1Robertgreaves
Part 1 was here.
All books I own as of today now become ROOTs. I have 29 treebooks and 55 ebooks on the TBR shelf, making a total of 84 ROOTs, down from 98 ROOTs this time last year, which means I may run out of books in 2030, a worrying thought.
Nevertheless, since ebooks are always available and always tempting I am as usual going to limit myself:
1. 2 books as a reward for each kg I lose;
2. next in a series;
3. bookclub/reading group books.
Currently reading:
Murderous Requiem by Jamie Fessenden
Life Beyond Us edited by Julie Nováková
All books I own as of today now become ROOTs. I have 29 treebooks and 55 ebooks on the TBR shelf, making a total of 84 ROOTs, down from 98 ROOTs this time last year, which means I may run out of books in 2030, a worrying thought.
Nevertheless, since ebooks are always available and always tempting I am as usual going to limit myself:
1. 2 books as a reward for each kg I lose;
2. next in a series;
3. bookclub/reading group books.
Currently reading:
Murderous Requiem by Jamie Fessenden
Life Beyond Us edited by Julie Nováková
3MissWatson
Happy ROOTing!
4Jackie_K
If you do happen to run out of ROOTs in 2030, I'm sure I'll still have several hundred you might be able to help me with!
5rabbitprincess
I really liked Antonia Fraser's biography of Mary, Queen of Scots, so will have to keep an eye out for her Charles II biography. Happy new thread!
6Robertgreaves
Thank you for dropping by, Jerry, Birgit, Jackie, and RP
7connie53
Happy new thread, Robert. Great to see the books in the pictures. I guess those are the tree-books on the TBR pile. Lots of gems there. And I recognize a original Dutch book.
8Robertgreaves
>7 connie53: Is it still read much in the Netherlands?
9Robertgreaves
Possible October reading:
10Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 141, The Gardens of Light by Amin Maalouf. This ebook is not a ROOT. I am reading it now for my online reading group.
My review of Murderous Requiem:
An occult Order devoted to the study of magick asks a former member to help them interpret a mysterious Renaissance manuscript containing the instructions for performing a ritual so that they can use it at the astrologically perfect time, next week.
From the title I was expecting a murder mystery but what I got was a very enjoyable slow-burn horror story with a murder mystery tacked on the end.
My review of Murderous Requiem:
An occult Order devoted to the study of magick asks a former member to help them interpret a mysterious Renaissance manuscript containing the instructions for performing a ritual so that they can use it at the astrologically perfect time, next week.
From the title I was expecting a murder mystery but what I got was a very enjoyable slow-burn horror story with a murder mystery tacked on the end.
11Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 142, A Fall of Moondust by Arthur C. Clarke. This ebook is my sixty-fourth ROOT for 2024. It fits the PrizeCAT by being pipped at the post for the 1963 Hugo for Best Novel.
12connie53
>8 Robertgreaves: Maybe in highschool for one's Dutch readinglist. I can't remember ever reading it.
13Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 143, What the Cat Dragged In by Miranda James. This ebook is my sixty-fifth ROOT for 2024. It fits the AlphaKIT and the MysteryKIT.
My review of A Fall of Moondust:
Driving a tourist bus on the Moon, Pat Harris gets caught in a moonquake and his bus sinks in the Sea of Thirst, a normally stable region of moondust. We follow the passengers and crew on the bus, the rescue team, and the journalists covering the story.
The novel has been overtaken by events in that the moondust at the core of the story doesn't actually exist, though it was a reasonable speculation at the time the book was written. Yes, the characters were firmly rooted in the 1950s but the author still provided an exciting, suspenseful story.
My review of A Fall of Moondust:
Driving a tourist bus on the Moon, Pat Harris gets caught in a moonquake and his bus sinks in the Sea of Thirst, a normally stable region of moondust. We follow the passengers and crew on the bus, the rescue team, and the journalists covering the story.
The novel has been overtaken by events in that the moondust at the core of the story doesn't actually exist, though it was a reasonable speculation at the time the book was written. Yes, the characters were firmly rooted in the 1950s but the author still provided an exciting, suspenseful story.
14Robertgreaves
Starting the next in the series, Hiss Me Deadly, as my No. 144. This ebook is not a ROOT but again, fits the AlphaKIT and the MysteryKIT.
My review of What the Cat Dragged In:
while Charlie Harris and Diesel are exploring a farm Charlie had unexpectedly inherited, Diesel finds a literal skeleton in a closet. The next day a young man is found murdered in the woods. Charlie learns things about his family he had no idea of.
For once Diesel actually plays a part in the mystery rather than just accompanying Charlie wherever he goes. Have we acquired another recurring character in Alissa?
