Book a Week 2022 - BW10: Crime Spree Bookology - Josephine Tey

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday! Continuing with our Golden Age mystery writers, this month's Crime Spree Bookology choice is Josephine Tey.  I've had The Daughter of Time sitting in my stacks for quite a while and look forward to reading it now.  Tey is the creator of Inspector Alan Grant series and also wrote plays under the pseudonym of Gordon Daviot.

There are a number of ways to complete the Crime Spree bookology challenge, including but not limited to:

• Spell out the author's name - one book per letter from the title on the cover.
• Read one or more books written by the author.
• Read a book written in the country or time period of the author.

Learn more about Josephine Tey through a Crime Readers Guide to the Classics and Decades After Her Death, Mystery Still Surrounds Crime Novelist Josephine Tey.

 A to Z and Back again - Our letter and word of the week are J and Justice

 

Link to book week 9

Visit  52 Books in 52 Weeks where you can find all the information on the annual, mini and perpetual challenges.  

 

 

 

[Robin M]

I'm currently reading Super Powereds Year Four by Drew Hayes and it will take me a while at 1000 + pages. 

"The final year at Lander has finally arrived for the Melbrook students and their peers, and with it comes a whole new set of challenges. Still reeling from the events of their junior year, the remaining students will have to push past their pain - and so much more - if they hope to be one of the ten to claim the title of Hero upon graduation.

Constant tests and trials await the senior students. Beyond simulated missions and classes, they'll also have to buckle down to learn about agents, prospective teams, internships, and other seemingly endless elements of being a Hero.

For some, however, the classroom is only one aspect of the trouble that lies ahead. Long-buried secrets have been unearthed; old mysteries are finally unraveling; and what lies at the center of it all has the potential to rock the realm of Heroes to its very foundation."

 

[Negin]

Robin, thank you for the thread, as always!

I read The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Vol. 1 - 5 Stars - a book for Baha'is. This has been an intentionally slow read, over the course of a year or so.

and The Lilac Bus - 3 Stars. 

   

 

[mumto2]

Robin,  once again thank you for the great thread!  I love the Daughter of Time! I just did a reread……last year perhaps?    Inspector Alan Grant is a favorite of mine.

Has anyone else tried reading Nicola Upson’s Tey series? https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2444787.An_Expert_in_Murder?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=Fu33rWOvLl&rank=1   It is a fictional series in which Tey is traveling around the UK writing her books and stumbling into mysteries.  I love the parts where the books are being written but the cases all have an ick factor that is just a step beyond what I enjoy every time I give them another go.  I really want to make myself enjoy this series…..but I don’t. Lol

Someone told my their favorite Victoria Holt book was Pride of the Peacock which I had never read at the start of February.  I probably should say pretty sure I have never read because I think would have remembered the opals (my birthstone). The cursed opal part were especially entertaining. Imo  I totally enjoyed this book so thank you for the recommendation! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20416154-the-pride-of-the-peacock

I finished my “I” book on audio yesterday.  Irene Hanson is a popular Christian Romantic Suspense author that I have never tried so I combined my themes.  I listened to the first book in her Triple Threat series and enjoyed the characters enough to put the second on hold.  She will be a handy author  for spelling challenges because of  the I. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51273067-point-of-danger

I am off to plot my March spelling challenge……Josephine Tey…….I suspect a Golden Age author with an E is going to be read this month!  ECR Lorac’s Bats in the Belfry has been in my kindle stack for a couple of years.  I now know he was a prolific Golden Age author who also writes as George Bellairs.  I have George’s Death of a Busybody in the stack too thanks to my library.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29967414-death-of-a-busybody

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13553342-bats-in-the-belfry?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=nLbXchJ8Ob&rank=2

 

[SKL]

I finally finished Aspergirls and started on Autism in Heels.

Looks like it's not going to be 52 books for me in 2022 ....

[Jenny in Florida]

@Robin M The Daughter of Time is one of my favorite novels. Enjoy!

