Category: week in books

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: December 22 – December 28

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I do hope your Christmas season has been filled with good food and good company and that Santa brought you what you wanted/were hoping for. The weather where I am is Baltic now, which is good because that’s what it’s meant to be like in December, but also a bit of a shock given how mild it has been until now. Still it’s perfect weather for staying inside and keeping warm with a book, and if you have time off because of the festive season or New Year all the better. It should be noted that I have now finished my final state and have read my way across the USA for the year and am freeeeeeeee to read whatever I want. Which may explain why I’ve started two more Christmas books this week and haven’t finished the long runners. But I do want to try and start the new year with a clean sheet so I will keep trying…

Read:

Murder Most Modern by Hugh Morrison

The Christmas Egg by Mary Kelly

Murder Boogies with Elvis by Anne George

Season of Love by Helena Greer

The Wedding Bait by Adele Buck

Tastes Like Shakkar by Nisha Sharma

Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer

Started:

The Christmas Alibi by J G Colgan

Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife by Martin Edwards*

Still reading:

Do Admit by Mimi Pond

Ritual of Fire by D V Bishop

Pet Shop Boys, Literally by Chris Heath

Oh dear. There have been a rash of post-Christmas sales from authors that I like and it has been somewhat dangerous. And then I got a stack of books for Christmas which was delightful and you can see what I got on Saturday.

Bonus picture: the Christmas Tree. Tis the season etc.

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

Book of the Week, detective

Book of the Week: Murder Most Modern

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It’s Christmas Eve Eve and this is a bit of a cheat because I finished it on Monday morning – but I did finish it so early that Goodreads still tried to date it as Sunday, so that’s almost like I did finish it on Sunday right? I’ll keep telling myself that…

It’s 1931 and Clarice and Cliff have been invited to a housewarming party at a new modern mansion on the coast. Their host, Sir James, has been persuaded to build it by his second wife Lady Theodora, who seems determined to set her stepchildren agains her. But when she’s found dead in the swimming pool they are not the only people who might have wanted her out of the way. The police think they know who did it but Clarice and Cliff aren’t convinced so set out to investigate themselves.

This is the second In Hugh Morrison’s new series. I mentioned the first one in Quick Reviews back in February but you really don’t have to have read that to enjoy this, which is why I’m fine with breaking my own rules about only recommending first in series. I like a mystery set at a country house and this one has plenty of suspects and a denouement that makes a change from suspects sitting around in a drawing room to be accused. It’s definitely a summery book, so reading it in the depths of winter will make you pine for a bit of sunshine – particularly if you’re reading it on the winter solstice! – but if you’re in the southern hemisphere it might feel more apt this week than a snowy Christmas book!

This is in Kindle Unlimited at the moment, as is the first one. This of course means it’s not on Kobo. Amazon claims to have a paperback, but I suspect it’s a print on demand type situation so I don’t think you’ll find it in the shops – certainly I don’t think I’ve seen any of Morrison’s other books in the wild.

Happy Reading!

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: December 15 – December 21

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Three more states ticked off this week, leaving me with only two states to go. Just two. And I’ve still got nine days left in the year. Exciting times. Apart from that, a bit of Christmas reading, a bit of non Christmas read and a lot of Christmas parties last week!

Read:

Death in Ambush by Susan Gilruth

Venetia by Georgette Heyer

The One with the Kiss Cam by Cindy Steel

Merry and Bright by Ali Rosen

All Wrapped Up In You by Rosie Danan

You Better Not Point by Mia Sosa

A Disguise to Die For by Diane Vallere

Murder at the Library by Ellen Jacobson

Started:

Murder Most Modern by Hugh Morrison

Do Admit by Mimi Pond

Still reading:

Ritual of Fire by D V Bishop

Pet Shop Boys, Literally by Chris Heath

Four ebooks bought

Bonus picture: View of wintery London from one of the aforementioned Christmas parties!

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

Book of the Week, Forgotten books, mystery

Book of the Week: The Odd Flamingo

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Yeah, I know, it’s only been three weeks, but I’m back with another British Library Crime Classic pick. I can’t help myself but in my defence, this only came out in the summer, so it’s a relatively recent release and it’s also in Kindle Unlimited at the moment, so I’m going with it.

Cover of The Odd Flamingo

When Will gets a phone call from the wife of an old school friend to come and help her, he finds himself drawn into a rather seedy potential scandal. A young woman called Rose has come to call on Celia and says she is pregnant, and the father is Celia’s husband Humphrey. Celia wants Will firstly to deal with the visit, but then because he’s a lawyer to try and handle the situation for them. The Odd Flamingo of the title is a seedy club where Will and Humphrey both used to visit when they were younger, but where Humphrey it seems is still a habitue. Will’s staid life is soon caught up in potential murder and blackmail as he tries to work out what is going on.

