Books
I am doing much better since my last post. Apparently, the small cold I had was Covid and was pretty miserable most of the weekend. To cope I ended up bingeing a couple of seasons of Columbo. I ended up really liking the show. Up until that weekend I think I had only watch one or two of the tv movies. I liked how calm Peter Falk plays the rumbled detective; it ended up making a show about murder pretty soothing. lol Plus I liked getting to see all of the seventy's clothing and design. One of the good things that happened in the past two weeks is my eldest graduated high school. I am so proud of them and all the hard work they put into school. House renovations is going well my husband is working on the redoing the porch as it had sprung a leak over the winter and some of the wood needed replacing. In between helping with the repairs I am looking for a job and have put in a couple of applications. One was for my local library. Although technically I qualify, I know it is a long shot, but I wanted to try as I have always wanted to work in a library. I have mostly been looking for data entry and customer service jobs. I can always go back to substitute teaching, but I didn't really like how I never knew from one day to the next where I was going to work or what I would find once I got there. Plus kids can be really rough on a substitute so it can be a long day if you end up with a class of really ornery students. But fingers crossed I can find something else.
This week I read: 2 mysteries, 1 sci-fic, and 1 historical mystery.
Death on Board by Anita Davison
Young governess Flora Maguire is on her way home from America on the maiden voyage of the S.S. Minneapolis with her young charge Eddy, Viscount Trent, when she discovers a dead body.
Unconvinced when the death is pronounced an accident, Flora starts asking questions, but following threats, a near drowning and a second murder, the hunt is on for a killer. Time is running out as the Minneapolis approaches the English coast. ~Goodreads Description
I love a good historical mystery and I LOVE an isolated mystery. So, when I saw this book took place in Edwardian times on a ship crossing the Atlantic, I knew I had to read it. Especially, when I saw that one of the main characters went by the name of Bunny. (One of my all-time favorite characters is Bunny Manders from Raffles: The Amateur Cracksman.) I ended up really enjoying this book. I liked both Flora and Bunny, they had good chemistry together. The mystery was well thought out and the side characters were fairly interesting. The author used the setting, of them all being trapped together on a ship for a whole week, to perfection. I'm glad I tried Davison again and found a book I enjoyed. I will probably continue on in the series.
Glory in Death by J.D. Robb
I had mixed feelings about the first book in this series, but I have to say that the second book in this series worked for me so much better. I thought the mystery was fairly interesting, with the author doing a good job of seeding clues along the way. Eve continues to be a delightful character to follow around. I like the fact that she is prickly, and complex, but also cares so very much. I even liked her relationship with Roarke more in this book, which was not the case in the first one. Also, I am glad we got a wider scope of the near future world she lives in and learned more about her friends and coworkers. So, Glory in Death was a win for me, and I look forward to reading more in the series. (Warnings for sexual abuse of a child on page.)
Finder by Suzanne Palmer
Fergus Ferguson has been called a lot of names: thief, con artist, repo man. He prefers the term finder. His latest job should be simple. Find the spacecraft Venetia's Sword and steal it back from Arum Gilger, ex-nobleman turned power-hungry trade boss. He'll slip in, decode the ship's compromised AI security, and get out of town, Sword in hand. Fergus locates both Gilger and the ship in the farthest corner of human-inhabited space, a gas-giant-harvesting colony called Cernee. But Fergus' arrival at the colony is anything but simple. A cable car explosion launches Cernee into civil war, and Fergus must ally with Gilger's enemies to navigate a field of space mines and a small army of hostile mercenaries. What was supposed to be a routine job evolves into negotiating a power struggle between factions. Even worse, Fergus has become increasingly--and inconveniently--invested in the lives of the locals. ~Goodreads Description
I have been meaning to read this book for a while now as I love a good sci-fi space adventure. Sadly, Finder didn't end up being quite as entertaining as I had hoped. I liked Fergus well enough, although he wasn't as charming as I think he needed to be to pull off what the author was going for. (I think she was trying to make Fergus a cross between Han Solo and Malcom Reynolds from Firefly, but he definitely wasn't either one of them.) Also, Mari had interesting motivations for her actions but could also be annoying as she was supposed to be 19 but acted like she was 12. The story was interesting if a bit long. Some scenes should've been shortened or completely cut as they just seemed to drag the story down. I loved the premise of this book and all of its potential but the actual execution for me was off. Overall, it was okay. I probably won't continue on in the series.
