Good grief, it's already June and very soon we'll be halfway through the year. How can that possibly be? If someone has an explanation I'd be very interested to hear it.
May was quite a good reading month for me. I read eight books, so my reading mojo has definitely returned, and I'm pleased about that. I read a couple of non-fiction books too, which I've not been doing much of this year either, so I'm pleased about that too. It's all good. These are the books:
The Fellowship of the Ring - J.R.R. Tolkien
Bookish - Lucy Mangan
The Girl in Blue - P.G. Wodehouse
Murder in the Moor - Thomas Kindon. Whodunnit from the 1920s, involving a police inspector on a walking holiday on Dukesmoor (Dartmoor in Devon) and various dead bodies found on said moor. Nicely atmospheric and a very good sense of place. Enjoyed it but it's the only book the author wrote so no good going off on a pilgrimage to search for more.
The Secret World of Twilight, a non-fiction book by Sally Coulthard. Nice cover:
The author tells us about the creatures that come out at twilight, bats, badgers, owls and so forth, the various late blooming flowers, and how we as humans behave, deal, experience twilight. A gentle, informative, interesting book. And that cover...
A Fire at the Exhibition by T.E. Kinsey is book 10 in his Lady Hardcastle and Flo crime series set in the 1910s. I love this series with its banter between the two main characters and fun plotting. This one involves a village art exhibition where an expensive, unique book and some art is stolen. Lady Hardcastle and her maid/companion, Flo need no encouraging to get involved. Great fun.
The Villa of Secrets by Emma Burstall, is a contemporary fiction story set on Crete.
Our heroine, Cleo, after a messy divorce and falling out with her daughter, treats herself to a holiday on Crete at a wellness centre sort of place. She gets to know several women and why they're there and things look to be going ok until... well I won't say what but it's pretty major and I was a bit taken aback at where the book went from there. Not what this type of book usually does but I enjoyed it and would read more by the author.
Cousins from a Distant Sun by Tamor Myers is classified, I think, as cosy science-fiction.
I was halfway through this and having my doubts, when I thought I'd check Goodreads, only to find it has an overall rating of 2.67. Wow. I gave it a 3.00 because the plot had potential. An alien species kidnap a pre-history group of humans from China and spend thousands of years breeding and changing them, only to dump them back in Peru during the time of the Incas. They now live in a hidden valley, in secret, but need help, so one of their number seeks out an archaeologist to help them. I felt like this could've been excellent, but sadly it wasn't. I didn't like the archaeologist, the author made the valley-dwelling species ridiculous and the writing was very average. A shame but there you go, win some, lose some.
So that was my May reading. Overall, not bad. Favourite book? Probably my reread of The Fellowship of the Ring. I'd forgotten how brilliant it is and thoroughly enjoyed it. I have a list of books I want to read this summer and the next book, The Two Towers, is on it.
My potential summer books:
1. Nephthys - Rachel Driscoll
2. The Seven Rings - Nora Roberts
3. The Rockpool Murders - Emylia Hall
4. The Fall of Hyperion - Dan Simmons
5. The Instruments of Darkness - John Connolly
6. Beyond the Point - Damien Boyd
7. The Two Towers - J.R.R Tolkien
8. A Nice Class of Corpse - Simon Brett (just finished)
9. Dead men Don't Ski - Patricia Moyes
10. Defying Rome - Guy de la Bédoyére (non-fiction about Boudica)
A lot these belong to series that I want to catch up on this year so I have an ulterior motive for reading them. If I get through half of these I'll be happy as I'm notorious for making a list of books and then going off the idea of reading the books on said list. We shall see.
Happy June reading, I hope you're all well and looking forward to your summer reading.
I've reserved the Twilight book - just to look at the cover!
ReplyDeleteI don't blame you, Sue! It is absolutely gorgeous!
DeleteYou did have some good reads this month, Cath, and I like the variety in the books you chose. I've not read Wodehouse in a while, and I'm glad for the reminder of his books. Just the thing sometimes, in my opinion. And the Lady Hardcastle series interests me. I have to admit I've not (yet) started it, but I do like the sound of it from the reviews I've read. Happy June reading!
ReplyDeleteMargot: Yes, I had some very decent reads last month. I hadn't read Wodehouse in a while either and while I knew he was funny, I'd forgotten just how funny he was. The Lady Hardcastle books are well worth a try and are saved from being too cosy by the humour.
DeleteCath, glad to hear your reading has been going well and I enjoyed hearing about the books you've completed and are potentially going to read. I recognize some of your 'favorite' series there. Good luck with catching up on some of those. As Sue said, 'look at the cover' - very pretty! Take care and have a good weekend! Hugs across 'the pond' to you!
ReplyDeleteKay: Oh yes, I had include some of my favourite series in my summer reading list. My plan to catch up with a few is going quite well. Not that it stops me from starting new ones. LOL You have a good weekend and 'hugs' from me too.
DeleteNicely done, Cath, you really had a great reading month. I just finished “Bookish” myself after seeing you talk about it here on your blog. I especially enjoyed the chapter Mangan wrote on finally setting up her personal library of 10,000 books the way she wanted it. What a dream it would be to have it all in a separate little building of its own the way she does. I hope to read a Dan Simmons novel soon but haven’t chosen one just yet. I hated to see that he passed away a few weeks ago. Another loss for the reading community.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sam! I was quite pleased with how May went and feel like I'm getting back to normal re reading. I'm so glad you enjoyed Bookish. Yes, having a separate building in which to install a library must be wonderful and hers did sound delightful. I don't think I knew that Dan Simmons had died. I checked and you're right he died in March. What a sad loss to the writing world.
DeleteGlad your reading year is picking up and mine has started too as well. Owls are such mysterious animals and I love that cover. Too many books dont devote enough time to creating good covers. It used to be something the publishing world knew how to do.
ReplyDeleteKathy: Yes, my reading year is picking up at long last and I'm glad yours is too. Non-fiction books seem to have the best covers these days, I think they employ good artists for interesting subjects.
DeleteI can't believe it's June either. This year is going by fast. I've been thinking about rereading The Hobbit. It's been awhile since I read it, or any other good fantasy book, and I'm kind of in the mood for magic and adventure. Your list of potential summer reads looks like a good mix of books. I hope you enjoy them. :D
ReplyDeleteLark: Yes, the year is going by very quickly indeed. Scary. I reread The Hobbit several years ago, so it was time to attempt The Lord of the Rings. It's quite a commitment, so I'm taking my time. Thank you re my list of summer books.
DeleteI’d like to get hold of the Kinsey book.
ReplyDeleteMystica: The Lady Hardcastle series by T.E. Kinsey is well worth a try in my opinion.
Delete