Little Pixie Posted December 9, 2013 Author Share Posted December 9, 2013 Book # 103 A Woman of Consequence by Anna Dean TBR 728 Amazon Synopsis :Madderstone Abbey, 1806. When Penelope Lambe suffers a bad fall in Madderstone Abbey, some are sure she must have seen the Grey Nun, the ghost reputed to walk the ruins. Miss Dido Kent is not convinced, and is determined to uncover the real cause of the accident. Then events take a sinister turn when a human skeleton is found nearby. The remains are identified as those of a Miss Elinor Fenn, and letters come to light which hint at the reason for her death. But is Miss Lambe's accident connected to this discovery? Did she see a ghostly warning? Or is there a rational explanation? Everyone is relying on Dido to find out. My favourite of the first three Dido Kent books. Dido investigates a mystery, which takes plenty of unforeseen twists and turns, and has much to say about the status of Women in Society at that time. There`s an enjoyable visit to Bath, a Ball, and new characters pop up who are also women having to find their own way in the world and not rely on men. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted December 9, 2013 Author Share Posted December 9, 2013 Book # 104 A Noble Radiance by Donna Leon TBR 727 Amazon Synopsis :In a small village at the foot of the Italian Dolomites, the gardens of a deserted farmhouse have lain untouched for decades. But the new owner, keen for renovations to begin, is summoned urgently to the house when his workmen disturb a macabre grave. Wild animals have done their grisly work and the human corpse is badly decomposed. Then a valuable signet ring is found close by, providing the first vital clue. It leads Commissario Guido Brunetti right to the heart of aristocratic Venice, to a family still grieving for its abducted son ... Book 7 in the Inspector Brunetti series. This one was less about the plot ( whodunnit and why) and more about Brunetti`s relationship with his Wife, with his children and with his Father-in-law. I find the domestic scenes are the most enjoyable thing about these books - so wasn`t disappointed - but I can understand someone else feeling that this wasn`t much in the way of a mystery ( for instance, a character near the beginning suddenly pops up with information which hints at the resolution, so you read the rest of the book waiting for that info to be utilised ). As a cosy mystery lover though, I read the book thinking `aww, nice` at the sweet descriptions of domestic life. There`s a small moment when someone picks a thread off someone else`s jumper which feels so neatly observed and true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted December 9, 2013 Author Share Posted December 9, 2013 Book # 105 Black Swan Rising by Lee Carroll TBR 726 Amazon Synopsis :New York jeweller Garet James has her fair share of problems: money, an elderly father, a struggling business. One day she comes across an antiques shop she'd never noticed before. The owner possesses an old silver box that's been sealed shut. Would she help an old man and open it, perhaps? She does...and that night strange things begin to happen. It's as if her world - our world - has shifted slightly, revealing another, parallel place that co-exists without our knowledge: the world of the Fey... The first in a trilogy. Garet - short for Margaret - gets bad news from her family lawyer, gets trapped by a storm in New York City, stumbles into a shop she`s never seen before to shelter. The owner claims to know of her through her work as an artist and commissions her to open an antique silver box which has been welded shut. She needs the money, says yes, takes the box home and opens it.... The book`s an urban fantasy, so you know that Garet`s going to find out that she has secret powers and that there`s a whole secret world out there full of vampires, brownies, fairies, etc, but it`s neatly done, holds your attention, and left me wanting to read the second in the series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 (edited) My phone only makes calls, it doesn`t even have a camera. I did wonder if I could download anything to my Kindle Fire, but it doesn`t look like that`s possible. More time saved to read actual books ! I have an iPhone4, it has Safari as an OS. I can go online with it, and can check my Library Thing page to see if we already have a book. Although, I have to admit, it isn't always accurate. Sometimes they have told me we don't have it, and we do. I did contact LT about it, so hopefully, they've fixed that problem. Your reviews really make me want to get back to reading Donna Leon!! Edited December 9, 2013 by pontalba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted December 9, 2013 Author Share Posted December 9, 2013 Your reviews really make me want to get back to reading Donna Leon!! Go on, you won`t be disappointed. They`re just.... nice. In a good way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Pixie Great reading totals getting wracked up for you this year ! Good job !