Author: veritywilde

Journalist, armchair sports fan, book worm and show fiend. There's a sentence you don't hear too often.
books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: January 27 – February 2

veritywilde

Another busy but solid week in the end. Slightly more novellas than usual, but a few things crossed my path and it was a bit of a difficult week so they suited what my brain could cope with. Hopefully this week will be better.

Read:

The Bookstore Sister by Alice Hoffman

The Bookstore Wedding by Alice Hoffman

Death in a White Tie by Ngaio Marsh

Murder as Fine Art by Carol Carnac

Vexed in Vermont by Patti Benning

Overture to Death by Ngaio Marsh

Oddities in Ohio by Patti Benning

The Fan Who Knew Too Much by Nev Fountain

Tune in Tomorrow by Melanie Benjamin

Started:

A Victim at Valentines by Ellie Alexander*

Still reading:

Fatally Flaky by Diane Mott Davidson

The Favourites by Layne Fargo*

A Traveller in Time by Alison Utley

Cher: The Memoir Part One by Cher

One book, one pre-order. Restrained.

Bonus picture: another jigsaw finished. The Discworld Emporium ones are really tricky. Lots of similar colours in different areas.

*next to a book book title indicates that it came from NetGalley. ** indicates it was an advance copy from a source other than NetGalley.

streaming, tv

Not a Book: Jonathan Creek

veritywilde

I did go to the theatre this week, but given that I’m going again next week and that show is on a much shorter run that this week’s one, I suspect we may be back at the theatre again next weekend, so I thought I’d mix it up and go with a retro TV series this week. I have to say I did struggle to get a video for this post because my favourite era of the series is from the pre-YouTube era…

Jonathan Creek is a mystery drama series that started in the late 1990s on the BBC. The titular character played by comedian and current QI stalwart Alan Davis and is a designer of magical illusions who is dragged into solving crimes by pushy investigative journalist Maddie Magellen, played by Caroline Quentin. Maddie is willing to lie and be devious to get what she wants, Jonathan is not. Jonathan also works for stage magician Adam Klaus who is flamboyant and often provides comedy subplots. Over the course of the nearly 20 years covered by the original series and then the subsequent specials, Maddie is replaced by ambitious TV exec Carla Borego (Julia Swalha) and then Joey, a paranormal investigator played by Sheridan Smith and finally Sarah Alexander’s Polly.

Although at the start of the series Jonathan is pretty antisocial and reclusive, over the course of the early series he gains in confidence and social skills to become fairly witty and charming in an offbeat sort of way – which continues in the specials. However, there is not a lot of running plot strands in this – they’re basically murder of the weeks, where the emphasis is on the actual mechanics of the crime being investigated. There is a will they won’t they with Maddie in the early years, but it’s never anywhere near the main focus of the series.

There are a few bits that haven’t dated that well – and if you’re under 30 the fact that at least one of the plots involves a video recorder is going to be novel to you. But the mysteries are tightly plotted and very hard to work out when you watch the show first time around. But at this point I’ve seen all of the early series a couple of times and they still hold up even when you know the solution. And they have the advantage of having a lot of interesting guest stars – the writer is David Renwick who has as long and storied history in British comedy and that brought in people. And so there are a few Easter Eggs here if you’ve watched a lot of British TV over the years – but also if you watch the pilot episode you’ll see that Adam Klaus was originally played by Anthony Stuart Head – who couldn’t continue with the series as he got a role in a little American show called Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Jonathan Creek is on the iplayer if you’re in the UK, and if you’re abroad it’s also available on various streaming service.

Have a great Sunday.

books, stats

January Stats

veritywilde

Books read this month: 31 *

New books: 19

Re-reads: 12 (all audiobooks)

Books from the to-read pile: 5

NetGalley books read: 2

Kindle Unlimited read: 8

Ebooks: 4

Audiobooks: 12

Non-fiction books: 1

Favourite Book: Paradise Problem (although the final part of the Fangirl Manga was also really good)

Most read author: excluding the Ngaio Marsh and Kerry Greenwood audiobooks, Diane Mott Davidson and Vicki Delany with two each.

Books bought: Five books and three ebooks

Books read in 2025: 31

Books on the Goodreads to-read shelf (I don’t have copies of all of these!): 760

A very busy month in real life, and a set of stats held up by the fact that it’s the start of the new year and audiobook relistens count to the total again. Relatively restrained on the purchasing front – mostly helped by the fact that a lot of what I wanted to read was in Kindle Unlimited.

