I can’t believe that it is already almost February! January is a month that has historically dragged for me, but this year it is just chugging along. January 5 was my six month semi-retirement anniversary, and I’ve settled into a groove.
So, this week wasn’t quite as spectacular as my 8 book week last week, but it was still a fine reading week in which I finished five books. I can also report back that I finished my digital TBR, and between the two accounts, it stands at 1605 books.
How To Fallby Jane Casey
Rating: ★★★½
Series: Jess Tennant #1
Publication Date: January 1, 2013
Genre: mystery: modern (1980-present)
Pages: 352
ReRead?: No
Project: 2024 read my hoard
Sixteen-year-old Jess Tennant has never met any of her relatives, until her mom suddenly drags her out of London to spend the summer in the tiny English town where her family's from. Her mom's decision is surprising, but even more surprising is the town's reaction to Jess. Everywhere she goes, people look at her like they've seen a ghost. In a way, they have—she looks just like her cousin Freya, who died shortly before Jess came to town.
Jess immediately feels a strange connection to Freya, whom she never got to meet alive. But the more Jess learns about the secrets Freya was keeping while she was alive, the more suspicious Freya's death starts to look. One thing is for sure: this will be anything but the safe, boring summer in the country Jess was expecting.
I started the week with this YA mystery that had been on my TBR since August of 2014. I’ve read other books by Jane Casey, from her Maeve Kerrigan series, and have enjoyed them, which is why I perked up when I saw this one. I have no recollection of the discussion that led to its purchase on my book club account.
For some reason, it seems that mystery has a bit neglected in YA publishing – there is a lot of YA fantasy and romance, but not a ton of YA mystery. I don’t know why this would be, since mystery is the second most popular genre after romance, but there is probably a reason. Anyway, I liked this book fine – it wasn’t a great mystery, but it also wasn’t a bad mystery. Some of the characters were a bit over the top, but I have found that to be true in YA generally, so that’s not surprising. There are two follow-up books which are available through my public library, but I haven’t yet decided if I will be continuing.
These Names Make Cluesby E.C.R. Lorac
Rating: ★★★★
Series: Robert MacDonald #12
Publication Date: January 1, 1937
Genre: mystery: golden age (1920-1949)
Pages: 272
ReRead?: No
"An invitation to a "treasure hunt" open to thriller writers and lesser mortals confronts Scotland Yard's Chief Inspector Macdonald with two baffling deaths."— Kirkus Reviews
It's all fun and games (and fake names) until someone ends up dead…
Amidst the confusion of too many fake names, clues, ciphers, and convoluted alibis, Chief Inspector Macdonald and his allies in the CID must unravel a truly tangled case in this metafictional masterpiece, which returns to print for the first time since its publication in 1937. This edition includes an introduction by CWA Diamond Dagger Award-winning author Martin Edwards.
"Should detectives go to parties? Was it consistent with the dignity of the Yard? The inspector tossed for it—and went."
Chief Inspector Macdonald has been invited to a treasure hunt party at the house of Graham Coombe, the celebrated publisher of Murder by Mesmerism. Despite a handful of misgivings, the inspector joins a guest list of novelists and thriller writers disguised on the night under literary pseudonyms. The fun comes to an abrupt end, however, when "Samuel Pepys" is found dead in the telephone room in bizarre circumstances.
This was a clever, puzzle-y Golden Age Mystery that I checked out of the library. It was reprinted by the British Library in their Crime Classics line, which are notable for their wonderful covers.
I have previously read 4 Lorac titles: Fell Murder, published in 1944, Fire in the Thatch, published in 1946, Checkmate to Murder, published in 1944, and Post After Post-Mortem, published in 1936. I also read Crossed Skis, published under the name Carol Carnac in 1952, which has been my favorite so far. I have universally enjoyed everything I’ve read by Carnac/Lorac and will read more as they are reprinted, or as I acquire them. Some, but definitely not all, of them are available through my library.
Spelunking Through Hellby Seanan McGuire
Rating: ★★★½
Series: InCryptids #11
Publication Date: March 1, 2022
Genre: urban fantasy
Pages: 352
ReRead?: No
Project: 2024 read my hoard
Love, noun:
1. An intense feeling of deep affection; may be romantic, filial or platonic.
Passion, noun:
1. A strong or barely controllable emotion.
2. Enthusiasm, interest, desire.
3. See also “obsession.”It’s been fifty years since the crossroads caused the disappearance of Thomas Price, and his wife, Alice, has been trying to find him and bring him home ever since, despite the increasing probability that he’s no longer alive for her to find. Now that the crossroads have been destroyed, she’s redoubling her efforts. It’s time to bring him home, dead or alive.
After I completed my digital TBR, I decided that it would be fun to – from time to time – let chance choose my next read. I used a random number generator, which gave me number 995. Turning to the list, I found this book.
This was a very lucky pick for me, because this series happens to be one of my favorite – if not my favorite – urban fantasy series. I’ve been reading it since the first book in the series, Discount Armageddon, was published all the way back in 2012. Rather than focusing on a single character, McGuire has focused this series on a family of cryptozoologists – the Price family. The series started with two books focused on Verity Price, and she remains my favorite character. There have been books about her two siblings, Alex & Antimony, her non-biological “cousin,” Sarah (a Johrlac/cuckoo) and now, with this one, her grandmother, Alice Price.
I think I may have somehow missed book 10, Calculated Risks, and I’ll be going to back to pick that one up in the next couple of weeks. The 12th book, Backpacking through Bedlam, is also out, and I’ll catch up before book 13, Aftermarket Afterlife, scheduled for publication in early March.
Lucky pick for me, though!
I read a couple of other books, which I’ll be talking about (hopefully) in future posts:
- When Maidens Mourn by C.S. Harris
- Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson (a post about this one is imminent)
- Live Bait by P.J. Tracy
As for what I’ve got going now:
- Between the Woods and Water by Patrick Leigh Fermor: I’m reading the print edition published by NYRB. I finished A Time of Gifts last week, and promptly moved onto the second installment.
- Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens: this is a current classics long read, which I am reading one chapter a day (most days). I’m at 32%. This is a great way for me to read Dickens.