2016 in Books (resuming this)
Once more into the breach then...
Guess it makes more sense to do this at this time of year anyway. So, previous plans and themes are tossed out, and a more seat of the pants approach will taken.
My reading goal, such as it ever is, for 2016 was to read at least fifty books. That was achieved, and then some, due in part to writing having stalled out for most of the year. For 2017 I will be hoping to strike a better balance of reading to writing, with neither activity suffering. We shall see.
Anyway, onto this first list--
2016 in Books: Favorite Covers
I kept The Paris Key propped up for quite some time, just because I loved looking at that cover, so small wonder it makes the list. When I finally got around to reading it, there was so letdown. Our heroine is reexamining her life after her marriage falls apart, and delving into other mysteries along the way. A plot point involving her mother might strain credulity for some, although I had no problem with it. It earned four stars from me on Goodreads anyway.
Murder at the Vicarage. I had been hesitating over the Miss Marple books. No idea why really. Once I took the plunge, there turned out to be zero cause for concern. This book was a lot of fun, and I love that cover with its hint of something sinister in the works.
Okay, does that cover there, for Heroes Are My Weakness, call to mind the covers of those old gothic romance paperbacks where the heroine is fleeing a dark and forbidding mansion clad only in a sheer nightie? Yeah, no, it doesn’t, not a bit. That’s why I love it, though, because the story is a tribute to all those great romantic suspense novels, but with a twist or two along the way-well, and more sex, of course. I fully expected to not like it and am delighted to have been surprised by how much fun it was.
All of Simone St. James’ ghost stories have great covers, but I’m picking the one for An Inquiry Into Love and Death as my favorite. It’s my favorite of the stories, and that covers strikes a strong evocative note for me.
Next we have two cozy mysteries which both hit the spot for me starting with the covers. That’s Hitchcock, the so-called Bad Luck Cat of a small Texas town where our heroine, an aspiring mystery writer, lives with her aunt. With some help from Hitchcock, and her own sleuthing, Sabrina Tate gets to the bottom of who murdered Bobby Joe in Black Cat Crossing, writes her novel, and gets to know the folks in Lavender, TX a little better. Jessica Fletcher would be proud. (The sequel was satisfying, too.) A Dark and Stormy Murder finds Lena London, another aspiring author, invited to come help her idol, a best selling suspense writer in the mode of Mary Stewart, finish her latest novel. Lena has barely come to town and moved into Camilla Graham’s gothic mansion when a dead body turns up on the beach. A worthy tribute to Mary Stewart.
Ink and Bone is the first book in a series that tackles the question: What if the Library of Alexandria wasn’t destroyed? If you think you know the answer, and if you think that answer has to be some variation of “Yahoo!” you could be in for a dystopian surprise. It’s labeled Young Adult but don’t be put off by that (as I would have been a few years ago). One of the reasons I love the cover, though, is because it doesn’t look like a Young Adult book. No pretty girls in ball gowns and that sort of thing.
I’ve been meaning to try Mary Robinette Kowal’s books for awhile now, and reading Ghost Talkers has given me more incentive to get around to that. We are in the midst of the Great War here, and our heroine, Ginger, an American, is part of the Spirit Corps, mediums charged with gathering information from soldiers killed in combat. There’s a cameo appearance by a not-yet-famous authors, delightful tips of the hat to Conan Doyle and Houdini, and other tidbits. There’s intrigue and romance; you will laugh and cry and not be sure who you can trust. It seems to be a standalone novel at the present but a sequel could be lovely.
I’ve read two vicars as amateur sleuths books this year. A Fatal Winter, the second outing with Father Max Tudor, one-time MI5 agent turned clergyman, is the better one. I liked Max’s debut, Wicked Autumn, albeit with a couple of reservations. This second book is better, satisfying on every level, with a plot to make Agatha Christie proud. The cover pleased me because it looks like it should be on a Christmas card, nary a hint that dark deeds will be discovered once you plunge into the story.
The Girl From the Savoy was a Goodreads Giveaway. I liked it, wanted to love it, but couldn’t quite get there. Think the problem was that one of the characters, The Girl of the title, is an unnecessarily unreliable narrator. It’s also one of those books that doesn’t know when to quit. You’re thinking, “Ah, this is the finish,” but no, there’s still more to go. That said, the cover is absolutely gorgeous. If only the story had matched.