Pork Pie Pandemonium by Steve Higgs
This was the epitome of a cozy mystery. The main protagonist is an elderly gentleman by the name of Albert who is on a tour of all the best food spots in England. Albert also has his beloved German Shepard, Rex, along for the ride. When Albert is in a class, on how to make pork pies, a thumb falls out of one of the pies and Albert is drawn into the mystery. This was an entertaining mystery. I liked the team of Albert and Rex. We do get Rex the dog's thoughts on the mystery and humans in general and that was fun. Overall, a good book and I will probably continue on with the series.
Reading Challenges 2024:
Mount TBR: Pork Pie Pandemonium
Cloak & Dagger: Death on Board, Glory in Death, and Pork Pie Pandemonium
Let's Tour the United States: N/A
How are you guys doing?
This week I read: 2 mysteries, 1 sci-fic, and 1 historical mystery.
Death on Board by Anita Davison
Young governess Flora Maguire is on her way home from America on the maiden voyage of the S.S. Minneapolis with her young charge Eddy, Viscount Trent, when she discovers a dead body.
Unconvinced when the death is pronounced an accident, Flora starts asking questions, but following threats, a near drowning and a second murder, the hunt is on for a killer. Time is running out as the Minneapolis approaches the English coast. ~Goodreads Description
I love a good historical mystery and I LOVE an isolated mystery. So, when I saw this book took place in Edwardian times on a ship crossing the Atlantic, I knew I had to read it. Especially, when I saw that one of the main characters went by the name of Bunny. (One of my all-time favorite characters is Bunny Manders from Raffles: The Amateur Cracksman.) I ended up really enjoying this book. I liked both Flora and Bunny, they had good chemistry together. The mystery was well thought out and the side characters were fairly interesting. The author used the setting, of them all being trapped together on a ship for a whole week, to perfection. I'm glad I tried Davison again and found a book I enjoyed. I will probably continue on in the series.
Glory in Death by J.D. Robb
I had mixed feelings about the first book in this series, but I have to say that the second book in this series worked for me so much better. I thought the mystery was fairly interesting, with the author doing a good job of seeding clues along the way. Eve continues to be a delightful character to follow around. I like the fact that she is prickly, and complex, but also cares so very much. I even liked her relationship with Roarke more in this book, which was not the case in the first one. Also, I am glad we got a wider scope of the near future world she lives in and learned more about her friends and coworkers. So, Glory in Death was a win for me, and I look forward to reading more in the series. (Warnings for sexual abuse of a child on page.)
Finder by Suzanne Palmer
Fergus Ferguson has been called a lot of names: thief, con artist, repo man. He prefers the term finder. His latest job should be simple. Find the spacecraft Venetia's Sword and steal it back from Arum Gilger, ex-nobleman turned power-hungry trade boss. He'll slip in, decode the ship's compromised AI security, and get out of town, Sword in hand. Fergus locates both Gilger and the ship in the farthest corner of human-inhabited space, a gas-giant-harvesting colony called Cernee. But Fergus' arrival at the colony is anything but simple. A cable car explosion launches Cernee into civil war, and Fergus must ally with Gilger's enemies to navigate a field of space mines and a small army of hostile mercenaries. What was supposed to be a routine job evolves into negotiating a power struggle between factions. Even worse, Fergus has become increasingly--and inconveniently--invested in the lives of the locals. ~Goodreads Description
I have been meaning to read this book for a while now as I love a good sci-fi space adventure. Sadly, Finder didn't end up being quite as entertaining as I had hoped. I liked Fergus well enough, although he wasn't as charming as I think he needed to be to pull off what the author was going for. (I think she was trying to make Fergus a cross between Han Solo and Malcom Reynolds from Firefly, but he definitely wasn't either one of them.) Also, Mari had interesting motivations for her actions but could also be annoying as she was supposed to be 19 but acted like she was 12. The story was interesting if a bit long. Some scenes should've been shortened or completely cut as they just seemed to drag the story down. I loved the premise of this book and all of its potential but the actual execution for me was off. Overall, it was okay. I probably won't continue on in the series.
Pork Pie Pandemonium by Steve Higgs
This was the epitome of a cozy mystery. The main protagonist is an elderly gentleman by the name of Albert who is on a tour of all the best food spots in England. Albert also has his beloved German Shepard, Rex, along for the ride. When Albert is in a class, on how to make pork pies, a thumb falls out of one of the pies and Albert is drawn into the mystery. This was an entertaining mystery. I liked the team of Albert and Rex. We do get Rex the dog's thoughts on the mystery and humans in general and that was fun. Overall, a good book and I will probably continue on with the series.
Reading Challenges 2024:
Mount TBR: Pork Pie Pandemonium
Cloak & Dagger: Death on Board, Glory in Death, and Pork Pie Pandemonium
Let's Tour the United States: N/A
How are you guys doing?