Daily reading is one of my favourite ways to pamper and get some self-preservation! Here’s a round-up of what I read in January and February. I very rarely buy books, preferring to borrow them from our wonderful Danish local libraries (I have lots of library tours on this YouTube series https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxIYCyTLBED9Cl9A30CHOtlnmwQxk-CTy )! I use eReolenGlobal and Libby apps to find/read/listen to books, plus Goodreads to track what I’ve read.
“The Postscript Murders” by Elly Griffiths (Harbinder Kaur series #2) by Elly Griffiths. If you follow me here, YouTube or Instagram you’ll know that I’m a huge Elly Griffiths fan and read all her books and various series (Ruth Galloway, Stephens and Mephisto, etc). This book certainly didn’t disappoint and it was lovely to be able to sit back and relax, knowing that I was in good hands with one of my favourite authors. The characters and setting in this particular series have a similar vibe to Richard Osman’s “Thursday Murder Club”, so if you enjoyed that one, please do try Elly Griffiths! My rating: three out of five.
by Andrea Camilleri
“The Other End of the Line” by Andrea Camilleri (number #24 in the Commissario Montalbano series). It has become a tradition for me to receive these Montalbano books for birthdays and Christmas. A special treat – the only series I actually buy and keep on my bookshelf! It was lovely to unwrap this at Christmas – like seeing an old friend – and slowly dive into it, enjoying every page. Montalbano and his colleagues were in fine form, understated humour, delicious Italian food prepared by his cleaning lady, political commentary, a dead body and the wonderful Sicilian climate. All the ingredients we know and love. My rating: three out of five.
“Murder in the the Mews” by Agatha Christie. This was a compiliation of four stories on audiobook (“Murder in the Mews”, “The Incredible Theft”, “Dead Man’s Mirror” and “Triangle at Rhodes”) all of which were known to me, having seen them on film or read the original books…but the narration was terrific and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My rating: four out of five.
by George Bellairs
“Death of a Busybody” by George Bellairs (Chief Inspector Littlejohn series #3) I picked this one up by chance at our local Danish library, recognising the cover as one of the British Library Crime Classics series, many of which I have read and enjoyed. But I was really drawn to it by the fantastic title! This was an entertaining village mystery with lots going on behind the scenes in the otherwise idyllic setting, and I really liked all the different “accents” of the characters. Good plotting. My rating: three out of five.
“Death Notice” by Zhou Haohui. I selected this at random from the free books on the Libby App. I quite enjoyed the Chinese setting for this police crime mystery, but it read very much like a film script. Not sure I would read any more by the same author. My rating: three out of five.
“Passenger to Frankfurt” by Agatha Christie. And now to the most bizarre Agatha Christie book I have ever read! Well, actually, I skipped quite a lot of it – it was a struggle to get to the end. I thought I had stumbled onto gold, finding a “new to me” Agatha Christie, having read all of her books several times over during my lifetime. But this one, a tale of espionage, was very hard to swallow. (Apparently her mental health was not good when she wrote it.) Unless you are reading every single story Agatha Christie wrote, please don’t bother. My rating: one out of five.
by Andrea Carter
But let’s finish on a high! “Treacherous Strand” by Andrea Carter (number #2 in the Inishowen Mysteries series). I read my first Andrea Carter (Murder at Greysbridge) last year, having stumbled upon her book at our local Danish library. I really enjoy the Irish setting – County Donegal – for these (almost cozy) crime books and look forward to more! And, of course, I love the fact that the main character, solicitor Benedicta (Ben) O’Keeffe enjoys dipping in the sea all year round – just like me! My rating: four out of five.
If you’re looking for more book suggestions and reviews, my dear friend Sue (formerly a book seller, now a librarian) has a great book blog! http://bookaliciousbabe.blogspot.com/ Please check her out and say hi from me!
LLAP! Hugs!
Diane
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