Robin Reads in '17 - #2

Welcome to thread #2!

OK - I admit that I didn't keep things caught up in 2016, but I did read - 140 books in total, so I'm back in for the challenge this year. Hopefully, I'll do a better job of keeping up in LT as I've really missed seeing what books my LT and 75er friends were reading, and just missed hearing about their lives, too!

I'm Robin, a 53 yo mother of two - one newly turned 15 yo son (Beckham) and a close to 12 yo son (Keegan). My 53 yo husband, Ed, and our two cats, Matisse and Picasso round out our Dublin, OH household. Dublin is a suburb of Columbus, OH. I own a tax practice which I run out of my house, although I am slowing my practice down as I seem to spend more time taking my sons here and there. They are active in travel soccer and other school activities and keep me very busy.

I have loved to read all of my life, but my library on LT reflects those books that I have kept track of since I started as a member 6 years ago. I am slowly trying to capture books I have read before that time, but I'm guessing that a lot of books that I have read will never be recorded as I have forgotten them. I am totally an addict, and the daily deals on amazon for $1.99 will probably be my financial ruin. I just cannot help myself when it comes to a bargain of that sort!

I mainly read mysteries, science fiction, fantasy and children's/young adult books (along with my sons.) Specifically, most of the mysteries that I read are British mysteries in the style of the Golden Age of Detection and I enjoy soft scifi a bit more than hard scifi. I still try to read every evening to my sons, although as they get older, it becomes harder to do so. I also try to read several best sellers during the year. In school, I never had to read many of the classics, so I am also slowly going back to read some of those too. I have been working my way through both of the Newbery Awards and the Hugo Awards, as well.

I proudly consider myself to be a geek (okay, maybe a nerd too). My favorite TV shows are Sherlock (BBC version) and Doctor Who (both classic and new series). My family and I really enjoyed Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency on BBCA recently, although I was a little disappointed that it did not follow the book. We have also recently gotten into the Marvel movies - The Avengers, Captain America, Doctor Strange, etc and are watching our way through the ones that we have not yet seen. My other hobbies include making beaded jewelry and sometimes knitting. I love to travel, but since we have children who are quickly approaching college age, we don't do as much as we used to.

If we would win the lottery the first thing I would do (aside from paying off the mortgage and setting aside the funds for college for my sons) is to go back to school myself! I love to learn and would probably take lots of psychology, philosophy and literature courses.

2017 Reading




List of Books Read in 2017

Books Read in January
Books Added to My Library in January
January Summary

Books Read in February
Books Added to My Library in February
February Summary

Books Read in March
Books Added to My Library in March
March Summary

Books Read in April
Books Added to My Library in April
April Summary

Books Read in May
Books Added to My Library in May
May Summary

My Kindle Preorders

Series I'm Reading

Newbery Medal and Honors List

Hugo Awards List

Nebula Awards List

My Kindle Preorders



This is where I keep up with the books that I have preordered on amazon.com. These are mostly series books for which I am waiting for the next installment

1. Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth - January 17, 2017 - received
   
2. Garden of Lamentations by Deborah Crombie - February 7, 2017 - received, read, reviewed
   
3. Death of a Ghost by MC Beaton - Hamish MacBeth - February 21, 2017 - received, read
   
4. Murder at an Irish Wedding by Carlene O'Connor - Irish Village - February 28, 2017 - received from NetGalley, read and reviewed
   
5. In Farleigh Field by Rhys Bowen - March 1, 2017 - received from Kindle First, read
   
6. In This Grave Hour by Jacqueline Winspear - Masie Dobbs - March 14, 2017 - received, read
   
7. A Welcome Murder by Robin Yocum - April 4, 2017 - this is a story set in the town next door to my hometown by an author who grew up nearby around the same time I did, received, read
   
8. Mrs. Jeffries Rights a Wrong by Emily Brightwell - Mrs. Jeffries series - May 2, 2017 - received, read, reviewed
   
9. The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan - Trials of Apollo - May 2, 2017 - received
   
10. A Purely Private Matter by Darcie Wilde - Rosalind Thorne - May 2, 2017 - received, read, reviewed
    
11. Sidney Chambers and the Persistence of Love by James Runcie - Grantchester - May 23, 2017 - received, read
    
12. Aunt Dimity and the Widow's Curse by Nancy Atherton - Aunt Dimity - May 30, 2017 - received, read
    
13. The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths - Ruth Galloway - May 30, 2017 - received, read
    
14. Lockdown by Laurie R King - June 13, 2017
    
15. A Panicked Premonition by Victoria Laurie - Psychic Eye - July 4, 2017
    
16. A Distant View of Everything by Alexander McCall Smith - Isabel Dalhousie - July 18, 2017
    
17. On Her Majesty's Frightfully Secret Service by Rhys Bowen - Her Royal Spyness - August 1, 2017
    
18. The Paris Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal - Maggie Hope - August 8, 2017
    
19. The Rat Catcher's Olympics by Colin Cotterill - Siri Paiboun - August 15, 2017
    
20. Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore - September 19, 2017
    
21. A Matter of Loyalty by Elizabeth Edmondson - A Very English Mystery - September 21, 2017
    
22. Origin by Dan Brown - Robert Langdon - September 26, 2017
    
23. Agatha Raisin and the Witches Tree by MC Beaton - Agatha Raisin - October 5, 2017
    
24. Mrs Jeffries and the Three Wise Women by Emily Brightwell - Mrs Jeffries - October 17, 2017
    
25. The Book of Dust by Philip Pullman - His Dark Materials world - October 19, 2017
    
26. The House of the Unexpected Sisters by Alexander McCall Smith - No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency - November 7, 2017
    
27. Wild Chamber by Christopher Fowler - Bryant & May - December 5, 2017
    
28. A Treacherous Curse by Deanna Raybourn - Veronica Speedwell - January 16, 2018
    
29. The Grave's a Fine and Private Place by Alan Bradley - Flavia de Luce - January 30, 2018
    
30. Death of an Honest Man by MC Beaton - Hamish MacBeth - February 1, 2018
    
31. Beau Death by Peter Lovesey - Peter Diamond - February 6, 2018

Series I'm Reading



My Series on FictFact.com

Next Book List on FictFact.com

Active Series with Which I’m Current

Peter Diamond by Peter Lovesey
Inspector Lynley by Elizabeth George
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
Duncan Kincaid & Gemma James by Deborah Crombie
Flavia de Luce by Alan Bradley
Mary Russell by Laurie R King
No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Hamish MacBeth by MC Beaton
Agatha Raisin by MC Beaton
Siri Paiboun by Colin Cotterill
Genevieve Lenard by Estelle Ryan
Very English Mystery by Elizabeth Edmondson
Irish Village by Carlene O’Connor
Freddy Pilkington-Soames by Clara Benson
Rosalind Thorne by Darcie Wilde
Aunt Dimity by Nancy Atherton
Isabel Dalhousie by Alexander McCall Smith
Psychic Eye by Victoria Laurie
Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
Clare Fergusson by Julie Spencer-Fleming
Maggie Hope by Susan Elia MacNeal
Grantchester by James Runcie
Ruth Galloway by Elly Griffiths
Stephens & Mephisto by Elly Griffiths
A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin
Veronica Speedwell by Deanna Raybourn
Thursday Next by Jasper Fforde
Nursery Crime by Jasper Fforde

Series I’m Reading

Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold
Robert Langdon by Dan Brown
Inspector Morse by Colin Dexter
Touchstone by Laurie R King
Inspector Richardson by Basil Thomson
Bryant & May by Christopher Fowler
Alan Grant by Josephine Tey
Amelia Peabody by Elizabeth Peters
Albert Campion by Margery Allingham
Inspector Sloan by Catherine Aird
Fethering by Simon Brett
Mrs Jeffries by Emily Brightwell
Jimm Juree by Colin Cotterill
Alexandra Gladstone by Paula Paul
Inspector Banks by Peter Robinson
Detective Lavender by Karen Charlton
Sergeant Cribb by Peter Lovesey
Miss Silver by Patricia Wentworth
Mrs Bradley by Gladys Mitchell
Inspector William Meredith by John Bude
Inspector Wexford by Ruth Rendell
Roger Sheringham by Anthony Berkeley
Inspector Gamache by Louise Penny
Discworld by Terry Pratchett
Desmond Merrion by Miles Burton
Father Gilbert by Paul McCusker

Series I've Finished - Too numerous to list all, but here are several

Adam Dalgleish by PD James
Harry Potter by JK Rowling
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
Goldy Schultz by Diane Davidson Mott
Chief Inspector Barnaby by Caroline Graham
Hercule Poirot by Agatha Christie
Miss Marple by Agatha Christie
Peter Wimsey by Dorothy Sayers
Constable Evan Evans by Rhys Bowen
Oliver Swithin by Alan Beechy
Roderick Alleyn by Ngaio Marsh
Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander
Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny
Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins
The Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry
Maze Runner by James Dashner
Burford Family by James Anderson
Angela Marchmont by Clara Benson
Foundationand Extended Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Robot by Isaac Asimov
Empire by Isaac Asimov
Integral Trees by Larry Niven
Oxford Time Travel by Connie Willis
Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
Dalziel and Pascoe by Reginald Hill
The Cat Who by Lilian Jackson Braun
Ender by Orson Scott Card

Newbery List



ala.org Newbery Medal and Honors List 1922 to Present

Medal Winners

2017 -
2016 - Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena
2015 -
2014 - Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo
2013 - The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
2012 -
2011 -
2010 - When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
2009 - The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
2008 -
2007 -
2006 -
2005 -
2004 - The Tale of Desperaux by Kate DiCamillo
2003 -
2002 - A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
2001 -
2000 -
1999 -
1998 -
1997 -
1996 -
1995 -
1994 - The Giver by Lois Lowry
1993 -
1992 -
1991 -
1990 - Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
1989 -
1988 -
1987 -
1986 -
1985 -
1984 -
1983 -
1982 -
1981 -
1980 -
1979 - The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
1978 - The Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
1977 -
1976 -
1975 -
1974 -
1973 -
1972 -
1971 -
1970 -
1969 - The High King by Lloyd Alexander
1968 - From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler by E L Konigsburg
1967 -
1966 -
1965 -
1964 -
1963 - A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
1962 -
1961 -
1960 -
1959 - The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
1958 -
1957 -
1956 -
1955 -
1954 -
1953 -
1952 - Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes
1951 -
1950 -
1949 -
1948 -
1947 -
1946 -
1945 -
1944 -
1943 -
1942 -
1941 -
1940 -
1939 -
1938 -
1937 -
1936 - Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink - Medal
1935 -
1934 -
1933 -
1932 -
1931 -
1930 -
1929 -
1928 -
1927 -
1926 -
1925 -
1924 -
1923 -
1922 -

Honors Books

2016 Honors - Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson
2016 Honors - The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
2015 Honors - El Deafo by Cece Bell
2014 Honors - The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes
2007 Honors - Rules by Cynthia Lord
1983 Honors - Doctor DeSoto by William Steig
1966 Honors - The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander
1964 Honors - Rascal by Sterling North
1957 Honors - Old Yeller by Fred Gipson
1953 Honors - Charlotte's Web by E B White
1949 Honors - My Father's Dragon by Ruth Gannett
1948 Honors - Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry
1944 Honors - These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder
1942 Honors - Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
1941 Honors - The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
1940 Honors - By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder
1939 Honors - Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater
1938 Honors - On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder
1929 Honors - Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag

Hugo Awards



Hugo Award for Best Novel List

2016 -
2015 -
2014 -
2013 - Redshirts by John Scalzi
2012 -
2011 - Blackout/Allclear by Connie Willis
2010 -
2009 - The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
2008 - The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon
2007 -
2006 -
2005 - Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
2004 -
2003 -
2002 - American Gods by Neil Gaiman
2001 - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
2000 -
1999 - To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
1998 -
1997 -
1996 -
1995 - Mirror Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold
1994 -
1993 - Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
1992 - Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold
1991 - The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold
1990 -
1989 -
1988 -
1987 - Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
1986 - Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
1985 - Neuromancer by William Gibson
1984 -
1983 - Foundation's Edge by Isaac Asimov
1982 -
1981 -
1980 -
1979 -
1978 -
1977 - Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm
1976 - The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
1975 -
1974 -
1973 - The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov
1972 -
1971 - Ringworld by Larry Niven
1970 - The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin
1969 -
1968 -
1967 - The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein
1966 - Dune by Frank Herbert
1965 -
1964 -
1963 - Man in the High Castle by Philip K Dick
1962 - Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein
1961 - A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller
1960 -
1959 -
1958 - The Big Time by Fritz Leiber
1956 -
1955 -
1954 - Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
1953 -
1951 -
1946 - The Mule from Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov
1939 - The Sword in the Stone from The Once and Future King by TH White

Books read in March 2017

1. (37) Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold -
   
2. (38) Twelfth Night: Tales from Shakespeare Retold in Modern-day English by Timothy Knapman -
   
3. (39) Lock In by John Scalzi -
   
4. (40) The Cheltenham Square Murder by John Bude -
   
5. (41) Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome by John Scalzi -
   
6. (42) On the Beach (fake version) by Unknown (NOT Nevil Shute) -
   
7. (43) From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler by E L Konigsburg - -reread
   
8. (44) In This Grave Hour by Jacqueline Winspear -
   
9. (45) Murderous Mayhem at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison -
   
   
   
   

Books added to my library in March 2017

1. (57) The Cheltenham Square Murder by John Bude - Netgalley
   
2. (58) Hemingway Didn't Say That by Garson O'Toole - Kindle First
   
3. (59) The Cruellest Month by Louise Penny
   
4. (60) Darkship Revenge by Sarah A Hoyt - Edelweiss
   
5. (61) Twelfth Night: Retold in Modern-day English by Timothy Knapman - Edelweiss
   