 

I am taking a little longer to get through The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper than I expected. I think it's just been an especially rich week for podcasts -- Oh, and it just occurred to me that my wonky knee has meant I'm spending a lot less time walking/listening to audiobooks. It feels odd to say I'm "enjoying" this book, given the subject matter. However, the stories are told in such an engaging, knowledgeable and compassionate way that the book is absorbing and fascinating.

I have under three hours of this one left, after which I have The Turnout, by Megan Abbot, on deck.

I am currently reading:

• The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper, Hallie Rubenhold 
• Atlas of the Heart, Brené Brown (Well, it's sitting on my bedside table.)

And most recently finished:

• Hill Women: Finding Family and a Way Forward in the Appalachian Mountains, Cassie Chambers
• The Violin Conspiracy, Brendan Slocumb
• Daisy Jones and the Six, Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Admissions: A Memoir of Surviving Boarding School, Kendra James
• That Summer, Jennifer Weiner

[LaughingCat]

By happenstance, I also just read Stars Uncharted and Stars Divided -- the first was very good, the second was not quite as good  😄

[Kareni]

16 minutes ago, LaughingCat said:

By happenstance, I also just read Stars Uncharted and Stars Divided -- the first was very good, the second was not quite as good  😄

If you have a chance to read Linesman, I'll be interested in learning your thoughts.

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Over the weekend, I've enjoyed reading Crowbones (World of the Others Book 3) by Anne Bishop. It was fun to spend time with known characters; there were admittedly many new characters and the story was busy. (Shh, don't tell my library that the book isn't supposed to be out for two more days.)

"Crowbones will gitcha if you don’t watch out!

Deep in the territory controlled by the Others—shape-shifters, vampires, and even deadlier paranormal beings—Vicki DeVine has made a new life for herself running The Jumble, a rustic resort. When she decides to host a gathering of friends and guests for Trickster Night, at first everything is going well between the humans and the Others.
 
But then someone arrives dressed as Crowbones, the Crowgard bogeyman. When the impostor is killed along with a shape-shifting Crow, and the deaths are clearly connected, everyone fears that the real Crowbones may have come to The Jumble—and that could mean serious trouble...."

Regards,

Kareni

[bookbard]

I read another Janet Edwards' book, Telepath: a YA novel set in a future where everyone's job and 'level' are decided for them in a 'hive'. And yet, not dark and dystopian. A fun read (with YA suitable romance) and made me ponder what makes something particularly teen - it's the whole shaking off of boundaries, redefining r'ships with adults. 

I have been re-reading the Kate Martinelli cop series by Laurie King; I can't get all of them as only a few are ebooks. I hope she's trying to get more uploaded, as there seems to be a few more than last year. The interesting part is the theology she puts in (she isn't religious, it's academic theology eg about the goddesses which influenced yahweh in the old testament. So not the kind of book I'd hand over to Mum). 

 

 

 

[Kareni]

5 minutes ago, bookbard said:

I read another Janet Edwards' book, Telepath: a YA novel set in a future where everyone's job and 'level' are decided for them in a 'hive'. And yet, not dark and dystopian. ...

I read an excerpt of that one and liked it. 

7 minutes ago, bookbard said:

A fun read (with YA suitable romance) and made me ponder what makes something particularly teen - it's the whole shaking off of boundaries, redefining r'ships with adults. 

It's a good question. I think of books such as The Goblin Emperor and The Universe Versus Alex Woods as being fine reads for all (young adults and adults). It's funny, too, when a book is marketed as young adult in one place and adult in another. (And now I'm thinking of how the Harry Potter books were reissued at some point with more adult covers when it became clear that adults were also an audience for the books.)

Regards,

Kareni

[LaughingCat]

3 hours ago, Kareni said:

If you have a chance to read Linesman, I'll be interested in learning your thoughts.

