This Week in Reading - March 8

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:

One Perfect Summer by Brenda Novak - I was going to be good and get no books but then I got an email about this one and couldn't resist.  It's about a woman who does a DNA test and it turns out she has siblings she didn't know about and mayhem and hijinks ensue.  This actually happened to a cousin of mine and I love anything involving family relationships and genealogy so how could I pass it up? (Publisher)

Currently:

Reading:  A Murderous Relation by Deanna Raybourn, Lavender Blue Murder by Laura Childs, and The Read-Aloud Family by Sarah Mackenzie

Listening: The Storm Sister by by Lucinda Riley

Watching:  I'm catching up on Doctor Who and really enjoying it

Off the Blog:

I've been really loving The Read Aloud Family and it has really made me a convert (not that I had all that far to go).  We are homeschooling the Tornado (he's 10) and this is our first year.  So far it's going really well and one of my favorite things is the fun of reading aloud together.  With that in mind I'm trying to make a list of all the must read books that I want him to read before he graduates high school and I need your help! 

What classics did you read that you loved and think everyone should read?  What books did you read that taught you something about the world and really stuck with you?  What books did you read that are just flat out good reads?  It's amazing how varied literature education is and I'm trying to get the best of everything.

My one caveat is no animal cruelty.  We are both incredibly sensitive to that.  I don't enjoy human cruelty but there are some lessons to be learned there so I think that's worth pushing past.

On the Blog:

What Happened:

Monday:  Reviews from the Children's Section - The Tale of Despereaux
Tuesday:  Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Books with One Word Titles
Wednesday:  Who Slays the Wicked - Historical Mystery Review
Thursday:  Books from the Backlog - Waking the Dead
Friday:  Friday Fives - March Reads
Saturday:  February Reading Recap

What's Coming Up:

Monday:  Death With a Dark Red Rose - Cozy Mystery Review

Tuesday:  Books Set in Ireland On My TBR

Wednesday:  A Murderous Relation - Historical Mystery Review

Thursday:  Books from the Backlog

Friday:  Friday Fives

Saturday:  Winter Non-Bookish Favorites

Have a great week and happy reading!

February Reading Summary

Number of Books Read:  12

This was surprising because February was a short month and one week of it I was on vacation and got basically no reading done.

7 Print Books
3 Ebooks
2 Audio Books

5 Review Books
2 Library Book
2 Rereads
2 Books Off My Audible Shelf
1 Books from the Backlog Book


My Favorite Book:

Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan - This was a Books from the Backlog (meme hosted by Carole over at Carole's Random Life in Books all about the books that have been on our shelf for far too long.  I was so excited to finally get to this one and I absolutely adored it.

Least Favorite Book: Where We Belong by Shann McPherson - It wasn't a bad book but I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the other books I read in February.

Books I'm Still Reading: 

Who Slays the Wicked by C.S Harris (almost done)
The Read-Aloud Family by Sarah Mackenzie
The Storm Sister by Lucinda Riley
Laetitia Rodd and the Case of the Wandering Scholar by Kate Saunders
The Lost Carousel of Provence by Juliet Blackwell (the last two I'm reading bit by bit in between other review books)

Goals for Next Month:  Finish the Kate Saunders and Juliet Blackwell and read a book that is either set in a state I haven't "visited" or a letter that I haven't come across yet.

Friday Fives - March Reads

I'm taking a bit of a break from my usual Friday Linkups to try something a little different.  Michelle over at Because Reading is Better Than Real Life   used to do a Five on Fridays that I always enjoyed and I've seen a few other variations on the theme.  As well I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd give start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much.  Since this is the first Friday in March I'm looking at the five books I hope to read this month.

1. The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katrina Bivald - This has been on my TBR for ages and this is the month I'm going to read it.

2.  Night of a Thousand Stars by Deanna Raybourn - I have a review copy of this that I haven't read and it came out YEARS ago.  However, I just discovered it's on Audible Escape and that feels like a sign.