Nina Bawden is probably most famous for her World War Two set children’s novel, Carrie’s War. This is from the very start of her career – her second published novel which originally was published in 1954, twenty or so years before Carrie’s War. But you can see the shadows of her later work in it, even though the audiences are so different. It’s got plenty of twists and turns and it keeps you turning the pages. The portrayal of the London underworld is really atmospheric and there isn’t really a sympathetic character among any of them, which I liked about it but may frustrate others. I really enjoyed it – I raced through it to see how it all turned out and which particular awful person was going to be responsible for it all.

As I said at the top, this is in Kindle Unlimited so it’s not on Kobo at the moment but of course it’s also in paperback and the British Library shop is still doing three for two again at the moment – so you could buy this and Death in High Heels and get A N Other BLCC for free!

Happy Reading!

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: December 8 – December 14

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A very busy week, and increasing numbers of Christmas books on the list, despite the fact that I still have a couple of states still to go. Two more ticked off this week though. Nearly there.

Read:

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

The Odd Flamingo by Nina Barden

The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas

A Very Novel Murder by Ellie Alexander*

My Calamity Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows

How My Ex Stole New Year’s by Kate Callaghan*

A Reconstructed Corpse by Simon Brett

Snow Place Like Home by Laura Pavlov

Started:

Death in Ambush by Susan Gilruth

Still reading:

Ritual of Fire by D V Bishop

Pet Shop Boys, Literally by Chris Heath

Two e-books bought

Bonus picture: My Christmas flowers!

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

Book of the Week, new releases, reviews

Book of the Week: Heir Apparent

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Now considering that I finished the new Olivia Dade last week this may be a surprise to you, but you all know I like Olivia Dade and Second Chance Romance was indeed great fun, but Heir Apparent is a new release and I enjoyed it although I have some quibbles as you will see so I have things to say about it that you won’t have heard before!

Lexi Villiers is living in Tasmania and in the middle of training to be a doctor. She’s busy building an independent life for her herself. But on New Years Day a helicopter lands and her grandmother’s right-hand man steps out to tell her that her father and her twin brother are dead and she needs to come home. Lexi’s grandmother is the queen of England and Lexi is now next in line for the throne. She’s got to decide if she wants to return to the family fold – and if she does she’s got to figure out how to get the British public to warm up to her and how to deal with the scheming that surrounds the monarchy, particularly from her father’s younger brother Prince Richard who is next in line after Lexi.

So in case you’re wondering, in the world of Heir Apparent, Charles II’s wife died and he remarried to his mistress Barbara Villiers, who then acted as Regent when Charles died before their eldest son was of age. This means that Armitage has been able to invent her own cast of characters and a distinct history for the House of Villiers, but as a reader you can also spend time spotting where she’s taken inspiration from the real British royals. So Lexi’s mother died young after an acrimonious divorce from her father, who went on to marry his mistress. You get the idea.

This is a really fun and page turning read – partly because of how much fun it is looking at those parallels to the real royals. I really enjoyed it – right until the end where I don’t think it quite stuck the landing. I really can’t explain why without giving huge, huge spoilers, but I suspect that other people may feel the same as me. It’s a great sun-lounger read right up until that point though, and I don’t even think that the ending issue is because Armitage is leaving room for a sequel. So that’s frustrating. But your mileage may vary on that ending – and you won’t know until you’ve read it! If nothing else it will make for a debate at all the book club meetings – and it’s a Reese’s Book Club pick so it’ll be popular on that front.

I got my copy from NetGalley and as it only came out on Tuesday last week I haven’t had a chance to look for it in the bookshops yet, but I will report back in when I do but it should be really easy to get hold of in the US because of that Reese pick. It’s also available on Kindle and Kobo and as an audiobook.

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: December 1 – December 7

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The start of December was cold and sometimes wet, but the Christmas lights are making everything a bit more cheerful, so that’s good. On the reading front, I’m another state down and two more started. But almost more importantly, I got one book off the long runners list. So I’m proud of me, even if I didn’t stick to my goal of finishing off the 50 states before I bought the first in the Last Ditch series and not only have I bought it bt I’ve already read it. I will try and do better this week…

Read:

Renewing Forever by Kelly Jensen*

The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage*

Arabella by Georgette Heyer

Scot Free by Catriona MacPherson

Second Chance Romance by Olivia Dade

You Had to Be There by Jodie Harsh*

Thrones, Dominations by Jill Paton Walsh and Dorothy L Sayers

Started:

The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

My Calamity Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows

Still reading:

Ritual of Fire by D V Bishop

Pet Shop Boys, Literally by Chris Heath

Two e-books bought.

Bonus picture: Commitment to the Christmas bit at Euston on Friday afternoon.

