This Week in Reading - September 18

It's Sunday Post time!  This is hosted by the awesome Caffeinated Book Reviewer and gives us all a chance to recap our week.

What I Got:

Dangling by a Thread by Lea Waite - This is the 4th book in the Mainely Needlepoint series involving a group of needlepointers and their business manager/private investigator/niece.  So far I've really enjoyed it and it always seems to have a link to the past which I really love.  I'm looking forward to this newest book.  (NetGalley)

Other than that I only have 1 request outstanding.  I really don't expect to get it but I figured it can't hurt to request it.  The worse that happens is that I'm told no.  I'm not entirely sold on the new NetGalley shelf arrangement.  I think I've finally gotten it figured out and know where to find everything but I'm not sure I like seeing just how many reviews I have outstanding!

Currently:

Reading: The Munich Girl by Phyllis Edgerly Ring and The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan for a tour later this week and unless she starts kicking kittens or something in the last 50 pages it's going to be hard not to gush about it!

Listening: Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson.  I've already read this book and really enjoyed it but I couldn't resist it in audio book and it is fantastic!  If anything it's even funnier than it is in print.

Watching:  Well I'm almost done with Catfish which is unusual for me.  I'm not great about binge watching shows because watching more than a season in a row (not all at once but spread over a few weeks) and I want some variety but that has not been the case here.  J and I are also watching the 3rd series of The Blacklist.  I'm not loving it as much as the previous 2 but I'm starting to enjoy it more.  

Off the Blog:

Well I am pleased to report no alien abductions this week.  It wasn't the most productive of weeks but I at least no where all my time went and I don't feel like a frazzled mess.  I ended up with a bit of a cold in the middle of the week but I actually just let myself go to bed and slept for like 15 hours and I felt so much better!
The Tornado has learned to whistle and is driving me absolutely mad whistling all the time.  He got his 6 week progress report and is doing fantastic.  This is the first grade he's actually gotten real grades for and since it's a new school I was worried he'd have a difficult adjustment but he is doing great.  His best subject is math which is not a shock but he's doing well in the other subjects too.  He's also doing better with the not talking when he's not supposed to and got all good marks in behavior this week as well.
We were at Costco last week and I bought these sweats and they're so awesome I invented an excuse to go back and buy another pair.  Seriously if you have a Costco membership and you see Women's Joggers by 32 Heat buy a pair!  They're made of clouds and warm hugs and are only $10.  They're so comfortable that I don't want to leave the house because then I'd have to change out of them.

Speaking of leaving the house J and I are going to a play tonight (or last night if you're reading this on Sunday) and I'm so much looking forward to it.  It's called The Game's Afoot and is about a murder happening at a party that an actor best known for playing Sherlock Holmes is attending.  It's being done by a local theater company that is usually good, sometimes great and occasionally awful but it's always fun to get dressed up and go watch a play regardless of the results.  Last time we went there we saw And Then There Were None and they did a fantastic job even though it had the play ending which I HATE!  We're having dinner at this little restaurant that has the best butternut squash ravioli and is the only dish where I find the use of nutmeg acceptable.

I'm still trying to catch up from the alien abduction last week and the cold this week but I'm slowly but surely making my way through blog posts so I can be caught up with everyone and comment replies.  

On the Blog:

What Happened:

Monday: The Secrets of Wishtide - Mystery Review
Tuesday:  Top Ten Tuesday: All Time Faves
Wednesday: Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore - Mystery (kind of) Review
Thursday: Body on the Bayou - Cozy Mystery Review
Friday: Friday Linkups with Teasers from The Lightning Thief
Saturday: My Name is Lucy Barton - Fiction Review

What's Coming Up:

Monday: Ramblings from the Stacks "I Just Read Junk"

Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday: Audio Freebie

Wednesday: The Bookshop on the Corner - Fiction Blog Tour Review

Thursday: Beyond the Books - Signs I'm Getting Older

Friday: Friday Linkups Featuring Current Book

Saturday: 52 Pins in 52 Weeks - September Edition

Have a great week and happy reading!

