Nicola here, introducing our monthly "What We're Reading" post with recommendations from the Wenches' reading piles. As always we've a wide ranging selection of books, from crime to fantasy (not forgetting historical romance, of course!) and we look forward to hearing what you've been reading too. Apologies for the lack of pictures/book covers on the blog at the moment - whilst Typepad sorts itself out, we can't get photos to load, but I wanted to get these great book recommendations listed anyway. Hopefully, covers will follow!
Andrea: This month I’ve enjoyed two very different kinds of books. First off was The It Girl by Ruth Ware, a twisty dual-timeline, psychological mystery about a charmed circle of Oxford friends whose idyllic first year at the university is shattered by the murder of the charismatic, rich “It Girl” who is the blazing candle to their moth-like flutters around her.
It’s now ten years later, and the man convicted of the crime has just died from a heart attack in prison. He has always protested his innocence, and as a journalist begins to look into the old crime, he contacts Hannah, the young woman whose evidence put away the killer—she is now married to the It Girl’s old boyfriend—to ask questions about the fateful night. And Hannah slowly begins to wonder if she somehow got things all wrong . . . The book switches back and forth between the past, as readers follow Hannah through the intertwining college friendships and the present as she starts to uncover hidden secrets about her friends–and starts to fear that a cunning killer may still be at large. I thought it was really well done and couldn’t put it down!
Up next was Three Debts Paid by Anne Perry, the latest in her historical mystery series featuring Daniel Pitt, son of the two protagonists in her long-running (32 books!) Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series. Daniel appears infrequently in the books starring his parents. But now, as a young Cambridge graduate and rising star lawyer, he comes into his own in a series that features courtroom dramas that often call for him to use his sleuthing skills—and his budding friendship with Miriam fford Croft, the brilliant scientific-minded daughter of the head of his law firm—to help ensure that justice is done.
In this latest book, a series of seemingly random killings with a gruesome signature have the authorities worried that a serial killer is on the loose. Miriam, who has just returned from getting her degree in medical in Holland and is working as a pathologist for one of London’s morgues, is desperately trying to see clues in the lives of the victims that might help identify the killer. And as Daniel tries to help her sift through the facts, they both begin to wonder whether the terrible crimes may relate to a trial case that Daniel is handling.
The mystery is well done, but what I also find intriguing is the romance between Daniel and Miriam. She is forty—a spinster long on the shelf—and he is twenty-seven. The relationship is complicated, to say the least, and very well depicted. (Though it’s best to start with book one of the series to enjoy watching it blossom.)
Mary Jo: As always, the Jayne Castle Harmony stories are a fast read and I just finished the new one, SWEETWATER AND THE WITCH. The usual set up of a heroine with off the charts talent having to reinvent herself and the powerful, wealthy man with off the charts talent and dangers they must work together to resolve. Naturally there's a dust bunny. In the first scene, the heroine's life is being threatened by people who thinks she's a witch. A dust bunny seems to have attached herself to Ravenna, who is hoping that she, meaning the dust bunny, stays back and safe.
My question: How does one determine the sex of a creature that looks like a ball of dryer lint, particularly when it's across the underground chamber and heroine is being attacked by crazies? Inquiring minds want to know. <G>
I think that dust bunnies, like tawny frogmouths, can figure it out between themselves. They don't speak English, after all, though they seem to understand it. In this particular story, as Ravenna realizes the dust bunny intends to stick around so Ravenna thinks it's time she came up with a name. Which we find out in the next chapter is Harriet. Like all dust bunnies, Harriet has a fetish--collecting pens in her case. It's a fun story and as always, I love the dust bunnies!
Christina: The Winter Garden by Nicola Cornick is an absolutely enchanting timeslip novel that kept me spellbound throughout! Based on the Gunpowder Plot in 1605 when a group of Catholic men plotted to kill the king by blowing up Parliament, this novel tells the story from the point of view of some of the women in the life of one of them – Anne Catesby, mother of Robert Catesby the supposed ringleader, and his wife Catherine. Anne has never been able to curb her exuberant and charismatic son, and she fears for him as he is passionate about his faith, as well as someone others willingly follow. She watches from the shadows and tries to help and steer him on a safe path, but ultimately she has to make a very difficult decision. Anne’s account is interspersed with that of Lucy, a 21st century woman whose life and career as a professional musician has just come crashing down because of unexpected illness. She goes to recuperate in the countryside in a place called Gunpowder Cottage, a house owned by her aunt which everyone knows was formerly the home of Robert and Catherine Catesby. Lucy begins to have strange dreams and visions. It is as if Catherine is tapping into her grief while trying to tell her something, but Lucy can’t figure out what. At the same time a landscape archaeologist, Finn, is trying to restore the Tudor garden, which turns out to have been a beautiful winter garden. His digging and Lucy’s presence seem to stir up ghosts from the past as well as enemies in the present that threaten their happiness … I absolutely loved this story and was completely mesmerised! We all know how the Gunpowder Plot ended, but to read about the events leading up to it and what might have motivated someone to take such drastic measures was fascinating. And I was equally invested in Lucy’s progress as she slowly begins to heal with the help of Finn and others around her. The novel is extremely rich in historical detail, the author’s amazing research shining through effortlessly, and I felt as though I was really there, during those dark and dangerous times. I can’t recommend this highly enough!