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted December 9, 2013 Author Share Posted December 9, 2013 Pixie Great reading totals getting wracked up for you this year ! Good job !!! Thank you ! Though I`ve just had to add another 12 books to my TBR, so my TBR`s now 739. Ah well.... And the new books are : Visions of Sugar Plums - Janet Evanovich Plum Lovin` - Janet Evanovich Plum Lucky - Janet Evanovich Plum Spooky - Janet Evanovich I felt the need for the book equivalent of `easy listening`. The most expensive of the Plum hardbacks was £2.30, so not a bad haul. A Place of Confinement - Anna Dean After reading book 3 , I wanted to keep reading about Dido`s adventures. Generous Death - Nancy Pickard Had a trawl through the Cosy Mystery section on GoodReads, and thought I`d finally give this one a go. I`m especially taken with the first couple of paragraphs - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0913165670?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0913165670&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2 . Having a bit of bother with the linkage. In the Last Analysis, The James Joyce Murder , Poetic Justice - Amanda Cross 3 books in one. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/567038.In_the_Last_Analysis Looking at the reviews, these books may be more interesting as ` historical pieces`, but I`m intrigued. Three-day Town - Margaret Maron http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10814690-three-day-town 17 books into the series, but I was so taken with the cover and the grab-you premise, that I had to get it. Miss Phryne Fisher Investigates, Flying Too High, Murder on the Ballarat Train - Kerry Greenwood Love the TV show, and The Book People had three books for £4.99. `Nuff said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie H Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 And the new books are : Visions of Sugar Plums - Janet Evanovich Plum Lovin` - Janet Evanovich Plum Lucky - Janet Evanovich Plum Spooky - Janet Evanovich I felt the need for the book equivalent of `easy listening`. The most expensive of the Plum hardbacks was £2.30, so not a bad haul. Great haul . £2.30 for hardback is great! After finding those new 12 books, light reading will be good for you, as you won't be plum tuckered out! *groan* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 It sounds like you wracked up some good deals . The Evanovich books are really popular here . I haven't read any of them, myself, but they are huge sellers in our area . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Congrats on the new books ! I hope you enjoy them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted December 11, 2013 Author Share Posted December 11, 2013 Great haul . £2.30 for hardback is great! After finding those new 12 books, light reading will be good for you, as you won't be plum tuckered out! *groan* *Double Groan.* Good one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted December 17, 2013 Author Share Posted December 17, 2013 (edited) Book # 106 Wildfire at Midnight by Mary Stewart TBR 738Amazon Synopsis : Edited for spoiler... .....Very soon Gianetta Brooke, a guest at the deceptively idyllic Camasunary Hotel nearby, finds herself tangled in a web of rising fear and suspicion. When she discovers that her ex-husband has booked into the same hotel, the peaceful holiday for which she had hoped takes on quite another complexion. Gianetta - London model - goes on holiday to de-stress on the Isle of Skye. She finds herself staying in an isolated hotel where everyone seems to have a secret, then she discovers that her ex-husband is a guest at the hotel, there`s a storm coming in and there`s a Big Mystery. Gianetta feels unsafe, which doesn`t stop her investigating and snooping about. There`s a big scene where she ventures downstairs in the middle of the night to retrieve her headache pills left in her handbag which resulted in me having a hand-to-mouth moment. Escapist fun. Edited December 17, 2013 by Little Pixie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted December 17, 2013 Author Share Posted December 17, 2013 More books.. The Shadow Year by Hannah Richell Given as a present. Dead Men don`t Ski by Patricia Moyes The first in a Golden Age mystery series. The Fear Index by Robert Harris I Liked Archangel and Pompeii, must get to his other books. Drawing Conclusions by Donna Leon Book 16 of the Brunetti series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted December 17, 2013 Share Posted December 17, 2013 Good job Pixie ! You sound like me, read one and buy 4 .. that way we never run out of reading material, right ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted December 17, 2013 Share Posted December 17, 2013 (edited) Congrats on the new books ! I hope you enjoy them. Edited December 17, 2013 by Athena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted December 17, 2013 Author Share Posted December 17, 2013 Good job Pixie ! You sound like me, read one and buy 4 .. that way we never run out of reading material, right ? I`m afraid the idea of ` read two books, allow myself to buy a new one` really never took off. Now it`s `keep TBR under 1, 000`. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted December 17, 2013 Author Share Posted December 17, 2013 Congrats on the new books ! I hope you enjoy them. Thank you. I hope to enjoy them next year. Or next decade. Hmm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted December 17, 2013 Share Posted December 17, 2013 There are just too many good books, aren't there? Good luck with keeping the TBR under 1000 , I passed that threshold a while ago . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted December 17, 2013 Share Posted December 17, 2013 Thank you. I hope to enjoy them next year. Or next decade. Hmm. x At least you have them to look forward to ! I'd hate to not have any choice in my reading because everything I have I've already read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted December 17, 2013 Author Share Posted December 17, 2013 There are just too many good books, aren't there? Good luck with keeping the TBR under 1000 , I passed that threshold a while ago . You said it. And I think it would be good for me to expand my reading next year and make an effort to actually buy books which other people loved on this forum, instead of just saying `Oooh, that looks great!`. Erm, good luck with keeping your TBR under 5,000 ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted December 17, 2013 Author Share Posted December 17, 2013 x At least you have them to look forward to ! I'd hate to not have any choice in my reading because everything I have I've already read. I sent a friend a book for Xmas ( Murakami`s 1Q84 ); she`s already looked at it and said ` Great,`cos I just ran out of books to read ! ` Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted December 17, 2013 Share Posted December 17, 2013 You said it. And I think it would be good for me to expand my reading next year and make an effort to actually buy books which other people loved on this forum, instead of just saying `Oooh, that looks great!`. Erm, good luck with keeping your TBR under 5,000 ? x Sure, that might be a good idea . I've been doing that the past while. Thanks . I do plan on buying less (expensive) books in the future, and getting rid of some that I'm not so interested in (thus reducing the TBR number). I also plan on reading lots, of course! x I sent a friend a book for Xmas ( Murakami`s 1Q84 ); she`s already looked at it and said ` Great,`cos I just ran out of books to read ! ` x Wow! Some people prefer that though, my parents are a bit like that. I think it's good we're all different, though it's hard to imagine sometimes . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted December 17, 2013 Author Share Posted December 17, 2013 x Sure, that might be a good idea . I've been doing that the past while. Thanks . I do plan on buying less (expensive) books in the future, and getting rid of some that I'm not so interested in (thus reducing the TBR number). I also plan on reading lots, of course! x Wow! Some people prefer that though, my parents are a bit like that. I think it's good we're all different, though it's hard to imagine sometimes . Now, if only I can make my plans turn into reality. I wonder if there`s a book gene... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted December 17, 2013 Share Posted December 17, 2013 Pixie and Gaia If you guys keep it up you'll be giving Kate a run for her money. She's got a jump on you though ,so you'd better get the Freight Trucks to haul you in a few crates to catch up faster . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted December 17, 2013 Share Posted December 17, 2013 x Sure, that might be a good idea . I've been doing that the past while. Thanks . I do plan on buying less (expensive) books in the future, and getting rid of some that I'm not so interested in (thus reducing the TBR number). I also plan on reading lots, of course! x x Wow! Some people prefer that though, my parents are a bit like that. I think it's good we're all different, though it's hard to imagine sometimes . Giving them away doesn't count! LOL I've always kept ahead of the curve, not as much as recently, but ahead. Can't stand not to have any unread books in the house! It's just wrong! Now, if only I can make my plans turn into reality. I wonder if there`s a book gene... If there is, which I am sure there is, I have it from both sides of the family. Pixie and Gaia If you guys keep it up you'll be giving Kate a run for her money. She's got a jump on you though ,so you'd better get the Freight Trucks to haul you in a few crates to catch up faster . Only one? Darn! I'd better get busy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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