I am behind in getting out this post for December mysteries. Behind on a lot of reviews. But I wanted to be consistent in putting out this post monthly.This month I read seven mysteries and a total of nine books, including the very looooong non-fiction book, The Coming of the Third Reich by Richard J. Evans. The other non-fiction book I read was Howard's End is on the Landing by Susan Hill, which I also had been reading in bits and pieces all year. The last two books I read this month were relatively short, so that probably helped.
The mysteries I read in December were:
- Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson
- The Monster in the Box by Ruth Rendell
- A Sight for Sore Eyes by Ruth Rendell
- The Vault by Ruth Rendell
- The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley
- Wycliffe and the Three-Toed Pussy by W. J. Burley
- One Coffee With by Margaret Maron
I enjoyed all the mysteries I read this month, and the only one I had any issues with at all was A Sight for Sore Eyes by Ruth Rendell. That one was very well written but just not my kind of mystery.
I think my favorite for the month was The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley. The first book in this series, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, was one of my top books of the year (see the list here).
I wasn't sure that the author could maintain the charm of the first book in the second book in the series, but he did pull it off. Normally I am not fond of amateur detective series, but this is one I will be continuing to read.
6 comments:
Yesterday I picked up seven used paperbacks from a pile of 500-odd books that included a few by Ruth Rendell. I didn't buy any of her novels; instead, I settled for five westerns, and a Mickey Spillane and John D. MacDonald each. Can't please them all, can you!
I haven't tried Mickey Spillane (but I want to). John D. MacDonald has been a favorite for a long time and I want to read some of his books (well, at least one) this year. Sounds like you got a good haul.
Tracy, I could get a "good haul" every evening if I wanted to but I got to read some (if not all) of the books I already have. I read about four to five books a month and before I know 10 new ones have replaced them. So I avoid the bookstore most days of the week. What makes it worse is that the books are priced at Rs.10 or 20 each, less than 25 cents, and they are all in good condition. I owe my hoard of John D. MacDonald, Mickey Spillane, Lawrence Block, Ross Macdonald, Hammond Innes, John Ball, Dan Marlowe, and Elmore Leonard to this little hole-in-the-wall bookstore. The pleasure is in buying out-of-print books as much as in reading them.
Glad you liked the Alan Bradley. I've not read this series consistently but I like each book I read.
Tracy - Oh, I'm so glad you liked the Bradley as much as you did. I think Flavia de Luce is a really interesting character and innovative too.
I am very envious of that bookstore that you have access to. I would buy way too many books there. Those authors sound great. John Ball is another I have not read but want to. I have the same problem with having more books being bought than books read and the stacks of books unread piling way too high.
Post a Comment