3.  Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie - I've only read one Agatha Christie this year and I need to read another one.

4.  A Killing in Antiques by Mary Moody - This was on my "Must Read" list last year and I never got around to it but it's still on my desk and it sounds fun.  Plus, I like the spring-y colors on the cover.

5.  Microphones and Murder by Erin Huss - This was a February review book that I didn't quite get to but I'm still really looking forward it and hoping to start it in the next few days.

What are you wanting to read this March?

Books from the Backlog - Waking the Dead

Today I'm linking up with Carole from Carole's Random Life of Books for Books from the Backlog.  I really enjoy the chance to feature a book that's been hiding in the piles of books for far too long!

Goodreads:  Waking the Dead (Cafferty and Quinn #2) by Heather Graham

Blurb:  In the case of Ghosts in the Mind painted by Henry Sebastian Hubert, that's more than just an expression. This painting is reputed to come to life—and to bring death. The artist was a friend of Lord Byron and Mary Shelley, joining them in Switzerland during 1816, "the year without a summer." That was when they all explored themes of horror and depravity in their art...
Now, almost two hundred years later, the painting appears in New Orleans. Wherever it goes, death seems to follow.

Danielle Cafferty and Michael Quinn, occasional partners in solving crime, are quickly drawn into the case. They begin to make connections between that summer in Switzerland and this spring in Louisiana. Danni, the owner of an eccentric antique shop, and Quinn, a private detective, have discovered that they have separate but complementary talents when it comes to investigating unusual situations.

Trying to blend their personal relationship with the professional lives they've stumbled into, they learn how much they need each other. Especially as they confront this work of art—and evil. The people in the portrait might be dead, but something seems to wake them and free them to commit bloody crimes. Cafferty and Quinn must discover what that is. And they have to destroy it—before it destroys them.

Why It Needs to Come Off the Shelf: I love Graham's paranormal romances and this one includes an antique store which is an added plus.  However, I read a later book in this series and was kind of meh.  I need to give this one a try and figure out if I'm done with this series of if I enjoy it.

Who Slays the Wicked - Historical Mystery Review

Goodreads:  Who Slays the Wicked (Sebastian St. Cyr #14) by C.S. Harris

Rating: Really Liked It
Source: Publisher

Description:  When the handsome but dissolute young gentleman Lord Ashworth is found brutally murdered, Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, is called in by Bow Street magistrate Sir Henry Lovejoy to help catch the killer. Just seven months before, Sebastian had suspected Ashworth of aiding one of his longtime friends and companions in the kidnapping and murder of a string of vulnerable street children. But Sebastian was never able to prove Ashworth's complicity. Nor was he able to prevent his troubled, headstrong young niece Stephanie from entering into a disastrous marriage with the dangerous nobleman.
Stephanie has survived the difficult birth of twin sons. But Sebastian soon discovers that her marriage has quickly degenerated into a sham. Ashworth abandoned his pregnant bride at his father's Park Street mansion and has continued living an essentially bachelor existence. And mounting evidence--ranging from a small bloody handprint to a woman's silk stocking--suggests that Ashworth's killer was a woman. Sebastian is tasked with unraveling the shocking nest of secrets surrounding Ashworth's life to keep Stephanie from being punished for his death.

Genre: Mystery - Historical 

Why I Picked This Book: I had really enjoyed a previous book by this author in this series so I couldn't resist this one.

My Impression: I do love a historical mystery and this series is one that I'm really excited about.  I really like Sebastian and Hero and their dynamic.  They're both interesting likable characters with some baggage but not so much baggage it seems to take over their personality.  Sebastian's baggage is a bit front in center in this mystery as he has to deal with his not so sister-ly sister.

Never have I been more glad a victim is a victim and never have so many suspects have sympathetic reasons for murder.  Add in a little political intrigue in the form of a Russian Grand Duchess and a Princess and this mystery is just a fascinating read.

