Various ramblings by the small hobbit

For various reasons I'm now listening to less audiobooks, but have 29 books on my TBL list.  Not sure how I'm going to cope with this, but still :)

Also, it looks as if I should have posted at the end of June, but clearly had other things on my mind!  So this is a long list.

The Queen's Coronation by Jennifer Ryan read by January LaVoy, Juliette Burton, Imogen Wilde
I've enjoyed previous books by Ryan, and did enjoy this one, although one of the plot points involved a character making telephone calls from a public call box in London to New York in 1953.  However, the first permanent cable from Britain to the USA wasn't opened until 1956 and even then would have been impossible from a public call box.

Murder Underground by Mavis Doriel Hay read by Patience Tomlinson
A reasonable mystery, although some of the major characters were a real pain.  Written and set in the 1930s so accurate to time and place (Northern Line of the London Underground).

The Hog's Back Mystery by Freeman Wills Croft read by Gordon Griffin
Another reasonable mystery, typical attention to times and places by the author, and I had a good idea of who the murderer was partway through.

Aunt Dimity & the Heart of Gold by Nancy Atherton read by Christina Moore
I'm coming to the end of the series, which I feel is perhaps as well.  The story does have a feel good ending, although all a bit implausible.

Murder Most Royal by SJ Bennett read by Samantha Bond
Set in Sandringham in 2016, there are a number of red herrings before a slightly unsatisfactory conclusion.

Surfeit of Suspects by George Bellairs read by David Thorpe
I enjoyed this story, with Chief Inspector Littlejohn having to work his way through the various possibilities.  It was written in 1964 and gives a good snapshot of the period.

Death and Deja Vu by Ian Moore read by Ian Moore
Back in Follett Valley, nothing is ever straight forward for Richard Ainsworth.  As entertaining as the previous books.  Recommended for slightly off beat mysteries which include hens.

The Crack in the Wall by Tom Kennar read by Tom Kennar
I started following the stories of St Faithful's Havnot on Facebook and this book is based on the characters.  I enjoyed it because it captures so much of the ridiculousness of the Church of England.

The Noose's Shadow by Graham Brack read by Alex Wyndham
Book 4 of the Master Mercurius series, which I am slowly, and happily, working my way through.  Another excellent story, I continue to be delighted that therealsnape recommended it to me.

A Death in Diamonds by SJ Bennett read by Samantha Bond
This time set in 1956.  There's a lot of sense of class and misogyny, which at times overwhelms the story.  It's clever, if rather convoluted.  If I continue with the series I may borrow the books from the library, to see if I prefer them that way.

Very short descriptions so I can get this written.  If you are curious about a particular title/author I'll be happy to expand in the comments. 

Saw this in London at the weekend:

Clearly, 2026 is not going to be a writing year. I'm finally about back to typing with both hands, but that's not been the problem - the enthusiasm has waned significantly. I'll continue posting monthly figures to the end of the year, but after that, who knows. So far this month I've written 3,800 words, giving me 78K for the year.

The only piece worth noting is Night in the Churchyard which is Sherlock Holmes retirement era written for allbingo Fall Fest.

I'm partway through whatif_au and signed up for yuletide although I need to do some rereading for that.

The big news this month is that I'm finally knitting again.  And for proof, here's the jumper sleeve I finished - back in June I had just started the rib.

thefridayfive for 8 October

1. About how much time do you spend every day looking at your phone?
Probably an hour in the morning and then bits during the day.  More when I'm not at home.

2. About how much time do you spend every day looking at a computer screen (not counting your phone as a computer)?
Several hours.

3. What sorts of things are you looking at, when you look at your phone?
Emails, social media, puzzles, weather. Also audiobooks and radio programmes. Reserving library books. My diary.

4. What sorts of things are you looking at, when you look at your computer screen?
Emails, social media, puzzles, diary. Writing blog posts, spreadsheets (personal and when I'm volunteering)

5. About how much time do you spend every day reading printed material (books, magazines, snail mail, etc.)?
Probably three hours. I read a lot of books.  There are crafting magazines, with patterns I'm following.

It's months since I last posted any views, so here are a few:

I'm definitely extending from just fauna to include flora.

It's Fall Fest at allbingo and I've gone for generic prompts

Flashlight	Shadows
Chocolate	Eerie

Lots of photos, both at home and away.

Which should really read 'Book', because having read masses last month I've only finished one this month!  I do have a number on the go at the moment, but nothing which will be finished by the end of the month.  A result of some long books, being away for a week with no time to read, and waiting for library reservations to come in.  I have read 68 out of my 75 book target, so that's still easily attainable.

A Blink of the Screen: Collected Short Fiction by Terry Pratchett
The first half is a variety of short stories, which I found okay, but I did enjoy the second half, which was a selection of short stories all set in Discworld.