I have managed to fit in quite a lot of reading the past couple of months.
- 43. A Dangerous Talent, by Aaron & Charlotte Elkins. I am a big fan of Aaron Elkins' Gideon Oliver books and I also really enjoyed this one, set in the art world.
- 44. If Books Could Kill, by Kate Carlisle.
- 45. The Lies That Bind, by Kate Carlisle. also: Pages of Sin, a novella.
- 46. Murder Under Cover, by Kate Carlisle.
- 47. One Book in the Grave, by Kate Carlisle. Obviously I enjoyed these "bibliophile" mysteries, featuring a book restorer in San Francisco. Next please!
- 48. Out of the Ruins, by Sally Wright. In which archivist and former WWII scout Ben Reese unravels a tangle of crazy women on Cumberland Island.
- 49. The Sherlockian, by Graham Moore. EXCELLENT.
- 50. The Rope, by Nevada Barr. A prequel to her Anna Pigeon series, really suspenseful.
- 51. Mrs. Pollifax Unveiled, by Dorothy Gilman. Not many of the Mrs. Pollifax titles are available on Kindle yet. (TICK TOCK, people!) Appealing characters, and always a respectful treatment of the foreign milieux.
- 52. Watches of the Night, by Sally Wright. A very personal and very suspenseful wrap-up (apparently) to the Ben Reese series.
- 53. Nadia Knows Best, by Jill Mansell. Also: Christmas Promise, by Carla Kelly, a novella.
- 54. Quickstep to Murder by Ella Barrick. Re-reading in preparation for the forthcoming sequel.
- 55. Star Trek: Department of Temporal Investigations: Forgotten History, by Christopher L. Bennett. As one might expect from the extraordinarily lengthy title, a time-travel story. A bit of a chore, sadly.
- 56. Estate Planning Smarts, by Deborah Jacobs. An excellent introduction to this topic.
- 57. Make Your House Do The Housework, by Don Aslett. I guess it's a good thing that there was not much here that was new to me.
- 58. It's All Too Much, by Peter Walsh. A really, really good book about the psychology of clutter.
- 59. In Love and War, by Carla Kelly. Four novellas, her usual great work with military men and the ladies who can't resist them.
- 60. Marriage of Mercy, by Carla Kelly. Complicated and engrossing, a look at some aspects of 19th-century English law that seem very foreign.
- 61. The Grand Hotel, an anthology of novellas including "The Background Man" by Carla Kelly, which is by far the best. A great editorial concept but the content mostly doesn't live up to it.
- 62. Ten Things I Love About You, by Julia Quinn. A very good Regency romance.
- 63. Almost a Bride, by Jane Feather. Another solid romance, set during the French Revolution.
- 64. Manhunting, by Jennifer Crusie.
- 65. The Vagabond Duchess, by Claire Thornton. And another engaging romance, this one framed by the Great Fire of London in 1666.
- 66. Anyone But You, by Jennifer Crusie.
- 67. The Colorado Kid, by Stephen King.
- 68. Survivor in Death, by J.D. Robb. This one's just too good, it's a keeper.
- 69. Cold Comfort Farm, by Stella Gibbons. This one, too. A sample: "One of the disadvantages of almost universal education was the fact that all kinds of persons acquired a familiarity with one's favorite writers. It gave one a curious feeling; it was like seeing a drunken stranger wrapped in one's dressing-gown."
- 70. Born in Death, by J.D. Robb.
- 71. Dead Man Waltzing, by Ella Barrick. Lightweight but entertaining, and I appreciate that the author discusses the Olympic movement for DanceSport.
- 72. Creation in Death, by J.D. Robb.
The pick for May-June probably has to be The Sherlockian, which was a great combination of historical thriller and modern whodunit, with two timelines kept nicely distinct. Anyone with any interest in Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle, Bram Stoker, Victorian law enforcement, lost diaries, and/or literary clubs ought to have a great time with this.
The least successful read of the period would be Don Aslett. Not his fault, I'm just a little past needing his help. Also: the guy ought not to be giving everyone a pass on having a huge, useless, energy-inefficient, water-hogging, pesticide-requiring lawn and packing trees and shrubs up against the house for the sole purpose of accommodating ... the lawn mower. Seriously. He says it's "right" to do this because it makes the lawn easier and faster to mow.
That is just ... kind of retarded. That I cannot respect. For one thing, packing trees and shrubbery up against the house is bad for the house (not to mention the plants). If what you love is lawn, don't bother with trees at all, sez I. And don't bitch about your water (or electricity) bills either.
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