Bonus picture: my favourite sign from my visit to Bookends at the start of the month

*includes some short stories/novellas/comics/graphic novels – including this month!

books

Series Redux: Fool’s Gold

veritywilde

I mentioned a few small town series in my post on Wednesday, but I’m taking the opportunity this Friday to remind you about the Fool’s Gold series. There are twenty full length novels in Susan Mallery’s series set in a small town in California as well as twenty five novellas of various lengths. The novels come in groups – friendship groups, or siblings, or business partners – where they all getting paired off one book after another. Overall the series covers about six years in the life of the town. They’re very easy to read – and even easier to read one after another. As I said in my original post there is a slightly higher pregnancy ratio plot than I would usually go for, but they’re so relaxing I let them off. If you don’t want to start at the beginning, I suggest you start with the group of retired sportspeople that start at book 14.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Book previews

Out This Week: The Secrets of Underhill

veritywilde

It’s the end of January, but most of the books out this week are scary thriller type books, which are really not my thing, so instead I wanted to mention a new middle grade fantasy novel that’s out this week. The Secrets of Underhill sees a young apprentice who is trying to save a grove of magical trees. It sounds like a really interesting idea with an environmental theme that’s seems like it will appeal to youngsters.

book round-ups, Recommendsday

Recommendsday: January Blues selections

veritywilde

It’s the tail end of January. It feels like a long time since Christmas. You could be forgiven for having a bit of the blues at the moment. So I’ve got a bit of a recommendsday supercut for you, of suggestions to try and help you through the gloom and towards the spring.

First of all I have a whole list of novels about fresh starts – not to be confused with the non fiction post of self help books. I’ve also got a lot of recommendations for books about house renovations- which are a sort of fresh start aren’t they? – whether it’s this recommendsday post or the Fixer Upper mysteries, the Real Estate Rescue ones or a romance with Maggie Moves On?

I find small town romances very comforting but also cheering – so how about Happily Inc or Blessings? But maybe you want to escape away to somewhere tropical. Obviously The Paradise Problem was book of the week the other week but there’s also The Unhoneymooners. And finally if you want to go completely the other way there’s ski resort action with the O’Neil Brothers.

Happy Humpday!

Book of the Week, non-fiction

Book of the Week: White House by the Sea

veritywilde

After last week’s Inauguration recommendsday, this week I’m back in the US presidential adjacent sphere with my BotW. It may have taken me a couple of weeks to read – but that’s because it’s a nice if US sized paperback and I didn’t want to wreck it by putting it in my work rucksack!

Kate Storey’s The White House by the Sea is a whistle stop tour through the history of the Kennedy family at Hyannis Port. Yes it’s more than 300 pages long, but that’s not a lot of pages to cover three and a bit generations of a very large family. That means that you’re not going to get lots of detail on everything that happens in the Kennedy family – but you don’t necessarily need to know all the details of everyone’s lives to follow it either.

You’ll probably find it easier if you know at least the main beats: Joe and Rose had a lot of children of whom Joe Jr died in World War Two, Kathleen died just after the war, JFK was assassinated while president, RFK was assassinated while running for president, Ted kept considering running for president and Rosemary was given a lobotomy. There are also a lot of grandchildren – many struggled in various ways to live up to their family’s legacy and some of them also died tragically young. There. That’s about all you need to follow the family’s love affair with this part of the Massachusetts coast – and the effect that it had on a small town that found itself at the centre of national attention because of its most famous residents.

Storey has conducted lots and lots of interviews with the people of Hyannis Port and those connected to the Kennedys so it does feel like you’re getting new insights into the subject. I’ve still got Ask Not on the to read pile, and will report back on that one too but this is certainly worth reading. I have long come to the conclusion that the Kennedy family wasn’t a great one to marry into, and nothing here has changed my mind but it remains fascinating to see the outsize impact of one family on America.

I got this one for Christmas and it’s probably going to be a special order job rather than a wander into the bookshop and find a copy book, but if you’re interested it’s worth it.

Happy Reading!

