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Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists. It has finally found a permanent home at Mailbox Monday with the following new administrators:
Leslie of Under My Apple Tree
Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit
Vicki of I'd Rather Be at the Beach
I received the following novels, thanks to the authors/publicists:
The Norfolk Mystery by Ian Sansom:
In The Norfolk Mystery, the first in the County Guides series, we meet Swanton Morley. Eccentric, autodidact - the 'People's Professor.'
Morley plans to write a series of guides to the counties of England. He employs a young assistant, Stephen Sefton, veteran of the Spanish Civil War, and together with Morley's daughter, Miriam, they set off through Norfolk, where their sightseeing tour quickly turns into a murder investigation.
As Morley confronts the conventions of class, education and politics in 1930s England, as Sefton flees his memories of the war, and as Miriam seeks romance, join them on their first adventure into the dark heart of England.
When Morley's map leads to mystery, no one is above suspicion!
Murder Strikes a Pose by Tracy Weber
When George and Bella—a homeless alcoholic and his intimidating German shepherd—disturb the peace outside her studio, yoga instructor Kate Davidson’s Zen-like calm is stretched to the breaking point. Kate tries to get rid of them before Bella scares the yoga pants off her students. Instead, the three form an unlikely friendship.
Musing Mondays asks you to muse about something related to reading/books each week…
The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It's a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.
A storm is rising. He can feel it in the strange stillness of the air. There is no movement, no flutter of clothing, not a whisper of a breeze along the narrow streets of Tangier.
Beyond the lines of washing strung between the building, above the tiled roofs, he sees a patch of sky. There is a strange luminous quality to it, a bluish hue and lights that look almost like auroras.
He stirs a cup of warm milk, blinks, and looks out again on to the changing and other worldly colours of the sky.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This restlessness rumbled about inside me as I walked from room to room, assessing the varying degrees of dilapidation and making a mental list of what needed to be done.
~~~~Page 56, The Boy That Never Was by Karen Perry
Title: The Boy That Never Was
Author: Karen Perry
ISBN: 9781405912907
Publisher: Penguin Books/2014 (march)
Pages: 314
Harry leaves his sleeping four year old son for a few minutes, to get candles for his wife, Robin's birthday. Meanwhile, an earthquake strikes and Dillon is lost by being buried. Harry and Robin are artists and they leave Tangier after the loss of their son. Robin seems to be quite forgiving towards Harry. But he is unable to get over his guilt. Thee appears to a crack in their relationship.
Told alternatively in the voices of Harry and Robin, we get to see the loss of their son has affected both but in different ways. Both feel guilty for different reasons. Harry still can't believe that Dillon is no more. Robin has some secrets that she can't share with Harry. The pain, the hurt almost breaks them apart.
Then one day, Harry sees a boy, who looks like Dillon. Before he can react, the boy vanishes. Harry is convinced more than ever, that Dillon is alive. He does not tell Robin but makes it his mission to search for that boy.
When Robin finally comes to know, we find flaws in both of them, with buried secrets and revelations which almost destroys them. It all builds up to a climax which is horrifying for the reader and both Harry and Robin.
With believable characters which are flawed, taut writing, and psychological twists and turns, it makes an excellent family drama. I was surprised by the ending yet I understood the reason for it. All through the novel, one can feel the love that Harry has for Dillon. It is so palpable that it jumps out of the novel.
It is yet to be published and is worth waiting for. I would say, a superb novel......
All other things (writing quality, story, etc), which would you rather read?
1. Something written by a man or a woman?
My preferred genre is crime fiction. If a novel is good, it does not matter if it is written by a man or a woman. Nowadays, one can find a lot of women crime fiction writer. I do not choose a Crime Fiction by the gender of the author.
2. Something with a male or female protagonist?
Let me put it this way. I love Sherlock Holmes/Dr. Watson. I also love Lisbeth Salander. Period.
3. Something funny or something tragic?
It depends on my mood.
4. Something short or something long with many parts?
I prefer something long with many parts, even in short stories.
5. Something simple or something layered?
Layered, of course!
"Take me to Bon Vivant on Friday, seven p.m." Del kissed the tip of her nose and stepped into the porch.
"Done," Olivia said, following him down the front steps.
"And one more thing." he said.
"Yes?"
"I'll expect to see you dressed as a tavern wench."
