It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Wow, it's been quite a while since I posted my last Monday reading update — sometime in January, I think. And that's mostly because I just haven't been doing much reading this year. Too many things going on and claiming my attention and taking up the time I'd ordinarily spend on reading. But I'm trying to change that and get back to the books now that I've got most of that other "stuff" attended to. I usually get quite a lot of reading done during the spring, so things might be looking up.

So far in 2021 I've only managed to finish eleven books. And several of those were children's books, which means I've been doing even less reading than it seems. 

Of all the books I've read this year, I think I enjoyed Christopher Fowler's Oranges and Lemons the most. 

It's the 17th book in Fowler's Peculiar Crimes Unit mystery series, but it was my introduction to the books. I'll definitely be reading more of the series in the future.

At the moment, I'm trying to finish two ARCs I should have read back in February or March: The Postscript Murders, by Elly Griffiths; and The Lost Village, by Camilla Sten. 

Looking forward to both of those, and they should keep me busy for a while. Now I'm off to see what ya'll are all reading this week. 

Happy reading, everyone! And have a great week!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. If you want to let the world know what you're going to be reading this week, head on over to her blog and leave your link. It's also a great way to discover new books and new blogs. 

  

Book Beginnings: A Guilty Thing Surprised

A Guilty Thing Surprised
by Ruth Rendell

First published 1970

Opening Sentence

When Quentin Nightingale left home for London each morning his wife was always still asleep.

About the Book

The discovery of Elizabeth Nightingale's broken body in the woods near her home could not have come as a bigger shock. Called in to investigate, Chief Inspector Wexford quickly determines that the Nightingales were considered the perfect couple - wealthy, attractive and without an enemy in the world.

However, someone must have been alone with Elizabeth that night in the woods. Someone who hated - or perhaps loved - her enough to beat her to death.

The case seems straightforward. But Wexford soon learns that beneath the placid surface of the Nightingales' lives lie undercurrents and secrets no one ever suspected. (Description from GoodReads)

Initial Thoughts

 

Well, for many years I would go off to work, leaving my husband either still asleep or just waking up. And I must admit, there were times when I thought I might actually feel perfectly justified in bonking him on the head as I was hurrying out the door. I got over it, but maybe Mrs. Nightingale's hubby just got pushed over the edge?

This is Ruth Rendell's 5th Inspector Wexford mystery, and it's the first one of the series I've read since sometime back in the 1990s, I believe. I read several of them back then, but finally stopped because Rendell's characters are always so completely awful. (With the exception of Wexford himself, of course.) Believable and well developed, but definitely NOT types you'd want to spend a lot of time with. However, I'm really enjoying this book, so maybe I'm finally ready to continue with the series.

Oh, and these days I'm never the first one out of bed.

Have a good weekend, everyone.
Stay safe. Stay calm. And happy reading!

Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Friday As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc.  It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.

 

Book Beginnings: Oranges and Lemons

Bryant & May: Oranges and Lemons

by Christopher Fowler

Random House Ballantine / Bantam, 2021

Opening Lines

Chapter 1: Old White Males

‘Everything I tell you is a lie.’

About the Book

On a spring morning in London's Strand, the Speaker of the House of Commons is accidentally killed by a van unloading oranges and lemons for the annual St. Clement Danes festival. It's an absurd way to die, but the government is more interested in investigating the Speaker's state of mind just prior to his accident.

The task is given to the Peculiar Crimes Unit—the only problem being that the unit no longer exists. Its Chief, Raymond Land, is tending his daffodils on the Isle of Wight and senior detectives Arthur Bryant and John May are out of commission; May is undergoing surgery for a bullet wound and Bryant has been missing for a month. What's more, the old unit in King's Cross is being turned into a vegetarian tapas bar.

Against impossible odds, the team is reassembled and once again what should have been a simple case becomes a lunatic farrago involving arson, suicide, magicians, academics and a race to catch a killer with a master plan involving London churches. (Description from GoodReads)

Initial Thoughts

 

Yet again, I'm starting a long-running series without reading even one of the earlier books. Even though I've actually got a copy of the first book in the series. Dumb, right? But this one sounded so good, I just couldn't resist requesting it when I saw it at NetGalley. I was thrilled to get it. (I'm always thrilled whenever someone gives me a book!) I'm a little late in getting it read, but so far, I'm loving it. Can't wait to finish it so I can start reading the series from the very beginning. Don't you love when that happens?

Have a good weekend, everyone.
Stay safe. Stay calm. And happy reading!

Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Friday As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc.  It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.

 

Back to the Classics Challenge 2021

Click HERE for guidelines and sign-ups.

Host: Karen K. @ Books and Chocolate

Dates: January 1 - December 31, 2021

The goal of this challenge is (pretty obviously): read classic literature. To qualify for the challenge, a book must have been published at least 50 years ago (so, no later than 1971). There are twelve categories for the challenge, and three different levels for reading (you can read books from six, nine, or all twelve categories). See the challenge announcement page for more info. 

