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Books - September 2023
Sep. 26th, 2023 11:07 amEight books this month, although some were started at the end of last month.
Death of a Lesser God by Vaseem Khan
As soon as I saw the library had this on their 'on order' list I had my reservation in, so was the first to read it! The next in the Malabar House series, which I have written about elsewhere. I really enjoyed it. There are some implausibilities, but they didn't bother me as they contributed to a great read. And yet again it was a fascinating look into India, and particularly Bombay and Calcutta, in the early 1950s and seeing the continued influences from WWII and partition. [F12]
Maigret and the Headless Corpse by Georges Simenon
Another Penguin Modern Classics Crime & Espionage rerelease. My first time reading a complete Maigret story, rather than short story. It ticks all my boxes with a competent policeman pursuing enquiries and gradually building a case. Very pleased that there are plenty more.
Murder on the Ballarat Train by Kerry Greenwood
This month's Shedunnit theme is novels based in the British Empire and set in the golden age, although not necessarily written then. The winner was the first of Ovidia Yu's Crown Colony series (so I look forward to joining the discussion), but I chose this one which came third. This is set in Australia in the inter-war period and is the third Phryne Fisher story. I was disappointed - I had no sense of the period, although clothes and cars were used to give the idea and although it was a pleasant read I wouldn't read more. [E9]
Knit Your Own Murder by Monica Ferris
The final Needlecraft Mystery. I enjoyed the story and thought it cleverly plotted and original. I've liked reading this series of cozy mysteries and am glad to have completed them. [D9]
A Fine of Two Hundred Francs by Elsa Triolet
Written in France during WWII and originally published underground, these are stories of some of the people who lived through the Nazi occupation. Some were members of the Resistance, others weren't. As a piece of history it was interesting, but the tales themselves didn't grab me. [C9]
The Theft of the Iron Dogs by E C R Lorac
The latest Lorac to be republished by British Library Crime Classics, and which I had pre-ordered. It's set in the Lancashire Dales and full of wonderful descriptions of the country and the people who inhabit it. Published in 1946 it's a great picture of life just after the end of the war, the restrictions still in place, and how the war affected agriculture. Chief Inspector Macdonald is invited to consider a small mystery which then ties up with the case he's currently pursuing and which, with the assistance of DI Reeves, he solves by putting together a variety of different clues. Very enjoyable. [F13]
Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson
Atkinson is one author who I like some books and not others. This one came highly recommended, but unfortunately fell into the 'not for me' category. There is only one copy in the library so I'd had to wait some months for it, which probably made me more hopeful of it, but maybe others found it hard to get through as well. [A9]
The Skeleton Road by Val McDermid
This was an additional read in Shedunnit in June last year, which I finally got round to. Interesting, but ultimately it failed in two ways that matter to me when I'm reading crime novels. I am clearly not the target audience in this case. [B9]
There are a number of books this month which in the end I didn't enjoy. This isn't to say others won't, we all have our personal preferences. My view is if I don't try new writers I will never find those I do enjoy (Simenon's Maigret for example) and while there are some books I quickly know I don't like and they go straight back to the library, others will have traits which don't appeal to me, so I know not to read others by the same author. Which is fine - there are lots of books out there to read, so I doubt I shall run out any time soon!
[Letters refer to my reading lists - I aim to read one book per month from each list to ensure a variety of reading.]
Death of a Lesser God by Vaseem Khan
As soon as I saw the library had this on their 'on order' list I had my reservation in, so was the first to read it! The next in the Malabar House series, which I have written about elsewhere. I really enjoyed it. There are some implausibilities, but they didn't bother me as they contributed to a great read. And yet again it was a fascinating look into India, and particularly Bombay and Calcutta, in the early 1950s and seeing the continued influences from WWII and partition. [F12]
Maigret and the Headless Corpse by Georges Simenon
Another Penguin Modern Classics Crime & Espionage rerelease. My first time reading a complete Maigret story, rather than short story. It ticks all my boxes with a competent policeman pursuing enquiries and gradually building a case. Very pleased that there are plenty more.
Murder on the Ballarat Train by Kerry Greenwood
This month's Shedunnit theme is novels based in the British Empire and set in the golden age, although not necessarily written then. The winner was the first of Ovidia Yu's Crown Colony series (so I look forward to joining the discussion), but I chose this one which came third. This is set in Australia in the inter-war period and is the third Phryne Fisher story. I was disappointed - I had no sense of the period, although clothes and cars were used to give the idea and although it was a pleasant read I wouldn't read more. [E9]
Knit Your Own Murder by Monica Ferris
The final Needlecraft Mystery. I enjoyed the story and thought it cleverly plotted and original. I've liked reading this series of cozy mysteries and am glad to have completed them. [D9]
A Fine of Two Hundred Francs by Elsa Triolet
Written in France during WWII and originally published underground, these are stories of some of the people who lived through the Nazi occupation. Some were members of the Resistance, others weren't. As a piece of history it was interesting, but the tales themselves didn't grab me. [C9]
The Theft of the Iron Dogs by E C R Lorac
The latest Lorac to be republished by British Library Crime Classics, and which I had pre-ordered. It's set in the Lancashire Dales and full of wonderful descriptions of the country and the people who inhabit it. Published in 1946 it's a great picture of life just after the end of the war, the restrictions still in place, and how the war affected agriculture. Chief Inspector Macdonald is invited to consider a small mystery which then ties up with the case he's currently pursuing and which, with the assistance of DI Reeves, he solves by putting together a variety of different clues. Very enjoyable. [F13]
Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson
Atkinson is one author who I like some books and not others. This one came highly recommended, but unfortunately fell into the 'not for me' category. There is only one copy in the library so I'd had to wait some months for it, which probably made me more hopeful of it, but maybe others found it hard to get through as well. [A9]
The Skeleton Road by Val McDermid
This was an additional read in Shedunnit in June last year, which I finally got round to. Interesting, but ultimately it failed in two ways that matter to me when I'm reading crime novels. I am clearly not the target audience in this case. [B9]
There are a number of books this month which in the end I didn't enjoy. This isn't to say others won't, we all have our personal preferences. My view is if I don't try new writers I will never find those I do enjoy (Simenon's Maigret for example) and while there are some books I quickly know I don't like and they go straight back to the library, others will have traits which don't appeal to me, so I know not to read others by the same author. Which is fine - there are lots of books out there to read, so I doubt I shall run out any time soon!
[Letters refer to my reading lists - I aim to read one book per month from each list to ensure a variety of reading.]
