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smallhobbitMy reading month got off to a bad start, since I returned two books to the library after reading them for about three days. I had read for about three days and was about 20% of the way through and knew there was no point in continuing. One was a fantasy, which needs to be very good for me to enjoy, I'm not a fan of fantasy and generally don't read the genre. The other was a modern crime novel. In that genre I'm more easy going and will read even the not so good, but the constant reference of 'this was how it was in X' where X was the name of the village in the Yorkshire Dales was total overkill, plus there was no nuance and I felt like I was participating in an AO3 trope fest (nothing wrong with trope fests, but not in the middle of my book).
So in the end I only read six books, one for each of my year's reading categories.
These Names Make Clues by E C R Lorac
A brand new Lorac (re-issue) hot off the press. I read it in a week, because Lorac is this year's favourite author. Possibly not so good as some of her later books, but nevertheless I enjoyed it. MacDonald solves the murders - as we knew he would - but it was all nicely convoluted and a good read.
Death on the Cherwell by Mavis Doriel Hay
The Shedunnit book for September is Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey, which I read three years ago. I therefore chose one of the other titles on the ballot list, which I could get from the library. It was an easy enough read, but there wasn't a particular mystery to be unravelled, as the clues were made quite clear.
The Casebook of Carnaki: The Ghost Finder by William Hope Hodgson
stonepicnicking_okapi recommended this some time ago and it's been sitting on my bookshelf for ages. I preferred the stories which turned out to have a physical explanation to the purely supernatural ones, but that's personal preference. It was an entertaining read. Interestingly Carnaki lived in Cheyne Walk in Chelsea in London and we lived in Cheyne Place, which is just behind Cheyne Walk. [C9]
Blackwork by Monica Ferris
The next needlecraft murder mystery. I enjoyed this more than the previous couple. It was well set up and the solution was clever. [D9]
Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
Recommended bymargaret_r Not the sort of book I would have read without recommendation, but very different and fascinating. It took me most of the month to read, as it's not the sort of book I'd want to spend too much time reading each day, but definitely worth reading. Not for the squeamish, however I read in bed at night and it didn't give me nightmares. If you're looking for something different to read, I can thoroughly recommend it. [B9]
Meddling and Murder by Ovidia Yu
This is the first of the Aunty Lee stories I've read. I enjoy the Ovidia Yu books set in 1930s Singapore, and thought I'd try a modern one. Initially I wasn't as keen, but the twists and turns kept me reading and the stereotypes turned out to be not stereotypical. Aunty Lee reminds me in some ways of a Singaporean Miss Marple. I'd read another of the books, but this is the only one in our library, so that may have to wait - my TBR pile is not shrinking. [A9]
Audiobooks
Rock, Paper, Scissors by Alice Feeney read by Stephanie Racine and Richard Armitage. This was a new Armitage narration. I enjoyed the story, which had a lot of unexpected twists and turns. Having failed to finish the last Alice Feeney I listened to, I was doubly pleased to find how much I liked this one. I could see it all happening in my head.
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, narrated by Billie Piper with full cast. This was free last December and I chose it because I like Billie Piper. The production was well done, and I had high hopes of it, but Austen's characters don't work for me.
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James narrated by Emma Thompson. Bought as at 2 for 1, because I'd never read the book. The heroine annoyed me. I'm not sure how much that was the writing or the narration. On the other hand it was perfect Gothic horror.
FutureLearn courses
The Power of Picturebooks by University of Waikato. I worked quite quickly through the course. The concepts are really interesting and it included an interview with Lynley Dodd, the author of the Hairy Maclary books. I'd thoroughly recommend it for anyone interested in books for young children.
A History of Royal Fashion by University of Glasgow. I'm not a royalist, but I found this course interesting, as it showed the way fashions changed from Tudor times up to current fashions. There are opportunities to look at specific items, watch re-enactors getting dressed and discussing the different items of clothing as they put them on, as well as a template to download each week to do your own design. One of the things I found particularly interesting was the way clothing was used by different kings and queens.
