Books - January 2023
Jan. 27th, 2023 04:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
smallhobbitI've finished six books this month, although the first three of them were library books I began last month, all were on my list for reading in 2023. For that reason they are not included in my book bingo card, but count in my Goodreads total.
The Groote Park Murder by Freeman Wills Croft
The Shedunnit theme for January is 'a book published in 1923', with the chosen book being Dorothy L Sayers Whose Body. I hadn't wanted to read that, but this book was also on the list of possibilities. The book is representative of its time, but not as noticeably as the attitudes are in some other books. It begins in South Africa, but the second half is set in Britain, with part of the action being in the Trossachs, which is where we were on holiday last autumn, so I enjoyed the memories. There are interesting parts and less interesting parts but I think I enjoyed it more than I would have done the Lord Peter Wimsey story. [E1]
The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood
Recommended as being a good crime novel set in modern times but with a feel of the Golden Age. It has three interesting protagonists and the murder is quite clever and well solved. I'm planning on reading the next in the series, after which I shall see. The main characters feel slightly 'created' rather than those you might be reasonably expected to me. [B1]
Frostquake by Juliet Nicolson
The book has the subtitle, 'How the frozen winter of 1962 changed Britain forever'. I read the book because it was about a time which I experienced but only very vaguely remember. It wasn't as much about the snow and its effects as I had hoped, and the author's experience was influenced by being the granddaughter of Harold Nicolson and therefore in a privileged position, which didn't seem relevant. And the idea that the winter was responsible for all the changes which happened during 1962/63 seems far fetched. Yes, changes did happen, but they would have happened anyway. [A1]
Death of an Author by E C R Lorac
The latest Lorac to be re-issued. I really enjoyed this one. The plot is convoluted but enjoyable. Part of the action takes place in the area of the River Wye, which is local, so there was added interest. Lorac's descriptions are always good, and it was so easy to imagine the events. Inevitably I raced through it - having to restrict myself to not reading too much each day just so I could enjoy it properly. [F1]
Death has Deep Roots by Michael Gilbert
I had tried to borrow a copy from the library last year, but it wasn't available, so I bought one and finally got round to reading it. This is another Gilbert which is a combination of crime novel and thriller, which appeals greatly to me. It's set a few years after WWII and draws on events in the war in an entirely believable fashion. [C1]
Changes at Fairacre by Miss Read
I'm drawing to the close of the Fairacre series, but still enjoying the quiet sense of the village. Things are changing to reflect the times, but people remain much the same. [D1]
[Letters refer to my reading lists. I aim to read at least one book from each list every month.]
First three squares of my book bingo marked off:
The Groote Park Murder by Freeman Wills Croft
The Shedunnit theme for January is 'a book published in 1923', with the chosen book being Dorothy L Sayers Whose Body. I hadn't wanted to read that, but this book was also on the list of possibilities. The book is representative of its time, but not as noticeably as the attitudes are in some other books. It begins in South Africa, but the second half is set in Britain, with part of the action being in the Trossachs, which is where we were on holiday last autumn, so I enjoyed the memories. There are interesting parts and less interesting parts but I think I enjoyed it more than I would have done the Lord Peter Wimsey story. [E1]
The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood
Recommended as being a good crime novel set in modern times but with a feel of the Golden Age. It has three interesting protagonists and the murder is quite clever and well solved. I'm planning on reading the next in the series, after which I shall see. The main characters feel slightly 'created' rather than those you might be reasonably expected to me. [B1]
Frostquake by Juliet Nicolson
The book has the subtitle, 'How the frozen winter of 1962 changed Britain forever'. I read the book because it was about a time which I experienced but only very vaguely remember. It wasn't as much about the snow and its effects as I had hoped, and the author's experience was influenced by being the granddaughter of Harold Nicolson and therefore in a privileged position, which didn't seem relevant. And the idea that the winter was responsible for all the changes which happened during 1962/63 seems far fetched. Yes, changes did happen, but they would have happened anyway. [A1]
Death of an Author by E C R Lorac
The latest Lorac to be re-issued. I really enjoyed this one. The plot is convoluted but enjoyable. Part of the action takes place in the area of the River Wye, which is local, so there was added interest. Lorac's descriptions are always good, and it was so easy to imagine the events. Inevitably I raced through it - having to restrict myself to not reading too much each day just so I could enjoy it properly. [F1]
Death has Deep Roots by Michael Gilbert
I had tried to borrow a copy from the library last year, but it wasn't available, so I bought one and finally got round to reading it. This is another Gilbert which is a combination of crime novel and thriller, which appeals greatly to me. It's set a few years after WWII and draws on events in the war in an entirely believable fashion. [C1]
Changes at Fairacre by Miss Read
I'm drawing to the close of the Fairacre series, but still enjoying the quiet sense of the village. Things are changing to reflect the times, but people remain much the same. [D1]
[Letters refer to my reading lists. I aim to read at least one book from each list every month.]
First three squares of my book bingo marked off:
