Book a Week 2022 - BW11: 52 Books Bingo - All the World's a Stage

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday, my darlings. For those of us who still have to abide by daylight savings time, did you remember to set your clocks forward? I'm appreciating the fact we only have a few clocks to adjust when I think about the clock merchant who has to reset a 1000 clocks.  

Speaking of time, our next 52 Books  Bingo category is All the World's a Stage.  Which works well with our golden age theme since William Shakespeare was alive during the Elizabethan era, considered the Golden Age in English history. 

There are many ways to go with this category including but not limited to

Five Best William Shakespeare Plays 

Goodreads Top 100 Stage Plays

Goodreads Listopia - Best Books about Stage magic 

17 sparkling and suspenseful novels set on the stage or the screen

A Complete List of Books for Every Stage of Your Life, According to Librarians

 

“All the world’s a stage”

 by

 William Shakespeare

 

(from As You Like It, spoken by Jaques)

All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms;
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon’s mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lin’d,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper’d pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well sav’d, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion;
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
 

A to Z and Back again - Our letter and word of the week are K and Keen

 

 

Link to book week 10

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

Edited March 13, 2022 by Robin M

[Robin M]

I finished Super Powereds Year Four by Drew Hayes. Many answers to all the questions throughout the books. The kids learned so much the final year through their battles and the intramurals, learning to trust themselves and their powers, culminating in the final battle between the Heroes and bad guys. We never did find out which ten graduated? Grateful for the epilogue ten years later giving an update on all the characters. This is one series I'll read over and over again.

Also finished Josephine Tey's Daughter of Time and love Inspector Grant.  He's very cerebral.  Grant is recuperating in the hospital from an injury during the line of duty. He's bored out of his mind and becomes enamored with a picture of Richard the III and if the story was true that he killed his two young nephews. Grant involves everyone in his mystery from the medical staff to his friends while he reads everything he can about Richard. Along the way he uncovers the historical facts are tonypandy - historical events that were well-accepted but not reported accurately - in books like Sir Thomas More which Grant discovers were all hearsay since More was too young at the time of the event. Fascinating story and I will never think of history in the same way again.

I'm up to H for book by title and E for author. In actuality my reading has been all over the place, every though trying to read alphabetical. Keep getting side tracked with other books so kinda reading out of order.  Working on two books - historical fantasy novel Hidden Palace (#2 in the Golem and the Jinni) by Helene Wecker and science fiction novel Ursula Le Guin's Left Hand of Darkness.  I've stumbled across a couple articles on Le Guin - My Le Guin Year  and My Year of Reading Ursula Le Guin  and decided the universe was telling me to stop staring at the book on my shelf and read it, so there you go. 

We watched Adam Project on Netflix Saturday night.  Lots of action with plot, great script, and wonderful acting.  If you have a chance to see it, do. So very good. 

 

[Negin]

Thank you for the thread, Robin!

I read Children's Stories from the Dawn-Breakers - a Baha'i book - 5 Stars

and 

Renoir (Treasures of Art) - 2 Stars

 

[mumto2]

Death of a Busybody by George Bellairs https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29967414-death-of-a-busybody was last weeks Golden Age outing. George Bellairs appears to be a bit more accessible in terms of available in the republished world more widely than some of the other authors I have recently enjoyed.  This book wasn’t as technical as either Miles Burton or Freeman Willis Crofts who were both engineers by profession and Bellairs was a bank manager.  He must of been a keen people watcher as his characters were all quite entertaining.  He was known for his humor and wrote about 60 mysteries for fun.....he was apparently very poorly paid for his books, perhaps because he enjoyed being published.  This was very much a mystery centered around the village busybody’s gossip. She was found dead in a cistern, which in this case was part of the vicarage’s septic system.  Entertaining and I have a few more by Bellairs to enjoy thanks to my library.