My review of What the Cat Dragged In:
while Charlie Harris and Diesel are exploring a farm Charlie had unexpectedly inherited, Diesel finds a literal skeleton in a closet. The next day a young man is found murdered in the woods. Charlie learns things about his family he had no idea of.
For once Diesel actually plays a part in the mystery rather than just accompanying Charlie wherever he goes. Have we acquired another recurring character in Alissa?
15Robertgreaves
Also reading my No. 145, Agatha Christie by Lucy Worsley. This is my sixty-sixth ROOT for 2024. It fits the PrizeCAT.
16Robertgreaves
Starting the next in the series, Requiem for a Mouse, as my No. 146. This ebook is not a ROOT.
My review of Hiss Me Deadly:
40 years ago Wil Threadgill left his band for Hollywood where he became a successful film music composer. On his return to Athena to teach a course at the local university, his former bandmates start dying. He asks Charlie and Diesel for help.
I realised who the murderer was on their first appearance even if I didn't know who they were or what the motivation was. Great fun.
My review of Hiss Me Deadly:
40 years ago Wil Threadgill left his band for Hollywood where he became a successful film music composer. On his return to Athena to teach a course at the local university, his former bandmates start dying. He asks Charlie and Diesel for help.
I realised who the murderer was on their first appearance even if I didn't know who they were or what the motivation was. Great fun.
17Robertgreaves
My review of Requiem for a Mouse:
Charlie now has a socially-awkward assistant, Tara, who also helps out in the bistro. When the bistro caters Sean and Alex's housewarming Tara has a panic attack - but is it from the general situation or at the sight of a particular person? The next night she is the victim of a hit-and-run accident.
One of the best in the series with an intriguing puzzle and I managed to keep straight who was who even with all the aliases floating about.
Charlie now has a socially-awkward assistant, Tara, who also helps out in the bistro. When the bistro caters Sean and Alex's housewarming Tara has a panic attack - but is it from the general situation or at the sight of a particular person? The next night she is the victim of a hit-and-run accident.
One of the best in the series with an intriguing puzzle and I managed to keep straight who was who even with all the aliases floating about.
18Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 147, Holes by Louis Sachar. This ebook is not a ROOT. I am reading it for my book club.
19Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 148, Hickory Dickory Dock by Agatha Christie. This is my sixty-seventh ROOT for 2024. It fits the AlphaKIT and the MysteryCAT.
My review of Holes:
Stanley Yelnats is falsely convicted of stealing a celebrity baseball player's sneakers which were due to be auctioned for charity. He is sent to a reformatory where the inmates are forced to dig holes in a brutally hot desert. Intertwined with Stanley's story are stories of his ancestors.
I found the first part of this rather meh, but the second and third parts were more interesting and I ended up rooting for Stanley and Zero as the fates turned towards them rather than against them.
My review of Agatha Christie:
An informative and interesting biography of the author convincingly showing how much she was a victim of not only misogyny but also intellectual snobbery and how progressive many of her works were when looked at in the cultural climate they were written in.
My review of Holes:
Stanley Yelnats is falsely convicted of stealing a celebrity baseball player's sneakers which were due to be auctioned for charity. He is sent to a reformatory where the inmates are forced to dig holes in a brutally hot desert. Intertwined with Stanley's story are stories of his ancestors.
I found the first part of this rather meh, but the second and third parts were more interesting and I ended up rooting for Stanley and Zero as the fates turned towards them rather than against them.
My review of Agatha Christie:
An informative and interesting biography of the author convincingly showing how much she was a victim of not only misogyny but also intellectual snobbery and how progressive many of her works were when looked at in the cultural climate they were written in.
20Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 149, Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty. This ebook is my sixty-eighth ROOT for 2024. It fits the SFFKIT.
My review of Hickory Dickory Dock:
Poirot's admirably efficient secretary is thrown off her stride by the strange goings-on in the hostel managed by her sister. Poirot agrees to investigate.
Perhaps I wasn't paying as much attention as I should have been doing but I don't understand how the rucksack business actually worked in practice or why the green ink was spilt.
My review of Hickory Dickory Dock:
Poirot's admirably efficient secretary is thrown off her stride by the strange goings-on in the hostel managed by her sister. Poirot agrees to investigate.
Perhaps I wasn't paying as much attention as I should have been doing but I don't understand how the rucksack business actually worked in practice or why the green ink was spilt.
21Robertgreaves
Starting the next in the series, Chaos Terminal, as my No. 150. This ebook is not a ROOT but it fits the SFFKIT and the AlphaKIT.
My review of Station Eternity:
Murders have a way of happening in the vicinity of Mallory Viridian, so she leaves Earth for an alien space station, Station Eternity, where there are only two other humans, one of whom she has a history with, and she keeps contact with them to a minimum. But now the station has allowed a group of VIPs and tourists from Earth to come to visit.
Interesting world building and aliens and an intriguing mystery. I'm not quite sure how the story can continue so I'm diving straight into the sequel.