Dublin: A Social History, 1850-1930 by Dublin City University. This is very much a social history, although politics, naturally is touched on. A really interesting introduction to the subject. It covers the issues faced by most European cities during that period, as well as the particular issues which faced Dublin. It was sufficient for me to get an idea of the city during those eighty years, and there were plenty of references should someone wish to delve deeper.
So in the end I only read six books, one for each of my year's reading categories.
These Names Make Clues by E C R Lorac
A brand new Lorac (re-issue) hot off the press. I read it in a week, because Lorac is this year's favourite author. Possibly not so good as some of her later books, but nevertheless I enjoyed it. MacDonald solves the murders - as we knew he would - but it was all nicely convoluted and a good read.
Death on the Cherwell by Mavis Doriel Hay
The Shedunnit book for September is Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey, which I read three years ago. I therefore chose one of the other titles on the ballot list, which I could get from the library. It was an easy enough read, but there wasn't a particular mystery to be unravelled, as the clues were made quite clear.
The Casebook of Carnaki: The Ghost Finder by William Hope Hodgson
stonepicnicking_okapi recommended this some time ago and it's been sitting on my bookshelf for ages. I preferred the stories which turned out to have a physical explanation to the purely supernatural ones, but that's personal preference. It was an entertaining read. Interestingly Carnaki lived in Cheyne Walk in Chelsea in London and we lived in Cheyne Place, which is just behind Cheyne Walk. [C9]Blackwork by Monica Ferris
The next needlecraft murder mystery. I enjoyed this more than the previous couple. It was well set up and the solution was clever. [D9]
Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
Recommended by
margaret_r Not the sort of book I would have read without recommendation, but very different and fascinating. It took me most of the month to read, as it's not the sort of book I'd want to spend too much time reading each day, but definitely worth reading. Not for the squeamish, however I read in bed at night and it didn't give me nightmares. If you're looking for something different to read, I can thoroughly recommend it. [B9]Meddling and Murder by Ovidia Yu
This is the first of the Aunty Lee stories I've read. I enjoy the Ovidia Yu books set in 1930s Singapore, and thought I'd try a modern one. Initially I wasn't as keen, but the twists and turns kept me reading and the stereotypes turned out to be not stereotypical. Aunty Lee reminds me in some ways of a Singaporean Miss Marple. I'd read another of the books, but this is the only one in our library, so that may have to wait - my TBR pile is not shrinking. [A9]
Audiobooks
Rock, Paper, Scissors by Alice Feeney read by Stephanie Racine and Richard Armitage. This was a new Armitage narration. I enjoyed the story, which had a lot of unexpected twists and turns. Having failed to finish the last Alice Feeney I listened to, I was doubly pleased to find how much I liked this one. I could see it all happening in my head.
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, narrated by Billie Piper with full cast. This was free last December and I chose it because I like Billie Piper. The production was well done, and I had high hopes of it, but Austen's characters don't work for me.
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James narrated by Emma Thompson. Bought as at 2 for 1, because I'd never read the book. The heroine annoyed me. I'm not sure how much that was the writing or the narration. On the other hand it was perfect Gothic horror.
FutureLearn courses
The Power of Picturebooks by University of Waikato. I worked quite quickly through the course. The concepts are really interesting and it included an interview with Lynley Dodd, the author of the Hairy Maclary books. I'd thoroughly recommend it for anyone interested in books for young children.
A History of Royal Fashion by University of Glasgow. I'm not a royalist, but I found this course interesting, as it showed the way fashions changed from Tudor times up to current fashions. There are opportunities to look at specific items, watch re-enactors getting dressed and discussing the different items of clothing as they put them on, as well as a template to download each week to do your own design. One of the things I found particularly interesting was the way clothing was used by different kings and queens.
Dublin: A Social History, 1850-1930 by Dublin City University. This is very much a social history, although politics, naturally is touched on. A really interesting introduction to the subject. It covers the issues faced by most European cities during that period, as well as the particular issues which faced Dublin. It was sufficient for me to get an idea of the city during those eighty years, and there were plenty of references should someone wish to delve deeper.
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