Category: Books

Here we go again with another book round-up! Daily reading is one of my favourite – and fast – ways to pamper and get some self-preservation! As you will quickly realise, I have a penchant for cozy mysteries and seldom read non-fiction. 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! I use eReolenGlobal and Libby apps to find/read/listen to books, plus Goodreads to track what I’ve read. I love listening to books while I work in the garden or do housework! Here’s another round-up…

The Man Who Died Twice (Thursday Murder Club #2) by Richard Osman. You’d have to be living under a rock not to have heard all the hype about the first Richard Osman book, The Thursday Murder Club (which I loved, my rating was four out of five). And here, he does it again, and it’s better, funnier, saddier and crazier than the first one. Absolutely amazing! My rating: five out of five. I know there are plans afoot to make movies – let’s hope they don’t mess it up!

A Line To Kill (Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery #3) by Anthony Horowitz. Readers of my blog will know that I love Anthony Horowitz books: his Magpie Murders (Susan Ryeland #1) was my favourite book of 2017. Five out of five stars, a rarity! This one, from the Hawthorne and Horowitz series, was good but I’m not quite so keen on the autofiction format. I prefer Anthony Horowitz holding the pen and not parading in his own books… But he is a crafty writer, fantastic plots that will have you rereading pages to see where you missed the clues! My rating: three out of five.

Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James. I love P.D. James and this is her “take” on the world and characters of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice….throwing a murder into the mix! I listenend to this on audiobook and it’s slightly different in plot from the BBC television adaptation (which is fabulous, utterly gripping, highly recommend). My rating: three out of five.

The Well of Ice (Inishowen Mysteries #3) by Andrea Carter. I discovered Andrea Carter quite by accident a couple of years ago – picking up one of her books at our local Danish library purely because of the cover! I love the setting of these fairly “cozy” crimes: County Donegal, Ireland, present time. And the main character – a solicitor called Ben (Benedicta) – often indulges in a spot of winterbathing which, of course, is a passion of mine. The events of this one take place around Christmas and New Year – would be great for a winter read. My rating: three out of five.

And now for not one, but two, Ken Bruen books! First up. In the Galway Silence (Jack Taylor #14) Yet another Ken Bruen book…I seem to be addicted to listening to these! I’ve never read his physical books but love listening on audiobook. Despite them being full of expletives! Narration by Gerry O’Brien is, as always, utterly brilliant. As with Bruen’s previous books in the series, you can expect dry and dark humour and seething social commentary. Jack Taylor is an anti-hero, thrown out of the Irish Garda police, now working as a private eye but spends most of his time drinking his life away and swearing. He works with people you certainly wouldn’t want to meet and in this one his own life is turned upside down. So bleak but uplifting and entertaining! My rating: four out of five.

And this, of course, is the next in the series. Galway Girl (Jack Taylor #15) by Ken Bruen. The Galway girl in question is prepared to destroy everything and everyone around her, in order to get to Jack. Chilling but with the usual hilarious moments dotted in between. My rating: four out of five.

Blotto, Twinks and the Great Road Race (Blotto and Twinks #9) by Simon Brett. Simon Brett is one of my favourite authors. He has several series which I have read all of the books. Try the Fethering Mysteries or Mrs Pargeter books. He also has this series with Blotto and Twinks, a kind of pastiche in the style of P.G.Wodehouse. Some of them work. This one, alas, was absolutely abysmal. It was, thankfully, a short book and you can skim a lot of it. The team names of those participating in the road race are so long (about 10 works in total, if memory serves) and he repeats them in full length several times on every page. I felt as if Simon Brett was writing a school essay and trying to make up the word count in the easiest way possible! LOL! Tally ho, let’s hope the others in the series are better! My rating: one 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

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

Here we go again with more books! Daily reading is one of my favourite – and fast – ways to pamper and get some self-preservation! As you will quickly realise, I have a penchant for cozy mysteries and seldom read non-fiction. 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. I love listening to books while I work in the garden or do housework! Here’s another round-up…

The Safety Net (Inspector Montalbano #25) by Andrea Camilleri What can I say? I love this entire series and these are the only books I buy to have a physical copy. Not one of the best Inspector Montalbano books but I always enjoy the setting and the characters. My rating: three out of five.