My review of Station Eternity:
Murders have a way of happening in the vicinity of Mallory Viridian, so she leaves Earth for an alien space station, Station Eternity, where there are only two other humans, one of whom she has a history with, and she keeps contact with them to a minimum. But now the station has allowed a group of VIPs and tourists from Earth to come to visit.
Interesting world building and aliens and an intriguing mystery. I'm not quite sure how the story can continue so I'm diving straight into the sequel.
22Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 151, Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler. This ebook is my sixty-ninth ROOT for 2024. It fits the AlphaKIT and I think it also fits the HistoryCAT.
My review of Chaos Terminal:
Mrs Brown is away on a training course for new symbionts of space stations but expects to be back before the shuttle bringing the new Earth ambassador arrives and before the Gneiss trial of Princess Tina and her advisors finishes. In the meantime Mallory should keep an eye on Eternity's functions and stay out of trouble and NO MORE MURDERS. Yeah, right.
Another great mix of fun, suspense, and intriguing mystery.
My review of Chaos Terminal:
Mrs Brown is away on a training course for new symbionts of space stations but expects to be back before the shuttle bringing the new Earth ambassador arrives and before the Gneiss trial of Princess Tina and her advisors finishes. In the meantime Mallory should keep an eye on Eternity's functions and stay out of trouble and NO MORE MURDERS. Yeah, right.
Another great mix of fun, suspense, and intriguing mystery.
23Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 152, Quantum Theory: A Very Short Introduction by John Polkinghorne. This is my seventieth ROOT for 2024 and brings the treebook TBR shelf down to 26. It fits the AlphaKIT.
My review of Full Dark House:
When the HQ of the Peculiar Crimes Unit is blown up with Arthur Bryant inside, John May finds links to their first case together when he joined the unit during the Blitz.
I went into this with high hopes having heard good things about the series and expecting an urban fantasy along the lines of the Rivers of London. It wasn't like that at all. It was basically a procedural investigating a series of gruesome crimes committed in a London theatre. The ending was quite effective but for the most part the book was tedious, made even more so by the author hitting us over the head with the parallels to the Phantom of the Opera. I won't be continuing with the series.
My review of Full Dark House:
When the HQ of the Peculiar Crimes Unit is blown up with Arthur Bryant inside, John May finds links to their first case together when he joined the unit during the Blitz.
I went into this with high hopes having heard good things about the series and expecting an urban fantasy along the lines of the Rivers of London. It wasn't like that at all. It was basically a procedural investigating a series of gruesome crimes committed in a London theatre. The ending was quite effective but for the most part the book was tedious, made even more so by the author hitting us over the head with the parallels to the Phantom of the Opera. I won't be continuing with the series.
24Robertgreaves
Also reading my No. 153, Talking to the Dead by Harry Bingham. This ebook is my seventy-first ROOT for 2024. It fits the AlphaKIT.
25Robertgreaves
My review of Quantum Theory: A Very Short Introduction:
The author takes a historical approach showing what problems with a Newtonian-based view quantum theory was reacting to and then how it has developed over the years. The easiest parts of the maths involved are relegated to an appendix, although the author stresses that it's impossible to fully understand the theory without the maths. Even in this stripped down form I was struggling but I think I did get glimmers of understanding here and there.
The author takes a historical approach showing what problems with a Newtonian-based view quantum theory was reacting to and then how it has developed over the years. The easiest parts of the maths involved are relegated to an appendix, although the author stresses that it's impossible to fully understand the theory without the maths. Even in this stripped down form I was struggling but I think I did get glimmers of understanding here and there.
26Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 154, Lev in Glasgow, a freebie short story in the Fiona Griffiths series. This ebook is not a ROOT.
My review of Talking to the Dead:
A former prostitute and drug addict, who seemed to have been turning her life around, is found dead in a squat with the body of her 6 year old daughter. Next to her body is a credit card belonging to a multi-millionaire who had died in a plane crash 6 months earlier.
Rather grittier than the mysteries I usually read. The only reason I kept going was the intriguing character of DC Fiona Griffiths, the most junior member of the investigating team, and the gradual reveal of part of her back-story. I'm not sure though whether finding out more of it is enough to keep me going. The book was very well done, but just not my cup of tea.
My review of Talking to the Dead:
A former prostitute and drug addict, who seemed to have been turning her life around, is found dead in a squat with the body of her 6 year old daughter. Next to her body is a credit card belonging to a multi-millionaire who had died in a plane crash 6 months earlier.
Rather grittier than the mysteries I usually read. The only reason I kept going was the intriguing character of DC Fiona Griffiths, the most junior member of the investigating team, and the gradual reveal of part of her back-story. I'm not sure though whether finding out more of it is enough to keep me going. The book was very well done, but just not my cup of tea.
27Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 155, Artifact by Gregory Benford. This ebook is my seventy-second ROOT for 2024.
My review of Lev in Glasgow:
Short story about Lev from the Fiona Griffiths series. He's an interesting character but I should probably have left this till later despite the chronology.
My review of Lev in Glasgow:
Short story about Lev from the Fiona Griffiths series. He's an interesting character but I should probably have left this till later despite the chronology.
28Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 156, The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood. This ebook is not a ROOT, but is seasonally appropriate.
My review of Artifact:
Archaeologists find an anomalous artifact while excavating a Mycenean tomb.
There is a decent hard SF story struggling to get out of this 1985 novel but in the first and last thirds it is buried beneath the author's near-racist attitudes to his Greek characters (males are sleazy, both sexes are sadistically violent) and the pages and pages of physical description of the main female character.
My review of Artifact:
Archaeologists find an anomalous artifact while excavating a Mycenean tomb.
There is a decent hard SF story struggling to get out of this 1985 novel but in the first and last thirds it is buried beneath the author's near-racist attitudes to his Greek characters (males are sleazy, both sexes are sadistically violent) and the pages and pages of physical description of the main female character.
29Robertgreaves
Possible November reading:
30Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 157, The Feast of All Saints by Anne Rice. This is my seventy-third ROOT for 2024 and brings the treebook TBR shelf to 25. It fits the CalendarCAT, the feast of All Saints being 1 November.
My review of The Wendigo:
One member of a hunting party in Canada goes mad and runs off into the forest, apparently under the influence of something called the Wendigo.
I realise I was supposed to be creeped out, but I just wasn't. Meh.
My review of The Wendigo:
One member of a hunting party in Canada goes mad and runs off into the forest, apparently under the influence of something called the Wendigo.
I realise I was supposed to be creeped out, but I just wasn't. Meh.
31Cecilturtle
>30 Robertgreaves: I really enjoyed Feast of All Saints (although there is some very Rice-ish over-the-top melodramatics). Curious to know how you find it.
32Robertgreaves
>31 Cecilturtle: I have read it before, but a very long time ago (in the early 90s I think). A friend came across a 2nd-hand copy on a trip and got it for me.
33Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 158, A Fatal Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum by Emma Southon. I read this book 3 years ago but now am re-reading it for my online reading group.
34Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 159, One Last Song by Nathan Evans. This ebook is not a ROOT but does fit the AlphaKIT.
35Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 160, The Disappearance Boy by Neil Bartlett. This ebook is not a ROOT.
My review of One Last Song:
Moving into a care home, Joan meets Jim. Neither likes the other much but could this be their last chance for love?
Lovely, not overly saccharine, romance.
My review of One Last Song:
Moving into a care home, Joan meets Jim. Neither likes the other much but could this be their last chance for love?
Lovely, not overly saccharine, romance.
36Robertgreaves
My review of The Disappearance Boy:
In the build-up to QEII's coronation, a polio survivor is working as a stage magician's unseen assistant.
I was under the misapprehension that this was a murder mystery with a gay detective and so was getting more and more confused waiting for a body (which never appeared) and for more exploration of gay life at the time (which only had a few mentions near the end). If I'd known what I was actually getting into I might have been in a better frame of mind to appreciate it.
In the build-up to QEII's coronation, a polio survivor is working as a stage magician's unseen assistant.
I was under the misapprehension that this was a murder mystery with a gay detective and so was getting more and more confused waiting for a body (which never appeared) and for more exploration of gay life at the time (which only had a few mentions near the end). If I'd known what I was actually getting into I might have been in a better frame of mind to appreciate it.
37Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 161, Finished Business by David Wishart. This ebook is not a ROOT. It fits the CalendarCAT, the HistoryCAT, the RandomKIT, and the AlphaKIT.
38Robertgreaves
Starting the next in the series, Trade Secrets, as my No. 162. It fits the HistoryCAT, the RandomKIT, and the AlphaKIT.
My review of Finished Business:
A consul's wife asks Marcus Corvinus to look into the death of her uncle, whose death Alexander the Great has assured her in a seance was murder rather than an accident.
Very funny first few chapters lead into an intriguing historical mystery which made me wonder when certain names cropped up how it would gel with real events and which was told by a narrator with a consistently amusing "voice".
My review of Finished Business:
A consul's wife asks Marcus Corvinus to look into the death of her uncle, whose death Alexander the Great has assured her in a seance was murder rather than an accident.
Very funny first few chapters lead into an intriguing historical mystery which made me wonder when certain names cropped up how it would gel with real events and which was told by a narrator with a consistently amusing "voice".
39Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 163 , The Things You Can Only See When You Slow Down by Haemin Sunim. This ebook is not a ROOT. I am reading it now for my book club.