Regards,

Kareni

I read the Linesman a few years back but it didn't really stick with me -- I've meant to read the series again for a while now only because I know you love it so much but for some reason I've haven't felt like doing so (and I definitely go by 'feels' for rereads 😄 )-- that's how I ended up reading this other series by the same author actually, saw it when i was looking at Linesman once again at the library site

[Storygirl]

I'm a week ahead, alphabetically, and just finished my K book -- Kindred by Octavia Butler. I had never read anything by Butler previously and thought it was past time. The science fiction element is time travel, and the time shifts happen whenever the protagonist's ancestor's life is in danger. The complicating factor is that Dana is a black woman from the 1970's, and her ancestor is a white Southerner from a slave-owning family in the early 1800's, so she is treated as an enslaved person whenever she is in the past. I appreciate the novelty that this concept would have been, when it was first published in 1979, and I think Butler is a good writer, but there were some aspects of the story that I wish had been developed differently, and details that I think she glossed over. I suspect that this perspective is due to me reading it more than forty years after its publication and that I may have liked it better, if I had read it back in the 80's. I was also really bothered by the number of times I had to read the n-word; even though it would have been historically accurate, it made me cringe. I wanted to like it more that I actually did. I perhaps will try one of her other books sometime.

[tuesdayschild]

On 3/4/2022 at 4:06 AM, Mothersweets said:

Seconding this! A somewhat low-key but overall satisfying read. I loved Maia and his determination to be a good emperor and the world-building was fascinating.

Bringing this over from last weeks thread and thirding @Kareni's  The Goblin Emperor mention.

Edited March 9, 2022 by tuesdayschild
typo

[tuesdayschild]

10 hours ago, mumto2 said:

Has anyone else tried reading Nicola Upson’s Tey series? https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2444787.An_Expert_in_Murder?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=Fu33rWOvLl&rank=1   It is a fictional series in which Tey is traveling around the UK writing her books and stumbling into mysteries.  I love the parts where the books are being written but the cases all have an ick factor that is just a step beyond what I enjoy every time I give them another go.  I really want to make myself enjoy this series…..but I don’t. Lol

I tried a few, and abandoned both .... but didn't note why on my reading sheets 🤦‍♀️

[tuesdayschild]

Thanks for another great thread @Robin M

I've  just completed  Every Living Thing: All Creatures Great and Small Bk8 ~ James Herriot, narrated by Christopher Timothy  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58322051-every-living-thing  (5 ) and this is, by far, my favourite collection of Herriot tales; which is helped by Christopher Timothy's narration, his delivery is pitch-perfect with especially with the humorous stories and had me laughing out aloud.

I'll definitely listen to this audiobook again at some point.

Still reading:

For crime-spree, Golden era,  I’m still listening to a new to me author (thanks to @mumto2 & Amy’s list),  Edmund Crispin ( Holy Disorders: Gervase Fen Bk2 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37671641-holy-disorders ) and I'm enjoying this mystery so far. 

And I'm repeat late-night listening to a favourite and loved author, Georgette Heyer  (They Found Him Dead: Inspectors Hannasyde & Hemingway Bk3 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35702090-they-found-him-dead ). 

As a newly narrated and really-want-to-listen-to audiobook has hit my inbox I’m ignoring any lure of Josephine Tey and will be listening to book three in the Ayrton Family series by D.E. Stevenson, Still Glides the Stream, this week.

Influenced by @ladydusk's Ambleside poetry reading I’ve pulled out a book sale find, A Treasury of the World's Best Loved Poems https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6043803-a-treasury-of-the-world-s-best-loved-poems  and have added that to my sip reading stash. 

[mumto2]

4 hours ago, Kareni said:

Over the weekend, I've enjoyed reading Crowbones (World of the Others Book 3) by Anne Bishop. It was fun to spend time with known characters; there were admittedly many new characters and the story was busy. (Shh, don't tell my library that the book isn't supposed to be out for two more days.)

