I went to make a collage for March's books, and realised I hadn't done anything with either January or February yet... This is partly because I spent part of both of those months reading and/or re-reading some crime fiction which I wanted to clear from my shelves in the vanguard (and then wake) of our remodelling... And partly because of inertia, I guess. So, this collage incorporates books from all three months, with most of the crime fiction left out. Though I will of course mention it below!
January (7 books. And two duds.)
Bitterblue, Kristen Cashore. The third in this series (collection) of books, and the darkest and I think, best. As with the others (Graceling, Fire) the world and characters are related, with some overlap, but it's not really a sequel to either (though it's more closely related to the first, Graceling). This is excellent fantasy fiction, whether you are a young (well, young-adult) reader or not.
The Almost Moon, Alice Sebold. Gave up on this one fairly quickly - just didn't catch me.
Olive Kitteridge, Elizabeth Strout. A remarkable book. In some ways, it's almost an ordinary story, just the lives of some people in a small town, revolving around one woman (Olive Kitteridge) - a not entirely pleasant, happy woman, but the way the stories are drawn together is both clever and compelling and the quality of the writing is very high. Highly recommended. (You can see why it's a Pullitzer Prize winner.)
Food of Love Cookery School, Nicky Pellegrino. A sort of romance/one-up-from-chick-lit/with some food included. Entertaining, but not much too it, and a bit predictable, though not in a bad way.
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry - Rachel Joyce. I liked the unexpectedness of so many things about this novel - not just the bigger surprises and secrets but the small things too. A great idea for a story, with interesting secondary characters and an ending which I couldn't be sure of until I got there. Another winner.
Embers, Sandor Marai. I love picking up books in charity shops, as you often come across stuff you might not otherwise (especially when they aren't new titles). This was a lovely small book, basically the story of two very old friends meeting for one night after many years and a violent parting. The language is lovely (partly in thanks to a good translator) and the story well drawn and atmospheric.
The Return of the Soldier, Rebecca West. Another one which didn't grab me - I read about half (including some at the end).
Grave Sight and Grave Secrets, Charlaine Harris. Harris writes the Sookie Stackhouse Southern vampire mystery series on which the television show True Blood is based (not sure how well it follows the books - I gave up on it after the first series as I got bored (and slightly embarrassed) with all the sex in it. But I digress. This is another series, about a woman who was hit by lightning as a teen, and now can sense dead bodies (and "read" their moment of death). She works as a consultant for individuals and police departments and so on. You can fill in the rest, I'm sure. I like this new series - it's a clever idea for a supernatural series (and makes a nice change from vampires) and Harris writes well. These books are a little more gritty than the Sookie Stackhouse stories but not completely grim. And there are no vampires (psychics, yes. psychos, yes. But no vampires.)
February (11 books. And 1 dud)
Brooklyn Bones, Triss Stein. This was passed on to me by the same person who passed me the Louise Penny book a few months back (which I liked enough to go back and start the series from the beginning). Didn't like this one at all, though - main character's personality (book was in 1st person) irritated the crap out of me (and that was just in 20 pages or so). Louise Penny was a winner, though, so I'm still a happy bunny.
Break no Bones, Kathy Reichs. I tend to get these confused even a short time after I've read them, but this is the one in the Tempe Brennan series which I'm up to. They are usually nice, solid mysteries with a forensic anthropologist at the centre. Though for goodness sake, don't read them if you are expecting Bones as the characters have nothing in common besides a name and a profession.
Never Pick up Hitchhikers, Ellis Peters (re-read). Haven't read this in ages; it was one of the ones I was sending to the charity shop, so I thought I'd quickly read it again - she does write well; I always enjoy them. I was going to say "even though they seem a little old-fashioned" but on second thought perhaps that's why I enjoy them!
The Monster in the Box, Ruth Rendell. (Told you I was reading a lot of crime). A Wexford, dealing with a crime from Wexford's distance past and a particularly nasty piece of work character. Creepy.