 

[mumto2]

In other reading last week I finished the first in a new forensic mystery series (cozy type) set in New Zealand.  Molten Mud Murder by Sarah E. Johnson https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40082786-molten-mud-murder.  I enjoyed the Kiwi parts but they perhaps delivered with too many explanations,  no need to google with this book!  My library owns more,  maybe someday.........

From Goodreads: When a body is found half-submerged in a Waiariki Thermal Land of Enchantment molten mud pot, forensics expert Alexa Glock, her specialty odontology, spots a way to prolong her stay in New Zealand. Her fellowship has ended and no one is waiting for her to return to the States. Men have never been her expertise, but teeth are. Other ways of identifying the body may have... melted away.

I just started listening to a book that I am seeing on popular lists,  How Lucky by Will Leitch.  It’s definately engaging. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54870216-how-lucky

From GR: The story of a fiercely resilient young man grappling with a physical disability, and his efforts to solve a mystery unfolding right outside his door. 

Daniel leads a rich life in the university town of Athens, Georgia.  He’s got a couple close friends, a steady paycheck working for a regional airline, and of course, for a few glorious days each Fall, college football tailgates. He considers himself to be a mostly lucky guy—despite the fact that he’s suffered from a debilitating disease since he was a small child, one that has left him unable to speak or to move without a wheelchair. 

Largely confined to his home, Daniel spends the hours he’s not online communicating with irate air travelers observing his neighborhood from his front porch. One young woman passes by so frequently that spotting her out the window has almost become part of his daily routine. Until the day he’s almost sure he sees her being kidnapped. 

[TravelingChris]

6 hours ago, Negin said:

 

Renoir (Treasures of Art) - 2 Stars

 

What was wrong with the Renoir book, Negin?  I don't know if I have seen that one.  Is it mostly photos of his paintings?  Are they badly reproduced?  Or you just don't like Renoir's paintings?   Or?

[TravelingChris]

After a few years absence,  I hopefully am back.  Last fall, my dh told me to pick out books from the Edward Hamilton bookseller's catalog ( they carry a huge section of true crime, historical crime, spy books, etc) so he could give me Christmas presents I really like.  Well imagine my surprice when a huge box of books came,.  I have been reading, reading, reading.  Also got some books at library book sales, and a few from the library and even less, a few that I actually bought myself.

These aren't in order read but were read in 2022.

1. Columbine- Dave Cullen 4 stars- very informative, non sensational but with lots of writings/sayings of the killers and very good research

2. Rock with Wings-Anne Hillerman  - 4 stars, the second of the continuation of the Leaphorn, Chee series her father started and now with Manuelito as  a main character

4. Song of the Lion- Anne Hillerman- 4 stars

5, Cave of the Bones- Anne Hillerman- 4 stars

6. The Tale Teller- Anne Hillerman - 4 stars

7,  Stargazer-  Anne Hillerman- 4 stars

8. Donna Leon- Unto Us a Son is Given= 4 stars

9. Killer Cults, stories of Charisma, Deceit, and Death--- Stephen Singular--- the book was published in 2020 so has a lot about more recent cults like the NXIVM which some actress was a main character in it and received prison time and the main leader was sentenced in Sept 2021 to 120 years in prison

10. The Education of a Coroner--John Bateson-- He was on staff of the coroner's office and was a coroner later too in Marin County, CA- very informative and interesting

11. I Will Find You- Detective Lt. Joe Kenda-- more cases not shown on his tv show

12. Six Years- Harlan Coben--- I had never read any of his books before but had liked the series of his stories that were made into short series on Netflix and in different countries, I think I have seen 2 done in England, 1 in France, 1 in Spain, and I in Poland but I believe there are a few more. Both the seiries and the books are engaging and interesting with a lot of plot twists and that makes them unrealaistic, but not anymore than most cosy mysteries which are fun for me too.  His writing style makes me want to read the books fast so I know what happens.

13. Foo,l Me Once-Harlan Coben-- the other thing he is always doing is bring up lots of issues as a side note or main note in his writing too. This one has PTSD, leakers, corruption, etc.