40Robertgreaves
My review of Trade Secrets:
A literary friend of Perilla's asks him to look into the death of her husband, though nobody, including the widow, seems particularly sorry he's dead. Meanwhile Corvinus's adopted daughter and her husband find a body which somebody had stabbed even though he was already dead of natural causes.
A nice twisty tale, made even more so by the fact that I kept getting Perilla and Marilla confused.
A literary friend of Perilla's asks him to look into the death of her husband, though nobody, including the widow, seems particularly sorry he's dead. Meanwhile Corvinus's adopted daughter and her husband find a body which somebody had stabbed even though he was already dead of natural causes.
A nice twisty tale, made even more so by the fact that I kept getting Perilla and Marilla confused.
42Robertgreaves
NoAlso read in the same series, my Nos. 165 and 166, Merlin in the Library and Agents Of Winter.
As this series is two novellas with a short story in between, I am going to write an overview of the whole series rather than reviews of each installment:
Always moved laterally because he is so low-key his bosses tend to forget he exists, Arthur Dram is advised to be more outgoing. He very slowly makes friends with Martin Grove, a coworker with a very austere lifestyle who keeps to a very strict routine. When that routine is interrupted by illness Arthur poses as Martin's boyfriend as he has nobody else. He makes some surprising discoveries about Martin's life outside the Agency. Could the lie become reality?
I thoroughly enjoyed this series as I raced through staying up way past my bedtime, eager to find out more about the characters' back stories as their relationship developed through the smallest touches and changes of expression.
Now starting the same author's Empty Nests as my No. 167.
As this series is two novellas with a short story in between, I am going to write an overview of the whole series rather than reviews of each installment:
Always moved laterally because he is so low-key his bosses tend to forget he exists, Arthur Dram is advised to be more outgoing. He very slowly makes friends with Martin Grove, a coworker with a very austere lifestyle who keeps to a very strict routine. When that routine is interrupted by illness Arthur poses as Martin's boyfriend as he has nobody else. He makes some surprising discoveries about Martin's life outside the Agency. Could the lie become reality?
I thoroughly enjoyed this series as I raced through staying up way past my bedtime, eager to find out more about the characters' back stories as their relationship developed through the smallest touches and changes of expression.
Now starting the same author's Empty Nests as my No. 167.
43Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 169, Mariam Sharma Hits The Road by Sheba Karim. This ebook is not a ROOT. It fits the PrizeCAT, and the RandomKIT.
My review of Empty Nests and its sequel Bowerbirds (my No. 168) since they were originally written as one book:
Head of major Silicon Valley firm meets and falls for IT technician while giving a motivational talk to students.
I enjoyed the development of the characters' relationship and their back stories. The one big sex scene was actually quite boring and went on far too long. I'm not sure the HEA actually solved the issues that led to the near break up.
My review of The Feast of All Saints:
I read this 25 or 30 years ago and loved it, as I did all of Anne Rice's books I read at that time. This time round I DNF-ed. I got just over half way through and couldn't be bothered any more.
My review of Empty Nests and its sequel Bowerbirds (my No. 168) since they were originally written as one book:
Head of major Silicon Valley firm meets and falls for IT technician while giving a motivational talk to students.
I enjoyed the development of the characters' relationship and their back stories. The one big sex scene was actually quite boring and went on far too long. I'm not sure the HEA actually solved the issues that led to the near break up.
My review of The Feast of All Saints:
I read this 25 or 30 years ago and loved it, as I did all of Anne Rice's books I read at that time. This time round I DNF-ed. I got just over half way through and couldn't be bothered any more.
44Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 170, A Bird in the Hand by Ann Cleeves. This is my seventy-fourth ROOT for 2024 and brings the treebook TBR pile to 24.
My review of Mariam Sharma Hits the Road:
Three young Pakistani-Americans go on a road trip from New York to New Orleans.
Fun with an interesting perspective but a little heavy-handed with the social commentary at times.
My review of Mariam Sharma Hits the Road:
Three young Pakistani-Americans go on a road trip from New York to New Orleans.
Fun with an interesting perspective but a little heavy-handed with the social commentary at times.
45Robertgreaves
My review of The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down:
I had to read this quickly for book club but it would have been better as a dip in and out of book. I was a bit put out to find when I googled the author after I'd finished reading that the author had actually been in Jakarta while I was reading it to do some talks and readings which finished the day before.
I had to read this quickly for book club but it would have been better as a dip in and out of book. I was a bit put out to find when I googled the author after I'd finished reading that the author had actually been in Jakarta while I was reading it to do some talks and readings which finished the day before.
47Robertgreaves
>46 EGBERTINA: Yeah, I had planned to read it more slowly than I usually would but things blew up at work so I didn't have as much reading time as I usually do.
48Robertgreaves
Starting the next in the series, Come Death and High Water, as my No. 171. This is my seventy-fifth ROOT for 2024 and brings the treebook TBR pile to 23. It fits the AlphaKIT.