6. (62) Henry V: Retold in Modern-day English by Timothy Knapman - Edelweiss
   
7. (63) Julius Caesar: Retold in Modern-day English by Timothy Knapman - Edelweiss
   
8. (64) A Death by Any Other Name by Tessa Arlen - Netgalley
   
9. (65) The Poisoned Chocolates Case by Anthony Berkeley
   
10. (66) Before the Fact by Francis Iles (Anthony Berkeley
    
11. (67) The Merman's Children by Poul Andersen
    
12. (68) Friday's Child by Georgette Heyer
    
13. (69) Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome by John Scalzi
    
14. (70) Dyslexia and Mathematics by Tim Miles
    
15. (71) In This Grave Hour by Jacqueline Winspear
    
16. (72) The Lost Art of Reading Nature's Signs by Tristan Gooley
    
17. (73) On the Beach by Nevil Shute
    
18. (74) Battlefield Earth by L Ron Hubbard
    
19. (75) Make Room! Make Room! by Harry Harrison
    
20. (76) Asta's Book by Barbara Vine (Ruth Rendell)
    
21. (77) The Children of Húrin by J R R Tolkein
    
22. (78) Uniquely Gifted: Identifying and Meeting the Needs of the Twice-Exceptional Student by Kay Kiesa
    
23. (79) Murder on the Lake by Bruce Beckham
    
24. (80) In the Woods by Tana French
    
25. (81) The Tumor by John Grisham
    
26. (82) Death in the English Countryside by Sara Rosett
    
27. (83) Death in an English Cottage by Sara Rosett
    
28. (84) Death in a Stately Home by Sara Rosett
    
29. (85) Dyslexia and Maths by Julie Kay
    
30. (86) Not Now Maybe Later by Joanne Foster
    
31. (87) The Dower House Mystery by Patricia Wentworth
    
32. (88) A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
    
33. (89) Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
    
34. (90) The Warlord of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
    
35. (91) Thuvia of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
    
36. (92) The Chessmen of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
    
37. (93) The Mastermind of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
    
38. (94) A Fighting Man of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
    
39. (95) Murderous Mayhem at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison
    
40. (96) The Color Purple by Alice Walker
    
41. (97) Complete Collection of HP Lovecraft by HP Lovecraft
    
42. (98) The Introvert Advantage by Marti Olsen Laney
    
43. (99) Jacob I Have Loved by Katherine Paterson
    
    
    

Retzler Family Reading Update



Robin reading - I just started Brothers in Arms, continuing Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga

Robin listening - Recently started listening to Lock In by John Scalzi, read by Wil Wheaton. Loving it! This is my 2nd Scalzi, and I think I will be reading them all.

Ed - Now reading The Whistler by John Grisham, but I think he's decided that after reading all of Grisham's books, he's finally tired of them

Beckham - Following up Fahrenheit 451 and Animal Farm with 1984. He definitely has my taste in literature!

Keegan - Finished both The Book Thief and Who Was Steve Jobs?. Now reading Soul Surfer by Bethany Hamilton about the young surfer girl who was attacked by a shark

Beckham, Keegan & I - have made absolutely no progress on The Castle of Llyr together. But I'm not giving up yet

Hello? Is it safe? : ) Happy new thread!!

>10 rretzler: Hi, Kim. Thanks! Totally safe - glad you're here!

Happy new thread, Robin!

Happy new thread, Robin! (I sound like Amber's echo!)

>13 scaifea: >14 PaulCranswick: Thanks! ...Thanks! (there's the echo back!) Thanks Amber and Paul for stopping by. This weekend, I'm going to try to find some time to return visits.

Happy new thread!

>16 drneutron: Thanks, Jim.

Happy new thread!

Looking good now that everything is all filled in. Love the Retzler Family Update!!

Happy new thread, Robin!

Happ new thread, Robin.
What is keeping you from The Castle of Llyr?

Good morning and Happy new thread, Robin!

>10 rretzler: The update is fantastic, tough I am pulling for a return to the Castle of Llyr!

Since I don't read every Grisham, I'm still pleasantly surprised. Rogue Lawyer was good.

I have a son name Keegan as well. He's about to do a project on Teddy Roosevelt. He was asking me about Who Was Theodore Roosevelt? this morning. How old is your Keegan?

>18 Kassilem: Hi, Melissa. Thanks and welcome!

>19 Berly: Thanks, Kim. For some reason, those guys just don't seem to get through the books as fast as I do!

>20 karenmarie: Thanks, Karen. Welcome back.

>21 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. I've discovered that a 9th grader taking AP Calculus BC, AP Chemistry, and Honors English, as well as playing soccer, being in band and also being an avid gamer, just doesn't seem to have the time to read every night with his mother and brother. Beckham is generally doing his homework around the time that Keegan is getting ready for bed and I hate to prolong him also getting into bed. I'm just going to have to schedule time each week to read together, and we've been so busy that I haven't pushed it. :-(

>22 brodiew2: Brodie, my Keegan will be 12 in about 6 weeks (April 18). Cool that you have a Keegan, too! My Keegan will love to hear that! He always loved to read the Who Was series and he also really enjoyed the I Survived series. Has your Keegan read any of those? Who Was Steve Jobs? might have been a little young for him, but was in one of his teacher's classrooms, and he had to pick a nonfiction book, so that was his first pick. Unfortunately, he read it before the class even got started on whatever they needed the nonfiction book for, so he had to pick another one. I won't go into the whole long, complicated story with him, but we found out last year that he is dyslexic, but his dyslexia was masked by his intelligence, and vice versa. He really tries to resist reading on his own but seems to fly through graphic novels, the Who Was series and the I Survived series.

Yes, I really enjoyed Castle of Llyr and I know the boys were enjoying it too.

I think Ed just sees Grisham's books getting more and more formulaic. I can understand that as there are several series that I have loved that have gotten very repetitive over the years, but I just can't make myself stop reading them. I just keep thinking that maybe the next book will be as good as the series used to be...

Came by yesterday while you were under construction, and came by now to leave a comment. Sounds like life is busy!

>24 ronincats: Hi, Roni. That perhaps is the understatement of the year!

Hi Rhian! I think I gave up on Grisham after The Chamber, but I re-read The Pelican Brief every 3 or 4 years. 'Bout due again, I think.

Happy new thread!

>27 foggidawn: Thanks, foggi!

37. Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold



continuing my quick impressions instead of a review. this is the next in the vorkosigan saga, which I am enjoying. at first, i wasn't sure that i cared too much for the premise of this one - either the fact of miles' girlfriend or his "brother." i shouldn't have sold bujold short though as once again miles is brilliant, but the solution this time was perhaps a little less totally dependent on miles than some of the previous books. i know the last book, i said i thought miles should get a girlfriend, but i'm not sure i really like the one he did get. the "brother" adds an interesting twist. a good edition, but it won't be one of my favorites of the series.

38. Twelfth Night: Retold in Modern-day English by Timothy Knapman



this book was published in 2015, but was able to be requested from Edelweiss. when i looked at it, i thought it said grades8-12, but it actually said ages ages8-12. it was a fairly good retelling of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, which i read a long time ago. however, it seemed like some parts were repeated which made it a little confusing to read - not that shakespeare didn't try to confuse us anyway. i enjoyed the illustrations by Yaniv Shimony - black and white, just right for an older children's book, but not too "cutesy." i don't know how well this series sold, but it seems a good way to introduce an 8-12 year old to shakespeare. probably not the best retelling i've read, but then i haven't read many

39. Lock In by John Scalzi



In the not too distant future, a new virus has swept the world, affecting millions of people. Some who catch the virus just experience flu-like symptoms, but others are "locked in" to their minds. They are still alive, but are unable to communicate with the world outside their mind; unable to talk and unable to move their bodies, they appear comatose to others. Fortunately, science has been able to find, if not a cure, a way to integrate those affected, called "Hadens," into society. A neural network is surgically implanted into a Haden's brain, and they are able to communicate and control an android, known as a threep, in order to interact with others. Others, known as integrators, who have had the virus but have not contracted Hadens, can have neural networks implanted in their brains to allow Hadens to borrow their bodies, especially if the Haden cannot afford a threep. Chris Shane, a Haden, has just joined the FBI and has been assigned to a department that deals mostly with Haden and integrator crimes. On his first day on the job, he and his partner, Leslie Vann, are called to the Watergate Hotel to investigate a murder. The prime suspect in the case is an integrator - but did he act alone or was he being controlled by a Haden? The case becomes more and more complex as Shane and Vann investigate.

The only John Scalzi book that I have read so far is Redshirts, which I loved. Lock In sounded interesting and I was looking for a good book to listen to, so I downloaded it from Audible. I had a choice between two versions - one narrated by Wil Wheaton and one narrated by Amber Benson. I really enjoyed Wheaton's narration of Ready Player One, so I chose the Wheaton narrated version. I'm glad I did. Wheaton has a very pleasant, expressive voice and he expresses sarcasm very well.

I was immediately captivated by the story. The spread of the virus and its effects were written in a very believable, matter-of-fact manner. Chris Shane is the first person narrator, and he came across as a very likable person - someone who had been afflicted with Hadens, but who wanted to do some good in the world. Scalzi did a great job of character development. I am also a big fan of mysteries, and Lock In started right off with a body. The story progressed steadily with Vann and Shane working together to solve the mystery. There honestly weren't any twists, just a good, solid build-up of the case until the end. I enjoyed this book so much that I will likely purchase the Kindle version and read it as well.

I would highly recommend this book. I think just about anyone would enjoy it. It is a science fiction novel, but even though the science fiction is a big part of the plot, it doesn't overtake the book. It just has an excellent story.

Tsk. I need to get round to Scalzi's stuff - I've not read one bad - or even mediocre - review yet!

>32 scaifea: I don't know why I've hesitated for so long either because he is very readable and fun. Certainly different than Connie Willis or Lois McMaster Bujold, but I've really enjoyed what I've read so far. I'm a little hesitant to read the Old Man's War series because I think it will be somewhat military, but then again I guess the Vorkosigan Saga does too.

My two favorite genres are mystery and science fiction, tending to subgenres within - like British mysteries. For me, I think its pretty easy to guess whether I will like a particular mystery; I seem to know exactly what I'm looking for. Sometimes I'll read a book that I think might be "OK" and I'm pleasantly surprised that it's better than I thought. Very infrequently am I surprised by a mystery that I thought I would like but didn't. However, with science fiction, it almost seems to be the other way around. There is a lot of good sci-fi out there, but I think there is a lot of bad stuff too. I think I've been burned a little by the bad stuff, and it's hard for me to judge. I've got my standard go-to authors, but I'm much more hesitant just to read a sci-fi author that I don't know a lot about first (and even then, I think I have some trepidation.) I have to say, though, that I probably enjoy the sci-fi more, once I find the right author (with the exception of a few mystery authors who are my all time favorites.)

40. The Cheltenham Square Murder by John Bude



this is a reissue by poisoned pen press of a british library class mystery that was originally published in 1937 at the height of the golden age. john bude, pseudonym of ernest elmore, wrote 30 or so mysteries, most of them featuring superintendent meredith. bude did not become as famous as some of the other golden age writers, but I've found the couple that I've read to be decent mysteries. they are certainly not as complex as a christie novel, but they are enjoyable nonetheless.

meredith is visiting a friend and is on the scene when a murder occurs in a square which contains 8 houses. most of the people living in the square had a reason to dislike the victim, and two seemed to be more suspect than the rest. however, meredith and the local police are stumped as the alibis for the most promising suspects seem to check out.

all the clues are there, and if you're paying attention, i would guess that you could probably figure it out, or at least why the cases against those most suspect just don't work out. i had my suspicions from the beginning which turned out to be correct - i just missed some of the finer points. so, i also had a little feel-good moment, thinking myself better than a scotland yard detective!!

i received this in exchange for a fair review from netgalley, which i will now have to buckle down and write!

>31 rretzler: Great review and I have eagerly added this to my WL!! Thanks. And happy weekend. : )

>35 Berly: Thanks, Kim! Too late to wish you a good weekend, but have a great week!

I just finished the "prequel" to Lock In, which IMO might be better enjoyed after reading Lock In. It was also very good, but in a different way.

>34 rretzler: I can't wait to read more of those.

>37 thornton37814: Lori, I agree with you. IMO, there is just nothing like the comfort of a good mystery!

Question



I was recently thinking about my favorite types of books and the fact that I have "comfort" books.

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So...do you have a particular genre or even a particular book that is a "comfort" book. For example, a genre (or favorite book) that you might read if you feel down or need a break or just want to read a good book that you know you will like.

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>39 rretzler: I have two types of comfort books that I read. I don't really have a particular book that I read, but there are very particular genres. My first go to type of comfort book is a cozy, British mystery, either Golden Age mysteries or those similar in style to a Golden Age mystery - authors like Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, Martha Grimes, Rhys Bowen, Catherine Aird, P D James, Reginald Hill, Peter Lovesey, etc.

The second type is dystopian science fiction. Stuff like Nineteen Eighty-four, Brave New World, Atlas Shrugged, Fahrenheit 451, Lord of the Flies, Harrison Bergeron, Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Divergent, The Giver, and many, many others.

Generally, I'll probably go for a mystery first, as there are so many more of those that are readable than there are really good dystopian novels. But I think I enjoy the dystopian works more, as they seem to elicit more emotion.

>39 rretzler: >40 rretzler: Timing is everything! A very important question. As I am having a somewhat down week, battling germs and asthma, I have postponed and put aside some of my more "intellectual' books in favor of comfort books. For me, that would be mysteries and adventures. I also like the dystopian fiction, but half of the titles you listed would be ones I would want to read when I have all my faculties to really appreciate all that is going on them. So, I opted for light reading at the checkout line at the grocery store today!! Two FBIish/detective novels by Catherine Coulter and David Baldacci.

