Slow but sure reading this year. On my 30th book of the year. I sign up for the GoodReads yearly challenge just so I can keep track of what I’m reading for the year not to challenge myself. Those days are over! I just want to read for sheer enjoyment with no pressure. Since my last book post I’ve read five books…
The Boxwood Maze by Bentz Plagemann
‘In the summer of Lee Appleton’s twentieth year, the young heiress discovered that the treasure of Waverly – a rare and beautiful antique model train – was missing. And, first subtly then openly, the fortune hunters closed in.’
A short basic gothic. Nothing to write home about, but an enjoyable enough quick read. The setting of an old mansion on the Hudson River drew me in. An elderly aunt that seemed stuck in the past century didn’t ring true and kind of put me off. Could have been better. Don’t think I’d read anymore from this author.
The Photograph by Penelope Lively
‘It opens with a snapshot: Kath, at an unknown gathering, hands clasped with a man not her husband. The photograph is in an envelope marked DON’T OPEN – DESTROY. But Kath’s husband does not heed the warning. the mystery of the photographs and of Kath’s recent death, propels him on a journey of discovery in which he must peel back layers of their lives. The unfolding tale reveals a tight web of secrets – within marriages, between two sisters and at the heart of an affair. Kath, with her mesmerizing looks and casual ways, moves like a ghost through the thoughts and memories of everyone who knew her: Glyn, her husband, past his lusty, professorial prime; her remorselessly competent sister, Elaine a garden designer married to ne’er do well Nick; and their daughter, Polly beloved of Kath, who oscillates between home, family and the tumultuous new era she inhabits.
The Photograph, with Penelope Lively’s signature mastery of narrative and psychology, brilliantly explores a woman’s beauty and its collision with everything from her own happiness to the cost of professional “success”.’
I did enjoy this one. We are presented with a picture of Kath from everyone in her life’s perspective. We get a mental picture of who she is and then Lively slowly blows that image up with the truth of who Kath was. Stirred up emotions, begs you to look at life and relationships a bit differently. I find myself looking at people in my life a bit differently now and wondering how they see me and maybe changing how I see them.
The Horse You Came In On by Martha Grimes
‘The murder is in America, yet the call goes out to English police superintendent Richard Jury. This is only the first unique aspect of a case that would try the keen talent of Scotland yard’s sleuth. Accompanied by his aristocratic friend Melrose Plant and by Sergeant Wiggins, Jury arrives in Baltimore Maryland, home of zealous Orioles fans, mouth-watering crabs, and Edgar Allan Poe.
Amid a puzzling scenario of literary larceny, dubious descendants, football franchises, and monstrous murder, Jury bends elbows with a delicious and suspicious cast of characters who introduce him to the delights of the city. And as the evidence of the murders he’s been sent to solve becomes too tangled to understand, Jury finds answers – and liquid refreshment – at a unique tavern called The Horse You Came In On…’
This is the first Richard Jury book I didn’t care for. Bringing them to America just didn’t work for me. Baltimore is certainly not a setting I care for. It’s not a nice place by any means! I know the center point of the crime is an Edgar Allan Poe manuscript and Baltimore is his home. I would have preferred a Boston setting if they had to come to America. The pub angle just didn’t ring true. Didn’t have the same feel as the pubs in England in the previous books. There were redeeming moments with Melrose Plant trying to make sense of American football and how we talk but that was about it. I don’t care for this Ellen character that Melrose befriended in a previous book and was brought back as more of a main character for this book. Next book their back in England!
Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie
‘A boastful little girl at a party announces that she witnessed a murder – a murder that the police of peaceful Woodleigh Common insist never took place. But when the same little girl is found drowned later that night, there is every reason to believe her…
Hercule Poirot, the canny Belgian detective, doesn’t take kindly to murder. His shrewd deductions lead him to a years old web of shocking intrigue and wrongful death – just moments before the killer strikes again!’
Hercule Poirot is always a wonderful read. I read this in October for Halloween. That new movie with Kenneth Branagh as Poirot, ‘A Haunting in Venice‘, had just been released and I thought I’d pull the book, it was suppose to be based on, off the shelf and give it a go. The movie storyline is nothing like the book! I hate when they do that! I maybe stubborn, but I won’t go see Branagh’s Christie movies. I’m looking forward to reading Christie’s ‘Murder for Christmas‘ in December!
Unsilenced: How to Voice the Gospel by James Boccardo
‘Are you afraid to share your faith in Jesus with unbelievers? When the opportunity presents itself, do you feel like you just dont know what to say? You are not alone.
How to Voice the Gospel gives readers the knowledge and confidence to share the Gospel with anybody, at any time. Author James Boccardo has shared his faith in Jesus with Israeli soldiers in Israel, Ethiopians on the Fourth of July, and even the Yale golf team.
Unsilenced reviews the Gospel, gives tips on starting conversations with friends or strangers, and examines the typical questions unbelievers always ask. It includes real-life stories where these questions come up and how to answer them. There are examples of practical applications along the way, giving every Jesus follower the confidence they need to share the Gospel. If the people who claim to know Jesus don’t tell the world about Him, who will?’
Excellent! Highly recommend.
Currently reading Somebody at the Door by Raymond W. Postgate, a British Library Crime Classic. I LOVE the covers on these books!
‘One bleak Friday evening in January, 1942, Councillor Henry Grayling boards an overcrowded train with £120 in cash wages to be paid out the next day to the workers of Barrow and Furness Chemistry and Drugs Company. When Councillor Grayling finally finds the only available seat in a third-class carriage, he realises to his annoyance that he will be sharing it with some of his disliked acquaintances: George Ransom, with whom he had a quarrel; Charles Evetts, who is one of his not-so-trusted employees; a German refugee whom Grayling has denounced; and Hugh Rolandson, whom Grayling suspects of having an affair with his wife.
The train journey passes uneventfully in an awkward silence but later that evening Grayling dies of what looks like mustard gas poisoning and the suitcase of cash is nowhere to be found. Inspector Holly has a tough time trying to get to the bottom of the mystery, for the unpopular Councillor had many enemies who would be happy to see him go, and most of them could do with the cash he was carrying. But Inspector Holly is persistent and digs deep into the past of all the suspects for a solution, starting with Grayling’s travelling companions. Somebody at the Door, first published in 1943, is an intricate mystery which, in the process of revealing whodunit, paints an interesting picture of the everyday life during the war.’
I’m enjoying this trip back to the ’40s and WWII. I got a little lost in the chapter about the German refugee suspect. All the spy stuff and codes started my head spinning, but I’m looking forward to finding out whodunnit. I have no idea yet! I’m leaning towards Evetts, hoping it’s not the vicar.
I think my next read will be a Molly Clavering. Something sweet and feel good, a break from murder and mayhem.
What have you been reading?
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