Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Most Unique Books

It's time for the Top Ten Tuesday linkup with The Broke and the Bookish.  This week's topic is Top Ten unique books.  This one gave me some trouble as until recently I never read much out of my comfort zone.  Also, I tend to overthink which led to many arguments in my head over what the word "unique" really meant.

1.  And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie - This is probably one of her best known books.  It has been turned into movies and plays and copied by other authors.  It takes the basic mystery concept of a locked room murder and amplifies it.  The idea of 10 people all guilty of murder that they can't be legally charged with being stuck on and island and picked off one by one is terrifying.  The twist at the end is one of Christie's best.

2. Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie - This is the book that made Christie truly famous.  It's another take on the locked room murder with a twist that is so unexpected there was public outcry.

3.  The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keen -  With this book we meet Nancy Drew.  Before Nancy there was no adventure type character for girls.

4.  The Tyrant's Daughter by J.C. Carleson (review) - The POV on this was completely different than anything I've ever read.  The story is told by teenage girl who was the daughter of a king in an unnamed Middle Eastern country.  This is her story as she, her brother and her mother flee their country after a coup and the murder of her father.  We see her deal with that, the sudden availability of media and the realization of what public opinion about her country and her father really are as well as having to fit into an American high school as a normal teenage girl.  This book is fascinating and probably stuck with me longer than any book I've ever read.

5.  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynne - I've never read a book quite like this and to be honest I'm not entirely sure I want to again.  The way the story unraveled, and watching the characters become more and more flawed was very well done and not something I've seen before.

6.  Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery (review) - Of course I can't have a list without a Montgomery!  This one truly is unique due to the POV.  We first meet Rilla in Anne of Ingleside when she is born but in Rilla she is a young woman growing up as everyone she knows is swept up in World War 1.  Most novels involving war are told through soldier's or politician's eyes.  This one is told by a teenage girl stuck in a little town on a little island in Canada as everyone she knows goes off to Europe.  Many don't come back and those that do are changed forever.   I openly wept through most of this book.

7.  Mangle Street Murder by M.R.C. Kasasian (review) - This may get the award for the strangest book I've ever read.  I was expecting a British procedural and got instead a Holmesian maze of oddness.  I like that while the detective takes the main character on as a ward out of duty he has no affection for her.  At the end he has a little respect for her but they're not friends and probably never will be.  This isn't a heartwarming story but a complex mystery.

8.  The Birds and Other Stories by Daphne du Maurier (review) - Books normally don't scare me.  I've read my share of pretty awful crime books (early Patricia Cornwall was a favorite) but the fear doesn't stick with me. This is a handy trick given my penchant for crime shows.  However, this book - oh my.  I will never look at birds again.  du Maurier does a fantastic job at taking an innocent, harmless everyday animal and makes it more and more terrifying.  The other stories in this collection are very good too.  du Maurier has perfected dread.

9.  Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood (review) - The MC in this book is a new type for me.  She's smart, rich, loves clothes but was also desperately poor at one point of her life.  She fits in beautifully with English aristocrats but is new enough that she has an outsider's POV.  This book also primarily takes place in Australia in the 1920s which is a first for me.

10. American Afterlife by Kate Sweeney (review) - The subject of this book is not something I've come across before.  I've read Stiff by Mary Roach and several books by former medical examiners discussing what happens to bodies or how crimes are uncovered.  This book is more about the living and how the living deal with death.  She discusses the evolution of mourning, the funeral industry and how grief is expressed historically and currently.  I haven't looked at a cemetery or roadside memorial the same since reading it.

Under Cold Stone - Review

Under Cold Stone by Vicki Delany

Rating:  3 Stars

Description:  When Lucky Smith and Paul Keller go to an upscale resort in Banff for a fun weekend they weren't expecting trouble.  However, trouble came in a surprise run in with Paul's estranged son Matt.  It got worse after a late night phone call from Matt leads to the discovery of a dead roommate and no Matt.  The police get involved and Paul tags along with them.  Lucky calls her daughter Constable Molly Smith for help and support.  Molly shows up hoping to support her mom but ends up getting involved with the investigation and getting on the wrong side of the detective in charge.