I will probably go for the first level ("complete six categories"). I don't yet have a set list of books I might want to read, but I never managed to finish Jane Eyre last year, so I should probably lead off with that. I've started it several times over a period of about forty years! It would be nice to actually finish it at last. 

I'm very late signing up for this — the deadline for sign-ups is March 31. I actually thought I'd already signed up. Yeah, the brain is getting softer all the time. Anyway, during the year I'll be tracking my progress and keeping all my reading lists over on my challenge blog (HERE). 

Book Beginnings: Jerusalem Inn

Jerusalem Inn

by Martha Grimes

First published 1984

Opening Lines

A meeting in a graveyard. That was how it would always come back to him, and without any sense of irony at all — that a meeting in a graveyard did not foreshadow the permanence he was after.

About the Book

A white Christmas couldn't make Newcastle any less dreary for Scotland Yard's Superintendent Richard Jury—until he met a beautiful woman in a snow-covered graveyard. Sensual, warm, and a bit mysterious, she could have put some life into his sagging holiday spirit. But the next time Jury saw her, she was cold—and dead. 

Melrose Plant, Jury's aristocratic sidekick, wasn't faring much better. Snow-bound at a stately mansion with a group of artists, critics, and idle-but-titled rich, he, too, encountered a lovely lady . . . or rather, stumbled over her corpse. What linked these two yuletide murders was a remote country pub where snooker, a Nativity scene, and an old secret would uncover a killer . . . or yet another death. (Description from GoodReads)

Initial Thoughts

 

OK, anything that starts with a meeting in a graveyard is definitely gonna grab my interest. I've been wanting to read one of the Richard Jury mysteries for years now, and found this one when I was looking for a book to read for the Calendar of Crime Reading Challenge. It has a word starting with "J" in the title, so it's perfect for a January read. Actually though, it'll work for a number of the challenges I've got myself involved in this year. 

Once again, I've jumped into the middle of a long-running series, but so far I'm enjoying it and don't feel too lost. (Well, maybe just a little.) Hoping to finish it tonight.

Have a good weekend, everyone.
Stay safe. Stay calm. And happy reading!

Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Friday As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc.  It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.

 

Book Beginnings: Plain Bad Heroines

Plain Bad Heroines

by Emily M. Danforth

William Morrow, October 2020

Opening Lines

Excerpt From

The Story of Mary MacLane

By Mary MacLane 

Though I am young and feminine — very feminine — I am not that quaint conceit, a girl: the sort of person that Laura E. Richards writes about, and Nora Perry, and Louisa M. Alcott, — girls with bright eyes, and with charming faces (they always have charming faces), standing with reluctant feet where the brook and river meet, — and all that sort of thing.

About the Book

1902, Brookhants School for Girls: students Flo and Clara are madly in love with each other, as well as completely obsessed with The Story of Mary MacLane, the scandalous debut memoir by 19 year old MacLane. A few months later they are found dead in the woods, after a horrific wasp attack, the book lying next to their intertwined bodies. Within five years the school is closed. But not before three more people die on the property, each in a troubling way.

Over a hundred years later, Brookhants opens its doors once more, when a crew of young actresses arrive to film a high-profile movie about the rumoured Brookhants curse. And as past and present become grimly entangled, it’s soon impossible to tell quite where the curse leaves off and Hollywood begins. (Description from GoodReads)

Initial Thoughts

 

Actually, my first thought was that that opening passage isn't really pulling me in. Also, I had to Google Nora Perry to see if she was a real or made-up person. And she was real! She was "an American poet, newspaper correspondent, and writer of juvenile stories." Good to know.

This was an Early Reviewer win from LibraryThing, and (as usual) I'm very late in getting it read. Not sure exactly why I requested it — it's very much outside my normal comfort zones. Maybe that's why. But at just over 600 pages, it's also a book that's going to take me a looong time to finish. It's been quite a while since I took on such a chunkster. So I'll just have to see how long I can stick with the girls of Brookhants and their scandalous adventures.

Have a good weekend, everyone.
Stay safe. Stay calm. And happy reading!

Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Friday As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc.  It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.

 

2021 World War II Challenge

J. Howard Miller 1918-2004,
artwork details on wikimedia commons

Click here for guidelines and sign-ups

Host: Becky @ Becky's Book Reviews
Dates: January - December 2021

Goals: Read, Watch, Listen, Share WWII related stuff

 
This challenge sounds just too good to pass up, especially since it includes music from the WWII years, as well as movies made during or about that period. I already read a lot of historical fiction set during that era, and I love films from the 1940s. And as a Baby Boomer, I was born not too long after the war, so this one sounds great to me. 

I have a huge batch of books that would be perfect for this challenge, and dozens of movies in mind that I can watch. I won't list them here, but during the year I'll be keeping all my lists and tracking my progress over on my challenge blog (HERE). 

........