Comfort reads for me are past favorites, of course, and those, as I'm thinking about it, strongly tend toward fantasy (David Eddings, Neil Gaiman, Megan Whalen Turner, Douglas Adams...). So yeah, those and Cicero (because I have a deep and abiding love for that man).

I tend to reread old favorites when I am looking for a comfort read.

Yes, rereads that I love--no tension because I know the story and love the characters and can bury myself in the milieu. And generally those have a positive or uplifting ending--no downers!

>39 rretzler: For comfort reads I usually turn to one of my favorite YA writers like Rosemary Sutcliff or Alet Schouten to read their historic fiction.

>41 Berly: Kim, so sorry to hear you aren't feeling well. Comfort books are definitely the way to go. I'd also go for lots and lots of tea and a nice warm blanket. Fire in the fireplace if you have one! Maybe a good old black and white movie playing in the background...

>42 scaifea: Amber, definitely past favorites! It's interesting - I've not read a ton of fantasy, but the fantasy I have read, I've really loved. I don't know why I don't read more. I discovered Kate Danley and really loved the 3 works of her I read (The Woodcutter, Queen Mab and Queen Joanna.) Have you had the pleasure?

>43 foggidawn: >44 ronincats: foggi and Roni, ditto. Any good recommendations?

>45 FAMeulstee: Anita, I've not read anything by Rosemary Sutcliff. I'll have to search her out.

42. On the Beach (fake version) by NOT Nevil Shute



i have wanted to read this for a long time. i read A Town Called Alice several years ago and loved it, so i though a sci fi book by shute would be extra good. i searched on amazon, found this book for 2.99 and thought what a deal!

as i started to read it, i thought that the dialogue and indeed the entire narrative seemed as though it were either written by or for a third grader. conversations were very stilted. Here are a couple of examples:

"They sailed north all the next day. The health of his men was now important to the captain. He allowed them to look through the periscope. There was not much to see, but it gave them something new to do. This coast was their own home country. They could see places they knew. They could talk about their homes from long ago."

" 'You should have a rest,' the scientist said. 'You should travel a bit in Australia.' 'Is there any fishing?' 'Yes, in some of the little rivers.' 'I like fishing,' said Dwight."

i kept thinking - how could an author who wrote something as good as A Town Called Alice write something as bad as the book i was reading. it didn't make sense, but i still kept reading it. it was actually a little painful, but fortunately, it was short. i was still scratching my head about it after i finished it.

i went on amazon to look for the publisher for my database, and saw a bunch of 1-star reviews. of course, someone has tried to condense On the Beach from 300+ pages down into 112 and did so VERY, VERY badly. so if you want to buy the kindle version of this book on amazon, please beware.

i requested my money back from amazon which has returned the book. when i have a little more time, i will likely send amazon and email about it. there was nothing to suggest that this book wasn't the correct one, it was made out to look like nevil shute's book. i'm not sure how it got past amazon.

i guess the next time my brain is trying to tell me that a bad book couldn't possibly be written by a great author, i should pay more attention! i did then find the actual kindle version of the book and purchased it (for almost $17)

>46 rretzler: Some old favorites that I tend to read over and over include The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery, or many of her other books, Beauty by Robin McKinley, or many of her early books, just about anything by Diana Wynne Jones, The Chronicles of Narnia -- oh, lots of things!

43. From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler by E L Konigsburg



this is a many, many times reread - one of my favorite books growing up. the last time i read this to the boys, keegan was probably in 1st or 2nd grade and he didn't really remember it. since beckham, keegan and i can't seem to get our schedules together, i thought i would just reread it to keegan.

claudia kincaid, a 6th grader, feels unsatisfied, that there may be something missing from her life with her parents and 3 younger brothers in greenwich, ct and decides to run away...to the metropolitan museum of art in nyc. she asks her middle brother, jamie, to come along because he is good with money. while they are living in the museum and evading the guards, they discover a secret about a small angel statue and start to investigate. their investigation leads them to mrs basil e frankweiler and the end of their journey.

i absolutely adore this story. it is easy to read and fun and joyful! the author does a great job of capturing how children would think and feel and talk. if you haven't read this book, i would highly recommend it.

>48 foggidawn: foggi, I have never actually read anything else by LM Montgomery except for the Anne series. I'll have to give The Blue Castle a try!

We are back from our 2nd weekend in a row of out of town soccer tournaments for Beckham's team, Keegan's first game isn't until the 1st of April. The best weather for any of the games was about 35 degrees with a little sun, the worst was 23 degrees, windy with intermittent sleet! Glad to be back in the warmth taking a break from tax season to do a little catch up. But I'm afraid its back to the grind now!

>46 rretzler: No, I haven't read any Danley - I'll have to add her to the list.

>49 rretzler: Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh! I LOVE that book!! So glad that you do, too!

>52 scaifea: Amber, I think my favorite part is when they are bathing in the fountain. I was so disappointed when I finally got to go to the Met that there wasn't any fountain in the restaurant! Much like my disappointment when visiting Disneyland the 2nd time (the first time I was 3) and being disappointed that the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse was nothing like the movie!

44. In This Grave Hour by Jacqueline Winspear



a new release which is the lastest in winspear's maisie dobbs series - #13. it is every bit as good as the others in the series - i enjoyed it more than some and less than others. ww2 has just started in this one, which I think will provide a lot of material for future books. this is a very enjoyable historical series and is well-written.

I debated between 4 and 4.5 stars - its probably a toss-up, but since its an average book for winspear, i decided on the 4 stars

Stopping by with hellos and noticing your wonderful question at post >39 rretzler:. I am not much of a re-reader so my comfort reads tend to fall into either the historical adventure/romance or Gothic-lite mystery chick-lit variety. For example, right now I am reading Lauren Willig's Pink Carnation series and her books are a perfect example of my type of romance/espionage/adventure read with witty banter thrown in for good measure. ;-)

Hi Robin! Long time no visit.

>39 rretzler: My comfort reads are books by Agatha Christie and by Georgette Heyer. Almost any Christie will work except for Tuppence and Tommy. My favorite Heyers for comfort are Devil's Cub, These Old Shades, Faro's Daughter, and Lady of Quality. Oh, and The Quiet Gentleman, and The Talisman Ring, and .... you get the picture. Most of them.

>47 rretzler: Yipes. What an awful experience. I hope the real On the Beach takes the bad taste out of your mouth.

>51 rretzler: I remember daughter's soccer games in raw nasty weather. I'm sad she gave it up after 3 years, but didn't miss the practices waiting in the car for her and the nasty weather at games.

Hi Robin--Love the sound of From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler and I really need to fit in another Maisie....Thanks! Hope your soccer games come with warmer weather in the near future. When it is that cold, I would rather play than watch!

>55 lkernagh: Hi, Lori. Welcome. Ooh - romance/espionage/adventure sounds good! I don't read much romance, but I do have some romance authors that I would consider comfort reads - old Victoria Hold (romance and adventure/mystery) and Emilie Loring (mostly just romance.)

>56 karenmarie: Hi, Karen. Yeah, Tuppence and Tommy have never been my favorites either. I recently purchased my first Heyer romance, I've just read her mysteries up to now. That's too bad your daughter gave up soccer, it's a great sport - hopefully she's found other interests to take its place.

>57 Berly: Hi, Kim. If you've never had the pleasure of From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler, I would highly recommend it - and I know Amber would too!

59. Murderous Mayhem at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison



last year, i received an ARC of the 3rd book in the honeychurch hall series and reviewed it. a few weeks ago, i received an email from someone (the publisher, perhaps?) asking me if I would be interested in reading and reviewing the next in the series. so, i said yes.

I don't have time to write a review now - but initial impressions are that it was a cute book. not one of the best written, but not badly written either. more of a beach read if you're into a cozy mystery that is mostly fluff.

By the numbers

Books read - 9
Average days to read a book – 3.4

Pages read – 1,888
Average pages per book - 210
Average pages per day - 61

Series read - 5
Books in series read - 6

Source

ARC - 3
Borrowed - 0
New - 4
Reread - 1
TBR - 1

Medium

Audio - 1
Ebook - 7
Print - 1

Genre

Children -1
Fiction -0
Middle Grade -1
Mystery - 3
Nonfiction - 0
Picture -0
Science Fiction - 4

Authors

Authors by book
Female - 4
Male - 4
Unknown/other - 1

Unique authors
Female - 124
Male - 3
Unknown/other - 1

Authors read for the first time - 1

Nationality - unique authors
American - 3
English - 4
Irish – 0
Scottish – 0
South African - 0
Swedish - 0
Unknown - 1

Living or deceased - unique authors
Deceased - 2
Living - 6

Awards

Caldecott – 0
Hugo - 0
Nebula - 0
Newbery - 1

Ratings

5.0 - 1
4.5 - 1
4.0 - 4
3.5 - 2
3.0 - 0
2.5 - 0
2.0 - 0
1.5 - 0
1.0 -1

Average rating – 3.72

Average rating of books read per LibraryThing – 3.97
Average rating of books read per Goodreads – 3.89
Average rating of books read per Amazon - 4.40

Decade published

1920 - 0
1930 - 1
1950 - 0
1960 - 1
1970 - 0
1980 - 1
1990 - 0
2000 - 0
2010 - 6

Books added to library

ARC - 4
New release - 39
Other - 0

Favorite books in March

Books read in April 2017

1. (46) Darkship Revenge by Sarah A Hoyt -
   
2. (47) Lock In by John Scalzi - - reread
   
3. (48) 100 Cupboards by N D Wilson -
   
4. (49) A Death by Any Other Name by Tessa Arlen -
   
5. (50) A Welcome Murder by Robin Yocum -
   
6. (51) All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders -
   
7. (52) The Final Solution by Michael Chabon -
   
8. (53) Mirror Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold -
   
9. (54) Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold -
   
10. (55) Komarr by Lois McMaster Bujold -
    
11. (56) A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold -
    
12. (57) Winterfair Gifts by Lois McMaster Bujold -
    
    
    
    

Books added to my library in April 2017

1. (100) Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan
   
2. (101) Murder at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison
   
3. (102) The Hope That Kills by Ed James
   
4. (103) Strangeways to Oldham by Andrea Frazer
   
5. (104) Guiding the Gifted Child by James T Webb
   
6. (105) Helping Gifted Children Soar by Carol A Strip Whitney
   
7. (106) Keys to Parenting the Gifted Child by Sylvia Rimm
   
8. (107) A Welcome Murder by Robin Yocum
   
9. (108) Flatland by Edwin Abbott
   
10. (109) Until We Collide by Charlotte Fallowfield
    
11. (110) City of Glass by Paul Auster
    
12. (111) Ghosts by Paul Auster
    
13. (112) The Locked Room by Paul Auster
    
14. (113) Deathless by Catherynne Valente
    
15. (114) The Final Solution by Michael Chabon
    
16. (115) How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
    
17. (116) Winterfair Gifts by Lois McMaster Bujold
    
18. (117) Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold
    
19. (118) Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold
    
20. (119) Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold
    
21. (120) Where You Go is Not Who You'll Be by Frank Bruni
    
22. (121) Three Lives by Gertrude Stein
    
23. (122) The Vorkosigan Companion by Lillian S Carl
    
    
    

46. Darkship Revenge by Sarah A Hoyt



I received this arc from edelweiss, which is a site like netgalley, to provide arc copies to reviewers. so eventually i will need to fully review this one too. i believe it is the 5th book in the series, but different websites have different series lists.

at some future time, earth has been reorganized into seacities, run by the good men. in the 21st century, genetically modified superhuman men were created to run the planet and these men became the good men. before the book begins, most of the good men have left earth in a spaceship, je reviens (I will return), run off of earth by the populace. thena is the also genetically modified daughter of one of the good men, who has escaped the earth and her father, who seems to have been a psychopath. as the book begins, thena, who has married kit, is imminently expecting a baby, while she and kit are in their spaceship, orbiting earth and gathering power cubes for the planet eden, which they live on. kit is also a genetically modified individual - he has been modified with cat's eyes, to be a pilot. their ship is attacked, but the attackers back off. as kit goes out to make repairs to the ship, thena goes into labor. after the baby is born, thena discovers that kit has disappeared and she descends to earth with her newborn to find him. thena goes to old friends to help her find kit, who has already made contact with them. kit's kidnappers turn out to be a surprise for all.

I have made a hash of the plot above, but it really sounded interesting to me, and it was. however, actually reading it was altogether another. it was not the easiest book to read. most of the sentences were compound sentences. I actually counted 78 words in one sentence alone. frequently, by the time i had reached the end of a particularly long sentence, i had to go back and reread it because i had completely forgotten what the point was. the author could have gotten her point across by writing much more simply.

so...storyline was interesting and intriguing and made me want to read more, but i'm still debating whether i will or not. it wasn't the easiest read, so i just need to decide whether it will be worth the work

47. Lock In by John Scalzi



this is a reread of the book, since i previously listened to the audiobook.

I did catch several things on the reread that i didn't catch when listening, which made me enjoy the book more.

see my review at >31 rretzler:

48. 100 Cupboards by N D Wilson



reread of a middle grade book with Keegan. Henry has lost his parents and come to stay with his aunt and uncle and their three daughters in henry, kansas. they live in a small town on farmland in a small home, where there is no room for henry except for the attic, as henry's grandfather has recently died and no one can get into his locked bedroom. shortly after henry arrives, the plaster starts falling off of the wall in his attic bedroom and he discovers a lot of drawers built into the wall behind the plaster. One appears to be a postbox, another when open gives off a refreshing breeze, while a third causes henry to be ill when it is opened.

this was a fun book. it was an easy read with no extraneous details, and just enough mystery to keep you wanting to read more. it is the first in a series of three. while we enjoyed it, i don't know if we have yet decided whether we want to read the rest of the story.

