January wrap-up

I gave up doing monthly wrap-up posts some time ago but I'm going to return to them I think. The reason being that I'm not reviewing every book I read these days and a monthly wrap-up post is a way of just mentioning those I haven't reviewed. Otherwise they tend to sink without trace, and that's a shame.

I actually read six books this month; my normal tally for January is two or three. I'm not sure why January is often such a dismal reading month for me but noticing a bit of a reading slump this month it probably explains why - perhaps I always experience a bit of a reading lull at the beginning of the year? Anyway, my six books are as follows:

Eating for England - Nigel Slater
City of Pearl - Karen Traviss
Winter at Thrush Green - Miss Read
News from Thrush Green - Miss Read
Storm in the Village - Miss Read
The Winter Garden Mystery - Carola Dunn

The three Miss Read books represent my reading slump, imo. I couldn't get into anything else but those are so readable and relaxing that I can always read them. I've just started another as my bedtime reading as a matter of fact, Thrush Green, which is the first book in the Thrush Green series. Feels odd reading that after book two and three as the series is progressive, so I'm going back to how the characters got to where they are in two and three. (Not sure even I understand what I mean by that...)

Favourite book of the month? Probably City of Pearl by Karen Traviss. But then I do love a traditional sci fi novel.

My final read of the month was The Winter Garden Mystery by Carola Dunn.



This is book two in the author's Daisy Dalrymple crime series, set in the early 1920s. Another delightful installment which sees Daisy off on another of her jaunts to a stately home to write an article for her magazine. Whilst exploring the house's Winter garden she is instrumental in the discovery of a body, buried under an azelea. It seems it's the body of a parlourmaid, Grace, who, it was thought, had run off with a salesman for a corset company. Obviously she didn't and Daisy's friend from the first book, Chief Inspector Fletcher of Scotland Yard, is brought in to investigate with Daisy variously helping and getting under his feet. This was again an utterly delightful read... great fun, pacey, and Daisy is her usual irrepressible self. So pleased I have another six to read and already thinking about where to get the rest.

To finish up this post, a quick 'recent acquisitions' section. This is what I bought in Cardiff last week.



The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch are the first two books in his Gentleman Bastard series. I gather they're pretty good so when I spotted them cheap in Asda, of all places, I nabbed them. (Was actually rather impressed with their selection!)

Wagner the Werewolf by George W.M. Reynolds is classic horror but not a book I know a lot about so I nabbed it and will probably save it for Carl's RIP challenge later in the year. That one was purchased in Waterstones in Cardiff. I checked out a few charity shops and a bookstall in the market as well but didn't find anything of interest.

As I mentioned before I'm currently reading Thrush Green for my 'book at bedtime' and am also about to start The Forbidden Tower by Marion Zimmer Bradley for Carl's Sc Fi experience.