"Crowbones will gitcha if you don’t watch out!

Deep in the territory controlled by the Others—shape-shifters, vampires, and even deadlier paranormal beings—Vicki DeVine has made a new life for herself running The Jumble, a rustic resort. When she decides to host a gathering of friends and guests for Trickster Night, at first everything is going well between the humans and the Others.
 
But then someone arrives dressed as Crowbones, the Crowgard bogeyman. When the impostor is killed along with a shape-shifting Crow, and the deaths are clearly connected, everyone fears that the real Crowbones may have come to The Jumble—and that could mean serious trouble...."

Regards,

Kareni

Lucky you to get it early!

5 minutes ago, tuesdayschild said:

Thanks for another great thread @Robin M

I've  just completed  Every Living Thing: All Creatures Great and Small Bk8 ~ James Herriot, narrated by Christopher Timothy  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58322051-every-living-thing  (5 ) and this is, by far, my favourite collection of Herriot tales; which is helped by Christopher Timothy's narration, his delivery is pitch-perfect with especially with the humorous stories and had me laughing out aloud.

I'll definitely listen to this audiobook again at some point.

Still reading:

For crime-spree, Golden era,  I’m still listening to a new to me author (thanks to @mumto2 & Amy’s list),  Edmund Crispin ( Holy Disorders: Gervase Fen Bk2 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37671641-holy-disorders ) and I'm enjoying this mystery so far. 

And I'm repeat late-night listening to a favourite and loved author, Georgette Heyer  (They Found Him Dead: Inspectors Hannasyde & Hemingway Bk3 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35702090-they-found-him-dead ). 

As a newly narrated and really-want-to-listen-to audiobook has hit my inbox I’m ignoring any lure of Josephine Tey and will be listening to book three in the Ayrton Family series by D.E. Stevenson, Still Glides the Stream, this week.

Influenced by @ladydusk's Ambleside poetry reading I’ve pulled out a book sale find, A Treasury of the World's Best Loved Poems https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6043803-a-treasury-of-the-world-s-best-loved-poems  and have added that to my sip reading stash. 

I appear to have really liked Still Glides the Stream but have to admit I don’t really remember it.  I just remember really liking the Ayrton series.  I need to read a DE Stevenson book soon.....

I haven’t tried Crispin yet so I will be looking forward to the review.

I started listening to The Exiled Fleet today which is the second in the Sci Fi series I listed to a week ago.  It’s good.... @LaughingCatif you haven’t tried this series yet I think you might enjoy it. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55077639-the-exiled-fleet

[Kareni]

3 hours ago, LaughingCat said:

I read the Linesman a few years back but it didn't really stick with me -- I've meant to read the series again for a while now only because I know you love it so much but for some reason I've haven't felt like doing so (and I definitely go by 'feels' for rereads 😄 )-- that's how I ended up reading this other series by the same author actually, saw it when i was looking at Linesman once again at the library site

I, too, go for the 'feels' so I understand entirely!

3 hours ago, Storygirl said:

I'm a week ahead, alphabetically, and just finished my K book -- Kindred by Octavia Butler. I had never read anything by Butler previously and thought it was past time. The science fiction element is time travel, and the time shifts happen whenever the protagonist's ancestor's life is in danger. ....

I reread this with my book group a couple of years ago and found it a depressing read (again). I've not been motivated to try anything else by the author, but I will be interested to hear if you do.

Regards,

Kareni

[ladydusk]

On 3/6/2022 at 2:57 AM, Robin M said:

Continuing with our Golden Age mystery writers, this month's Crime Spree Bookology choice is Josephine Tey.

Last year I listened to Josephine Tey: The Daughter of Time & Other Mysteries: A BBC Radio Crime Collection which was included on Audible I believe. I really liked it! It also had a nice interview at the end that I enjoyed.  Recommended. 