My Name is Lucy Barton - Review

My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout (Amazon)

Rating: Good
Source: Library (Audio)

Description:   A new book by Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout is cause for celebration. Her bestselling novels, including Olive Kitteridge andThe Burgess Boys, have illuminated our most tender relationships. Now, in My Name Is Lucy Barton, this extraordinary writer shows how a simple hospital visit becomes a portal to the most tender relationship of all—the one between mother and daughter.

Lucy Barton is recovering slowly from what should have been a simple operation. Her mother, to whom she hasn’t spoken for many years, comes to see her. Gentle gossip about people from Lucy’s childhood in Amgash, Illinois, seems to reconnect them, but just below the surface lie the tension and longing that have informed every aspect of Lucy’s life: her escape from her troubled family, her desire to become a writer, her marriage, her love for her two daughters. Knitting this powerful narrative together is the brilliant storytelling voice of Lucy herself: keenly observant, deeply human, and truly unforgettable.

Genre: Fiction

Why I Picked This Book:  I had seen some good reviews for this book and it's not one I'd typically pick up but since I"m trying to stretch my reading legs a little I decided to try it.

My Impression: This is one of those books that's hard to review because so it's complicated but so simple all at the same time.  The bulk of the story is told through conversation between herself and her somewhat estranged mother as Lucy is stuck in the hospital.  The conversations reminded me of those conversations that happen in cars where you end up talking much deeper subjects and being more honest and insightful than you would anywhere else.  The book itself kind of snuck up on me.  I was enjoying it well enough but didn't really love it until all of a sudden I felt like I knew Lucy.  All the little stories and monologues and bits of conversation really allowed me to feel like I knew her in a way that I don't think a traditional format would have allowed for.

It's hard to say what this is really about because it's really a nothing and everything kind of book.  It's about poverty, class levels, families both functional and dysfunctional, the mother-daughter relationship, fitting in, and realizing dreams.  In short it's the story of Lucy Barton's life and existence.

The format is a bit more stream of consciousness style than usually appeals to me and so I don't think it really clicked with me as it did with so many others.  I enjoyed it and found Lucy interesting, at times annoying and at times someone to admire.  It's a short book but much longer would have been too much and I think I would have lost focus on it.  If you're an audio book fan this is a good one.  The very subject meant that listening while doing something else kept me engaged with the book where I'm not sure how much I really would have enjoyed it if I was reading it.  Kimberly Farr did a fantastic job with the narration and really brought Lucy to life.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: I would.  I like how the author drew me into the story without me even realizing it!

Would I Recommend this Book?:  I would but I think it's a book you have to be in the right mood for.  This is a good to pick up or listen to if you're in the mood for a quiet story with a memorable main character.

Friday Linkups: The Lightning Thief

It's Friday linkup time!  I'm linking up with the Book Blogger Hop hosted by Coffee Addicted Writer, Book Beginnings of Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, and the Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice

This Week's Book Blogger Question:
Have you ever wanted to write a book?

My Answer: 
So there a few more parts to the actual question but since my answer makes the rest not applicable I'm leaving them off.  For some reason writing has never pulled at me.  When I was in my early teens I'd get caught up in a specific scene or character and try and write my own but it was always writing someone else's work in order to process what I had read and not creating my own stories.

This week's book is one I've been meaning to read for ages!  My daughter discovered Rick Riordan and his first Percy Jackson book entitled The Lightning Thief a few years after it came out and immediately fell in love with the series.  She's read them all as well as everything else Riordan has ever written.  I loved the mythology angle and always meant to read them myself but never managed it until I finally got my hands on the audio a few days ago.  I'm almost halfway done and am loving it!

The Beginning:
Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood.

My Thoughts:
That's quite a beginning!  Of course I do know the premise so I can guess what half-blood means but it's still intriguing and I like how blunt the narration is.


The 56:
"He's the one.  He must be."
"Silence, Annabeth" the man said.  "He's still conscious.  Bring him inside."

My Thoughts:
We've just got through a huge traumatic scene and now Percy has landed somewhere and has no idea what's going on.  It definitely kept me turning pages to figure out if he is in fact "the one" and what that means!

