September and October Books
I completely forgot to update at the end of September, so two months together.
43: The Cornish Coast Murder John Bude
Part of the British Library Classic Crime Series. This time it was a physical copy, and it was a very lovely book with Batsford/British Rail style artwork on the cover.
Good plot and characters, but a bit 'of it's time' in terms of some of the attitudes - particularly class-based. A good mystery and approach to detection.
44: The Mask of Ra Paul Doherty
Paul Doherty is one of my favourite authors, but I had not got round to reading any of his Egyptian books (strangely, as it is a period I like) - more fool me. I really enjoyed this and want to read more in the series. Amerotke is a great character. I wish he would call Hatscheput by the longer, more familiar, version of her name though, as I kept having to remind myself who Hatusu was.
45: Flowers for Algernon Daniel Keyes
This was the October choice for book group, and it provoked some really interesting discussion. I had vaguely heard of this book before, and I am glad Malcolm suggested that we read it. I had no idea what to expect and it was very thought provoking and sad.
46: Sidney Chambers and the Forgiveness of Sins James Runcie [Kindle]
Not as good as the previous ones. The mysteries are still quite good, but his writing of Hildegard and Sidney is becoming quite weak and stereotypical - particularly in Hildegard's incessant whining about Sidney's investigations.
47: Sacred Hearts Sarah Dunant [Kindle]
This has been sitting around on my Kindle for ages, and I am so glad I finally got round to reading it. So well written - I really enjoyed this, I found the characters interesting and sympathetic, and the plot was - a brilliant exploration of intra-convent intrigue.
48: The Iron Horse Edward Marston
The Railway Detective meets The Derby. More horse racing than trains in this one, but I didn't mind. Very good plot twists, and I am enjoying the character development. My one complaint about this series would be that Marston kills of a few too many people before they can be brounght to justice - some deaths are a bit too convienient.
49: A Thousand Splendid Suns Khalid Hosseni
This is my choice for November's book group meeting, and I have already had a few comments about how sad it is. Although I did cry a lot towards the end (on the bus today!), for much of the book I was just so angry at the utter mess that has been made of Afghanistan since the 1970s, and how many lives have been wasted through war, and denial of opportunity.
I have been meaning to read this for a while as I thought The Kite Runner was so good. This is just as good, if not better. Hosseni has written women so well, and the book itself is very beautifully written, despite the often harrowing nature of the subject matter. Not an easy read, but I am so glad I have read it.
43: The Cornish Coast Murder John Bude
Part of the British Library Classic Crime Series. This time it was a physical copy, and it was a very lovely book with Batsford/British Rail style artwork on the cover.
Good plot and characters, but a bit 'of it's time' in terms of some of the attitudes - particularly class-based. A good mystery and approach to detection.
44: The Mask of Ra Paul Doherty
Paul Doherty is one of my favourite authors, but I had not got round to reading any of his Egyptian books (strangely, as it is a period I like) - more fool me. I really enjoyed this and want to read more in the series. Amerotke is a great character. I wish he would call Hatscheput by the longer, more familiar, version of her name though, as I kept having to remind myself who Hatusu was.
45: Flowers for Algernon Daniel Keyes
This was the October choice for book group, and it provoked some really interesting discussion. I had vaguely heard of this book before, and I am glad Malcolm suggested that we read it. I had no idea what to expect and it was very thought provoking and sad.
46: Sidney Chambers and the Forgiveness of Sins James Runcie [Kindle]
Not as good as the previous ones. The mysteries are still quite good, but his writing of Hildegard and Sidney is becoming quite weak and stereotypical - particularly in Hildegard's incessant whining about Sidney's investigations.
47: Sacred Hearts Sarah Dunant [Kindle]
This has been sitting around on my Kindle for ages, and I am so glad I finally got round to reading it. So well written - I really enjoyed this, I found the characters interesting and sympathetic, and the plot was - a brilliant exploration of intra-convent intrigue.
48: The Iron Horse Edward Marston
The Railway Detective meets The Derby. More horse racing than trains in this one, but I didn't mind. Very good plot twists, and I am enjoying the character development. My one complaint about this series would be that Marston kills of a few too many people before they can be brounght to justice - some deaths are a bit too convienient.
49: A Thousand Splendid Suns Khalid Hosseni
This is my choice for November's book group meeting, and I have already had a few comments about how sad it is. Although I did cry a lot towards the end (on the bus today!), for much of the book I was just so angry at the utter mess that has been made of Afghanistan since the 1970s, and how many lives have been wasted through war, and denial of opportunity.
I have been meaning to read this for a while as I thought The Kite Runner was so good. This is just as good, if not better. Hosseni has written women so well, and the book itself is very beautifully written, despite the often harrowing nature of the subject matter. Not an easy read, but I am so glad I have read it.