February 2022 Wrap Up

Books Read:

The 12.30 from Croydon by Freeman Wills Crofts (1934)  3/5 stars

In this reverse mystery, the reader follows the murderer as he makes his plans and concocts his alibi, then waits to see if he will be found out by the Scotland Yard Inspector.  This works well in the beginning as Crofts is a talented writer/storyteller.  As the culprit is not particularly likable, though, it's hard to feel sympathy for him as the net closes around.  Worse is that the last two chapters, when Inspector French explains how he solved the mystery, are truly dull.  Crofts used the same formula more successfully in Antidote to Venom (my review here), which I would recommend more highly.

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (1925)  5/5 stars

This was a slow, leisurely reread of a favorite.  I'd like to post profound insights, or at the least, coherent thoughts, but right now I'm basking in the memory of the mood and language.  Maybe later.

Audio Books Completed:

More Work for the Undertaker by Margery Allingham (1948)  3/5 stars

I found this Campion mystery to be a bit confusing at times, mainly due to a large number of characters.  This is probably more my fault than Allingham's, but it did lessen my enjoyment of what was otherwise a fun story.

Holmes in the Valley of Fear.

Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones (1985)  4/5 stars

After finishing this last month (my review here), I decided to reread it. Thanks to being more familiar with the referenced folk stories, and a bit of help from this blog post, I understood the novel much better.  I enjoyed it even more as a result, but still can't raise it to five stars due to my original complaint.

The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle (1915)  4/5 stars

This is a nicely twisting story, with Holmes at his best amid a most intriguing mystery.  When that is solved, though, the tale goes back in time to the American coalfields and a secret organization that terrorized the innocent.  This grim history takes up half the novel, and was particularly unappealing to me.  Despite that, I must admit that the plot is gripping, the solutions to the two parts of the story completely satisfying, and the Valley of Fear one of Doyle's best-written.

Riviera Gold  by Laurie R. King (2020)  4/5 stars

Mary Russell and her partner/husband Sherlock Holmes reconnect with an old friend in Monaco who has been framed for murder.  While some of the pieces didn't fully fit for me, Riviera Gold is another engaging, enjoyable, and intelligent adventure in this addictive series.

His Last Bow by Arthur Conan Doyle (1917)  4/5 stars

Doyle is a first-rate short story author, and this penultimate collection is a good example of his generally well-written and always solidly entertaining work.

Did Not Finish:

Fallen Into the Pit by Ellis Peters

I'm quite familiar with the quality of Peters' writing due to reading many Cadfael mysteries.  I expected good things from this, and the prose was up to her usual standard.  The story, though, was bleak, bleak, bleak.  I might try going to the second in the series, but this one was just too depressing.

An Ambush of Widows by Jeff Abbott

I simply can not work up a bit of interest in a book when it's revealed in the second chapter that a hitman was responsible for the murder. Add to that the use of the trope-of-the-decade (a husband with secrets) and I was done. 

The Missing by Daisy Pearce

I didn't get much past the unappealing seduction scene.  In addition, *insert trope-of-the-decade complaint here*.

Sunshine by Robin  McKinley

I remember loving this when I read it nearly twenty years ago.  This time, though, it was too cheesy -- sometime cringe-worthy -- and after three hours of the audio book I had to stop.

Top Ten Tuesday: Dynamic Duos

Today's Top Ten Tuesday topic is "dynamic duos".  Here are ten recommended books/series featuring character pairs united by either love or friendship.

The Sherlock Holmes Series 

by Arthur Conan Doyle

This was the first duo that sprang to mind.  Holmes' friend Watson acts as balance for the consulting detective in these classic mysteries.  I'm a huge fan of these stories, and of the unlikely friendship between this pair.

The Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes Series 

by Laurie R. King

Though starting out like fanfiction, this series featuring Mary Russell and her partner (later husband) Sherlock Holmes has developed into a rich, addicting, and thoroughly enjoyable series.  I'm very picky about non-canon Holmes, but find King's interpretation to be nearly perfect.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
The sweet friendship between Anne and Diana is a central component, as well as part of the charm of this wonderful book.  I highly recommend it, and the entire series, for adults as well as the recommended middle-grade readers.

The Burton and Swinburne Series by Mark Hodder

This entertaining, complex (and sometimes baffling), steampunk series features fictional versions of two famous Victorians: the poet Algernon Swinburne, and my historical crush, the multitalented explorer, author, and scholar Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton. Alternate history, steampunk fantasy, and excellent world-building combine to create engrossing reading.