The Ghosts of Galway (Jack Taylor #13) by Ken Bruen. I’ve never read Ken Bruen’s books but I have listened to several on audiobook – and love them, despite them being full of expletives! Narration is brilliant. As with Bruen’s previous books in the series, you can expect dry and dark humour and seething social commentary. Jack Taylor is an anti-hero, thrown out of the Irish Garda police, now working as a private eye but spends most of his time drinking his life away and swearing. My rating: four out of five.

The Old Reliable by P.G. Wodehouse. I found a copy of this at our local book exchange. As much as I love P.G. Wodehouse (one of my favourite authors), this one wasn’t fantastic though there were a lot of great one-liners. My rating: three out of five.

The Master Key by Masako Togawa. This one started off well – lots of connected stories about old ladies living in a shared appartment building in post-war Tokyo – but became so crazy that I got tired of it. My rating: three out of five.

The House in the Woods (Atticus Priest #1) by Mark Dawson. I found this by accident, a free audiobook. Really clever murder mystery, exciting plot and would make a great winter read (it starts at Christmas). Excellent narration. Looking forward to listening/reading more from Mark Dawson. My rating: four out of five.

In a House of Lies (Inspector Rebus #22) by Ian Rankin. Picked up this book at one of our Clothes Swap parties. I’m fairly new to the Rebus books but have enjoyed being “back home” in Edinburgh and it’s always funny to read about familiar places. This particular Rebus dragged a bit for me. In future I’ll stick to the audiobooks. My rating: three 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

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

Daily reading is one of my favourite – and fast – ways to pamper and get some self-preservation! As you will quickly realise, I have a penchant for cozy mysteries and seldom read non-fiction. 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. I love listening to books while I work in the garden or do housework! This is a round up of books I read in the spring…

“Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew’d” (Flavia de Luce #8) by Alan Bradley. I’m so glad I finally got into this series: set in the 1950s England, the stories revolve around the world of a young sleuth, Flavia de Luce, who has a passion for poison… The books never disappoint though this particular one is definitely more melancholy than the others I’ve read. My rating: three out of five.

“The Inugami Curse” (Detective Kosuke Kindaichi #6) by Seishi Yokomizo. I quite enjoy locked-room mysteries and Japanese puzzle mysteries and this one is, apparently, a classic. I previously read “The Case of the Honjin Murder” by Yokomizo but this book was a very strange read – gruesome and totally over the top chain of events! My rating: three out of five. Will not read more from Seishi Yokomizo.

“A Galway Epiphany” (Jack Taylor #16) by Ken Bruen. I have a pet peeve about swearing. I will unfriend people on Facebook if they swear, I can’t abide spoken or written swearing. And yet I loved this audiobook by Ken Bruen which is full of expletives, a very dry and dark humour and liberal snippets of seething social commentary. Jack Taylor is an anti-hero, thrown out of the Irish Garda police, now working as a private eye but spends most of his time drinking his life away. This story involves two children, “a miracle”, an arsonist and a very strange order of nuns. Grimly hilarious. Loved it! And the narration is brilliant. My rating: four out of five.

“Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times” by Katherine May. This book is often portrayed as a book about finding “hygge” and looking within. I don’t read many books about hygge – I live in Denmark – the home of hygge – and actively practise hygge every day. It’s the way we live here. Many of the hygge books written by non-Scandinavians are not reflective of how I see hygge and this particular book really left me feeling rather deflated. It’s more of a personal diary about depression. My rating: two out of five.

“How to Hygge: The Nordic Secrets to a Happy Life” by Signe Johansen. See above for why I don’t usually read books on hygge! Again, I wouldn’t recommend this one. Not at all the hygge I know and love and practise daily in Denmark! The book reads like a coffee-table book. Emphasis on photos and recipes, very stylised. Comes across as being very scripted and the text is so teeny tiny that I actually gave up trying to read it… My rating: two out of five.

