What I've Been Reading - November 2019

Where did November go? But if I don't post this now, it won't get done, so here are some brief comments on a few books I enjoyed this month.

Murder on the Ballarat Train is the third Phryne Fisher mystery by Kerry Greenwood. These stories take place in Australia in the late 1920s. 

Phryne is audacious and fun, and she finds creative ways of solving mysteries and helping people in need. She's a bit promiscuous, but she's so charming and kind to her lovers that it all just seems like good fun. 

If you are looking for an entertaining evening curled up on the sofa, try one of these action-filled stories.

 

A Few Right Thinking Men by Sulari Gentill is the first in a series that takes place in Australia during the Great Depression—a time of unrest there as in many other parts of the world. I enjoyed learning a lot about Australian history while reading this story.

The main character, Rowland Sinclair, is a wealthy artist from a conservative family who shares his house with a group of impoverished, radical friends. There are lots of entertaining characters as well as plenty of conflict, action and suspense. I will read more of this series, too.

 

The first in the Quaker Midwife mysteries, Delivering the Truth by Edith Maxwell takes place in Massachusetts in 1888.

It’s a good, solid mystery, and there’s lots of interesting historical info; I particularly enjoyed learning more about the Quakers. John Greenleaf Whittier, the Quaker poet, is a minor character. There were some sad bits, infant mortality being so much more common back then. 

All in all, though, a lovely story, and I’ll be sure to go back for more.

That's it for now...

Barbara

What I've Been Reading - October 2019

This month I was on holiday in Europe (which explains why I didn’t post in September—too busy doing a lot of work ahead of time). Once on vacation, I had much more time to read than usual, so I mined my Kindle for something new. There are always a number of books there that I haven’t read – some I’ve been waiting ages to read, others that sounded interesting or were a great deal. 

First up is a story by Julie Anne Long, who has a lovely, lyrical writing style that I can't help but admire.

I read all her Pennyroyal Green books, so when my Kindle-mining produced Lady Derring Takes a Lover, I dove right in. The first in her new series, The Palace of Rogues, it's a delightful tale of a near-destitute widow determined to make a life for herself, and a war hero of dubious beginnings who more than anything needs a home and family. There's plenty of action and suspense while these two gradually and inevitably come together. 

Ms. Long also sets up the sequel featuring one of the secondary characters – Angel in a Devil’s Arms, which releases in just a few days. Can’t wait!

Next up is Her Caprice by Keira Dominguez, a writer new to me. An intriguing beginning and excellent writing got me hooked, and then, to my surprise, there was a little bit of magic! 

I confess, I do love stories which have a small amount of magic in them -- one special ability, for example, and the impact it has on a character's life. Not that I dislike stories with lots of magic -- I like those, too -- but a little magic creates some distance from everyday life without feeling like pure fantasy.

Her Caprice features deep secrets, emotional trauma, a hopeless love, a truly vicious villain, and a hair-raising escape: all in all, it's a fabulous romance with that touch of magic to make it perfect.

Last of all is a story I’d been saving to read while on holiday: Murder in the Blood by Anne Cleeland. 

It’s the tenth police procedural mystery featuring Kathleen Doyle and her obsessive husband, Lord Acton. They are some of the most original and fascinating characters I’ve ever read about, and the series also has that touch of magic that I like so much -- in this case, Doyle’s unusual perceptive abilities. 

Murder in the Blood has plenty of twists and turns and complications, many relating to previous stories. I don’t usually care about reading series in order, but I think it’s wise in this case. 

Best of all was a bit of a shocker at the end which shouldn’t have been such a surprise, but it surely was. Well done once again, Ms. Cleeland. :)

Proof that I was in Europe: This is me in front of the Pantheon in Rome. :)