The Albert Campion Series by Margery Allingham

His manservant, Magersfontein Lugg, sometimes assists (sometimes hinders) Campion in many of his escapades.  While these books are often called mysteries, they are usually more adventure than puzzle.  Allingham writes well, and the books are generally a good deal of fun.

The Vlad Taltos Series by Steven Brust

In this excellent, clever, and hard to describe fantasy series, the (anti-)hero, Vlad Taltos, has a winged reptile familiar named Loiosh, without whom he would never survive his adventures.  This series is well-written, complex, and completely entertaining, with an unforgettable world. 

The Rincewind Novels in the Discworld Series by Terry Pratchett

This outstanding series can be subdivided into novels featuring certain characters, one of which is the wizard Rincewind and his sentient trunk known as the Luggage.  It's impossible to explain these two without recounting the books, so suffice it to say that this series is fantastic, and Rincewind and the Luggage quite the duo.

The Jeeves and Wooster Series by P.G. Wodehouse

It's hard to find a more entertaining duo than these two.  Jeeves, Bertie's manservant, pulls him out of one scrape after another, all the while maintaining a cool head and perfect demeanor.  These books are pure fun and I recommend them highly.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

This memorable YA novel is moving, gripping, and excellently written. Here is my full review.

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

This charming, fun, and unforgettable fantasy features an ordinary young woman, Sophie, becoming a housekeeper of sorts for a most uncommon wizard, Howl.  I reread it in December 2020 and loved it as much as I had the first time.

Top Ten Tuesday is a long-running weekly blog prompt, currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Ten Tuesday: Names in the Titles

Here, in no particular order, are ten excellent books with a name in the title.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Though I said "in no particular order", it's not true here.  Rebecca is first on my list because it is one my top twenty-or-so favorite books.  An extremely well-written gothic thriller, Rebecca is engrossing and memorable, and I highly recommend it.

Alice in Wonderland by Louis Carroll

I don't know why I love this book so much.  I can't explain what it is about it that appeals to me so personally, but it's a soul-mate of a book.

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Lolita is a feast of beautifully written language. I've never read a novel whose subject was so unpalatable and yet whose prose was so engrossing, drawing, and memorable. Nabokov skyrocketed into my favorite authors list when I read this.

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

I read this the summer I graduated from high school and hated it.  Then (many years later), I heard a review on NPR about Lydia Davis' translation and how she painstakingly worked to keep it as close to the author's original as possible.  I gave it another try and was stunned.  My full review is here.

Britt-Marie Was Here by Frederik Backman

I read this feel-good novel in one sitting -- it was that good.  Here is my full review. 

The Altogether Unexpected Disappearance of Atticus Craftsman by Mamen Sánchez

This is a lighthearted, funny, sad, serious, romantic and dramatic book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  My review is here.

Lady Audley's Secret by M.E. Braddon

This Victorian sensational novel is a fantastic read.  Here is my review.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

I love this novel.  It's surprisingly well-written, completely engaging, and extremely memorable.  If you've only seen movie versions, I highly recommend reading the book and seeing what it's really about.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Like Dracula, it's so different from the movie versions.  It's a haunting story that I fully recommend.

Be Frank with Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson

This fantastic book needs more love!  Read my review here, then read the book!

Top Ten Tuesday is a long-running weekly blog prompt, currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

January 2022 Wrap-Up

Books Read:

Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones (1985)  4/5 stars (my review here)

Bats in the Belfry: A London Mystery by E.C.R. Lorac (1937)  3/5 stars

Lorac's prose is excellent, and I completely enjoyed the build-up to the solution.  That, however, was a bit of a mess.  This is my second book by her (my review of Fell Murder is here), and though they both disappointed me somewhat, her writing is so engaging and entertaining that I wouldn't hesitate to read another.

Audiobooks:

The Watersplash by Patricia Wentworth  (1951)  3/5 stars

This light, formulaic mystery, despite relying on coincidences and being easy to solve, is an entertaining addition to the Miss Silver series. 

Traitor's Purse by Margery Allingham (1941)  4/5 stars  (my review here)

Coroner's Pidgin by Margery Allingham (1945)  4/5 stars  (my review here)

The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (1904)  4/5 stars

While some are more memorable than others, this is a solidly good set of entertaining stories, featuring Doyle's signature twistiness and ingenuity. 

Did Not Finish:

The Sad Variety by Nicholas Blake

When Golden Age mystery authors continue to write into the 1960s, they don't always do it well.  This is one example.  Nigel Strangeways simply does not mix convincingly with Soviet spies.