A White Christmas on Winter Street by Sue Moorcroft has everything you could wish for in a Christmas story – snow, sparkle, community/festive spirit, kindness, forgiveness and love. As a long-term fan of old buildings in need of restoration, the heroine Sky’s house purchase (she buys an amazing old house in need of TLC) was a vicarious dream come true for me. I could totally relate to her gut reaction to the house and was with her every step of the way. I also understood the hero’s initial sense of loss at not being the one to buy it when he lost out to her. But when they got over their initial hostility, the house became so much more – almost a central character in its own right. I loved how it turned into a haven for those who needed it, not least the heroine herself, and brought everyone together. The book is filled with genuine emotional dilemmas that make the reader empathise with so many of the characters. And the ending is as heart-warming as you could possibly wish for in a seasonal tale. I loved this story and didn’t want it to end – Sue Moorcroft is a queen of Christmas stories and I’m already looking forward to the next one!
Pat: Sara Rosett DEATH IN A STATELY HOME—An English Village Murder Mystery #3
I picked this book up on sale and have already gone back to buy the first two books. Kate Sharp is a location scout for film and TV, living in a small English village in her own cottage, although she has a boyfriend who shows up as needed. In this adventure, she’s been asked by the owner of the local stately home to determine who is posting poison pen comments on social media. The home holds high-end weekend Regency reenactments Kate couldn’t normally afford, so yeah, she’s on it. She’s not a detective, just has a sharp eye for details needed for her job. Of course, one thing leads to another and a rather nasty billionaire ends up dead.
This is a lovely low key cozy with lots of fun Regency details and a laidback sleuth. I tend to get bored by midbook in most cozies and slough off to the end to see if I guessed right. But in this one, the fun is in the details. I did guess right, but it was a round about road to get there!
Nicola: Last month I picked up a couple of books that had been recommended by the other Wenches including Lost and Found in Paris by Lian Dolan. it reminded me how much I enjoy her writing. The descriptions of Paris were amazing, almost as good as being there, and she depicts the complexity of characters and relationships in very perceptive depth. I was thrilled to realise that there is one of her books I haven't yet read - The Sweeney Sisters, so I'm definitely going to pick that up for another reading treat.
Like some of the other Wenches. I've also got into my Christmas reading early, and absolutely adored Snowed in for Christmas, by Sarah Morgan. It was reminiscent of the film While You Were Sleeping in the best possible way, warm and hopeful and full of joy! Lucy Clarke is trying to save her job and the company she works for by pitching for a major project from workaholic Ross Miller. Her plan is to drop off her proposal to his family home in the Scottish Highlands and then leave to spend Christmas on her own. However she hasn't taken account of the treacherous Scottish weather, or Ross's eccentric family, who mistake her for his girlfriend. Before she knows it, Lucy is trapped in a family Christmas with a group of strangers... I adored lovely Lucy, Ross is a perfect hero and his family extremely funny and very lovable. This book left me feeling very uplifted.
Anne: Anne here and for me, October has been a good reading month.
I started with Carla Kelly's book, Her Smile.
Because of an impulsive request from their pampered daughter, the Everett family from Omaha, Nebraska, become tourists on a vacation in the newly created Yellowstone National Park. The year is 1877 and when the Nez Perce, fleeing the U.S. Army, charge through the tourist camp, Elizabeth Everett gets swept along with them. . .
A compelling read, with sensitively researched detail and a very satisfying ending.
Next came Mary Balogh's Thief of Dreams
When her father dies, Cassandra Havelock becomes Countess of Worthing in her own right, sole owner of his grand home and vast estates and fortune. But until she turns 21 her well-meaning relatives control everything on her behalf including deciding who she will marry. Cassandra itches to be free of their well-meaning supervision and run things herself. On the eve of Cassandra's 21st birthday a handsome young stranger, Nigel Wetherby, Viscount Wroxley, turns up. Cassandra is dazzled, her relatives appalled, and it's clear (at least to readers) that he has a deeper, quite sinister agenda.
Mary Balogh delivers yet another wonderful romance.
I also bought and read a book that Pat recommended: Sara Rosett - Murder at Archly Manor - a 1920s High Society Lady Detective Mystery, and enjoyed it. Since then I've happily read the whole series and will preorder the next when it becomes available.
I've read Mercedes Lackey since I was a teen, and this month I read her newest Valdemar book, Beyond — the Founding of Valdemar. The reviews are very variable, and though some of the criticisms are valid, I enjoyed it more than I expected to, and have pre-ordered part 2 which will come out next year.
My biggest discovery this month was a series by Nathan Lowell mentioned by Kareni a while back, which starts with Quarter Share (Trader's Tales from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper Book 1). It's a sci-fi series, set in the world of interstellar trading clippers, but there are no space monsters or intergalactic battles or any of the usual stuff. Instead it's all about characters, and motivation, and discovering what you might be good at, and commerce. Maybe a bit "intergalactic Hornblower".
I admit, if anyone described a book like that to me, I'd give it a miss; instead I found it compulsive reading and have ripped through the entire series.
Those are our recommended reads for the month of October - now give us yours and watch those TBR piles topple!