14. Red Notice- A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's FIght For Justice- Bill Browder.  A true story that will inform you haw the oligarchs got to be oligarchs in Russia. how Putin has been evil for a long time, how Washington used to work better ( but we are seeing the renewal of bipartisanship with joint hatred of Putin;s actions). Five stars-- I am recommending this book to everyone

will add more later

 

 

[mumto2]

What a great gift!  @TravelingChris  Someplace I have the French dvd for Harlan Coben’s Tell No One......not sure if that’s what they used on Netflix or not but it was great!

[Negin]

5 hours ago, TravelingChris said:

What was wrong with the Renoir book, Negin?  I don't know if I have seen that one.  Is it mostly photos of his paintings?  Are they badly reproduced?  Or you just don't like Renoir's paintings?   Or?

The book looks lovely. The text was just dry and boring. I've read better and I'm sure that there are better ones out there. I love Renoir's paintings. 

[Kareni]

5 hours ago, TravelingChris said:

After a few years absence,  I hopefully am back.  Last fall, my dh told me to pick out books from the Edward Hamilton bookseller's catalog ....Well imagine my surprise when a huge box of books came....

Welcome back. And what a wonderful gift!

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Today I finished Gone Girl: A Novel by Gillian Flynn which my local book group will be discussing this week. This is definitely a book with many a surprise. I look forward to the discussion.

"On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?"

Regards,

Kareni

[Vintage81]

20 hours ago, mumto2 said:

I just started listening to a book that I am seeing on popular lists,  How Lucky by Will Leitch.  It’s definately engaging. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54870216-how-lucky

From GR: The story of a fiercely resilient young man grappling with a physical disability, and his efforts to solve a mystery unfolding right outside his door. 

Daniel leads a rich life in the university town of Athens, Georgia.  He’s got a couple close friends, a steady paycheck working for a regional airline, and of course, for a few glorious days each Fall, college football tailgates. He considers himself to be a mostly lucky guy—despite the fact that he’s suffered from a debilitating disease since he was a small child, one that has left him unable to speak or to move without a wheelchair. 

Largely confined to his home, Daniel spends the hours he’s not online communicating with irate air travelers observing his neighborhood from his front porch. One young woman passes by so frequently that spotting her out the window has almost become part of his daily routine. Until the day he’s almost sure he sees her being kidnapped. 

I read this book last year...I'll be curious to know your thoughts. ☺️

[Vintage81]

I recently completed four books:

• The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin- a story about a 17 year old girl and an 83 year old woman who meet in a hospital. They are both confined to the ward that houses terminally ill patients. Obviously knowing that, you know the book will be sad in some ways, but Lenni was a funny and witty character. I enjoyed her the most. The book was a bit different than I thought it would be. It had quite a few flashbacks involving Margot, which honestly by the end I was getting tired of. There needed to be more Lenni. Still a good read. 4 stars
• Fable by Adrienne Young - This is the first book in what I believe is a duology. After reading Lenni and Margot, I wanted something lighter. This is YA (maybe fantasy) and is about a girl whose father left her on an island alone after her mother drowned in a storm. She had to learn how to survive on her own using the unique skills her mother taught her. She meets a young trader along the way and aims to get back to her father. Entertaining story ending with a big cliffhanger. I look forward to reading the sequel. 4 stars
• Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon -  I previously read The Ex Talk by this author, but unfortunately this new book was not nearly as good. It's about a meteorologist named Ari struggling at her job because her boss is too distracted by her relationship with her ex-husband (who also works at the same news station). So, Ari hatches a plan with her co-worker Russell to get her boss and ex-husband back together and of course in the process they get together too. There's some mental health representation in this book, but I don't personally think it's done all that well. The ending was kind of tacky too. 3 stars (but probably should be less)
• Danger at the Dinosaur Stomping Grounds by Judy Young - This was a book DD and I read together for our US geography study. The story was kind of cheesy, but the geography aspect was pretty good. It took place in Utah's Canyonlands National Park. 3.5 stars

My family and I also watched the movie Dune. While it was a little bit long, we all really liked it. I don't read much sci-fi, so I'm not sure if I'd enjoy the book as much as the movie. Has anyone read this book? I know there are also several sequels too. 