Genre: Mystery

My Impression:  This is not the first in the series but it is the first book by Delany that I've read.  I didn't find this to be a problem as I had a clear understanding of what was going on and how everyone was related.  This is more than just a whodunnit as the main focus of Molly and her mother is to locate Matt though Molly does do some basic investigation on the side.  The setting was unique for me as I haven't really read many books set in resort towns and the focus on how the workers live was interesting.  I didn't care for the subplot involving the environmentalists and the police in Trafalgar.  While I understand showing the balance between affordable vacation homes and protecting the environment the jumping from place to place seemed unnecessary.  I also had a hard time warming up to some ofthe characters.  I liked Molly and what we saw of her fiance but never connected with Lucky and Paul's ex-wife and Bletchta, the lead detective's hostility was just a little more tension than I really like in my mysteries.  Overall, this was an interesting and unique read that was fast paced and well done though it is much more of a procedural type mystery than a cozy.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Yes though I will look for one that centers around Molly more than Lucky.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Yes

What I Read in March

Let me just say I'm not doing so well in my Agatha challenge.  The end of the year is going to be an Agatha marathon if I have any hope of finishing.

I did do a little better in my Irish challenge and while I didn't do as well as I wanted in my TBR challenge I did get some books of my shelf and have decided to try and squeeze in one TBR a week.

1.  Murder at Hazelmoor by Agatha Christie - 1930s review on Thursday
2.  Why Didn't They Ask Evans by Agatha Christie
3.  Easy to Kill by Agatha Christie
4.  Sinfully Yours by Cara Elliott  - (Review)
5.  Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski (Review)
6.  Dark Witch by Nora Roberts  (Review)
7.  Death of a Policeman by M.C. Beaton (Review)
8.  Buttercream Bumpoff by Jenn McKinlay (Review)
9.  The Trouble with Honor by Julia London (Review)
10. That Touch of Ink by Dianne Vallere (Review)
11. Buried in a Bog by Sheila Connolly (Review)
12. Uganda be Killing Me by Chelsea Handler (Review)
13. The Harm in Asking by Sara Barron (Review)
14.  The Mark of the Dragonfly by Jaleigh Johnson (Review)
15.  The Other Side of Paradise by Julia Cookie - review Wednesday

This month I didn't really have any standouts.  The Agatha's were good and highly recommend Jenn McKinlay and Sheila Conolly if you like mysteries.  If you love steampunk I think you're really enjoy The Mark of the Dragonfly.  The Other Side of Paradise was interesting and not a topic you come across every day.  There weren't any real standouts or books that I'm going to be talking about a month from now.

Challenges:
Crusin' Through the Cozies (13 to 20 cozies) - 4
Progress so far: 6/13

Ireland Reading Challenge (6) - 2
Progress so far: 2/6

Foodies Read Challenge (4 to 8) - 1
Progress so far: 3/4

TBR Challenge - 3

Agatha Christie - 3/85
Progress so far: 9/85

This Week in Reading

What I Read:

Under Cold Stone by Vicki Delany

This was a new author and a new series for me.  This is not the first in the series but that definitely didn't affect my understanding or enjoyment of the story itself.  I have mixed feelings about this book though because while I enjoyed the mystery I found a number of the characters unlikable.  However, I found the mystery interesting enough that I was willing to overlook it which says a lot to me about the author's ability.  My review will be posted on Monday.

The Other Side of Paradise by Julia Cooke

It took me awhile to get into this one but once I did I really enjoyed it.  This is the story of Cuba as shown by the lives of regular young people.  The lives of ordinary people are explored - from college students, to former hairdressers turned prostitute to house painter to musician.  It's an interesting look at what life really is like in Cuba.  My review will be up Wednesday.

That Night on Thistle Lane by Carla Neggers (Review)

This was kind of an unexpected read.  I'd been reading a Mariah Stewart and though I normally love her books it just wasn't connecting to me.  So I picked up this book and finished it in 2 sittings.  This is my 2nd book by Neggers and I really love how she manages to weave the history of the area into her stories.