My review of A Bird in the Hand:
A well-known birdwatcher is found dead in a marsh pool but he was killed by a blow to the head and the body then dumped in the pool. The father of a young birdwatcher who is one of the suspects asks George Palmer-Jones to investigate.
One of the author's earlier works, from the 1980s. It nods towards the classic mystery mode of a few households in a country village, but is trying to break free, quite literally as characters rush about from Norfolk to the Scilly Isles to the North of Scotland at a moment's notice.
My review of A Bird in the Hand:
A well-known birdwatcher is found dead in a marsh pool but he was killed by a blow to the head and the body then dumped in the pool. The father of a young birdwatcher who is one of the suspects asks George Palmer-Jones to investigate.
One of the author's earlier works, from the 1980s. It nods towards the classic mystery mode of a few households in a country village, but is trying to break free, quite literally as characters rush about from Norfolk to the Scilly Isles to the North of Scotland at a moment's notice.
49Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 172, The Boy With The Painful Tattoo by Josh Lanyon. This ebook is not a ROOT.
My review of Come Death and High Water:
When the owner of a bird sanctuary announces he wants to sell it, he is found dead next day. George Palmer-Jones works out who did it but he needs his wife's help to prove it.
The locked room is an island cut off from the mainland by the tides but this is a great classic form mystery which I thoroughly enjoyed.
My review of Come Death and High Water:
When the owner of a bird sanctuary announces he wants to sell it, he is found dead next day. George Palmer-Jones works out who did it but he needs his wife's help to prove it.
The locked room is an island cut off from the mainland by the tides but this is a great classic form mystery which I thoroughly enjoyed.
50Robertgreaves
Currently reading the next in the series, In Other Words ... Murder. This ebook is not a ROOT. I'd forgotten that the books fitted the RandomCAT.
My review of The Boy With the Painful Tattoo:
Kit and J. X. have decided to buy a house and move in together. While unpacking a crate that should have contained china inherited from his grandmother Kit finds a corpse. Somebody keeps trying to break into the house, so Kit needs to find out who killed the corpse.
Josh Lanyon is one of my guilty pleasures. I know her books are formulaic and comparatively brainless, and I still think her adoption of a gay male identity for her authorial persona was deceitful, but I have to admit her books are just the thing when I am operating on a low physical, mental, or emotional bandwidth.
My review of The Boy With the Painful Tattoo:
Kit and J. X. have decided to buy a house and move in together. While unpacking a crate that should have contained china inherited from his grandmother Kit finds a corpse. Somebody keeps trying to break into the house, so Kit needs to find out who killed the corpse.
Josh Lanyon is one of my guilty pleasures. I know her books are formulaic and comparatively brainless, and I still think her adoption of a gay male identity for her authorial persona was deceitful, but I have to admit her books are just the thing when I am operating on a low physical, mental, or emotional bandwidth.
51Robertgreaves
Possibilities for reading in December:
52Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 173 Theft of an Idol by Dana Stabenow. This ebook is not a ROOT. I am reading it now for my online reading group.
My review of In Other Words ... Murder:
When a body is found buried in the grounds of Kit's old home, not only do the police suspect him but the new owners want to sue to get the purchase price back.
I thought this was the penultimate entry in the series but despite being promised for the summer of 2020, the final (?) volume has been promised for 2023, 2024, and the latest forecast is Summer 2025.
My review of In Other Words ... Murder:
When a body is found buried in the grounds of Kit's old home, not only do the police suspect him but the new owners want to sue to get the purchase price back.
I thought this was the penultimate entry in the series but despite being promised for the summer of 2020, the final (?) volume has been promised for 2023, 2024, and the latest forecast is Summer 2025.
53Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 174, Serpent's Point by Kate Ellis. This ebook is my seventy-sixth ROOT for 2024.
My review of Theft of an Idol:
A superstar actress is due to perform in a play with Cleopatra in the audience but doesn't turn up. Cleopatra tasks her Eye, Tetisheri, with finding the missing actress.
The mystery takes a bit of a back place to Sheri and Apollodorus's relationship but still worked well. I didn't see the final twist coming till near the end but it wasn't a GASP moment.
My review of Theft of an Idol:
A superstar actress is due to perform in a play with Cleopatra in the audience but doesn't turn up. Cleopatra tasks her Eye, Tetisheri, with finding the missing actress.
The mystery takes a bit of a back place to Sheri and Apollodorus's relationship but still worked well. I didn't see the final twist coming till near the end but it wasn't a GASP moment.
54Robertgreaves
Starting the next in the series, The Killing Place, as my No. 175. This ebook is not a ROOT.
