autumn. I read that then and now I’ve filled in the gaps with books four to six. And I’m pretty sure I’ve enjoyed these later ones more than I liked the earlier ones. My reviews of those on Goodreads from around a decade or so ago (I read them after having already started on the Max Tudors) are short but very much in the ok to fine sort of area.
Books three to six are in Kindle Unlimited at the moment and I actually think these are a pretty good place to start or at least test out series. They all have interesting characters, but the earlier books are more in the dislikeable mode than the later ones, and three to six particularly have good pacing and interesting mysteries. Seven isn’t quite as good, but it clearly wasn’t enough to put me off going back for the rest when I got a chance or to make a note to keep an eye for any more appearing.
This is another series of Amazon short stories/novellas from different authors centered around a theme and this time it’s fantasy authors turning to crime, which sound exactly up my street. There are seven authors in the series most of which I haven’t read before so I’m hoping that I will discover some new people to try because the two that I have read are Travis Baldree (Legends and Lattes) and Heather Fawcett (Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter) who I have very much enjoyed. As always with these, they’re free if you have Kindle Unlimited or £1.99 each if you’re not. I will endeavour to report back if/when I read them.
Happy Wednesday everyone, and I’m back today with another post of first books in mystery series, to follow on from last year’s dedicated mystery series post and to a lesser extent this post which does at least have a non mystery in it too. As you know I’m always looking for my next bingeable series to add to my lists as other series finish, which can go either way (I’ve read – or tried to read – some real dross over the years) but with all of today’s series I’ve read at least one more in the series already.
Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon
This is the first in a (now long-running) series about Guido Brunetti, a Commisario of police in Venice. This was actually written in the early 1990s – but it doesn’t feel dated in style or the actual mystery, it’s just the lack of mobile phones and references to lire, marks and a character who may or may not have been an actual Nazi that remind you that this is thirty years old. Anyway, in this first in the series, Brunetti is investigating the death of a renowned conductor who dies in his dressing room of cyanide poisoning in the interval of a performance of an opera that he was conducting. I really loved the portrait of Venice in the book (this was written a few years before I visited Venice as a child and I loved that) and the characters are all really well drawn and developed. It’s perhaps a little bit darker than the sunny orange cover and mass market mystery size would have you believe – but not so grim that I wouldn’t read more of them if they came my way. I picked this up in Judd Books by the way, which is a total example of what I meant in that post about discovering something completely new to you.
Murder at the Fitzwilliam by Jim Eldridge
Screenshot
This is the first in a mystery series set in the 1890s, where our detective is former Detective Inspector Daniel Wilson, who helped investigate the Jack the Ripper murders when he was a police officer. Now retired, he’s working as a private enquiry agent and is called in to investigate after a body is found in the Egyptian collection at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. As well as a hostile police officer, he also has to content with Abigail Fenton, an archaeologist who cataloguing the museum’s collection and found the body. This is a pretty easy read, there are a few twists to the mystery as the body count rises although I had the culprit worked out relatively early on. I would read more of these if they were in Kindle Unlimited – but at the moment only this one is.
Scot Free by Catriona McPherson
This is the first in a contemporary, American-set murder mystery series from Catriona McPherson, of Dandy Gilver fame. Our heroine is Lexy Campbell, a fish out of water transplant from Scotland to California. She made the move because she’d fallen in love but now, mere months later, she’s divorced and heading back home, just as soon as she clears one of her counselling clients of murdering her husband. This has a lighter and more humorous tone than her historical series – I think it’s aiming for Steph Plum sort of vibes. I’m not sure Lexy is a great counsellor, as she seems pretty clueless about her own personal life but it was fun enough that I’ve read the second one since reading this. How many more I read may depend on whether they turn up in Kindle Unlimited though!
Happy Tuesday everyone. And before you ask, yes, for the second week in a row I’m cheating and writing about a book I finished after Sunday. But as previously discussed: Book Conference. Excitement. Short list last week. And this one has been on the long runners for a few weeks, so it’s not quite as cheaty as it could have been. Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself. And here’s hoping I’m not causing myself another problem for this time next week…
Recently widowed police detective Joe Mottram and his daughter Angelica are spending the summer in Capri. They’re returning to the childhood home of Joe’s late wife to spend the summer with Angelica’s grandparents as they struggle to recover from the loss of Sofia. Joe’s expecting to spend the summer as a spare wheel at his in-laws’ resturant, but soon after their arrival a British tourist is found dead at the foot of a local beauty spot and Joe is drawn into the investigation when local detective Lara turns up at the restaurant.