Easy to Kill by Agatha Christie

This is the 3rd out of 4 of the non-series books that Agatha had published in the 1930s.  So far it's been a great decade for her incorporating a lot of her truly classic and unique plot twists.  I have 1 more for the decade that I'm hoping to get read tonight.  The review will be up Thursday.

What I'm Reading:

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie 

My last one for the 1930s but I've read it so many times, seen it in movie and play form and I think even read it in play form that I can almost recite it.  Oh yeah I played the PC game too!  This is (somewhat obviously) one of my favorites!

Why Cleaning has Meaning by Linda Thomas

Her message is good but I don't think it needs a book quite this long to get it across.  

I rearranged my book order on my Kindle and pulled about 6 other books to the front so I'm planning on getting those read this week.  I've also started an older Rhys Bowen from the Royal Spyness series.  

Happy reading!

That Night on Thistle Lane - TBR Thursday Review

In March I attempted a Take Control of Your TBR Challenge where you try to read as many books from your TBR as possible.  I didn't do as well as I wanted too (3 out of 7) but it did make me realize that I do need to make an effort to read some of the books I already own before they get out of control.  Well more out of control than they already are.

This isn't the book I had planned on reviewing.  That book and I just aren't getting along so I decided to put it to the side for a little while.  Instead there's this book that I've had from the library for at least a month.  They probably would like it back at some point.

That Night on Thistle Lane by Carla Neggers

Rating: 4 Stars

Description:  It all starts when Knight's Bridge librarian Phoebe O'Dunn finds a hidden room full of beautifully made vintage clothes in the attic of the library one day.  This leads to her pretending to be an Edwardian princess and dancing at a masquerade ball with a handsome man dressed as a swashbuckler.  The fantasy comes crashing down when she over hears a conversation from a stranger who has obviously been following her swashbuckler.  She takes careful notes, makes plans to get them to him and then goes home, putting the princess behind her.  Except the swashbuckler ends up being a friend of Phoebe's friend Olivia and Olivia's fiance's business partner - the billionaire Noah Kendrick.   And Noah doesn't seem to have plans to leave Knight's Bridge anytime soon.

Genre: Romance

My Impression: This hit so many of my favorite story lines it felt almost indulgent to read.  A hidden room, vintage clothing, a mystery from the past, a librarian who loves books - how could I pass that up?  This is actually the 2nd book in the series set in Knights Bridge and also the 2nd book that I've read.  I read #3 in February (review) and while I enjoyed it I liked this book much better.  For starters I love Phoebe - she's tough, she loves her family, she loves her job and she just can't believe any connection with a billionaire could possibly be real except that they seem to be spending a lot of time together.  The side plot with Phoebe's sister Maggie and her husband Brandon is interesting as well.  I liked that there wasn't just a quick fix/everything's better solution.  The history of the town and the area is fascinating and I loved the small town feel.  I also liked that while the small town atmosphere is definitely developed we're only introduced to the characters we need to know for the story.  While I love small town books having to keep track of every store owner who only have a bit part in the plot can get a little confusing. This isn't a perfect book - Noah doesn't come across as having much personality and this isn't a book driven on witty banter.  Also, while I did think the mysterious stalker was wrapped up in a way that was fairly logical his methods at the beginning of the book made no sense.  Overall, this was an enjoyable read in a lovely setting.  I wouldn't call it a beach read because I generally prefer my beach reads to be funny but it's a good rainy night kind of book

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Yes, I'm already planning to look for the first in this series and the author has another series set in Ireland that I'm looking forward to reading.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Yes

That Touch of Ink - Review

That Touch of Ink by Diane Vallere


Rating: 3 Stars

Description:  When Doris Day lookalike and Interior Decorator, Madison Night receives a $5000 bill in the mail she knows her past has become her present.  This becomes even more apparent when her past, in the form of her ex-boyfriend Brad, shows up at her door.  Soon Madison has stumbled on a dead body, reconnected with homicide detective and former kind of boyfriend Tex and all chaos has broken out.  Can Madison figure everything out before she becomes a thing of the past?

