August 2024 Wrap Up

Books Read:

Foreboding Foretelling at Ficklehouse Felling by P.J. Fitzsimmons (2023)  4/5 stars

Anty makes friends with a duck, revels in Epicureanism, and solves yet another locked-room mystery in this fun, well-written, and highly entertaining seventh volume of the series.  

Mystery and Malice aboard RMS Ballast by P.J. Fitzsimmons (2024)  4/5 stars

In this eighth addition to the Anty Boisjoly series, Anty joins friends for a yachting pleasure cruise, only to find his plans interrupted by piracy, smuggling, treasure-hunting, mistaken romance, and a grammatically correct macaw. Oh, and murder.  It's another fun, locked-room mystery bringing together familiar characters and introducing an important new one.  Overall, I've enjoyed this series immensely and am eagerly looking forward to the next volume, to be published in a few weeks.

A Bride’s Guide to Marriage and Murder by Dianne Freeman (2022)  3/5 stars

While the murder was easy to solve, the main character is appealing and the writing engaging, making this another enjoyable (if not exceptional) cozy mystery.

Murder at Melrose Court by Karen Baugh Menuhin (2018)  3/5 stars

This is an interesting and generally well-written cozy mystery taking place in a county house at Christmas.  The culprit was rather obvious, but some of the evidence didn't stack up.  Nonetheless, I enjoyed Major Lennox's voice and will definitely try the second book of the series.

Queen Joanna I

Audiobooks Completed:

The Lady Queen: The Notorious Reign of Joanna I, Queen of Naples, Jerusalem, and Sicily by Nancy Goldstone (2009)  3/5 stars

This was full of interesting information about Queen Joanna and the current affairs going on around her, but was not as lively, engaging, or entertaining as the other two I've read by Ms. Goldstone, and was at times both dry and overly involved.  I most certainly learned a good deal, but not as easily or pleasantly as I expected from my previous experience with this author.

Did Not Finish 

A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari (2022)

I decided to give this debut novel a try because of the decent reviews, despite the fact that the botanist heroine's twee name is Saffron.  When, on page one, her dress was "the precise color of her eyes", I rolled my eyes but pushed on.  I didn't make it through the first chapter.  (On a side note, the story is supposed to take place in 1920's London, but the American author didn't trouble to use any English spelling.)  

The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan (2015)

What a disappointment.  It started out interesting and informative, but then, after eight chapters, it was obvious that the author had no intention of discussing the actual Silk Roads, the trade routes, the systems, the goods, or the peoples involved.  His focus, this "new history of the world", was the rising conflicts of the Christian, Jews, and Muslims, with a Western based focus on historical context.  (On a side note, the author would benefit immensely from reading the fascinating Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford.)

Chaucer's People: Everyday Lives in Medieval England  by Liza Picard (2017)

Picard's disdain for the beliefs of the times and her overall attitude of condescension made it impossible for me to read.

A Newlywed’s Guide to Fortune and Murder by Dianne Freeman (2023)

It felt like it was heading toward elder abuse, a triggery subject for me.  I could have been wrong, but decided not to finish.

July 2024 Wrap Up

Patricia Wentworth

Books Read

Kingdom Lost by Patricia Wentworth  (1931)  3/5 stars

Highly improbable tale of a young woman being found on a deserted island, but the characters are likable, the story is mostly well written, and the overall experience is enjoyable.  (Unlike most of Wentworth's novels, however, this is not a mystery or adventure.)

Beggar's Choice by Patricia Wentworth (1930)  4/5 stars

Car Fairfax has been down on his luck for three years, so is more than a little interested when he receives an advertisement offering £500 for an unknown job.  When following up, he discovers what might be a conspiracy against him and he decides to take the risk and find the truth.  The first half of the book is stressful, as the web tightens around Car, but as he and the reader begin to piece together the facts it moves quickly to a satisfying conclusion.

Dead or Alive by Patricia Wentworth (1936)

Quite engrossing, despite the improbability of parts.

Rolling Stone by Patricia Wentworth (1940)

Another engrossing, if improbable, thriller.

The Draycott Murder Mystery by Molly Thynne (1928)  4/5 stars

Nearly perfect Golden Age mystery by a long-lost author.

Calamity at Harwood by George Bellairs (1945)  4/5 stars

Highly improbable but twisty and entertaining.

The Dower House Mystery by Patricia Wentworth (1925)  4/5

Just unsettling enough to make it intriguing and hard to put down.

Outrageous Fortune by Patricia Wentworth (1933)  4/5

A thriller about a man who has lost his memory, but is certain he can't be the criminal it appears he is.  Well-plotted and attention-holding.

A Simple Path by Mother Teresa, complied by Lucinda Vardey (1995)

Quotes and explanations by Mother Teresa and members of her Order, compiled prior to her death.

The Case of the Canterfell Codicil by P.J. Fitzsimmons (2020)  4/5 stars
This is a very fun book that is worth four stars for enjoyment, but the "how" of the murder was too unbelievable and there was a yucky romance in the past.  These combined to bring it down a star for me, unfortunately.  I'm still looking forward to reading more in the series, though!

The Case of the Ghost of Christmas Morning by P.J. Fitzsimmons (2021)  4/5 stars

More of Anty's thoroughly enjoyable antics, as he proves his Aunt did not murder her neighbor, irritates Scotland Yard's able representative, and falls shamelessly for a tiny cow. It's well-written, humorous, and extremely read-out-loud worthy.  

The Tale of the Tenpenny Tontine by P.J. Fitzsimmons (2022)  4/5 stars

The third in the Anty Boisjoly series finds him summoned to help his friend, Lager, discover which of Lager's relatives died first in a duel, so as to settle who will inherit the large profits of an ancient tontine.  Again, it's laugh-out-loud funny, well-written, and enjoyable from start to finish.

The Case of the Carnaby Castle Curse by P.J. Fitzsimmons (2022)  4/5 stars

More fun with Anty as he attempts to prevent his club's steward from being arrested for murder.  It's a well-written, twisty, and humorous tale that is absorbing from start to finish.

Reckoning at the Riviera Royale by P.J. Fitzsimmons (2022)  4/5 stars

Another fun Anty mystery, though, I'll confess I was a bit stressed over the fate of the elephant.  Otherwise, it's well-written, as well as completely engaging and entertaining.

The Case of the Case of Kilcladdich by P.J. Fitzsimmons (2023)  4/5 stars

More well-written and laugh-out-loud fun with Anty as, while in Scotland to judge a whisky competition, he encounters two locked-room murders, feuding families, an impossible golf course, and a lot of sheep.   

Audiobooks Completed:

Barrow's Boys: The Original Extreme Adventurers: A Stirring Story of Daring Fortitude and Outright Lunacy by Fergus Fleming (1998)  4/5 stars

An extremely interesting and highly entertaining history of the explorations set in motion by Sir John Barrow, Second Secretary to the Admiralty from 1804 until 1845.

Daughters of the Winter Queen: Four Remarkable Sisters, the Crown of Bohemia, and the Enduring Legacy of Mary, Queen of Scots by Nancy Goldstone (2018)  5/5 stars

Absolutely fantastic history -- well-written, easy to follow, at times humorous, and always engrossing.  Highly recommend.

Four Queens: The Provençal Sisters Who Ruled Europe by Nancy Goldstone (2007)  4/5 stars

An easy to read and very interesting joint biography of four sisters who (with their husbands) affected politics in England, France, Germany, and Sicily during the thirteenth century.