49. A Death by Any Other Name by Tessa Arlen



Just some brief notes about this one. I picked it up from NetGalley in exchange for a review - it sparked my interest because it was a British mystery, my favorite kind. It is set just before WWI and is the 3rd in the Lady Montfort series.

Edith Jackson, the Montfort's housekeeper, has just returned to the Montfort's main residence, Iyntwood, after a vacation, when the former cook of Hyde Castle and sister of the Montfort dairyman, seeks her help. Mrs. Armitage was let go as the cook at Hyde Castle because one of the guests died after eating a breakfast of kedgeree, which was made especially for him. Mrs. Armitage swears there was nothing wrong with the food and is backed by the butler of Hyde Castle who suggested that she consult Mrs. Jackson and Lady Montfort. Mrs. Jackson seems to be tired of dealing with mysteries, but Lady Montfort is intrigued and manages to get an invitation to Hyde Castle. Hyde Castle is owned by the nouveau riche Haldanes. Mrs. Haldane is a member of the Hyde Rose society, and so was the deceased - Mr. Bartholomew. At first, it seems that the police were correct, and it was just food poisoning, but Lady Montfort and Mrs. Jackson soon suspect murder.

I found this book more enjoyable than I expected it to be. For a historical novel, I felt it kept true to the period. The mystery was well-developed and believable, as was the solution. There were clues all the way throughout leading to the solution of the mystery. The author gave some insights into Mrs. Jackson and Lady Montfort during the book - much more than an Agatha Christie, but quite a bit less than Elizabeth George or Deborah Crombie. I think this author's books are as good as some of the popular current mystery writers - such as Laura Childs or Joanne Fluke.

While it is the 3rd in the series, it definitely could be read as a standalone. There were a few mentions, I believe, of the prior book(s), but that didn't interfere with my understanding or enjoyment of this book. I didn't really care for the title, but I do understand why the author chose it.

I would certainly read more by this author, just to see if her other books held up to this one. A Death by Any Other Name would make a good beach read for someone who likes mysteries - it's a fun book.

50. A Welcome Murder by Robin Yocum



coming after 4/18

Or just Happy Sunday!!

>68 Berly: Thanks, Kim. Happy Easter to you too!

And Happy Easter to everyone, if you celebrate. My boys are too old now for the Easter bunny, but we still colored eggs yesterday (well, they did, while I worked) and we hid candy in plastic eggs for them to find this morning. I'm looking forward to hard boiled eggs and egg salad sandwiches for the next week as no one else will eat them!

Hi Robin! We visited a family friend for Easter Luncheon, which was nice, had a bit of Easter candy, and that was it! I did give daughter a Chocolate Easter Bunny when she visited in March, and she ate the ears off first, as usual.

Congratulations on all the good reading you've been doing!

>70 karenmarie: Hi, Karen. Sounds like a relaxing Easter!

Nebula Awards



Nebula Award for Best Novel List

2017 -
2016 -
2015 -
2014 -
2013 -
2012 -
2011 - Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis
2010 -
2009 -
2008 - The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon
2007 -
2006 -
2005 -
2004 -
2003 - American Gods by Neil Gaiman
2002 -
2001 -
2000 -
1999 -
1998 -
1997 -
1996 -
1995 -
1994 -
1993 - The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
1992 -
1991 -
1990 -
1989 -
1988 -
1987 - Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
1986 - Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
1985 - Neuromancer by William Gibson
1984 -
1983 -
1982 -
1981 -
1980 -
1979 -
1978 -
1977 -
1976 - The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
1975 -
1974 -
1973 - The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov
1972 -
1971 - Ringworld by Larry Niven
1970 - The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K LeGuin
1969 -
1968 -
1967 - Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
1966 - Dune by Frank Herbert

51. All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders



I've started this review and deleted it several times, and now I'm really behind with reviews, so it's time just to write something about the book and move on. On paper (no pun intended), this should have been a book I liked - well, I bought it last year, so I must have thought I would like it. It is both fantasy and science fiction, both genres I like, and it is quirky, and I really like quirky. I guess now I know it depends on the type of quirky.

The book follows the lives of Patricia and Laurence, not Larry, as they grow up. We first meet Patricia when she is six-years-old trying to save a wounded bird from her sister and the neighboring cat. She discovers that she can talk to the bird and also to the Parliamentary Tree, who proclaims that she is a witch. To save herself and the bird, she must answer the Endless Question, she asks for more time...and is found and carried back home by her father. Her mother and father punish her by locking her in her room and slipping meals under her door. We meet Laurence in elementary school. He is a nerdy genius who suffers the same stereotypical fate as other nerds by being picked on and ostracized by his classmates. Patricia and Laurence are in the same class at school and both being thought weird by their classmates, they become friends. Just before Patricia runs away to a witches school, she saves Laurence from military school, so that he can attend a computer school. The two lose touch until they have both graduated from college and have careers. The world is in environmental disarray. Patricia is working with the witches to try to save Earth, while Laurence is working with the scientists to find a way to save the human race by getting them off world to another planet. The scientists and the witches collide, and to some extent, Patricia and Laurence are caught in the middle.

You may be asking - what happened to the Endless Question? Did Patricia ever answer? Well, I won't answer that, and you may be disappointed by my non-answer. I know I was disappointed by the resolution of the Endless Question. It seemed a cop out, IMO.

I can't say that I really liked the book, but I guess I didn't hate it. My initial rating was 3.5, and the more I think about it, the more I wonder if I wasn't too generous. I guess I'll give it the benefit of the doubt since it was nominated for both a Hugo and a Nebula, but honestly, I think that was a mistake. I don't feel that this book is fit to be compared to books like Dune or Ringworld or The Left Hand of Darkness or Ender's Game or Blackout/All Clear or The Forever War or...well, you get the point.

I wasn't able to identify with either character - I came close to identifying with Laurence, but he made some really stupid choices in the book that really made me just want to shake him. I guess I mainly felt sorry for him. Patricia, well, I had a difficult time liking her, especially as the book went on. I can't say that I actively disliked her, because well that would give the impression that the book actually made me care, and it really didn't. I thought the plot, what there was of it, was very thin. The whole witchcraft versus science thing could have been intriguing, but really focused more on saving Earth versus saving the human race. While it wasn't contemplated in the book, it seems to me that getting humans off the Earth would actually accomplish both goals of saving Earth and the human race. The book sort of ended with a whimper. All in all, I was disappointed. I guess I should probably email the author as she suggests so that she can come to my house and act it out with origami finger puppets. That might be more interesting.

My husband just reminded me that I thought this book sounded like a dream that someone had written down as soon as they woke up - and gave no more thought to it.

An interesting aside, I have noticed that most books on Amazon, if they are even mediocre, rate at least 4.0 stars. All the Birds in the Sky has a 3.9 rating on Amazon - 'Nuf said.

- an extremely generous rating

52. The Final Solution by Michael Chabon



The Final Solution is a Michael Chabon novella about Sherlock Holmes in retirement. Holmes is not identified at any point in the story but is alluded to throughout. It takes place during his retirement to the Sussex Downs, where he is still raising bees when he is eighty or so years old.

I don't know if the author intended this to be a mystery or not. A murder takes place, but it is not difficult to figure out the culprit. I think this was more a story about Holmes in retirement - how his powers and his mind have held up and his need for stimulation.

As a Sherlock Holmes aficionado, I did enjoy the novella, even though it wasn't a mystery per se. My only criticism is that Michael Chabon seems to enjoy letting his readers know that he knows a lot of "big words"! Not that I did not know them too, but I prefer the stories that I read to be more conversational. Reading Chabon's works would be something akin to talking with a thesaurus.

>73 rretzler: Aha, another one! There are several of us here in the 75ers who have had that exact same reaction to the book. It should have been fantastic; it was just meh.

Hi Robin!

>74 rretzler: I started it and put it down - it just didn't hold my interest, I'm afraid.

Great reviews, Robin. You've sparked my interest with a couple...

Comfort reading for me will almost always be a mystery, but on rare occasions I might read fantasy as a way to remove myself from the ways of the world.

I hope you have a wonderful week.

>75 ronincats: >76 karenmarie: Roni and Karen, glad to know I'm not alone. I really think the awards committees blew it with their nominations - I just hope it doesn't win. I can't believe that this book was picked over Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold or Crosstalk by Connie Willis. I haven't read the Bujold yet - I'm making my way through the series and it will be coming soon - but if it is anything like the rest of the Vorkosigan novels, it should have been nominated. And while I didn't think Crosstalk was the best Willis book I've read, I thought it had a really interesting premise. Both the Anders book and the Willis book were sci-fi romances of a sort, but the Willis book was WAY better than the Anders - I really cared about the characters and what happened to them. Patricia and Laurence could be trapped in the basement of a hotel by a hurricane and it wouldn't have bothered me a bit!

>77 Matke: Thanks, Gail and welcome! I haven't put up a review yet of A Welcome Murder by Robin Yocum - but if you like mysteries, you might enjoy it. I certainly did, but a lot of that is likely because it was set in my hometown, well, I guess the town next door to my hometown. It is set in the 1980's, which is after I left, but everything about it rings true for a small, blue-collar steel town. The characters are so spot-on that I can almost pick them out as people I went to HS with! There is a mystery, but it is almost secondary to the great characterization of multiple people in the book. There is a twist at the end which I did not see coming - and I'm usually very good at spotting whodunit!

You'll have to let me know if you read any of the books that sparked your interest. I always love to compare notes with fellow readers! I see we have lots and lots of mysteries in common!

>66 rretzler: completed review of A Death by Any Other Name

53. Mirror Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold



Mirror Dance is the 10th book in the internal chronological order of the Vorkosigan Saga. It was the well-deserved winner of the Hugo in 1995.

Mark, Miles' clone brother, who we met in Brothers in Arms has decided to disguise himself as Miles so that he can rescue House Bharaputra's clone creche on Jackson's Whole. He clumsily commandeers Bel Thorne's ship for the raid, gives her a little info on Jackson's Hole geography and leaves the rest to her, hiding away in his room on the ship until they arrive. Of course, the mission is not a success as Mark has neither the knowledge or the experience to deal with Jackson's Whole, and Miles, three days behind, attempts to salvage his crew, his brother, and the clones. Things seem to be going well until Miles is killed. Fortunately, there is already a cryo chamber near, and Quinn takes out the body being rescued so that she can save Miles. In the frenzy to get off planet, the cryo chamber is left behind, and the Dendarii with Quinn commanding must do everything in their power to get Miles back.

The story alternates between Mark's viewpoint and Miles' viewpoint. Of course, Miles isn't dead but is out of commission for much of the book, so it is up to Mark to clean up his mess. This book is probably darker than most of the books in the series, but there are some light parts as well. Miles is brilliant as always, and we learn a lot about Mark and his motivations. By the end of the book, I found myself liking Mark more than I had at the beginning and hoping that he would find a way to redeem himself.

Bujold is an amazing author. The Vorkosigan Saga is action-packed, but also full of good characterization. She puts you inside the mind of the main character/characters and you can follow their motivation. Terrible things happen to the protagonists, but they always manage to think their way through to salvage the situation. I hadn't read any of these books until last year - I don't know why I waited, and I'm very sorry I did. I'm also sorry that I can see the end coming all too soon, as I am now over half-way through.

Bujold says that she writes each novel as a standalone, but frankly, one would miss so much of the story by not reading these books in the internal chronological order.

54.

55.

56.

57.

By the numbers

M (YTD)

Books read - 12 (57)
Average days to read a book – 2.5 (2.3)

Pages read – 3,591 (16,043)
Average pages per book - 329 (276)
Average pages per day - 132 (135)

Series read - 5 (21)
Books in series read - 9 (33)

Source

ARC - 2 (6)
Borrowed - 0 (10)
New - 4 (22)
Reread - 2 (3)
TBR - 4 (16)

Medium

Audio - 0 (2)
Ebook - 11 (50)
Print - 1 (5)

Genre

Children - 0 (2)
Fiction - 1 (5)
Middle Grade -1 (4)
Mystery - 2 (19)
Nonfiction - 0 (6)
Picture -0 (1)
Science Fiction - 8 (20)

Authors

Authors by book
Female - 8 (29)
Male - 4 (27)
Unknown/other - 0 (1)

Unique authors
Female - 4 (23)
Male - 4 (24)
Unknown/other - 0 (1)

Authors read for the first time - 3 (22)

Living or deceased - unique authors
Deceased - 0 (6)
Living - 8 (42)

Nationality - unique authors
American - 6 (24)
English - 1 (17)
Irish – 0 (1)
Portugese - 1 (1)
Scottish – 0 (1)
South African - 0 (1)
Swedish - 0 (1)
Unknown - 0 (2)

Awards

Caldecott – 0 (1)
Hugo - 1 (4)
Nebula - 0 (1)
Newbery - 0 (4)

Ratings

5.0 - 2 (4)
4.5 - 5 (14)
4.0 - 1 (20)
3.5 - 4 (10)
3.0 - 0 (6)
2.5 - 0 (1)
2.0 - 0 (0)
1.5 - 0 (1)
1.0 -0 (1)

Average rating – 4.21 (3.88)

Average rating of books read per LibraryThing – 3.91 (3.84)
Average rating of books read per Goodreads – 4.02 (3.96)
Average rating of books read per Amazon - 4.30 (4.3)

Decade published

1920 - 0 (4)
1930 - 0 (1)
1940 - 0 (0)
1950 - 0 (1)
1960 - 0 (2)
1970 - 0 (1)
1980 - 0 (4)
1990 - 4 (6)
2000 - 3 (8)
2010 - 5 (30)

Books added to library

ARC - 0 (5)
New release - 23 (117)
Other - 0 (0)