Genre:  Mystery

My Impression: This is the 2nd in the Mad for Mod series.  Normally the series order isn't that important for mysteries but this one gets a little confusing.  There's a lot of back story on Brad and other characters that is somewhat explained but I think would've made a lot more sense if I had read the first book.  Though the setting was super-cutesy with all the Doris Day type decor and references the mystery was good.  This was more of a figuring out what happened and what was going on then a typical cozy type mystery with a certain set of known suspects.  There was a lot of discussion that Madison secretly owned the apartment building she lived in.  While I can understand why in real life you wouldn't want to advertise you were the building's owner if you lived there in real life but all the stress and talk of it just seemed unnecessary in the fiction world.  I also thought that while Hudson was a nice guy adding him to the whole love triangle/tangle just made it messier.  While Madison for the most part behaved like an adult Officer Nast's behavior was on the childish side and she probably could've gotten in serious trouble for her unprofessionalism.   Overall, this was a fun, fast paced if slightly messy mystery with just enough mod decor references to keep it fun.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Yes.  This series has a lot of promise.  I definitely want to find the first book in the series.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Yes, I think most mystery readers would enjoy this.

My Top Ten Gateway Books/Authors

It's time for Top Ten Tuesday!  This is a weekly link up with The Broke and The Bookish.  Today's subject is our top ten "gateway" books or authors.

1.  Houses of Stone by Barbara Michaels - this is the first "grown up" book I remember reading.  Someone had given it to my mother and she had left it laying around and I was so interested in the story that I started reading it and couldn't put it down.  Since then I've read everything she's ever written and she's my go-to author for a reread if I'm in a reading slump.

2.  Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie - this was the first Christie that really hooked me.  I think I was in high school at the time and Poirot had never really grabbed me but when I started reading the adventures of Tommy and Tuppence I was hooked and went on to read everything she's ever written multiple times..

3.  Devil's Bride by Stephanie Laurens - this is the first romance novel I ever read.  A good friend was a romance reader but I had been resisting reading the genre.  Then for whatever reason I picked this up at Target and finished it one sitting (this was obviously pre-kids!) and was hooked on the genre.  The funny thing is I reread this last summer and thought it was awful but it's the book that got me started on romance.

4.  Tears of the Moon by Nora Roberts - my first contemporary romance and first Nora Roberts.  I think I've read just about everything she's ever written except for some early ones that are too awful to start.  This one has stood the test of time better than the Laurens and I've reread it recently and enjoyed it.

5.  The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - I didn't expect much from this book when I read it in high school but it started me on my love of this author, his contemporaries and the time period in general.  I can't even begin to count all the books I've read that were inspired by this book.

6.  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling - I was really late getting to this book.  I know the majority of the books had come out and at least the first 3 movies were out when I finally got around to reading this one.  This was probably my first children's/ya book that I read as an adult and my first taste of anything supernatural other than ghosts.

7.  Christina's Ghost by Betty Ren Wright - I vividly remember discovering this book in my 4th grade teacher's classroom and becoming completely lost in it and then getting in trouble and having it get taken away.  Luckily my dad was pretty understanding and took me to the library to find it where not only did I find it but I proceeded to read and reread it until the library's copy about fell apart.  This was the first ghost story type book I'd ever read and I absolutely loved it.

8.  Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery - If I'm being 100% honest it wasn't exactly this book that got me obsessed with Montgomery it was the movie.  You know the one with Megan Follows?  I'd had this book forever and had never read it but then watched the movie at a friends when I was maybe 8 or 9 and came home and devoured the book, got the rest of the series and finished it in a weekend.

9.  Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keen - all of them and any of them.  I think I read everything available with the name Carolyn Keen on it.  This included the newer more modern books which I loved and thought were so grown up with the romance.  Come to think of it this was probably my first introduction to romance as well as mystery.

10. The Babysitter's Club by Ann M. Martin - no book list from anyone born in the 80s would be complete without a mention of The Babysitter's Club.  I started with number 1 and read them all up into the mid-40s by which time I had outgrown them.  I still have fond memories about them - especially any of them involving ghosts.  The specials were always great and once I figured out that chapter 2 was the same in every single book I skipped the boring part.  My girls actually read my old copies when they were around 8 or 9 so apparently the series has aged well.