So what do you think?  Keep reading?

Body on the Bayou - Mystery Review

Body on the Bayou (Cajun Country Mystery #2) by Ellen Byron

Rating:  Very Good
Source: NetGalley

Description:   The Crozats feared that past murders at Crozat Plantation B&B might spell the death of their beloved estate, but they’ve managed to survive the scandal. Now there’s a très bigger story in Pelican, Louisiana: the upcoming nuptials between Maggie Crozat’s nemesis, Police Chief Rufus Durand, and her co-worker, Vanessa Fleer.

Maggie, inexplicably tasked with being Vanessa's Maid of Honor, quickly discovers why everyone else refused the assignment when the Bridezilla hands her a long list of duties — the most important of which is entertaining Vanessa’s cousin, Ginger Fleer-Starke, a mysterious woman with dangerous secrets. But just days before the wedding, Ginger’s lifeless body is found on the bayou behind Crozat Plantation and the Pelican PD, as well as the Crozats, have another murder mystery on their hands.

There’s a gumbo-potful of suspects, including an ex-Marine with PTSD, an annoying local newspaper reporter, and Vanessa’s own sparkplug of a mother. But when it looks like the investigation is zeroing in on Vanessa as the prime suspect, Maggie reluctantly adds keeping the bride-to-be out of jail to her list of Maid of Honor responsibilities in Body on the Bayou, the second in Ellen Byron's charming and witty series.

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  I absolutely loved the first one in this series and couldn't wait to find out what happened next.

My Impression:  I love a good cozy mystery and Ellen Byron has definitely earned her spot on my auto-buy list with this 2nd Cajun Country Mystery.

First off we have the characters and like any small town setting there are a lot of them.  We have the Crozat family which consists of our amateur sleuth Maggie as well as her parents, grandmother and a sprinkling of cousins, as well as Maggie's co-workers at the Doucet Plantation and a good number of townspeople but it never stayed into so many characters that I couldn't keep up with who was who.  Like most small towns (or anywhere really) there is a mix of people among the residents and while most are good, intelligent, considerate people you also have the Fleers and Rufus who are basically none of those things.  I loved Maggie.  She's smart, funny and really close to her family but has realistic self-doubts about what having left New York, still being single in her early 30s, and working with her family at a Bed and Breakfast as well as being a part time tour guide which seem intensified now that her kind of boyfriend's ex-wife has shown up in town.  However, she doesn't get angsty or too navel gazing and it feels like a real adult having some real issues.  The drama that is Vanessa and Rufus' wedding had me laughing as Vanessa keeps adding one thing after another to the list of problems Maggie is supposed to solve including - find Ginger's real murderer.  I can completely see the LSU themed wedding from people who never actually attended the university.  I can just see that happening.

With all that going on it would have easy for the mystery itself to get lost but Byron wove it in quite wonderfully.  I never felt like the mystery had been forgotten even in the middle of a Bachelorette party or a regular day at work for Maggie but at the same time I felt like I got to know the characters even better than I had in book 1.  I pretty much inhaled this book in 2 sittings and couldn't wait to find out how everything wrapped up from Maggie's personal life, to the wedding of the century, to the murder itself.  I don't think it's a secret that I read a lot of mysteries and usually I have a pretty good guess as to the whodunit question if I haven't figured it out completely but I really had no idea in this one.  Not only was it a surprise but once all the motives were laid out it made perfect sense.

While I think you could easily read this book without reading the 1st book you would probably enjoy it more if you read them in order.  There are a number of relationships that started in book 1 that are developing in this book.  Both are fantastic mysteries and quick reads and I highly recommend both.   They're both fast-paced mysteries full of interesting characters and from a series that just seems to ge getting stronger!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Absolutely!  Is the 3rd book out yet?  I want it now!

Would I Recommend this Book?: Definitely!  I think this series has to be added to my list of gateway cozies.  If you enjoy a good mystery don't pass this one up!

Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore - Review

Mr. Penumbra' 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel by Robin Sloan (Amazon)

Rating: Very Good
Source:  Library (Audio)

Description:  The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon away from life as a San Francisco web-design drone and into the aisles of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But after a few days on the job, Clay discovers that the store is more curious than either its name or its gnomic owner might suggest. The bookstore’s secrets extend far beyond its walls.