My review of Serpent's Point:
Wesley is investigating the murder of a woman whose body was found on a coastal path. In a field the other side of a hedge, two young metal-detectorists find some Roman coins to Neil's great interest. Interwoven with the story are extracts from a diary written in the 1920s by a local doctor who also found the field of archaeological interest.
Certain features seemed very predictable to the point where I was thinking "not one of her best" only for them to be given a sudden twist into the unexpected at the end.
My review of Serpent's Point:
Wesley is investigating the murder of a woman whose body was found on a coastal path. In a field the other side of a hedge, two young metal-detectorists find some Roman coins to Neil's great interest. Interwoven with the story are extracts from a diary written in the 1920s by a local doctor who also found the field of archaeological interest.
Certain features seemed very predictable to the point where I was thinking "not one of her best" only for them to be given a sudden twist into the unexpected at the end.
55Robertgreaves
Last in the series so far is Coffin Island, which is my No. 176. This ebook is not a ROOT.
My review of The Killing Place:
Neil finds what appears in low illumination to be a body. But then Rach's great uncle-in-law finds a real one and from this point the body count starts mounting.
Lots of red herrings in the present day case, although the 18th century case was more straightforward. The author is back on form after a previous rather disappointing entry in this series.
My review of The Killing Place:
Neil finds what appears in low illumination to be a body. But then Rach's great uncle-in-law finds a real one and from this point the body count starts mounting.
Lots of red herrings in the present day case, although the 18th century case was more straightforward. The author is back on form after a previous rather disappointing entry in this series.
56Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 177, Bearly A Lady by Cassandra Khaw. This ebook fits the AlphaKIT but is not a ROOT.
My review of Coffin Island:
The collapse of a cliff after a storm uncovers three bodies, two dating from the 16th century, and one much more recent. With the victim unidentifiable the only clue is the purple sheet the body was wrapped in.
An intriguing story that kept me turning the pages to find out what was actually going on.
My review of Coffin Island:
The collapse of a cliff after a storm uncovers three bodies, two dating from the 16th century, and one much more recent. With the victim unidentifiable the only clue is the purple sheet the body was wrapped in.
An intriguing story that kept me turning the pages to find out what was actually going on.
57Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 178Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. This ebook is my seventy-seventh ROOT for 2024. It fits the CalendarCAT.
My review of Bearly A Lady;
Novella about a werebear trying to decide between possible love interests: a werewolf, a fae, and a mortal human.
Amusing paranormal rom-com. Not really my genre but I enjoyed it without feeling I must rush out to get more of the genre or the author.
My review of Bearly A Lady;
Novella about a werebear trying to decide between possible love interests: a werewolf, a fae, and a mortal human.
Amusing paranormal rom-com. Not really my genre but I enjoyed it without feeling I must rush out to get more of the genre or the author.
58Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 179, Murder in the East End by Jennifer Ashley. This ebook is my seventy-eighth ROOT for 2024. It fits the MysteryKIT.
My review of Doomsday Book:
In a time travel accident Kivrin Engle ends up just before Christmas 1348, when the Black Death arrived in Oxford and the surrounding countryside. Can she survive until rescue comes from 2055 Oxford?
Very readable with well developed main characters, though some of the side characters, especially in 2055, were stock figures of fun. Written in 1992 and very presciently putting a pandemic in the 2020s, though in that world it was a lot worse than in ours. I'm not sure the author did all her homework, however, and there were some definite anachronisms in her picture of the 14th century.
My review of Doomsday Book:
In a time travel accident Kivrin Engle ends up just before Christmas 1348, when the Black Death arrived in Oxford and the surrounding countryside. Can she survive until rescue comes from 2055 Oxford?
Very readable with well developed main characters, though some of the side characters, especially in 2055, were stock figures of fun. Written in 1992 and very presciently putting a pandemic in the 2020s, though in that world it was a lot worse than in ours. I'm not sure the author did all her homework, however, and there were some definite anachronisms in her picture of the 14th century.
59Robertgreaves
Starting the next in the series, Death at the Crystal Palace, as my No. 180. This ebook is not a ROOT. It fits the MysteryKIT.
My review of Murder in the East End:
Daniel's foster brother asks Kat for help investigating the Foundlings Hospital, an orphanage where children and now one of the nurses have gone missing. The official story is that the children have been adopted but the addresses given for the adoptive parents don't exist.
We get more of Daniel's back story here. The number of helpers from all levels of society in Kat's investigations continues to grow. The book was a very quick, fluent read. I still enjoyed it despite a slightly unsatisfactory conclusion.
My review of Murder in the East End:
Daniel's foster brother asks Kat for help investigating the Foundlings Hospital, an orphanage where children and now one of the nurses have gone missing. The official story is that the children have been adopted but the addresses given for the adoptive parents don't exist.