Favorite books in April

Books read in May 2017

1. (58) The Castle of Llyr by Lloyd Alexander - - reread
   
2. (59) Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold -
   
3. (60) Arclight by Brandon Graham -
   
4. (61) A Purely Private Matter by Darcie Wilde -
   
5. (62) Mrs. Jeffries Rights a Wrong by Emily Brightwell -
   
6. (63) The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman -
   
7. (64) A Case of Conspiracy in Clerkenwell by Clara Benson -
   
8. (65) The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows -
   
9. (66) The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher -
   
10. (67) Printer's Error by Gladys Mitchell -
    
11. (68) A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn -
    
12. (69) A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn -
    
13. (70) All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque -
    
14. (71) Brazen Tongue by Gladys Mitchell -
    
15. (72) Sisters by Raina Telgemeier -
    
16. (73) Hangman's Curfew by Gladys Mitchell -
    
17. (74) Sidney Chambers and the Persistence of Love by James Runcie -
    
18. (75) Lumberjanes: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson, et al -
    
19. (76) Call for the Dead by John le Carré -
    
20. (77) Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier -
    
21. (78) Aunt Dimity and the Widow's Curse by Nancy Atherton -
    
22. (79) The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths -
    
    
    
    

Books added to my library in May 2017

1. (123) The Lioness of Morocco by Julia Drosten
   
2. (124) The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks
   
3. (125) The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks
   
4. (126) The Wishsong of Shannara by Terry Brooks
   
5. (127) Mrs Jeffries Rights a Wrong by Emily Brightwell
   
6. (128) The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan
   
7. (129) A Purely Private Matter by Darcie Wilde
   
8. (130) Dreamweaver's Dilemma by Lois McMaster Bujold
   
9. (131) Date with Death by Julia Chapman
   
10. (132) A Case of Conspiracy by Clara Benson
    
11. (133) One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
    
12. (134) On the Road by Jack Kerouac
    
13. (135) A Lesson in Dying by Ann Cleeves
    
14. (136) Psychology and Education of the Gifted by Walter Burke Barbe
    
15. (137) The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
    
16. (138) A Shilling for Candles by Josephine Tey
    
17. (139) The Joy of x by Steven Strogatz
    
18. (140) The Magic of Math by Arthur Benjamin
    
19. (141) Brazen Tongue by Gladys Mitchell
    
20. (142) Sunset Over Soho by Gladys Mitchell
    
21. (143) The Worsted Viper by Gladys Mitchell
    
22. (144) A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourne
    
23. (145) Guiding the Gifted Child by James Webb
    
24. (146) Resorting to Murder by Martin Edwards
    
25. (147) All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
    
26. (148) We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E Taylor
    
27. (149) Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
    
28. (150) Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank
    
29. (151) Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi
    
30. (152) Armada by Ernest Cline
    
31. (153) In the Beginning: First Novels in Mystery Series by Mary Jean DeMarr
    
32. (154) Malice Aforethought by Francis Iles
    
33. (155) When Last I Died by Gladys Mitchell
    
34. (156) Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick
    
35. (157) The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin - audio version of book already owned
    
36. (158) Come Away Death by Gladys Mitchell
    
37. (159) Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth
    
38. (160) Louder than Words by Benjamin K Bergen
    
39. (161) Sidney Chambers and the Persistence of Love by James Runcie
    
40. (162) The Mystery of a Butcher's Shop by Gladys Mitchell
    
41. (163) Whodunit?: A Who's Who in Crime & Mystery Writing by Rosemary Herbert
    
42. (164) This Immortal by Roger Zelazny
    
43. (165) The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths
    
44. (166) Aunt Dimity and the Widow's Curse by Nancy Atherton
    
    
    

Retzler Family Reading Update



Robin reading - I just finished Falling Free the first book of the Vorkosigan Saga and am waiting 30 minutes until Mrs Jeffries Rights a Wrong to be delivered to my Kindle.

Robin listening - I've been listening to The Great Courses The Art of Reading - not technically a book, but an audio course about reading, so I'm counting it.

Ed - He's not reading anything right now. I'm not sure he finished the Grisham that he was reading.

Beckham - Finished reading Lord of the Flies for class and is starting Romeo and Juliet for class. He had a choice between Romeo and Juliet and The Fault in Our Stars and chose Romeo and Juliet because he wanted to experience Shakespeare

Keegan - Finished Soul Surfer and Unbroken and is starting on Escape from Lucien the Amulet graphic novel series 6th book. He will be finished with that in about a day, so he's also starting The Lemonade War

Beckham, Keegan & I - WooHoo! The three of us have found some time to continue our nightly reading and have finally finished The Castle of Llyr. Before we finish the rest of that series, we are going to read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a reread to me, but new to them.

(Only 20 minutes now until Mrs. Jeffries appears on my Kindle!)

Oh my, those blanks for books # 54-57 must, according to >86 rretzler: favorite books in April, be blowing through Memory, Komarr, A Civil Campaign and Winterfair Gifts. Lucky you. Aren't they great stories? Fortunately, they make great comfort rereads as well.

>90 ronincats: Got it in one, Roni! They are fabulous books and have now become one of my favorite series. I actually am already looking forward to the rereads. I'm burning through them very quickly and its a little sad though - I think I only have 4 more to go (Diplomatic Immunity, Captain Vorpatril's Alliance, Cryoburn and Gentleman Jole), plus the short stories in Dreamweaver's Dilemma which I'm expecting in the mail tomorrow. I'm trying to decide if I should just read them all now, or take a break and come back to them. I'm so thankful that you and Kriti kept mentioning the series!

We are true missionaries, Robin! And the lot you just blew threw may be the very best in the series.

Hi, Robin!

Too funny: I just finished The Black Cauldron yesterday, with the next book tentatively scheduled for next month.

>92 ronincats: That you are, Roni! Mirror Dance and Memory are probably my favorites so far - and also The Warrior's Apprentice

>93 Matke: Gail, what a coincidence! It's a really good series - this is my second time through.

Hi Robin! Just a quick hello. I hope you're doing well. Great April reading stats!

>96 karenmarie: Thanks, Karen. Not at bad effort for the second half of the month!

Hi, Robin!

Had to laugh at this:

I've started this review and deleted it several times, and now I'm really behind with reviews, so it's time just to write something about the book and move on.

I had a good run recently but my reviewing has now stalled while my reading hasn't, and I'm getting that panicky feeling... :D

Checking in on thread 2!

>98 lyzard: Liz yes - I love to read them, but absolutely HATE to write about them. When I'm reading them, I can think of all sorts of things to say about them, but what's in my brain never seems to come out. If I could just get away with - "I really liked this book" or "I really didn't like this book" - I would do it in a heartbeat. LOL!

>99 alcottacre: Good to see you, Stasia!

Hi Robin! Glad tax season is over and you can come out and play again. I can totally see your love of numbers after seeing all the things you track for your monthly stats!! LOL. Don't panic over the reviews. And happy Friday!

>100 rretzler: Why wouldn't you keep it with very short reviews, Robin?

>100 rretzler: Hi, Kim. Glad to be back. I want so much just to either read or be on LT that I keep having to remind myself that I have other things to get done too!

>102 FAMeulstee: Anita, I would do that, but it always frustrates me when I see others just say they liked the book or not. I guess I think that doesn't really give one an idea about the quality of the book, unless you really know the reviewer and their tastes. So, I keep on!

>101 Berly: Kim, I think its not so much a love of numbers, as it is a love of information - of any and all kinds. Especially when I read a book that I like, if it has a historical component, I'm on the internet to find out more, which leads me to another page about something else, and I'm off on a tangent with half a day gone! The database I'm keeping on my books is rather more extensive than even the information that I've shared above. I'm keeping track of things like the imprint of the books I read and who the ultimate publisher is, along with several other things. I just have this need for information!!

Your thread is always such a joy for a listaholic like me.

Have a great weekend, Robin.

Hi, Robin! I took a walk down Memory Lane and came up with some authors I've liked.

Peter Dickinson An award-winning children's and fantasy author who produced some wonderful mysteries. I especially liked The Glass-Sided Ants' Nest and The Yellow Room Conspiracy, in addition to the James Pibble series.

Caroline Graham Inspector Barnaby series. Well-developed character, and very witty

Ruth Dudley Edwards Very funny series, but only the first four books. Then she becomes didactic and bombastic, thinly veiled by satire.

W. J. Burley Inspector Wycliffe

Anne Cleeves Two excellent series: Jimmy Peresz and Vera Stanhope. There's an earlier series, but I haven't read it yet.

R. D. Wingfield Inspector Frost

Peter Robinson Inspector Banks

Andrea Frazer Falconer Files (hilarious) and Belchester Chronicles

Two others to consider, although somewhat outside our most favored territory:

Elizabeth Peters is an American author who writes the very funny Amelia Peabody series. Amelia is an archaeologist who divides her time between England and Egypt. Very well done: Peters is an Egyptologist by profession.

Alexander McCall Smith writes the utterly charming Precious Ramotswe series, which takes place in Botswana. A delight to read.

These are more or less contemporary authors. I have a few older authors I'll add later today or tomorrow.

Enjoy your explorations.

Hey Robin! Tax season or not you're really rocking your reading list! I'm really looking forward to how many you can read now that tax season is over!

>105 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. Yes, I had you figured as a listaholic as well!

>107 Carmenere: Thanks, Lynda. Unfortunately, I have another project that is going to eat up a lot of reading time, and then I need to start planning vacation. Unfortunately, it will probably be July or August before I can really start reading the way I'd like to. Sigh...

>106 Matke: Fantastic, Gail! Thanks for stopping by.

I have a bunch of Peter Dickinson lined up to read, but haven't gotten started yet.

Read and enjoyed all of the Caroline Graham and wish there were more. I don't know why she stopped. Have also watched quite a few, but not all of the TV series.

Haven't read anything yet by Ruth Dudley Edwards, but she's on my list to get to, same with Burley, Cleeves, and Frazer.

Have not heard of R.D Wingfield and Inspector Frost - those will be going on my list too.

I have read many Peter Robinson's Inspector Banks novels and got a little bored with them years ago. I own several more, so perhaps it's time for me to get back into them. They were enjoyable though.

Same with Elizabeth Peters - read much of the series, got a little bored and have not gone back. They were also enjoyable.

Alexander McCall Smith - am caught up with both the Precious Ramotswe series and the Isabel Dalhousie series. I've not yet started the 44 Scotland Street series, which I think I would like, and the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series, which I am not sure I would like.

I thought of a couple more series that I have enjoyed which you might like as well.

James Runcie Grantchester Mysteries - very, very good IMO - the PBS Grantchester TV series is based on the books
Emily Brightwell's Mrs. Jeffries and Inspector Witherspoon series - set in Victorian London. Enjoyable historical mysteries
Colin Cotterill Siri Paiboun - the series isn't British, its set in Laos in the 1970s, but I found it very enjoyable. It does have a little bit of a supernatural element, but it's done in a very amusing way. He also has another series Jimm Juree, of which I've only read one, but enjoyed it as well. There is no supernatural element in the Jimm Juree books
Alan Beechy Oliver Swithin mysteries - there were only 3 but they were humorous and fun and I hope he writes more
Elizabeth Edmondson Very English Mystery series - recent and I believe self-published but readable
Ron Benrey Royal Tunbridge Wells Mystery - also self-published and readable
Graham Thomas Erskine Powell - there are maybe 4 of these and I enjoyed them quite a bit
Simon Brett 3 series - Mrs. Pargeter, Charles Paris and the Fethering Mysteries - have read several of the Fethering series, one each Mrs. Pargeter and Charles Paris - they are not bad, and I don't remember why I didn't continue - probably because I didn't enjoy them enough to buy them, and my library didn't have much selection

58. The Castle of Llyr by Lloyd Alexander



This is the 3rd book in the Chronicles of Prydain written by Alexander in the 1960s. It was a reread for me - my boys and I enjoy reading together, and this is a series that we are working our way through.

In this book, Taran is escorting Princess Eilonwy to the Island of Mona so that she can receive some training in how to be a lady since she has run free for some time. Unbeknownst to both Taran and Eilonwy, the plan is for her to become betrothed to Prince Rhun of Mona, who is very clumsy and sometimes not very bright. Eilonwy is kidnapped by Achren for her magical powers, and it is up to Taran, Fflewddur, and Gurgi, along with Prince Gwydion to rescue her.

I have really enjoyed this series, and so have Beckham and Keegan. Of all the books, this is probably my least favorite, but it is still a good read. The books are fairly short and a quick read. Alexander does use quite a bit of description, but not overly so. These are middle-grade books, so he doesn't get inside the heads of the characters a lot, but you can understand their motivations. I like this one because it gives a hint of the growing relationship between Taran and Eilonwy.

59. Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold



Falling Free is essentially a prequel to the Vorkosigan Saga. It is set in the same universe about two hundred years before the birth of Miles Vorkosigan. The quaddies, humans who have been genetically engineered with arms and hands in place of legs and feet are introduced in this book and appear in two more in the series.

Leo Graf is an engineer who has been hired by GalacTech to go to the space station Cay Habitat to teach engineering to the Quaddies. Quaddies were genetically engineered because they were determined to be useful working in zero gravity. They are treated as property by the current project supervisor, Bruce Van Atta. When the Beta Colony discovers a way to induce artificial gravity on spacecraft and space station, the Quaddies functionality becomes unnecessary, and their existence is threatened. Leo has become sympathetic to the Quaddies plight, but can he save them in time?

Frankly, this is not the best Bujold novel that I have read. It had an interesting premise, and it won the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1988, but I just did not enjoy it as much as some of her other books. She really did not spend much time trying to make her characters come to life and perhaps that's why they were more difficult for me to empathize with. However, even though it wasn't her best effort, I still think it was worthy of 4 stars, due to the thought-provoking story - when does a genetically modified human become another species?

60. Arclight by Brandon Graham



Keegan (my 12-year-old) and I went to the library recently to find some new graphic novels for him to read. He loves graphic novels, and he usually devours them very quickly. We saw this one as a new release, and upon a quick inspection, the graphics were beautiful and it looked interesting, so we took it home. Keegan read it and said he was confused by it, so he asked me to read it.