[Jenny in Florida]

This whole curtailed walking thing is putting a serious crimp in my audiobook time. I did start The Turnout (Megan Abbot) as planned, but I had to bail on it after the first few chapters. Although I was enjoying the ballet school setting, the whole novel just had this sense of impending doom that was way too much for me right now. I returned it to the library and moved down my TBR list to The Secret History of Home Economics: How Trailblazing Women Harnessed the Power of Home and Changed the Way We Live by Danielle Dreilinger. This is the kind of niche social science/history thing that I normally love, but I'm finding myself frequently zoning out as I listen and having to go back to make sure I didn't miss anything significant. 

I am still also theoretically reading:

• Atlas of the Heart, Brené Brown (Well, it's sitting on my bedside table.)

And most recently finished:

• The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper, Hallie Rubenhold 
• 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

[ladydusk]

On 3/13/2022 at 4:05 AM, Robin M said:

Speaking of time, our next 52 Books  Bingo category is All the World's a Stage.  Which works well with our golden age theme since William Shakespeare was alive during the Elizabethan era, considered the Golden Age in English history. 

There are many ways to go with this category including but not limited to

My 17yo was in a local community theatre presentation of Twelfth Night this past weekend - I saw it twice! So fun!

I wonder if I could count it twice LOL 

[wintermom]

Hey, if I re-read my copies of "The Mousetrap" and "Witness for the Prosecution" by Agatha Christie I can do both plays and classic mystery books!! 😃

[Laurel-in-CA]

I read "Courage Under Fire" by Lindsay McKenna, because the cover reminded me of a CJ Box type story. It was really a romantic suspense and at first I thought it would be interesting because ranches and beekeeping were involved. HOWEVER -- do characters really talk like that???? Apparently women who want to be respected and treated like equals are "matriarchal" and men who want to dominate are "patriarchal" -- and sniper marines must also be eco-conscious and make their own glass water bottles and hire lots of women wranglers. I couldn't figure out which PC angle I was supposed to be following. This author is a hard no in the future!!

I also read "The Latinist" by Mark Prinz because, well, it turns out it was about a classical scholar in Oxford (not anyone from south america) and a very obscure Roman poet, who turns out to be a poetess, and an academic rivalry that turns out to be a bit of a reversal of the Apollo and Daphne myth in the present day. The middle is a bit slow, but the twist at the end, oh my! The ending was [deliberately] quite abrupt.

DH is off on a trip this week, his first with the new job. He's really looking forward to it. And youngest dd is job hunting.

That book by the death investigator in Marin County piques my interest, as does Red Notice. I keep running out of recommendation allowances for online books at my library!

[Kareni]

10 hours ago, Vintage81 said:

Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon....

I was glad to learn your thoughts on this book. I abandoned it early as it was not grabbing my attention.

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Yesterday I read in its entirety Yesterday Is History by Kosoko Jackson; I quite enjoyed this young adult novel. I confess that I have a weakness for books featuring time travel.

"Weeks ago, Andre Cobb received a much-needed liver transplant.

He's ready for his life to finally begin, until one night, when he passes out and wakes up somewhere totally unexpected...in 1969, where he connects with a magnetic boy named Michael.

And then, just as suddenly as he arrived, he slips back to present-day Boston, where the family of his donor is waiting to explain that his new liver came with a side effect—the ability to time travel. And they've tasked their youngest son, Blake, with teaching Andre how to use his unexpected new gift.

Andre splits his time bouncing between the past and future. Between Michael and Blake. Michael is everything Andre wishes he could be, and Blake, still reeling from the death of his brother, Andre's donor, keeps him at arm's length despite their obvious attraction to each other.

