52 in 2012
Print:
#53 - The White Garden, by Stephanie Barron. This book wasn’t part of her Jane Austen series. It’s set in modern times. The heroine, Jo Bellamy, is a landscape designer. Her wealthy client wants her duplicate a famous white garden from Sissinghurst Castle, so he sends her to England to study it. While there she comes across an old diary, seemingly written by Virginia Woolf (a frequent visitor to Sissinghurst). However, the diary begins the day Virginia supposedly killed herself and continues on for several days afterward. Is it a fake? Is it real? Does it change the whole story around Virginia’s death? It’s an interesting story, though it might have been more interesting if I’d been a Virginia Woolf fan.
#54 - Jane and the Canterbury Tale, by Stephanie Barron. This is the latest in her Jane Austen series. This murder mystery involved the wedding of a local gentleman. Unfortunately, the bride’s previous husband, thought long dead, was discovered much more recently dead the next morning. The motive seemed obvious, but the twists kept coming. A good book.
#55 - Dark Enquiry, by Deanna Rayborn. A Lady Julia Grey novel. This one involved a Ghost Club, séances, gypsies, danger and family difficulties. I don’t wait breathlessly for Deanna Rayborns novels to come out, but I usually pick up the newest one before too long. Worth reading.
Audio:
#60 - Shadow of Night, by Deborah Harkness. This is the sequel to Discovery of Witches. It begins with witch Diana Bishop and vampire Matthew Clairmont setting out to time walk to Elizabethan England in search of the enchanted manuscript that started all the problems that came up in Discovery of Witches. In most time travel novels, the main characters manage to fit in fine as soon as they get some appropriate clothes and remember not to use modern slang. Interestingly, in this book Diana had a great deal of trouble learning to speak and act as an Elizabethan lady would. In some ways it slowed the action, but in another sense, it was much more realistic. Diana and Matthew interact with a number of historical figures, which is interesting but doesn’t really have much to do with the plot. At the end, they return to their own time, more prepared (hopefully) for the final showdown with the witch community that will no doubt take place in the third novel.
#61 - Dracula in Love, by Karen Essex. Another retelling of the Dracula story from a different point of view. In this book, Dracula is in love with Mina Harker, and has been for thousands of years. She keeps being reborn in new lives, and he keep seeking her out. Dracula, naturally, had nothing to do with the death of Lucy - that was because of adverse reactions to the blood transfers done at the mental hospital to treat Lucy’s depression. Depression? Why yes - she was depressed because she didn’t want to marry Arthur, and she was sneaking out to meet one of the other musketeers. Kind of convoluted and got weird when talking about Irish faeries. Not recommended.
#62 - Night Kill, by Ann LIttlewood
#63 - Did Not Survive, by Ann Littlewood
#64 - Endangered, by Ann Littlewood
When the newest book (Endangered) came out, I decided to re-listen to the first two before hitting the third one. I’ve reviewed them both before, but as a recap, the main character, Iris, works as a zookeeper in a small zoo in the Pacific Northwest. In the first two books, the murders were at the zoo, and appeared to be accidents involving the animals (lions and elephants). In Endangered, Iris and her co-worker Denny, and sent out to collect some animals discovered during a drug bust - parrots and turtles - which were apparently part of an animal smuggling operation the drug dealers were doing as a sideline. While there they discovered the body of a teenage girl. Was she killed by the druggies? By the police during the bust? Does it have something to do with the smuggled endangered animals? A good story - very much enjoyed.
#53 - The White Garden, by Stephanie Barron. This book wasn’t part of her Jane Austen series. It’s set in modern times. The heroine, Jo Bellamy, is a landscape designer. Her wealthy client wants her duplicate a famous white garden from Sissinghurst Castle, so he sends her to England to study it. While there she comes across an old diary, seemingly written by Virginia Woolf (a frequent visitor to Sissinghurst). However, the diary begins the day Virginia supposedly killed herself and continues on for several days afterward. Is it a fake? Is it real? Does it change the whole story around Virginia’s death? It’s an interesting story, though it might have been more interesting if I’d been a Virginia Woolf fan.
#54 - Jane and the Canterbury Tale, by Stephanie Barron. This is the latest in her Jane Austen series. This murder mystery involved the wedding of a local gentleman. Unfortunately, the bride’s previous husband, thought long dead, was discovered much more recently dead the next morning. The motive seemed obvious, but the twists kept coming. A good book.
#55 - Dark Enquiry, by Deanna Rayborn. A Lady Julia Grey novel. This one involved a Ghost Club, séances, gypsies, danger and family difficulties. I don’t wait breathlessly for Deanna Rayborns novels to come out, but I usually pick up the newest one before too long. Worth reading.
Audio:
#60 - Shadow of Night, by Deborah Harkness. This is the sequel to Discovery of Witches. It begins with witch Diana Bishop and vampire Matthew Clairmont setting out to time walk to Elizabethan England in search of the enchanted manuscript that started all the problems that came up in Discovery of Witches. In most time travel novels, the main characters manage to fit in fine as soon as they get some appropriate clothes and remember not to use modern slang. Interestingly, in this book Diana had a great deal of trouble learning to speak and act as an Elizabethan lady would. In some ways it slowed the action, but in another sense, it was much more realistic. Diana and Matthew interact with a number of historical figures, which is interesting but doesn’t really have much to do with the plot. At the end, they return to their own time, more prepared (hopefully) for the final showdown with the witch community that will no doubt take place in the third novel.
#61 - Dracula in Love, by Karen Essex. Another retelling of the Dracula story from a different point of view. In this book, Dracula is in love with Mina Harker, and has been for thousands of years. She keeps being reborn in new lives, and he keep seeking her out. Dracula, naturally, had nothing to do with the death of Lucy - that was because of adverse reactions to the blood transfers done at the mental hospital to treat Lucy’s depression. Depression? Why yes - she was depressed because she didn’t want to marry Arthur, and she was sneaking out to meet one of the other musketeers. Kind of convoluted and got weird when talking about Irish faeries. Not recommended.
#62 - Night Kill, by Ann LIttlewood
#63 - Did Not Survive, by Ann Littlewood
#64 - Endangered, by Ann Littlewood
When the newest book (Endangered) came out, I decided to re-listen to the first two before hitting the third one. I’ve reviewed them both before, but as a recap, the main character, Iris, works as a zookeeper in a small zoo in the Pacific Northwest. In the first two books, the murders were at the zoo, and appeared to be accidents involving the animals (lions and elephants). In Endangered, Iris and her co-worker Denny, and sent out to collect some animals discovered during a drug bust - parrots and turtles - which were apparently part of an animal smuggling operation the drug dealers were doing as a sideline. While there they discovered the body of a teenage girl. Was she killed by the druggies? By the police during the bust? Does it have something to do with the smuggled endangered animals? A good story - very much enjoyed.