Genre: Fiction

Why I Picked This Book:  How could I resist a book that has a 24-Hour Bookstore in the title?

My Impression:  This book was absolutely not what I thought it was going to be and in no way was that a bad thing.  I was expecting the antics of a late night bookstore with quirky characters and maybe a community forming as they bookstore customers got to know each other.  Instead I got a book full of mysteries, codes, secret societies, and quests and it was such a fun ride!

  I don't want to say too much about the plot because I had such a good time just going along for the ride.  I couldn't wait to see what they were going to discover next and what the next step would be.  The story is told through the eyes of Clay Janning a 20 something graphic designer who is trying to weather a rather bad time to be a graphic designer economically.  When desperation drives him to find a job - any job - he ends up walking into Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore and the adventure begins.  I liked Clay.  He has a good sense of humor and a sense of realism that balances out his dreamer tendencies.  He ends up at Penumbra's because he drops his employment standards from "companies in which he agrees with their mission completely" to "companies that aren't actively being evil".  With Clay we have his roommates - special effects guru Matt and android like Ashley - as well as his old friend Neal who he bonded with in middle school over a sci fi/fantasy book series.  Along the way more characters get picked up and join the quest as well as adding new elements of personality and expertise.
There is a lot of talk about Google, "Googlers", or Google products.  For me it didn't feel like product placement but more cultural.
When I looked on Goodreads the reviews seem decidely split.  Some people really loved the book and other people couldn't stand it.  I think if you're going in wanting a bookish book that takes place in a bookstore you're going to be disappointed.  Despite the bookstore setting and the mass quantities of books all around the characters it isn't particularly bookish.  It's far more of an adventure story - think National Treasure style quest.  If you like puzzles, codes, and adventure stories this is a fantastic choice and one you shouldn't miss.

I listened to this book on audio and really enjoyed the experience.  Ari Fliakos did a fantastic job of bring Clay to life with just the right amount of expression and inflection without ever going over the top.  He's definitely a narrator I'd love to hear more from.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: I would - especially if it's a quest type story.  I enjoyed how Sloan spun the story out and there's a prequel that I'd love to read!

Would I Recommend this Book?: Yes but don't go in expecting a book about books or I think you'd be very disappointed.  It's a fantastic quest story but not very bookish.

Top Ten Tuesday - All Time Faves

Today's Top Ten Tuesday topic from The Broke and the Bookish is Top Ten All Time Faxes in "x" genre.   Back in the early days of the internet there was a romance review website and they had a special ranking that they called "Desert Island Keepers" as in if you were on a Desert Island these would be the books you'd bring with you.  These are my Desert Island books in a few different genres!

Middle Grade -

Gone Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright - If I could design a book for myself this would pretty much be it.  There's adventure, a little bit of mystery and tons of abandoned houses to explore.  The only thing I regret is that I didn't discover this one as a child though I did love another book by Enright - Four Story Mistake - which is part of her Melendy series.

Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery - Don't get me wrong - I love Anne and adore Gilbert but this book which focuses on their youngest daughter during World War 1 is an amazing book and one that could stand up to countless rereads (trust me!  I've done it).

Agatha Christie

Of course Agatha gets her own category!  

Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie - This is probably my favorite Agatha Christie and it is Miss Marple at her best.  It's kind of funny to read in chronological order by publication date because while this was published around the time of her death she actually wrote it during World War II.  There are several characters who come back to life and Miss Marple has a rapid increase in strength and independence!  

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie - Granted this might not be the best book to have along with me on an island as it doesn't go so well for the characters in the book but there are so many little details that it's almost a new book every time I read it.  Plus, it's just a super entertaining read!

Mysteries

The Case of William Smith by Patricia Wentworth - Patricia Wentworth takes 2nd to only Agatha Christie as my favorite mystery author and this is probably my favorite.  I just loved all the characters so much and thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Body of Evidence by Patricia Cornwall - This one still gives me shivers when I think about it.  It's the creepy story of an author and her stalker and it made me never ever feel comfortable if my the airline lost my bag.  It also made me want to check my car for scratches regularly and practice with a firearm so I'd be able to use it if I need to defend myself.  It did not help me sleep!