Torn between two boys, one in the past and one in the present, Andre has to figure out where he belongs—and more importantly who he wants to be—before the consequences of jumping in time catch up to him and change his future for good."

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

1 hour ago, Kareni said:

Yesterday I read in its entirety Yesterday Is History by Kosoko Jackson; I quite enjoyed this young adult novel. I confess that I have a weakness for books featuring time travel.

Thank you!  I have this now marked for the next time I need a Y.  I have already solved this months Y issue by checking out a Charlotte Armstrong mystery......one of my authors that I have on my list to make sure I try this year.

 

12 hours ago, Vintage81 said:

I read this book last year...I'll be curious to know your thoughts. ☺️

I finished How Lucky earlier today and enjoyed it.  Did you like it?  GR is all over the place!  I listened to it and the narration was done by Malcolm Kershaw who I have enjoyed listening to in the past.  I am not sure I would have finished it in traditional book form because the narration really made the book imo and actually hearing him speak was a big part of it.  This book is the thoughts of a young man with SMA (basically a type ALS children are born with)who is trying to live the fullest life possible for the longest time possible.  He thinks he has witnessed a kidnapping of a young Chinese student and the thriller plot moves quickly from there with a reliable narrator. 😉 I like reliable narrators.  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54870216-how-lucky

Edited March 15, 2022 by mumto2

[Vintage81]

12 hours ago, mumto2 said:

I finished How Lucky earlier today and enjoyed it.  Did you like it?  GR is all over the place!  I listened to it and the narration was done by Malcolm Kershaw who I have enjoyed listening to in the past.  I am not sure I would have finished it in traditional book form because the narration really made the book imo and actually hearing him speak was a big part of it.  This book is the thoughts of a young man with SMA (basically a type ALS children are born with)who is trying to live the fullest life possible for the longest time possible.  He thinks he has witnessed a kidnapping of a young Chinese student and the thriller plot moves quickly from there with a reliable narrator. 😉 I like reliable narrators.  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54870216-how-lucky

I liked Daniel and learning about SMA (I had never heard of it before). However, the mystery/thriller part of the story was a bit strange. I felt like the two parts...Daniel's story and the kidnapping...didn't really work that well together. I think the book would have been better if it had just been about Daniel. I think I gave it 3.5 stars, so for me it was still good, just not great. 😊 (I did read the book...no audiobook.) 

[Ottakee]

Fire Keepers Daughter (can't get the link to work)

I am loving this as an audio book.  Story of a young Native/French young lady navigating two cultures.  I think I especially appreciate it as I have spent the last 30 years with extended family from that tribe (and ones near by).  My son is actually from that tribe as well.  So much of the book rings true for my experiences at pow wows, Indian time, etc.

Edited March 15, 2022 by Ottakee

[Lady Florida.]

 I always say I'm not one for theme reading but in Feb. and Mar. I did/am doing just that. I started the book about our local civil rights martyr in February. I didn't intend it to be for Black History Month but it worked out that way. Now I'm reading a book that fits for Women's History Month.

The Woman They Could Not Silence tells the story of Elizabeth Packard. Her husband had her committed for basically having opinions and voicing them. She fought for her freedom and won, then ended up fighting for other women wrongly committed (and eventually for all those wrongly committed regardless of gender). It's interesting so far. The author also wrote Radium Girls which I read and found both fascinating and horrifying.

I started The Museum of Abandoned Secrets and am not sure yet how I feel about it. It's a bit stream of consciousness which I don't generally like but I'm going to give it a chance. I'm only 20 pages in on this 700+ page book so I feel like it deserves more time. 

I'm still slowly working my way through The Song of Simon de Montfort.

Shakespeare week might get me back to my plan to read all of his works. I haven't read anything by the Bard since December 2020 - nothing at all last year. According to my reading plan the next one is Troilus and Cressida, which might be why I wasn't in any hurry to continue.