#books#books read in 2016#ten favorite covers
Guess it makes more sense to do this at this time of year anyway. So, previous plans and themes are tossed out, and a more seat of the pants approach will taken.
My reading goal, such as it ever is, for 2016 was to read at least fifty books. That was achieved, and then some, due in part to writing having stalled out for most of the year. For 2017 I will be hoping to strike a better balance of reading to writing, with neither activity suffering. We shall see.
Anyway, onto this first list--
2016 in Books: Favorite Covers
I kept The Paris Key propped up for quite some time, just because I loved looking at that cover, so small wonder it makes the list. When I finally got around to reading it, there was so letdown. Our heroine is reexamining her life after her marriage falls apart, and delving into other mysteries along the way. A plot point involving her mother might strain credulity for some, although I had no problem with it. It earned four stars from me on Goodreads anyway.
Murder at the Vicarage. I had been hesitating over the Miss Marple books. No idea why really. Once I took the plunge, there turned out to be zero cause for concern. This book was a lot of fun, and I love that cover with its hint of something sinister in the works.
Okay, does that cover there, for Heroes Are My Weakness, call to mind the covers of those old gothic romance paperbacks where the heroine is fleeing a dark and forbidding mansion clad only in a sheer nightie? Yeah, no, it doesn’t, not a bit. That’s why I love it, though, because the story is a tribute to all those great romantic suspense novels, but with a twist or two along the way-well, and more sex, of course. I fully expected to not like it and am delighted to have been surprised by how much fun it was.
All of Simone St. James’ ghost stories have great covers, but I’m picking the one for An Inquiry Into Love and Death as my favorite. It’s my favorite of the stories, and that covers strikes a strong evocative note for me.
Next we have two cozy mysteries which both hit the spot for me starting with the covers. That’s Hitchcock, the so-called Bad Luck Cat of a small Texas town where our heroine, an aspiring mystery writer, lives with her aunt. With some help from Hitchcock, and her own sleuthing, Sabrina Tate gets to the bottom of who murdered Bobby Joe in Black Cat Crossing, writes her novel, and gets to know the folks in Lavender, TX a little better. Jessica Fletcher would be proud. (The sequel was satisfying, too.) A Dark and Stormy Murder finds Lena London, another aspiring author, invited to come help her idol, a best selling suspense writer in the mode of Mary Stewart, finish her latest novel. Lena has barely come to town and moved into Camilla Graham’s gothic mansion when a dead body turns up on the beach. A worthy tribute to Mary Stewart.
Ink and Bone is the first book in a series that tackles the question: What if the Library of Alexandria wasn’t destroyed? If you think you know the answer, and if you think that answer has to be some variation of “Yahoo!” you could be in for a dystopian surprise. It’s labeled Young Adult but don’t be put off by that (as I would have been a few years ago). One of the reasons I love the cover, though, is because it doesn’t look like a Young Adult book. No pretty girls in ball gowns and that sort of thing.
I’ve been meaning to try Mary Robinette Kowal’s books for awhile now, and reading Ghost Talkers has given me more incentive to get around to that. We are in the midst of the Great War here, and our heroine, Ginger, an American, is part of the Spirit Corps, mediums charged with gathering information from soldiers killed in combat. There’s a cameo appearance by a not-yet-famous authors, delightful tips of the hat to Conan Doyle and Houdini, and other tidbits. There’s intrigue and romance; you will laugh and cry and not be sure who you can trust. It seems to be a standalone novel at the present but a sequel could be lovely.
I’ve read two vicars as amateur sleuths books this year. A Fatal Winter, the second outing with Father Max Tudor, one-time MI5 agent turned clergyman, is the better one. I liked Max’s debut, Wicked Autumn, albeit with a couple of reservations. This second book is better, satisfying on every level, with a plot to make Agatha Christie proud. The cover pleased me because it looks like it should be on a Christmas card, nary a hint that dark deeds will be discovered once you plunge into the story.
The Girl From the Savoy was a Goodreads Giveaway. I liked it, wanted to love it, but couldn’t quite get there. Think the problem was that one of the characters, The Girl of the title, is an unnecessarily unreliable narrator. It’s also one of those books that doesn’t know when to quit. You’re thinking, “Ah, this is the finish,” but no, there’s still more to go. That said, the cover is absolutely gorgeous. If only the story had matched.
#books#books read in 2016#ten favorite covers