The Shadows of Men by Abir Mukherjee

I've been looking forward to this release since May 2021, but the 20% I read was disappointing. It's told jointly by Surendranath and Wyndham, instead of solely by the latter, and I didn't find the voices unique enough.  Worse, to my mind, is that Wyndham's gray morality -- the trait that made him interesting and kept the first four books gripping -- seems to be lacking.

Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones

Fire and Hemlock
Diana Wynne Jones
1985
4/5 stars

At age nineteen, Polly suddenly discovers that she has two sets of memories, one false imposed on the true, and begins to puzzle it out, realizing that it has to do with her adult friend, Tom Lynn.  Polly first met him when she accidentally gate-crashed a funeral at the age of ten.  They stayed in touch through the years by letters and the books that Mr. Lynn sent.  As Polly remembers, the reader is given the story of the ten years between the initial meeting and the present.

This complex fantasy, taking place in 1980s England, brings in elements of the traditional "Thomas the Rhymer" and "Tam Lin" tales to tell the story of  Polly and Tom Lynn.  Unfortunately, if the reader is unfamiliar with those old stories, much of the nuances, and even some of the salient points, are missed.  Despite that, it's an engrossing novel, twisty and layered, and well-written with Jones' typical intelligence and imagination.  My only reason for not giving it a full five stars is that I felt Polly's younger self displayed an unbelievable perspicacity. None the less, I recommend it unhesitating, but advise the reader to become familiar with the aforementioned British legends before starting.   

 

Two Mysteries by Allingham

Traitor's Purse

Margery Allingham

1941

4/5 stars

In the early days of World War II, Campion wakes up in the hospital with no idea of who he is, but with a sense of impending doom having to do with the number fifteen.  For various reasons, he doesn't wish to let anyone know of his amnesia and so he struggles to discover what his mission is and how to stop the unknown disaster.

Allingham does a fantastic job of creating an atmosphere of anxiety and distress as Campion bungles relationships and situations, trying to find his mental footing.  The plot is a complex one, interesting and engrossing.  The climax happens in too short a time, in light of the slow build-up, but the scheme unearthed shows Allingham's strong imagination and skill.  Overall, I found this well-written wartime  mystery/adventure of home-front espionage to be well-worth reading, even a second time.

Coroner's Pidgin

(also published as Pearls Before Swine)

Margery Allingham 

1945

4/5 stars

Campion has been doing secret work during World War II, and returns to England for the first time in several years.  All he wants is a hot bath in his London flat before taking the train home to the country.  Unfortunately, while said bath is taking place, Lugg and an aristocrat decide to store a dead woman in Campion's bedroom.  This sets off a chain of events that involves Campion in a case of murder, theft, and treason -- and causes him to miss his train.

This engaging mystery has Allingham's signature intelligence, wit, and creativity.  The plot was twisty and surprising, the characters generally convincing, and the final line a delight.  The war-weariness of the enlisted men is well-portrayed, as is the general feeling of disillusion by all.     This was my second time reading this well-written and engrossing novel, and I certainly recommend it.

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Recent Additions to My Book Collection

(I'm a couple days late with this one) 

Tuesday's Top Ten Tuesday topic was "most recent additions to my book collection".  I was rather prudent in 2021, and these are all I can remember buying.

Books 1-5  These are a set of Penelope Fitzgerald's novels in matching editions: The Bookshop, Offshore, the Gate of Angels, the Golden Child, and the Blue Flower.  I read the Bookshop years ago, and remember liking it, so when I saw these at our local used bookstore, I grabbed them all.

Books 6-9  I've been a fan of George MacDonald, one of C.S. Lewis' inspirations, since high school and have a few really nice editions of his work.  I found the Wise Woman at our local used bookstore years ago, but this year I discovered it was part of a set.  I was thrilled to find a reasonably price, lightly used, complete set on ebay in November.  They are each a collection of fantasy short stories.

Book 10 I read Britten and Brulightly years ago, and it wowed me.  I was reminded of it during a discussion of graphic novels and, after recommending it to a friend, decided I needed to buy a copy and reread it myself.

(Bonus: Book 11) The Oaken Heart is written by one of my favorite Golden Age mystery writers, Margery Allingham, and is the true account of her experiences in her small East Anglian village during World War II.  I've not read it yet, but I'm quite looking forward to it.

Top Ten Tuesday is a long-running weekly blog prompt, currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.