Finally, though I haven't had much time for listening, I've been listening a bit to Mel Brooks' memoir All About Me.  There's a lot of old guy reminiscing but there are interesting tidbits about his various movies that keep me listening. 

[Kareni]

I read a duo of books by a favorite author and quite enjoyed them though they are in a different genre than her other works that I've read.

Medair: The Complete Medair Duology in One Volume by Andrea K Höst 

"Time stole Victory.

Medair an Rynstar returned too late to drive back the Ibisian invasion. Centuries too late.
 

When friend and enemy have become the same thing, what use are the weapons Medair planned to use to protect her Empire? There is no magic, no artefact, no enchanted trinket which can undo the past.

But no matter how Medair wishes to hide from the consequences of her failure, there are those who will not allow her the luxury of denying the present. Her war is already lost, but she carries weapons which could change the course of new battles.

With the skirmishes of war beginning, and hunters in near pursuit, it is her conscience Medair cannot escape. Whose side should she be on? What is she really running from?"

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

I finished this weeks letter K by reading a book by Kate Ellis https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/894245.The_Plague_Maiden.  She is actually an author that I met many years ago at a library function in England.  At that time we couldn’t keep her books on the shelf because the whole village wanted to read them so I only managed to read the first 3 or 4  before forgetting to keep putting my hold’s on to read the rest of the series in order.  I remember her saying that her publisher was trying to get her books on kindle and now they are.  Her books are really enjoyable as they are written in a duel timeline format with a current day police case and a historical storyline that normally involves an archeological dig.  Her main character started his career as a archeological student and switched to being a police detective.  I love archeology in mysteries!

From Goodreads: When a letter arrives at Tradmouth police station, addressed to a DCI Norbert it causes quite a stir. For though DCI Norbert has long since moved on, the letter claims to have evidence that the man convicted of murdering the Rev. Shipbourne, Vicar of Belsham, during the course of a robbery in 1991, is innocent. Despite having a full case load, including investigating a series of vicious attacks on a local supermarket chain, DI Wesley Peterson is forced to at least follow up on the letter writer’s claims. Meanwhile archaelologist Neil Watson is excavating as site in Pest Field near Belsham church. He discovers a mass grave that leads him to conclude that the site – earmarked for development – is one of an ancient medieval plague pit. But, more disturbing, is the discovery that the grave is home to a more recent resident

[Kareni]

I had a new experience and read a LitRPG book, The Land of the Undying Lord (The Infinite World Book 1) by J.T. Wright. LitRPG is short for literary role playing game; the book brought back memories of playing Dungeons and Dragons in high school. I enjoyed the book but don't expect to continue with the series.

"The Infinite World, ever-changing and ever growing. New nations and races rose and fell almost daily. New Classes were discovered, as old ways were lost. Monsters and beasts roamed the earth and were slain by soldiers and adventurers who were in turn killed by stronger threats. Heroes and villains created new epics and were forgotten when their successors appeared. This was the way of the Infinite World.

Summoned into this chaotic place, a young boy with no name and no past must learn to survive. Bound to a master who doesn't care whether he lives or dies, he must become stronger. The question is how? Do the people around him value him for who he is or merely for what he represents? The world holds endless possibilities, only time will tell what the future holds for the boy."

Regards,

Kareni

[Storygirl]

On 3/15/2022 at 10:34 PM, mumto2 said:

I finished this weeks letter K by reading a book by Kate Ellis https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/894245.The_Plague_Maiden.  She is actually an author that I met many years ago at a library function in England.  At that time we couldn’t keep her books on the shelf because the whole village wanted to read them so I only managed to read the first 3 or 4  before forgetting to keep putting my hold’s on to read the rest of the series in order.  I remember her saying that her publisher was trying to get her books on kindle and now they are.  Her books are really enjoyable as they are written in a duel timeline format with a current day police case and a historical storyline that normally involves an archeological dig.  Her main character started his career as a archeological student and switched to being a police detective.  I love archeology in mysteries!