I thought this was a really well put together and readable mystery – there’s lots going on and plenty of plot strands to follow and a twisty mystery at the heart of it. Plus Capri makes for a great setting – I haven’t been there, but it was already on my list of places to go, but if it hadn’t been, it probably would be now, although here’s hoping that the unsavoury elements that are in the book are purely fiction. I would say the ending is ripe for a sequel, but I haven’t seen any sign of a second book yet.
This has already been adapted for TV – it’s on ITVX – and some of the locations they used to film are places that we’ve been to on holiday in Croatia which is fun. And in case you’re wondering, it’s not Blue Peter-Countryfile Matt Baker, it’s a different one!
This came out at the start of the year and I’ve seen it all over in the shops. My copy was a hardback, but the paperback is out now and it should be fairly easy to get hold of. And of course it’s in Kindle and Kobo too.
I’m exhausted. I’ve had a fabulous time at book conference, but I’ve spent a lot of time talking about reading, listening to talks about reading and buying books to read rather than actually reading. So this list is short and I’ve already caused myself a major problem for tomorrow by writing about American Fantasy last week. Past Verity causing problems for Future Verity once more.
Where to start. About six on the way to book conference and another nine at book conference. And I’m writing this before our day out in Bath where we intend to visit even more book shops.
Bonus picture: Our (there’s a trio of us) sale table at the delegate sale on Sunday. The right hand side (all the less valuable stuff!) is (mostly) mine. I didn’t sell it all, but I came home with less books than I took with me – even when you include the stuff I bought at conference. Result.
*next to a book book title indicates that it came from NetGalley. ** indicates it was an advance copy from a source other than NetGalley.
As you know I went to see this the night of England’s semi final at the World Cup, but that was only the third-ish preview and press night wasn’t until this week so I held onto my review – but just a warning – I’ve been very careful in my post here not to give too much away about the show – but not all reviews have been so careful.
This is qutie a hard one to describe without giving spoilers or ruining things, so I’m going to stick to the Menier’s own description of the show: “1965, New York City. Trevor Copeland and Arthur Brightman’s love is against the law. In their secret nightclub act, “Midnight”, they perform love songs in an act of defiance of a world that demands they stay hidden. As tensions rise at the start of a historic movement, Trevor and Arthur are torn between their own surreptitious romance, and the oncoming storm of social revolution.” It’s a chamber musical that runs 90-ish minutes and that’s about as much as I’m prepared to say because they’re so cagey about it all – the programme doesn’t even tell you the names of the character the three cast members are playing and as you go in they put a sticker over your phone camera and tell you it’s a strictly no filming show – hence my photo of the poster at the entrance which I took on the way out at the end.
But I think it’s fair to say that Ben Platt is playing Trevor – and that he is the big name here – returning to London after the brief anniversary run of The Last Five Years with Rachel Zegler (too expensive for my budget!) and obviously a Tony winner for Dear Evan Hansen etc – and the reason this production has been staged. He gets to since his heart out in 1960s-style love songs and torch songs. Alongside him Gregor Milne is excellent – accompanying the songs on piano as well as acting. Platt has got the showier, more obvious part, but Milne holds the thing together – as well as having an acting part of his own to play he’s also the link with the rest of the band, holding the musical performances together. I hadn’t seen him in anything before, but I’ll be looking out for him now.
I enjoyed this a lot – Mark Sonnenblick who write the book, music and lyrics co-wrote a bunch of songs for K-Pop Demon Hunters, including Golden, and although this is a very different style of song it’s very good. He also apparently wrote songs for The Devil Wears Prada musical which is one of the current long (well long-ish) runners that I haven’t seen, so maybe I need to remedy that. If you want a sense of the music, the Menier has put this performance of At the Mercy of Love from the first day of rehearsal on their YouTube:
I would say it’s almost worth it just to hear the songs being sung, but there are some really wonderful moments of acting in there too. And the Menier has once again been transformed – this time into a cabaret bar, with audience members at tables in the middle and on sofas around the sides. If you remember my review of The Baker’s Wife, the cabaret tables are similar to that, but more of them but in a joyous move they have swapped out the terrible hard benches round the sides for cozy sofas. We were at cabaret tables this time but I look forward to testing out the sofas when I go to see Tru in the autumn.
The cabaret seats appear to be sold out for the whole run (yes, I did look at changing the tickets away from World Cup semi final day, that’s how I know) but there are some seats available and it’s such a small venue that you’re never going to be far from the action and Ben Platt moves around a lot so you will see plenty of him wherever you are, although if you want to see Gregor Milne’s face you’ll want to be on the right hand side of the auditorium plan as you see it on the Menier site. It’s a limited run and if this sounds in anyway like your sort of thing and you’re in London I think it’s worth it.
Verity Reads Books (lots of them) 