The Piper on the Mountain, Ellis Peters (re-read). As above, essentially, though this is one in the Dominic Felse/Tossa Barber series, whereas Hitchhikers is a stand-alone.
Acceptable Loss, Anne Perry. Started to read A Sunless Sea, and realised I hadn't read the previous one - the two are very closely linked in this series (the William Monk series) so I downloaded it to Alex's Kindle and read it there (my first Kindle read - I prefer a real book, but don't really mind the Kindle - my main objection is the lack of ability to leaf through, I think). I'm getting a little tired of this series, I think, not sure if I'll carry on with it, despite the fact that they are always well-written.
Dead Cold, Louise Penny. Clever plot and I am enjoying this series, though beginning to wonder just how many murders can take place in Three Pines - it's not a big town...
Black is the Colour of my True Love's Heart, Ellis Peters (re-read) - see above.
Murder on the Orient Express, Agatha Christie (re-read). Although I knew whodunnit in this one (as do most of the people in the free world, I should think, whether or not they have actually read it) I enjoyed seeing how it was put together and resolved, once again.
Stardust, Neil Gaiman. Despite having seen the film version of this many times, I had never read the book and decided it was about time. It was excellent, as I'd expect from Gaiman and enough different from the filmed version that it kept me on my toes.
The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, Catheryne Valente. A follow up to The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her Own Making, which I read last year. A little darker and lots and lots of characters to keep track of. These are YA fantasy and my only objection is they do tend to speed along rather. I wouldn't mind spending a little more time in each place/with each new character before moving on.
The Cruellest Month, Louise Penny. As above.
March (11 books)
The Moving Finger, Agatha Christie. I thought I'd read them all at one point or another, but I didn't remember this one at all. So that was fun! It's a Marple story, but only peripherally.
A Caribbean Mystery, Agatha Christie (re-read). This one I did remember, though I didn't remember precisely how it all hung together until part-way throught it.
Dead as a Doornail and Definitely Dead, Charlaine Harris. These are two of the Sookie Stackhouse southern vampire mysteries mentioned above. Fun, light reading (if you don't mind some gore and vampires, that is).
Death on the Nile, Agatha Christie (re-read). This one, a Poirot, I remembered well - must have read it several times or a seen an adaptation or something...
An Icy Cold Grave, Charlaine Harris. And the third in the Harper Connelly series mentioned in January.
The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Agatha Christie (re-read). The first Poirot story, and told from the perspective of Capt Hastings, who is always such a ditz. But we love him anyway...
Number 9 Dream, David Mitchell. I'm a big David Mitchell fan, and have read all his books, except I hadn't read this one. I started it, ages ago, perhaps when it first came out, and got bogged down in all the psuedo-action-film dream whatsit of some of the early chapters, but this time I stuck to it, and really enjoyed it, particularly in the later parts of the book. Don't ask me how much of it really happened, mind you...
Lunch in Paris, Elizabeth Bard. A friend passed this on to me - it's the memoir (more or less) of an American woman who marries a Frenchman and goes to live in Paris. And there's a lot of cooking and food involved. I enjoyed the food and cooking, but as my friend suspected, I also found that Bard's experiences and feelings about being an ex-pat resonated strongly in parts.
The Brief History of the Dead, Kevin Brockmeier. A post-apocalyptic type story, with a difference - most of the characters start off dead, in a sort of limbo-land of the dead. Except one, who is in Antarctica, struggling for survival. The chapters alternate back and forth and I loved the way they were woven together in the end. This was quick to read and very compelling. Another little treasure from my charity-shop scouring.
The Witch's Daughter, Paula Brackston. Picked this one up in the US last summer, but only have just now got around to reading it. This was a very solid piece of historical fiction, dealing, as you might imagine, with a woman whose mother was condemned as a witch (in the 17th century). It's not all set then, however - it follows the main character through her (very long) life and her attempt to escape a powerful warlock who basically stalks her across history. A cracking good story and very nicely written.
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