From Goodreads: When a letter arrives at Tradmouth police station, addressed to a DCI Norbert it causes quite a stir. For though DCI Norbert has long since moved on, the letter claims to have evidence that the man convicted of murdering the Rev. Shipbourne, Vicar of Belsham, during the course of a robbery in 1991, is innocent. Despite having a full case load, including investigating a series of vicious attacks on a local supermarket chain, DI Wesley Peterson is forced to at least follow up on the letter writer’s claims. Meanwhile archaelologist Neil Watson is excavating as site in Pest Field near Belsham church. He discovers a mass grave that leads him to conclude that the site – earmarked for development – is one of an ancient medieval plague pit. But, more disturbing, is the discovery that the grave is home to a more recent resident

I'm so excited to learn of a mystery author with a 25 book series that I have never heard of! Series mysteries are my very favorite. I'm going to give her a try, though I may wait until May and count it as a historical mystery for the Crime Spree challenge.

[Storygirl]

I finished And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie for the Golden Age Crime Spree challenge. Although I have a copy on my bookshelf, I elected to listen to the audiobook, which is narrated by Dan Stevens. Loved the narration. It's been so long since I read it, that I didn't remember the details, but halfway through, I guessed part of the mystery. It's easy to see why this one is a classic.

[Storygirl]

I also finished A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas, which is the first in the Lady Sherlock mystery series. I listened to this one on audio. Very fun. When Charlotte Holmes must make her way as an independent woman without the benefit of an education or family support, she puts her powers of deduction to use, posing as her invalid fictional brother "Sherlock." This origin story was a delight to read, and I'm looking forward to what Charlotte/Sherlock will be up to in the next volumes. I'm hoping to learn a lot more about the surrounding cast of characters -- Charlotte's friends and helpers -- who all have layers that have been introduced or suggested but not yet fully explored.

Although it's not spelled out in so many words, it's obvious that Charlotte is not neurotypical, and I appreciate that. She has an older sister who is disabled in a way that seems obviously to be severe autism, so I think the author is planting hints that Charlotte is also autistic. She notices that she doesn't experience emotions the way that others do, for example, and her clothing choices are unusual.

Really enjoyed it and will be reading more in this series.

[Kareni]

I read and enjoyed the first three Lady Sherlock books, @Story girl, and may yet get back to it and read on. Enjoy!

@mumto2, the Kate Ellis series sounds intriguing, and I've requested the first book from my library. Thanks for the mention.

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

I enjoyed reading the serial story, Deltan Escape by Janet Edwards, which is a prequel to the Earth Girl series I recently read. The story is available for free on the author's website.

ETA: I also read all the other free stories available at the site.

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

@Kareni and @Storygirl I am looking forward to hearing what you both think of the series by Kate Ellis.  I have spent my day sewing and listening to one of The Expanse books so I need to pick a new book the is not Sci Fi!  I finished my first and likely only book by John Dickson Carr this morning.   Scandal at High Chimneys was boring but did improve towards the end.  He was the only American in the original Detection Club so is Golden Age but set this book in 1865.  I think that is a lot of my disappointment if I am honest with myself as I have been enjoying the 1930’s setting for many of these mysteries.  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24108118-scandal-at-high-chimneys
 

From Goodreads: In 1865, novelist Clive Strickland is relaxing at his club when his friend Victor Damon comes to him in a panic, begging Clive to help him marry off his sister to a cash-poor marquis whose affections reek of gold-digging. Victor doesn’t care. Something sinister lurks at High Chimneys and he wants his sisters out of the house before their lives are put in danger.

Old Matthew Damon, their father, has long been dogged by scandalous rumors of solitary visits to the cells of women about to be hanged for murder. But when murder is done at High Chimneys, Strickland and private investigator Jonathan Whicher will have to sort out the rumors and look behind the discreetly drawn curtains of High Chimneys for a killer.