I found the art to be wonderful, especially the pages between the four parts of the story. The story and plot, on the other hand, I found to be undeveloped, confusing, thin, and unsatisfying.

The story is that Lady Kinga, of the Blood House, has been taken over by an alien body (her mind is in the alien body). Her loyal knight, Sir Arclight, is her only companion while she is in hiding. Her body has been taken over by an alien's mind. Her body attempts to live with her husband/lover(?) Lord Franxusius Iemhum in his spaceship. Sir Arclight attempts to return Lady Kinga to her body, while she is trapped in the Deathlands and must try to escape.

We don't really know how the alien and Lady Kinga have swapped bodies. In the second part of the book, she says she must go away on a crusade but will only be gone a short time. There is some sort of magic with a "border" being who seems to be alive but dying and whom Lady Kinga puts into the body of a goose killed for that purpose - no idea what was going on there. The knights of this world have ambiguous gender identity, which was probably a little confusing to Keegan. I thought the ending was terribly unsatisfying.

I noticed that on Goodreads people either loved it or hated it. I'd put myself among the latter group. The only redeeming part being the graphics themselves.

61. A Purely Private Matter by Darcie Wilde



A Purely Private Matter is the second book in the Rosalind Thorne series, the first coming out last year. The story is set in Regency London. Rosalind is a young gentlewoman who has come down in the world. Her family used to be part of upper-class society (the haut ton) until her father fell into gambling troubles and turned to embezzlement. Knowing she can no longer marry the man she loves, Devon Winterbourne, who has now become Duke of Casselmain, she tries to become a useful woman by helping women in society with their problems. Her good friend and reporter, Alice, who has also come down in the world, introduces Mrs. Seymore to Rosalind. Mrs. Seymore's husband, who is second in line to the Marquis of Weyland, wants to bring suit against Fletcher Cavendish and Mrs. Seymore for adultery. Mrs. Seymore claims that Cavendish, a famous actor, is only a good friend and wants Rosalind's help to prove her innocence. Matters become complicated when Cavendish is found murdered, and Mrs. Seymore lies to the Bow Street runners.

Last year, I received the first book as an advanced copy from NetGalley and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. When I saw the second book was coming out, I immediately pre-ordered it. Ms. Wilde also writes romances, so there is a thread of romance in this book as Rosalind is still attracted to Devon Winterbourne, but also finds herself thinking about Adam Harkness, the Bow Street runner she assisted in the first book. I find myself a little frustrated with the romance aspect of the book, as I have made my choice for Rosalind, and I wish Rosalind would make hers. Personally, I find I have little patience for romantic triangles in the middle of a good murder mystery, but that's just me.

I found the writing to be excellent and the editing likewise. There were several historical explanations thrown in, but they added to my enjoyment of the book. The book seems to be well-researched and historically accurate.

The clues all there and presented in the flow of the story, but were not blatant. One could have reasoned out the murderer, and I believed I had but was surprised at the end. The plot was suspenseful, but not overly so, but I thought the story moved along nicely. The author does a good job of letting us get to know the protagonist and her motivations.

In both the first book and this second, the author has set up the plot so there are unfinished story lines with regard to both Rosalind's romantic situation and her family situation. Then, she makes you care enough about the character to make you want to read the next book. I definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy historical mysteries with a touch of romance.

62. Mrs. Jeffries Rights a Wrong by Emily Brightwell



The is the 35th book in the Mrs. Jeffries series, which is set in Victorian London. Inspector Witherspoon works for Scotland Yard and has solved more cases than the Yard's other inspectors combined, but he does not understand how. Mrs. Jeffries, his housekeeper, certainly does. A retired policeman's wife, she organizes the household staff to gather clues which she shares with Constable Barnes, Inspector Witherspoon's partner. She also manages to give Inspector Witherspoon suggestions about the solution, making him think they are his idea.

In this book, Thomas Mundy has been found murdered at the Wrexley Hotel. Inspector Witherspoon, Mrs. Jeffries, and the household staff soon find that Mundy is a confidence trickster with no lack of suspects for his murder. The staff must gather clues for Mrs. Jeffries so that she can make sure Inspector Witherspoon does not arrest the wrong man...or woman.

I have enjoyed many Mrs. Jeffries books over the years, and this one is no exception. The plot moves along fairly well, with not a lot of extraneous detail, and the author provides enough clues to make a good guess at the solution, along with Mrs. Jeffries. The author does not necessarily take us inside the character's minds, except on occasion doing so for Mrs. Jeffries, but I do not feel that this takes away from the story at all. This is not really the type of book that benefits from getting to know the characters deeply. There are some side stories within the overall plot that let us get to know some of the household staff better or provide a backstory for them, so we do come to care about the characters over time. I think that the books are well-written and intelligent. I have read many mystery series over the years, and have noticed that at times the plots begin to become stale after a while. This is certainly not the case with the Mrs. Jeffries series even though this is the 35th in the series.

I did feel that perhaps this book suffered a little in that the conclusion seemed a little rushed at the end, but it was still very good overall.

Now to speak about the Kindle formatting - I wanted to keep this part separate from the overall review of the book because I feel that the content of the book needs to stand along from the formatting issue. Yes, as many other reviewers have stated, there is a problem with the formatting of this book. At the end of many sentences, it appears that the last five or so characters have been cut off. For example, "But I do wish some of my sources would read a newsp" and "We've more ques" It was fairly easy to understand from the context that the first word was newspaper and the second questions. There were a few other errors, but the cut off sentences seem to form the bulk of the problem. Was it annoying? Yes, it was at first. Did it stop me from enjoying the book? No, because I am familiar enough with the quality of the Mrs. Jeffries books that I was willing to overlook a little. There was nothing missing that affected the plot in any way or my understanding of the book. I did keep a rough count of the errors, and there were around 130 instances of missing words for a 300-page book.

I would think given that this is a long-standing series published by a very reputable publisher that this problem would be fixed fairly quickly. At that time, hopefully, I will know and can revise my review.

If you enjoy cozy, historical mysteries, you would enjoy this book, errors notwithstanding.

63. The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale - Art Spiegelman



The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale contains combines the two volumes Maus: My Father Bleeds History and Maus: And Here My Troubles Began. It is a non-fiction graphic novel written by Art Spiegelman, whose father, Vladek, and mother, Anja, were Polish Jews who survived the German occupation of Poland and Auschwitz Concentration Camp. The book tells the story of Vladek and Anja's lives from their courtship, marriage, and birth of their first child before the war, through their stay in the ghettos of Poland, incarceration in Auschwitz, and the end of the war, to Anja's eventual suicide and Vladek's death years after the end of the war. It also tells the story of Spiegelman's interviews with his estranged father to get his story for the novel. The book won a Special Pulitzer in 1992.

The graphics in the novel are done in black and white ink which help to convey something of the starkness and terror of Vladek and Anja's situation. The artist has chosen to portray the Jews as mice, and the Nazi's and other Germans as cats, which I think adds additional depth to the story. Most of the cells have dialog; there are very few that are just picture alone, so it does read a little like a traditional book, but the art adds much to the story. The story is told as Vladek reminisces about his past.

I am fascinated by WWII and have read quite a few books about the war and the Holocaust. In all honesty, this is probably one of the more powerful books on the topic that I've read. It doesn't try to tug at emotions as many fictional accounts do, and it is not as dry and boring as many non-fictional accounts of the Holocaust.

If you have not yet read this book, I highly recommend it.

>63 rretzler: Completely agree with your review on Maus : a survivors tale, Robin.
It was my first GN some years back and thought it was very powerful way to tell the story.

>116 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. I wish all graphic novels could be as good - most end up begin too cartoonish or too strange (like Arclight), I think.

64. A Case of Conspiracy in Clerkenwell by Clara Benson



A Case of Conspiracy in Clerkenwell is the 3rd book in the Freddy Pilkington-Soames series by Clara Benson. The story is set in the late 1920s or early 1930s in London. Freddy is a sort of ne'er do well, upper-class Englishman, who tries to work as a newspaper reporter. He was first introduced to readers in Benson's Angela Marchmont series.

Clerkenwell Central Hall is the meeting place of two disparate organization on the same evening - the Young Women's Abstinence Association and the East London Communist Alliance. Freddy has been asked by Henry Jameson, of British Intelligence (who we previously met in an Angela Marchmont book,) to help watch Freddy's friend, St. John Bagshawe. St. John is a member of the Communists and has started a Communist newspaper. Freddy attends a meeting of the Communists and runs into his friend, Mildred Starkweather, who is a member of the Temperance organization. Mildred introduces him to some of the other members, including Miss Stapleton, who is the very militant leader of the Temperance group. The morning after the meeting, Miss Stapleton is found murdered in the meeting hall. Freddy is determined to find Miss Stapleton's murderer and to foil an unknown threat from the Communist organization leaders.

Benson has tried to write her books in the style of a Golden Age novel, and I believe she succeeds admirably. She doesn't feel the need to point out things that someone who was writing in that period would point out, but that many historical novel writers feel compelled to mention. For instance, she doesn't mention types of clothing or hats or cars or those types of things that are found so often in the descriptions of many historical books, but that a writer in that age might not necessarily mention. The story moves along very well; there is not a lot of extra detail to detract from the main plot. She gives enough clues that one might figure out the solution to the mystery, but they are not obvious clues. As in many Golden Age mysteries, the author does not spend much time fleshing out the major characters, but we get to know them well enough to be interested. The primary purpose of books like this is the fun of "whodunit" not getting into the characters' heads.

Freddy reminds me a little of Dorothy Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey or Margery Allingham's Albert Campion, except that Freddy is perhaps not quite as intelligent - or perhaps he hides his intelligence a little better. He seems to bumble along, sometimes getting into trouble, but then is somehow intelligent enough to get himself and others out of a bad situation. I enjoy Freddy - I enjoyed his character in the Angela Marchmont series, and I'm glad he has his own series now. He is fun to read about and I find myself rooting for him.

The one thing that bothered me a little about the plot was how willing the Intelligence service was to trust Freddy, and how much information was shared with him. That seemed a little unbelievable to me, but perhaps since it is still years before WWII, security was not as tight as it was later to become. It was mentioned that Intelligence also had a person on the inside of the Communist organization, and I was a bit amazed by how much information they still needed Freddy to get. However, closer to the end of the book, this point was wrapped up to my satisfaction.

Although this is part of a series, it can easily be read as a stand-alone.

If you enjoy mysteries in the style of the Golden Age, I think you will enjoy this book.

Question



I was just thinking about my interest in WWII and the vast number of books written about it. There seem to be such a variety, those books that are very emotional to those that are very dry.

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Do you have a favorite book among the WWII genre? Is it fiction or non-fiction and what makes you like it?

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>119 rretzler: Since I have read it most recently, I think I would have to say Maus (review above.) To me, it captured the horror of the war and the death camps but didn't have gratuitous emotion.

But there are so many other wonderful books that come to mind Catch 22, The Diary of a Young Girl, The Nightingale, All the Light We Cannot See, Code Name Verity, Blackout/All Clear, to name but a small few.

>113 rretzler: The library has A Useful Woman so I've put a hold on it, as you make the series sound very good, Robin!

I can't catch up, Robin, but I'm happy to see all the good book discussion going on here. I'll jump in with an answer to your last question.... The first WWII books that spring to mind are the Simon Garfield editions from the Mass Observation Project, which had masses of ordinary homefront Brits writing diary entries and sending them to a central collection. The experience is still amazingly immediate! I'd recommend We Are at War as a starter. As to novels, I can't even begin to name them. I'll add to your list Coventry and The Invisible Bridge as two that I enjoyed. Oh! And the totally compelling, devastating, beautiful Life with a Star.

>121 ronincats: I hope you enjoy it, Roni. When I got the first one last year as an ARC, I really didn't think I would, but it surprised me. I definitely want to know your thoughts.

>122 LizzieD: Hi, Peggy. I've not read any of those, so I'll have to give them a try.

>119 rretzler: Robin, I haven't forgotten your thread; I had some unexpected company that took up my time, in the best possible way, of course.

Lots of favorite WWII books: Mila 18 by Leon Uris and The Wall by John Hersey, older works portraying much the same time and place as Maus, both fine novels.
Winds of War and War and Rememberance by Herman Wouk are paired novels telling a fairly full story of the war through the lives of one family. A completely different perspective is provided by The Book Thief, one of the finest novels I've read in the last ten years.

I have an additional author for contemporary mysteries: Bartholomew Gill. His books are set in Ireland, and most are titled Death of an Irish.... My favorite, however, is Death of a Joyce Scholar, which I found interesting entirely apart from the mystery, which was also good.

On older mystery authors, Edmund Crispin wrote the Gervais Fen novels. These can be favorites or maddeningly precious, depending on your tastes. Christina Brand wrote several mysteries, the best by far being the classic Green for Danger. Michael Innes had a series with the wise and witty Inspector Appleby-excellent in my opinion. And Nicolas Blake wrote the wonderful Nigel Strangeways mysteries.

Outstanding review of Maus, Mrs Jeffries, and the Cara Benson book. I have a Mrs. Jeffries to try in the stacks. I think Benson does a fine job writing in the style of the Golden Age authors.

Weekend coming up! I hope yours will be a good one.

Oh, dear. Found a few more...my lists got scrambled with the advent of the company.

Patricia Moyes Henry Tibbetts series

Colin Watson the Flaxborough series

H.R.F. Keating He wrote quite a few mysteries and some good nonfiction about the genre.

Dorothy Simpson Luke Thanet series

I may, possibly, be done now. I didn't mean to take over your thread.

>124 Matke: >125 Matke: >126 Matke: Gina, you are welcome to take over my thread anytime!! I hope you and your company had a great time visiting.