This reminded me a little bit of the Lady Darby series by Anna Lee Huber in terms of darkness and character development and both series are quickly becoming favorites.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  This is a series I'm trying to collect all the books I've missed.  I'm really looking forward to catching up on and am already anticipating the next book.

Would I Recommend this Book?  Definitely!  If you enjoy historical mysteries this would be a good pick and you can easily jump in here.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

Top Ten Tuesday - Books with One Word Titles

Today I'm linking up with Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl which is all about lists.  Since lists are one of my favorite things this is one of my favorite linkups!  Today's topic is Titles with One Word.  Now I read a lot of cozy mysteries and cozy mysteries lean heavily on pun-ish titles which made it hard this topic a bit challenging!

1.  Hideaway by Nora Roberts - This is an upcoming release already on my TBR.  I typically really enjoy her single titles but have missed the last few.  I'm hoping to pick this one up.

2. Nightmares! by Jason Segel - I listened to this middle grade book and really enjoyed it.  It had a good lesson about facing fears without getting too after school special.

3.  Layover by David Bell - I really like the writing style on this one but questioned the main character's common sense. 

4.  Unspeakable by Laura Griffin - This is the 2nd book in Griffin's Untraceable series.  I've really enjoyed later books but was underwhelmed by the 1st book.  I'm hoping this book is better.

5.  Montauk by Nicola Harris - This was a really interesting historical fiction that I really enjoyed last year. 

6.  Belleweather by Susanne Kearsley - I don't remember much about what this one is about but it looks good and maybe a touch Gothic-y and I've heard good things about this author.

7.  Pachinko by Min Jin Lee - I don't know anything about this book other then it was getting raves around the blog world and I wanted to read it.

8.  Cress by Marissa Meyer - I read and thoroughly enjoyed the first two books in the Lunar Chronicle series years ago but somehow never continued.  I'd really like to pick this one up.

9.  Hidden by Karen E Olson - This is a suspense book involving hackers (I think) and it looked really good and landed on my TBR.

10. Roomies by Christina Lauren - Another one I can't remember why it landed on my TBR other then people liked it.

What one word titles are on your list? 

Reviews from the Children's Section - The Tale of Despereaux

One of my favorite genres and one that is the easiest for me to push aside is middle grade fiction. This year to make sure I get a little more children's and young adult fiction I thought I would designate the first Monday of every month Middle Grade Monday (though sometimes it doesn't end up working quite right) .  While a lot of my picks this year are classics I am trying to branch out a little bit and read new or at least recent releases.  This month I'm talking about one of the Tornado's school books that we've been reading together.

Goodreads: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

Blurb:  Welcome to the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro, who lives in the darkness and covets a world filled with light. And it is the story of Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl who harbors a simple, impossible wish. These three characters are about to embark on a journey that will lead them down into a horrible dungeon, up into a glittering castle, and, ultimately, into each other's lives. What happens then? As Kate DiCamillo would say: Reader, it is your destiny to find out.

My Thoughts:  This was a really fun book to read aloud.  There's adventure and princesses and heroes and villains.  I was worried that dividing the book up into 4 books with the first three kind of going back to the beginning would get a bit confusing but it really didn't.  Desperaux is so endearing and even Roscuro and Mig have their moments where they're sympathetic.  I felt like the suspense was well done - intense enough to be suspenseful but not too intense for the most sensitive of reader.  It's probably not a book I would reread but it was an enjoyable reading experience and I will always look for Kate DiCamillo's books because her voice is such a delight.

The Tornado's (age 10 - reading is not his favorite activity) Thoughts:  Despereaux was really cute and I liked the story.  It took awhile to get interesting though. 

I think the multiple books slowed it down for him.  The quest really doesn't get going until the last 25% because we are getting to know the characters.  It has not replaced The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as his favorite book.

My Rating: 4 Stars  His Rating: 3 Stars