Title: When the Cookie Crumbles
Author: Virginia Lowell
ISBN: 9780425251485
Publisher: Berkeley Prime Crime/2012
Pages: 294
Olivia Greyson and Maddie own The Gingerbread House. They bake great cookies. Now they are baking an exact replica of Chatterley Mansion for 250th Birthday Celebration of Chatterley Heights. Paine Chatterley, presumed dead, arrives in town, with his wife, Hermione, to claim his heritage and forbids everyone to visit his mansion. He is not keen to have the celebrations. The Mayor, Karen Evansen, wants the celebrations to go on. She asks Olivia to talk to the Chatterleys.
Then Paine is found dead in his bathtub. Many of their precious heirlooms are destroyed and Hermione is overwrought. All these cast a shadow over the forthcoming celebrations. Olivia and Maddie, along with their baking, try to look for clues. They find themselves in the midst of unpleasant secrets of the Chatterley family. Olivia has to get into the bottom of all this.
Along with Del, the local police officer, who is also Olivia's boyfriend, they find the killer. The murderer is someone very close and unlikeliest of all.
This is a good cozy mystery, the characters are very life like. I loved the cookie baking, decorating details. Maddie is a real good friend to Olivia. Elle, Olivia's mother is an interesting character. I loved the interesting stories about cookie cutters. For all cozy mystery lovers out there, I would say, go for it!
"Some days a drop of water can kill you, some days it can save your life.
In the early hours of Thursday, February 3, 120 millimeters of rain fell on Melbourne. Enough water to flush out a murder.
The Yeraa and maribyrnong rivers had swollen and in some places had split their sides. Sedate, well behaved Kerford Road beach disappeared beneath heavy turf. Boats flipped and tossed like God's own rubber duckies. Roofs leaked, carports groaned, gutters choked, and parked cars drowned at the roadside. Century old trees in the Botanical Gardens keeled over like drunks, their parched roots suddenly losing their footing in the blistered soil. A city that had craved a good soaking for more than eight years took an unscheduled."
Title: Flush
Author: Jane Clifton
ISBN: 9780992329549
Publisher: Clan Destine Pres/2013
Pages: 253
Oleg Kransky is the first suspect when his wife Inga Kristensen's body is found washed up on the banks of Maribyrnong River. When police reach his home, he is found with a failed suicide bit and his wife's blood stained cloth are all over the place.
Decca Brand, a psychologist, does not believe that he killed his wife. Oleg had been one of her patients. He had not been very forthcoming yet Decca could sense he loved his wife. Even now, after his arrest, he still does not communicate.
While chasing for answers, Decca and the police detectives find themselves in the midst of gritty going ons in red light area, secret past lives of Oleg, Inga and their so-called friends. From Melbourne to links in Bosnia seem far fetched but when a well known person like Col Jones is found involved, it all unravels.
I liked the twists and turns. It kept my interest until the very end. Very fast paced and not easy to put down. It was one of my last reads of 2013 and I am happy about that!
Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists. It has finally found a permanent home at Mailbox Monday with the following new administrators:
Leslie of Under My Apple Tree
Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit
Vicki of I'd Rather Be at the Beach
I received the following print copy in the last week of December and forgot to mention it in my previous MM post. thanks to the author:
Chilled To The Bones by Quentin Bates:
When a shipowner is found dead, tied to a bed in one of Reykjavik's smartest hotels, sergeant Gunnhildur Gisladottir of the city police force sees no evidence of foul play but still suspects things are not as cut and dried as they seem. A Gunnhildur Gisladottir mystery set in Iceland.
When a shipowner is found dead, tied to a bed in one of Reykjavik's smartest hotels, sergeant Gunnhildur Gisladottir of the city police force sees no evidence of foul play but still suspects things are not as cut and dried as they seem. And as she investigates the shipowner's untimely - and embarrassing - demise, she stumbles across a discreet bondage society whose members are being systematically exploited and blackmailed.
I downloaded the following e books:
12/01/2014
His Island Bride by Shadonna Richards
Herbal Remedies Guide: All About Herbal Medicine by Diane Wilson
11/01/2014
Little Girl Lost by Brian McGilloway
The Billionaire Wins the Game by Melody Anne
10/01/2014
The Doctor's Secret Bride by Anna E. Ross
The Good Knight (A Gareth and Gwen Medieval Mystery) by Sarah Woodbury
08/01/2014
Hosted by Sheila @ One Person's Journey Through a World of Books. We discuss the books that we've read and what we're planning to read for the week. Musing Mondays asks you to muse about something related to books each week…
The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It's a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.