[ladydusk]

23 hours ago, mumto2 said:

Someone told my their favorite Victoria Holt book was Pride of the Peacock which I had never read at the start of February.  I probably should say pretty sure I have never read because I think would have remembered the opals (my birthstone). The cursed opal part were especially entertaining. Imo  I totally enjoyed this book so thank you for the recommendation! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20416154-the-pride-of-the-peacock

Mine! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

I've never read A Pilgrim's Progress by Bunyan, so I started it this morning on Audible. 

Edited March 7, 2022 by ladydusk

[Kareni]

Some bookish posts ~

The best seriously epic historical fiction books by Bryn Hammond

The best books set in the Weird Wild West by Julie Bozza

The best books with mysteries—and solutions—you never saw coming by Kristin Cashore

• The best romance books that make you laugh
• The best clean and wholesome historical romances

Regards,

Kareni

[tuesdayschild]

6 hours ago, Kareni said:

The best books with mysteries—and solutions—you never saw coming by Kristin Cashore

I'm keen to read this picture book   The Incredible Painting of Felix Clousseau By Jon Agee  - I love picture books(!) and wholehearted agree with what Kristin Cashore wrote to go with the mention of this book:

"I would like to humbly suggest that if your reading habits don’t extend to picture books, you may be missing out. It’s an art form I adore.."

[Laura Corin]

By chance I'm reading Tey's The Franchise Affair and listening to London Rain by Upson. I'm enjoying both, but the Tey makes the Upson seem terribly wordy. I enjoy Tey's spare style.

[Kareni]

18 hours ago, tuesdayschild said:

I'm keen to read this picture book   The Incredible Painting of Felix Clousseau By Jon Agee  - I love picture books(!) and wholehearted agree with what Kristin Cashore wrote to go with the mention of this book:

"I would like to humbly suggest that if your reading habits don’t extend to picture books, you may be missing out. It’s an art form I adore.."

I put a library hold on that book, too. And, yes, there are some truly lovely picture books.

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

I finished London Calling Box Set (Lost in Time) by A.L. Lester today. This is a compilation of three linked books, and I enjoyed the collection. They are historical romantic suspense with a time travel element.

"Lew Tyler is dragged from 2016 to 1920 by an accident with border magic whilst he’s searching for his missing friend. He’s struggling to get to grips with life a century before he was born. Detective Alec Carter is trying to solve gruesome murders in his patch of London, weighed down with exhaustion and a jaded attitude to most of his fellow humans after four years of war. In the middle of a murder investigation that involves wild magic, mysterious creatures and illegal sexual desire, will Alec and Lew work out who is safe to trust?...."

Regards,

Kareni

[Laura Corin]

Finished The Franchise Affair and put holds on a couple more of hers. I think I read her as a teenager but not much since.

I've started reading The Break by Marian Keyes - not my usual fare, but I've been enjoying her podcast and like hearing her beautiful voice behind the prose .

[Kareni]

I just finished Nice Dragons Finish Last (Heartstrikers Book 1) by Rachel Aaron; I've been reading this urban fantasy off and on for the last two weeks. It was a pleasant read but not so compelling that I'll read on in the series.

"As the smallest dragon in the Heartstriker clan, Julius survives by a simple code: keep quiet, don’t cause trouble, and stay out of the way of bigger dragons. But this meek behavior doesn't fly in a family of ambitious magical predators, and his mother, Bethesda the Heartstriker, has finally reached the end of her patience. Now, sealed in human form and banished to the DFZ--a vertical metropolis built on the ruins of Old Detroit--Julius has one month to prove he can be a ruthless dragon or kiss his true shape goodbye forever. But in a city of modern mages and vengeful spirits where dragons are considered monsters to be exterminated, he’s going to need some serious help to survive this test. He only hopes humans are more trustworthy than dragons..."

