Recent Reads! October 2020 And starting my Christmas-themed reading…

Daily reading is one of my favourite ways to pamper and get some self-care (I prefer the term “self-preservation”)! Here’s a round-up of what I read in October. Plus I’ve now started my Christmas-themed reading!

“The Killings at Kingfisher Hill” by Sophie Hannah

“The Killings at Kingfisher Hill” by Sophie Hannah (in the guise of Agatha Christie – number 4 in the New Hercule Poirot Mysteries series) I had high hopes for this one (as I have read the others in the series). It started off really well and had all the “right” elements – couple of murders, stately hall, dinner parties, lots of possible suspects. But it fell flat in the second half and the motive was a bit of a dog’s breakfast. My rating: 3 out of 5

“Death Overdue” by Allison Brook

“Death Overdue” by Allison Brook (Number 1 in the Haunted Library Mysteries) I was looking for some Halloween-themed reading and this seemed to fit the bill nicely. Listened on Audiobook. I hadn’t read the blurb so it was a surprise when there was suddenly a walking-talking ghost in the story. I love cozy mysteries but avoid ones which are too twee, sugary or involve animals solving the mysteries. I’m happy to escape reality but Cat Detectives are just a jump too far! LOL! Apart from that, it was a cosy read. My rating: 3 out of 5

“Recipes for Love and Murder” by Sally Andrew

“Recipes for Love and Murder” by Sally Andrew (Number 1 in the Tannie Maria Mystery series) I picked up this book at our local Danish library by absolute chance. I had been browsing cookbooks for some cosy reading and then, when I went over to the crime books, “Recipes for Love and Murder” jumped right out at me. This was a fantastic surprise read by an author I didn’t know. Set in South Africa. There is quite a lot of Afrikaans jargon in the book (there’s a glossary at the back) which I really enjoyed because most of it is similar to Danish and Dutch. A quirky, fun read. Hope she writes more. My rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

“Jeeves and the Wedding Bells” by Sebastian Faulks

“Jeeves and the Wedding Bells” by Sebastian Faulks. Mr Faulks has written this book as an hommage to P.G. Wodehouse. Now, I absolutely adore the Jeeves series by P.G. Wodehouse (these books are classics) and it’s always a gamble to read a book “in the style of…” your favourite author. It started off really well, with all the usual clichés and plots you would expect to find. I really had high hopes! But second half got slower and more boring (the cricket talk and the play scene finished me off) so, alas, a bit of a damp squib. My rating: 2 out of 5 stars.

“The Thursday Murder Club” by Richard Osman

“The Thursday Murder Club” by Richard Osman. I’m a big fan of Richard Osman’s tv appearances so was excited to hear that he had written a cozy crime. And even more excited to be the first in line to get it from our local Danish library! Really enjoyed this book which is set in a very upmarket retirement “village”. A great gallery of characters thrown together by fate, and very well written. Richard Osman has a real flair for intelligent low-key humour which is absolutely charming. There appears to be a sequel in the works – hooray! My rating: four out of five stars.

‘Twas the Knife Before Christmas by Jacqueline Frost

Currently reading: ‘Twas the Knife Before Christmas by Jacqueline Frost. (I read the first book in this series “The Twelve Slays of Christmas” during the summer and really enjoyed it.)

“I am half-sick of shadows” by Alan Bradley

Currently reading: “I am half-sick of shadows” by Alan Bradley. I’ve read several in the “Flavia de Luce” series and this is a Christmas-themed one! Will let you know how it goes…

LLAP! Hugs!

Diane

You can find my hygge books, magazines, tv programmes and music YouTube videos here…

PS: I very rarely buy books, preferring to borrow them from our wonderful Danish local libraries! I use eReolenGlobal and Libby apps to find/read books, plus Goodreads to track what I’ve read. And if you’re looking for book suggestions and reviews, my friend Sue (formerly a book seller, now a librarian) has a great book blog! http://bookaliciousbabe.blogspot.com/