For some reason, although I quite enjoyed The Book Thief it didn't grab me the way it did others. There was just some intangible made it not quite a 5 star IMO - but from the perspective of the average German in WWII, I thought it was wonderful. There are not a lot of books I can find that deal with the average German perspective during the war. I find it hard to believe, as many do, that the average German supported the Nazi regime, I think they were mostly just caught in a situation that was not of their making and had no way to rebel against it. I wonder if most of them were even aware of what was actually happening in their country.

Thanks for the nice comment on the reviews. I do enjoy Benson, and I'm surprised she is not more popular, but then I guess most people are into thrillers and forensics, etc. On the Mrs. Jeffries, I have maybe read not quite a third of them, and they are solid mysteries. None of them really stand out for me particularly, but perhaps that is a good thing?

I have Crispin, Brand, Innes and Black on my list. Started the Death at the President's Lodging several years ago, but I think I wasn't in the right frame of mind, I remember it being very full of detail, so I put it aside and have not yet come back to it. Keating and Moyes are also on my list, but I hadn't heard of Gill, Watson, and Simpson (although she does sound vaguely familiar) - on the list they go!

Have you heard of Carlene O'Connor, speaking of Irish mysteries? She has a couple of books out that are set in Ireland. They are a little toward the "cutesy" side, but they weren't half bad. I received the first as an ARC copy and read the second as well. They were fun, getting to know the characters was probably the best part, but the mystery wasn't bad - not the best series, perhaps, but better than some.

Howdy, Meg! I'd like to add Night by Elie Wiesel to your growing WWII booklist. Others like Book Thief All the Light and Anne Frank have all been mentioned but some of my faves too. Of course, Maus is on a level all it's own. Have a great weekend!

I don't read much in that area, Robin, but as a child I of course read Anne Frank and there was a children's series about postwar Germany that I loved and really made me think about the average German family in the wreckage that was Germany at that time. The first book is The Ark by Margot Benary-Isbert.

Big kindle sale. Christie titles at $1.99.

>119 rretzler: The best I read this year on WWII was Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman.
Others that stayed with me are Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada, The assault (starts in WWII, ends in the 1980s) by Harry Mulisch and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and some Dutch, sadly not translated, YA books.

>128 Carmenere: Agreed, those are all good books. Thanks.

>129 ronincats: Roni, The Ark seems like just the kind of everyday average German type of book that I was looking for! Thanks!

>130 Matke: Gina, I saw those today, Thanks! I've got all the Christies in paper, except for a few of the short story compilations and have some of my favorites in Kindle as well. I wish they would put the British Library Crime Classics on sale - my library doesn't seem to have any/many of those and I'm afraid once I got started, I'd spend a small fortune!!

>131 FAMeulstee: Anita, I'd not heard of any of those except of course for The Book Thief. Alone in Berlin seems to be another about German life during the war that I'd like to read.

>106 Matke: I have to second Gail with R.D. Wingfield. His Inspector Frost books are wonderful.

>115 rretzler: I read Maus this year too, Robin and I agree that it was a revelation.

>119 rretzler: You have had some good nominations already but I wanted to suggest these twelve:

The Gathering Storm by Winston Churchill. Non-fiction. Brilliantly written and listed as it is the first in his multi-volume insiders history of WW2 and the only one I have read yet.

The Night Trilogy by Elie Wiesel. Sort of Non-Fiction. Simply heartbreaking.

If Not Now, When? by Primo Levi. A story of Jewish resistance and brilliantly written.

Dominion by CJ Sansom - Great alternate history

The Singapore Grip by JG Farrell - Sharp satire of Singapore's fall

Charlotte Gray by Sebastian Faulks - Underrated novel about an English girl in the french resistance

The Guns of Navarone by Alistair MacLean - A romp from my schooldays

The Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard - A boy adrift in China ruled by Japan

Once by Morris Gleitzman - A trilogy of books following a Jewish boy's survival through the war

The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier - My favourite WW2 book in childhood

Captain Corelli's Mandolin - A great novel set on a Greek island in the war

Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall by Spike Milligan - It is a good job Spike wasn't fighting on his own cause we'd have lost.

Happy Mother's Day!!

Hi Robin! A not-so-quick wave hello; I managed to duck a heap of book bullets from your thread mainly because I'm so far behind that I'd forgotten them by the time I read all the way through. Plus you had me going on a side jaunt to look up Laura Ingalls Wilder's family and history.

Though the Mrs Jeffries series looks amusing.

>133 PaulCranswick: Thanks for the list, Paul. I've read 2/3's of the Night Trilogy, not ready to read the 3rd, although I'm guessing it might be the more upbeat of the trilogy? I was looking at the Primo Levi book the other day and wondering if I would like it, and I suspect I would. The other books look great too. I've wanted to read Captain Corelli's Mandolin for some time.

>134 Berly: Thanks, Kim. Same to you!

>135 humouress: Hi, Nina. Hmmm, I'm now curious about your side jaunt! The Mrs. Jeffries series is very good, but perhaps not great. While I don't think they'd win any awards, they are solid mysteries, and I enjoy the author's style. My library doesn't carry a lot of the old ones, unfortunately, so I'm mostly reading the new ones that come out and slowly going back to try to fill in. That drives me a little crazy because generally, I like to read them in order! When I win the lottery, I'll probably buy the whole series! (wink)

65. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Anne Barrows



Juliet Ashton is a writer who spent WWII writing a light-hearted column for a London newspaper which has now been collected, after the war, into a book by her publisher and friend, Sidney Stark. While on a book signing tour, she receives a letter from Dawsey Adams of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands. Dawsey has found a book which used to belong to Juliet, and he requests the name of a bookseller in London so that he can purchase new books, there being no supply of new books on the island. Guernsey was occupied by the Nazis for most of the war and was cut-off from Britain and news of the outside world. During the war, Dawsey and his friends, including Elizabeth McKenna, started the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, initially as an excuse to hide the eating of an illegal pig from the Nazis. It soon bloomed into much more and became one of the reasons for their survival. Juliet starts to correspond with Dawsey and his friends, initially for journalistic purposes, but she finally visits Guernsey and finds more than she expected.

This book is written as a series of letters between Juliet, her friend and publisher, Sidney and his sister, Juliet's best friend, and the members of the Guernsey Literary and Potatoe Peel Pie Society. Through the letters, we learn what the Society and reading books meant to its members, and how it helped them survive the war. The style is very reminiscent of 84, Charing Cross Road. The letters allow us to get to know not only the members of the Society but also Juliet as well, as we watch her grow and change as the members affect her life and vice versa. Although it is set a year or so after the end of WWII, there are quite a few direct reminiscences about the war. A subplot of the story is that of the life of Elizabeth McKenna, who was sent by the Nazis to Ravensbrueck shortly before the end of the war.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I knew in passing that the Channel Islands had been taken over by the Nazis during the war, but I had not really thought about what that entailed. The Islands, although a part of the UK, are self-ruled, but they depend on the UK for many of the necessities of life. I found it interesting that even though the Nazis occupied Guernsey, they too were starving toward the end of the war. It may deliver a history lesson, but it is also a sometimes joyous, often poignant peek into the lives of Juliet and the Society members.

I would recommend this book to anyone, but especially those who enjoy historical fiction.

66. The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher



The Princess Diarist is Carrie Fisher's reminiscences about being cast to play Princess Leia in Star Wars and her experiences during the filming and afterward. I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by Fisher. The middle of the book contained poetry which was written by Fisher during the shooting of the first Star Wars movie and was read by her daughter, Billie Lourd. Fisher talks about the experience of the casting process, her affair with Harrison Ford, her attendance at conventions, and how her life was changed by the experience.

I don't think I would have enjoyed this book nearly as much if I had just read it. Hearing Carrie Fisher talk about those days in her own voice added so much to the experience. I found her hysterical! She really seemed to know herself and I loved her take on her experiences. It is easy to see that over the years, she had done a lot of soul-searching and had accepted the mistakes she had made in her life, turning them into humorous anecdotes for the enjoyment of others. She must have been a very interesting person to know. Her narration was so full of life and joy and sarcasm!!

I know that many people enjoyed the poetry portion of the book - I did not. I found Billie Lourd's narration lifeless and monotonous after listening to Carrie Fisher. To me, there was just no soul in the poetry. It was just dull and lifeless and kept going on and on, so I skipped over it finally. Perhaps I will someday borrow the book from the library just to read the poetry, because I may enjoy reading it more - then I might have a chance to hear in my head Carrie Fisher's own voice to give it life, rather than that of her daughter, who did not breathe life into it.

If you are already familiar with Carrie Fisher and Star Wars, I think you will enjoy this book.

>137 rretzler: Oh, I LOVED that one! I'm so glad that you did, too!

>137 rretzler: Seconding Amber above. It became a favorite of the year I read it.

> 139 >140 Matke: Glad you both enjoyed it as well. I think it will definitely be one that I reread from time to time.

67. Printer's Error by Gladys Mitchell



Printer's Error is the 10th book in Gladys Mitchell's Mrs. Bradley. Mitchell was a member of the Detection Club, who wrote many of her mysteries during the Golden Age. Her detective, Mrs. Bradley is a psychoanalyst who has been called upon to solve many mysteries. In this, she is sometimes aided by her chauffeur, George, and on occasion, by her barrister son, Sir Ferdinand Lestrange.

Solicitor Justus Bassin has been called to a client's house to view some threatening letters that have been received by Mrs. Carn, her husband, Fortinbras Carn, and their household staff. Fortinbras is a well-known book critic, and Mrs. Carn believes it is possible that he many have enemies, many unbeknownst to him. Carn also has written a book, which Mrs. Carn says may be controversial, to be published by the small printing firm of Saxant and Senss. Bassin realizes that he must spend more time with Mrs. Carn, and leaves her house to wire his firm in London. Upon his return to the Carn's house, he finds that the house has been broken into and Mrs. Carn has been struck in the head by the cash-box containing the threatening letters and the book proofs. The cash-box has disappeared, and Mrs. Carn is dead; Carn is nowhere to be found. As Bassin stays in the village inn, he meets Carey Lestrange, Mrs. Bradley's nephew, who is on holiday. Bassin and Lestrange become friends as Bassin shares the details of the case with him - Carn's book is an anti-semitic novel, and there may be a Nazi spy living in the village. Bassin and Lestrange soon call upon Mrs. Bradley to assist them, as an innocent man has been arrested for the murder of Carn, who may or may not be dead. A pair of ears is delivered to Carn's mistress, Mrs. Saxant, the wife of the printing firm's owner, a man is found hanging by the arms from the inside of the inn's chimney, Bassin and Lestrange must join a nudist colony and at the end, Mrs. Bradley and crew visit a modern art exhibition to finally catch the murderer.

It has been a year or two since I've read Gladys Mitchell - I am slowly making my way through the Mrs. Bradley series and have enjoyed all of them so far. This one is no exception, but I must admit that some of it confused me a little. There were a lot of clues, probably more than necessary as some of the "clues" were not explained at the end - and the ending was not as clear to me as I would have liked. I may want to reread it to make sure I am on the right track. So for me, it will not be my favorite of the series - so far that is The Saltmarsh Murders, but I still enjoyed it.

This book was written mainly from the perspective of the young solicitor, Justus Bassin, and a little from that of Carey Lestrange. Justus is a very likable character, who is first introduced in this book. I hope that we may see him in future books, as Mitchell does bring back characters from an early book, at times. In this book, Noel Wells from The Saltmarsh Murders makes a reappearance.

An example of Mitchell's writing, this quote on the first page struck me as magnificent: "Children and lovers haunted the path by the brook, each to some extent impeding the other in the prosecution of what appeared to both to be necessary and desirable ends."

The Mrs. Bradley mysteries are easily read as stand-alone books. I would not start with this one, as it is perhaps not the best example of her best work.

68. A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn



A Curious Beginning is the first book in Deanna Raybourn's new series set in Victorian London. As the book begins, Veronica Speedwell is attending the funeral of her guardian, Aunt Nell, whom she discovers she is not sorry to see dead. After the funeral, Veronica is taken back to the vicarage, where the vicar's wife attempts to marry her off to a widowed farmer in need of a wife and mother for his six small children. We learn Veronica was an illegitimate orphan who was taken in and raised by Aunt Nell and Aunt Lucy, who passed away a few years earlier. We also learn that Veronica is very strong-minded, independent, outspoken and may have "behaved immorally with an American traveler" on a trip to Sicily. She returns to Aunt Nell's cottage, only to find it ransacked. She is nearly kidnapped by the culprit but is rescued by Baron von Stauffenbach, whom she saw from a distance at the funeral. The Baron indicates that her life may be in danger and that he may be able to give her some information about the identity of her mother, but that he must receive permission from another before he can do so. He leaves Veronica at a warehouse which is inhabited by Mr. Stoker, whom Veronica believes to be a taxidermist. Veronica and Stoker soon receive word that the Baron has been murdered and that Stoker is a suspect. As they first try to escape London and then return to investigate to clear Stoker, they find that the Baron's murder may be tied to Veronica's mysterious background.

Although this is a historical novel, the historical detail is kept to a minimum - only that necessary to advance the plot. The plot moves quickly, but not too quickly, just enough to keep you wanting to read more. There are a few twists and turns along the way, but if you are paying attention, you should at least be able to figure out the part of the mystery that is more important to the plot than merely the identity of the murderer. Veronica seems alternately worldly, yet naive, but this makes her more endearing than annoying, in my opinion. The book first reminded me a little of a Victoria Holt novel where the heroine is a young, orphaned girl left to make her way in the wide world. However, that impression did not last long. Veronica reminds me more of Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody with her independence and outspokenness. Stoker, however, seems more than a match for her. He is also at times worldly and then sometimes genteel. While written in the first person, I suspect there is still a lot more about Veronica Speedwell that we will learn later, and it seems there is a lot more to Stoker than Veronica can even guess. There is a tiny hint of romance thrown in for good measure.