Regards,

Kareni

[scholarly]

Last week I finished The Long Weekend: Life in the English Country House Between the Wars by Adrian Tenniswood. It was fine and had some interesting bits, but it was overall unexceptional. I also finished The Mystery at Lilac Inn by Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew #4), which was pleasant. I had to abandon my "I" book, which was I Fired God: My Life Inside- and Escape from- the Secret World of the Independent Baptist Fundamentalist Cult by Jocelyn Zichterman. There was just too much descriptive abuse for me to stomach.

This week I'm reading Jesus Feminist  by Sarah Bessey for my "J" book and Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy Sayers.

[Laura Corin]

3 hours ago, scholarly said:

 

This week I'm reading Jesus Feminist  by Sarah Bessey for my "J" book and Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy Sayers.

I really like Murder Must Advertise.  It's not her most plausible crime story but I enjoy the picture of the advertising agency, which was taken from her own experience of working in one. 

I am in the last few minutes of London Rain - it grew on me and I think I'll listen to another. 

[Kareni]

Last night I stayed up late finishing Shadow Unit 1, Book 1 of 15 by Emma Bull, Elizabeth Bear, Sarah Monette and Will Shetterly; the book contained works from various authors set in a common world. The works ranged from novellas to one page pieces. I was intrigued that one of the authors, Sarah Monette, is the author of The Goblin Emperor written as Katherine Addison. I enjoyed the collection though it was quite dark/eerie in places.

"The FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit hunts humanity's worst nightmares. But there are nightmares humanity doesn't dream are real.The BAU sends those cases down the hall. There, Stephen Reyes and his team pursue criminals transformed by a mysterious force: the anomaly.Welcome to Shadow Unit.The Shadow Unit series was created by award-winning authors Emma Bull and Elizabeth Bear.Contains four novellas: “Breathe” by Emma Bull, “Knock On Coffins” by Elizabeth Bear, “Dexterity” by Sarah Monette, “A Handful of Dust” by Will Shetterly, plus bonus material."

Regards,

Kareni

[Lady Florida.]

Hello everyone! We got back from our cruise Sunday morning and just crashed. Mostly we napped on and off and basically did nothing. Monday was spent unpacking, doing laundry, and getting back to reality. Now we're fully back to our regular routines. We enjoyed the cruise immensely and I'll try to post a photo or two once I've had a chance to go through and sort them.

I did actually do some reading while on the ship. I finished Bernard Cornwell's Sword of Kings and started Indian Horse, which I finished after we returned.

This afternoon I finished Before His Time: The Untold Story of Harry T. Moore, America's First Civil Rights Martyr. I got bogged down for a while in the story of the Groveland Four which I already read about in Devil in the Grove. Once I got past that the book picked up again for me. For anyone unfamiliar with the Groveland Four that part wouldn't slow them down, and in fact would keep them turning the pages.

Here's my Goodreads review. 5 Stars

 Currently reading - The Song of Simon de Montfort and Murder on the Sea Witch. 

I was curious about The Museum of Abandoned Secrets , a multi-generational saga that covers 60 years of Ukrainian history. It was published in 2012 so of course before the events of 2014. It's a doorstopper at over 700 pages and reviews are mixed so I wasn't sure I wanted to commit. Then I found out it's on Kindle Unlimited so I downloaded it. It pulled me in right away. Even without KU, the Kindle version is only $1.49 so it's worth a try if you were considering it.

Has anyone read Three Cups of Deceit, Jon Krakauer's book on Greg Mortensen? I know it's old news but I enjoy Krakauer's books and this came up in a recommendation. If you read it what are your thoughts?

 

 

[mumto2]

Several kindle books by Baynard Kendrick and Dorothy B. Hughes are on sale for 99 cents today.  Both are solid American Golden Age authors that I happen to really like.  I think a there must be a greater sale so if you have any authors you are watching sale wise it might be worth a check.

[mumto2]

Last night I went on to check a couple more authors and eventually got around to a couple modern (even though they write historical😉) authors.  Both C.S. harris and C.J. Sansom are set up on my BookBub alerts so I didn’t expect to find any discounted but both authors had one that I do not own for $1.99 that I wasn’t notified about.  So those will go on my list of authors to check myself for sale books for my kindle collection.