Romance

Three Fates by Nora Roberts - I love Roberts' ensemble cast books and this is a fantastic one.  There's an Irish guy, an uptight woman who is figuring out who she really is, statues, a bit of a historical mystery, and a touch of paranormal.  Oh and some really awful villains!  

Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas - I"m generally not a bad guy redeemed book person but Sebastian is so much the exception.  I love him, I love Evie and I love their relationship.  Plus, very few historical romances take place in a Gambling Hall which makes for some great reading!

Nonfiction

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom - Oh this book.  I resisted reading it because the copy a friend lent me was a Christian press and I worried that it would be preachy but it so wasn't.  It's so amazing and tragic and is absolutely everything that is good and right in the world against the worst of human nature.  It's stayed with me more than any other book I've read.

The Sharper Your Knife the Less You Cry by Kathleen Finn - I've read 2 of her books and adored them both.  This made me never ever want to take classes at the Cordon Bleu but I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of reading this book and really need to read more from her.


So what are some of your all time favorites?

The Secrets of Wishtide - Review

The Secrets of Wishtide (A Laetitia Rodd Mystery #1) by Kate Saunders (Amazon)

Rating: Very Good
Source: NetGalley

Description:  Mrs. Laetitia Rodd, aged fifty-two, is the widow of an archdeacon. Living in Hampstead with her confidante and landlady, Mrs. Benson, who once let rooms to John Keats, Laetitia makes her living as a highly discreet private investigator.
Her brother, Frederick Tyson, is a criminal barrister living in the neighboring village of Highgate with his wife and ten children. Frederick finds the cases, and Laetitia solves them using her arch intelligence, her iron discretion, and her immaculate cover as an unsuspecting widow. When Frederick brings to her attention a case involving the son of the well-respected, highly connected Sir James Calderstone, Laetitia sets off for Lincolnshire to take up a position as the family’s new governess—quickly making herself indispensable.

But the seemingly simple case—looking into young Charles Calderstone’s “inappropriate” love interest—soon takes a rather unpleasant turn. And as the family’s secrets begin to unfold, Laetitia discovers the Calderstones have more to hide than most.

Genre: Mystery

Why I Picked This Book:  The cover caught my eye and I like a good mystery so this one sounded appealing.

My Impression:  I don't think it's a secret that I'm a big fan of Agatha Christie and the lesser known but just as great, Patricia Wentworth.  They are my comfort reads and picking up their books is always a treat.  While I love and read quite a lot of modern mysteries I haven't found many that have that same feel as the classics but The Secrets of Wishtide just earned it's place on that shelf!

I loved Laetitia Rodd from page one and with each page I liked her more.  She exudes common sense and is so wonderfully practical but at the same time unfailingly kind and compassionate.  I loved her relationship with her landlord/friend/confidante Mrs. Benson and how she is always trying to make Mrs. Benson take care of herself when Mrs. Rodd is away.  I loved how she talks about her late husband and her interactions with her brother was quite entertaining as they come off as very much an actual brother and sister who at times drive each other crazy.

The mystery is a little faster paced than Wentworth and Christie tended to be and much busier.  The mystery itself starts out very simple but as more and more secrets are revealed and the body count rises things get more and more complicated.  I had no idea how Mrs. Rodd was going to solve the mystery but I had complete and total faith that she would.  I thoroughly enjoyed going along with her as she unraveled the mystery.  It was a treat every time I was able to pick up this book and spend a little more time with Mrs. Rodd, Mrs. Benson and the rest of the characters.  I noticed that this is listed as Laetitia Rodd Mystery #1 so I'm hoping that there will be more mysteries in this series coming soon.  This is a world I'm very much looking forward to revisiting.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Absolutely!  I will be checking regularly for news of the 2nd book in this series!

Would I Recommend this Book?: Definitely!  If you enjoy more classic style mysteries do not pass this up!