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 (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 (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 (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. 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. 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.

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.)

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/