I liked this book more than I expected to. It really captivated me to the point that I kept thinking about it. In my opinion, the author did a fantastic job of introducing the main characters with just enough mystery that you wanted to know more. Then she would satisfy almost all of your curiosity, but leave just that little bit so that you want to read the next book.

I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a historical mystery with a strong, independent female protagonist.

69. A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn



A Perilous Undertaking is the second in Deanna Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell series set in Victorian London. Veronica is a very strong-minded and independent woman, whose profession is lepidoptery. In the previous book, Veronica joined forces with Stoker, and they are now both employed by Lord Rosemorran to catalog his collection of art, natural history specimens, and other mementos and organize a formal exhibition on Lord Rosemorran's estate where they both live. Lady Cordelia, Lord Rosemorran's sister, takes Veronica to the Curiosity Club, where she meets the mysterious Lady Sundridge, an artist, who may be able to provide information about Veronica's past. Lady Sundridge asks Veronica to help Miles Ramsforth, who has been tried and convicted of the murder of his mistress and will soon hang for his crime. She believes that Ramsforth is not guilty, but refuses to tell Veronica what she knows. Veronica and Stoker are soon summoned by the Special Branch of Scotland Yard and warned not to investigate, but the warning makes her more determined to get to the bottom of the mystery.

As in the first book of the series, the plot moves at a good pace. Although this is a historical mystery, the detail is kept to a minimum, which doesn't distract from the story. There are again a few twists and turns, but the clues are all there, and it is possible to deduce the murderer. For the most part, the clues are not blatant, and up to the end, it seems that Veronica and Stoker may not be completely sure. We learn just a little more about both Veronica and Stoker in this book. Those who are looking for the romance between Veronica and Stoker to develop more may be a little disappointed as this book is more about the mystery and less focused on advancing any romance or other background storyline.

It is interesting that on several book review websites, this book is more highly rated than the first book. I felt just the opposite - I didn't like it quite as much as the first, possibly because I was hoping that there would be more character development. I still enjoyed it quite a bit though and have already preordered the next in the series.

I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a historical mystery with a strong, independent female protagonist.

Hmm; I'm not sure if those two are book bullets or if I managed to dodge them by hiding behind Mt TBR....

>145 humouress: Hi, Nina! Personally, I'd never let a little thing like the 921 TBR books I have on the Kindle stand in the way of adding another to the growing collection, but that's just my obsession, um, little problem!

While I do have a Kindle, I also have a thing for physically obtaining books (it's something about walking into a bookshop) so my Mt TBR is more substantial than one book-sized electronic device. It should provide decent cover, you would think, but I still get hit by BBs.

Back home once again after a weekend of mostly rainy soccer games out of town for a tournament. I just looked out the window where over the tops of the trees in my backyard, I can see a beautiful complete rainbow!

And only two more soccer tournament weekends to go until the season is finished! ...then tryouts for next year...and HS soccer training!

What fun to find all these recommendations! I'll keep coming back.

>147 humouress: Nina, I too love physical books, but it's much easier for me to keep away from a bookshop than it is for me to keep away from a Kindle deal! Plus, this way, I get to carry half of my library with me everywhere I go, which is very satisfying.

>149 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy. I'm a little behind on reviews, but then who isn't!

I just know I would like Raybourn's books if I were to read them, but so far I haven't found the time.

>151 foggidawn: I completely understand, so many books and it's hard to prioritize! I find that I cannot plan my reading, I just go where the spirit takes me...and it may be years before I read a book that I was one I really wanted to read. Plus, I'm a really visual person, so I'm more likely to read the book in front of me rather than one that is on a list somewhere.

70. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque



This book has been reviewed so many times I'm sure I would not do it justice. It is on both the 1001 Books list and the Guardian 1000 list. From the perspective of someone in the midst of the fighting in WWI, or any war for that matter, I know of no book like it. It is an important and timeless piece of literature. Intellectually, I understand how terrible war is, and how it must alienate the young men who participate from their families, as it must be difficult to find common ground after their experience. Emotionally, I can probably never understand, but I can only attempt to imagine how ghastly war must be, especially the type of war fought in WWI. It is terribly depressing and not a book that I really enjoyed. I'm glad I read it, but it was just not for me.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator was not my favorite - I'm not sure whether it is because there is no way one can really read about the horrors of war well, or because he just wasn't expressive enough for me, his tone was just very even and matter of fact. Others on audible rated his narration very highly.

71. Brazen Tongue by Gladys Mitchell



To lighten things up a bit, there is nothing like a good murder to perk me up! Brazen Tongue is the 11th book in Gladys Mitchell's Mrs. Bradley series. Mrs. Bradley, a psychoanalyst, is described by Mitchell as being very lizard-like with yellow clawed hands and black eyes. Certainly different from Diana Riggs who played her in the BBC series! It's difficult for me to imagine what Mitchell's version of Mrs. Bradley must have looked like. This cover, which I believe is the original, may provide some help in picturing her.



The war (WWII) has just begun and Sally Lestrange, Mrs. Bradley's niece, has volunteered for at the Report Center as an ARP (air-raid patrol, for those of you unfamiliar with WWII British lingo) call center helper. On her first night, another worker, the telephone operator goes outside, apparently to use the facilities, but never returns. The same evening, a member of a town councilor is found dead, propped up in a doorway, and a corpse is found in an ARP water tank by some young evacuees. The next morning, the telephone operator is found in the Report Center yard with her head bashed in, and as Sally was present and may be called at the inquest, her very proper mother called upon her sister-in-law, Mrs. Bradley to help out. The young police inspector believes that all three murders must be linked, but Mrs. Bradley is not so sure. She finds clues at such widely varied places as an asylum, a laundry, a pub and a swimming and diving exhibition.

This was an interesting one. On one hand, it was quite fun having Mrs. Bradley actually rescue a patient from an asylum to be taken to her own psychiatric hospital and having her chase down all the clues. On the other hand, there were a lot of false leads. At one point, Mrs. Bradley and the inspector have an entire case against a surprising suspect laid out, only to have Mrs. Bradley change her mind a few pages later, and then maybe change it back again. It was quite confusing, but I suppose that's what a murder mystery is for - to have us out guess the detective.

It is said that this is one of Mitchell's least favorite books, but I still enjoyed it.

72. Sisters by Raina Telgemeier



Sisters is the follow-up graphic novel to Raina Telgemeier's Smile, which are mostly auto-biographical accounts. In Sisters, she tells the story of a vacation taken with her mother, younger sister and younger brother from San Fransisco to Denver, in their family van, on their way to a family reunion with her mother's family. During the trip, the story flashes back to Raina's childhood before her sister was born, and then to different points during their relationship. They have not always gotten along, but during the trip, they must learn to get along. Comical flashbacks include the death of various pet fish and a pet lizard, along with why Raini will not sit in the front seat of the van during the trip.

I love Telgemeier's books, and I am not alone. Her drawing is very well done - it has a nice style for a middle-grade book (similar to For Better or Worse, IMO.) She does a great job of capturing the family - all the great and not-so-great times, from the mundane to the fantastic. Also, she does a great job of expressing teen angst, but not letting it overwhelm the book, which is upbeat overall.

I didn't like this book as much as Smile because there was less of a complete story here, but it was still a very good book. My 12-year-old son enjoys all of her graphic novels, and we hope she writes another very soon.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good growing-up story about families, or someone who just enjoys a good graphic novel.

Congratulations on reaching 75!

>156 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. Now I just need to catch up with reviews!

Good catch, Anita! I would have just gone by the reviews--Mrs. Obvious.

Congratulations on hitting that 75 book mark, Robin!

Congratulations on your 75 Robin!

(Though I'm not sure how everyone else knows; Facebook perhaps?)

Congratulations Robin! Looks like 2017 will be a great reading year for you.

>143 rretzler: and >144 rretzler: Oh no! A new series...this looks like a good one.

I've be reading the Mrs. Bradley books in the laziest possible fashion. They certainly are...different, and very funny. I do enjoy them.

Have a wonderful week.

>159 humouress: The ticker in msg 3 reveals it :-)

>161 FAMeulstee: *face palm*

>158 ronincats: >159 humouress: >160 Matke: Thanks! I've been reading a lot of good books! Mostly 4-star, but of course I've deliberately planned it that way. I've needed some comfort books lately.

>159 humouress: >161 FAMeulstee: >162 humouress: Glad you figured it out! I thought Anita might have seen my post in the 75er's group, as I finally remembered after several years to actually post there.

>160 Matke: Gina, I too have been reading Mrs. Bradley very slowly - several a year. I finally searched out the 2-3 of the first 15 that I are not ebooks so I'm going to go back and read the ones that I skipped at some point this year. I'm not even 20% of the way through yet.

73. Hangman's Curfew by Gladys Mitchell



Hangman's Curfew is the 12th in the Mrs. Bradley series. Gillian, a family friend of Mrs. Bradley, is on a walking vacation to recover from a broken heart, when she meets a young man who tells her a story. The man claims that his uncle is being poisoned and that he wishes that he could find a detective or a psychiatrist to help save his uncle. Of course, Gillian involves Mrs. Bradley, who recognizes the story as one which happened years ago. Mrs. Bradley finds the village and the uncle, but soon realizes that it is just a set-up. Working with Gillian, she soon finds a castle and an old friend and clues which may lead to a buried treasure.

I really enjoyed this one. Mrs. Bradley is very active, brandishing weapons and climbing around castles. She also involves Gillian quite a bit, which I liked.

74. Sidney Chambers and the Persistence of Love by James Runcie



Sidney Chambers and the Persistence of Love is the sixth and, I believe, last in James Runcie's Grantchester series. Like the previous books in the series, this one is composed of six short stories which read together form a complete novel. The year is now 1971, and Sidney is Archdeacon at Ely. In the first story, he and his daughter, Anna, are on a walk when they find a dead body. Inspector Geordy Keating is soon involved, and together, he and Sidney solve the murder. Other stories include the theft of a rare religious text from Cambridge, Amanda's risky purchase of what she believes to be an unattributed Goya painting, and Sidney's missing nephew. In the last story, Sidney faces an unexpected loss.

If this is indeed the last book of the series, I will really miss it. The writing is superb - Runcie is fantastic at character development, and we get to know Sidney's hopes, dreams, and fears. The series stretches over many years, so we can also watch Sidney's growth, and that of his family and closest friends. As Sidney is promoted through the Church of England hierarchy, the book necessarily talks about religion, but speaking as someone who is not religious, it fit into the story and was not over-powering. The series, and especially this book, is just as much about the lives of Sidney and those close to him, as it is about the mysteries that Geordie and Sidney encounter along the way.

This book could be a stand-alone, but is best read as part of the series as there is so much history and character development in the previous books. I highly recommend the entire series

The ITV/PBS series, Grantchester, is loosely based on Runcie's series.

75. Lumberjanes: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson, et al



Review coming

76. Call for the Dead by John le Carré



Review coming

77. Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier



Review coming

78. Aunt Dimity and the Widow's Curse by Nancy Atherton



Review coming

79. The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths



Review coming

M (YTD)

By the numbers

Books read - 22 (79)
Average days to read a book – 1.4 (2.1)

Pages read – 5,983 (22,026)
Average pages per book - 272 (275)
Average pages per day - 193 (147)

Series read - 12 (32)
Books in series read - 15 (48)

Source

ARC - 0 (6)
Borrowed - 4 (14)
New - 15 (37)
Reread - 1 (4)
TBR - 2 (18)

Medium

Audio - 1 (3)
Ebook - 17 (67)
Print - 4 (9)

Genre

Children - 0 (2)
Fantasy - 2 (2)
Fiction - 2 (7)
Middle Grade - 3 (7)
Mystery - 12 (31)
Nonfiction - 2 (8)
Picture -0 (1)
Science Fiction - 1 (21)

Authors

Authors by book

Female - 16 (45)
Male - 6 (33)
Unknown/other - 0 (1)

Unique authors

Female - 12 (35)
Male - 6 (30)
Unknown/other - 0 (1)

Authors read for the first time - 7 (29)

Living or deceased - unique authors

Deceased - 4 (10)
Living - 14 (56)

Nationality - unique authors

American - 12 (36)
English - 5 (22)
German - 1 (1)
Irish – 0 (1)
Portugese - 1 (1)
Scottish – 0 (1)
South African - 0 (1)
Swedish - 0 (1)
Unknown - 0 (2)

Awards

Caldecott – 0 (1)
Eisner - 1 (?)
Hugo - 0 (4)
Nebula - 1 (2)
Newbery - 0 (4)
Pulitzer - 1 (1)

Ratings

5.0 - 1 (5)
4.5 - 2 (16)
4.0 - 15 (35)
3.5 - 1 (11)
3.0 - 1 (7)
2.5 - 1 (2)
2.0 - 1 (1)
1.5 - 0 (1)
1.0 -0 (1)

Average rating – 3.86 (3.88)

Average rating of books read per LibraryThing – 3.84 (3.84)
Average rating of books read per Goodreads – 4.02 (3.97)
Average rating of books read per Amazon - 4.20 (4.28)

Decade published

1920 - 1 (5)
1930 - 1 (2)
1940 - 2 (2)
1950 - 0 (1)
1960 - 2 (4)
1970 - 0 (1)
1980 - 1 (5)
1990 - 1 (7)
2000 - 1 (9)
2010 - 13 (43)

Books added to library

ARC - 0 (5)
Purchase - 44 (161)
Other - 0 (0)

Average cost per book - $8.33 ($4.25)

New releases - 7 (19)
Percent of new releases purchased - 15.91% (11.45%)

Full price - 12 (33)
Percent of full price books purchased - 27.27% (19.88%)

Favorite books in May


The Complete Maus
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society
Sidney Chambers and the Persistence of Love

Congrats on blowing past 75!

>172 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!