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: January 20 – January 26

veritywilde

A fairly solid week – it may be the end of January but I’m still reading a bit of Christmas stuff here and there, which is fairly typical for me. I also need to remember to keep track of this so I don’t forget them by the autumn! Anyway – more physical books than ebooks, but also still not the long runners. Hey ho. Better luck this week…

Read:

A Vintage Murder by Ngaio Marsh

The Vanishing Box by Elly Griffiths

Artists in Crime by Ngaio Marsh

White House by the Sea by Kate Storey

Deadly Directors Cut by Vicki Delany

Murder under the Mistletoe by Rev Richard Coles

Fangirl the Manga: Vol 4 by Rainbow Rowell and Gabi Nam

Natural Selection by Elin Hilderbrand

Started:

The Fan Who Knew Too Much by Nev Fountain

Fatally Flaky by Diane Mott Davidson

Still reading:

The Favourites by Layne Fargo*

A Traveller in Time by Alison Utley

Cher: The Memoir Part One by Cher

Well… I may have been in to Waterstones Piccadilly, and I may have bought two books and ordered two more. I’ve read two of them and started a third (the fourth hasn’t arrived yet). And I bought an ebook too. Oops.

Bonus picture: Shaftesbury Avenue on the way back from that Waterstones jaunt on Monday night – in a rare moment I haven’t seen any of the shows whose theatres you can see. But I do intend to change that asap with Oliver!

*next to a book book title indicates that it came from NetGalley. ** indicates it was an advance copy from a source other than NetGalley.

comedy, concerts, not a book

Not a Book: Bill Bailey

veritywilde

It’s been a bit of a run of theatre the last few weeks, but this Sunday it is comedy – but at a theatre (not a club or a stadium) as I had a last minute trip to see Bill Bailey’s residency at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket this week.

If you haven’t come across Bill Bailey before (which I find hard to believe if you’re in the UK because he’s won Strictly) he’s a stand up comedian and musician who is also known for acting in the TV comedy Black Books and the movie Hot Fuzz among other things. I was trying to count how many times I’ve seen him live and I think this is the fourth or fifth time – and he’s always incredibly funny and inventive.

I am a pretty mediocre musician – when I was at my best I was about Grade 6/7 but music theory is my bete noire, so I really enjoy the way that he deconstructs how music works and makes it funny. But it’s not all music theory, some of it is just funny – in the current show he’s got some bluetooth music balls that are set up to make drum noises, and a laser harp. What’s not to like. He’s also got a new Kraftwerk parody – and the original one was one of my favourite skits on the Part Troll DVD that I rented from LoveFilm back in the day – so I’ll finish up today by posting that original.

Bill Bailey: Thoughtifier continues at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket until the 15th February.

bookshops

Books in the Wild: The RSC

veritywilde

Happy Saturday everyone. Today I have another post in my occasional series of shops that do a very specialised selection of books as part of their offer: namely the Royal Shakespeare Company’s gift shop at their theatre in Stratford Upon Avon. As you know I was there a couple of weeks back to see Twelfth Night – which ended its run last weekend, so there may have been a little tweakage by now, but I suspect in the main the book selection is fairly consistent – although clearly other bits of the shop will change with the shows.

Lets start with the lovely collection of books about Shakespeare, about acting in Shakespeare or about theatre in the era of Shakespeare. There are a few exceptions but that’s basically the theme of this whole bookcase – among them there’s Judi Dench’s book about her experience being in lots and lots of Shakespeare which is pretty well known and Simon Russell Beale’s book about his experiences – which is less well known. There’s the Bill Bryson books, plus Harriet Walter’s new-this-autumn book about what the women of Shakespeare’s plays might have said.

Next up we have this case of novels that are Shakespeare related in some way and the start of a very large selection of play texts and books about teaching Shakespeare. If you’re a student whose got to study one of the plays or you’ve got to teach it, this would be a great place to have a look at the options.

Because there are so many. So very many. And of course there are also play texts for other shows that the RSC has put one – the Christmas show in the Swan theatre this year was The Red Shoes, and you can also so that they’ve got Marlowe’s Edward II there which is currently in rehearsal ahead of a run starting in late February.

And then there’s books about acting, and a bit of a general miscellany of books that don’t really fit anywhere else but are sort of related to the Shakespeare and acting. Basically if you’re interested in Shakespeare and/or acting, this is probably the best selection you’re going to get outside a really giant specialist bookshop near somewhere with lots of students (like Blackwells or Heffers)

And finally they’ve got loads of other stuff too, but I really did love the baby clothes – they may be too young to go to the theatre themselves yet, but there’s no reason you can’t start them on there way with a babygro with an appropriate quote!

Have a great Saturday everyone!