[ladydusk]

I finished Pilgrim's Progress (and Christiana's Journey) yesterday. They were a hole in my reading, and I'm glad to have it filled. Even better, I enjoyed both and can imagine going back to them.

For the last several years, my son and I have been listening to Stephen Fry's Complete Sherlock Holmes on Audible as we drive to and from his organ lessons an hour away.  We finished yesterday! Hooray! I'd never read Holmes, either, and enjoyed the stories.  In my GoodReads review I mentioned that I don't think I would have enjoyed them so much if I had listened to them straight through in a shorter period of time, but this occasional listening was better for me.  So - recommended but glad we took it slow.

[Storygirl]

I just reached the end of my L book -- The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. 5 stars!!! This is the first of his that I have read, and I will be adding his others to my to-read list. This epic 1950's road trip by three 18+ year old boys (and one little brother), who are finding their way in the world after leaving a juvenile detention center, without parents to guide them, has the theme of The Odyssey expertly woven through. The story surprised me at every turn and has memorable, flawed characters who took me along on their adventures, (mostly) rooting for them until the heartbreaking and satisfying conclusion. I'd recommend this one to any and all.

[Storygirl]

While reading The Lincoln Highway in print this week, I zipped through several audiobooks on 1.75-double speed, while going about my household tasks and driving in the car.

One of them counts as my M book -- Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz. This book was also a 5 star delight and was fun to read during this Golden Age of Mystery Crime Spree month, because part of the story is very Agatha Christie-like. The mystery starts off with a book editor settling down to read the newest manuscript submission by her bestselling mystery author, and then the reader gets to read the manuscript story, which is the Christie-like who-done-it, along with her. But then the manuscript abruptly ends without revealing the culprit, and the editor sets off to find the missing part of the manuscript. Learning that the bestselling author has perished in a suspicious death, she finds herself in a murder mystery of her own. The book-within-a-book trope is so fabulous that I enjoyed the manuscript portion of the tale even more than the contemporary story. There is a sequel, which I will definitely seek out, but that I can't imagine will measure up to this one.

[Storygirl]

My other audio reads this week:

All Things Cease to Appear by Elizabeth Brundage. Did not finish this one. After about 30%, I took a peek online at a summary to see if it was turning in a direction that was unsavory to me, or not. And it was, so I stopped. Highly unusual for me not to finish. I think the writing was fine, but the story line was not for me. I need to connect with characters that I like, and it was not happening with this one.

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala. Super fun cozy mystery. When Lila's ex boyfriend dies while eating in her family's Filipino restaurant, Lila becomes the prime suspect and sets out to prove that she didn't do it. Filled with fun characters and yummy descriptions of food.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. I'm late to the game in reading this one, which has been out for years now. Listening to it on audio really brought the characters to life for me. Although the story is about the aftermath of Star witnessing the police shooting of a friend, it's not a one-issue book but a fully developed story about Star and her attempts to live separate lives in two communities -- the Black inner city neighborhood where she lives and the wealthy white community where she attends school. Lots to think about, and an important book for teens and adults alike.

Sadie by Courtney Summers. This book won the Youth Edgar Award in 2019  and the 2019 Audie Award for audio production. It worked especially well on audio, with a full-cast production that brings to life both the chapters narrated by Sadie and those that represent a true-crime podcast tracing her story. 19 year old Sadie raised her younger sister, Maddy, after their drug-addict mother disappeared, and when Maddy is murdered at age 13, Sadie sets off to find the man that she thinks is responsible. Although the story is grim, the reader grows to care a lot about Sadie, during her journey, and the audio production is stellar.

 

[Robin M]

Oh well! I finished Daughter of Time and will never look at history the same way again. Tonypandy indeed! 😁

[Robin M]

Link to week 11 - please continue conversation in new thread