“Strip Jack” (Inspector Rebus #4) by Ian Rankin. I listened to this one on audiobook and have to say that I enjoy the audiobooks more than the books themselves. Always fun to be back home in Edinburgh and hear familiar places mentioned! Dry humour and bleak murder cases. My rating: three out of five.

“Resurrection Men” (Inspector Rebus #13) by Ian Rankin. Yet another Rebus which I listened to on audiobook (I must have been doing a lot of gardening at the time, ha ha!). Always good to hear the banter between Rebus and his colleagues or the criminals who cross his path. My rating: three out of five.

“The Devil’s Feast” (Avery & Blake #3) by M.J. Carter. I picked up this one at the library totally on a whim because the cover appealed to me and the setting was a murder at a grand dinner, hosted by a French chef in a gentlemen’s club in London in the 1840s. Started off well but was way too long and I lost my appetite (boom boom!) and was glad when it was finished. My rating: three out of five.

“The Moscow Sleepers” (Liz Carlyle #10) by Stella Rimington. I was curious to read a novel by Stella Rimington, the ex-head of MI5, the British Security Service. I think I expected a little too much, given her background. It was a quick and easy read but could have been a movie-script and the characters lacked depth. The prose rambled somewhat and was quite clunky in places. Not sure I would read more in the series but would no doubt transfer well to film! My rating: three out of five.

“The Monkey’s Raincoat” (Elvis Cole and Joe Pike #1) by Robert Crais. I picked up this book by chance at our free Book Exchange – how could I resist the title and a private investigator named Elvis Cole?! A fast read, set in the 1980s with a Miami Vice vibe. Short and punchy but, again, read very like a movie script. My rating: four out of five.

“Rumpole Rests His Case” (Rumpole of the Bailey #11) by John Mortimer. I have a soft spot for Rumpole, an elderly, rather portly, Barrister who defends his clients (most of them rather dodgy) before the magistrates of the Old Bailey in London. The descriptions of those around him, not to mention his wife (“She Who Must Be Obeyed”), and the scrapes Rumpole gets in to are priceless. Never fails to make me laugh out loud! This is a collection of short stories – take them one at a time, just right with an evening cup of tea. My rating: three 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

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

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.

“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.

“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.

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

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

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 some of the books I read in September!

“Now You See Them” by Elly Griffiths (Number 5 in the Stephens and Mephisto Mystery series). If you’ve followed me for a long time, you will know how much I love anything written by Elly Griffiths! Her most famous series is the “Ruth Galloway, archeologist” books but I actually started reading her Stephens and Mephisto series first (starting with “The Zig Zag Girl”). Make sure to check out each series – they are set in a different eras/places in England so are quite different in style. But always good! “Now You See Them” was a lovely cosy read. My rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

“The Grave’s a Fine and Private Place” by Alan Bradley (Number 9 in the Flavia de Luce series) I listened to this one on Audiobook and was thoroughly entertained! I’ve read a couple of the Flavia de Luce mysteries before, and the last one I read was a little disappointing and long-winded. So this was a real delight. My rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

“Moonflower Murders” by Anthony Horowitz (Number 2 in the Susan Ryeland series). I was so excited to read this book and managed to be first in the queue at our local Danish library when it was released, woo hoo! It’s a follow up to my 5 star (a rarity!) read from 2018, “The Magpie Murders”. I was a bit nervous to start reading (worrying that it couldn’t possibly live up to the first book) but it was a terrific read and I couldn’t put it down. Just like the first in the series, it’s a book within a book. Fantastic plotting, a great cast of suspects and a myriad of clues. And I guessed the murderer…or should that be murderers? Read for yourself! My rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

“The Body on the Train” by Frances Brody (Number 11 in the Kate Shackleton series) I’ve read several Kate Shackleton mysteries before and this was the usual cosy read, if not terribly exciting (unless, of course, you get excited by trains or rhubarb…). My rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

Currently reading (actually listening, an audiobook) “Death Overdue” by Allison Brook for some Halloween-themed reading. Update on that next time!