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

Book of the Week, cozy crime, first in series

Book of the Week: Buried in a Good Book

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It’s only a couple of weeks since I did a recommendsday post of First books in mystery series, and here I am today back with a BotW post for another first book in a cozy mystery series. Who could have predicted it…

In Buried in a Good Book, thriller writer Tess has taken her daughter to spend the summer at her grandfather’s cabin in the woods. Tess is telling Gertie that it’s because a summer without wifi will do them both good, but really she’s trying to take Gertie’s mind off the fact that her father, Tess’s ex-husband hasn’t been in contact with Gertie for months. But soon after they arrive, there’s an explosion and fish guts start raining down on them but also a human arm. Tess is suddenly part of a real life murder mystery, rather than writing one – and the detective investigating is the spitting image of the hero of her books, a fact he’s not best pleased about.

This was my first book by Tamara Berry and it was a really nice read for a winter weekend. The mystery is more complicated than you expect and it’s got a nice sense of humour about it too – Tess can’t turn her writer brain off and she knows it’s ridiculous to be caught up in a real life murder and that she’s not helping herself. I read a couple of books last week where the amateur sleuth really wound me up, but Tess was such a great break from that. I liked the group of secondary characters that were being set up too – and the small town setting has enough detail that it doesn’t feel like a cliche. I was really pleased to see that there are already a couple more in the series and I may already have acquired book two…

I read this on Kindle, but it’s also available on Kobo (although more expensive than Kindle) and in paperback with a different cover and at a frankly ridiculous price on Amazon at time of writing although it reckons there is only one copy next so who knows.

Happy Reading!

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: November 24 – November 30

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Happy Monday everyone – it’s December and the end of the year is hurtling towards us in a blur of festive events and things to get done before The Big Day. It’s definitely feeling pretty wet and wintery now too, so curling up with a good book feels ever more appealing, even as the to-do lists continue to grow. This week I have plenty of train journeys to do, which usually means for solid reading time, although it does always depend on whether I get a seat or not…

Read:

Busman’s Honeymoon by Dorothy L Sayers

Halloween Hijinks by Kathi Daley

The Trouble with Turkeys by Kathi Daley

The Christmas Clue by Nicola Upson

Rockin’ Around the Chickadee by Donna Andrews

What Bloody Man is This by Simon Brett

The Murder at The Murder at the Mimosa Inn by Joan Hess

Buried in a Good Book by Tamara Berry

Started:

Second Chance Romance by Olivia Dade

The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage*

Still reading:

You Had to Be There by Jodie Harsh*

Ritual of Fire by D V Bishop

Pet Shop Boys, Literally by Chris Heath

Two books (from Riverside Bookshop) and five ebooks as I continue to pick up things to help tick off those missing states…

Bonus picture: a Sunday night fire (and a glimpse of that Olivia Dade paperback I mentioned on Thursday!)

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

Book of the Week, detective, first in series, Forgotten books

Book of the Week: Death in High Heels

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You know I seriously picking Romantic Comedy as BotW again – but I decided that that would be too cheaty even for me. But I did listen to Curtis Sittenfeld’s novel about a writer on a show that’s definitely not Saturday Night Live on audiobook last week and it’s still a delight, even if I didn’t love the way the narrator did the male voices. But it remains my favourite novel that includes the pandemic in it and I thoroughly recommend it. But like I say, I didn’t pick it again. I just put all the links in…

Instead I have a pretty newly released British Library Crime Classic, and another Christianna Brand murder mystery – this time it’s her debut, Death in High Heels. This features a murder at Christopher et Cie, a dress shop of the most superior kind, where the murderer must be one of five young women who work there. Our detective is a young and somewhat susceptible Inspector Charlesworth, who is trying to untangle the murder.

I do like a workplace mystery, especially where you learn something about how things used to be done. Murder Must Advertise where Wimsey is employed at an advertising agency is brilliant for this – with print blocks, art studios and runners, and Death in High Heels also has vanished details about how clothing shops used to be done – with things like women employed as mannequins to demonstrate how the outfits look to clients, and a staff lunch service. The introduction to this BLCC edition says that (like Dorothy L Sayers and her time in advertising) Brand took inspiration from her own spell working in a shop selling cookers to write this. As I said, this is Brand’s debut, and it’s not as good as Green for Danger or Tour de Force but it still makes for an interesting read, even if Charlesworth goes off down a lot of wrong paths and seems to stumble upon the solution.

This is in Kindle Unlimited at the moment, so if you’re a subscriber to that, it’s definitely worth it. That also means that it’s not on Kobo at the moment. But if you want it in paperback, the British Library’s shop are doing three for two on their fiction at the moment, and I’ve recommended enough previous BLCC books that hopefully you can find two more to make the three – I’ve linked to various others I’ve written about throughout this, but some others that were BotWs are: Not to Be Taken, Tea on Sunday, The Ten Teacups, The Man Who Didn’t Fly, The Theft of the Iron Dogs and The Belting Inheritance.

Happy Reading