We get more of Daniel's back story here. The number of helpers from all levels of society in Kat's investigations continues to grow. The book was a very quick, fluent read. I still enjoyed it despite a slightly unsatisfactory conclusion.
60Robertgreaves
Currently reading my No. 181, The Lemon Drop Kid by Josh Lanyon. This ebook is not a ROOT. It fits the AlphaKIT and the CalendarCAT.
My review of Death At The Crystal Palace:
Kat and her daughter are taken to the Crystal Palace by Lady Cynthia and her friends. Kat is approached by Lady Covington who believes she is being slowly poisoned and agrees to investigate. Daniel has a case of his own but needs Kat's help fending off mothers who see him as a potential spouse for their daughters.
Another very readable installment in this series with a perplexing mystery and lots of humour.
My review of Death At The Crystal Palace:
Kat and her daughter are taken to the Crystal Palace by Lady Cynthia and her friends. Kat is approached by Lady Covington who believes she is being slowly poisoned and agrees to investigate. Daniel has a case of his own but needs Kat's help fending off mothers who see him as a potential spouse for their daughters.
Another very readable installment in this series with a perplexing mystery and lots of humour.
61Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 182, Damascus by Christos Tsiolkas. This ebook is not a ROOT. It fits the HistoryCAT.
My review of The Lemon Drop Kid:
Exonerated by his sister's suicide, Caspar is released from jail where he spent 9 months awaiting trial for murder. Can he rebuild his life? How far will he go in search for revenge against those who didn't believe his innocence, in particular the arresting officer with whom he had been starting a relationship.
A quick, seasonable read, entertaining and needing no brain power.
My review of The Lemon Drop Kid:
Exonerated by his sister's suicide, Caspar is released from jail where he spent 9 months awaiting trial for murder. Can he rebuild his life? How far will he go in search for revenge against those who didn't believe his innocence, in particular the arresting officer with whom he had been starting a relationship.
A quick, seasonable read, entertaining and needing no brain power.
62Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 183, The Queen of Poisons by Robert Thorogood. This ebook is my seventy-ninth ROOT for 2024.
My review of Damascus:
A novel exploring various episodes in the life of Saul/St. Paul of Tarsus and other figures in the first 60 years of the church.
The author builds a brutal world, though I'm not sure whether he just has a brutal view of the world or it's a riposte against those who romanticise paganism. He offers some tantalising glimpses of other possibilities for the development of Christianity which were not realised. I'm not sure why I kept putting off reading this, but I'm glad I finally did so and I'll keep an eye open for the author's other works.
My review of Damascus:
A novel exploring various episodes in the life of Saul/St. Paul of Tarsus and other figures in the first 60 years of the church.
The author builds a brutal world, though I'm not sure whether he just has a brutal view of the world or it's a riposte against those who romanticise paganism. He offers some tantalising glimpses of other possibilities for the development of Christianity which were not realised. I'm not sure why I kept putting off reading this, but I'm glad I finally did so and I'll keep an eye open for the author's other works.
63Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 184, The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. This book is not a ROOT.
My review of The Queen of Poisons:
Suzy is at a local council planning committee session when the mayor collapses, poisoned. The poison was in his coffee but nobody else went anywhere near it. And the sugar bowl is missing.
Another good entry to this series which grows on me more with each successive volume.
My review of The Queen of Poisons:
Suzy is at a local council planning committee session when the mayor collapses, poisoned. The poison was in his coffee but nobody else went anywhere near it. And the sugar bowl is missing.
Another good entry to this series which grows on me more with each successive volume.
64Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 185, The Christmas Wager by Jamie Fessenden. This ebook is not a ROOT.
My review of The Dutch House:
How the machinations of a wicked stepmother reverberate through the lives of the stepchildren she casts out after their father's death.
Since I saw Cinderella, which was the first panto I'd been to in a very long time, on Monday, I enjoyed this book more than I might have done otherwise. But I really didn't take to it as much as I have done with others of her books.
My review of The Dutch House:
How the machinations of a wicked stepmother reverberate through the lives of the stepchildren she casts out after their father's death.
Since I saw Cinderella, which was the first panto I'd been to in a very long time, on Monday, I enjoyed this book more than I might have done otherwise. But I really didn't take to it as much as I have done with others of her books.
65Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 186, The Persephone Code by Julia Golding.
My review of The Christmas Wager:
Gay regency romance.
The author freely admits in a preface that this, his first published book, was written without any knowledge of the UK beyond a few tropes but the second edition was heavily revised with the help of a British friend. Even so there are just too many anachronisms as well as cultural blunders. I was wincing practically every page. DNF
My review of The Christmas Wager:
Gay regency romance.
The author freely admits in a preface that this, his first published book, was written without any knowledge of the UK beyond a few tropes but the second edition was heavily revised with the help of a British friend. Even so there are just too many anachronisms as well as cultural blunders. I was wincing practically every page. DNF