LLAP! Hugs!

Diane

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.

PPS: 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/

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

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 over the summer! A mixed bag with rather a lot of cozy mysteries and a couple of (pleasant) surprises!

Jane and the Waterloo map by Stephanie Barron. A historical cozy mystery (part of a series, this one is number 13) where Jane Austen solves crimes. Rather enjoyed this and will probably read more in the series. Three stars out of five.

Last Train to Helsingør by Heidi Amsinck. I picked up this book at random at our local Danish library. It looked very promising – specially commissioned short stories for BBC Radio 4 – some Scandi-noir tales. Unfortunately this was a DNF (Did Not Finish) for me. Simply too outlandish and simplistic – the kind of stories you would write in junior school. Two out of five stars.

The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag by Alan Bradley. This is the second in the Flavia de Luce series which I’ve read and it was a little heavier going than the first. But looking forward to the next! Three out of five stars.

A Study in Treason by Leonard Goldberg. Another cozy mystery series, this time with, Joanna, the daughter of Sherlock Holmes solving the crimes. An interesting premise but not sure I would read others in the series. Three out of five stars.

Wedding Cake Crumble by Jenn McKinlay. Another cozy mystery, number 10 in the Cupcake Bakery Mystery series, revolving around the owner of a bakery called Fairy Tale Cupcakes who is catering her best friend’s wedding. I listened to this on audiobook. Three out of five stars.

Crowned and Dangerous by Rhys Bowen. Number 10 in the Royal Spyness series. I’ve read many of Rhys Bowen’s books before and they are always a cozy read. You know exactly what to expect. Three out of five stars.

The Clutter Corpse by Simon Brett. Aaaaaargh! I was so excited to read this because a) Simon Brett is one of my favourite cozy mystery authors (he has several series and I enjoy all of them) and b) it was labelled as a decluttering mystery. Two of my favourite things! LOL! But, alas, the book kind of fell flat. I wasn’t really interested in the main character at all and Simon Brett’s usual quirky, humorous touches were absent. Let’s cross our fingers that he’s soon back on form. Two out of five stars.

The Girl Next Door by Ruth Rendell. I listened to this on audiobook. Ruth Rendell is a fantastic writer, giving you a little slice of English society while presenting some dark crimes. It’s not a mystery as such (we know who the killer is from the beginning) but the suspense keeps going til the end. Three out of five stars.

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata. I picked up this book at our local Danish library because of the eyecatching cover and the fact that it is set in Tokyo (one of my favourite places in the world). I’m a sucker for Japanese mysteries (though this isn’t a mystery) and love the Japanese clean style of writing. It was obviously a “hot title” beacause our library had a whole pile of these books stacked up on their summer reading table. A fast and very short read (I read it in Danish and, if I remember rightly, it’s only about 180 pages long), very quirky and with a couple of laugh out loud moments. Four out of five stars.

The Magic Chair Murder by Diane Janes. This is a new series, a historical mystery set in 1920s England. I really enjoyed the setting of this one and the characters. Four out of five stars.

Death in the Stacks by Jenn McKinlay. This was my second Jenn McKinlay read this summer (see Wedding Cake Crumble above) and this particular one was number 8 in the Library Lover’s Mystery series. I listened to this on audiobook. Simplistic but good to liste to when you are working in the garden, doing laundry, etc! Three out of five stars.

Murder at Greysbridge by Andrea Carter. This book was a very pleasant surprise! I picked this up at our local Danish library, completely at random. A really good read and I’ll definitely be checking out other books by Andrea Carter. This one is number 4 in the Inishower Mysteries series. Set in County Donegal, Ireland in the present time, featuring a solicitor called Ben (Benedicta). A fast-paced easy read. Four out of five stars.

LLAP! Hugs!

Diane

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.

PPS: 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/

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