[Storygirl]

I've been reading alphabetically as choices become available, which means that I read out of order a bit. I read P before N and O, but I'm listing them in order.

N -- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Five stars! Loved it! The book starts with two magicians agreeing to a contest between their two apprentices. The apprentices begin the story as children and are not told about the deal but are bound to it with magical rings that they can't take off. The two older magicians agree that the competition will take place in a venue created for this purpose -- a magical black and white circus that mysteriously moves around from place to place, appearing suddenly overnight and open only at night. The two apprentices develop their magical skills, and, over the years learn about the contest and about each other, until the surprising climax. Along the way, other fascinating characters come into the story. Highly recommend this one. The magical elements are.... magical.

O -- One Step Too Far by Lisa Gardner. Gardner is a favorite author of mine, and I've read her entire backlist. In my opinion, this thriller is one of her very best. 5 stars!! Frankie Elkin was introduced in a previous book, but it doesn't matter; you can read this as a standalone, because important backstory events are merely tangential and explained enough that new readers won't be lost. Frankie travels the country, helping in the search for lost people. Not for reward money, but just because she is driven to do this. In this case, she joins a group of people doing a search in back country Wyoming for a man who went missing five years before. The characters' secrets unspool, as the expedition turns deadly. Gardner knows how to build tension and when to lighten the mood, keeping the reader in the twisty grip of suspense all the way through. I stayed up very last last night to finish the last few chapters, because I could not put it down.

P -- A Pho Love Story by Loan Le. This is a sweet YA romance. The families of Linh and Bao own competing Pho restaurants and despise each other so much that the teens have never been allowed to get to know each other, though they know each other by sight. When they start working together on a restaurant review project for their school's newspaper, the two keep their relationship secret while also trying to figure out the secret behind their families' animosity. The characters are engaging, and readers will root for them, as Linh hides her artistic talent from her disapproving parents, and Bao develops his newly found skill as a writer. We adopted DD20 from Vietnam, so the theme of this story was especially appealing to me. Lots of description of Vietnamese food, and some Vietnamese language spoken by the parents add to the story.

 

Edited March 19, 2022 by Storygirl

[Storygirl]

I also finished a fun audiobook cozy mystery -- Murder at the Mena House by Erica Ruth Neubauer. While accompanying her aunt on a vacation to Egypt, widowed Jane Wunderly works with the handsome Mr. Redvers to solve two murders at their hotel. Set in 1926 at the real-life Mena House Hotel at the foot of the pyramids, this fun mystery has an interesting setting and an intriguing cast of characters, each of whom (including Jane) is keeping secrets. I already put the second book in this series on my to-read list.

[Robin M]

I think I’ve been watching way too much news which has put me off my reading entirely.  Time for a news diet. Sadly, I wasn’t enjoying Leviathan Wakes, made it halfway through the book, skipped to the last chapter and called it a day.  Both Holden and Miller rubbed me the wrong way. The vomiting zombies didn’t help.  I thought the third time would be the charm for Ursula Le Guin. I’ve tried several different books and given up each time.  Made it halfway through Left Hand of Darkness. Have come to the conclusion I just don’t like her writing.  No tomatoes please.

[Vintage81]

11 hours ago, Storygirl said:

P -- A Pho Love Story by Loan Le. This is a sweet YA romance. The families of Linh and Bao own competing Pho restaurants and despise each other so much that the teens have never been allowed to get to know each other, though they know each other by sight. When they start working together on a restaurant review project for their school's newspaper, the two keep their relationship secret while also trying to figure out the secret behind their families' animosity. The characters are engaging, and readers will root for them, as Linh hides her artistic talent from her disapproving parents, and Bao develops his newly found skill as a writer. We adopted DD20 from Vietnam, so the theme of this story was especially appealing to me. Lots of description of Vietnamese food, and some Vietnamese language spoken by the parents add to the story.

I read this book last year. I really enjoyed it! 

[Robin M]

Link to week 12 - please continue conversation in new thread